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Must have mage spells for each level?

georgelappiesgeorgelappies Member Posts: 179
edited October 2012 in Archive (General Discussion)
What would you say are your must have staple spells for each level? I am contemplating starting a bard / fighter-mage / sorcerer but not to sure which are the must have spells to use for each spell level.
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  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    You're going to get a billion recommendations! Mirror Image is very high on the must haves. Other favorites include Magic Missile, Melf's Acid Arrow (the acid attack is great for interrupting enemy casters)...
  • PugPugPugPug Member Posts: 560
    Stoneskin is overpowered forver.

    Skull Trap gets ridiculous at high levels because it has no damage cap. Also I think I read somewhere on here that it uses save vs. breath weapon, which is unique.

    Flame Arrow is another favorite of mine from Level 3 spells.

    Horror is pretty awesome until you get high level and everything saves against it.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    Why Infravision? It's the most pointless ability in the game...
  • AyurukAyuruk Member Posts: 20
    must haves that come to mind (not in any order) are; magic missle, stone skin, GoI, horrid whilting and the magic removal spells (breach, RRoR, ect)
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    ajwz said:

    1. Infravision
    2. Know alignment
    3. Protection from cold
    4. Contagion
    5. Protection from acid
    6. Stone to flesh
    7. Improved chaos shield
    8. Protection from energy
    9. Energy drain

    8/10 I figured it out immediately but it was still well done and got responses.
    ramagons said:

    reedmilfam said:

    Why Infravision? It's the most pointless ability in the game...

    This wasn't included in the prima guide, but liches, beholders, and wizards above level 13 are color blind to the red spectrum. If your party is glowing red from infravision, they are effectively invisible and cannot be the target of spells. The effect lasts much longer than improved invisibility effects, and can't be dispelled by true sight spells. Some people call it an exploit, but I disagree.

    4/10 Good early start, but unfortunately you followed up with poor form. You tried too hard definitely near the end.

    With that said, unfortunately it has been voted that @ramagons, you have been voted for the last Melf's Acid Arrow in the wizard repitore. DIE TROLL :) :P

  • ramagonsramagons Member Posts: 96
    Good luck, I'm behind 9000 smaller trolls in a cramped doorway.
  • rexregrexreg Member Posts: 292
    1. Magic Missile
    2. Melf's Acid Arrow
    3. Fireball
    4. Stoneskin/Minor Sequencer
    5. Breach
    6. True Sight/Contingency
    7. Spell Sequencer/Summon Djinni or Summon Efreeti
    8. Protection from Energy/Spell Trigger
    9. Energy Drain/Chain Contingency

    Sequencers/Contingencies/Spell Trigger are especially powerful if you are a multi-classed Wizard/Cleric
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    @Ramagons

    Magic Missile does not miss. Although that many clumped trolls are just aching for a fireball spell *twitch*
  • AmardarialAmardarial Member Posts: 270
    @Rexref Fireball is so weak though, Skull Trap is so much better due to no Cap on Damage, it's also Magic vs Fire (Les things have Magic resist) and has a harder to meet save.

    Don't much care for Summon's outside the Deva's/Elemental's, and Time Stop, and basically every other lvl 9 spell beats Energy Drain (So limited in use vs the things you want to use it on)
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    Dragonspear said:


    With that said, unfortunately it has been voted that @ramagons, you have been voted for the last Melf's Acid Arrow in the wizard repitore. DIE TROLL :) :P

    Haha, you fail. Trolls can't even be killed except with cold or electric damage.
  • sandmanCCLsandmanCCL Member Posts: 1,389
    Must have spells for all levels:

    All of them. ALL OF THE SPELLS.

    In all honesty, there is no such thing. For BG1, I'd say the only must-have spell is Armor at level 1. That's about it. If you need damage or CC or protection, there's different ways to achieve each of those for just about every level.

    In BG2, I'd also say Breach and Ruby Ray of Reversal are absolute musts. Anything that strips enemy mage buffs ends up making a lot of the otherwise super difficult fights total pushovers.
  • ArktosaArktosa Member Posts: 73
    1. Magic Missile
    2. Mirroir Image
    3. Skull Trap
    4. Contagion
    5. (Weird choice but) Spell Shield
    6. Tenser's Tranformation
    7. Project Image
    8. Spell Triger
    9. Time Stop

    Personally for me that's the spells that you must have if you are a Fighter/Mage
  • KosonKoson Member Posts: 284
    Chromatic Orb at high level is quite overpowered for a lvl 1 spell.
  • AmardarialAmardarial Member Posts: 270
    @sandmanCCL I always prefered Spell Pierce over Breach and Ruby Ray, in fact while I used breach on occasion I don't recall ever using ruby ray.

    I still love Sequenced Magic Missiles and Skull Traps!!

    and have been growing very fond of druids and their woodland summons :)
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    My picks for a sorcerer are something like the following (roughly in order of when I would pick them):

    LVL 1: Sleep (key for BG1; worthless in BG2), Magic Missile, Chromatic Orb, Protection from Petrification or Identify, Find Familiar (if someone knows where a scroll is located in BG1, I would eliminate this and replace with Shield or whichever of the prot pet/ident you didn't pick)

    LVL 2: Web, Mirror Image, Remove Fear, Invisibility, Blur (you need Knock if you play without a thief)

    LVL 3: Melf's Meteors, Remove Magic, Skull Trap, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrow

    LVL 4: Stoneskin. Oh, you have to pick something else? Polymorph Self (slime is 100% magic resistant to frustrate enemy mages), Improved Invisibility, Greater Malison, Teleport Field or Spirit Armor

    LVL 5: Breach, Lower Resistance, Spell Immunity, Cloudkill, Sunfire

    LVL 6: Protection from Magical Weapons, Contingency, True Sight, Improved Haste, Death Fog

    LVL 7: Project Image, Mordenkainen's Sword, Spell Sequencer, Delayed Fireball Blast

    LVL 8: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Spell Trigger, Simulcram, Power Word Blind

    LVL 9: Chain Contingency, Wish, Time Stop
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    I just discovered timestop + shape change illithid, for the first time. I think I'm in love.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    omg what about the lv 10 spells! You cant beat the game w/o firing a comet!
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    bbear said:

    omg what about the lv 10 spells! You cant beat the game w/o firing a comet!

    The nice thing about those is you don't have to choose. Plus, Dragon's Breath >> Comet (it ignores magic resistance).
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    PugPug said:

    Skull Trap gets ridiculous at high levels because it has no damage cap. Also I think I read somewhere on here that it uses save vs. breath weapon, which is unique.

    Heck yes! And most all creatures have terrible Saves Vs. Breath Weapon, so you do full damage a lot more often with that spell than some others.
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    Amardarial said:

    @Rexref Fireball is so weak though, Skull Trap is so much better

    Magic Missile and Fireball are signature BG spells, so lots of people select them blindly without realizing how bad these spells are.


    Anyway the only two spells you absolutely must have are Breach and True Sight. Without having access to them in some way the game becomes almost unbeatable. ( luckily clerics have true sight and there are wands of breach in tob)


    fighter/mages and mages have completely different spell selection..
  • _N8__N8_ Member Posts: 77
    edited October 2012
    BG1:
    1: Magic Missile, Sleep, Armor
    2: Mirror Image, Web
    3: Fireball, Dispel Magic, Hold Person
    4: Improved Invisibility, Stoneskin
    5: Chaos, Breach, Spell Immunity

    Considering BG1 consists of only lower levels, these would be the best choices. Mirror Image and Fireball are the best spells in BG1.

    BG2:
    3. Melf's Minute Meteor
    4: FIre Shield(s), Secret Word, Greater Malison
    5: Lower Resistance

    Basically choose any spell that you think is good in BG2 (maybe Finger of Death, Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone). the only spells you *sort* of need are Greater Malison and Lower Resistance which make things a bit easier. By the time mages get 7th or 8th level spells they are unstoppable anyway.

    Secret Word is a really good spell, just because it's only level 4. Dispels 1 8th level or lower buff - mage killer.

    Minute Meteor: These can damage liches, dragons and the toughest golems, which usually have high spell resistance. Also great last resort spell. Each meteor can do up to 15 or so damage, and they fire so quickly that crits are really common. Even misses deal 1 damage. 1 meteor/level I think.

    Note: The only protection spell worth getting after 5th level is Spell Trap.
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    @sandmanCCL
    >BECAUSE it does fire damage.
    Of all the revelations you are usually posting this is probably the worst one. Or maybe it was that dragons are immune to timestop.
  • sandmanCCLsandmanCCL Member Posts: 1,389
    @Roller12

    Sick of your shit, dude. Thanks for not reading the rest of my post. If you want to follow me around and attack me at every turn, feel free. You're officially on my shit list, troll.
  • BrudeBrude Member Posts: 560
    Roller12 said:

    @sandmanCCL
    >BECAUSE it does fire damage.
    Of all the revelations you are usually posting this is probably the worst one. Or maybe it was that dragons are immune to timestop.

    How do you figure? In the first game, when there's fewer mobs immune to it, loading up your party with Fire Residtance and then spamming Fireball is a viable strat. It's also a helluva lot of fun.

    In the second game, Skull Trap is tactically the better spell. It also causes damage that no mob can resist and has no ceiling. But neither of those advantages really come into play in BG1.

    But for the first game, hell yeah load Edwin up with Fireballs and go to town!
  • _N8__N8_ Member Posts: 77
    Also the 8th level spell Sphere of Chaos is awesome, often overlooked I think. Random confusion, polymorphs, and other effects to all enemies in an area. Much better than Chaos. Highly recommend it.
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    @Brude
    Yeah, looking at it strictly from bg1 perspective, its passable i agree. Although it has a lot of competition with haste there. Haste with summons is an absolute monster of a spell.

    @sandmanCCL
    I read your comment on my post :rolleyes: Except there is also a spell granting immunity to magic damage, so you advocating fire damage because "skull trap cant be made party friendly", is again completely off. It most certainly is possible, not to say extremely devastating with skull traps. At the same time granting immunity vs enemy Horrid Wiltings. And Magic Missiles, lol.
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