Rasaad Quest Too Easy (spoilers)

BelacRLJ

I finally got the part of his quest in the docks to trigger, and completed it.

I understand the (optional) fight in the building next to the Seven Suns being not difficult, but the whole Cloud Peaks map was disappointing.

Just a series of small groups of monks interspersed with a few archers. Repetitive enemy tactics, easily countered. My party is level 5, and my two main melee tanks were blinded early on but still wiped the floor with the enemy throughout.

Is there a mod that creates more variety/difficulty? For example:
1) more traps, and in areas of active battle
2) more enemy spellcasters (Gamaz mentions he now has powers of sorcery, but aside from Shocking Grasp, Blur, and Blindness neither he nor his followers cast anything).
3) stronger monks (can they cast Invisibility instead of/in addition to Blur?)
4) more enemies in general, including respawns behind the party
5) Strengthen Gamaz. I know a major plot point is Rasaad being stronger than him, but he didn't put up much of a fight at all. The rest of my party didn't even help Rasaad.
6) Strengthen Gamaz's final party (spellcaster, or even just have a snow troll or two)

It would have been harder at lower levels, but since the party can't even get to the Cloud Peaks until chapter 5, I don't see how it could ever be challenging for a party that can get to it. It felt like Nashkel Mines-level difficulty.

ilduderino

The only reason to do the map is to get the big fisted belt.
To avoid having to do the quest I often just code the item in once I reach Baldur’s Gate. When I only had the game on iPad I used to import a character with the belt so I had it and only use it from when I reached Baldur’s Gate due to the lack of console.
It is very bland, which is how I see Rasaad.
I quite like the riddle of the two prisoners, which I found fun the first time and it reminded me of Labyrinth, which is a good thing.

BelacRLJ

The background visuals are so beautiful, I just wish it could get the SCS treatment and be a challenge for a 5th-level party.

Also the Big Fisted Belt is excessively powerful, IMO--I'd not mind if it were modded to reduce both wisdom and intelligence to 6, thus reducing the number of characters who it wouldn't be an unalloyed benefit for.

Cabusha

I'm doing a multiplayer game with my buddies, and by the time we wandered into this quest, most of us were Max level. We just rofl-stomped thru it like nothing. I'm glad we weren't the only ones who found this content way below appropriate challenge, since we couldn't get there until chapter 5.

That said, the belt is awesome. I've been playing an idiot dwarven cleric (4 int). One so dumb he has unwavering faith in his God (a large rock he keeps in his pack). The half-orc fighter in the group has had a good time pointing out that even HE CAN READ (8 int). So we dropped the belt on my dwarf and laughed as he got smarter from the curse. Still illiterate, but slightly sharper.

ThacoBell

I think its important to remember how open BGs gameplay flow is. Its very possible to get to BG wiht characters still at level 4. My first clear of the game had my highest level character at 5. Rasaad's quest can activate without player input, so its important that non-completionists can handle it. Trolls and some nasty traps, can quite a nasty surpsrise for these parties.

sarevok57

ThacoBell wrote: »

I think its important to remember how open BGs gameplay flow is. Its very possible to get to BG wiht characters still at level 4. My first clear of the game had my highest level character at 5. Rasaad's quest can activate without player input, so its important that non-completionists can handle it. Trolls and some nasty traps, can quite a nasty surpsrise for these parties.

realistically to hit BG the city at level 4 you REALLY have to be running there and trying your best to avoid as many encounters as possible with a big team

im going to assume that most average players are going to be level 5 or 6 the time they hit BG the city, and that is just for the players who won't use guides to find all the good items/treasures in all the open areas that you dont have to go through

ThacoBell

When you're 8 and bored to death of empty wilderness areas, its pretty easy to just do the quests the game hands you.

BelacRLJ

Even at level 4 it would have been quite easy.

The problem is that monk is indeed a weak class at low levels, and while a smart player can equip Rasaad appropriately and use good tactics to make him quite effective, it's hard for the game AI to do the same. So a map full of low-level monk enemies is going to be easy unless designed very carefully.

The very same party, immediately after this encounter, had a really hard time with SCS!Ulcaster, for reference, so the dropoff in difficulty from Icharyd/Wolf of Ulcaster to Gamaz was especially notable.

ThacoBell

BelacRLJ wrote: »

Even at level 4 it would have been quite easy.

The problem is that monk is indeed a weak class at low levels, and while a smart player can equip Rasaad appropriately and use good tactics to make him quite effective, it's hard for the game AI to do the same. So a map full of low-level monk enemies is going to be easy unless designed very carefully.

The very same party, immediately after this encounter, had a really hard time with SCS!Ulcaster, for reference, so the dropoff in difficulty from Icharyd/Wolf of Ulcaster to Gamaz was especially notable.

You've also buffed Icharyd and the wolf with SCS. That's not an equivalent comparison.

BelacRLJ

Yes, and what I'm really asking for here is a SCS-style improvement to the Cloud Peaks.

ThacoBell

BelacRLJ wrote: »

Yes, and what I'm really asking for here is a SCS-style improvement to the Cloud Peaks.

Ask the current maintainer of SCS then?