*Spoilers* Best and worst Classes/Kits for Main Character

Skarose

I am curious what people think the best and worst character class/kit for Siege of Dragonspear.

Best: (FMT/FMC)I think the 500K experience cap allows triple class characters to come into their own. Extra attacks with the fighter level and 4th level spells with mage levels allow the character to shine. Also the noticeable XP slump which begins to occur in BG2EE SOA for triple class characters doesn't really happen until ~750K, so the triple class is pretty awesome.

Worst (Assassin) The poison gimping was just too much for me to continue playing. 15 thieving points and crappy weak poison that can only be applied and saved from once a round makes for a pretty piss-poor experience. I guess Blackguards were OP with it, but I kind of liked Blackguards being OP, they were evil! When I was in the mood to play a Blackguard run I wanted to be OP. This is tied for my biggest disappointment with the game.

RP story wise or power wise, I'm interested in this community's feedback.
So what do you people think?

Tenrecc

Well, barring any of the powerhouses that will be best just because they are OP, I'd say this expansion really lets the Cavalier shine. Immunity to poison and fear are both godsends since I feel like they occur in almost every fight, especially poison. Add to that that the only two difficult fights are against beings that the Cavalier gets +3 bonus from, and we have a nice match.

Worst? Dunno, the same unplayable crap as always. Beastmasters, Shadowdancers, any bard not a blade, Shapeshifters (they havn't been fixed yet right?) etc. Probably beastmasters.

Skarose said:

I guess Blackguards were OP with it, but I kind of liked Blackguards being OP, they were evil! When I was in the mood to play a Blackguard run I wanted to be OP. This is tied for my biggest disappointment with the game.

And even with the poison, they were still shit tier compared to their counterparts, Inquisitors. Oh well, so much for balance.

minsc4prez

Ive had pretty good luck with my Blade, BlackGaurd and of course the op sorc. Bounty hunters are also very fun.

EnialusMeliamne

+1 for the Cavalier class, from a role play standpoint. I felt that SOD gave a very satisfying story to fit a paladin as the PC, even in some of the dialogue.

jsaving

At low levels, leveling-up generally requires you to double your current XP. This means single-classed characters will only be one level ahead of characters like a fighter/thief or cleric/illusionist and only slightly farther ahead of characters like a fighter/mage/cleric or fighter/mage/thief. For this reason, multiclassed characters are nearly always superior power-wise, with fighter/cleric, ranger/cleric (even without druid spells), fighter/mage, fighter/thief, and fighter/mage/thief at the top of the heap.

At mid levels -- say, 500K experience points until just under 3 million -- levelups generally require you to get a fixed amount of XP rather than doubling it. This causes multiclass characters to fall farther and farther behind their singleclass counterparts, and is the point in BG2 during which singleclass characters can shine.

At high levels (3 million and above), the introduction of high level abilities dramatically ramps up the power of multiclassed warriors and to some extent multiclassed thieves whose players might have been regretting going the multiclassed route.

With Dragonspear's XP capped just below the point at which single-classed characters start to make sense, I think the OP is exactly right to say FMT and FMC are great choices (though I lean toward FMT because there are more synergies between mage and thief than there are mage and cleric).

Diogenes42

Hello friends, here is my opinion and I hope you will realise it for the wisdom that it is.

Best: Wild Mage
Worst: Not Wild Mage

Here is a pictorial representation of Caelar meeting my humble character, done by the excellent Matt Rhodes.

Skarose

I guess it always seemed to me that as far as the Baldur's Gate games went that in Baldur's Gate 1, triple classes missed out on 4th level spells and extra attacks for reaching 7th level. This seriously curtailed them during the late game and even in the early game it takes forever to gain levels.

In Baldur's gate 2 triple classes began alright as gaining the first few levels occurred with some frequency, but very quickly the triple class just stagnates while the rest of the party gains levels.

In Throne of Bhaal the triple class does ok with HLAs but misses out on 9th level spells, a very serious power limitation.

In siege of Dragonspear, behold the triple class gets a few levels in all his classes. Extra fighter attacks and 4th level spells. I think it's the perfect part/segment of the Baldur's gate saga to play a triple class in comparison to other classes/builds.

It may not be the perfect build, story RP or power wise, but it is definitely noticeable that for players of triple classes don't need to be told to remove the XP cap or you must play solo! Play a triple class vanilla, with a party, you'll do great!

MrGuse

I decided to play a bard this go around figuring "I've never done that before!"

I regret it immensely.

Philhelm

MrGuse said:

I decided to play a bard this go around figuring "I've never done that before!"

I regret it immensely.

Why is that?

mf2112

Bards can be okay even to the end of TOB when used properly. Casting spells that increase with levels works well since they have a lot of levels. Stoneskin and/or PFMW together with offensive or defensive spins can emulate a tank for a few rounds.

Skarose

I think Bards start out slow. The first part of Baldur's Gate can be brutal on a Bard.

helmo1977

Really, I have always thought of triple class characters as good to make a solo game, but in a six people party they are going to suck in most moments. And they will never be able to reach their full power (not enough XP in the game for that, and I am referring to ToB levels).

First of all, in a six people party you already have alll the major roles covered, so a triple class character is just redundant. On top of that, he is always going to be worse than other characters as a fighter, as a thief or as a wizard. In a party of six, the triple class character is the trader of all jacks but master of none. It is like a strange bard.

Thus, I think a triple class is great for a solo game (it has all the abilities except for healing, but you have potions for that) or a game where you take just one or two more characters. In a solo game a triple class character can reach full power (by full power I mean 20th level in all classes) at the middle of ToB, more or less. Of course, you should use a XP cap remover.

Tenrecc

helmo1977 said:

Really, I have always thought of triple class characters as good to make a solo game, but in a six people party they are going to suck in most moments. And they will never be able to reach their full power (not enough XP in the game for that, and I am referring to ToB levels).

Well, solo play is where they shine the most, definitely, but saying that they suck in full party groups is just downright wrong. F/Ms are the most broken class in the game, and that includes any iteration of it. So despite big groups not being their "natural habitat," they will still be your strongest characters if played correctly.

Only time they "suck" would be early BG1. Once their spell levels start kicking in, there's no turning back.

helmo1977 said:

First of all, in a six people party you already have alll the major roles covered, so a triple class character is just redundant. On top of that, he is always going to be worse than other characters as a fighter, as a thief or as a wizard. In a party of six, the triple class character is the trader of all jacks but master of none. It is like a strange bard.

Only if you play standard, well-rounded setups. I've yoloed around with triple sorcs and quadruple F/Ms, and in several playthroughs my FTM has been my only thief. Works very well as long as you only allocate stats in traps/locks, especially if you run a bard, which you should.

Also F/T/M is a way better fighter than any pure-bred fighter, and a way better thief than any thief. Can't hold a Candle in the caster department, but 2 of 3 isn't bad.

helmo1977 said:

Thus, I think a triple class is great for a solo game (it has all the abilities except for healing, but you have potions for that) or a game where you take just one or two more characters. In a solo game a triple class character can reach full power (by full power I mean 20th level in all classes) at the middle of ToB, more or less. Of course, you should use a XP cap remover.

Actually, your bhaalspawn powers and your pickpocketed ring of regeneration is enough to keep you from having to drink a single potion in a solo run. And you don't really need an XP cap remover, once you pick up mislead the game will be easier than using CLUAConsole anyway. :P

Tenrecc

mf2112 said:

Bards can be okay even to the end of TOB when used properly. Casting spells that increase with levels works well since they have a lot of levels. Stoneskin and/or PFMW together with offensive or defensive spins can emulate a tank for a few rounds.

"can be okay even to the end of TOB"

"can be okay"

"okay"

I dunno man, I wouldn't call any class that single-handedly can turn all of your frontliners into kensais with capped out armor class "okay." :P

Shar

The only char i had to import was pure class kensai, i quickly abandoned solo or even 2 man team insane playthrough after i realized how many mobs the game throws at you. But as long as you have 2 arcane casters you can easily go through this game with any charname class.

DetectiveMittens

MrGuse said:

I decided to play a bard this go around figuring "I've never done that before!"

I regret it immensely.

If you didn't pick Skald or Blade you are playing Bards wrong

helmo1977

Shar said:

The only char i had to import was pure class kensai, i quickly abandoned solo or even 2 man team insane playthrough after i realized how many mobs the game throws at you. But as long as you have 2 arcane casters you can easily go through this game with any charname class.

Yes, with so many mobs mages are the most important character in SoD. Two fo them better than one.