So I might've had my run saved by the Black Portraits bug: first Pocket Plane fight with Irenicus summoning another bloody Fallen Planetar and massive ice damage ended with two further chunked, but my main character and Sarevok slowly chipped Bodhi down. And then all portraits went black, and we got a game-over.
That being said, is there any other way to deal with that wretched Planetar or this fight? Due to chunkings and bugs, the only mage I have access to with 9ths is Neera, and I'm not confident enough to try to survive this solely off of Protection from Magic Weapons. I'm thinking of some sort of strategy where we pull Bodhi and Sarevok one by one without seeing Irenicus, and then only after that trying to deal with the Vorpal-striking-dispel-on-hit-Firestorming-Insect-Plaguing nightmare. Any other tips, or do I have to kite it around that tiny room forever and ever until it disappears?
If you place someone where the curtain appears you can block that - allowing you to make use of the much greater room for maneuvering in the main area of the Pocket Plane.
I'm about to try SoD for a second time, aiming for minimal reloads. Could you please point me to some insta-death encounters (like Ducal Palace in BGEE, where loosing the game is not tied to the Bhaalspawn's death)? I understand there are couple of those. Spoilers are not an issue.
Cheers,
B.
Killing major characters in Candlekeep means Instadeath. This is true on BOTH VISITS.
Don't think that you can take on Ulraunt. You can't.
You can't fight Firebead whilst in Candlekeep, you will have to wait until you get to Beregost to do that. The only people that I have found in Candlekeep thatt ARE killable are watchers, and it is inadvisable to kill them too. Too low a reputation will make everyonr hostile and once Gorion is hostile - instadeath.
Tazok at the bandit camp has changed. He is unkillable and IF you kill him you crash the game. Don't even try to kill him. When he tries to kill you, just try to avoid party members being killed and slowly wear him down until he cedes that you are a good fighter.
In Baldur's Gate don't think that you can take on the boss at the Flaming Fist.
In all these situations use diplomacy.
At the Ducal palace don't attack either the dukes OR Sarevok. You MUST attack Sarevok after he goes hostile.
@Neverused: I think you need a summoned creature specifically to stay where the force field appears; a party member will probably just walk up to join you. I usually summon several critter and place them in a line to make sure I have at least one critter on the right spot. Then you can kite the planetar in the greater area or just run away and wait it out.
Most of you people seem to do Mutamin's Garden as early as possible to level up quickly. How can you do that if Charname isn't an arcane caster?
I would need either Dynaheir or Xan for PfP.
I tried to have Korax follow me around, but he turns hostile pretty quickly. And I can't afford several Potions of Mirrored Eyes early in the game.
So, I'm clueless. I guess I'll need to save Dynaheir as early as possible after all, and maybe dump the two of them later, because I'd like to use Xan at least once. Dynaheir is a bit limited as an Invoker. (And to get Xan early doesn't work. I don't survive Mulahey at level 2)
I really like to roleplay my paladins, and I feel that I probably should use the canon party in that case, but I'm really not fond of Jaheira in BG1, either, although I never, ever play without her in BG2.
@Arvia: There is the Green Scroll PfP on sale in one of Nashkel Carnival shops (the one with Necklace of Missiles). It lasts several hours so enough to clear all the basilisks with leasure.
There are two versions of Protection from Petrification. First, there's the arcane spell you're familiar with; scrolls available from Thalantyr, duration 1 hour. Second, there's a (green) protection scroll; any literate character can cast it, and you can buy one at the Nashkel Carnival. The protection scroll is considerably more expensive, but also has a much longer duration (6 hours, I think?). Since you can hug the eastern edge of the road maps and avoid pretty much all of the encounters, running to Nashkel super-early is safe enough.
It's not just Dynaheir and Xan that are early arcane options, by the way. Xzar can be recruited by anybody with decent charisma (although a roleplayed Paladin would probably steer clear), and both Garrick and Neera are available in Beregost. If I go with the arcane spell on this one, I usually have Xzar cast the spell and drink the Oil of Speed obtained from Montaron. They, of course, don't stay in the party for the actual basilisk hunt.
@Arvia In my install Korax remains charmed for a sufficently long time to clear the entire area (usually until you try to rest).
Other than the green ProPetrification scroll, stealth is probably the safest option for a non-arcane character. There are Potions of Invisibility, rangers and thieves can use HiS and priests have Sanctuary (it's good to have one Potion of Mirrored Eyes at the ready in case you'd suddenly lose stealth in the middle of a fight). This generally allows you to guide Korax to his hapless targets while you just sit and wait. Skeleton summons, mage familiars and totemic druid summons are immune to petrification so they can make effective fodder as well.
I usually use the ghoul and some summoned skeleton warriors along with my thief using the mage spell for protection (cast by my mage or bard companion). I have found I can just about do them all before the spell runs out about 50% of the time. If it does run out, then a recast of the spell is always sufficient. The thief often opens with a backstab and then I send in the clowns, aka skeletons and ghouls
In numerous playthroughs I have always entered the map from the west and taken Korax and moved first eaeast to take out the lone basilisk and then north to clear out the top pair and then finally south to take out the whacko gnome and his pets. One cast of PfP is usually enough for this. And don't forget the one on the eastern side of the 'garden' as well. Then recast and move south for the big group at the bottom of the map, avoiding the party which I save for last on this map.
This current game my dwarven thief entered from the south - which I have never done before - and he cleared out single -handedly (well, not counting his quarterstaff) the entire southern nest with only one cast of PfP. Then the party went northwest, gathered up Korax and summoned 3 skeleton warriors. My thief stealthed in again with his 4 petrification immune helpers and he let them do all the work on the northern part of the map, only helping put down the gnome once the basilisks were all stunned or dead. I think in future I will use this approach as my new standard option.
It's also possible to do it in normal mode using Korax alone by having Korax walk ahead and let him attack the basilisks via his AI, keeping your party member just out of the basilisk's line of sight (though you still have to be close since Korax won't walk anywhere you haven't explored). This even obviates the need for stealth, but you have to know where the basilisks are specifically, and it can take a few playthroughs to get that down.
Xzar is the safest option. Unless you plan on keeping him long-term, have him cast the spell via the mage scroll on a fighter rather than scribing it, and you won't have to worry about scribing failure. When you get your long-term mage later on, you can have them scribe it so you'll have it on hand for Durlag's Tower and Candlekeep.
It's also possible to do it in normal mode using Korax alone by having Korax walk ahead and let him attack the basilisks via his AI, keeping your party member just out of the basilisk's line of sight (though you still have to be close since Korax won't walk anywhere you haven't explored). This even obviates the need for stealth, but you have to know where the basilisks are specifically, and it can take a few playthroughs to get that down.
Xzar is the safest option. Unless you plan on keeping him long-term, have him cast the spell via the mage scroll on a fighter rather than scribing it, and you won't have to worry about scribing failure. When you get your long-term mage later on, you can have them scribe it so you'll have it on hand for Durlag's Tower and Candlekeep.
Xzar is out of the question for a roleplayed paladin, at least in my book. I couldn't even justify Korax with an Undead Hunter, although personally I think he's cute. With another kit, I think it's okay to give him a chance.
I had no idea where to get the green PfP scroll.
Memorizing locations is not difficult for me, so maybe Korax will be an option next time.
I tried a Cavalier, but I went into the Nashkel mines too early (wanted to get Xan) and Mulahey killed me. Going to try again next week and be more patient...
It's also possible to do it in normal mode using Korax alone
I'm assuming that by normal mode you're referring to a non-modded install. I want to point out for others that it's possible in an SCS install as well.
In normal, the basilisks will stick to whoever they attack first (Korax), while in SCS they'll switch if you enter line of sight. Korax makes a special chime sound when his stun hits (console will show a save vs death when it doesn't), at which point it is safe to assist him.
I grab Korax and kill the two lesser basilisks to the northwest then head south and kill the three lesser and one greater basilisks on the bottom half. That will net 14,000 experience, which even if you can't clear the rest of the map is a great start.
From what I've observed, all of the basilisks except one are stationary until approached. There's a lesser basilisk that's frequently near Mutamin that I've had wander from the two at the northwest to the lone one just southwest of Mutamin. If it wanders near the lone one, it's possible to trigger Mutamin unprepared, which is why I sometimes avoid it.
I can usually clear the map of basilisks with just Korax on a normal install (sometimes even the adventurer's party), while with SCS he almost always goes hostile after I've killed all of the basilisks except the greater and lesser near Mutamin.
My starts are mostly modeled after @semiticgod's and @Grond0's, but I mess up Mutamin's Garden frequently enough that I almost always kill the flesh golems at High Hedge first (4,000 experience) and purchase a Potion of Mirrored Eyes. With a clear aura, you can drink the potion while the petrification is still midair.
@Arvia In my install Korax remains charmed for a sufficently long time to clear the entire area (usually until you try to rest).
Other than the green ProPetrification scroll, stealth is probably the safest option for a non-arcane character. There are Potions of Invisibility, rangers and thieves can use HiS and priests have Sanctuary (it's good to have one Potion of Mirrored Eyes at the ready in case you'd suddenly lose stealth in the middle of a fight). This generally allows you to guide Korax to his hapless targets while you just sit and wait. Skeleton summons, mage familiars and totemic druid summons are immune to petrification so they can make effective fodder as well.
@Arvia In my install Korax remains charmed for a sufficently long time to clear the entire area (usually until you try to rest).
Other than the green ProPetrification scroll, stealth is probably the safest option for a non-arcane character. There are Potions of Invisibility, rangers and thieves can use HiS and priests have Sanctuary (it's good to have one Potion of Mirrored Eyes at the ready in case you'd suddenly lose stealth in the middle of a fight). This generally allows you to guide Korax to his hapless targets while you just sit and wait. Skeleton summons, mage familiars and totemic druid summons are immune to petrification so they can make effective fodder as well.
In addition to the above, I usually take on Peter and his cohorts before taking on the basilisks, medusae or whatever. (Medusae come from a mod)
For them you can talk yourself out of a battle or use web and fireballs,
I fight them because they are well equipped.
A paladin could do either depending on his personality.
@Wise_Grimwald , until now, I've always decided to ignore them. Technically, they're evil, so it should be okay, but until now I've considered them more as "stupid and arrogant" instead of "dangerously evil". Maybe I should fight them at least once, for a change.
Edit: And unfortunately I can never find a reason to attack the Flesh Golems.
@Wise_Grimwald , until now, I've always decided to ignore them. Technically, they're evil, so it should be okay, but until now I've considered them more as "stupid and arrogant" instead of "dangerously evil". Maybe I should fight them at least once, for a change.
Edit: And unfortunately I can never find a reason to attack the Flesh Golems.
Get somebody to sneak past them then. However, if they attack you, that's a perfectly good enough reason to defend yourself, plus the fact that they are constructs, not people.
And unfortunately I can never find a reason to attack the Flesh Golems.
A helpless old man, held captive in his home by his own rogue creations...
They do start hostile until you talk to Thalantyr. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he turns hostile if you attack them after talking to him.
And unfortunately I can never find a reason to attack the Flesh Golems.
A helpless old man, held captive in his home by his own rogue creations...
They do start hostile until you talk to Thalantyr. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he turns hostile if you attack them after talking to him.
The never turned hostile on me. I guess I always just went straight to Thalantyr and talked to him.
My newest Inquisitor died in Mutamin's Garden. Sigh. I took care of the basilisks protected by the green scroll, ran into Peter and his gang, decided against my usual habit and picked the dialogue options to fight them (which, given the wording, was completely out of character for a paladin) just this once, to see how it is. But my party was at the edge of the map. I tried to draw them there, got hit by rigid thinking and died.
What have I learned? Don't pick unnecessary *unknown* fights in a no-reload attempt. Back to Candlekeep it is...
Edit: And don't get sloppy rushing through maps just because you want to get to the more interesting parts in your limited time...
Does anybody knows how to reliably beat Planar Prison with a party about 1,1 million exp. with insane SCS (but with the option that gives every eligible spellcaster HLA). I usually do it in chapter 6, but now I want to have Haer Dalis in the party and do it before my fighter reaches 1.25 million exp. and becomes useless after dual-classing.
Group: Berserker, Aerie, Anomen, Mazzy, Jan
I don't play with parties very often, but the following should work:
- enter buffed and invisible and kill the bounty hunter mage while he's casting true sight and before he buffs. The rest of his crew should then be manageable.
- cloudkill the yuan-ti from a distance, using webs and/or invisibility to stop them all chasing after you.
- buff up (particularly against hold) against Master of Thralls and beat him up.
- send in a stream of summons from out of sight against the Warden, to drain his most powerful spells, before shooting him down.
Seems I'm a bit late to the party, but I solved Mutamin's garden with a combination of Eilrie's (PC) rabbit familiar, Aura, with her special goggles, and Korax. The rabbit was rendered invisible to scout out the location of the basilisks, at which point Aura led Korax to each area where the rabbit had found them. Everyone else stayed on the outskirts of the forest just in case a rapid exit was needed.
The whole encounter took about 10 minutes, and Korax had JUST decided to turn on the party as they were leaving to head back to town. They actually let him live, as he had been so useful. I suppose, given the method, it wasn't that remarkable that most of the party was level 2 or 3 at the time.
Technically, this could have been accomplished without the rabbit or the goggles if you have a proper invisibility spell.
I have just created a Dark Paladin using EE Keeper from a character made from the Blackguard Kit.
I am wondering what the differences are between a dark Paladin and a Blackguard.
I have no idea where the kit for the Dark Paladin came from. No mention of it in Weidu, and couldn't find anything on the web. I'm wondering if it came from the fallen paladins in BG2. No starting innate spells, just disease weapon which you wouldn't get until BG2.
If anybody could shed some light on this dark subject matter I would be thankful.
Plus any other evil paladin kits that might be around.
@Wise_Grimwald I'm not sure about your Dark Paladin. However if you can get it to work there's Weimer's Anti-Paladin packaged in the Tactics mod. It's a bit OP, though. I had fun with it in one playthrough, but constant Dispel on hit did eventually leave me a bit bored. Otherwise it's like an evil Inquisitor, with the Fighter XP progression.
An alternative could be to try installing from Weimer's original, and just applying the component of the kit. (I don't know how compatible the code is, but they are built on fundamentally the same engine...)
Of course I'd probably make a backup of your stable installation, first.
@Stromael Thanks for the quick reply. I'll follow it up. I won't use it this time though. Perhaps when I reinstall. I do have some minor complaints about my current one, mods missing and suchlike.
Is there a way to become a Fallen Paladin without going below 7 reputation? I was playing an Undead Hunter and had killed Algernon and Dushai early without issue, but I killed the bartender (wtf?) under confusion in the Cloakwood Mines, dropped from 20 to 10 reputation, and became Fallen.
Do you mean the bartender in the Iron Throne building? I killed him too, once, by accident, dropped from 20 to 10, and didn't become Fallen. Any tweaks that influence the reasons for Falling?
But, you know, if you killed Algernon for his cloak, just because you knew you could get away with it, then you deserved to Fall
This one is in the mines, and while I would assume anyone working there is evil, she may be a slave:
Definitely not arguing the deservedness of Falling, just wondering what mechanism triggered it. I'm not sure if I did kill Algernon or Dushai, as it was a party run, and I tend to use other game mechanics when available.
I'm not aware that killing things ever leads directly to falling - as opposed to indirectly via reputation loss. I think that slave in your picture is an innocent for instance, so killing her would lead to reputation dropping.
Are you sure that you were at 20 when it happened, or that you became a Fallen Paladin immediately afterwards?
If everything was normal, you shouldn't fall unless you drop under 8.
Did you notice immediately after killing her?
Comments
That being said, is there any other way to deal with that wretched Planetar or this fight? Due to chunkings and bugs, the only mage I have access to with 9ths is Neera, and I'm not confident enough to try to survive this solely off of Protection from Magic Weapons. I'm thinking of some sort of strategy where we pull Bodhi and Sarevok one by one without seeing Irenicus, and then only after that trying to deal with the Vorpal-striking-dispel-on-hit-Firestorming-Insect-Plaguing nightmare. Any other tips, or do I have to kite it around that tiny room forever and ever until it disappears?
Killing major characters in Candlekeep means Instadeath. This is true on BOTH VISITS.
Don't think that you can take on Ulraunt. You can't.
You can't fight Firebead whilst in Candlekeep, you will have to wait until you get to Beregost to do that. The only people that I have found in Candlekeep thatt ARE killable are watchers, and it is inadvisable to kill them too. Too low a reputation will make everyonr hostile and once Gorion is hostile - instadeath.
Tazok at the bandit camp has changed. He is unkillable and IF you kill him you crash the game. Don't even try to kill him. When he tries to kill you, just try to avoid party members being killed and slowly wear him down until he cedes that you are a good fighter.
In Baldur's Gate don't think that you can take on the boss at the Flaming Fist.
In all these situations use diplomacy.
At the Ducal palace don't attack either the dukes OR Sarevok. You MUST attack Sarevok after he goes hostile.
Useful advice. I knew about the other problems already having played the mods with good characters.
I would need either Dynaheir or Xan for PfP.
I tried to have Korax follow me around, but he turns hostile pretty quickly. And I can't afford several Potions of Mirrored Eyes early in the game.
So, I'm clueless. I guess I'll need to save Dynaheir as early as possible after all, and maybe dump the two of them later, because I'd like to use Xan at least once. Dynaheir is a bit limited as an Invoker. (And to get Xan early doesn't work. I don't survive Mulahey at level 2)
I really like to roleplay my paladins, and I feel that I probably should use the canon party in that case, but I'm really not fond of Jaheira in BG1, either, although I never, ever play without her in BG2.
It's not just Dynaheir and Xan that are early arcane options, by the way. Xzar can be recruited by anybody with decent charisma (although a roleplayed Paladin would probably steer clear), and both Garrick and Neera are available in Beregost. If I go with the arcane spell on this one, I usually have Xzar cast the spell and drink the Oil of Speed obtained from Montaron. They, of course, don't stay in the party for the actual basilisk hunt.
Other than the green ProPetrification scroll, stealth is probably the safest option for a non-arcane character. There are Potions of Invisibility, rangers and thieves can use HiS and priests have Sanctuary (it's good to have one Potion of Mirrored Eyes at the ready in case you'd suddenly lose stealth in the middle of a fight). This generally allows you to guide Korax to his hapless targets while you just sit and wait. Skeleton summons, mage familiars and totemic druid summons are immune to petrification so they can make effective fodder as well.
In numerous playthroughs I have always entered the map from the west and taken Korax and moved first eaeast to take out the lone basilisk and then north to clear out the top pair and then finally south to take out the whacko gnome and his pets. One cast of PfP is usually enough for this. And don't forget the one on the eastern side of the 'garden' as well. Then recast and move south for the big group at the bottom of the map, avoiding the party which I save for last on this map.
This current game my dwarven thief entered from the south - which I have never done before - and he cleared out single -handedly (well, not counting his quarterstaff) the entire southern nest with only one cast of PfP. Then the party went northwest, gathered up Korax and summoned 3 skeleton warriors. My thief stealthed in again with his 4 petrification immune helpers and he let them do all the work on the northern part of the map, only helping put down the gnome once the basilisks were all stunned or dead. I think in future I will use this approach as my new standard option.
Have fun!
Xzar is the safest option. Unless you plan on keeping him long-term, have him cast the spell via the mage scroll on a fighter rather than scribing it, and you won't have to worry about scribing failure. When you get your long-term mage later on, you can have them scribe it so you'll have it on hand for Durlag's Tower and Candlekeep.
Xzar is out of the question for a roleplayed paladin, at least in my book. I couldn't even justify Korax with an Undead Hunter, although personally I think he's cute. With another kit, I think it's okay to give him a chance.
I had no idea where to get the green PfP scroll.
Memorizing locations is not difficult for me, so maybe Korax will be an option next time.
I tried a Cavalier, but I went into the Nashkel mines too early (wanted to get Xan) and Mulahey killed me. Going to try again next week and be more patient...
In normal, the basilisks will stick to whoever they attack first (Korax), while in SCS they'll switch if you enter line of sight. Korax makes a special chime sound when his stun hits (console will show a save vs death when it doesn't), at which point it is safe to assist him.
I grab Korax and kill the two lesser basilisks to the northwest then head south and kill the three lesser and one greater basilisks on the bottom half. That will net 14,000 experience, which even if you can't clear the rest of the map is a great start.
From what I've observed, all of the basilisks except one are stationary until approached. There's a lesser basilisk that's frequently near Mutamin that I've had wander from the two at the northwest to the lone one just southwest of Mutamin. If it wanders near the lone one, it's possible to trigger Mutamin unprepared, which is why I sometimes avoid it.
I can usually clear the map of basilisks with just Korax on a normal install (sometimes even the adventurer's party), while with SCS he almost always goes hostile after I've killed all of the basilisks except the greater and lesser near Mutamin.
My starts are mostly modeled after @semiticgod's and @Grond0's, but I mess up Mutamin's Garden frequently enough that I almost always kill the flesh golems at High Hedge first (4,000 experience) and purchase a Potion of Mirrored Eyes. With a clear aura, you can drink the potion while the petrification is still midair.
In addition to the above, I usually take on Peter and his cohorts before taking on the basilisks, medusae or whatever. (Medusae come from a mod)
For them you can talk yourself out of a battle or use web and fireballs,
I fight them because they are well equipped.
A paladin could do either depending on his personality.
Edit: And unfortunately I can never find a reason to attack the Flesh Golems.
Get somebody to sneak past them then. However, if they attack you, that's a perfectly good enough reason to defend yourself, plus the fact that they are constructs, not people.
They do start hostile until you talk to Thalantyr. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he turns hostile if you attack them after talking to him.
The never turned hostile on me. I guess I always just went straight to Thalantyr and talked to him.
What have I learned? Don't pick unnecessary *unknown* fights in a no-reload attempt. Back to Candlekeep it is...
Edit: And don't get sloppy rushing through maps just because you want to get to the more interesting parts in your limited time...
Group: Berserker, Aerie, Anomen, Mazzy, Jan
- enter buffed and invisible and kill the bounty hunter mage while he's casting true sight and before he buffs. The rest of his crew should then be manageable.
- cloudkill the yuan-ti from a distance, using webs and/or invisibility to stop them all chasing after you.
- buff up (particularly against hold) against Master of Thralls and beat him up.
- send in a stream of summons from out of sight against the Warden, to drain his most powerful spells, before shooting him down.
The whole encounter took about 10 minutes, and Korax had JUST decided to turn on the party as they were leaving to head back to town. They actually let him live, as he had been so useful. I suppose, given the method, it wasn't that remarkable that most of the party was level 2 or 3 at the time.
Technically, this could have been accomplished without the rabbit or the goggles if you have a proper invisibility spell.
I am wondering what the differences are between a dark Paladin and a Blackguard.
I have no idea where the kit for the Dark Paladin came from. No mention of it in Weidu, and couldn't find anything on the web. I'm wondering if it came from the fallen paladins in BG2. No starting innate spells, just disease weapon which you wouldn't get until BG2.
If anybody could shed some light on this dark subject matter I would be thankful.
Plus any other evil paladin kits that might be around.
There was a rewrite for EE being worked on (https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/41242/tactics-mod-bg2ee-compatibility-conversion-and-beta-test/p1) but I'm not sure if it's active any more. I managed to install the main components of it but the kits just don't show up in my game. (Note that this version shouldn't come equipped with that OP Dispel!)
An alternative could be to try installing from Weimer's original, and just applying the component of the kit. (I don't know how compatible the code is, but they are built on fundamentally the same engine...)
Of course I'd probably make a backup of your stable installation, first.
But, you know, if you killed Algernon for his cloak, just because you knew you could get away with it, then you deserved to Fall
Definitely not arguing the deservedness of Falling, just wondering what mechanism triggered it. I'm not sure if I did kill Algernon or Dushai, as it was a party run, and I tend to use other game mechanics when available.
If everything was normal, you shouldn't fall unless you drop under 8.
Did you notice immediately after killing her?