In What Order Do You Do Things?
HaHaCharade
Member Posts: 1,644
On my most recent playthrough I got to like 100+ days before I even tackled the mines, but some of that was due to traveling around the Gnoll Fortress and Hunting Ogre Mages and Winter Wolves. I generally try not to waste too much time (sleeping or traveling back and forth unnecessarily, etc.) but I just tend to do a lot in Chapter 2. Was just curious how quickly/slowly others progress with the main plot line, and if you always do certain things first?
3
Comments
In BG2 it's the opposite, I do every single thing there is to do before taking a side, doing those quests, and then traveling to Brynnlaw.
Once I've finished up a few quests in those areas I'll go down and make my way through the Nashkel mines. When I get out of there I usually feel comfortable taking on quests that require charname and gang to venture well into the wilderness. I'll do all the quests that I feel like that character would actually like to do, and then carry on with the main story.
So, it's usually around chapter 3-4 that I get the majority of the side quests I want to do finished up. Save for, of course, any quests in Baldur's Gate.
But it all depends on my character. I'm currently giving the Stalker class a shot, and he'd definitely be more comfortable heading further into the wilderness than, say, a low-level mage, so I've found myself taking on some bigger quests earlier in the game. It's quite fun.
after that i normally go for the +con book to get the bucklys buckler free regeneration on CHARNAME going...then i just make sure i get and keep all possible companions making sure their "quests" are done in the right moment.
then i just do as i please until i follow up behind Sarevok , then i just clean up all maps.
So now do whatever I need to reach level 5 before getting any NPC. So Beregost, minor errands, Melicamp and then the Basilisk map using whatshisname.
Although I never take them, I always run back to the FAI and say "hi" to J and K and Dorn, before hitting the Nashkel map, that way they wait around.
I used to do Bassilas solo and early until I installed SCS, wow do I miss that early 5,000 gold nowadays.
So after picking up a few NPC, meander around, do the mines, do the first couple of Durlag levels, do the coast areas. Usually all this before Tranzig.
I really enjoy the wilderness areas, more than the city.
Just a hint for all those worried about getting Kivan early. If you simply travel to the Bandit Camp map, the edge of it will do, the timer switches off as if you had fulfilled the quest, so no more worries about him leaving.
I think the same with Minsc/Edwin, once you hit the Gnoll fortress map, the time limit is satisfied.
Before playing, I mentally map out my character and determine what he or she is going to need in ways of equipment, weapons and armour.
I then determine what NPCs I want to bring on the journey and map my route so I pick them up as soon as possible.
So if I am playing an evil mage who is going to travel with Vic, Kag, Dorn, El and Skie I will:
Head up to the Friendly Arm to grab the Ring of Wizardry and queue Dorn's quest.
Head West to pick up Vic, then go to Beragost to pick up Kag and do the Bassilus quest to eqip Vic and the Silke quest to get a magical staff for myself.
I would then do the mines (after recruiting Dorn), then beeline to the Bandit camp (to get Full Plate for one of the tanks, other I'd buy ASAP) to get to C loakwood right away to get the Evil Robes and El.
Go to the Bridge to finish Dorn's quest and get El the elven mail then go pick up Skie. Once the party is full, I'll assess what other equipment I might need and go after it and then hit XP areas to level up before heading back to Candlekeep and finishing the game.
But if I want to relive being a kid again and play exactly as I did then it goes something like this:
Candlekeep--)2 forest regions --) FAI ---) Ankeg Farm for Ajantis --) Beregost --) High Hedge --) 2 forest regions to Nashkel -- ) Nashkel --) Carnival --) Forest Regions to Gnoll Stronhold --) Gnoll Stronghold --) Nashkel Mines -- ) Forest Regions East of Nashkel --) FAI --) Beregost -- ) Bandit Camps --) All forest Regions not already visited --) Ulcaster --) Firewine --) Cloakwood --) Baldurs gate --) home --) TotSC content --) Durlags --) Finish.
Besides, the Nashkel mines are so stupidly easy that it just feels wrong doing them later with full party full of levels and magical items.
After the Mines it's reins off though.
Then I go to the Friendly arm Inn get the Evermemory ring (I sell it if I use a Garrick and buy enchanted tower shields for the party) and clean the Inn of any available items, activate the Joia and Landrin's quests and recruit Khalid and Jaheira. I also tell Dorn to get his ale on his own.
Then I solve Joia quest and go to the area with the ankegs where I get 1 ankheg shell. I proceed to Beregost where I clean up all the houses and that usually results in around 4000 gold for the ankheg plate which I order. I also come at night and loot all the Thunderhammer Smithy chests. the magical bastard sword comes in handy if I my character uses bastard swords or I use Ajantis. I also activate the Beregost quests.
I then go toward Nashkel, get the scroll from the ogrillons and then receive the second +1 ring from Mirianne.
Now I go and have a "talk" with Bassilus, remind him of his cowardice
Now I get the reward from the temple and then go to Nashkel where I get the second Anhkeg armor (it's incredible what people can loose close to a certain tree).
I teach Neira that her job is far too deadly for her.
Now I go to Nashkel's mine but on the way Dorns old friends provide me with some goodies
Then I clean all the Nashkel's mine surroundings (Winter wolves furs are quite valuable to Store owner in Nashkel)
Then I move to the map with the waterfall, return the dead cat to the little girl using Imoen since the little girl seem to become scared if you are ugly
I now go to the gnoll fortress and clean all that map freeing Dynaheir in the process.
I now return to the Ankheg map and start getting experience and ankheg shells for Taerom. After I finish here I move up cleaning all the maps and doing all the quests to Ulgoth's Beard (the crossing to Baldur's gate and the Zombie infestation map. I also get the +1 Cloak from Wenric house.
By the time I reach Ulgoth's Beard Garrick is light handed enough to help me get the Ring of free movement from the old gnome lady and a lot of spells and potions from Shandalar (but I do not start his quest right now) I "clean" all the map of any usable items and sell all items I do not need.
Now I return to Beregost, Garrick helps Algernon to rest comfortably in his room by removing his heavy cloak
From here I clean all the available maps then I go to Shandalar to do his quest and then I start the Durlag tower quest. Usually by the time I get to the lowest tower level I have a full level party. I get a lot of experience during the chess match since a enemy pawn that reaches you last row becomes a queen but a mage right in a middle of a group of fighters does not last long
After the tower is cleaned I move to Aec'Letec, and I show him that Mirror Eyes potions and Free movement potions reduce his attacks power.
Now I continue the main story.
And thus I generally have achieved enough levels in and around Beregost with Imoen so that when I finally head for FAI [usually role-played as advice from Kelddath Ormlyr, High Priest of the Song of the Morning Temple] Jaheira and Khalid can be recruited at Level 4, which is fine because after completing Nashkel Mines I generally dispatch J&K on a high-level diplomatic emergency mission for the Harpers escorting Volo to a secret conference in Amn.
Recruiting Kivan and Branwen at higher levels works out fine also. Minsc, not so well but still excellent frontliner. Viconia --- fo'geddaboutit!!! Not sure about Kagain, Edwin and Shar-Teel. [Dudleyville has good info about such things]
Starting off with a higher-level party allows me some time to develop a triple-class such as FMT or a Dual-classing human. Note: I generally save the Basilisk map until after Nashkel.
I complete most of the maps in South and West before doing the Bandit Camp but pressure from Kivan for vengeance upon Bandits generally prevents a completionist schedule until he "insists" on being replaced by Coran so that he can track Tazok in BG City. ANYHOW....
And then I loop back and do Ulcaster, Gullykin, etc and parts of Durlag's Tower before hitting the city. This usually works out fairly well with the general structure of getting Imoen's Thief skills back into play.
A general background motif is that Charname is kinda "laying-low" while Jaheira and Khalid, having activated their Harper connections, are hoping to get more info about what is actually going down. And to add to the tension, there are beginning to be whisperings in certain high quarters about the whole subject of the Bhaalspawn and possible identities of the Wards of Gorion which have been achieving such seemingly effortless triumphs against some of the most dangerous powers of the Sword Coast region..... Hmmmmm!!
One thing I want to try on my next playthrough is to arrange for Kivan to get petrified by a Basilisk after we recruit Coran. Then, if I decide to play the rest of the game as a hard-core no-reload, I may have a fall-back option with an unpetrified Kivan. Not sure if he will rejoin the party under those circumstances but worth a try.
I find the game far more enjoyable when I don't really plan ahead, and role-playing cured my restartitis. :P
I usually do Dagolar's tunnels first, then visit Notaku and complete the first leg of the Bag of Pith quest, then head to the Elvish Caravan so that I can get double rewards for Cedrilte as well as the Terror Bloom. Then I bother Balkazar in the Wyrm School so that I can have all those treasures and Tanelyv's healing chamber...Huh? We're talking Baldur's Gate? Oh. I actually like doing Nashkel before levelling up but the combined threats of (1) Hold Person (2) Bandit Ambushes at level 1 and (3) Hold Person (I don't like Berserker despite it being a solution to this problem, because Kiting works both in-game (to a point) and in real life) generally mean I try to hit level 2 first (so that my fighters have a thac0 that isn't 20 and so that any mages I've picked up can cast Chromatic Orb more than twice in that fight).
2) Everything related to Beregost
3) Everything related to Nashkel
4) Wilderness/Ulcaster/Gullykin
5) NPC related quests from BG1NPC Project
6) Bandit Camp
7) Cloakwood Mines (I previously open the others areas with mods)
8) Everything in Baldur's Gate
9) Candlekeep
10) ToSC content
11) Finish.
After all this time?
Always.
So it's something like this:
1. FAI
2. Beregost
3. Nashkel
4. Nashkel Mines
5. Wilderness
6. Bandit Camp
7. Cloakwood
8. Whatever is left of the Wilderness, Ulcaster, etc.
9. TOSC Stuff
10. Baldur's Gate
11. Candlekeep
Myself however. I pick my character and I pick a team that I want to play. I head over to FAI. pick up a few quests. Head down on my way to beregost and take out the ogre finishing up that middle map while doing the quests and into beregost. bounce back and forth once or twice turning in quests. make side shoots to pick up characters I want in my party from those locations and then I head straight south clearing the map areas as I go to Nashkel. If I want Jaheira then I go over to her. clearing a basically direct path to the gnoll fortress of maps to get her. then I go do the mines. After that I largely start at the bottom and make my way northward finishing the map areas as I go with the exception of durlag's. I clear my way up which gets me cloakwood as well. and then I go into Baldur's gate and do all of it's inner city stuff as I clear my way along and do the first section of the BG city storyline and through candlekeep. Then I do things like durlags and the island and stuff like that. Then I go in and do the second part of the BG city stuff and follow sarevok to finish.
This is usually when I start to wander around and gearing up, so go get the dex gloves, maybe a robe of archmagi, full plate mails or whatever my charname and his team (if any) need. Then I continue to ankheg farm and farm some exp there now that I am high level and it's less risk, go get the early tomes of CON and CHA, etc. I also visit Ulgoth's and buy some equip there before I go to bandit camp and begin the end-game of going through the forests to open up BG. Durlag's is optional for me, I only do it if I need any of the equipment since I am at max level long, long before anyways and whatever party I have with me is there more for fun than for their actual benefit to the team.
I usually plan to RP my way through the game, but in the end old habits kick in and I just can't resist that smell of easy EXP and quick leveling. My latest run of a bard, this took just a few hours and then I still managed to clean out most wilderness maps and ulcaster etc. And yeah, I always do ice island and kill Shandalar since he's a really, really annoying person