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BG2 Help

I've completed BG1 and SOD.. and I have no sense of direction of what I'm supposed to do in BG2 and every quest makes me feel under-powered. Are there any BG2 independent tips on where I should start in the city and what spells I should use against the powerful bandit mages I'm coming across? I didn't have a huge problem beating the first two parts of the trilogy but the difficulty spike is crazy and I really don't want to lower the difficulty from core rules.

Comments

  • JoenSoJoenSo Member Posts: 910
    I usually stay in the city in the beginning. I do the shorter quests in Waukeen's promenade and the slums to get some gear and xp. Maybe poke around a bit at the graveyard for some grave robbing peace and quiet.

    I use ranged weapons rather than spells against the bandit mages. Fire arrows or similar to break through their stoneskin. Though Horror or Command are nice to distract them.
    gorgonzola
  • NightingaleNightingale Member Posts: 61
    edited November 2016
    My first bit of advice is to try and get some magical weaponry. You can find quite a few in the various shops around the Promenade. Speaking of the Promenade, the Circus tent in the center of that place and the quest associated with it are a great way to get your feet wet. Probably one of the easiest quests in the game.

    Have you been to the Copper Coronet in the slums yet? If you enter the inn and move toward the center of common area, you'll be approached by an NPC who wants you to help liberate her estate (you'll have to leave the city to do this). That quest is also fairly easy and is a great way to get both experience and some decent equipment. Just make sure you buy some fire arrows before you leave Athkatla (80 is more than enough to complete the quest, provided you only use them to finish off the enemies after they fall down. You'll know which ones I'm talking about). Plus, if you let the NPC in question join your party and accompany you as you complete the quest (and you are polite to the people you meet during the quest. I have no idea if this is necessary, but there are rumors that being bullish or rude can negatively affect the quest rewards), she'll reward you with a SUBSTANTIAL amount of gold upon it's completion. This can help you get better equipped upon returning to Athkatla.

    Other than those two, which are suited for the early game, the only advice I can give is to hold off on completing the quests involving the cult hidden in the city (started by exploring the Temple District) and hunting down a murderer for the Cowled Wizards (started by exploring the Government District). Those two quests are definitely geared for parties that have leveled up a few times and are well equipped. They are normally the last 2 quests I complete before moving on to chapter 3. You may also want to pick up the Shield of Balduraan from the Adventure Mart before tackling the cult quest... Just something you might want to hold onto. Besides that, the rest of the quests are fair game, with the caveat that enemies will scale with your level in many quests (so the longer you wait to complete them, the harder some quests will become).

    As for general combat advice, if you're having trouble with a fight, chances are good that a mage somewhere in the enemy team is to blame. The bandit mages you find in the random ambushes aren't too terrible, provided you get rid of them quickly. Two consecutive Magic Missiles is usually more than enough to handle them. You should also focus on them first with the majority of your team. Ranged weapons are good for stripping their Stoneskin away while your melee characters close the distance. It's the mages in your major quests that require a bit more thought when taking them on. Most mages in BG2 will immediately activate spell and combat protections at the start of battle. Pausing immediately after engagement and looking through the text feed should tell you which spells were used. You'll likely see some combination of of Stoneskin, Protection from Normal Missiles, Minor Spell Reflection or other similar spells. The way you combat this is by stripping these protections using spells of your own. The spell Breach is good for removing combat protections (like Stoneskin and anything involving weapons). Spells like Spell Thrust and Pierce Magic are great for removing spell protections (Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Spell Reflection, etc.). I do NOT recommend using the Dispel and Remove Magic spells. They seem appealing at first, since they can potentially remove all of the enemies spell effects, but they aren't guaranteed to work. They have a base chance of %50 to succeed and that number decreases for every level the enemy caster is above your caster. 9 times out of 10, using those spells will be waste of time. If you don't have the protection stripping skills I mentioned, having a Druid in your team can help you deal with enemy mages until you do. They have a level 5 spell called Insect Plague and it is GLORIOUS. When cast, it hits the target and then spreads to other nearby enemies, dealing weak, but consistent damage and potentially making them flee with terror. Best part is, any spellcasters under the spell's effect instantly fail casting their spells. It is great for locking down mages until their protections wear off.

    Other than that, the same general tips from BG1 apply. Quicksave often with permanent saves mixed in just in case you get in over your head and want to head back to an earlier point in a quest or the saga. If you run into a particularly difficult encounter, buff up before taking it on. My personal go-to for buff load-outs is Bless, Chant, Defensive Harmony, and Haste, with others added in to fit specific situations.

    Sorry for the giant text wall, but I've been in your shoes before, so I know exactly how you feel. Hope this helps.
    Post edited by Nightingale on
    Adam_en_tiumJoenSogorgonzola
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