Yet one more time - character creation for BGEE

jolly_bb

Hi all,

been thinking upfront what race/class/kit to use for BGEE playthrough. Finished BG1 few times and BG2 as well (never could get past through ToB properly, got distracted every time by something else, but making up for it now).

So far played always as fighter, paladin, kensai/mage (also recall brief game as thief in BG2).

Want to try something more interesting this time... And now... been thinking of:
- Gnome Thief/Illusionist (afraid it would be of no fighting value for most of BG1 though)
- Fighter dualed to Cleric at lvl 3-4 (for extra proficiencies and HP), as don't want to wait till at least level 7 (most of BG1 would be completed by then)
- Fighter dualed to Thief at lvl 3-4 (same reasons as above)
- Fighter dualed to Mage at lvl 3-4 (same reasons...)

OR something completely different e.g. Druid or a Blade.

How much fun in your experience would the above sets be? Or should i definitely not dual at lvl 3-4 (i know i'm losing 0.5 attack). Or do you suggest something else as a fun character?

PS. will go for an evil playthrough this time (as never did so properly). So for BG1 will embrace Viconia ^_^, Edwin, Kagain at least.

Any views?

sandmanCCL

You can only get to Fighter 6 if you want to regain fighter levels with a cleric or mage with the default BG1 xp cap.

Level 7 = 64000 xp. Level 8 in Cleric = 110000. 174000 > 161000.

You can go that high if you dual-class to thief or druid, though.

I recommend trying something outside the box. If you want to stick with a melee-oriented class, do something like Stalker or Swashbuckler. If you want to try a caster, solo druids are pretty awesome in BG1. They didn't taper off til the awkward level 14 soft-cap.

Suiboon

Fighter/thief multiclass is a personal favorite of mine, suits an evil playthrough well. I'd recommend picking a "small" race for the improved saving throws. If you want to go the dual classing route with fighter/thief it becomes a bit trickier since we don't know what the XP cap for BG:EE will be. The levels usually recommended are 7, 9 and 13 for BG2. However that would mean that you would only get to experience the thief part in BG2 or the very end of BG1 (which is another reason I like to avoid dual classing). Fighter 3/thief will get the job done but it will be extremely weak compared to the other options.

I tried blade once, got pretty far with it, but I prefer fighter/mage (illusionist for powergamers) multiclass since it is more powerful (will get higher level spell slots, doesn't need to be buffed for almost every fight to be able to give a beating). But many people say it is a fun class, and since your level will be very high your (few) spells will be very effective.

Gnome thief/illusionist will definitely work, just look at Jan (and imagine him with better stats).

The sorcerer is fun and possibly the most powerful class in the game. Another spell casting wonder is the gnomish illusionist/cleric, you shouldn't run out of spells too easily .

If you want something different than what you've played before (fighter types, bit of mage) you could go for bounty hunter or assassin, personally I don't like druids or clerics unless they're incorporated in a multiclass.

You could take into account the 3 tomes of wisdom found in BG1, and pick a class which has divine spells.

So in conclusion I'd recommend, based on my personal preference and their "high power level": fighter/thief multi, sorcerer or illusionist/cleric.

My 2 cents.

And I will at least try the new blackguard once BG:EE rolls out.

jolly_bb

Hmmm indeed dualing with focus on BGEE only (we don't know if BG2EE will come out or when) makes little sense. Waiting till lvl 7 is crap. And dualing at lvl 3 is even more crap.

Never though of Illusionist/Cleric though... will have to attend to that option. What always bothered me is lack of second proficiency point (hence i mentioned a lot of Fighter-multi-duals earlier), but perhaps...

At least decided i won't dual

sandmanCCL

Suiboon said:

I tried blade once, got pretty far with it, but I prefer fighter/mage (illusionist for powergamers) multiclass since it is more powerful (will get higher level spell slots, doesn't need to be buffed for almost every fight to be able to give a beating). But many people say it is a fun class, and since your level will be very high your (few) spells will be very effective.

You CANNOT make a character more deadly than a blade end-game. It is literally impossible. Time Stop Trap + Tenser's Transformation and other typical buff spells + dual-wield + Offensive Spin. You CANNOT get more deadly in melee. Fighter HLAs close the gap a little bit with greater whirlwind but you can't have that going in conjunction with the other fighter HLAs that make it so you hit for max damage every attack.

Suiboon

Alright, never got that far with it, I'll take your word for it. I didn't remember bards get access to trap HLAs either . Ah well.

Necdilzor

Oh damn... I haven't spent more time anywhere than in the creating your character process... damn... even picking a proper name is tough!

jolly_bb

@Necdilzor I know, right?!

That's why i'm doing it already now

BTW I know Blade is a beast but i'm doubt if i could enjoy it in BGEE

sandmanCCL

@Suiboon: Apparently I'm the only person who's a fan of Haer'Dalis. Guy is incredible.

They aren't too epicly OP in for BG1. I've utilized one in BGtutu. The biggest thing keeping them in check is stopping at level 4 mage spells and even then, only having a single one of those at max level. Plus, you'll only have a grand total of 4 Weapon Prof. points to spread around. That means A SINGLE weapon type and max ranks in dual-wield, or two ranks in dual-wield and two weapon types. Not a lot of flexability with the weaponry.

Still awesome. Still way fun. Only guy I've successfully beat the entire game with hardcore solo. I've been meaning to try cleric/mage but haven't quite got around to it yet.

My 3 favorite guys I've ever had were my Blade (Zaell, half-elf, total bad-ass), Totemic Druid (second guy I beat BG2 with), and my original Kensai/Thief. I still think of Garren as I named him instead of Eldoth when I see his picture, that's how awesome that guy was.

Brude

Go elven Stalker. This is one of the few kits that's nicely balanced for BG1, because so much of the combat is ranged.

Early on, use bows. By level 4-5 you'll be one-shotting anything that's not in heavy armor. Endgame you can equip long swords, sneak around with your naturally high stealth and backstab to your heart's content.

Another alternative is Druid Avengers. Great selection of offensive spells right out of the gate. (If there's a chance that Spell Revisions makes it into BG:EE, it's even better).

I think a lot of people are going to struggle with Bard kits and several of the more melee dependent classes. Range rules BG1 and bards start out severely underpowered in the first half of the game. (At least as damage dealers. Standing around singing songs is a different story.)

Edit: I'd stay away fom thief PCs and any dual/ multi involving them. Every time you turn around, there's some thief NPC tugging on your jacket trying to get your attention. It makes your toon feel a little redundant. So I wouldn't make that my main unless (1) you're really in love with the class or (2) you have definite plans and strats involving party composition at different points in the game.

jolly_bb

would like something fun, compared to usual melee/bows (hence no ranger, too close to a figher or paladin). I'm sliding towards druid avenger or cleric/mage (or gnome cleric illusionist).

First levels will be difficult though, i reckon.

Mortianna

Depends on if you want your character to continue on through SoA and ToB. If you dual-class at level 3 or 4, you might regret it later when your second class is at the higher levels. So if you're thinking long-term, you might want to go with a single class and then dual sometime in BG2. If you're just doing BG, then dual-classing the way you outlined sounds like a good strategy. Otherwise, if you dual-classed at 6 level or so, you'll probably have to wait until the last chapters of the game until you gain the abilities of both classes. And then there's always multi-classing...

Brude

jolly_bb said:

would like something fun, compared to usual melee/bows (hence no ranger, too close to a figher or paladin). I'm sliding towards druid avenger or cleric/mage (or gnome cleric illusionist).

First levels will be difficult though, i reckon.

Then I'd definitely go for one of the more esoteric casters (Avenger, Wild Mage), or a caster multi.

The nice part of the Avenger is you start (given a high enough WIS) with a good selection of spells, including some decent Mage spells.

Barring cheese items like the Ring of Wizardry, this makes the Avenger the strongest caster at low levels for my money.

Another alternative: If you're patient, go Bard. They're weak at low levels but once you get a half-decent thac0 and some crowd control spells under your belt, they offer a lot of flexibility. They also level really fast, which is always fun when you're starting out.