The proper criterion, I reckon, is which class/kit have we each found most fun to play ... which is, of course, not necessarily the same as which turned out to be the "strongest". However, I've played through with numerous different protagonists, and I've always enjoyed the game, and I'm having difficulty deciding which one was most fun.
I conclude that whatever class/kit has interested you enough that you're currently playing it, that's the one which is currently "best" for you to be playing. Next time, it might well be some other class/kit.
Yes, I know that's sounds like a cop-out, but it's a serious answer: which one is the "best" to play is whichever one currently seems most exciting, so the answer will change over time.
Druid because I'm a nature loving hippy, so I like the theme and spells.
Fighter because being a plain druid has very low attack speed, annoying the hell out of me.
Last week I started my n-th game as a fighter in BG:EE to become a druid early in BG2:EE. Will specialise in spears, even though overall it's probably not the best / most useful weapon. It'll be fun though.
Try playing as an avenger or some other kind of druid in Baldur's Gate 1. Druids are really awesome at level 10, at which point they can
*Get 15% damage resistance with Armor of Faith *Do 12d8 damage with Call Lightning *Do a total of 3d8 +30 damage with Poison
In addition, at level 10 an avenger can
*Turn enemies to stone with Chromatic Orb *Do 10d6 damage with Lightning Bolt *Make him/herself improved-invisible *Cast Chaos, easily the most powerful status-effect spell in the game
Well, another vote for Dwarven Defender as far as 'power' but as far as 'fun' I gotta say Halfling Thief. It's pretty neat depending on your wits and sly skills to get you through a game, I find. I certainly also find it appropriate to agree with Gallowglass that it depends on what you essentially want from each particular play-through ( keep in mind, most here have played the game numerous times, as different classes, for a reason). Currently, for example, I'm running 3 concurrent games. - 1 as an ungimped Ranger/Cleric (arghhhh!!!!) again - 1 as a Dwarven Defender, and - 1 as an Undead Hunter Why? Because I approach each with different mind-sets and moods. Depending on how I feel on a particular 'eve, I load up the one I feel interested in.
I'm also running 2 games of PS:T - 1 as a Mage (duh!) again, and - 1 as a straight Thief (Yay! I did it!!!!, must.. fight... impulse... to... convert...)
FUN is paramount of course. When that stops, the game stops.
Probably Sorcerer. Not for their power but for their mechanics and lore.
1) No need to search for annoying scrolls everywhere or spend a small fortune on them. 2) No need to memorize spells. Having to guess every time the spells you might need is tedious for me. You always wish you could have one more Fireball, or one more Magic Missile. 3) In 3E, they use Charisma instead of Intelligence for their spells. Which means that magic is like an instinct and/or talent to them which they express, instead of studying spending over tomes taking a clinical approach.
The last one I implement in BG as well. I always have max Charisma on my Sorcerers and have them be the party face. In turn, this makes them the best leaders and party faces, instead of that person you keep in the back and being the party's mage, instead of The Leader.
Generally, I like Charisma classes. Paladins, Blackguards, Sorcerers, Favored Souls, Warlocks, Bards.
My favorite would definitely by the ARCHER. Upgraded firetooth with bolts +3/+2 does more damage than people realize on an archer I think. The few things that are immune to +3, you simply use the default +4/+5 ammunition for less, but still good dps.
As far as BEST class, it's really hard to pick one. Here's my top 5:
1. Sorcerer (Best pure spell casting class easily)
2. Kensai/Mage (Spell casting almost as good as a sorc, but with good melee ability)
3. Inquisitor (True sight, and a dispel that I think will dispel everything in the game)
4. Swashbuckler (incredible AC, really good dps at high levels, wear any item, traps, whirlwind, plus convenience of having all the thief skills)
5. Monk - So many passives!
Edit: Just realized this was in the BG1 forum, my above post really applies to BG2.
Try playing as an avenger or some other kind of druid in Baldur's Gate 1. Druids are really awesome at level 10, at which point they can
*Get 15% damage resistance with Armor of Faith *Do 12d8 damage with Call Lightning *Do a total of 3d8 +30 damage with Poison
In addition, at level 10 an avenger can
*Turn enemies to stone with Chromatic Orb *Do 10d6 damage with Lightning Bolt *Make him/herself improved-invisible *Cast Chaos, easily the most powerful status-effect spell in the game
i've really thought about avenger > fighter. doesn't seem like a bad idea at all
Mostly I like playing Fighter/caster hybrids (Fighter/Mages and Fighter/Clerics both have plusses to recommend them), as I like having a PC that's capable in melee combat but find pure Fighters don't have enough options to hold my attention.
That said, recently I made the belated discovery of how amazing the poison weapon ability is. Seriously, if you've never played around with an Assassin or Blackguard (or never used poison weapon when you did), you should give it a try. I played a dart-using Sharpshooter (Song & Silence mod) that would use poison weapon and then rapidly switch between targets to spread it around. It felt good ruining the day of every caster within range, and warrior enemies didn't do too well against it either.
I played a dart-using Sharpshooter (Song & Silence mod) that would use poison weapon and then rapidly switch between targets to spread it around. It felt good ruining the day of every caster within range, and warrior enemies didn't do too well against it either.
I haven't used the Song & Silence mod, but I did exactly as you describe with an Assassin in the unmodded game. Yes indeed, both fun and remarkably effective.
I, too, had not realised how very powerful the Poison Weapon ability really is, until I played a protagonist who mainly relied on this skill throughout the saga.
i've really thought about avenger > fighter. doesn't seem like a bad idea at all
Just play it. It is a lot of fun to complement fighter abilities with the shapeshifting and spellcasting. It just takes a while to get those fighter levels above the druid levels (because fighters sure level slowly).
My favorite is the Cleric/Ranger combo. Why ? How long of an answer do you really want? Lets just say the only real disadvantage is slings instead of bows, the rest is amazingly fun. I have played through the end of TOB with my Lynn Forester and she gets extremely powerful with a flail, mace combo.
I just love F/M/T, they are so fun to play and so powerful. You can do everything and use them in many, many ways.
Plus I really like the synergy between the classes for backstabbing.
-A Thief can backstab once, with average THAC0 and damage. -A Fighter/Thief can still backstab once, but with huge damage and excellent THAC0. -A Mage/Thief backstabs like a Thief, but can do it many times during a fight thanks to Invisibilityspells, Shadow Door and especially Mislead.
-A F/M/T can backstab many times with his magic thanks to his Mage levels, and all these backstabs will do great damage thanks to his Fighter levels. Best of both worlds.
Based just on the class mechanics, a fighter/illusionist dual wielding katanas. Which was fun. Ridiculously powerful. Shorty saves are nothing to underestimate.
But it's more fun to play a whole character than just a class.
Do something that appeals to, like, maybe pick your favorite comic book character and turn him into a Charname. Appoint stats as they'd be for the comic book hero, don't min/max. Assign pips in character, too. If you really want to dork out, make a custom portrait. If you're into your character, if you like him, it doesn't even really matter what his class is.
The kensai kit gets so silly at high levels. At the very extreme, a level 40 kensai with 25 strength will deal almost as much damage unarmed as a monk can, so just think of what they could do with a weapon.
Going with a Blade from Candlekeep to the Throne of Bhaal was the most interesting and funniest walkthrough I ever had. I also finished the series with Fighter/Illusionist and Cavalier, but the Blade seemed the most balanced and was definitely the most satisfactory playthrough. For my current going I choose Cleric/Ranger (still in Cloakwood), but by now this class combination seems to be ridiculously overpowered - or maybe it is just my meta knowledge of the game ...
Berserker. My favorite class is always Fighter, but in Baldur's Gate Berserker is so much better, because there is a lot of enemy casters with debilitating spells. So, the Berserker is much more viable.
Already posted druid(avenger) as my favorite but blackguard is pretty powerful and fun as well. Never really gave their divine casting that much attention because you get it so late but they get some really good "tank" spells. If you also use iwdification you get access to a lot of necromancy spells that works really well as a melee.
Fighter/Mage or Fighter/Mage/Thief or Ranger or Bard or Cleric. Basically I like a multi-class that can use ranged weapons and can cast powerful offensive spells; also opening locks is a plus along with some healing ability. Usually I play as a Fighter/Mage (I used to play as a Ranger :-P) for one can use a High Strength + Knock (later on) to open locks (like a thief) while with a good rep. get cure minor wounds from dreams PLUS cast fire balls and use bows AND wear full plate mail armour if desired!
I always felt like an Archer was really strong in the first game. There are aren't many things that can't be hit by normal arrows, and there are plenty to find on bandit and hobgoblin corpses. The ridiculous thac0, even at a low level, means you'll rarely miss.
However, I've always felt like they aren't nearly as useful in the second game, where many enemies require arrows of at least plus one to be hit. This can make it difficult to equip yourself properly. That why I feel a thief, whether kitted, multi/dual-classed, or single-classed, the be the best class for the second game. There are plenty of easy back stab victims and your multiplier, especially if your an assassin, is high enough to kill many of them in one hit.
Comments
I conclude that whatever class/kit has interested you enough that you're currently playing it, that's the one which is currently "best" for you to be playing. Next time, it might well be some other class/kit.
Yes, I know that's sounds like a cop-out, but it's a serious answer: which one is the "best" to play is whichever one currently seems most exciting, so the answer will change over time.
Druid because I'm a nature loving hippy, so I like the theme and spells.
Fighter because being a plain druid has very low attack speed, annoying the hell out of me.
Last week I started my n-th game as a fighter in BG:EE to become a druid early in BG2:EE. Will specialise in spears, even though overall it's probably not the best / most useful weapon. It'll be fun though.
gg wp
*Get 15% damage resistance with Armor of Faith
*Do 12d8 damage with Call Lightning
*Do a total of 3d8 +30 damage with Poison
In addition, at level 10 an avenger can
*Turn enemies to stone with Chromatic Orb
*Do 10d6 damage with Lightning Bolt
*Make him/herself improved-invisible
*Cast Chaos, easily the most powerful status-effect spell in the game
It's pretty neat depending on your wits and sly skills to get you through a game, I find.
I certainly also find it appropriate to agree with Gallowglass that it depends on what you essentially want from each particular play-through ( keep in mind, most here have played the game numerous times, as different classes, for a reason).
Currently, for example, I'm running 3 concurrent games.
- 1 as an ungimped Ranger/Cleric (arghhhh!!!!) again
- 1 as a Dwarven Defender, and
- 1 as an Undead Hunter
Why?
Because I approach each with different mind-sets and moods. Depending on how I feel on a particular 'eve, I load up the one I feel interested in.
I'm also running 2 games of PS:T
- 1 as a Mage (duh!) again, and
- 1 as a straight Thief (Yay! I did it!!!!, must.. fight... impulse... to... convert...)
FUN is paramount of course. When that stops, the game stops.
M2c
Not for their power but for their mechanics and lore.
1) No need to search for annoying scrolls everywhere or spend a small fortune on them.
2) No need to memorize spells. Having to guess every time the spells you might need is tedious for me.
You always wish you could have one more Fireball, or one more Magic Missile.
3) In 3E, they use Charisma instead of Intelligence for their spells. Which means that magic is like an instinct and/or talent to them which they express, instead of studying spending over tomes taking a clinical approach.
The last one I implement in BG as well. I always have max Charisma on my Sorcerers and have them be the party face.
In turn, this makes them the best leaders and party faces, instead of that person you keep in the back and being the party's mage, instead of The Leader.
Generally, I like Charisma classes.
Paladins, Blackguards, Sorcerers, Favored Souls, Warlocks, Bards.
As far as BEST class, it's really hard to pick one. Here's my top 5:
1. Sorcerer (Best pure spell casting class easily)
2. Kensai/Mage (Spell casting almost as good as a sorc, but with good melee ability)
3. Inquisitor (True sight, and a dispel that I think will dispel everything in the game)
4. Swashbuckler (incredible AC, really good dps at high levels, wear any item, traps, whirlwind, plus convenience of having all the thief skills)
5. Monk - So many passives!
Edit: Just realized this was in the BG1 forum, my above post really applies to BG2.
That said, recently I made the belated discovery of how amazing the poison weapon ability is. Seriously, if you've never played around with an Assassin or Blackguard (or never used poison weapon when you did), you should give it a try. I played a dart-using Sharpshooter (Song & Silence mod) that would use poison weapon and then rapidly switch between targets to spread it around. It felt good ruining the day of every caster within range, and warrior enemies didn't do too well against it either.
I, too, had not realised how very powerful the Poison Weapon ability really is, until I played a protagonist who mainly relied on this skill throughout the saga.
Edit: spelling.
The deal breaker? Armor. Silly how all the ranger kits can't even wear chain!
I would include chain mail as a usable armor.
Add very limited trap use and detection.
Eliminate the bonus spells.
Limit shield use to bucklers.
Cut favored enemy perks in half.
But alas, fighter/theives reign supreme!
Talking sword optional, but preferable.
The most heroic and badass of all badass heroic heroes is the one who faces off against all of Faerun with nothing but courage.
And with Lilarcor, you have a legitimate reason to roleplay a hero who charges into battle all Tony Montana-like. 'Say hello to my little friend!'
Plus I really like the synergy between the classes for backstabbing.
-A Thief can backstab once, with average THAC0 and damage.
-A Fighter/Thief can still backstab once, but with huge damage and excellent THAC0.
-A Mage/Thief backstabs like a Thief, but can do it many times during a fight thanks to Invisibilityspells, Shadow Door and especially Mislead.
-A F/M/T can backstab many times with his magic thanks to his Mage levels, and all these backstabs will do great damage thanks to his Fighter levels. Best of both worlds.
or - Dragon Dispale on Bg 2.
But it's more fun to play a whole character than just a class.
Do something that appeals to, like, maybe pick your favorite comic book character and turn him into a Charname. Appoint stats as they'd be for the comic book hero, don't min/max. Assign pips in character, too. If you really want to dork out, make a custom portrait. If you're into your character, if you like him, it doesn't even really matter what his class is.
I think this ends up being more fun.
For my current going I choose Cleric/Ranger (still in Cloakwood), but by now this class combination seems to be ridiculously overpowered - or maybe it is just my meta knowledge of the game ...
However, I've always felt like they aren't nearly as useful in the second game, where many enemies require arrows of at least plus one to be hit. This can make it difficult to equip yourself properly. That why I feel a thief, whether kitted, multi/dual-classed, or single-classed, the be the best class for the second game. There are plenty of easy back stab victims and your multiplier, especially if your an assassin, is high enough to kill many of them in one hit.
Oh wait, you mean actual plausibility?
Sorcerer is the truth, but wild mage is love. And by sorcerer I mean the DD