First playthrough, simple character/party guide please?
Mikeolaf
Member Posts: 1
Hello everyone, im new and this is my first playthrough and i am completely lost with character creation, i did a lot of google search and watched some playthroughs and now im more confused than before because everyone says something different, can anyone give me basic party guide?
For example, what combination should i get
1- Tank > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
2- Sorcerer > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
3- Ranger > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
4- Figher/support? > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
5- Thief > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
The problem is i have a very little time to be on computer due to work and family and i really just want to get into the game because its been a day im watching videos and reading the forums but i still couldnt get through the party creation screen.
What i want is a basic party, not looking for the best of best but looking for something that wont let me down on long run and i wont miss anything from the game, any advice and recommendations or help will be greatly appreciated
For example, what combination should i get
1- Tank > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
2- Sorcerer > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
3- Ranger > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
4- Figher/support? > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
5- Thief > Race? > Class? > Class kit? > Alignment? > Skils?
The problem is i have a very little time to be on computer due to work and family and i really just want to get into the game because its been a day im watching videos and reading the forums but i still couldnt get through the party creation screen.
What i want is a basic party, not looking for the best of best but looking for something that wont let me down on long run and i wont miss anything from the game, any advice and recommendations or help will be greatly appreciated
0
Comments
2. Sorcerer: race and alignment basically doesn't matter too much. Pick what you like, or think makes sense RP-wise.
3. Ranger: I can greatly recommend the Archer kit. Very high damage output, can lock down mages on its own, can kite hard-hitting big idiots. Race/alignment is basically given by the class restriction, elf probably best though because of longbow thac0 bonus.
4. Fighter/Support: Can be any number of things, pure or dual or multi. XP cap in IWD is based on lvl not XP so you can max any combination same as a single class (slower though). Berserker is tough, Kensai is strong but can be fragile. Dual-class Fighter (either kit)->Mage can be difficult to play correctly if you don't know the game well, but strong if you do. Fighter->Cleric dual is also very strong, arguably even better than mage due to lots of buffs to stack. Fighter/Cleric multi may be nearly equal and easier to play. Fighter/Druid can work as tank/support hybrid. Race/alignment doesn't matter.
5. Thief: Swashbuckler->Fighter dual is my personal favorite, but not for everyone. Fighter/Thief multi is easy to play and best of both worlds. Thief/Mage is more utility less forward power, might want to get acquainted with the game a bit more first. Race/alignment doesn't matter, Halflings get good thief bonuses and saving throws but no big deal in IWD due to less magic and more hit-on-head combat.
6. Bard: IWD is quite friendly towards Bards, particularly Skalds since it's so combat-focused. Also lots of buffs to learn and cast, making it essentially full-time support. Easy to play, just turn on music and stand around looking pretty. Boring to some people. Race/alignment essentially irrelevant, and restricted by class anyway.
That's a very rough overview. There's probably another 10 combinations you could list and be completely justified. If you don't play on HoF mode it's not that big a deal, though it is a lot more combat and fighting than you might be used from BG.
1. Bard, vanilla, half elf
2. Paladin, cavalier or undead hunter
3. Druid, Avenger, Elf
4. Cleric, Priest of Tempus, any race, dwarf is the best
5. Barbarian, any race, halfling works great
6. Illusionist/Thief, Gnome
Generally, not having played the game, you are going to obsess and worry up front about making just the right character. Don't worry, the game is beatable with just about any character you care to make, although yes, some will be more challenging than others. Also, there are enough NPCs in the game that every slot and role you can imagine is likely to be filled, there is no real gap your PC might fill. (Not quite true - there is no fighter/mage NPC waiting for you, if you really want to push a point - but there are better choices for a first-time play through. Fighter/Mages do not get to wear armor, which is tricky for a fighter, and splitting xp between two classes means you will always be behind on the Mage power curve until late in the trilogy.)
When I want to satisfy my 'power gamer' instincts, I will keep re-rolling stats in the character generation screen until I get a 90 or more. This is generally considered overkill, but does give a small but worthwhile advantage that will stay with you through the whole trilogy. If you want to improve the chances of a high role, take a character with high stat requirements, such as any multi-class character (cannot be human) or a Paladin (must be human) or Ranger (human, elf, or half-elf).
One early concern is that detecting and disarming traps requires a Thief character - but don't worry, you will run into an extremely competent thief NPC very early in the game, and there are many more throughout the first game. By the second game, this matters much less.
One popular way to make best progress is to play a human and dual-class. This means you will essentially play the first game as one class, then change classes to a second choice, usually early in the second game. This can be a very powerful way to gain the benefits of the first class while advancing quickly in the second class, as you don't need to split xp with both classes to the end of the game - all your xp goes to the active class. The way xp/levels work, the sweet spot is to change classes around level 9/10, which is just beyond the level cap of the first game.
The main benefit of dual-classing first time around is that you can play a 'fighter' as your first class, and get a lot of hit points, fully master your favorite weapon, and then pick up a second class that might otherwise struggle for hits - usually a Mage, sometimes a thief or cleric though. If you are thinking of dualing into cleric, be sure to learn which weapons a cleric is allowed to use by their religion before specializing as a fighter though - generally, sharp weapons (swords, axes, daggers, darts, etc.) are out.
It is also possible to dual in the first game. Generally, you are giving up on your long term power of the character, but you do get to spend the majority of the series playing as the class you prefer.
The last thing I should talk about is probably the difference between a sorcerer and a mage. The general rule of magic in the D&D systems is that you get to cast a certain number of spells per day, and as you gain levels you get to memorize more spells/day, and higher level spells. It is not a mana system where you can choose your spells when you want, or apportion high and low level spells as you want.
The sorcerer plays just a little differently. The have the same spells/day limit as a regular mage or cleric, but have a very limited choice of which spells they can cast, picking a new spell as a perk of leveling up. However, they don't need to pick their spells at the start of the day, but can cast them as they choose - although still limited by the number of spells/spell level/day for their character level. So in general, they are more free-wheeling to play as you don't need to plan ahead for the unknown each day - but you almost have to plan ahead for the whole game when picking which spells to learn each new level.
A big difference is that while Mages can multiples and dual-class, sorcerers must start as a sorcerer and can never change. This can make them a difficult class for a first time player, but they are among the most powerful for a seasoned expert.
When it comes to stat rolls, remember you can redistribute your points between stats before you start the game, but then they are fixed for the rest of the game, and there is no normal way within the game system to ever increase these stats. Once you have them, they are essentially what you will have until the end of the game, unless you find some truly exceptions means to raise them by even a point.
Dexterity is a critical stat for almost any character, as an 18 Dex will get you 4 free points of armor, and in this system that is a lot. A second stat that is useful for all classes is Constitution. A Con of 16 will get you +2 hit points every level, and that is very noticeable. You do not benefit from a con above 16 though, unless you are playing a fighter class (fighter/barbarian/ranger/paladin) so you can be careful here. For a fighter, Strength is next most important, for a Cleric Wisdom is most important, and for a Mage Intelligence matters when learning new spells. Sorcerers don't really benefit from any specific stat, but high Dex/Con ar always good (as above) and a high Strength means you can carry a lot of gear.
The only class I would actively avoid for my PC on a first game is Monk. This is a very powerful class late in the game, but was originally implemented for BG2, and never really gets to the point it is useful in the first game.
Best advice is to just pick the character you want to play, and try to play with the story, rather than just the stats. That is the joy of Baldur's Gate. There is a whole world and story out there to explore, and it is much more fun when you play yourself as part of that story, rather than a bunch of numbers beating on the next monster. The marvel is that no matter which character you imagine for yourself, the story as a whole is going to work and play well to your hero as the star of the show.
Go forth and enjoy the game, and worry about character roles only if you find the time for a second play through. (Many of us do, and a 3rd/4th/5th/nth)
The IWDEE manual is really really good. Compared with the manual, some walk-throughs have the size of a dissertation and contain way too many minor details.
The game is easy enough ... and you can even decrease the difficulty further.
However, learning by doing is much more fun.
Saving often is most important.
Lots of items you find are random.
Core difficulty could be harder than higher difficulty because of the lower experience points you get. Game ends without your heroes reaching high levels.
There's nothing wrong with playing with the pregenerated parties. Or: Study them carefully and modify them a bit.
One can read/hear how some players reroll for two hours to get "optimal" attributes. Others adjust the heroes with EEKeeper. :z
Races are restricted in which class or multiclass they can be, but apart from that you can do what feels fun to you.
I suggest using mostly warrior types, but including one classe each of mage, cleric and a thief. Those can be combined in multiclass. You can do a thief/mage or make one fighter/thief and one fighter/mage.
Here's my new party for comparison:
Hundead Hunter (Paladin kit)
Barbarian, human
Swashbuckler (thief kit), human
Totemic druid, Human
Wild Mage, elf
Kensai, halfling
They are all female except for the little guy.
Sorcerer doesn't matter which race she/he is, just remember to give her/him 16 con. or just make a mage/thief, arcane magic is ok in Icewind. Fighters trump mages every time in this game, so combining the mage and thief to free up another slot is generally a good idea.
Ranger, elven archer is by far your best choice.
Supp is either fighter/cleric, ranger/cleric "don't know if this is a Icewind choice, if it is pick it" or pure cleric. I would go dwarven, because little people get bonus saves.
Thief it really depens what you want from your thief, Bounty hunter for traps, assassins for backstabbing, or swashy if you want another fighter. Personally I would go for a mage/thief.
Bard, skald or blade. Skald for party buffs, blade for a decent fighter, as you don't really get high level in Icewind, I would say skald is a better bet.
Lastly Druid or fighter/druid if you went mage/thief route and have a extra slot.
Like Fallout, Baldur's Gate and the other games.. It's not necessary to build 'perfect' characters. Flawed characters have their charms as well.
If this is your first time through, play on easy for awhile... take some time to get to know how the game works and what spells do what. Worry about challenging yourself later after you've learned what things do.
Basic party building.. Take whatever looks interesting. Mix it up, make a wide variety of characters... character building should be fun. Since there's no background story or any character related story driven element to this game, It's pretty much up to you to create characters that mean something to you.
Like everyone else, I have my goto party. It's probably the first party I created or something and I now have trouble getting away from it. I'm always making some sort of variation on it but the building blocks remain the same.
Paladin
Fighter/Cleric
Druid
Bard
Mage
Mage/Thief
Paladin and Cleric make fighting undead rather simple and everyone can buff themselves up without having to rely on other characters to do everything. You also get the whole spectrum of spells to play and experiment with all in one party. Lots of people rely on tank builds and enjoy building tanks. I enjoy casting spells... because they look pretty and some are really cool.
If this is your first time playing, here are my 10 cents when it comes to building a party of 6 that will be successful, without being a power gamer: (Bear in mind that opinions may vary... some people swear by Bards... or Druids, Rangers, and Monks. They are tricky to play, and I found them limited)... here are my suggestions:
- Go tank-heavy: If this is your first time, beating is easier than sorting out spells and how/when/who casts them. Yes, experienced gamers will disagree, but there will be plenty of hacking and slashing and you want characters who can dish it as well as take it. After you've played the game once, you may want to experiment with more creative spell-casting, but if you want to keep it simple and limit re-starts, make sure your party can absorb (and dish out) a lot of physical damage.
Two beaters with high Fortitude and Strength (and no Charisma, Intelligence or Wisdom) will serve you well.
I'd suggest a Human and a Dwarf, to make it diverse and interesting. Dwarves get Axe specialization and stick a Greatsword in the Human's hands... sometimes you will need different weapons to kill different opponents. They are brutal killers.
- Next, you want a Cleric. A Cleric is no slouch in a fight, give her a sword and a shield, and most importantly, a bow. She is a backline support fighter, but most importantly, she can HEAL your party. This is IMPERATIVE throughout the game, especially in the later levels. Imagine making it most of the way through the game, the Boss is near death, and one of your Fighters die when the battle is in the balance. The Resurrect spell is invaluable. Clerics also have access to really cool offensive spells like Firestrike. Your Cleric is not only a strong part of your support offense, but she can HEAL your party. If she dies, everyone else is screwed. and you will have to go back to your last save. I suggest an Elf. A Cleric needs a religion, and I'd suggest Lathlander. It provides the greatest healing benefits, and your Cleric's job is to keep your party alive in tough battles. Pump her Wisdom and drop her Intel and Charisma to a minimum. Clerics don't need either. Reduce Strength and Split Fortitude and Dexterity.
- Fourth and Fifth (and this is a personal preference), I like Paladins (of Helm). They get interesting Dialogue options, some healing powers, and I can live vicariously through them... and I like another Fighter as well. These make good "secondary half-tanks" who can melee when needed, protect the Cleric and 6th member when needed, and use a bow when needed. Paladins can use a Bastard Sword one-handed, so you can equip them with a shield to minimize their melee shortcomings. As for the "3rd fighter", I like an ambidextrous Elf with two Longswords. Here is where you can be creative, and take a Ranger, Monk or Druid instead. My logic is that there is only one +5 Longsword you are likely to get or afford, only one +5 Bastard Sword, one +5 bow, one +5 axe, one +5 greatsword, etc... and one character can't use them all at once... so think ahead and spread your Weapon Specialization out so by the end of the game, they are all carrying a +5 something. Charisma is essential in playing a Paladin. Beyond that, just build him like a fighter. The same holds true with your "3rd fighter"... a tad more Dexterity than Strength... and if you prefer spells and subtlety to pounding, this is where you make that trade-off.
- Finally, a Thief/Rogue is important early on, and useless later. I prefer Lightfoot Halflings because they get the dexterity bump. Once they get to the 4th level, they get all the advantages of the Rogue class, and it's time to make them offensively useful by multi-classing them into a Wizard for the duration. Why? A few reasons: Thieves use Dexterity and Intelligence to ply their craft... Wizards use Intelligence to learn scrolls... so you don't have to split their attributes. Start this character with a ton of Intelligence and Dexterity, (maybe some Fortitude so she'll survive inevitable hits), and screw the Wisdom... once you multiclass her into a Wizard, the only thing needed is for you takes to keep her safe because she will not do well in melee combat. She has a specific role, and it's not taking on Bearbugs. Thankfully, you have a tank-heavy party to protect her.
- A word on "Sorcerers vs Wizards"... Sourcerers are by far the weakest characters to play early on, and by the end, they are badasses. Sorcerers are also difficult characters to play... probably not for the first-timer. This forum (the OP) was meant to help newcomers, which is why I recommended (to someone who wants a good initial build) a Wizard over a Sorcerer.
My suggested First-Time party:
- Human Beast: no Intelligence, Widom or Charisma... Greatsword Specialization
- Shield Dwarf: see above... Axe (and later Hammer) specialization
- Paladin of Helm: Human... High Charisma, Bastard Sword and bow, leader of party (dialogue options)
- Elf Fighter (pump dexterity - secondary tank... 2-handed fighter + bow... optional for Druid, Ranger, or whatever)
- Cleric of Lathlander (high Wisdom... healer and good backline fighter, completely essential)
- Lightfoot Halfling. Thief for early chapters, Wizard after 4 levels. Useless in melee, but can cast offensive spells.
- A final note to the OP: This game is REALLY fun, largely because it allows you to write your own backstory into each of the characters you create. Granted, the graphics are 20 years old, but very few games offer you the privilege of character creation the way this one does... so take advantage of that!!! The beauty of this game lies in its diversity of creativity! All I offer is an easy way to get through it effectively with a 6-party team, but the exploration is your own. I hope I helped, have fun, and ENJOY your journey into Faerun!!! Once you embrace it, you may want to play as a Paladin 1/SourcererXX as a solo... but it's a journey, not a desination.
For Core or Insane Rules from level 1: everything will work, so use the classes you like more playing. But in a game with those huge packs of mobs, AoE spells are key IMO, so I would priorize casters. In normal difficulties of the game you can use disable spells and all this cos those will work lot of times.
For HOF: 5 Dragon Disciples and 1 Legal Evil* Mage/Thief (with fire resistance items) is all you need in this game. I used this party in some HoF playthroughs from lvl 1, and it's deadly and easy because fire is the best element against 99% of enemies you face, Dragon Disciples become inmune to fire with levels, so you can drop meteor swarms and fiery clouds on top of your party and you can even heal them. The Mage/Thief needs a way to be inmune to fire in that mess of lava, but it's pretty easy to do with items and spells. Arcane Casters are the best tanks in this game too, with Stoneskin, Improved Invisibility, Mirror Images...
(*Why legal evil? It's because the familiar he gets; he can become a Mustard Jelly with Polymorph skill, and be your tank in the first parts of the game because it's inmune to normal weapons; this way you can do all Eastheaven quests with some strategy, and then some exp runs in Orcs Cave -Eastheaven- with not much danger until you reach level 8-10; takes less time than it seems, maybe 2 hours of gameplay. Then you can START with some respectable characters. I consider it legit, because you have to put some effort in those runs, it's not like using the console or starting the party in Heart Of Winter to export them to the start...)
Why too many arcane casters? because all you need is area damage given the huge amount of enemies that you will find. Monsters come in big packs in this game, and dealing with them 1 by one to advance becomes tedious and too dangerous for fighters and all this. All you need is to be most of the time invisible, summon fire elementals to attract the enemies and put them all toghether, and start casting fire area spells. When summons die, recast. With 6 casters it's never a problem.
In the concrete moments when fire is useless you can use other spells to damage enemies, or Monderkainen Sword, and Lower Magic Resistance is very useful too; and when other damage spells are useless too (like in the last battle... somehow), you can always cast: tenser transformation + black blade of disaster with the buffs (stoneskin, mirror image, elemental shields, Improved Haste...) and become better than any melee fighter. The last boss is SO EASY this way (when you have dealt with his 'minions').
Why no Cleric? With this tactics, you will only get damaged if you are distracted or something. If you keep summons on, given the low AI of monsters, they will attack them and not you 99% of the time. So you don't really need a healer; just be careful with spells like Fear or things like that (Sorcerers can protect you from Fear anyway). Damage spells from clerics are worse than Arcane spells so I saw no reason to bring one.
Tip: Inmunity to Spells, lvl 5 spell, (Abjuration) is very nice when some enemies tend to start with 'Dispel Magic' some battles. This way, you can buff before those battles without fear of getting them dispelled. It's not mandatory, but makes thing easier if you make a good plan.