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Kensai. Anybody here play them?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
edited March 2016 in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
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  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    I like club wielding pure Kensai the most. Although Kensai/Druid might be interesting as well. That be a deadly Bonsai to my liking.
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,725
    Start a new game in ToB with a keinsai. Watch their epic power - there's no better chance to enjoy a keinsai other than when she's of a high level - the bonuses are insane. You begin to kill everything quickier than get hit because of your bad AC.
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,211
    The main reason Kensai are so good in BG2 is that you can kill things more quickly than you take damage, and also a lot of the dangerous things enemies do are magical to begin with (meaning AC wouldn't help either way).

    The main reason Kensai are so good in dual-class combinations is that the most popular ones (Thief and Mage) essentially negate the Kensai's downsides completely (via UAI or protective spells).

    Now that the powergaming paradigm is shifting towards Nightmare Mode, though, Kensai do become more dangerous to use as you can no longer count on everything being dead in seconds.
  • YgramulYgramul Member Posts: 1,059
    Kensai cannot be no-reloaded. Not solo. Not as a front liner.

    No helmet means a Gibberling or Kobold will one shot you sometime during the beginning of the game.

    You can, of course, babysit it, if you want; have it attack after someone else goes first, but why bother...

    (I did have an enjoyable run with a Kensai/Mage multi [EEkeepered] in a no-reload run. But that's not what you're asking.)
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited March 2016
    I have played with one in the past,and I agree with @Ygramul that , as long as he's not the enemy's target, he will be incredibly powerful.

    Also, I suggest changing his avatar from fighter to monk animation , he'll look cooler that way!
  • SpaceInvaderSpaceInvader Member Posts: 2,125
    @Ygramul aside that you can definitely solo in vanilla, you are right.
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    edited March 2016
    I haven't actually tried one. I don't employ dual class combinations personally and while I do like playing warriors. Kensai just never attracted me... perhaps because I find the damage increase boring and I miss out on all the armor and some other items. There's no ''fluff'' in it for me.

    Even the vanilla wizard slayer, as reviled as it is. Has more attraction for me.
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,320
    Ygramul said:

    Kensai cannot be no-reloaded. Not solo. Not as a front liner.

    No helmet means a Gibberling or Kobold will one shot you sometime during the beginning of the game.

    It's perfectly possible to do a solo kensai no-reload. Just stay out of melee in the early part of BG1 (kensai's can use throwing axes and daggers to deadly effect) and avoid travelling on the main road until you've got a few levels (so you can't trigger a large bandit ambush).

  • matricematrice Member Posts: 86
    Ygramul said:

    Kensai cannot be no-reloaded. Not solo. Not as a front liner.

    No helmet means a Gibberling or Kobold will one shot you sometime during the beginning of the game.

    You can, of course, babysit it, if you want; have it attack after someone else goes first, but why bother...

    (I did have an enjoyable run with a Kensai/Mage multi [EEkeepered] in a no-reload run. But that's not what you're asking.)

    I actually made one, from bg1, to tob with every single difficulty mod i found. (was long ago, it was a kensai 23 into mage 24 (or 22/23, well the max you can do)

    You start by throwing dagger the whole bg1 (and you anyway don't even need to take pip in dagger, cause well you have such awesome bonus to hit, and you can have unlimited dagger for almost no cost.


    With difficulty mod, there's only 2 tricky part for solo running kensai:the few fight against mage in bg2 you cann't dodge before dualling, and the moment in underdark you are supposed to dual, cause well, a mage lvl 12-13 thx to billion scroll you found, even with a lot of hp, has HUGE trouble in underdark.

    In addition, kensai can definitly be a frontlaner, take the shield amul, and when you are mage, keep casting protectiv spell
  • YgramulYgramul Member Posts: 1,059
    edited March 2016
    Heh heh heh.
    My sinister plan to flush out the Kensai fans have succeeded.

    (I appreciate the risk/reward in a well-played Kensai. It's just that... my scatterbrain usually does not stick to the plan long enough to keep'em safe.)

    P.S. Err... seriously though, "staying out of melee" and "throwing daggers" basically imply that you are, in fact, NOT frontlining your Kensai!
  • matricematrice Member Posts: 86
    edited March 2016
    There's no such thing as front laner when you solo
    matrice said:


    In addition, kensai can definitly be a frontlaner, take the shield amul, and when you are mage, keep casting protectiv spell

    + if you have a druid in your team, casting the Barkskin and it's like if you had an good armor...
  • SouthpawSouthpaw Member Posts: 2,026
    Kensais are cool as damage dealers. In ToB, their bonuses get so ridiculously high, they will kill things faster than they get hit and you can always get a Shield Amulet or something. I did once play a Kensai with "single weapon fighting", which meant he had less APR, but -2 AC + it's innate bonuses and in BG1, the AC wasn't that bad.


    Additionally, there were some very interesting takes on the Kensais, like a dagger-throwing Kensai, that gets really deadly once you get magical throwing daggers (with the Kensai bonuses and the Strength bonuses). I plan to try that one sometime in the near future.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited March 2016
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  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    I used a single-classed Kensai in a ToB run once and it was quite fun. Unlike SoA, ToB is very heavy on melee enemies and hordes, so damage output is very useful.
  • GrumGrum Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,100
    I can just imagine a single class kensai with the big metal unit...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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  • SouthpawSouthpaw Member Posts: 2,026
    thespace said:

    My Kensai sold the Helmet of Balduran.

    :smiley: and replaced it with what?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
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