The Thruth: Druid/shaman Spells Sucks in Baldur's Gate
kamuizin
Member Posts: 3,704
Hey ppl, sorry for the harsh words here, but they're just blatant truth about the subject. I tried play with a shaman recently and only them i saw how much sad the druid repertory of spells is.
I'm not saying here that all druid spells sucks, but in general, cleric and, of course, arcane spells outmatch druid/shaman spells by a long range. I mean, Iron skin, summon insect andInsect plague (that rocks), area really cool, but we have a lot of useless spells there or boring to use spells, like: detect evil, shillelagh, goodberries, know alignment, find trap and hold animal. Also, druids have a lot less possible spells than Clerics and many of the best divine spells are kept on clerics repertories.
This can be easly identified by taking a single look on Icewind Dale Druids, that rocks a lot.
So the question is?
With IWD:EE done and released, when those druid spells will be brought to Baldur's Gate? Not all are needed if you think the game needs balance, but some should surelly come. In adition some actual druid spells don't make much sense for a druid to have, such as the buff ones (righteous magic), detect evil (druids are neutral), bless and chant (isn't the kind of direct intervention expected from nature), and others that i don't see atm but surely some ppl more focused than me will hint.
I'm not saying here that all druid spells sucks, but in general, cleric and, of course, arcane spells outmatch druid/shaman spells by a long range. I mean, Iron skin, summon insect andInsect plague (that rocks), area really cool, but we have a lot of useless spells there or boring to use spells, like: detect evil, shillelagh, goodberries, know alignment, find trap and hold animal. Also, druids have a lot less possible spells than Clerics and many of the best divine spells are kept on clerics repertories.
This can be easly identified by taking a single look on Icewind Dale Druids, that rocks a lot.
So the question is?
With IWD:EE done and released, when those druid spells will be brought to Baldur's Gate? Not all are needed if you think the game needs balance, but some should surelly come. In adition some actual druid spells don't make much sense for a druid to have, such as the buff ones (righteous magic), detect evil (druids are neutral), bless and chant (isn't the kind of direct intervention expected from nature), and others that i don't see atm but surely some ppl more focused than me will hint.
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Comments
And speaking of that, I wouldn't mind it if they changed their leveling structure, too. I assume the devs were trying to be consistent with the PnP version of the class, but the leveling handicap you hit at level 13 doesn't make sense in the context of BG2, where other, stronger classes have no problems reaching higher levels more quickly.
It's just that, among other reasons, after that big work on shamans, the class appears to be a lot shallow and boring if compared with it's counterpart, the sorcerer.
Protip: install aTweaks, specifically the PnP Elementals component. It makes elemental summoning a lot more powerful and the elemental princes Druids can summon will pack a punch as well as being able to summon their own small army.
It works for enemies too of course. And for elementals found around the portals in the Underdark.
Druid don't have better weapon choice. Clerics have.
Clerics can use Flail of Ages and Crom Faeyr. Druids lose flail/morning star, mace, war hammer for scimitars/wakizaki/ninja-to. It's just not good.
Shapeshifter of druid is ridiculous weak. You hit normal, with a very low damage percent based on the normal animal attack and you can't cast spells. Werewolf is a bit less problematic and still not the best use of a druid. This isn't 3.5Ed were you get tons of feats for wildshape druids.
No matter how you look, druid is too much weaker than any cleric. Even what was good on them was taken away. Doom if i'm not wrong was druid/ranger exclusive spells on normal BG and BG2. Iron Skin was instant cast and isn't anymore.
Their best spell i insect plague that can target the caster itself and be spreaded on invisible and protected (spell turning/spell deflection) enemy casters.
Druids spells at low level are worse than clerics but at high level are much more versatile. Are Druid spells worse in BG than in IWD? Sure. So are many Cleric spells. But a Druid in BG is strong against mages with the insect spells and against melee with iron skins. Clerics are really just great for dealing with undead.
I will concede that BG shape shifting is underwhelming. It's like Illusion Magic in that it's amazing versatility just can't be replicated in a computer game. That doesn't mean it's useless
In any case the only reason I play Cleric over Druid is because they screwed up Druid multiclass options.
Though why isn't there a Ranger/Druid multiclass? That would totally be awesome.
Half elves could play:
Fighter/Mage/Druid
Mage/Druid
Ranger/Druid
BUT only with DM approval.
God how I would love that approval even now ...
Actually I'm in a second edition campaign right now and there is a Druid/Mage (kinda) in the party with me.
Archer in fact isn't a class kit, but an race kit limited to elves and linked to the warrior class, contained in "The Complete Book of Elves" of AD&D rule set. To be true on AD&D rule set, Archer kit should be elven restricted (or at least only extended to Half Elves) the same way Dwarven Defender Kit is restricted to Dwarvens.
That's why AD&D books only mention multiclass to archers, cos it's an race kit, not class kit.
The complete elven books mention expressively that multi-class can freely take a kit (and exist not only kits for single class, but kits exclusive for multi-class).
For roleplaying reasons and things like that? Nope. Easily one of my favorite classes to play.
Yes, there aren't that many great spells and some are situational but still.
Druids are the best healers in Bg1 due to Call Woodland Being which is an incredibly OP spell. They have one of the strongest nukes, albeit only useable outside. The level 5 choices (insect plague and iron skins) are really the icing on the cake.
Yes, level 1 and level 2 choices are rubbish but these can be filled with cure spells anyway and if you really want an expanded spell selection you have the Avenger kit.
All that said I do have iwdification installed though I haven't played a Druid with it yet.
I would prefer balance + Roleplay.