@Wise_Grimwald: Unfortunately for me, I'm doing a poverty run. No scrolls, potions, or anything like that. But now that I have three level 5 sorcerers with Magic Missile, I can probably deal with her using brute force.
@Abby_Zero: Welcome to the forums! I notice you just joined yesterday--since you're new here, I think you can earn the extremely rare Combo Breaker badge if you get 5 different badges for 5 different things in one day. It's impossible for old-timers like me, but you're in just the right spot to get it! You should have the Photogenic badge for updating your portrait, so if you get just one or two more today, you should get the Combo Breaker badge.
What can I do I just got photogenic for changing my pic I’m at 4/5
@Abby_Zero: The badge isn't absolutely necessary, of course. But I think you can get the next badge by earning 25 likes. And it looks like you're at 21 right now...
Moop! I’m spamming my new members post to get to 100 comments it’s pretty hilarious Noober style. Hope I don’t get banned or anything..one of the funniest Baldur’s jokes I’ve ever created because it’s actually useful. This post makes 34/100 lol
@Wise_Grimwald: Unfortunately for me, I'm doing a poverty run. No scrolls, potions, or anything like that. But now that I have three level 5 sorcerers with Magic Missile, I can probably deal with her using brute force.
@Abby_Zero: Welcome to the forums! I notice you just joined yesterday--since you're new here, I think you can earn the extremely rare Combo Breaker badge if you get 5 different badges for 5 different things in one day. It's impossible for old-timers like me, but you're in just the right spot to get it! You should have the Photogenic badge for updating your portrait, so if you get just one or two more today, you should get the Combo Breaker badge.
Thanks so much I wouldn’t have even known that was a thing if you hadn’t said
Anyways I don’t want to take up anymore off topic room here, so happy hunting everybody!
@Wise_Grimwald: Unfortunately for me, I'm doing a poverty run. No scrolls, potions, or anything like that. But now that I have three level 5 sorcerers with Magic Missile, I can probably deal with her using brute force.
@Abby_Zero: Welcome to the forums! I notice you just joined yesterday--since you're new here, I think you can earn the extremely rare Combo Breaker badge if you get 5 different badges for 5 different things in one day. It's impossible for old-timers like me, but you're in just the right spot to get it! You should have the Photogenic badge for updating your portrait, so if you get just one or two more today, you should get the Combo Breaker badge.
Thanks so much I wouldn’t have even known that was a thing if you hadn’t said
Anyways I don’t want to take up anymore off topic room here, so happy hunting everybody!
This is one thread where you can't go off-topic. Just about anything to do with these games is on-topic.
Lol I am finding it difficult to consider 50 more pertinent posts today so I’ll just throw out there that I only need three ‘agree’s to get the 5 badge. Thanks again for the assistance. I won’t be posting this thread again unless I want to say hi or have something to add.
Well I have 6 badges so far today and no combo breaker so hopefully it’ll pop when the day changes or something. Thanks to all for their effort, I guess I’m set. Good luck with the no reloading insanity..that’s true grit.
Classes and kits still missing from the combined Hall of Heroes
Over the years, I have harboured a secret desire to see every single class and kit in Baldur's Gate make it into the Hall of Heroes (as the bhaalspawn, not just as a party member). I'm not counting dual classes for this purpose, as there are too many possible combinations (especially if different dualing levels are considered). Since I've starting posting on this forum, I've always chosen a bhaalspawn that hasn't made it yet (iirc), and the list keeps getting smaller thanks to some amazing efforts by the community - but there are still quite a lot of classes and kits missing! Here's the current list:
Dwarven Defender Ranger Stalker Undead Hunter Cleric Priest of Helm Priest of Talos Priest of Tyr Shapeshifter Avenger All specialist Mages (except Wild Mage and Enchanter) Thief Bounty Hunter Shadow Dancer Bard Dark Moon Monk Shaman Fighter/Druid (there's a dual-class fighter/druid in the hall, but the multi is missing) Cleric/Ranger Fighter/Mage/Cleric
Some thoughts: Getting the dwarven defender in is only a matter of time, as fighter kits are very popular and the dwarven defender is extremely powerful. The missing undead hunter is a bit surprising, as lots of active community members love playing paladins. Single class clerics and druids, however, are not very popular, which is why only a selected few have made it so far. The lack of specialist mages is propably due to the popularity of sorcerers. I'm pretty sure we're going to get a bounty hunter at some point - people are playing them quite a bit, though rarely as the bhaalspawn. I was surprised to see a couple of multiclasses still missing, as all of those seem like very powerful solo characters.
What I'm trying to say here: If you ever don't know what player character to play or which class in your created party to make the bhaalspawn, consider this list if you want to break new ground! There's still a lot of work to do!
You're right - I don't know how I missed that one, considering I checked the entire list three times in total before posting it! I've corrected my previous post (and I will keep it updated if new classes and kits make it into the hall).
And with @Enuhal finally breaking the LoB barrier, we've got the following special runs still up for grabs:
1. Solo LoB 2. LoB+SCS+Ascension 3. Solo LoB+SCS+Ascension 4. Poverty 5. Restless
@Harpagornis has already done amazing things to advance the prospects of a solo LoB SCS run, though completing such a run is still going to be incredibly challenging for any player. Currently we're looking at a Totemic Druid(15+)->Fighter dual-class as the optimal character build.
As far as non-solo LoB runs, bring a Totemic Druid anyway--they're worth it.
Currently @Grond0 and I are working on poverty runs with nearly-identical parties. I think the critical problem of the poverty run is Belhifet in SoD, and I believe the only reliable strategy for tackling Belhifet without items is to use two Sorcerers to chain-cast Lower Resistance, Magic Missile, and Melf's Acid Arrow--unless we turn the difficulty down to Normal, at which point Caelar can do basically everything. Note that the party needs Detect Illusions or divination to make this work; Belhifet never runs out of Improved Invisibility spells.
A restless run should be perfectly doable, though I've found the experience to be kind of unsatisfying due to my preference for caster-heavy parties. The run would mostly revolve around fighter classes with constant-effect bonuses: Archers, Wizard Slayers, Dwarven Defenders, Fighter/Thieves, Barbarians, and Skalds would be excellent choices. Note that using Reform Party can erase fatigue from party members (if not from Charname) and that the maximum fatigue penalty will make dealing damage nearly impossible (the penalties scale all the way up to over -90 luck) and a fatigued character will suffer maximum damage from incoming spells.
It's also worth pointing out that the Hall of Heroes counts trilogy runs as well as tetralogy runs, since it dates back to the pre-SoD days. We only have a few tetralogy runs, and I think the only classes that have made it through all four games are the Totemic Druid, Seducer, and Alchemist. Everything else is wide open.
As you point out @semiticgod tetralogy runs are indeed rare - if a run is such, I think it would be a good idea that point is listed in the run details in the Hall of Heroes (everyone else could then assumed to be Trilogy).
... Huh. Someone did a plain Druid before they did an Avenger? That's... somewhat surprising, not gonna lie. Also, someone managed to pull off a Sun Soul Monk before Dark Moon, despite the latter actually getting defensive tools? C/R being missing is also a real surprise, since before the EEs it was one of the better-known power combos.
By the way: if anyone is considering doing a LoB tetralogy run, you might consider doing it on an EET install so you can revisit BG1 and SoD areas (except for Baldur's Gate itself!) during BG2. You could deposit the Martyr's Morningstar in a chest after beating Belhifet, retrieve it after Chateau Irenicus, and then hold onto it until late SoA. You could do this with all kinds of items, but the Martyr's Morningstar is the most important by far.
Once you get Critical Strike, you can automatically trigger the Martyr's Morningstar's critical hit effect, which reduces the target's HP by 15% and bypasses Stoneskin and any weapon immunities, including PFMW. A level 13 fighter with grandmastery in flails and morningstars dual-wielding the morningstar with a speed weapon could have 8 attacks per round with the Martyr's Morningstars, which amounts to a guaranteed 6-second kill on any enemy regardless of HP or defenses if you use Critical Strike or Smite. You only need 7 APR for this to work, actually; specialization would be sufficient in lieu of grandmastery.
Even Ascension Melissan should fall to this. And it's not even a mod item!
@Neverused The reason there's a plain druid in the hall is because there are no kits in the original vanilla BG1 (except for specialist mages), and I hadn't discovered BGT or Tutu yet. When importing the character to BG2, I decided against giving him a kit, because I thought it would somehwat muddle the run and break consistency.
I believe the Sun Soul Monk is the work of @Grond0 and his "long life challenge", which includes soloing a random class or kit through the series in a modless run on core rules - he randomed a sun soul monk and managed to succeed (he had also previously succeeded with a regular monk in the old bioware forums, I believe, so it's not incredibly surprising).
The C/R being missing is indeed a surprise - which is why I'm playing one currently (though with the EE nerfs, it's pretty much an inferior F/C with some extra pips and stealth).
Currently @Grond0 and I are working on poverty runs with nearly-identical parties. I think the critical problem of the poverty run is Belhifet in SoD, and I believe the only reliable strategy for tackling Belhifet without items is to use two Sorcerers to chain-cast Lower Resistance, Magic Missile, and Melf's Acid Arrow--unless we turn the difficulty down to Normal, at which point Caelar can do basically everything. Note that the party needs Detect Illusions or divination to make this work; Belhifet never runs out of Improved Invisibility spells.
I was thinking that the 5th level magic resistance divine spell would be a good option for Belhifet early in that fight - particularly if cast by a druid with ironskins ...
@Neverused the Sun Soul Monk is actually one of the easier solo classes I think. It takes a bit of patience to do the early stages safely, but the availability of stealth is helpful there. The Sun Soul Ray is also instant casting - it always amused me to use that for a guaranteed disruption of mages trying to magic missile me. The later stages of runs are more difficult for me (partly because I only ever play no-reload so don't know them so well, but also just the cumulative fatigue that builds up over a long run). However, the combination of 100% MR, good AC and 10 APR provides the monk with a bit more scope to get away with errors than most classes.
Restless. I did something similar a long time ago. Back then I used a dwarf fighter/thief PC. With 19 Con, I wasted no time in getting it to 20 and that means automatic healing from regeneration when traveling from one area to another.
@Grond0: I believe Magic Resistance has a casting time of 9 in EE. And since Belhifet can cast Improved Invisibility at will, you would need to dispel his invisibility and begin casting Magic Resistance at almost the exact same moment he began casting Hold Person (and not a fire spell, which could disrupt Magic Resistance) in order to land Magic Resistance without relying too much on luck. If you're off by a single second, you're banking on Belhifet casting a fire spell or Hold Person instead of Improved Invisibility or his teleport spell. I'm also worried about his melee attacks--6 seconds of spellcasting is a really long time to sit next to Belhifet without him attacking you, and while Ironskins will certainly hold if you haven't lost more than one skin before approaching him, Belhifet can deal poison and disease damage through Ironskins. There's a very small window where hitting Belhifet with Magic Resistance would truly be safe.
Please be careful. You have three separate spellcasters who can cast Magic Resistance, but I'm worried that casting them at the wrong time will give him lots of breathing room to hurt your party. Plus, relying on Magic Resistance will take up precious spell slots that could be used for Ironskins, Chaotic Commands (which is much longer-lasting and easier to keep track of than Free Action or SI: Enchantment and much safer than Remove Paralysis, your only other defenses against Hold Person), or even Mass Cure. Lower Resistance can be cast at range and comes out much faster; it's less likely to get interrupted.
I have a question of principle regarding SoD and solo runs:
Do you think it's in the spirit of a solo run to have Caelar join you during the fight against Belhifet? Or should a solo player not be allowed to choose that option and be forced to either go for "let Caelar die" or "turn Caelar into a blackguard"?
@Enuhal I don't think we've got any generally agreed rules about what constitutes a solo run, so I think you should do whatever you like . Personally I never allow any NPC to join (it always annoys me in Jon's dungeon when Imoen forces herself on you), so I wouldn't let Caelar into the party. I would though allow him to help your cause from outside the party - that seems consistent with the theme of SoD where you're constantly fighting in co-operation with other forces. Plenty of people though allow NPCs to join in a solo run for short periods, e.g. to do quests, open locks etc.
Most solo runs allow allies and summoned critters; it's just extra party members that are disallowed. Sometimes in solo runs I'll let an NPC join the party and then kick them out because the dialogue associated with removing someone from the party is nicer than rejecting them outright.
I agree with @Grond0 - you should still be able to role-play, even if solo. If that means letting an NPC join you for a short time to help them, I don't see the problem. The main thing, I would say it's not a solo run if you have NPCs join you at key moments of your journey (Irenicus battles, Sarevok battle, Melissan). If those key quest battles are solo, it's still basically a solo run.
Comments
I’m at 4/5
HELP!!!
I’m spamming my new members post to get to 100 comments it’s pretty hilarious Noober style. Hope I don’t get banned or anything..one of the funniest Baldur’s jokes I’ve ever created because it’s actually useful.
This post makes 34/100 lol
Anyways I don’t want to take up anymore off topic room here, so happy hunting everybody!
Sorry
Over the years, I have harboured a secret desire to see every single class and kit in Baldur's Gate make it into the Hall of Heroes (as the bhaalspawn, not just as a party member). I'm not counting dual classes for this purpose, as there are too many possible combinations (especially if different dualing levels are considered). Since I've starting posting on this forum, I've always chosen a bhaalspawn that hasn't made it yet (iirc), and the list keeps getting smaller thanks to some amazing efforts by the community - but there are still quite a lot of classes and kits missing! Here's the current list:
Dwarven Defender
Ranger
Stalker
Undead Hunter
Cleric
Priest of Helm
Priest of Talos
Priest of Tyr
Shapeshifter
Avenger
All specialist Mages (except Wild Mage and Enchanter)
Thief
Bounty Hunter
Shadow Dancer
Bard
Dark Moon Monk
Shaman
Fighter/Druid (there's a dual-class fighter/druid in the hall, but the multi is missing)
Cleric/Ranger
Fighter/Mage/Cleric
Some thoughts: Getting the dwarven defender in is only a matter of time, as fighter kits are very popular and the dwarven defender is extremely powerful. The missing undead hunter is a bit surprising, as lots of active community members love playing paladins. Single class clerics and druids, however, are not very popular, which is why only a selected few have made it so far. The lack of specialist mages is propably due to the popularity of sorcerers.
I'm pretty sure we're going to get a bounty hunter at some point - people are playing them quite a bit, though rarely as the bhaalspawn. I was surprised to see a couple of multiclasses still missing, as all of those seem like very powerful solo characters.
What I'm trying to say here: If you ever don't know what player character to play or which class in your created party to make the bhaalspawn, consider this list if you want to break new ground! There's still a lot of work to do!
Enuhal
1. Solo LoB
2. LoB+SCS+Ascension
3. Solo LoB+SCS+Ascension
4. Poverty
5. Restless
@Harpagornis has already done amazing things to advance the prospects of a solo LoB SCS run, though completing such a run is still going to be incredibly challenging for any player. Currently we're looking at a Totemic Druid(15+)->Fighter dual-class as the optimal character build.
As far as non-solo LoB runs, bring a Totemic Druid anyway--they're worth it.
Currently @Grond0 and I are working on poverty runs with nearly-identical parties. I think the critical problem of the poverty run is Belhifet in SoD, and I believe the only reliable strategy for tackling Belhifet without items is to use two Sorcerers to chain-cast Lower Resistance, Magic Missile, and Melf's Acid Arrow--unless we turn the difficulty down to Normal, at which point Caelar can do basically everything. Note that the party needs Detect Illusions or divination to make this work; Belhifet never runs out of Improved Invisibility spells.
A restless run should be perfectly doable, though I've found the experience to be kind of unsatisfying due to my preference for caster-heavy parties. The run would mostly revolve around fighter classes with constant-effect bonuses: Archers, Wizard Slayers, Dwarven Defenders, Fighter/Thieves, Barbarians, and Skalds would be excellent choices. Note that using Reform Party can erase fatigue from party members (if not from Charname) and that the maximum fatigue penalty will make dealing damage nearly impossible (the penalties scale all the way up to over -90 luck) and a fatigued character will suffer maximum damage from incoming spells.
It's also worth pointing out that the Hall of Heroes counts trilogy runs as well as tetralogy runs, since it dates back to the pre-SoD days. We only have a few tetralogy runs, and I think the only classes that have made it through all four games are the Totemic Druid, Seducer, and Alchemist. Everything else is wide open.
Once you get Critical Strike, you can automatically trigger the Martyr's Morningstar's critical hit effect, which reduces the target's HP by 15% and bypasses Stoneskin and any weapon immunities, including PFMW. A level 13 fighter with grandmastery in flails and morningstars dual-wielding the morningstar with a speed weapon could have 8 attacks per round with the Martyr's Morningstars, which amounts to a guaranteed 6-second kill on any enemy regardless of HP or defenses if you use Critical Strike or Smite. You only need 7 APR for this to work, actually; specialization would be sufficient in lieu of grandmastery.
Even Ascension Melissan should fall to this. And it's not even a mod item!
I believe the Sun Soul Monk is the work of @Grond0 and his "long life challenge", which includes soloing a random class or kit through the series in a modless run on core rules - he randomed a sun soul monk and managed to succeed (he had also previously succeeded with a regular monk in the old bioware forums, I believe, so it's not incredibly surprising).
The C/R being missing is indeed a surprise - which is why I'm playing one currently (though with the EE nerfs, it's pretty much an inferior F/C with some extra pips and stealth).
Please be careful. You have three separate spellcasters who can cast Magic Resistance, but I'm worried that casting them at the wrong time will give him lots of breathing room to hurt your party. Plus, relying on Magic Resistance will take up precious spell slots that could be used for Ironskins, Chaotic Commands (which is much longer-lasting and easier to keep track of than Free Action or SI: Enchantment and much safer than Remove Paralysis, your only other defenses against Hold Person), or even Mass Cure. Lower Resistance can be cast at range and comes out much faster; it's less likely to get interrupted.
Do you think it's in the spirit of a solo run to have Caelar join you during the fight against Belhifet? Or should a solo player not be allowed to choose that option and be forced to either go for "let Caelar die" or "turn Caelar into a blackguard"?