Umm, what? There is no class that has only one weapon slot. Even mages have 2. If you mean proficiency, all classes get more pips later; mages will have only 1 on low levels, but they don't stay that way forever.
My choices are simply off of their character personalities. Not necessarily reflecting their skills or how they play. For example, I can't seem to get away from using Kivan in BG1, but I can't stand his vengeful complaining.
Dorn (great voice, surprisingly interesting when he could've been a one-note character)
Faldorn (sadly underrated - I liked her voice, she's great with the ankheg mail and her dire wolf summon, and I wish she'd been explored further)
Xzar (all of his dialogue is solid gold; should've been the carryover in BGII instead of Edwin)
Alora (great fun, and with her working lucky rabbit foot is very decent, if fragile)
Mazzy (I love her character concept to bits)
Provisional: Hexxat (I loved her voice and intro, looking forward to seeing more of her)
Least favourite:
Edwin (I have no idea why anybody would have liked him in BG aside from the powergaming aspect, because he's irritating as all hell; I wanted to take him through my evil game but ended up dumping him for Baeloth)
Jaheira (her huge ego and constant sarcasm is annoying rather than funny, always dump her at first opportunity if I use her at all; the fact I dislike the Harpers doesn't help)
Kagain, Yeslick (dwarves are proverbially boring; neither one of these break that trend)
Elminster (he's not a party member but deserves mention because to hell with him and his entire irritating archetype)
@Ayiekie I like you just for listing Elminster. (No offense to the forum wizard!) And screw Harpers. It's a shame you can't raise Xzar and help him take revenge.
I like Edwin, but I agree that Xzar (and Monty) should have been added in BG2. Edwin is a great mage, but Xzar is way more versatile. I would have liked him dualed like Imoen, as necromancer/cleric, to set him apart from Edwin and be the evil party counterpart to Aerie.
I like Edwin, but I agree that Xzar (and Monty) should have been added in BG2. Edwin is a great mage, but Xzar is way more versatile. I would have liked him dualed like Imoen, as necromancer/cleric, to set him apart from Edwin and be the evil party counterpart to Aerie.
That would've worked. I'll stress my hate for Edwin is his boring, irritating BG1 version (he has possibly the most annoying NPC voiceset, a not-unimpressive feat when pitted against the likes of Jaheira and Skie); I know he's more fun in BG2. But imagine how fun Xzar could be, a character that was actually already entertaining!
And I am still sad almost nobody else likes Faldorn. I'm sure it's at least partially due to her unappealing portrait, but she really had a lot of potential as a character (and is a bit tragic, having been given to the shadow druids as a baby). Alas!
And I am still sad almost nobody else likes Faldorn. I'm sure it's at least partially due to her unappealing portrait, but she really had a lot of potential as a character (and is a bit tragic, having been given to the shadow druids as a baby). Alas!
When I tried her in vanilla game I´ve found her very boring. But with BG1 NPC project she is so aggressive and intransigent towards everything what seems only slightly non natural, that even though her behaviour is almost psychopathic, she is now full-fledged personality. That sets her apart from other NPC, who are boring even with BG1 NPC project (Branwen, Ajantis)
I don't actually like what the NPC project did there, because Faldorn isn't actually as aggressive and intransigent as her fellow Shadow Druids in game (part of what I find interesting about her, in fact). It seems more informed by what they did to her in BG2 than what the character was originally like. YMMV!
It seems more informed by what they did to her in BG2 than what the character was originally like. YMMV!
NPC project was definitely done in view of the development of NPC´s characters in BG2. Another case is Imoen. It is indicated that she is interested in magic. But when someone played with her in BG he/she can´t be surprised by her end in BG2. Nevertheless I felt sadly when I had to kill her in SoA after she was my party member in BG1.
I like Edwin, but I agree that Xzar (and Monty) should have been added in BG2. Edwin is a great mage, but Xzar is way more versatile. I would have liked him dualed like Imoen, as necromancer/cleric, to set him apart from Edwin and be the evil party counterpart to Aerie.
That would've worked. I'll stress my hate for Edwin is his boring, irritating BG1 version (he has possibly the most annoying NPC voiceset, a not-unimpressive feat when pitted against the likes of Jaheira and Skie); I know he's more fun in BG2. But imagine how fun Xzar could be, a character that was actually already entertaining!
And I am still sad almost nobody else likes Faldorn. I'm sure it's at least partially due to her unappealing portrait, but she really had a lot of potential as a character (and is a bit tragic, having been given to the shadow druids as a baby). Alas!
Well, I put Edwin's voiceset in the top 5 in BG1; along with Xzar, Eldoth, Kivan and Monty. (Coran's is nice, too.) Skie only gets annoying because you have to click on her so much for traps, disarming, open lock. It's way less notable if she's on the Adventurer Thief script and permanently searches traps, with Monty disarming them (that's what I do in my current party; Monty is set to melee and stealth, but has decent trap skill; it cuts down the clicks on Skie about 50 - 60 % and she doesn't annoy me at all). Imoen, Neera, Jaheira, Khalid all annoy me much more, as well as Dynaheir, but she's a special case. I like her voiceset (for female NPCs, she and Safana are the ones I like best), but not in relation to her character. It sounds too bratty and entitled for Dynaheir.
Anyway. Xzar could be the highlight of an evil party if fleshed out in BG2. I always dual him to cleric as a natural progression of a necromancer, investigating religion from a scientific (and quite screwed up) viewpoint to gain further insights in the forces of life and death. Not him becoming an actual believer, more like an anthropologist who studies religions to understand how shamans of some tribes can achieve a trance that makes them immune to pain or enhance their endurance/constitution. Xzar stays with the necromancy theme and still makes sense as a cleric - healing and taking lifeforce, improving his physical abilities by using the insights from various faiths, summoning skeletons. Add his insanity and surprisingly positive and friendly attitude, and you have a non-stereotypical, entertaining evil character to contrast the arrogance of Edwin and bloodthirst of Korgan (and Dorn).
1. Minsc (one of the best NPCs in terms of both story, character and versatility.. plus, Boo) 2. Jaheira (I like sarcasm and she is a strong character that knows what she wants and stands for it) 3. Jan (great interactions, good mage that also keep getting thief levels). 4. Viconia (amazing cleric, can bend her over to the good side if needed) 5. Edwin (amazing mage, did I mention I like sarcasm?)
Least favorites (BG2):
1. Nalia (piddly thief level, practically wasted, boring personality) 2. Aerie (she sounds and behaves like a 17 year old whiny girl) 3. Anomen (ugh, I detest this kind of character) 4. Haer'Dalis (his portrait makes me want to punch him) 5. Cernd (I could tolerate him as far as character goes but he's worthless gameplay wise, unless modded).
1. Sarevok - best warrior 2. Vikonia - best cleric 3. hexxat - best thief 4. Rassad - monk 5. any1
im plaing for wild mage so i cant call new wild mage in this list but for sure wild mages much stronger then wizzards just cuz u can cast 10 time stops in a row
Best: 1. Edwin 2. Jaheira (Almost always play a neutral character so end up romancing most of the time) 3. Jan 4. Coran 5. Kelldorn (love his dispells)
....Okay fine, I'll be serious. I'm only gonna give my faves though because honestly a lot of the "worsts" I still take sometimes depending on my mood or who else is with me. BG1 I really only hate Shar-Teel and Montaron. As far as BG2 goes, there aren't too many NPCs that I truly hate 100% of the time. Some annoy me often and need to be sent to time-out, but I usually keep a lot of them around for a little bit of time anyway, because the banter is always good.
BG1 Best 1. Edwin - Do I really need to explain it? 2. Jaheira - Pushy and a bit snarky but just short of that point where it becomes annoying. 3. Xan - All I see is Alan Rickman now, and it is good. (Thank you Baldur's Gate meme thread). 4. Yeslick - This is what a dwarf should be in my book. Cheerful, robust, and simple. Also useful. Wish he didn't show up so damn late. 5. Coran - The token charming rogue. (Hideous portrait though seriously what? I always change it.)
BG2 Best 1. Edwin - He was amusing in BG1 but if you skip him on BG2 you're missing the best banter the game has to offer. And as @DarkDogg said, he's very well characterized as a proper evil mage. He has a little more charm and finesse when he wants something (or someone ie Viconia) this time around. 2. Jaheira - Still a strong NPC, although it bothers me that she's romance-able because it really cheapens the feelings she supposedly had for Khalid and her relationship with CHARNAME. 3. Keldorn - I like his quest and it seems like it's really hard to find believable paladins, but he fits the bill. 4. Jan - The crazy uncle I never had. 5. Viconia - Because I like watching all the guys hit on her hopelessly and/or battle with their morality and her hotness.
Best: 1. Boo (and his faithful animal companion Minsc). They are the classics and though everyone gets sick of them after the millionth playthrough you cannot deny their iconic status. HIs passion for adventure, comraderie and steel on steel is so infectious 2. Imoen: anyone who put them on their "worst 5" list is all buffleheaded and needs to play the BG NPC Project. She is awesome in that, but even without it her voice was so damn loveable in BG and in BG2/SOA she really comes of age and IS your childhood bff and spoiler 3. Keldorn: personal favorite, awesome persona, great Paladins are cool, great lines (we shall strike a blow deep into evils heart!) and his kit makes him pretty much the most useful NPC ever. Also I like how he is believably Lawful Good rather than Naive Good or Lawful Stupid as how these characters are usually portrayed. 4. Edwina: or maybe even Edwin. I love his personality and he cracks me up. If you don't like him then go bother someone else 5. I have recently seen the light on Jan Jansen, and this spot would belong to Yoshimo if the story ended before the expansion came out, but I'd have to put the TOB NPC here because he is so epic and integral to the story of the Bhaalspawn Honorable mentions: Xan makes me laugh (as someone else said, his pessemism in conjunction with Minsc's passion is VERY amusing), Aerie, Jaheira, Kivan, Coran, Ajantis and Monty+Xzar
Bottom: 1. Nalia: Shut. Up. (however I hear there is a romance mod that makes her AMAZING that I plan on trying) 2. Valygar: It is unfortunate as his backstory is cool and his Kit is excellent, but he is so bland it hurts. A character that really could/should have been better 3. Skie: Shut. UP. (however she is good if you have both Garrick and Eldoth. Garrick is funny and at least has the respect to call me "sir" and Eldoth is Colin Farrel) 4. Faldorn. I hear she is powerful but her portrait give me morale failure and looks out of place. Also I have no idea how to use her. Cernd: I know he has lovers, I just found him boring but I never really gae him a chance and plan to do so on my next playthrough. Yet as a personal opinion he goes here for now. I am open for change though, and if I end up liking him I'll give this spot to Quayle... though I love how he has Hipster Glasses on "Hey Aerie, I was a cleric/mage BEFORE it was cool"
I like Edwin, but I agree that Xzar (and Monty) should have been added in BG2. Edwin is a great mage, but Xzar is way more versatile. I would have liked him dualed like Imoen, as necromancer/cleric, to set him apart from Edwin and be the evil party counterpart to Aerie.
I really like this idea, and as you said in the past I like the concept of a Necromancer becoming interested in being a cleric, particularly in regards to abilities like "Turn Undead".
So, I included several characters who have the reputation of being weak. and what can I say? My party destroys everything that comes my way with easy. The game really is not that difficult that you have to choose the most powerful characters in order to succeed. I think you can use any character in your party if the party as a whole is well-balanced - I am planning to use every character for a playthrough some time.
Concerning the characters I used, here are my thoughts on them:
- My player character is an absolutely deadly archer. And a bit boring, to be honest. - Minsc is a beast. His destructive power with a two-handed sword is unmatched. And I like him, for obvious reasons. - Khalid. I don´t get all the hate for this guy. I gave him these ogre-strenght gauntlets, and now he has a large amount of hp, great AC, and great destructive power with the longsword +2. Very efficient tank, can take on anything that comes his way. Yes, he is not the most charismatic one, but I don´t care since he is good, friendly, helpful, and I like to have the Khalid-Jaheire-couple with me. - Jaheira. Now this is a little more complicated. I´m playing the German version of the game, and her voiceset is rather nice, but I know that the English version is annoying. Also, her fighting skills are mediocre - no match for Khalid and Minsc. But, she has the spells, which make her quite versatile. With heavy armor and relatively high hp, she is very sturdy and a decent tank. She is well-suited for a number of situations, and character-wise, I find her to be one of the most well-written and interesting personalites. Plus, I want to keep her through SoA and ToB. - Imoen. Not much to say about her since she is really a great character. Her thiving skills are more than enough, she has high hp, great AC and is pretty deadly with a bow. Perfect pure thief. - Dynaheir. Now here is the only character I do have a few problems with. She misses a lot of spells which would be nice to have and her personality is not that well developed. Still, I like the Minsc-Dynaheir-relationship, andher Missiles and Fireballs kill everything. Good hp, too. Still, I guess some other NPC-mages are morefun to play.
I assume you mean just BG1 and not BG2, but to be honest because so many of the NPC's take time to get in BG1 I normally stick with a select group of them unless I am feeling particularly patient. Given that this is my top 5 for both games combined.
Top 5
1. Tiax (Tiax rules all) 2. Minsc 3. Edwin 4. Viconia (I like how you can change her alignment over time) 5. Xan
Bottom 5
1 (worst). Jan 2. Cernd 3. Mazzy 4. Valygar (He hates his heritage, when I embrace mine. It really have never liked him) 5 (best of the worst). Imoen (she doesn't have a lot of dialogue and has no quests beyond getting her from Spellhold)
Its funny how peoples views change over time. I now agree with only Imoen and Tiax on this list
Umm, what? There is no class that has only one weapon slot. Even mages have 2. If you mean proficiency, all classes get more pips later; mages will have only 1 on low levels, but they don't stay that way forever.
I know it's been quite a while, but since no one answered to it: in vanilla Baldur's Gate without Tales of the Sword Coast several classes had just one weapon slot. Mages, bards, clerics, druids and some mutliclass options as far as I remember. Nowadays this would be considered as a bit annoying, especially when changing weapons in the middle of a fight, but back then I don't recall complaining much about it. You just had some characters comitted to the one weapon type. I think this may be one of the reasons why later ranged weapons were discovered as powerful, since with at least 2 weapon slots each class can wear one melee and one ranged weapon and change them freely in a fight.
I remember how different it felt after switching to TotSC, suddenly my whole party was using ranged weapons instead e.g. mages standing at the back focusing on casting spells only and then doing nothing.
Now for the favourite top 5 characters and top least favourite:
Favourite: 1. Montaron - Love his deadly attitude and how he's reversed halfling stereotype. Coupled with Xzar is just pure awesomeness. 2. Ajantis - Always liked how he introduced himself as a squire paladin, a bit naive, but devoted to doing what he believes is right. 3. Kivan - Reserved and focused on vengeance, I like his backstory and his motives. 4. Xan - I like how differently a mage can be portrayed. His thoughts are focused on doom and defeat, yet he has one of the most unique weapons in the game. 5. Branwen - Very interesting way of greeting her, I like her devotion and that warrior/priest attitude
Least favourite. Not the worst, or bad, since I find every NPC in Baldur's Gate to be fun and enjoyable: 1. Edwin - I played with him many times long ago, but I don't miss him. Maybe I got tired of his arrogance. 2. Minsc - I got tired of him for sure, he's not bad at all though. I used to like him a lot, but after a long while he gets a bit boring. 3. Kagain - He's ok, but not much else. Had some fun times, but his peronality is not as interesting as others. 4. Faldorn - Druids are fun, but she sometimes seems a bit bland. I rarely think about having her in my party, but when I finally do, I don't regret it. 5. Quayle - I like him, just not as much as others, though. Especially coupled with Tiax, they're really fun.
1: Jan, because flashers 2: Jan, again, because thief HLAs and mage levels 3: Edwin, because spell slots 4: Keldorn, because Inquisitor and Carsomyr 5: Haer'dalis, because Improved Bard Song
Bottom 5 NPCs:
1: Valygar, for his boring selection lines ("I'm still here") 2: Jaheira, for the level 14-15 druid XP gap 3: Jan Jansen, for his stories 4: Sarevok, for being missing during all of SoA 5: Yoshimo, for being missing during half of SoA and all of ToB
Top in descending order of awesome, the bottom most being my favorite, because come on who doesn't love Viconia,
Xan Jaheria Jan Imoen Vicky
Not the best party, but these are my favorite NPC's, don't think I've had them all in the same party for very long.
Bottom in descending order of lameness,
Faldorn Garrick Ajantis Somebody I guess, I just don't know who to put in my second most hated spot, I kinda like the rest of the NPC's or at least not hate them, but maybe Rasaad because he broke my game once. Yeah lets go with that, screw you Rasaad. Anomen, I hate this little douche bag so so very much, the only reason to every pick him up is if Jan is in the party. Then you can watch Jan make fun of him. Then you get him to fail his little test and finally put him out of his misery. Must admit sometimes I let him live after his failure, just to have the satisfaction of booting him from the party him once I have fully destroyed his life.
1. Alora, FREAKING BEST CHARACTER ANY GAME! She's everything I could ever want in a person! Pink hair, derpy, low wisdom, adorable as hell.
2. Neera, like a more real Alora. She has the derpy whimsicalness but in a more realistic manner.
3. Mazzy, tiny halfling Paladin girl? I love my women warrior types and it helps that she's also a short race.
4. Imoen, she's super cute and I always feel really protective of her. I prefer BG1 Imoen to BG2 but I feel her BG2 self had to happen for her character to make sense I suppose.
5. Aerie, again really adorable and I adore her apprehensive shyness. Couple this with a tragic backstory and she was my first character I ever romanced in BG2.
Honorable Mentions: Viconia and Baeloth. I LOVE Drow and Baeloth is how my Drow main PC would act but more CN than CE. I also love Drow Clerics so Viconia works.
Bottom 5
1. Xzar. Xzaaarrrrr. I LOVE Necromancers but he's soooooo "meh" character-wise. I've never been a fan of the insane types so that puts me off hard.
2. Shar-teel, I like my warrior women types but she always puts me off upon meeting her.
3. Minsc, it's not that I particularly dislike him but he just seemed boring to me. I like his lines and Boo is great but after my first run I never used him again.
4. Jaheira, on my first run I couldn't let her out of my party because RP-wise she would want revenge just as much as I do. Unfortunately this means in every run I have Jaheira even if I don't want her from a gameplay perspective because I can't bring myself to kick her out of the party
5. Eh. . . I can't think of a fifth person that I don't like. I guess, um. Hexxat? It's not that I particularly dislike her just that her personality is off-putting sometimes. I do like interactions with other party members that goes like, "Oh, just because I'm a vampire you'll kill me without even knowing who I am?"
I never pick npcs for powerplay, I pick them for roleplaying reasons, or if they have interesting personalities. So my absolute favourite top 5 are: -Minsc (&Boo, can't imagine the game without them) -Jaheira (strong willed, no-nonsense woman, just how I like them ) -Imoen (integral to the story, nuff said. Before I get her I usually use Yoshimo, love him too) -Haer'Dalis (great representative of the most awesome setting in AD&D - Planescape!) -Keldorn (that guy is badass, even in his elderly years, wish I could be like him when I grow up, lol)
Bottom 5: -Aerie (just annoying, not my cup of tea) -Cernd (not as interesting as Jaheira) -Valygar (boring, especially compared to Minsc) -Nalia (boring as well) -EE npcs (never warmed up to any of them)
Comments
Favorites in no particular order:
Yeslick
Coran
Keldorn
Valygar
Jan
Least Favorites in no particular order:
Korgan
Jaheira
Minsc
Aerie
Kivan
Honorable Mention: Neera (Ugh!)
Neera (fun to use, fun personality)
Dorn (great voice, surprisingly interesting when he could've been a one-note character)
Faldorn (sadly underrated - I liked her voice, she's great with the ankheg mail and her dire wolf summon, and I wish she'd been explored further)
Xzar (all of his dialogue is solid gold; should've been the carryover in BGII instead of Edwin)
Alora (great fun, and with her working lucky rabbit foot is very decent, if fragile)
Mazzy (I love her character concept to bits)
Provisional: Hexxat (I loved her voice and intro, looking forward to seeing more of her)
Least favourite:
Edwin (I have no idea why anybody would have liked him in BG aside from the powergaming aspect, because he's irritating as all hell; I wanted to take him through my evil game but ended up dumping him for Baeloth)
Jaheira (her huge ego and constant sarcasm is annoying rather than funny, always dump her at first opportunity if I use her at all; the fact I dislike the Harpers doesn't help)
Kagain, Yeslick (dwarves are proverbially boring; neither one of these break that trend)
Elminster (he's not a party member but deserves mention because to hell with him and his entire irritating archetype)
And I am still sad almost nobody else likes Faldorn. I'm sure it's at least partially due to her unappealing portrait, but she really had a lot of potential as a character (and is a bit tragic, having been given to the shadow druids as a baby). Alas!
But when someone played with her in BG he/she can´t be surprised by her end in BG2. Nevertheless I felt sadly when I had to kill her in SoA after she was my party member in BG1.
Imoen, Neera, Jaheira, Khalid all annoy me much more, as well as Dynaheir, but she's a special case. I like her voiceset (for female NPCs, she and Safana are the ones I like best), but not in relation to her character. It sounds too bratty and entitled for Dynaheir.
Anyway. Xzar could be the highlight of an evil party if fleshed out in BG2. I always dual him to cleric as a natural progression of a necromancer, investigating religion from a scientific (and quite screwed up) viewpoint to gain further insights in the forces of life and death. Not him becoming an actual believer, more like an anthropologist who studies religions to understand how shamans of some tribes can achieve a trance that makes them immune to pain or enhance their endurance/constitution. Xzar stays with the necromancy theme and still makes sense as a cleric - healing and taking lifeforce, improving his physical abilities by using the insights from various faiths, summoning skeletons.
Add his insanity and surprisingly positive and friendly attitude, and you have a non-stereotypical, entertaining evil character to contrast the arrogance of Edwin and bloodthirst of Korgan (and Dorn).
#1. Minsc
#2. Jan Jansen
#3. Edwin
#4. Xzar
#5. Aerie
Least Favorites:
#1. Tiax
#2. Quayle
#3. Anomen
#4. Valygar
#5. Naila
1. Minsc (one of the best NPCs in terms of both story, character and versatility.. plus, Boo)
2. Jaheira (I like sarcasm and she is a strong character that knows what she wants and stands for it)
3. Jan (great interactions, good mage that also keep getting thief levels).
4. Viconia (amazing cleric, can bend her over to the good side if needed)
5. Edwin (amazing mage, did I mention I like sarcasm?)
Least favorites (BG2):
1. Nalia (piddly thief level, practically wasted, boring personality)
2. Aerie (she sounds and behaves like a 17 year old whiny girl)
3. Anomen (ugh, I detest this kind of character)
4. Haer'Dalis (his portrait makes me want to punch him)
5. Cernd (I could tolerate him as far as character goes but he's worthless gameplay wise, unless modded).
1. Sarevok - best warrior
2. Vikonia - best cleric
3. hexxat - best thief
4. Rassad - monk
5. any1
im plaing for wild mage so i cant call new wild mage in this list
1. Edwin
2. Jaheira (Almost always play a neutral character so end up romancing most of the time)
3. Jan
4. Coran
5. Kelldorn (love his dispells)
Worst
1. Biff the Understudy :P
1. Nalia (worstest)
2. Aerie
3. Quayle
4. Garrick.
Neera
Keldorn
Jan
Anomen
Edwin
Worst:
Everyone else ♥
....Okay fine, I'll be serious.
I'm only gonna give my faves though because honestly a lot of the "worsts" I still take sometimes depending on my mood or who else is with me. BG1 I really only hate Shar-Teel and Montaron. As far as BG2 goes, there aren't too many NPCs that I truly hate 100% of the time. Some annoy me often and need to be sent to time-out, but I usually keep a lot of them around for a little bit of time anyway, because the banter is always good.
BG1 Best
1. Edwin - Do I really need to explain it?
2. Jaheira - Pushy and a bit snarky but just short of that point where it becomes annoying.
3. Xan - All I see is Alan Rickman now, and it is good. (Thank you Baldur's Gate meme thread).
4. Yeslick - This is what a dwarf should be in my book. Cheerful, robust, and simple. Also useful. Wish he didn't show up so damn late.
5. Coran - The token charming rogue. (Hideous portrait though seriously what? I always change it.)
BG2 Best
1. Edwin - He was amusing in BG1 but if you skip him on BG2 you're missing the best banter the game has to offer. And as @DarkDogg said, he's very well characterized as a proper evil mage. He has a little more charm and finesse when he wants something (or someone ie Viconia) this time around.
2. Jaheira - Still a strong NPC, although it bothers me that she's romance-able because it really cheapens the feelings she supposedly had for Khalid and her relationship with CHARNAME.
3. Keldorn - I like his quest and it seems like it's really hard to find believable paladins, but he fits the bill.
4. Jan - The crazy uncle I never had.
5. Viconia - Because I like watching all the guys hit on her hopelessly and/or battle with their morality and her hotness.
Best good party ever BG1:
Mage or Thief PC, or M/T multiclass
Xan
Neera
Kivan
Khalid
Coran
And best good BG2 party:
Mage, thief or fighter PC, maybe multiclass.
Jan
Hairy D
Keldorn
Mazzy
Ano(men)
Best BG2 evil party:
PC thief or F/T or just fighter.
Viconia
Edwin
Hairy D (he is everywhere!)
Korgan
Dorn (from EE).
1. Boo (and his faithful animal companion Minsc). They are the classics and though everyone gets sick of them after the millionth playthrough you cannot deny their iconic status. HIs passion for adventure, comraderie and steel on steel is so infectious
2. Imoen: anyone who put them on their "worst 5" list is all buffleheaded and needs to play the BG NPC Project. She is awesome in that, but even without it her voice was so damn loveable in BG and in BG2/SOA she really comes of age and IS your childhood bff and spoiler
3. Keldorn: personal favorite, awesome persona, great Paladins are cool, great lines (we shall strike a blow deep into evils heart!) and his kit makes him pretty much the most useful NPC ever. Also I like how he is believably Lawful Good rather than Naive Good or Lawful Stupid as how these characters are usually portrayed.
4. Edwina: or maybe even Edwin. I love his personality and he cracks me up. If you don't like him then go bother someone else
5. I have recently seen the light on Jan Jansen, and this spot would belong to Yoshimo if the story ended before the expansion came out, but I'd have to put the TOB NPC here because he is so epic and integral to the story of the Bhaalspawn
Honorable mentions: Xan makes me laugh (as someone else said, his pessemism in conjunction with Minsc's passion is VERY amusing), Aerie, Jaheira, Kivan, Coran, Ajantis and Monty+Xzar
Bottom:
1. Nalia: Shut. Up. (however I hear there is a romance mod that makes her AMAZING that I plan on trying)
2. Valygar: It is unfortunate as his backstory is cool and his Kit is excellent, but he is so bland it hurts. A character that really could/should have been better
3. Skie: Shut. UP. (however she is good if you have both Garrick and Eldoth. Garrick is funny and at least has the respect to call me "sir" and Eldoth is Colin Farrel)
4. Faldorn. I hear she is powerful but her portrait give me morale failure and looks out of place. Also I have no idea how to use her.
Cernd: I know he has lovers, I just found him boring but I never really gae him a chance and plan to do so on my next playthrough. Yet as a personal opinion he goes here for now. I am open for change though, and if I end up liking him I'll give this spot to Quayle... though I love how he has Hipster Glasses on "Hey Aerie, I was a cleric/mage BEFORE it was cool"
Char (Ranger, ranged battle)
Minsc (Two-handed sword)
Khalid (Longsword + Shield)
Jaheira (Staff)
Imoen (Bow)
Dynaheir (Sling)
So, I included several characters who have the reputation of being weak. and what can I say? My party destroys everything that comes my way with easy. The game really is not that difficult that you have to choose the most powerful characters in order to succeed. I think you can use any character in your party if the party as a whole is well-balanced - I am planning to use every character for a playthrough some time.
Concerning the characters I used, here are my thoughts on them:
- My player character is an absolutely deadly archer. And a bit boring, to be honest.
- Minsc is a beast. His destructive power with a two-handed sword is unmatched. And I like him, for obvious reasons.
- Khalid. I don´t get all the hate for this guy. I gave him these ogre-strenght gauntlets, and now he has a large amount of hp, great AC, and great destructive power with the longsword +2. Very efficient tank, can take on anything that comes his way. Yes, he is not the most charismatic one, but I don´t care since he is good, friendly, helpful, and I like to have the Khalid-Jaheire-couple with me.
- Jaheira. Now this is a little more complicated. I´m playing the German version of the game, and her voiceset is rather nice, but I know that the English version is annoying. Also, her fighting skills are mediocre - no match for Khalid and Minsc. But, she has the spells, which make her quite versatile. With heavy armor and relatively high hp, she is very sturdy and a decent tank. She is well-suited for a number of situations, and character-wise, I find her to be one of the most well-written and interesting personalites. Plus, I want to keep her through SoA and ToB.
- Imoen. Not much to say about her since she is really a great character. Her thiving skills are more than enough, she has high hp, great AC and is pretty deadly with a bow. Perfect pure thief.
- Dynaheir. Now here is the only character I do have a few problems with. She misses a lot of spells which would be nice to have and her personality is not that well developed. Still, I like the Minsc-Dynaheir-relationship, andher Missiles and Fireballs kill everything. Good hp, too. Still, I guess some other NPC-mages are morefun to play.
I remember how different it felt after switching to TotSC, suddenly my whole party was using ranged weapons instead e.g. mages standing at the back focusing on casting spells only and then doing nothing.
Now for the favourite top 5 characters and top least favourite:
Favourite:
1. Montaron - Love his deadly attitude and how he's reversed halfling stereotype. Coupled with Xzar is just pure awesomeness.
2. Ajantis - Always liked how he introduced himself as a squire paladin, a bit naive, but devoted to doing what he believes is right.
3. Kivan - Reserved and focused on vengeance, I like his backstory and his motives.
4. Xan - I like how differently a mage can be portrayed. His thoughts are focused on doom and defeat, yet he has one of the most unique weapons in the game.
5. Branwen - Very interesting way of greeting her, I like her devotion and that warrior/priest attitude
Least favourite. Not the worst, or bad, since I find every NPC in Baldur's Gate to be fun and enjoyable:
1. Edwin - I played with him many times long ago, but I don't miss him. Maybe I got tired of his arrogance.
2. Minsc - I got tired of him for sure, he's not bad at all though. I used to like him a lot, but after a long while he gets a bit boring.
3. Kagain - He's ok, but not much else. Had some fun times, but his peronality is not as interesting as others.
4. Faldorn - Druids are fun, but she sometimes seems a bit bland. I rarely think about having her in my party, but when I finally do, I don't regret it.
5. Quayle - I like him, just not as much as others, though. Especially coupled with Tiax, they're really fun.
1: Jan, because flashers
2: Jan, again, because thief HLAs and mage levels
3: Edwin, because spell slots
4: Keldorn, because Inquisitor and Carsomyr
5: Haer'dalis, because Improved Bard Song
Bottom 5 NPCs:
1: Valygar, for his boring selection lines ("I'm still here")
2: Jaheira, for the level 14-15 druid XP gap
3: Jan Jansen, for his stories
4: Sarevok, for being missing during all of SoA
5: Yoshimo, for being missing during half of SoA and all of ToB
Xan
Jaheria
Jan
Imoen
Vicky
Not the best party, but these are my favorite NPC's, don't think I've had them all in the same party for very long.
Bottom in descending order of lameness,
Faldorn
Garrick
Ajantis
Somebody I guess, I just don't know who to put in my second most hated spot, I kinda like the rest of the NPC's or at least not hate them, but maybe Rasaad because he broke my game once. Yeah lets go with that, screw you Rasaad.
Anomen, I hate this little douche bag so so very much, the only reason to every pick him up is if Jan is in the party. Then you can watch Jan make fun of him. Then you get him to fail his little test and finally put him out of his misery. Must admit sometimes I let him live after his failure, just to have the satisfaction of booting him from the party him once I have fully destroyed his life.
1. Alora, FREAKING BEST CHARACTER ANY GAME! She's everything I could ever want in a person! Pink hair, derpy, low wisdom, adorable as hell.
2. Neera, like a more real Alora. She has the derpy whimsicalness but in a more realistic manner.
3. Mazzy, tiny halfling Paladin girl? I love my women warrior types and it helps that she's also a short race.
4. Imoen, she's super cute and I always feel really protective of her. I prefer BG1 Imoen to BG2 but I feel her BG2 self had to happen for her character to make sense I suppose.
5. Aerie, again really adorable and I adore her apprehensive shyness. Couple this with a tragic backstory and she was my first character I ever romanced in BG2.
Honorable Mentions: Viconia and Baeloth. I LOVE Drow and Baeloth is how my Drow main PC would act but more CN than CE. I also love Drow Clerics so Viconia works.
Bottom 5
1. Xzar. Xzaaarrrrr. I LOVE Necromancers but he's soooooo "meh" character-wise. I've never been a fan of the insane types so that puts me off hard.
2. Shar-teel, I like my warrior women types but she always puts me off upon meeting her.
3. Minsc, it's not that I particularly dislike him but he just seemed boring to me. I like his lines and Boo is great but after my first run I never used him again.
4. Jaheira, on my first run I couldn't let her out of my party because RP-wise she would want revenge just as much as I do. Unfortunately this means in every run I have Jaheira even if I don't want her from a gameplay perspective because I can't bring myself to kick her out of the party
5. Eh. . . I can't think of a fifth person that I don't like. I guess, um. Hexxat? It's not that I particularly dislike her just that her personality is off-putting sometimes. I do like interactions with other party members that goes like, "Oh, just because I'm a vampire you'll kill me without even knowing who I am?"
So my absolute favourite top 5 are:
-Minsc (&Boo, can't imagine the game without them)
-Jaheira (strong willed, no-nonsense woman, just how I like them
-Imoen (integral to the story, nuff said. Before I get her I usually use Yoshimo, love him too)
-Haer'Dalis (great representative of the most awesome setting in AD&D - Planescape!)
-Keldorn (that guy is badass, even in his elderly years, wish I could be like him when I grow up, lol)
Bottom 5:
-Aerie (just annoying, not my cup of tea)
-Cernd (not as interesting as Jaheira)
-Valygar (boring, especially compared to Minsc)
-Nalia (boring as well)
-EE npcs (never warmed up to any of them)