Preparing for BG EE: Team building
odessa333
Member Posts: 59
Hey all!
I am preparing for the enhanced edition, and looking over the guides here to remember all I can. I'm preparing for my team building, and wanted to run ideas by the board. Mostly, I am looking for ideas for my main characters, as I'm so rusty I'm tempted to retry all of them! Plus never having done BG2, I don't know much about the kits. So my MC's are very much in flux.
Plus, any guessed to what alignments the three new NPC's will be? I'd like to try them out, but hard to plan for them at the moment...
Good Team
MC - I am mostly debating a Cleric (see sixth slot) but not sure if I should hold off for Yeslick. If I do, what fits better here?
Imoen - Thief (Thief/Mage? I hear a lot of good about this, but I usually just use her as my kick butt thief)
Ajantis - Paladin. A personal fave.
Mincs and boo! - Ranger How could anyone NOT use them?
Dynaheir - Mage/Invoker. See above.
Sixth slot is open. Yeslik for healer? Or Coran/Kivan for archer? New NPC?
Neutral Team
MC - I rarely use Neutral teams, so not my strong point. Likely a Fighter, as this team seems to need it.
Xan Mage/Enchanter
Branwen - Cleric
Jaheira - Fighter/Druid
Safana - Thief
Garrick? New NPC?
Evil Team
MC - I keep debating a thief, but not sure whether to be a pure thief or not.
Edwin - Mage/conjurer
Vicona - Cleric
Kagain - Fighter
Shar Teel - Fighter
Montaron/Xzar - I keep debating these two vs the new NPC, Kagain and Shar Teel.
Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? Additions? Fire away!
0
Comments
Good Team: If your MC is a cleric, you don't need Yeslick or any other healer. Imoen can be dual-classed to mage in order to offset Dynaheir's limitations (as an Invoker, she can't use any summoning or charm spells). You could use the sixth slot for Rasaad.
Neutral Team: I recommend using Neera to shore up Xan's barred schools, but other than that this team is rather solid.
Evil Team: If your MC has the party's primary thieving needs covered, you can ditch Montaron for Dorn; Xzar is obsolete if you have Edwin anyway. Having Kagain, Dorn and Shar-Teel on the front lines will give you a lot of offensive power, so that's a good team to have...
I'll probably building my first team around neutrality or mix between good and evil. New party members obviously, then either one good one evil NPC, or one neutral one and one good one, or one neutral and one evil.
PC - Healer/Tank (fighter/cleric or fighter/druid)
Dorn - Main Damager
Rasaad - Alternative damager/backliner (the guy that protects the casters)
Neera - Alternative caster
Imoen - Trap/Lock disabler, Archer
Xzar - Main caster
Sounds balanced enough, if a bit painful in the backlines. Imoen can handle a sword as well though.
It won't be my first playthrough though, as my first one will be a MP playthrough. That's just my single player idea
Viconia Devir: Cleric
Dynaheir/Xzar/Edwin: Mage
Minsc and Boo: Backup
Ajantis/Shar-Teel: Backup
Imoen/Safana/Coran: Thief
I decided to jump on the bandwagon and share the plans for my BG:EE team. You like?
I can't decide which mage and which thief to use and if I need Ajantis or Shar-Teel. Please tell me the pros and cons! When BG:EE is released I will find out the stats of the new characters.
Dorn - Fighter
Neera - Caster
Rasaad - Fister
Viconia - Healer
whoever - Thiefer
Two mages might be too much, so I may go as a Fighter. Maybe Kensai/Mage.
you gonna kill dynaheir but keep minsc?
Team "kinda good":
Rasaad
Imoen
Khalid
Jaheira
Branwen
+ PC as CG elf Thief/Mage
Team "kinda neutral":
Neera
Coran
Safana
Minsc
Dynaheir
+ PC as N half elf Fighter/Cleric
Alignments are half good half neutral but I'll really try to play as neutral as possible.
Team "evil":
Dorn
Edwin
Viconia
Montaron
Xzar
+ PC as CE... Dunno yet
Overall, teams are balanced and I'll be able to try all 3 romances
Thieves are all good and you can get them early enough (although you have to rush the main story a bit to reach Coran soon) to set their skills as you like. Coran has the edge as damage dealer but levels slower as thief and his initial skill distribution is not the best ever, but if you recruit him reasonably early it shouldn't be a problem.
My usual BG1 party is something like:
Me - thief/mage or sorcerer
Minsc - tank and muscle
Kivan - ranged damage
Branwen until we avenge her by killing Tranzig, then switch her for Viconia - healing, utility and offtanking
Dynaheir - BG1 love interest and damage dealing mage
Imoen - thief/mage, dualled as soon as traps and locks are maxed at level 7, crowd control mage
Probably going to use Dorn. He'll replace Kagain or Shar-Teel off this list depending on what he's best at.
CHARNAME as a Neutral Evil avenger druid. (I'll hack it to be neutral evil if I have to)
Kagain
Shar-Teel
Viconia
Montaron
Xzar
Once I get into Baldur's Gate, I'm going to drop Montaron and Xzar for Edwin and Tiax.
@Koson Well in your personal opinion, do you need a thief at all? I guess they come in handy for DT. Do you go with Imoen or Safana? I'll ditch Coran because his portrait is weird.
@Shin Naw, if I wanted a max party I'd take Edwin, Kivan, Shar-Teel, Minsc and Kaigan. XD Please can you explain why to use Edwin over Xzar or Dynaheir?
Here is a new list:
Me
Viconia
??? (mage)
Minsc and Boo
??? (back up)
??? (thief or second back up)
If thieves are irrelevent, then I can use Shar-Teel or Ajantis. Which of these here should I use in the 'back up' slot and if Imoen and Safana are useless I can use the other in there.
Need to choose a mage.
@sandmanccl Why don't you get Edwin before you get to BG?
Me - Human Male Cleric of Helm
Kivan
Rasad
Quayle
Safana
Neera
I'll most likely use Kivan as a skirmisher, firing arrows until melee is joined then switching to melee (he does have an 18 str afterall) to help Rasad and myself. Safana will be focused on trap detection and picking locks probably using a bow while Quayle provides healing support and arcane might. Neera will obviously fill the role of main arcane catser.
The second playthrough will be an evil group and will consist of the following:
Me- Half-Orc Female Fighter (Berserker)
Dorn
Montaron
Viconia
Xzar
Edwin
Dorn and myself will take on the tanking role (provided Dorn is statted and built the way I suspect he will be) while Montaron focuses on trap detection and lock picking, I'll also be using him to backstab with the use of magical items (boots of stealth etc.) and spells (invisibility) as needed. Viconia will provide helpful buffs and healing while Edwin and Xzar smash everyone with a ridiculous amount of arcane fury.
Reason I am not going to get Edwin pre-BG is because I'm going to use Montaron and Xzar. They come as a pair and I just don't feel like exploiting the game to remove just Xzar. I am going to replace Montaron with Tiax, so when Xzar leaves I'd go replace him with Edwin.
From a min/max perspective as stated, he has what is usually considered the best mage kit, he's got 18 int compared to Dynaheir's and Xzar's 17, and he gets the bonus spells on top of that. Not much of a competition unless you have special reasons for wanting one of the others.
Me: Fighter
Viconia: Cleric
Minsc: Backup
Edwin: Mage
I still can't decide between Shar-Teel and Ajantis. I don't like Kivan much and even though Kaigain is epic with the dex gloves he is boring.
Also not sure about Imoen or Safana. Pros and cons anybody? You got fighter/thieves, Coran and Monty too, but am I right to assume pure thieves do better thievin'?
@Tanthalas perhaps we need some merging over here
Also, Minsc and Edwin try to kill each other. Even if you cheat Dynaheir back out of the party, I believe they eventually try to kill each other.
Imoen is >>>>>>>>>>> Safana. Better in every relevant stat. Safana's higher strength only helps her carry weight. Strength doesn't start affecting combat til 16. Imoen can also dual-class without tomes. You can open every chest and disarm every trap with just 4 levels of thief, so I don't see why not. Only thing Safana can do that Imoen can't is her "charm animals" ability. It's rarely handy.
I honestly don't see a reason to be a pure thief in BG1. I guess a pure thief eventually reaches x4 backstabs while a multi-class guy won't, but that multi-class guy will have fighter thac0, better HP and Drizzt's armor. Even multi-classed, you still reach Thief 8 by the end of BG1 as opposed to Thief 10. They are plenty good at "thievin'."
Imoen - Because she's my sister
Alora - because I just love the little munchkin
Kagain - because he's so grumpy
Edwin - because he's funny (and he likes Alora)
Viconia - because saving her gives me an excuse to kill a Flaming Fister (I hate those Flaming Fist guys)
Merged the similar threads.
Branwen
Kivan
Neera
Coran
Yeslick/Ajantis/Rasaad
I am trying to go with a good party. I truly have always used what people know as the "canon" BG party so the idea for me is just to use everyone I have never used and break out of my BG "bubble". I am going to try out Rasaad and If I dont like him I am going to replace him with Yeslick or Ajantis. I can't decide. I have also never played an evil party so I will also be trying that:
Shar-Teel
Viconia
Edwin
Dorn
Safana
I really enjoy reading everyone's teams! It gives me great ideas for future playthroughs.
PC - LN half-elven priest of Helm
Kivan
Coran
Rasaad
Xan
Neera
@Ward Imoen is better than Safana from a gameplay perspective - I used several times Safana for a change and because of her interaction with some of the group NPCs (Coran / Garrick come to mind). IMO all of the game's thieves are good at their job, be they single- or multi-class, so pick the one you like best.
@Permidion_Stark So in your games Jaheira is lesbian? Poor Khalid...
Imoen
Branwen
Safana
Shar-Teel
Viconia
Not the most powerful party, but fun.