Great work @Harpargonis. I appreciate your sharing of the tactics you're using. Generally you make the challenge look pretty doable. I haven't continued with my Barbarian. The problem is I'll probably lose interest if/when Bera dies as the no-reload habit is strong with me. To make no-reload work I should skip places like Durlag's Tower, the Ice Island, and maybe even SoD. But the challenge of this thread is to go through all the content I think. Obviously, allowing reloads will greatly improve my understanding of SCS/LoB mechanics and help me with any future no-reload attempts in this setup. I'll keep following this thread, and maybe Bera will return
Would be great if you play on with your Barb Blackraven! Personally i would never bother to try this whole challenge with a no reload resctriction. Too many things can go wrong.
In the meanwhile Calis still tries to trigger the Rhino Beetle in the Forest of Wyrms. Does not work for any apparent reason. Damn! Will keep trying!
You are right Blackraven. So far the challenge is easier than expected so your Barbarian should have no huge troubles to keep on going. For SoD i hardly recommend to get at least Durlags Goblet as it pushes your suvivabilty and tanking abilty to the sky!
Calis got a bit bored and overconfident while storming through Bloodbark Grove & the Underground River where he finally managed to meet Hephernaan and fleeing successfully after learning about his devilish motives. Everything seemed to be just too easy...
Coalition Camp - Crusaders Attack
Then Calis returned to Coaltion Camp only to see that its under attack. No problem he thought - there had been bigger problems in the past. How foolish! The first wave - Trolls everywhere - was enough to make him retreat and - even worse - not being able to defend the explosive barrels.
So far i tried tanking the Trolls and burning them down with Necklace of Missiles. Or using the help of summons (Myconids + Ankhegs). Its not enough even when buffed like a demigod. The Trolls are just hacking everyhting down like there is no tomorrow.
The only solution might be Arrows of Detonation but thats out of reach for a Cavalier. It seems this Challenge has come to an end - poor Calis!
The problems are: 1. Enemies get hasted at least two times -> Dispel Magic? 2. The summoned Myconids and Ankhegs are dying too fast 3. The Damage of Necklace of Missiles is not enough 4. There is no time for kiting as Andrus will die before 5. Several Crusader Mages will join the battle after some time
Is there any item with Dispel Magic in SoD? Old Balas Axe had it - damn. Have i missed stronger summons that might be able to tank a little bit longer? Calis lacks DPS even with Storm Giant Strength and Potion of Speed - ideas? I tried to split the Troll Wave with Summons/Invibilty but its just not enough. The Archer and Warmage support goes down too quickly and also lacks DPS. Would the Dwarfes Calis couldnt save earlier at the Mines stand a chance here?
As i stated earlier its now time to give the Blackguard a try. Moving from good to the evil side we will see which one is stronger! I had already started Mordra a week ago so she has now nearly finished BG 1 - only some final items from Durlags Tower are required. Plays nearly the same like the Chevalier even though the poison is a funny anti-mage option. Even better: Mordra has already collected Arrows of Detonation as well as Arrows of Dispelling from Sorcerous Sundries for her new Short Bow +2. For close combat she has chosen Long Sword + Hammers - not too bad either. I think she will have a lot of fun later on...
Hey @Harpargonis, I haven't played SoD yet. Well I'm actually having my first blind, non-LoB taste of it this weekend, but I know nothing about this particular fight.
I got a Lesser Stone Golem figurine from a woman who had petrified people at the Coastway Crossing. Not sure if it's any good in LoB. Using it requires 16 INT though.
Hello Blackraven! Yeah - Calis was also my first blind SoD so i might have missed some items. I also found this Stone Golem figurine - its quite nice. But still not enough for Calis to beat the Troll Wave. Mordra on the other hand should have an easier time as i know whats coming. Will be a lot of fun!
P.S. Maybe the Rhino Beetle will now spawn correctly - hope so!
I hope your blackguard will find a way through SoD Harpagornis. I've only played the early stages of SoD, so can't help you on tactics there I'm afraid ...
House of the Dead - Korlasz The first Followers of Sarevok burnt down easily with Necklace of Missiles. Thanks to Anti-Archer-Equipment (-17 AC) she only got hit once. She tricked the Undead with a Protection Scroll and directly moved to Korlasz thanks to an Invisibilty Potion. Where Calis had to reload many times Mordra succeeded on her first try: 1x Necklace of Missile into fog of war -> 1x Arrow of Dispelling -> 2x Arrows of Detonation -> 1x Necklace of Missiles -> Victory!
Revisting Baldurs Gate Farming and preparing for the Siege of Dragonspear Mordra left the city with 261k XP, 78 Arrows of Detonation and 63 Arrows of Dispelling along with 200+ Acid Arrows.
Coastway Crossing After questing and hacking down some spiders Mordra reached Level 9 - the max level for Paladins. She killed the Coldhearth Lich in the Dwarfen Mines in under 5 minutes abusing Protection from Undead while also saving the Dwarfes thanks to Strength Potion, Potion of Speed and Dual Wielding Flame Tongue + Bassilus Hammer. This was fun! The Dwarfes will now help in our fight against the Crusade - great! Not to forget: Mordra aquired the first Figurine! Thanks to INT 16 she will now be able to summon a Stone Golem.
Forest of Wyrms Mordra is now heading to the Ruined Temple of Bhaal. Lots of challenging battles are awaiting!
P.S. The Rhino Beetle is still not spawning in the Spider Cave. I HATE THIS BUG!
Hands down - this is one of the best battles in SoD. At least for me. Well - i love kiting. But its also the first time i have to say: Calis was the better Dragonslayer!
Lacking the poison immunity caused lots of incoming breath damage. And for whatever reason: Poison-Protection-Scroll does not work!
Before battle Mordra used: Potion of Invulnerability + Potion of Speed. After this she shot 2x Acid Arrows -> 1x Arrow of Dispelling to get rid of Stoneskin. After retreating she used the Regeneration Potion which proved very useful till the end.
Now it was all about kiting: Use the smaller dragons and wyverns as blockade, shoot Acid Arrows and use Durlags Goblet whenever Hitpoints drop low (not lower than 40-50). Taking Morentherene down will take some time while there are many possibilities for errors e.g. getting too close so she smashes you down with her wing attack. Its all about patience and using the space button often (very often indeed). Once Morentherene went down Mordra looted the Dragon Scales and got out of the cave again. Time for some rest!
EDIT: I just noticed that the breath attack - from the big and smaller Green Dragons - can also poison you. Thanks to her good saves with Invulnerabilty Potion Mordra had to roll a 1 to suffer. Not impossible but in her battle against Morentherene this never happened. Next time i should add some Antidots before the fight.
Lacking the poison immunity caused lots of incoming breath damage. And for whatever reason: Poison-Protection-Scroll does not work!
This is the same issue as with the protective amulet you get from the rakshasas in BG2. The game engine treats poison in 2 ways: (i) being affected by the poisoned condition, e.g. by spiders - resulting in continuing damage. (ii) being affected by poison damage without actually being poisoned, e.g. by cloudkill. The green scroll will prevent the first, but not the second, i.e. it's not an immunity to poison, but an immunity to the condition of being poisoned (I realise this isn't well explained in the game!). In your above fight the green scroll would thus prevent the breath weapon from poisoning you, but would not protect against immediate damage applied.
The fight against the Half-Dragon Ziatar can be really tough or quite easy. Its all about cheese. Your main problem is not only Ziatar herself but also the two Mages guarding her.
First Step: Lure Ziatar out of her room while the Mages are standing in the backrow casting their defensive spells. When Ziatar steps out to slash you down with her big 2-handed sword immediately close the door (and the other door nearby to cut down the cultist support!). Now its only a 1vs1.
Second Step: Prepare for her spells! Ring of Freedom vs Hold Person + Entangle, Rings and Potion vs Flame Strike, Antidots or good saving throws to avoid poison from her breath.
Third Step: After your preparation its all about kiting her down. Just for the fun Mordra used the Biter +2 Throwing Dart over and over again. Now Ziatar only has her poison breath to damage you from time to time - healing potions or Durlags Goblet should the job. its quite interesting that Mordra was able to poison Ziatar several times - spell failures incoming. If you are patient and use the entrance room for kiting this battle should be relatively easy.
Mordra vs Neothelid
This battle was a joke. After killing Akanna Mordra ran out the temple, rested and entered the temple again to face the Neothelid alone as its nearly always teleporting at you one you met it for the first time.
If you give this beast the chance to unleash its whole power you will run into trouble: Control Body + Horror + Ego Whip + Poison Nova + Hard & Fast Blunt Attacks + constantly summoned Mordswords. Sounds like a lot of pain no?
I dont know if i run into a bug but when Mordra used a strategy that also worked against Ankhegs the whole fight got trivial. All she had to do was: Run nearby so the Neothelid will unburrow -> attack once -> retreat so the beast will burrow again -> repeat until dead. Mordra got only hit once in the whole fight and that was my own fault. With some care a flawless victory should be no problem.
For whatever reason the Neothelid was not using a single special attack when performing the hit-and-run. I will have to try it again. So far Mordra can claim: Easy 20k xp!
Tried it again: With Speed Potion the Neothelid went down in two minutes without any damage taken. Even when tanking it only uses Horror but no Control Body or Mordsword summons - very strange...
Loaded the savegame before Akanna to attack the Neothelid immediately. Now it uses all spells constantly which resulted in fast death after it used Body Control. So many bugs around...
EDIT: Thanks @JuliusBorisov! EDIT 2: Would you also adress the Rhino Beetle Bug? It does not spawn for me whatever i am trying! Thanks again!
Okay, i did some further testing. To make it short: The Neothelid is really a strange being!
If you can trick it its easier than a goblin. If you let it play on its own battleground prepare for a lot of pain.
The trick is very similar to Thaos in Pillars of Eternity. Once you got the enemy out of his spellcycle he is doomed.
For the Neothelid this means: If you can lure it out of the underground fast to initiate the hit-and-run the battle is easy. If it keeps casting from the underground things like Body Control, Ego Whip and summons Mordwords you will have to prepare yourself (Greenstone Amulet + trapping the Mordwords in rooms with doors). Sooner or later it will unburrow and after this the fight is won.
Easiest way so far to get it out of his spellcycle: Run into the Ritual Room where its waiting for you. Immediately run out again, close the door and leave the temple via the stairs! Once you enter the temple again the Neothelid will teleport near and trying to attack you. Start the hit-and-run to victory! Tried it several times - so far it never used special attacks after reentering the temple instead it unborrowed and attacked. Tricked to death!
By the way: I have best results when using ranged weapons so i can attack it from max unborrow range. Fast Weapons should work too.
Hope this helps - especially for upcoming no-reload-challenges!
This lady is the epitome of swift and silent death. Up to 176 damage backstabs will end your life instantly. Well at least for a Paladin. And without the Anti-Backstab-Armor and the Detect Illusion Item you will find later on this fight is an absolute no-go.
The main problem is not only the damage but her Mislead-Spell. More on that later. Even if you surive the first ambush the real and the fake lady have some nasty spells at their disposal:
Darkness 15´radius will blind you whenever you step into the area. Blindness: Pretty much the same but single target. Ray of Enfeeblement: Will lower your Strenght to 5 so you cant move. Horror: Run around in panic - how funny. Summon Shadows: 2 Shadows and 2 Shadowed Souls will appear. Mislead: Gets the real Aspect invisible and also creates an illusionary copy. Life Drain: Will cause some minor magic damage.
I tried everything and one time it was nearly dead when...
But from the beginning. The best chance Mordra had was:
1. Buff youself up with Potion of Speed. 2. Run into the secret room where the Aspect lurks. 3. Force open the chest and trigger the Deathcloud trap. 4. The trap damage unstealths the real Aspect (doesnt work all the time). 5. Run out of the room and make sure the Shadow Aspect follows you. 6. Use "Protection from Undead" Scroll 7. Unleash your Fury on the helpless Aspect
End of the story? Well - no! Because once you start to attack you have less than 10 seconds to bring it down otherwise the Shadow Aspect will cast another Mislead and is gone again. Mordra so far never managed to beat it down - too many misses.
The Mindflayer and his party should be no big problem if you play cautious: Splitpull to victory!!!
Darskhelin: Use Greenstone Amulet to protect from his Psi-Powers and kite him to death. Mohad Flintborn: Really tough dwarf - better kite him down slowly but surely. Shallen: Very dangerous enemy! His Acid Arrows hit really hard - suffers in close combat. Teth Si-Nehi: No big threat as long as you kite him - cool battle cry! Jhan Redmoons: This Mage is no big deal - hit him hard and fast!
If you are patient there is no need for any potion. As i stated earlier: Just make sure to split them!
This was the last battle in the Ruined Temple of Bhaal - one of the most fun areas in SoD. Or not?
Very nice challenge but as mentioned in PoE forum LoB difficulty is kinda sad compared to Insane SCS. The stats of the enemies are blown out of proportion but their AI is very dumb. So to over come their cheese you have to .... cheese. In SoD you have to pretty much roll a paladin subclass because the game is filled with undead, or you have to abuse undead scrolls from BG 1 which is just super cheesy again. Still I'll think about this and maybe oin the challenge.
Mordra got into trouble. As she was not able to convince the Crusaders at Dragonspear Castle (Charisma far too low) she lacked Caelars Seal. This meantsSeveral battles against Crusaders at the Underground River. Did anyone knows if she can get Caelars Seal there too? I aborted this one because...
Because Mordra used a dirty trick as she knew that Malden Col in Coalition Camp has one. Only problem: Once you kill Col the Mage Andrus Gath will port in and imprison you. Protection from Magic did not work as well as Invisibilty. The only way around was: Hurt Col until he is nearly dead -> reveal that he is the traitor -> kill him before he is gone -> loot Caelars Seal and immediately run to the map border so you can travel to another map and avoid the following imprison spell.
Once returning to the Camp Mordra was still able to gain the Fleshripper Short Bow +2. Andrus Gath will still be there - neutral. You can attack him but he seems to be immortal. What a pity!
Mordra is now heading to Dragonspear Castle and the Underground River!
Yeah LoB is a different story than SCS but combining bot - like Blackraven - is welcome.
Sure the LoB challenge is made for cheese but - as you know from Noobers Revenge - i have no problems with this
For SoD i think that nearly any Warrior Class can do it if you are patient. Most of the undead including the Lich are optional. And yes: With Protection from Undead its a five-minute-cakewalk. You can also find at least one Undead-Protection-Scroll in SoD.
I just don't want to use Scrolls, I know I did in my original LoB ToB run, but it just doesn't feel satisfying at all. I kinda wanna go Inquisitor, never played one and at least in BG2 without SCS they are the most powerful class out there, since mages aren't protecting themselves as good as with SCS.
This lady is the epitome of swift and silent death. Up to 176 damage backstabs will end your life instantly. Well at least for a Paladin. And without the Anti-Backstab-Armor and the Detect Illusion Item you will find later on this fight is an absolute no-go.
The main problem is not only the damage but her Mislead-Spell. More on that later. Even if you surive the first ambush the real and the fake lady have some nasty spells at their disposal:
Darkness 15´radius will blind you whenever you step into the area. Blindness: Pretty much the same but single target. Ray of Enfeeblement: Will lower your Strenght to 5 so you cant move. Horror: Run around in panic - how funny. Summon Shadows: 2 Shadows and 2 Shadowed Souls will appear. Mislead: Gets the real Aspect invisible and also creates an illusionary copy. Life Drain: Will cause some minor magic damage.
I tried everything and one time it was nearly dead when...
But from the beginning. The best chance Mordra had was:
1. Buff youself up with Potion of Speed. 2. Run into the secret room where the Aspect lurks. 3. Force open the chest and trigger the Deathcloud trap. 4. The trap damage unstealths the real Aspect (doesnt work all the time). 5. Run out of the room and make sure the Shadow Aspect follows you. 6. Use "Protection from Undead" Scroll 7. Unleash your Fury on the helpless Aspect
End of the story? Well - no! Because once you start to attack you have less than 10 seconds to bring it down otherwise the Shadow Aspect will cast another Mislead and is gone again. Mordra so far never managed to beat it down - too many misses.
Will keep on trying!
Yes, True sight (a cleric spell), Detect Illusion (a thieving ability) are the only ways to dispel Mislead, so for a solo warrior the fight against the Shadow Aspect is not preferable.
So I theory crafted a little and I think I broke the game, lol. My build centres around Arrows of Detonation, not quite sure how many of those you get during SoD tho, but you absolutely rek the starting dungeon with a couple of those. I first used Archer for maximum damage and I gotta say even without detonation the Archer damage is pretty broken: 3 attacks per round 15-20 damage, but ofc works less well against skeletons, but against those detonation is insane.
I then tried a less well ranged versed class with better defense, since the archer was too squishy: Dwarven defender, which also has 3 attacks per round but only 7-12 damage. With detonation this build is pretty much unbeatable on LOB, I guess you could save detonation for whenever there are casters.
This lady is the epitome of swift and silent death. Up to 176 damage backstabs will end your life instantly. Well at least for a Paladin. And without the Anti-Backstab-Armor and the Detect Illusion Item you will find later on this fight is an absolute no-go.
The main problem is not only the damage but her Mislead-Spell. More on that later. Even if you surive the first ambush the real and the fake lady have some nasty spells at their disposal:
Darkness 15´radius will blind you whenever you step into the area. Blindness: Pretty much the same but single target. Ray of Enfeeblement: Will lower your Strenght to 5 so you cant move. Horror: Run around in panic - how funny. Summon Shadows: 2 Shadows and 2 Shadowed Souls will appear. Mislead: Gets the real Aspect invisible and also creates an illusionary copy. Life Drain: Will cause some minor magic damage.
I tried everything and one time it was nearly dead when...
But from the beginning. The best chance Mordra had was:
1. Buff youself up with Potion of Speed. 2. Run into the secret room where the Aspect lurks. 3. Force open the chest and trigger the Deathcloud trap. 4. The trap damage unstealths the real Aspect (doesnt work all the time). 5. Run out of the room and make sure the Shadow Aspect follows you. 6. Use "Protection from Undead" Scroll 7. Unleash your Fury on the helpless Aspect
End of the story? Well - no! Because once you start to attack you have less than 10 seconds to bring it down otherwise the Shadow Aspect will cast another Mislead and is gone again. Mordra so far never managed to beat it down - too many misses.
Will keep on trying!
Yes, True sight (a cleric spell), Detect Illusion (a thieving ability) are the only ways to dispel Mislead, so for a solo warrior the fight against the Shadow Aspect is not preferable.
@Victor_Creed_SFV: You can buy some Arrows of Detonation (25?) when returning to BG - thats it. Mordra, the Blackguard has still 78 of them. But i must admit that i have only used two of them in the starting dungeon - after this there is just no need for them if you are patient. If you wanna speed things up in some fights - feel free to do this. Mordra will save them for the final maps where things get out of control. We will see!
It's just that fights are insanely quick with those things since you have 3 attacks per round and the AoE damage is insane. This totally makes me wanna do this with a mage now and immunity to magic damage.
You don't want any kind of mage for this challenge? Not even Skald?
Sure you can play a Skald even though its not part of this specific challenge.
With regard to Arrows of Detonation: I tried them too just for fun in some later SoD fights. Their number dropped very quickly and more dangerous enemies tend to eat 10-20 of them before going down. Therefore i decided to save them for critical fights like the Troll Ambush on Coalition Camp - where Calis the Chevalier failed. Without the option of using Arrows of Detonation he was doomed!
Comments
In the meanwhile Calis still tries to trigger the Rhino Beetle in the Forest of Wyrms. Does not work for any apparent reason. Damn! Will keep trying!
You are right Blackraven. So far the challenge is easier than expected so your Barbarian should have no huge troubles to keep on going. For SoD i hardly recommend to get at least Durlags Goblet as it pushes your suvivabilty and tanking abilty to the sky!
Coalition Camp - Crusaders Attack
Then Calis returned to Coaltion Camp only to see that its under attack. No problem he thought - there had been bigger problems in the past. How foolish! The first wave - Trolls everywhere - was enough to make him retreat and - even worse - not being able to defend the explosive barrels.So far i tried tanking the Trolls and burning them down with Necklace of Missiles. Or using the help of summons (Myconids + Ankhegs). Its not enough even when buffed like a demigod. The Trolls are just hacking everyhting down like there is no tomorrow.
The only solution might be Arrows of Detonation but thats out of reach for a Cavalier.
It seems this Challenge has come to an end - poor Calis!
Nevertheless: I will keep trying!!!
The problems are:
1. Enemies get hasted at least two times -> Dispel Magic?
2. The summoned Myconids and Ankhegs are dying too fast
3. The Damage of Necklace of Missiles is not enough
4. There is no time for kiting as Andrus will die before
5. Several Crusader Mages will join the battle after some time
Is there any item with Dispel Magic in SoD? Old Balas Axe had it - damn.
Have i missed stronger summons that might be able to tank a little bit longer?
Calis lacks DPS even with Storm Giant Strength and Potion of Speed - ideas?
I tried to split the Troll Wave with Summons/Invibilty but its just not enough.
The Archer and Warmage support goes down too quickly and also lacks DPS.
Would the Dwarfes Calis couldnt save earlier at the Mines stand a chance here?
Any help is welcome!
As i stated earlier its now time to give the Blackguard a try. Moving from good to the evil side we will see which one is stronger! I had already started Mordra a week ago so she has now nearly finished BG 1 - only some final items from Durlags Tower are required. Plays nearly the same like the Chevalier even though the poison is a funny anti-mage option. Even better: Mordra has already collected Arrows of Detonation as well as Arrows of Dispelling from Sorcerous Sundries for her new Short Bow +2. For close combat she has chosen Long Sword + Hammers - not too bad either. I think she will have a lot of fun later on...
I got a Lesser Stone Golem figurine from a woman who had petrified people at the Coastway Crossing. Not sure if it's any good in LoB. Using it requires 16 INT though.
Good progress with Mordra btw! Good luck with her
P.S. Maybe the Rhino Beetle will now spawn correctly - hope so!
Mordras Path of Destruction
House of the Dead - KorlaszThe first Followers of Sarevok burnt down easily with Necklace of Missiles. Thanks to Anti-Archer-Equipment (-17 AC) she only got hit once. She tricked the Undead with a Protection Scroll and directly moved to Korlasz thanks to an Invisibilty Potion. Where Calis had to reload many times Mordra succeeded on her first try: 1x Necklace of Missile into fog of war -> 1x Arrow of Dispelling -> 2x Arrows of Detonation -> 1x Necklace of Missiles -> Victory!
Revisting Baldurs Gate
Farming and preparing for the Siege of Dragonspear Mordra left the city with 261k XP, 78 Arrows of Detonation and 63 Arrows of Dispelling along with 200+ Acid Arrows.
Coastway Crossing
After questing and hacking down some spiders Mordra reached Level 9 - the max level for Paladins. She killed the Coldhearth Lich in the Dwarfen Mines in under 5 minutes abusing Protection from Undead while also saving the Dwarfes thanks to Strength Potion, Potion of Speed and Dual Wielding Flame Tongue + Bassilus Hammer. This was fun! The Dwarfes will now help in our fight against the Crusade - great! Not to forget: Mordra aquired the first Figurine! Thanks to INT 16 she will now be able to summon a Stone Golem.
Forest of Wyrms
Mordra is now heading to the Ruined Temple of Bhaal. Lots of challenging battles are awaiting!
P.S. The Rhino Beetle is still not spawning in the Spider Cave. I HATE THIS BUG!
Mordra vs Morentherene
Hands down - this is one of the best battles in SoD. At least for me. Well - i love kiting.But its also the first time i have to say: Calis was the better Dragonslayer!
Lacking the poison immunity caused lots of incoming breath damage.
And for whatever reason: Poison-Protection-Scroll does not work!
Before battle Mordra used: Potion of Invulnerability + Potion of Speed.
After this she shot 2x Acid Arrows -> 1x Arrow of Dispelling to get rid of Stoneskin.
After retreating she used the Regeneration Potion which proved very useful till the end.
Now it was all about kiting: Use the smaller dragons and wyverns as blockade, shoot Acid Arrows and use Durlags Goblet whenever Hitpoints drop low (not lower than 40-50). Taking Morentherene down will take some time while there are many possibilities for errors e.g. getting too close so she smashes you down with her wing attack. Its all about patience and using the space button often (very often indeed). Once Morentherene went down Mordra looted the Dragon Scales and got out of the cave again. Time for some rest!
EDIT: I just noticed that the breath attack - from the big and smaller Green Dragons - can also poison you. Thanks to her good saves with Invulnerabilty Potion Mordra had to roll a 1 to suffer. Not impossible but in her battle against Morentherene this never happened. Next time i should add some Antidots before the fight.
(i) being affected by the poisoned condition, e.g. by spiders - resulting in continuing damage.
(ii) being affected by poison damage without actually being poisoned, e.g. by cloudkill.
The green scroll will prevent the first, but not the second, i.e. it's not an immunity to poison, but an immunity to the condition of being poisoned (I realise this isn't well explained in the game!). In your above fight the green scroll would thus prevent the breath weapon from poisoning you, but would not protect against immediate damage applied.
http://support.baldursgate.com/issues/22721
Protection from Poison Scroll Should Protect against All Poisons
Mordra vs Ziatar
The fight against the Half-Dragon Ziatar can be really tough or quite easy. Its all about cheese.Your main problem is not only Ziatar herself but also the two Mages guarding her.
First Step: Lure Ziatar out of her room while the Mages are standing in the backrow casting their defensive spells. When Ziatar steps out to slash you down with her big 2-handed sword immediately close the door (and the other door nearby to cut down the cultist support!). Now its only a 1vs1.
Second Step: Prepare for her spells! Ring of Freedom vs Hold Person + Entangle, Rings and Potion vs Flame Strike, Antidots or good saving throws to avoid poison from her breath.
Third Step: After your preparation its all about kiting her down. Just for the fun Mordra used the Biter +2 Throwing Dart over and over again. Now Ziatar only has her poison breath to damage you from time to time - healing potions or Durlags Goblet should the job. its quite interesting that Mordra was able to poison Ziatar several times - spell failures incoming. If you are patient and use the entrance room for kiting this battle should be relatively easy.
Mordra vs Neothelid
This battle was a joke. After killing Akanna Mordra ran out the temple, rested and entered the temple again to face the Neothelid alone as its nearly always teleporting at you one you met it for the first time.If you give this beast the chance to unleash its whole power you will run into trouble: Control Body + Horror + Ego Whip + Poison Nova + Hard & Fast Blunt Attacks + constantly summoned Mordswords. Sounds like a lot of pain no?
I dont know if i run into a bug but when Mordra used a strategy that also worked against Ankhegs the whole fight got trivial. All she had to do was: Run nearby so the Neothelid will unburrow -> attack once -> retreat so the beast will burrow again -> repeat until dead. Mordra got only hit once in the whole fight and that was my own fault. With some care a flawless victory should be no problem.
For whatever reason the Neothelid was not using a single special attack when performing the hit-and-run. I will have to try it again. So far Mordra can claim: Easy 20k xp!
Tried it again: With Speed Potion the Neothelid went down in two minutes without any damage taken. Even when tanking it only uses Horror but no Control Body or Mordsword summons - very strange...
Loaded the savegame before Akanna to attack the Neothelid immediately. Now it uses all spells constantly which resulted in fast death after it used Body Control. So many bugs around...
EDIT: Thanks @JuliusBorisov!
EDIT 2: Would you also adress the Rhino Beetle Bug? It does not spawn for me whatever i am trying! Thanks again!
Playing around with the Neothelid
Okay, i did some further testing. To make it short: The Neothelid is really a strange being!If you can trick it its easier than a goblin. If you let it play on its own battleground prepare for a lot of pain.
The trick is very similar to Thaos in Pillars of Eternity. Once you got the enemy out of his spellcycle he is doomed.
For the Neothelid this means: If you can lure it out of the underground fast to initiate the hit-and-run the battle is easy. If it keeps casting from the underground things like Body Control, Ego Whip and summons Mordwords you will have to prepare yourself (Greenstone Amulet + trapping the Mordwords in rooms with doors). Sooner or later it will unburrow and after this the fight is won.
Easiest way so far to get it out of his spellcycle: Run into the Ritual Room where its waiting for you. Immediately run out again, close the door and leave the temple via the stairs! Once you enter the temple again the Neothelid will teleport near and trying to attack you. Start the hit-and-run to victory! Tried it several times - so far it never used special attacks after reentering the temple instead it unborrowed and attacked. Tricked to death!
By the way: I have best results when using ranged weapons so i can attack it from max unborrow range. Fast Weapons should work too.
Hope this helps - especially for upcoming no-reload-challenges!
Having some fun with the Shadow Aspect
This lady is the epitome of swift and silent death. Up to 176 damage backstabs will end your life instantly. Well at least for a Paladin. And without the Anti-Backstab-Armor and the Detect Illusion Item you will find later on this fight is an absolute no-go.The main problem is not only the damage but her Mislead-Spell. More on that later. Even if you surive the first ambush the real and the fake lady have some nasty spells at their disposal:
Darkness 15´radius will blind you whenever you step into the area.
Blindness: Pretty much the same but single target.
Ray of Enfeeblement: Will lower your Strenght to 5 so you cant move.
Horror: Run around in panic - how funny.
Summon Shadows: 2 Shadows and 2 Shadowed Souls will appear.
Mislead: Gets the real Aspect invisible and also creates an illusionary copy.
Life Drain: Will cause some minor magic damage.
I tried everything and one time it was nearly dead when...
But from the beginning. The best chance Mordra had was:
1. Buff youself up with Potion of Speed.
2. Run into the secret room where the Aspect lurks.
3. Force open the chest and trigger the Deathcloud trap.
4. The trap damage unstealths the real Aspect (doesnt work all the time).
5. Run out of the room and make sure the Shadow Aspect follows you.
6. Use "Protection from Undead" Scroll
7. Unleash your Fury on the helpless Aspect
End of the story? Well - no! Because once you start to attack you have less than 10 seconds to bring it down otherwise the Shadow Aspect will cast another Mislead and is gone again. Mordra so far never managed to beat it down - too many misses.
Will keep on trying!
Mordra vs Darkshelin
The Mindflayer and his party should be no big problem if you play cautious: Splitpull to victory!!!Darskhelin: Use Greenstone Amulet to protect from his Psi-Powers and kite him to death.
Mohad Flintborn: Really tough dwarf - better kite him down slowly but surely.
Shallen: Very dangerous enemy! His Acid Arrows hit really hard - suffers in close combat.
Teth Si-Nehi: No big threat as long as you kite him - cool battle cry!
Jhan Redmoons: This Mage is no big deal - hit him hard and fast!
If you are patient there is no need for any potion. As i stated earlier: Just make sure to split them!
This was the last battle in the Ruined Temple of Bhaal - one of the most fun areas in SoD. Or not?
Anyone else wanna join the challenge?
The stats of the enemies are blown out of proportion but their AI is very dumb.
So to over come their cheese you have to .... cheese.
In SoD you have to pretty much roll a paladin subclass because the game is filled with undead, or you have to abuse undead scrolls from BG 1 which is just super cheesy again.
Still I'll think about this and maybe oin the challenge.
Because Mordra used a dirty trick as she knew that Malden Col in Coalition Camp has one. Only problem: Once you kill Col the Mage Andrus Gath will port in and imprison you. Protection from Magic did not work as well as Invisibilty. The only way around was: Hurt Col until he is nearly dead -> reveal that he is the traitor -> kill him before he is gone -> loot Caelars Seal and immediately run to the map border so you can travel to another map and avoid the following imprison spell.
Once returning to the Camp Mordra was still able to gain the Fleshripper Short Bow +2. Andrus Gath will still be there - neutral. You can attack him but he seems to be immortal. What a pity!
Mordra is now heading to Dragonspear Castle and the Underground River!
Yeah LoB is a different story than SCS but combining bot - like Blackraven - is welcome.
Sure the LoB challenge is made for cheese but - as you know from Noobers Revenge - i have no problems with this
For SoD i think that nearly any Warrior Class can do it if you are patient. Most of the undead including the Lich are optional. And yes: With Protection from Undead its a five-minute-cakewalk. You can also find at least one Undead-Protection-Scroll in SoD.
Anyway: Good Luck!
I kinda wanna go Inquisitor, never played one and at least in BG2 without SCS they are the most powerful class out there, since mages aren't protecting themselves as good as with SCS.
My build centres around Arrows of Detonation, not quite sure how many of those you get during SoD tho, but you absolutely rek the starting dungeon with a couple of those.
I first used Archer for maximum damage and I gotta say even without detonation the Archer damage is pretty broken: 3 attacks per round 15-20 damage, but ofc works less well against skeletons, but against those detonation is insane.
I then tried a less well ranged versed class with better defense, since the archer was too squishy: Dwarven defender, which also has 3 attacks per round but only 7-12 damage.
With detonation this build is pretty much unbeatable on LOB, I guess you could save detonation for whenever there are casters.
This totally makes me wanna do this with a mage now and immunity to magic damage.
You don't want any kind of mage for this challenge? Not even Skald?
With regard to Arrows of Detonation: I tried them too just for fun in some later SoD fights. Their number dropped very quickly and more dangerous enemies tend to eat 10-20 of them before going down. Therefore i decided to save them for critical fights like the Troll Ambush on Coalition Camp - where Calis the Chevalier failed. Without the option of using Arrows of Detonation he was doomed!
Will she be able to do it? A very first test using the Arrows of Detonation says: Yes she can! Probably More later!