5th- Chaos - nice choice, enchantment spells rock in this game 4th- Stoneskin, Minor Sequencer - skip sequencer, add confusion or emotion 3rd- Fireball, Dispel Magic, Invisibility 10ft radius - I'd skip dispel, get haste instead. maybe change invisibility to flame arrow? or melf's MM? or dire charm? 2nd- Glitterdust, Knock, Melf's Acid Arrow, Web - horror! and maybe scorcher? 1st- Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Friends, Identify, Protection from Petrification - erm... everyone and their grandmother can cast prot from evil, prot from petrification is required twice in the whole game, friends is situational at best, get Xan to do your shopping. identity can also be learned by someone else. go sleep, shield, chromatic orb, and... uh... grease? charm? burning hands? pick what suits you.
Yea now that we know that the XP cap hasn't changed unless you guys plan on getting rid of the XP cap, which I assume you are, you won't be benefiting from level 5 spells. Not as a sorcerer anyways.
1st: Magic Missile, Shield or Armor (shield offers greater protection, but armor lasts longer), Blindness (lasts 10 turns!, blinded enemies are screwed in BG) and whatever spells 2nd: Mirror Image, Melf's Acid Arrow, Web, Blur 3rd: Skull Trap, Haste, Melf's Minute Meteors (+5 weapons) 4th: Stoneskin, Improved Invisibility
Find Familiar may not be a bad spell after all. Those early HP is very helpful. I wish all wizards can cast that spell instead of just the protagonist.
Web and Spider spawn is deadly combo at low levels AND in bg1 every disabling spell is great while most of em are practicly useless in the sequel but there are dmg and prot spells to use then.
For offensive Sorcs, I look for spells that (1) scale with levels or (2) offer useful, multi-mob crowd control. I also try to squeeze in at least one protection spell per level that doesn't duplicate functionality I already have.
Early must haves:
First - Magic Missiles, Shield, and Protection from Evil. Then maybe Chromatic Orb (which scales to 12 and can still work afterwords with the appropriate debuff spells). Spook is probably the best of the three CC spells at that level.
Second - Melf's, Horror, Mirror Images
Third - Dispell Magic, Haste, Skull Trap over Fireball (Reason being: Skull Trap will damage mobs that are immune to elemental damage. It also, afaik, has no damage ceiling like Fireball does. Plus, of you really need it Fire is always available through scrolls, wands, and support mages of any stripe.)
Fourth - Stoneskin, Great Malison (flat reduction in mob saving throws but duration scales with your level).
FIfth - Breach
same except flame arrow instead of haste and yeah, absolutely skull trap over fireball
I have never used flame arrow a single time. Honest. I don't see the point. Level 3 is for AOE. By the time the damage of flame arrow is significantly better than the level 3 AOE spells, theoretically you'd have much stronger, higher level spells.
I pretty much only ever use Magic Missile and Melf's Acid Arrows for single target spells, now that I think about it.
but you'd still have a super nice flame arrow for when you run out of higher level spells (which by lvl15 you most certainly will, pretty quickly). also, flame arrow is useful right from the start, you don't always need an AOE spell.
I have never used flame arrow a single time. Honest. I don't see the point. Level 3 is for AOE. By the time the damage of flame arrow is significantly better than the level 3 AOE spells, theoretically you'd have much stronger, higher level spells.
I pretty much only ever use Magic Missile and Melf's Acid Arrows for single target spells, now that I think about it.
I guess its ok if you want a targetted attack. Bards for instance will get 2 "bolts" by the end of BGEE.
If you're building a sorcerer exclusively for Baldur's Gate 1, just throw darts at a board to pick your spells, and kill everything with wands of sleep, fire, cold, monster summoning, and/or fear. Honestly, just sell all the magical items you find and spend that cash on recharging your wands, and you'll never need to cast a spell from memory. That being said, if you want a sorcerer that can solo the entire saga, here are my recommendations.
Level 1: Magic Missile, Identify (all I ever use level 1 spells for in BG2), Protection From Evil (for summoning demons), 2 more that I'll really never use.
Level 4: Dimension Door (so your projected images can teleport anywhere on the map), Farsight (so you can see anywhere on the map for your projected images to teleport there), Greater Malison, Improved Invisibility (combine with Spell Immunity: divination to become immune to any targeted spells), Stoneskin
Level 5: Animate dead (Skeleton Warriors kill Mind Flayers), Breach, Lower Resistance, Spell Immunity (for making your Improved Invisibilities and Projected Images immune to Truesight), Sunfire (great for a soloer, especially when it's your projected image in the middle of the horde, and not you)
Level 6: Contingency, Death Spell (for enemy summons), Protection from Magic Energy (For abusing Wish to nuke the entire map with Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting), Protection From Magical Weapons, True Sight
Level 7: Finger of Death, Limited Wish (useful for summoning fodder, protection from level drain, and restoring your low-level spells when cast by a projected image), Mordenkainen's Sword (Best. Tank. Ever.), Project Image (most broken spell in the game. With Farsight and Dimension Door, you can destroy entire maps without ever putting yourself in real danger. Allows you to cast an infinite number of spells via Wish-resting), Spell Sequencer
Level 8: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Pierce Shield, Spell Trigger, Power Word: Blind, Summon Fiend (demons are fun, but level 9 has too many better options than Gate)
Level 9: Chain Contingency, Spellstrike, Time Stop (this + Improved Alacrity = I Win), Wish (nuke the entire map with Abi-Dalzim's, instantly restore all your spells via Wish-resting, which is even more cheap when cast by a projected image)
I will warn you, though, even with SCSII, this character trivialized the game to the point that I never bothered to finish the run.
Everything else has a wand for it and you can always recharge it by selling it and re-purchasing it.
Scrolls/Rods/Etc to be used by Project Images: Chaos Domination Death Spell Summon Nishruu/Hakeashar Finger of Death Breach Pierce Shield Gate Spell Trap Wish Energy Blades
-Magic missile: Absolutely essential in BG1, still useful in BG2. Great spell -Find Familiar: I know it will only ever be cast once but finding a scroll is a pain. And it makes the early game a cakewalk. And besides there aren't any really important picks in lvl 1 that should take precedence. -Identify: Always useful not to have to go to a store to identify stuff. -Shield: Because why not? Immunity to magic missiles is also nice on low levels. -Protection from evil: For demon summonings
Level 2:
-Mirror Image: Very handy defensive tool. Still useful in bg 2 (at least until everyone and their cousin starts casting true sight) -Knock: To keep my party smaller. Besides, there's nothing really important on this level. -Melf's acid arrow: For trolls. And casters in BG1. -Resist fear: Because it's extremely annoying to have to watch my team of badasses running around terrified.
Level 3:
-Fireball: To deal with groups of enemies. -Fire Arrow: Because it's cool -Skull Trap: Again, it's cool
Level 4:
-Stoneskin: Essential defense -Otiluke's Resilient Sphere: Because there's not much use for greater malison in BG1 and this spell can be handy in dealing with tougher groups
-Magic missile: Absolutely essential in BG1, still useful in BG2. Great spell -Find Familiar: I know it will only ever be cast once but finding a scroll is a pain. And it makes the early game a cakewalk. And besides there aren't any really important picks in lvl 1 that should take precedence. -Identify: Always useful not to have to go to a store to identify stuff. -Shield: Because why not? Immunity to magic missiles is also nice on low levels. -Protection from evil: For demon summonings
Level 2:
-Mirror Image: Very handy defensive tool. Still useful in bg 2 (at least until everyone and their cousin starts casting true sight) -Knock: To keep my party smaller. Besides, there's nothing really important on this level. -Melf's acid arrow: For trolls. And casters in BG1. -Resist fear: Because it's extremely annoying to have to watch my team of badasses running around terrified.
Level 3:
-Fireball: To deal with groups of enemies. -Fire Arrow: Because it's cool -Skull Trap: Again, it's cool
Level 4:
-Stoneskin: Essential defense -Otiluke's Resilient Sphere: Because there's not much use for greater malison in BG1 and this spell can be handy in dealing with tougher groups
Level 5:
-Breach: To deal with enemy caster protections
No level 5 spells for the sorcerer in BG1 unless you intend to raise the XP cap.
I've been trying to tailor my own sorcerer to my tastes while keeping him useful. Keep in mind while I get the logic and mathematical advantages of certain spell choices, some of them just aren't to my taste. I also play with a party which affects my choices. With a few exceptions, I try to avoid spells that can negatively affect my party. My list also reflects the order in which I picked my spells and I remove the xp cap (this is assuming a full play through of the entire saga from bg1 to tob). I try to pick spells for broad use at all levels and at levels where they will be practical. My picks would be somewhat different if I were to solo.
Why?: Magic Missile is an efficient damage dealer that gets better with level. Identify is useful at all levels. Sure there are scrolls and glasses or other party members, but why waste other members spell picks on something I may not need all the time, and scrolls/glasses are limited or cost gold. Spook is a great CC with a scaling save penalty. Shield is a nice long lasting defensive spell that has a set duration and provides immunity to magic missile. It loses some of its punch with gear at higher levels but the immunity remains useful for the whole trilogy. For all of BG1 it's useful. In the beginning of BG2 when you have little gear or money Shield is still great and Identify saves you coins early. I take Chromatic Orb last because at the level I get it the spell has reached some of its better scaling already. At the end of the day the only vital spell picks at lvl1 are Magic Missile and Spook to me, with Chromatic Orb being a great choice as a mini finger of death using lvl1 spell slots. Anything else is up to taste IMO.
Why?: I like having some offense at each level when possible/practical/choice allows. Melf's is a great single target DOT that handles trolls as well. Mirror Image is the poor man's Stoneskin and great for early level survival. It also stacks with Stoneskin so remains useful even at the highest levels. Glitterdust is a great bang for your buck spell. You get an invis dispel and an aoe cc all in one. Sure its small but still for all it does its worthwhile. Resist Fear is useful since fear is prevalent through bg1 and 2. I also like not relying on only one source of fear protection and I like having some utility outside of damage so having it comes in handy. Having Resist Fear on my sorc also lets my divine casters save slots for more buffs and cures in the early game. Blur take mainly for the save bonus considering the level I take it but the ac bonus is nice too. The whole Web/Spider Spawn combo is great solo but not as nice in a party without everyone having Free Action effects.
Why?: I like Melf's Minute Meteors... really I do, but it annoys me that it swaps into my melee weapon after the fact and it can still miss. With that said, however, it is an amazing spell to deal with magic resistant foes and it too is a troll killer. In BG1 Slow's penalties are crippling to pretty much everything and even in bg2 and beyond is a great debuff at all levels. Plus it comes with a hefty built in save penalty that stacks nicely with Greater Malison. Fireball may not scale as well as Skull Trap but it's just fun and flashy without suffering from the short range or as much setup as Skull Trap seems to need. Dispel Magic is one of the few spells I pick that can affect my party negatively but I think its worth the risk (and its thematically appropriate for my character). Being able to remove negative effects on my party or beneficial effects from my foes is just too good to pass up. Dispel Magic and Remove Magic don't always work so other casters can use the few they prepare to no avail while a sorc can spam till they take. I've had to dispel confusion or charms from my party more than a few times in the series so I welcome having it. Flame Arrow is a great scaling single target spell that's useful at all levels. I take it late because the scaling beyond other spells doesn't really kick in much till around 20+ and because the other spells are just so game changing early on.
lvl4: Stoneskin, Emotion, Greater Malison, Improved Invisibility, Minor Sequencer
Why?: Stoneskin is a defining survival spell in the bg games. It keeps the use alive through nasty physical attacks. There's also no useful party safe damage dealing spells at this level. Emotion is a great aoe CC and party buff rolled into one. Great in a sequencer coupled with Greater Malison in the late game. Speaking of which... Greater Malison is my next pick. Why wouldn't you want to penalize your foes saving throws when it makes all spells more viable later in the game. Improved Invisibility is useful for a number of reasons. Mainly its the defensive bonuses it provides in combat and making you untargetable by foes who can't see invis. The staff of the magi is good at all but you have a ways in to the game to get it and it only provides regular invis and I don't wanna do reequip cheese after every action. I can also use it on others like a thief who scouts while finding traps undetected. Minor Sequencer comes late because everything else is more important IMO. I love metamagic and wish the bg series had more of it, but Minor Sequencer is a nice spell to have. I like coupling a Chromatic Orb with either Magic Missile or Melf's Acid Arrow for a nice instant punch of damage with a possible insta kill attached.
Why?: I wish BG had Snilloc's Major Missile so I had a single target damage choice at this level sadly no dice. Breach is my first pick because in BG2 you start encountering foes using Stoneskin and other protections that need to go. Breach remains useful through the whole series. Spell Immunity is taken next because I'm at the level when blocking a whole school of spells can be really useful. Lower Resistance is next because it's about this level when magic resistance becomes a noticeable annoyance and the spell remains useful for the rest of the series. While I wish I could wait for Spell Shield, level 28 is just too deep into TOB to be practical. Protecting my own protections is important in the later game. The last spell pick is really open cause of how late you get it so I pick Feeblemind since it has a save penalty and incapacitates even things that are immune to Hold Monster. I think animating the dead is icky so I don't take that spell in a party, however useful it may be.
Why?: Chain Lightning is party friendly, does good damage, is nice x3 in a sequencer and is a great pick after two levels of spells with few offense options. True Seeing is vital for countering hostile illusions and I don't want to rely on only one party member to provide it. Contingency is next for the obvious benefits it provides. Protection From Magic Weapons is taken around now because we're crossing into TOB territory and have the immunity to normal weapons passive from the end of BG2 for comprehensive protection. Mislead is the late pick to toss into contingency if I am rendered helpless.
lvl7: Project Image, Mordenkainen's Sword, Ruby Ray of Reversal, Spell Sequencer, Delayed Blast Fireball
Why?: Project Image is just too abuseable as a sorcerer. The versatility it offers is too good to pass up. Mordenkainen's Sword is a summon I like. Its not forcing some being to do my bidding or animating corpses, it's a magical construct so ethically I feel ok using it. Ruby Ray removes pesky spell protections including 9th lvl Spelltraps. Spell Sequencer is just a natural choice for chaining spells together instantly. Unfortunately 7th level is the last "5th" spellpick you can get without removing the xp cap so I picked Delayed Blast Fireball for more aoe damage dealing and because this late in the game, encountering foes that might be immune to lower level spells is more likely. This spell pick is just too late in the game to be anything vital. Limited Wish is just too limited and there's just too many useful things to take at this level. I thought of taking it as the last pick but by 31 you've already been wish-resting for awhile so why take the lesser version? A mage in my party can milk it early for the one time wishes IMO.
lvl8: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Power Word: Blind, Spell Trigger, Pierce Shield, Protection From Energy
Why?: Horrid Wilting is one of the best damage spells in the game so of course it is the first pick. Unlike many other Power Word spells, Power Word: Blind has no HP requirement to affect foes and it's a great disabler with no save. Spell Trigger is next for more instant multi-spell fun. Pierce Shield gives me more methods of removing enemy protections and it lowers MR to boot. Removing the xp cap allows me to take Protection From Energy as a final pick just to have another defensive spell.
lvl9: Chain Contingency, Time Stop, Wish, Spellstrike, Shapechange
Why?: Chain Contingency is first because of the crazy things you can do with it that I feel is better than time stop. Three Project Images on enemy seen? Three Horrid Wiltings on Enemy Seen? Yea... that. Time Stop comes next though. Wish comes at level 20 for TOB where it really really comes in handy. Earlier in the series there's ample resting opportunities but by the time you hit TOB the convenience of wish-resting is welcome on top of its other effects. There's not much of use at 9th level surprisingly enough and I am not keen on summoning demons so Spellstrike is next as an all out strip everything spell but really at this point its hardly necessary and I still have to ruby ray any spell traps first. Since the 5th pick can only be taken at 36 by removing the xp cap, I picked Shapechange just for fun.
Comments
4th- Stoneskin, Minor Sequencer - skip sequencer, add confusion or emotion
3rd- Fireball, Dispel Magic, Invisibility 10ft radius - I'd skip dispel, get haste instead. maybe change invisibility to flame arrow? or melf's MM? or dire charm?
2nd- Glitterdust, Knock, Melf's Acid Arrow, Web - horror! and maybe scorcher?
1st- Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Friends, Identify, Protection from Petrification - erm... everyone and their grandmother can cast prot from evil, prot from petrification is required twice in the whole game, friends is situational at best, get Xan to do your shopping. identity can also be learned by someone else. go sleep, shield, chromatic orb, and... uh... grease? charm? burning hands? pick what suits you.
best of luck!
2nd- Detect Evil, Know Alignment, Ghoul Touch, Luck
3rd- Non-Detection, Hold Undead, Clairvoyance
4rth-Contagion, Remove Curse
I'll admit, intelligence may not have been the best choice for a dump stat...
2nd: Mirror Image, Melf's Acid Arrow, Web, Blur
3rd: Skull Trap, Haste, Melf's Minute Meteors (+5 weapons)
4th: Stoneskin, Improved Invisibility
Find Familiar may not be a bad spell after all. Those early HP is very helpful. I wish all wizards can cast that spell instead of just the protagonist.
and yeah, absolutely skull trap over fireball
I pretty much only ever use Magic Missile and Melf's Acid Arrows for single target spells, now that I think about it.
Level 1: Magic Missile, Identify (all I ever use level 1 spells for in BG2), Protection From Evil (for summoning demons), 2 more that I'll really never use.
Level 2: Blur, Knock, Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image, Resist Fear
Level 3: Flame Arrow, Haste, Melf's Minute Meteors (great for killing magic-resistant foes), Remove Magic, Skull Trap
Level 4: Dimension Door (so your projected images can teleport anywhere on the map), Farsight (so you can see anywhere on the map for your projected images to teleport there), Greater Malison, Improved Invisibility (combine with Spell Immunity: divination to become immune to any targeted spells), Stoneskin
Level 5: Animate dead (Skeleton Warriors kill Mind Flayers), Breach, Lower Resistance, Spell Immunity (for making your Improved Invisibilities and Projected Images immune to Truesight), Sunfire (great for a soloer, especially when it's your projected image in the middle of the horde, and not you)
Level 6: Contingency, Death Spell (for enemy summons), Protection from Magic Energy (For abusing Wish to nuke the entire map with Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting), Protection From Magical Weapons, True Sight
Level 7: Finger of Death, Limited Wish (useful for summoning fodder, protection from level drain, and restoring your low-level spells when cast by a projected image), Mordenkainen's Sword (Best. Tank. Ever.), Project Image (most broken spell in the game. With Farsight and Dimension Door, you can destroy entire maps without ever putting yourself in real danger. Allows you to cast an infinite number of spells via Wish-resting), Spell Sequencer
Level 8: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Pierce Shield, Spell Trigger, Power Word: Blind, Summon Fiend (demons are fun, but level 9 has too many better options than Gate)
Level 9: Chain Contingency, Spellstrike, Time Stop (this + Improved Alacrity = I Win), Wish (nuke the entire map with Abi-Dalzim's, instantly restore all your spells via Wish-resting, which is even more cheap when cast by a projected image)
I will warn you, though, even with SCSII, this character trivialized the game to the point that I never bothered to finish the run.
Arcane Spells:
Lvl.1 Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Shield, Spook
Lvl.2 Blur, Glitterdust, Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image, Web
Lvl.3 Flame Arrow, Haste, Invisibility 10', Melf's Minute Meteors, Skull Trap, Slow,
Lvl.4 Greater Malison, Imp. Invisibility, Minor Sequencer, Spider Spawn, Stoneskin, Teleport Field
Lvl.5 Lower Resistance, Spell Immunity, Animate Dead, Sunfire
Lvl.6 Pierce Magic, Contingency, Prot from Mag Weapons, Improved Haste, Chain Lightning, Mislead
Lvl.7 Limited Wish, Mass Invisibility, Mord Sword, Project Image, Ruby Ray, Sequen.
Lvl.8 Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Power Word Blind, Simulacrum, Spell Trigger, Bigby's/Incendiary
Lvl.9 Chain Contingency, Shapechange, Time Stop, Dragon's Breath, Improved Alacrity, Planetar
Everything else has a wand for it and you can always recharge it by selling it and re-purchasing it.
Scrolls/Rods/Etc to be used by Project Images:
Chaos
Domination
Death Spell
Summon Nishruu/Hakeashar
Finger of Death
Breach
Pierce Shield
Gate
Spell Trap
Wish
Energy Blades
-Magic missile: Absolutely essential in BG1, still useful in BG2. Great spell
-Find Familiar: I know it will only ever be cast once but finding a scroll is a pain. And it makes the early game a cakewalk. And besides there aren't any really important picks in lvl 1 that should take precedence.
-Identify: Always useful not to have to go to a store to identify stuff.
-Shield: Because why not? Immunity to magic missiles is also nice on low levels.
-Protection from evil: For demon summonings
Level 2:
-Mirror Image: Very handy defensive tool. Still useful in bg 2 (at least until everyone and their cousin starts casting true sight)
-Knock: To keep my party smaller. Besides, there's nothing really important on this level.
-Melf's acid arrow: For trolls. And casters in BG1.
-Resist fear: Because it's extremely annoying to have to watch my team of badasses running around terrified.
Level 3:
-Fireball: To deal with groups of enemies.
-Fire Arrow: Because it's cool
-Skull Trap: Again, it's cool
Level 4:
-Stoneskin: Essential defense
-Otiluke's Resilient Sphere: Because there's not much use for greater malison in BG1 and this spell can be handy in dealing with tougher groups
Level 5:
-Breach: To deal with enemy caster protections
Lvl 1: Spook, Shield, Blind, Burning hands, Magic missile
Lvl 2: Web, Mirror image, Acid Arrow, Invisibility
Lvl 3: Haste, Skull trap, Dispel (or Slow depending on party)
Lvl 4: Stoneskin, Polymorph Self
Lvl 5: Cloud Kill
lvl1: Magic Missile, Identify, Shield, Spook, Chromatic Orb
Why?: Magic Missile is an efficient damage dealer that gets better with level. Identify is useful at all levels. Sure there are scrolls and glasses or other party members, but why waste other members spell picks on something I may not need all the time, and scrolls/glasses are limited or cost gold. Spook is a great CC with a scaling save penalty. Shield is a nice long lasting defensive spell that has a set duration and provides immunity to magic missile. It loses some of its punch with gear at higher levels but the immunity remains useful for the whole trilogy. For all of BG1 it's useful. In the beginning of BG2 when you have little gear or money Shield is still great and Identify saves you coins early. I take Chromatic Orb last because at the level I get it the spell has reached some of its better scaling already. At the end of the day the only vital spell picks at lvl1 are Magic Missile and Spook to me, with Chromatic Orb being a great choice as a mini finger of death using lvl1 spell slots. Anything else is up to taste IMO.
lvl2: Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image, Glitterdust, Resist Fear, Blur
Why?: I like having some offense at each level when possible/practical/choice allows. Melf's is a great single target DOT that handles trolls as well. Mirror Image is the poor man's Stoneskin and great for early level survival. It also stacks with Stoneskin so remains useful even at the highest levels. Glitterdust is a great bang for your buck spell. You get an invis dispel and an aoe cc all in one. Sure its small but still for all it does its worthwhile. Resist Fear is useful since fear is prevalent through bg1 and 2. I also like not relying on only one source of fear protection and I like having some utility outside of damage so having it comes in handy. Having Resist Fear on my sorc also lets my divine casters save slots for more buffs and cures in the early game. Blur take mainly for the save bonus considering the level I take it but the ac bonus is nice too. The whole Web/Spider Spawn combo is great solo but not as nice in a party without everyone having Free Action effects.
lvl3: Melf's Minute Meteors, Slow, Fireball, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrow
Why?: I like Melf's Minute Meteors... really I do, but it annoys me that it swaps into my melee weapon after the fact and it can still miss. With that said, however, it is an amazing spell to deal with magic resistant foes and it too is a troll killer. In BG1 Slow's penalties are crippling to pretty much everything and even in bg2 and beyond is a great debuff at all levels. Plus it comes with a hefty built in save penalty that stacks nicely with Greater Malison. Fireball may not scale as well as Skull Trap but it's just fun and flashy without suffering from the short range or as much setup as Skull Trap seems to need. Dispel Magic is one of the few spells I pick that can affect my party negatively but I think its worth the risk (and its thematically appropriate for my character). Being able to remove negative effects on my party or beneficial effects from my foes is just too good to pass up. Dispel Magic and Remove Magic don't always work so other casters can use the few they prepare to no avail while a sorc can spam till they take. I've had to dispel confusion or charms from my party more than a few times in the series so I welcome having it. Flame Arrow is a great scaling single target spell that's useful at all levels. I take it late because the scaling beyond other spells doesn't really kick in much till around 20+ and because the other spells are just so game changing early on.
lvl4: Stoneskin, Emotion, Greater Malison, Improved Invisibility, Minor Sequencer
Why?: Stoneskin is a defining survival spell in the bg games. It keeps the use alive through nasty physical attacks. There's also no useful party safe damage dealing spells at this level. Emotion is a great aoe CC and party buff rolled into one. Great in a sequencer coupled with Greater Malison in the late game. Speaking of which... Greater Malison is my next pick. Why wouldn't you want to penalize your foes saving throws when it makes all spells more viable later in the game. Improved Invisibility is useful for a number of reasons. Mainly its the defensive bonuses it provides in combat and making you untargetable by foes who can't see invis. The staff of the magi is good at all but you have a ways in to the game to get it and it only provides regular invis and I don't wanna do reequip cheese after every action. I can also use it on others like a thief who scouts while finding traps undetected. Minor Sequencer comes late because everything else is more important IMO. I love metamagic and wish the bg series had more of it, but Minor Sequencer is a nice spell to have. I like coupling a Chromatic Orb with either Magic Missile or Melf's Acid Arrow for a nice instant punch of damage with a possible insta kill attached.
lvl5: Breach, Spell Immunity, Lower Resistance, Spell Shield, Feeblemind
Why?: I wish BG had Snilloc's Major Missile so I had a single target damage choice at this level sadly no dice. Breach is my first pick because in BG2 you start encountering foes using Stoneskin and other protections that need to go. Breach remains useful through the whole series. Spell Immunity is taken next because I'm at the level when blocking a whole school of spells can be really useful. Lower Resistance is next because it's about this level when magic resistance becomes a noticeable annoyance and the spell remains useful for the rest of the series. While I wish I could wait for Spell Shield, level 28 is just too deep into TOB to be practical. Protecting my own protections is important in the later game. The last spell pick is really open cause of how late you get it so I pick Feeblemind since it has a save penalty and incapacitates even things that are immune to Hold Monster. I think animating the dead is icky so I don't take that spell in a party, however useful it may be.
lvl6: Chain Lightning, True Seeing, Contingency, Protection From Magic Weapons, Mislead
Why?: Chain Lightning is party friendly, does good damage, is nice x3 in a sequencer and is a great pick after two levels of spells with few offense options. True Seeing is vital for countering hostile illusions and I don't want to rely on only one party member to provide it. Contingency is next for the obvious benefits it provides. Protection From Magic Weapons is taken around now because we're crossing into TOB territory and have the immunity to normal weapons passive from the end of BG2 for comprehensive protection. Mislead is the late pick to toss into contingency if I am rendered helpless.
lvl7: Project Image, Mordenkainen's Sword, Ruby Ray of Reversal, Spell Sequencer, Delayed Blast Fireball
Why?: Project Image is just too abuseable as a sorcerer. The versatility it offers is too good to pass up. Mordenkainen's Sword is a summon I like. Its not forcing some being to do my bidding or animating corpses, it's a magical construct so ethically I feel ok using it. Ruby Ray removes pesky spell protections including 9th lvl Spelltraps. Spell Sequencer is just a natural choice for chaining spells together instantly. Unfortunately 7th level is the last "5th" spellpick you can get without removing the xp cap so I picked Delayed Blast Fireball for more aoe damage dealing and because this late in the game, encountering foes that might be immune to lower level spells is more likely. This spell pick is just too late in the game to be anything vital. Limited Wish is just too limited and there's just too many useful things to take at this level. I thought of taking it as the last pick but by 31 you've already been wish-resting for awhile so why take the lesser version? A mage in my party can milk it early for the one time wishes IMO.
lvl8: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Power Word: Blind, Spell Trigger, Pierce Shield, Protection From Energy
Why?: Horrid Wilting is one of the best damage spells in the game so of course it is the first pick. Unlike many other Power Word spells, Power Word: Blind has no HP requirement to affect foes and it's a great disabler with no save. Spell Trigger is next for more instant multi-spell fun. Pierce Shield gives me more methods of removing enemy protections and it lowers MR to boot. Removing the xp cap allows me to take Protection From Energy as a final pick just to have another defensive spell.
lvl9: Chain Contingency, Time Stop, Wish, Spellstrike, Shapechange
Why?: Chain Contingency is first because of the crazy things you can do with it that I feel is better than time stop. Three Project Images on enemy seen? Three Horrid Wiltings on Enemy Seen? Yea... that. Time Stop comes next though. Wish comes at level 20 for TOB where it really really comes in handy. Earlier in the series there's ample resting opportunities but by the time you hit TOB the convenience of wish-resting is welcome on top of its other effects. There's not much of use at 9th level surprisingly enough and I am not keen on summoning demons so Spellstrike is next as an all out strip everything spell but really at this point its hardly necessary and I still have to ruby ray any spell traps first. Since the 5th pick can only be taken at 36 by removing the xp cap, I picked Shapechange just for fun.