Spells you Always use
ARKdeEREH
Member Posts: 531
What are some of your favorite spells, or that you use the most in battle?
I've seen plenty of threads about spells that people don't use, but so far none about what they do.
For me, my favorite spells and the ones I commonly use are:
1.) Dragon Breath
2.) Energy Blades
3.) Fireball
4.) Dispel
5.) Haste (before I get boots of speed)
6.) Summon Dark Planetar
7.) Wild Bears
8.) Blade Barrier
9.) Greater Restoration (before I get the amulet that makes me immune to level drain)
10.) Resurrection
I've seen plenty of threads about spells that people don't use, but so far none about what they do.
For me, my favorite spells and the ones I commonly use are:
1.) Dragon Breath
2.) Energy Blades
3.) Fireball
4.) Dispel
5.) Haste (before I get boots of speed)
6.) Summon Dark Planetar
7.) Wild Bears
8.) Blade Barrier
9.) Greater Restoration (before I get the amulet that makes me immune to level drain)
10.) Resurrection
1
Comments
Dual/multi-classed fighter/mage? Then definitively Mordekainen's Sword: whack 'n slash!
1. Stoneskin + Mirror Images, better put them in a sequencer or contingency
2. Animate Dead, Mordenkainen Sword, Planetar (for enemy spellcaster, fighter, or in general, resp)
3. Timestop + Improve Alacrity rules
Priest/Druid:
1. Deva/Elemental
2. Holy Smite/Creeping Doom
3. General Buffs: Chaotic Command, Death Ward, Protection Against Evil 10 radius, Remove Fear
4. Maybe Mass Cure if low on potions/hoarder
For clerics, Remove Fear is very useful in BG1. In BG2 Restoration becomes pretty much essential at certain points of the game.
NOTE that this is the list of *all* spells I *always* use in every single game if possible at all by humanly powers. Favorite spells are far fewer and I'll list them on the bottom! :P
Wizard Spells :
1st level :
Magic Missiles
Chromatic Orb
Find Familiar (if applicable)
Protection from Evil
Protection from Petrification
Shield
Friends
2nd level :
Blur
Web
Knock
Melf's Acid Arrow
Mirror Images
3rd level :
Haste
Melf Minute Meteors
Spell Thrust
Vampiric Touch
4th level :
Greater Malison
Improved Invisibility
Spirit Armor
Stoneskin
Minor Sequencer
5th level :
Breach
Lower Resistance
Spell Immunity
Spell Shield
6th level :
Contingency
Death Fog
Tenser's Transformation
True Sight
Spell Deflection
Pierce Magic
Improved Haste
Protection from Magical Weapons
7th level :
Kherbal's Warding Whip
Limited Wish
Ruby Ray of Reversal
Spell Sequencer
Spell Turning
Mordenkeinen Sword
8th level :
AD's Horrid Wilting
Pierce Shield
Protection from Energy
Simulacrum
Spell Trigger
9th level :
Black Blade of Disaster
Chain Contingency
Spell Strike
Time Stop
Wish
10th level :
Energy Blades
Improved Alacrity
Summon (Dark) Planetar
Of which, my favorites are :
Chromatic Orb
Mirror Images
Vampiric Touch
Stoneskin
Breach
Pierce Magic
Mordenkeinen Sword
Spell Trigger
Black Blade of disaster
Energy Blades
One might understand why I dislike terribly playing sorcerers now XD
Divine spells later on... this post is gargatuan as it is already >.<
2. Chromatic Orb
3. Mirror Image
4. Stoneskin
5. Chaos (what a completely legendary spell, by the way)
6. Breach
7. Pierce Magic
8. Chain Lightning
9. Khelben's Warding Whip
10. Dragon Breath
Other than what's mentioned above I also like death spell, great for clearing out a lot of ambushes and summons.
For BG2, stoneskin is by far the most used while horrid wilting is #1 offensively as soon as I get it. It gets immediately combo'd with chain contingency when I get that in TOB.
I get good use out of invisibility in both games and true seeing, breach and lower resistance in BG2 are frequent uses.
5. Dragon's Breath: True a lvl10 spell, so I only use it in ToB, but once I get it... Oh boy...
4. Fireball: The classic. Although I'm thinking about switching to Skull Trap now. Still not sure about it
3. Chain Lightning: Before Dragon's Breath it is the strongest damage spell that hits multiple enemies without endangering your party members (or anyone else...).
2. Stoneskin: I usually memorize two with mages, and if I'm out of the extra skin layers, it's definetly rest time baby.
1. Magic Missle: The best. Great damage throughout the game, quick cast, magic damage, not elemental, and being a lvl1 spell, you usually have enough of it. Also when killing weaker opponents, it doesn't feel like a waste of magical energy. (I prefer MM to Chromatic Orb, since the Orb is a game of chance, while the MM provides steady and strong damage)
Abi Dhazi's, Mirror Image and Blur was also a very strong candidate. I looove ADHW, but it is a bit too situational. Effect stays for long and endangers party, while enemeis can get out of it. Still great though, and I use it a lot! Would be nr6 I think. Mirror and Blur I only use if enemies get too close, which doesnt happen if I'm good
@Cheesebelly I still don't get it why you dislike sorcerers. Your list is not that long, except for level 1, 6 and 7. Prot from petr is so situational (ok, you use it quitet some times in BG1, true), while prot from evil can be cast by a cleric too. About lvl6 and 7 you could have the party's other mage cast the spell you can't or use scrolls.
As for ADHW - the effect is instantaneous and enemy only, so there's no danger in hurting your party (the same can't be said fro Death Fog and Incendiary Cloud though)
I keep one or two Skull Trap spells memorized at all times. It has more versatility than Fireball and there's no level cap on damage. Plus, the animation is, well, a skull. 'Nough said
My mistake with ADHW! Haven't played for more than two years now, mixed it with the other two. In that case it definetly goes to nr3 in my list!
The level one cleric spell Command. I didn't use this much in the original game, because there was a dearth of healing options from levels 1-3 (that is to say: Almost none.). Tutu/BG2 opens that up a bit, and makes this insanely useful single target spell more available. It'll knock out anybody from ogre bezerkers to chapter end bosses. Once they're down, they have no defense and will die very rapidly.
The level two mage spell Blur. In BG1 where every roll counts and your AC sucks, this gives every enemy targeting you a -3 penalty to *all* their attack rolls, and confers a +1 saving throw bonus onto you. This spell works really well when combined with te level one Armor, giving you a decent base AC of 4. (Mirror Images is a better bet in the long run, but when you're just starting out, you don't get as many mirrors & there's a much larger chance you can still be hit.)
Best mage spell ever.
For big things, Ex: Dragons, Lower Resistance x3 in a spell trigger then chain contingency Horrid Wiltingx3.. :P
Then typical fights is still normally HW, the spell is just too good.
Before level 9 spells is a jumble of different offensive spells, with the right defensive ones you can't really go wrong. Melf's minute for things you can't kill with your spells yet.
(I haven't done a group playthrough with a sorc/wizard in *years* haha, but about 30+ solo playthroughs
And for BGI, you can't really go wrong... Sleep is your best friend, hah.
Comparing the two, yes Dragon's Breath has a higher damage potential but considering it doesn't have a save penalty and how late you get it, most people will save against it. Comet will always do the 10d10 damage and should they fail a save then they are stunned for 1d4 rounds. Granted unless there is some difference in the bonuses on save vs. breath and save vs. paralyzation then they will fail just as rarely on Comet as on Dragon's Breath.
That means 10d10 vs. 1d4 rounds of stun. It might just be that I'm silly but I really like the stun :P