Why these endless questions? It's a hopeless venture in my point of view.
Why not simply follow the basic rule of thumb: "one fighter, one arcane caster, one divine caster, one rogue" ... and come up with any possible mix (dual-class or multi-class) to fill a party with four characters?
Give it a try! Figure out what works for you. There is so much to discover in the game. Enjoy it! Not only have your heroes gain experience points, gain experience yourself. That's the fun. Learning by doing.
I personally finished Icewind Dale at first with a 4-person party (I replayed it with 6 characters later).
We had . . . erm, what DID I have? Bear with me as I try to remember
-Cavalier. Front-line tank, not much more to say. Whacked things with big sword. Whacked hard. -Fighter/Cleric. Front-line support, this guy was a bit of a powerhouse once properly buffed. -Totemic Druid, I think. Assuming such, she was mostly support, though she used her offensive spells to great effect also. -Mage/Thief. She was probably the weakest of the bunch, but she was still invaluable; she was my only source of Arcane magic, and she also provided excellent scouting. She wasn't half-bad with a shortbow either.
Thanks. Which proficiencies would you give my small group then?
Sorcerer I guess slings? Avenger Slings too what else? Fighter/Illu Dual wield, Axe and Longsword? berserker 7 cleric Dual wield, mace, what else?
Sorc: yeah, use slings if you want. I prefer darts/daggers for the higher APR, but you'll end up using MMM more than you use your regular weapon after some time anyways, so either will work.
Personally I'm no fan of the avenger. Sure they are cool, but since you only cast one spell per round and I seem to spend that on druid spells rather than the arcane ones you get with the kit, the disadvantages outplay the benefits (this if for MY playstyle, others love them of course). I prefer totemic for IWD, summons/animals etc for meat shields are never wrong. Use sling + staff so you can whack ppl from behind your tanks or go with S/S if you want to be more tanky. It takes a long time 'til you get iron skins though, so you will be a little squishy 'til then.
I don't like illusionists either, not in IWD, due to the two blocked spell schools. I would prefer F/M instead, but it's not a singleclass so I'm confused about what you want and do not want. Use flails and axes on the fighter.
Zerker (7) dual to cleric is an awesome char of course, but this isn't either a single class of course. I would use maces/hammers with sling as backup.
With that said, if ONLY singleclasses:
Thief is the hardest one to choose since singleclass thieves are somewhat wasted in IWD, but I will give it a go:
Sorcerer -> cheap, can be played naked and still rock and roll. Will be the main damage dealer/nuker. You don't need that many defensive skills since the enemy target system is flawed and your sorc will get like 5 attacks on him/her per chapter with good positioning. Just keep her/him at the back with some basic def.skills and focus on web/disablers and dealing damage. Take identify as a spell, it's not a waste.
Swashbuckler -> in a four man team of singleclasses, you need some meat in the front. The Swashie is the least weak of the thief kits and backstab isn't really all that popular in IWD. So, there really is no other choice. You could go with BH and use alot of traps. (It is a good setup as well, but then you'll prolly need to choose option two for slot four below.)
Cleric -> Any kit, but probably Talos. Load up with AC and resistances and use for pre-buffing and as tank. Summons as well.
The last slot is a hard one.. either more tankiness or higher killing rate. I'm in favor of killing rate though, so my choice would probably be:
Archer -> cheap, only really need a bow and the best bow is a sure drop in chapter 3 (?). You'll reach 5 APR at level 9 if I recall correctly, 10 APR with haste. True, piercing dmg sucks, but the sheer number of shots easily kill everything on it's own on insane. Archers are very good auxilirary fighters due to high THAC0, decent APR and fighter strength. Aim for 18:91+ at creation. Archers can scout as well while you develop the other skills on the swashie, traps and locks.
.. but one could also go with:
Paladin -> Probably undead hunter, cavalier or blackguard. Either will do, each bring something great. Personally I like the poison from blackguard vs clerics and mages, it can be applied with xbow, before switching to melee. The other pala's bring good kit bonuses as well, and really, any of them will be good enough.
This means: no pure fighter, which IMHO, is not NEEDED, even if it's nice to have. You'll get resiliance in all four chars, sorc can buff and tank, cleric get plate and buffs, swashie is the least squishy thief and archers are actually good fighters but best kept on the flanks or a paladin which of course makes a great tank.
If you want to powergame a little, use the same alignment for all chars for some nice clerical buffs. This means you have to be good if going with archer etc.
Remember, whatever you choose it'll be ok. It's pretty hard to gimp out completely since the game is fairly easy, as long as you have some key spells and skills. If you can summon some meat shields, you'll always get by in the end.
An Avenger's 2 CON penalty is pointless. They don't get bonus HP from 17 or 18 CON. Since only Humans and Half Elves can become Druids, that means CON won't be used for short saves.
The inability to wear armor is offset by Barkskin, which a pure Druid will use anyway.
So the only real penalty the Avenger has is 16 STR, which is a measly +1 THAC0 and +1 Damage vs 18 STR.
Should I spread my weaponprofs out or get grandmastery in one weapon as fast as possible? Also is the dual-wield really good or are there better alternatives for maximum damage?
I can give every race every class thanks to a mod and can also dual-class non-humans. Which race would you give my 4 guys n girls with that possibility? Or do you think that would be too much cheating? I think no because I want to play on the highest difficulty and there every advantage counts...
Also which one would you make the negotiator?
Do you have some tips on how to use the Kensai/M/T to good effect?Perhaps using mislead or invisibility?
Coming up with small(er) parties is easier after you've made an experience with a large party. You could say: "Hey, I didn't use this or that character much, so why not drop it?"
As you didn't answer the "What do you fear?" question, let's ask this:
What do you hope for?
If you want to play at "highest difficulty", ask yourself whether mods increase difficulty or lower it? What is highest difficulty? HoF without extra XP modes checked? A Sorcerer makes the game easier than another wizard, because you don't depend on the scrolls you find.
You can make the game more difficult simply by creating artificial constraints for your party composition.
A Kensai/Mage/Thief ... seriously? As a multi-class character using some weird mod? ... I'm fond of a Kensai->Mage dual for obvious reasons: No armor a mage cannot wear anyway without disabling spells. No interest in non-magical ranged damage. But the possibility to deal some melee damage in special situations. At HoF difficulty, sometimes I'm glad there are good fighters in the party that can engage enemies and give the hardcore spell casters in the party a bit of time to come up with something good. For example, at The Severed Hand. I don't like running away. And moving around invisibly is cheesy enough already.
You still don't need a thief for more than disarming traps. A three-class character will develop slowly. The Thief class portion will only be a hindrance. Instead, a Cleric/Thief would be a classical solution ... if you remember to unequip heavy armor when using the thieving skills.
A dual-class warrior cleric is a really obvious choice. Just don't overestimate a Zerk 7->Cleric when playing HoF. You really don't want to have such a low developed Berserker engage enemies in melee combat.
It hurts.
Even worse for the Zerk 7 -> Druid and the poor AC. Who's left when both Berserkers dual-class? No fighter other than the Kensai. And only the Cleric could wear heavy armor for a bit of protection ... not pretty.
In a small party you need experts. Do you like ranged combat? Then put a ranged beast into your party. The classical Thief 3->Fighter will also make it possible to develop good melee abilities. If you don't want ranged combat, choose a different hero. The Fighter/Druid is a classical choice. Jaheira ... enough said. The Sorcerer is an expert. Two slots in the party left. Choose what works for you...
Okay... So which 4 would you exactly take?Which is the most powerful combination of 4 people in a party? I once thought the Fighter 7 /dual to something else was incredibly strong... So please enlighten my and post the most powerful 4 char party possible....
Okay... So which 4 would you exactly take?Which is the most powerful combination of 4 people in a party?
That depends on how you play. Do you run around a lot during combat? Play hide and seek with monsters? Which spells do you like? Do you like illusions, such as invisibility? Do you like summoned allies? Or rather raw area damage spells? Both? Do you like buffing and protecting your party? Who would do that early in the game with just a Sorcerer and that weird Kensai/Mage/Thief? A Sorcerer cannot learn many spells.
I once thought the Fighter 7 /dual to something else was incredibly strong...
What is your current party-of-six you play with? Or have you not started yet?
I've warned before that searching for too many walkthroughs, howtos, faqs, recipes is an easy way to lose focus and to get lost completely. You create a hurdle that's too high before you even start a game. Rather: Read the game's manual a bit. Create a party to have fun with. Gain experience yourself. IWDEE isn't rocket science.
So please enlighten my and post the most powerful 4 char party possible....
I don't think it works like that ... since you would need to adapt somebody else's playing-style, too.
Please give me your most powerful party finally...(of 3-4 people) Then I can judge myself if I like it or not... I honor you because I think you know alot about this game. So please tell me your favorite party and then we can discuss if it is good for me or not...
I really think your comments till now where very intelligent, so...
your most powerful party finally...(of 3-4 people)
Now we're down to three.
That reminds me of a local player ... Daniel ... he claimed he had studied the two manuals ... all pages. Turned out he didn't even know where to find them on disk. Then he asked our local self-proclaimed pro-gamer ... let's call him Turandil for this post ... about a party suggestion. Turandil answered: "Pick the default party. It's fine." But Daniel said he had read about more powerful parties. He wanted a really powerful party. Turandiel replied and pointed out the pitfalls related to dual-classing and multi-classing. Daniel didn't care much about such details. Then he proceeded to asking about a smaller party ... because he had heard that it would be "less work" to move fewer heroes. Finally, the other day the two were talking about solo'ing these types of games. With the plan to complete the game in a "couple of hours". We still don't know whether Daniel has even started or completed this game or IWD2.
Even for just 4 people, there are several options. Sure, a Kensai 9 -> Mage is great fun. But during early HoF it's just a warrior who will be overwhelmed by the enemies. Similarly with a Berserker 7 -> Cleric. With healing support from a Fighter/Druid multi-class, it's noticably different. And Daniel asked something like "But when I have a sorcerer, do I really need a mage then?". No, you don't. You may need to cast from scrolls, however, use all potions you can find. Run away often, run in circles often. And so on. That's a playing-style matter. Even a human Thief 3 -> Mage would be possible. Kinda exotic and almost a pure mage, but it would give access to trap disarming and arcane power at the same time in just one party slot. It's not as if there were only few options. Grand-mastery isn't the holy grail.
And let's not forget ... some players follow walkthroughs in the hope that their party is over-powered, meet Yxunomei for the first time and think WTF? Discussion would be easier, if there were more input from you about what you like and dislike about your current party.
Okay so lets face it: I really want a nuker (think the best one would be sorcerer). I want at least a 2nd damage caster (druid?) I want at least one melee powerhouse Someone who buffs the party Bonus points if you can make it with only 3 chars... So again, please suggest me YOUR perfect party of 3-4 characters!!!
The same who do it in your current party-of-six. Which spells do you cast to buff your party? Then you need the same classes in your smaller party.
Return to the topic when you've cleared the Severed Hand with your large party. By then you would also know what minimum requirements (spells and/or fighter power) you would need to survive at Dragon's Eye before even getting to see Yxunomei.
But I dont want to do the large party, guess I want the challenge of a small one... Cant you just tell me what party YOU would use with 3-4 members? If you tell me we can discuss if it is really that good or not... I am just hoping to find the perfect party before I even start to play, because I played the game (without EE) so many times...
Sorry, it doesn't work like that. You need to wait for others to make further suggestions then. You've seen some party suggestions so far. Some for insane and easier. Some for HoF. It shouldn't be so hard to squeeze a Mage, Cleric, Fighter, Thief into four party members and use dual-class or multi-class, if necessary. Give it a try.
IWDEE is great enough to play it more than once. First at Core difficulty (or even easier) to get a feeling for the various heroes and their abilities. Then at higher difficulty. Enjoy it! You want a challenge. Activate HoF immediately and test the level 1 parties you create. Why not? What do you fear?
You've asked too many questions that show that you would not succeed in HoF mode with a party somebody has told you.
@Nitesco - no. Max attack is 5, I thimk a F9 has 4 with Grandmastery. You need to dual wield a +1 APR weapon to "naturally" hit 5. You can of course use + APR spells to go higher.
@Nitesco - no. Max attack is 5, I thimk a F9 has 4 with Grandmastery. You need to dual wield a +1 APR weapon to "naturally" hit 5. You can of course use + APR spells to go higher.
I was just reading the manual.
A Fighter with Grand Master (5 points spent) gains 5 attacks every 2 rounds. Warrior classes gain an extra 1/2 attack at levels 7 and 13, so a 9th level Fighter (I assume this is the level it takes to aquire Grand Mastery) gains 6 attacks every 2 rounds (or 3 attacks per round).
Now all I have to do is find a table which shows at which levels a Fighter gets to spend proficiency points on a specific weapon type, so I can work out an optimal number of attacks per round before dual-classing a Fighter.
It's odd how this information never seems to be all together in the same place.
This is identical to IWD, since there are practically no changes to the system from one game to the other. Enjoy. Fighters will get their final proficiency, which will be their 14th, at level 30 in IWD.
This is identical to IWD, since there are practically no changes to the system from one game to the other. Enjoy. Fighters will get their final proficiency, which will be their 11th, at level 30 in IWD.
Single weapon F9 with GM has 3 APR only. GM is 5/2 APR plus the first half attack the fighter gets at level 7.
Dual-wielding F9 with GM has 4 APR.
For more you need level 13 for 2 base APR or a +1 attacks weapon.
I missed this before and after further perusal of the manual I now see that a character's presentation of arms affects the modifiers independently of proficiency and class.
Okay so lets face it: I really want a nuker (think the best one would be sorcerer). I want at least a 2nd damage caster (druid?) I want at least one melee powerhouse Someone who buffs the party Bonus points if you can make it with only 3 chars... So again, please suggest me YOUR perfect party of 3-4 characters!!!
Thief (kit is optional)/Mage multi (or a dc at thief lvl 7). Fighter/Druid multi. Fighter/Cleric multi (half orc).
One nuker that also covers PP and trap disarming - forget about stealth and locks. One damage caster that also doubles as a melee and ranged damager. One melee powerhouse/buffer. Zero to low downtime. I dislike dual classing unless I've got enough characters in the party to carry one or two weaker ones for a time. You don't get grandmastery, but multiclass fighters are plenty strong. You won't get ultimate DPS, but those builds are IMO not suited to a smaller party unless the player is very experienced. This party has strength and flexibility in all areas.
@Sloty, I know you said you had many parties in the original IWD (+ HOW, I assume), did you complete the game with any of them? It can be a difficult game on the first run, and no party composition or strength can make up for poor battle tactics or lack of knowledge. My rule of thumb is scout, summon, and don't rush into battles, make the enemy come to you unless there is a considerable benefit and relatively little downside to charging in (e.g. against spellcasters with little melee support).
Also, bear in mind that everyone has a different definition of what the "strongest" party is. A party that is strong with 2 million xp each may be highly unbalanced and thus weak in some areas at 100,000 xp each and/or at 6 million xp each.
It should work out fine, I think. Thief>Mage buffs and crowd controls, the other three do the heavy combat part, and all of them are trained in stealth so that they can spring ambushes in the optimal location.
Or just replace the T>M with a Sorc and pick up Invisibility 10' Radius. That way the entire party isn't held back by having to have some way to go invisible individually.
It's not "better" or "worse" it's the pros and cons of a build. What @Merina has tried to say over and over is that it's about how you play. If your play style fits the build, no matter how strong the build is objectively, it's fine.
MC vs DC PRO - skills available all the time, skills/sneak attack continue to advance, maybe a few more HP, Thaco is better MC vs DC CON - mage levels slower
Comments
Why these endless questions? It's a hopeless venture in my point of view.
Why not simply follow the basic rule of thumb: "one fighter, one arcane caster, one divine caster, one rogue" ... and come up with any possible mix (dual-class or multi-class) to fill a party with four characters?
Give it a try! Figure out what works for you. There is so much to discover in the game. Enjoy it! Not only have your heroes gain experience points, gain experience yourself. That's the fun. Learning by doing.
We had . . . erm, what DID I have? Bear with me as I try to remember
-Cavalier. Front-line tank, not much more to say. Whacked things with big sword. Whacked hard.
-Fighter/Cleric. Front-line support, this guy was a bit of a powerhouse once properly buffed.
-Totemic Druid, I think. Assuming such, she was mostly support, though she used her offensive spells to great effect also.
-Mage/Thief. She was probably the weakest of the bunch, but she was still invaluable; she was my only source of Arcane magic, and she also provided excellent scouting. She wasn't half-bad with a shortbow either.
The inability to wear armor is offset by Barkskin, which a pure Druid will use anyway.
So the only real penalty the Avenger has is 16 STR, which is a measly +1 THAC0 and +1 Damage vs 18 STR.
Halfling fighter/thief
Gnome fighter/mage
Everyone can defend themselves. Everyone has an essential role (traps/healing/magic)
With only 3 members the multiclassinf won't slow them down either
Sorcerer
Kensai/Mage/Thief
Bers 7 Druid
Bers 7 Cleric?
Should I spread my weaponprofs out or get grandmastery in one weapon as fast as possible?
Also is the dual-wield really good or are there better alternatives for maximum damage?
I can give every race every class thanks to a mod and can also dual-class non-humans.
Which race would you give my 4 guys n girls with that possibility?
Or do you think that would be too much cheating? I think no because I want to play on the highest difficulty and there every advantage counts...
Also which one would you make the negotiator?
Do you have some tips on how to use the Kensai/M/T to good effect?Perhaps using mislead or invisibility?
As you didn't answer the "What do you fear?" question, let's ask this:
What do you hope for?
If you want to play at "highest difficulty", ask yourself whether mods increase difficulty or lower it? What is highest difficulty? HoF without extra XP modes checked? A Sorcerer makes the game easier than another wizard, because you don't depend on the scrolls you find.
You can make the game more difficult simply by creating artificial constraints for your party composition.
A Kensai/Mage/Thief ... seriously? As a multi-class character using some weird mod? ... I'm fond of a Kensai->Mage dual for obvious reasons: No armor a mage cannot wear anyway without disabling spells. No interest in non-magical ranged damage. But the possibility to deal some melee damage in special situations. At HoF difficulty, sometimes I'm glad there are good fighters in the party that can engage enemies and give the hardcore spell casters in the party a bit of time to come up with something good. For example, at The Severed Hand. I don't like running away. And moving around invisibly is cheesy enough already.
You still don't need a thief for more than disarming traps. A three-class character will develop slowly. The Thief class portion will only be a hindrance. Instead, a Cleric/Thief would be a classical solution ... if you remember to unequip heavy armor when using the thieving skills.
A dual-class warrior cleric is a really obvious choice. Just don't overestimate a Zerk 7->Cleric when playing HoF. You really don't want to have such a low developed Berserker engage enemies in melee combat.
It hurts.
Even worse for the Zerk 7 -> Druid and the poor AC. Who's left when both Berserkers dual-class? No fighter other than the Kensai. And only the Cleric could wear heavy armor for a bit of protection ... not pretty.
In a small party you need experts. Do you like ranged combat? Then put a ranged beast into your party. The classical Thief 3->Fighter will also make it possible to develop good melee abilities. If you don't want ranged combat, choose a different hero. The Fighter/Druid is a classical choice. Jaheira ... enough said. The Sorcerer is an expert. Two slots in the party left. Choose what works for you...
So which 4 would you exactly take?Which is the most powerful combination of 4 people in a party?
I once thought the Fighter 7 /dual to something else was incredibly strong...
So please enlighten my and post the most powerful 4 char party possible....
I've warned before that searching for too many walkthroughs, howtos, faqs, recipes is an easy way to lose focus and to get lost completely. You create a hurdle that's too high before you even start a game. Rather: Read the game's manual a bit. Create a party to have fun with. Gain experience yourself. IWDEE isn't rocket science. I don't think it works like that ... since you would need to adapt somebody else's playing-style, too.
Then I can judge myself if I like it or not...
I honor you because I think you know alot about this game.
So please tell me your favorite party and then we can discuss if it is good for me or not...
I really think your comments till now where very intelligent, so...
That reminds me of a local player ... Daniel ... he claimed he had studied the two manuals ... all pages. Turned out he didn't even know where to find them on disk. Then he asked our local self-proclaimed pro-gamer ... let's call him Turandil for this post ... about a party suggestion. Turandil answered: "Pick the default party. It's fine." But Daniel said he had read about more powerful parties. He wanted a really powerful party. Turandiel replied and pointed out the pitfalls related to dual-classing and multi-classing. Daniel didn't care much about such details. Then he proceeded to asking about a smaller party ... because he had heard that it would be "less work" to move fewer heroes. Finally, the other day the two were talking about solo'ing these types of games. With the plan to complete the game in a "couple of hours". We still don't know whether Daniel has even started or completed this game or IWD2.
Even for just 4 people, there are several options. Sure, a Kensai 9 -> Mage is great fun. But during early HoF it's just a warrior who will be overwhelmed by the enemies. Similarly with a Berserker 7 -> Cleric. With healing support from a Fighter/Druid multi-class, it's noticably different. And Daniel asked something like "But when I have a sorcerer, do I really need a mage then?". No, you don't. You may need to cast from scrolls, however, use all potions you can find. Run away often, run in circles often. And so on. That's a playing-style matter. Even a human Thief 3 -> Mage would be possible. Kinda exotic and almost a pure mage, but it would give access to trap disarming and arcane power at the same time in just one party slot. It's not as if there were only few options. Grand-mastery isn't the holy grail.
And let's not forget ... some players follow walkthroughs in the hope that their party is over-powered, meet Yxunomei for the first time and think WTF?
I really want a nuker (think the best one would be sorcerer).
I want at least a 2nd damage caster (druid?)
I want at least one melee powerhouse
Someone who buffs the party
Bonus points if you can make it with only 3 chars...
So again, please suggest me YOUR perfect party of 3-4 characters!!!
Return to the topic when you've cleared the Severed Hand with your large party. By then you would also know what minimum requirements (spells and/or fighter power) you would need to survive at Dragon's Eye before even getting to see Yxunomei.
Cant you just tell me what party YOU would use with 3-4 members?
If you tell me we can discuss if it is really that good or not...
I am just hoping to find the perfect party before I even start to play, because I played the game (without EE) so many times...
IWDEE is great enough to play it more than once. First at Core difficulty (or even easier) to get a feeling for the various heroes and their abilities. Then at higher difficulty. Enjoy it! You want a challenge. Activate HoF immediately and test the level 1 parties you create. Why not? What do you fear?
You've asked too many questions that show that you would not succeed in HoF mode with a party somebody has told you.
Dual-wielding F9 with GM has 4 APR.
For more you need level 13 for 2 base APR or a +1 attacks weapon.
A Fighter with Grand Master (5 points spent) gains 5 attacks every 2 rounds. Warrior classes gain an extra 1/2 attack at levels 7 and 13, so a 9th level Fighter (I assume this is the level it takes to aquire Grand Mastery) gains 6 attacks every 2 rounds (or 3 attacks per round).
Now all I have to do is find a table which shows at which levels a Fighter gets to spend proficiency points on a specific weapon type, so I can work out an optimal number of attacks per round before dual-classing a Fighter.
It's odd how this information never seems to be all together in the same place.
http://web.archive.org/web/20131106012942/http://playithardcore.com/pihwiki/index.php?title=Baldur's_Gate:_Progression_Charts
This is identical to IWD, since there are practically no changes to the system from one game to the other. Enjoy. Fighters will get their final proficiency, which will be their 14th, at level 30 in IWD.
Thief (kit is optional)/Mage multi (or a dc at thief lvl 7). Fighter/Druid multi. Fighter/Cleric multi (half orc).
One nuker that also covers PP and trap disarming - forget about stealth and locks. One damage caster that also doubles as a melee and ranged damager. One melee powerhouse/buffer. Zero to low downtime. I dislike dual classing unless I've got enough characters in the party to carry one or two weaker ones for a time. You don't get grandmastery, but multiclass fighters are plenty strong. You won't get ultimate DPS, but those builds are IMO not suited to a smaller party unless the player is very experienced. This party has strength and flexibility in all areas.
@Sloty, I know you said you had many parties in the original IWD (+ HOW, I assume), did you complete the game with any of them? It can be a difficult game on the first run, and no party composition or strength can make up for poor battle tactics or lack of knowledge. My rule of thumb is scout, summon, and don't rush into battles, make the enemy come to you unless there is a considerable benefit and relatively little downside to charging in (e.g. against spellcasters with little melee support).
Also, bear in mind that everyone has a different definition of what the "strongest" party is. A party that is strong with 2 million xp each may be highly unbalanced and thus weak in some areas at 100,000 xp each and/or at 6 million xp each.
http://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/41564/thought-experiment-stealth-based-team-for-icewind-dale.
It should work out fine, I think. Thief>Mage buffs and crowd controls, the other three do the heavy combat part, and all of them are trained in stealth so that they can spring ambushes in the optimal location.
Which one do you think is better and why: multiclass or dualclass?
It's not "better" or "worse" it's the pros and cons of a build. What @Merina has tried to say over and over is that it's about how you play. If your play style fits the build, no matter how strong the build is objectively, it's fine.
MC vs DC PRO - skills available all the time, skills/sneak attack continue to advance, maybe a few more HP, Thaco is better
MC vs DC CON - mage levels slower