Solo Scs Which Class with Mage?

ariakas2

I am planning to do a solo run with either Cleric/Mage, Fighter/Mage Dual/Multi or Illusionist/Cleric(or Fighter). Which one would you recommend? I am more inclined over Cleric/Mage multi but i am open to suggestions.

Edit: What about Swashbuckler/Mage? It would be cool to open locks. Though i don't know if the final thaco will be enough for ToB. I plan to dual at level 10.

Borek

If you are playing solo and plan to dual class then you MUST do a late dual IMO, the amount of XP you earn through-out the game is ENORMOUS and without an XP cap removal mod/tool you'll be XP capped in Chapter 2 more than likely.

My last Swash > Mage dual i did at level 45 swash, giving me monster THAC0, great AC bonus and plenty of Whirlwinds, plus of course UAI, saved up mage scrolls i stole and started off my Mage as a level 18, which is powerful enough especially with the added HP's from being such a high level thief. Lets me use things like the Bard gloves thanks to UAI. You'll probably reach level 45 in the Underdark assuming you do pretty much all the Ch.2 quests before you leave for spellhold and thankfully there isn't much in the way of traps to deal with after then and you'll have Knock for any pesky doors/chests.

I still capped my mage at level 50 before i finished TOB on this run, that should give you an idea just how much experience is available for a solo. Even the 2 triple class multi's will cap at level 50 in at least 2 of the 3 classes by the end of TOB and you can cap all 3 if you abuse some encounters such as the Named Demons in the Maze level of WK who will gate in 2-4 demons every few rounds, just watch out for the Tanaari one as he has a vorpal attack lol.

Gotural

If you have the xp cap removed you could try out a Fighter/Mage/Cleric too

Grond0

It really depends what sort of action you like. A cleric/mage lets you do some nice things with cleric spells in sequencers, but if you're not that fond of buffing it's probably not for you. To make a swashbuckler dual work well, you will need to play for a long time as a swashie, which may not fit your concept. If you want to be able to use spells more consistently throughout the run I would have thought a fighter/ illusionist might suit you.

ariakas2

I am not using xp cap removal. I plan to use vanilla progression as much as possible. I will start from BG 2. I want to have a good thaco to deal with most of the encounters. When i encounter serious mobs, i will use my spells.

semiticgoddess

The most conventionally powerful option is the Fighter/Illusionist due to its fighter levels giving it strong offensive capabilities and its mage levels making it harder to kill. A dual-class Berserker/Mage is the easiest for no-reload purposes due to its broad variety of immunities.

The Cleric/Mage is a strong defensive build with a lot of different options. A Cleric/Mage will essentially always have a solution to any given problem, though it won't always be as fast at killing critters as the Fighter/Illusionist or even the Berserker/Mage. I find Cleric/Mages to be fun because of their sheer versatility.

A Swashbuckler/Mage is a decent build, but you may find it sluggish in late BG2 compared to the others because it won't have very high APR like a Fighter/Mage, and it won't have Draw Upon Holy Might and access to certain useful weapons (like the Flail of Ages) like a Cleric/Mage.

I disagree with the notion that a solo character should dual-class late in the game. While dual-classing to mage can make the recovery period short thanks to the large XP bonuses from scribing scrolls in BG2, any dual-class to mage will get most of its endgame power from mage levels--which means you're still spending a lot of time as a comparatively weak Swashbuckler or Berserker just to be a slightly stronger character in late BG2. A solo Berserker and especially a solo Swashbuckler will struggle to handle BG1 and SoD, while a Cleric/Mage and Fighter/Illusionist will have much less trouble in the first 50% of the saga.

Personally, I wouldn't bother playing a Swashbuckler past level 5 if I was starting in BG1 (or level 10 if I started in BG2). I'd dual-class to mage early so BG1 and SoD wouldn't be so immensely challenging.

The Fighter/Illusionist will be the fastest, the Berserker/Mage will be the safest, the Cleric/Mage will be the most versatile, and the Swashbuckler/Mage will be the most challenging by far, especially if you dual-class very late.

DreadKhan

I vote F/I or I/T if you multi. I'd prefer the versatility of the I/T, but F/I is a beast. Imho, a multi F/I is a much easier solo than most in BG1, as you can easily start with spec in longbows, and transition by BG2 to a melee build with your pile of profs that can't GM anyways. Thieves with UAI can be pretty handy fighters actually, especially with mage buffs, so you will have some options. By ToB though it'd be all about traps for the thief I expect, as you'll be a weak melee fighter, even with buffs vs some of the bigger mobs.

F/I however is pretty straightforward, using HLAs and buffs to steamroll mobs.

C/I is worth considering, but lack of a speed weapon really stinks, and some of BG1 might be pretty tough, with few spell slots to deal with mobs meaning resting more. A C/I can't fight very well offensively in BG1, so you'll need your spells to win, meaning you might want to bypass some enemies imho, esp those with magic resistance in BG1.

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gorgonzola

DreadKhan said:

.....is a much easier solo than most in BG1, as you can............

.......... and some of BG1 might b...........

as the thread is posted in the BG2 section i assume that the OP will start from SoA and not from bg1.
but i can be wrong, @ariakas2 can you please enlighten us about your intentions?

starting in bg2 i think that the old FMT is a good bet, as lacks only on divine magic. as solo the level is not a problem, loosing lev 9 spells is not optimal but a FMT has other ways, and has also all the lev 9 scrolls available for quick slot use as no one has to memorize them.

DreadKhan

I got confused reading another's post.

I think the character is supposed to be primarily a mage, meaning ftm is perhaps not enough mage? Its an intuitive playthrough though, you can use obvious solutions to nearly everything, be it a big spell, a backstab/trap or just whacking it.

I/T is easy to underestimate, and at least in SoA its a beast. Spike traps in SoA would be broken though.

gorgonzola

yep a triple class is certainly the less mage oriented combo, but is maybe the more versatile, together with C/M.
UAI, traps and back stab from the thief, apr and thac0 from the fighter and mage spells to make him more resilient and to get rid of the enemy protection, mislead when possible and needed and you have the perfect combo to solo a game.
even if i don't play scs i am pretty sure that works well there.

if the OP prefers to play a strong mage that is also something other, and is very possible as he tells:

ariakas2 said:

...........Fighter/Mage Dual/Multi or..........
Edit: What about Swashbuckler/Mage? It would be cool to open locks. Though i don't know if the final thaco will be enough for ToB. I plan to dual at level 10.

and every dual into mage is a strong mage with some added capabilities.

i probably would not dual but i'll pick a multi cause having 2 pools of HLA, or even 3, is a great advantage, and a multi (2 classes) will be anyway a strong caster in the end, if is gnome is better cause that 1 more lev 9 spell is really useful. but we are talking of tastes and play styles, a dual starting in soa is strong and perfectly viable, the down time is short and will be in a short time the best spellcaster, reaching high levels faster.