Ultimate list of overlooked spells and kits, plus those that I think are overrated
2hellwBg2
Member Posts: 19
There are many lists of must have mage spells and the best kits, but I often don't agree with them.
I thought this might be useful to someone looking for a different playstyle.
I think slayer form is the true class of the game.
Most people ignore that ability but I think the slayer is the god of murder.
So for me, the most powerful spell in the game for me is at level 6
Arcane spells
Level 1:
Spook: a -6 saving throw (-8 if illusionist) with casting time of 1, one of the best interrupters in the game
Overrated:
Sleep: only useful at the beginning of BG1 and against trash mobs, ogres etc will often resist it
Level 2:
Ray of Enfeeblement: removes the high strength damage bonus from an enemy, good in BG1
Detect invisibility: don't need true sight, mirror image won't save a mage, dont waste your high spell slots
Glitterdust: if conjurer
Invisibility: 24 hour duration that is targetable. A thief can find and disarm traps while invisible. Cleric can turn undead without being attacked. Mage can remain hidden and not get targeted by archers while walking
Overrated:
Web: Likely to get yourself stuck in it too, annoying
Mirror image: won't last long against enemies that are a real threat
Level 3:
Clairvoyance: No need to reveal dark areas to navigate via map, convenience
Wraithform: Great for bards or F/M against trash mobs
Hold Undead: Many things are undead and they often come in packs
Overrated:
Dispel Magic: Can remove your own buffs etc, annoying, requires high level
Fireball / Skull Trap: AOE targeting is annoying, often hits your own team
Haste: Fatigue is annoying
Level 4:
Enchanted Weapon: No need for +3 arrows, use the superior composite bows such as strong arm
Dimension Door: instantly get your mage away from danger
Overrated:
Greater Malison: rather not use save or else spells against dangerous enemies
Improved Invisibility: short duration, enemies use true sight, buffs not worth the spell slot
Stoneskin: shouldn't be needed for a pure wizard in the backline
Level 5:
Choas: People know it is strong, but it often gets overlooked
Cloudkill: Useful for most of the game against trash mobs
Sunfire: Bard or F/M under invisibility, scout ahead and sunfire
Overrated:
Lower Resistance: if it's immune to magic, there are other spells to kill it, like summons or slayer
Spell immunity: short duration
Level 6:
Chain lighting: good for harming a group for easier killing
Power Word, Silence: people know it is strong but it often gets overlooked
Protection from magical energy: best spell in the game. Prevents you from taking transformation damage while in slayer form, so you can stay the slayer as long as you like. Be the real Bhaal spawn! Slayer form retains the benefits of a class, such as 7x backstab
Overrated:
True Sight: really only useful against liches, and even then it's not needed
Improved Haste: strong spell but short duration, I'd rather use something more fancy looking
Level 7:
Sphere of Chaos: good against groups
Ruby Ray of Reversal: strong anti-protection spell, keep your high level spell slots
Overrated:
Mordenkainen's Sword: short duration, animate dead will deal with most things just fine
Project Image: strong spell but short duration and clones require you lead them
Level 8:
Bigby's Clenched Fist: useful against many dangerous enemies
Power Word, Blind: just as good as Incendiary Cloud and Horrid Wilting
Overrated:
Simulacrum: same reason as project image
Level 9:
Bigby's Crushing Hand: useful against many dangerous enemies
Wail of the Banshee: thins the herd. Chain Contingency + Horrid wilting is very strong but consumes many spells
Overrated:
Spell Trap: dislike all anti-magic bubbles, turnings etc
Spellstrike: just use ruby's reversal and save your spell slot
Time stop: the things you really want to use this against are immune to it
Classes
Overlooked:
Pure fighter: can grand master ranged weapons and melee! more useful than you may think
Beast master: I think it's the best ranger class. you can scout ahead with ranger stealth and spawn animals near mobs then shoot them with arrows while you send in your team. Spawn animals near mages etc. They will soak up spells and distract enemies
Undead hunter: immune to hold and level drain without equipment. only lose lay on hands
Priest of Helm: Seeking sword is really good, especially with cleric buffs
Shapeshifter: you are a caster, not a fighter. the werewolf form is good when you just need to attack trash mobs
Pure bard: pickpocket is very useful, blades and skalds cant really do it
Assassin: slayer form, 7x backstab with poison
Diviner: one of the strongest mages, as there are no must have conjuration spells. even the best summons are not in the conjuration school
Invoker: improved saving throws with many useful spells all the way to level 9. enchantment stops at level 5
Transmuter: abjuration spells are not really needed unless you like the roleplaying aspect of "mage fencing", and mustard jelly / iron golem are better than any magic-protection spell anyway
----
Overrated:
Kensai: spend most of your game planning to dual class
Inquisitor: Dispel magic also removes your buffs and this class cant cast spells. just a poor fighter
Totemic druid: the summons quickly become obsolete
Blade: without tensers transformation you have a thief thac0 but also dual wield
Skald: a child of the god of murder is a buff bot....
Conjurer: divination spells are good
I thought this might be useful to someone looking for a different playstyle.
I think slayer form is the true class of the game.
Most people ignore that ability but I think the slayer is the god of murder.
So for me, the most powerful spell in the game for me is at level 6
Arcane spells
Level 1:
Spook: a -6 saving throw (-8 if illusionist) with casting time of 1, one of the best interrupters in the game
Overrated:
Sleep: only useful at the beginning of BG1 and against trash mobs, ogres etc will often resist it
Level 2:
Ray of Enfeeblement: removes the high strength damage bonus from an enemy, good in BG1
Detect invisibility: don't need true sight, mirror image won't save a mage, dont waste your high spell slots
Glitterdust: if conjurer
Invisibility: 24 hour duration that is targetable. A thief can find and disarm traps while invisible. Cleric can turn undead without being attacked. Mage can remain hidden and not get targeted by archers while walking
Overrated:
Web: Likely to get yourself stuck in it too, annoying
Mirror image: won't last long against enemies that are a real threat
Level 3:
Clairvoyance: No need to reveal dark areas to navigate via map, convenience
Wraithform: Great for bards or F/M against trash mobs
Hold Undead: Many things are undead and they often come in packs
Overrated:
Dispel Magic: Can remove your own buffs etc, annoying, requires high level
Fireball / Skull Trap: AOE targeting is annoying, often hits your own team
Haste: Fatigue is annoying
Level 4:
Enchanted Weapon: No need for +3 arrows, use the superior composite bows such as strong arm
Dimension Door: instantly get your mage away from danger
Overrated:
Greater Malison: rather not use save or else spells against dangerous enemies
Improved Invisibility: short duration, enemies use true sight, buffs not worth the spell slot
Stoneskin: shouldn't be needed for a pure wizard in the backline
Level 5:
Choas: People know it is strong, but it often gets overlooked
Cloudkill: Useful for most of the game against trash mobs
Sunfire: Bard or F/M under invisibility, scout ahead and sunfire
Overrated:
Lower Resistance: if it's immune to magic, there are other spells to kill it, like summons or slayer
Spell immunity: short duration
Level 6:
Chain lighting: good for harming a group for easier killing
Power Word, Silence: people know it is strong but it often gets overlooked
Protection from magical energy: best spell in the game. Prevents you from taking transformation damage while in slayer form, so you can stay the slayer as long as you like. Be the real Bhaal spawn! Slayer form retains the benefits of a class, such as 7x backstab
Overrated:
True Sight: really only useful against liches, and even then it's not needed
Improved Haste: strong spell but short duration, I'd rather use something more fancy looking
Level 7:
Sphere of Chaos: good against groups
Ruby Ray of Reversal: strong anti-protection spell, keep your high level spell slots
Overrated:
Mordenkainen's Sword: short duration, animate dead will deal with most things just fine
Project Image: strong spell but short duration and clones require you lead them
Level 8:
Bigby's Clenched Fist: useful against many dangerous enemies
Power Word, Blind: just as good as Incendiary Cloud and Horrid Wilting
Overrated:
Simulacrum: same reason as project image
Level 9:
Bigby's Crushing Hand: useful against many dangerous enemies
Wail of the Banshee: thins the herd. Chain Contingency + Horrid wilting is very strong but consumes many spells
Overrated:
Spell Trap: dislike all anti-magic bubbles, turnings etc
Spellstrike: just use ruby's reversal and save your spell slot
Time stop: the things you really want to use this against are immune to it
Classes
Overlooked:
Pure fighter: can grand master ranged weapons and melee! more useful than you may think
Beast master: I think it's the best ranger class. you can scout ahead with ranger stealth and spawn animals near mobs then shoot them with arrows while you send in your team. Spawn animals near mages etc. They will soak up spells and distract enemies
Undead hunter: immune to hold and level drain without equipment. only lose lay on hands
Priest of Helm: Seeking sword is really good, especially with cleric buffs
Shapeshifter: you are a caster, not a fighter. the werewolf form is good when you just need to attack trash mobs
Pure bard: pickpocket is very useful, blades and skalds cant really do it
Assassin: slayer form, 7x backstab with poison
Diviner: one of the strongest mages, as there are no must have conjuration spells. even the best summons are not in the conjuration school
Invoker: improved saving throws with many useful spells all the way to level 9. enchantment stops at level 5
Transmuter: abjuration spells are not really needed unless you like the roleplaying aspect of "mage fencing", and mustard jelly / iron golem are better than any magic-protection spell anyway
----
Overrated:
Kensai: spend most of your game planning to dual class
Inquisitor: Dispel magic also removes your buffs and this class cant cast spells. just a poor fighter
Totemic druid: the summons quickly become obsolete
Blade: without tensers transformation you have a thief thac0 but also dual wield
Skald: a child of the god of murder is a buff bot....
Conjurer: divination spells are good
Post edited by 2hellwBg2 on
1
Comments
Other things seem quite odd to me as well.
Spook is quite highly recommended as a Sorcerer spell pick, so I don't feel it is really overlooked. Sleep loses it's utility, but it is a great spell early on, definitely not overrated. Makes things like clearing the spiders in Beregost a cakewalk.
For Web you are not supposed to walk in, just shoot arrows.
Looking at Level 6, you should take a look at Death for trash mobs. There are quite a few enemies in BG 2 that die to it without a saving throw, including Umber Hulks.
Improved Haste is the best damage multiplier in the game.
Wraithform is a 3rd level spell, stoneskin is 4th level. Wraithform makes you immune, stoneskin just protects against a few hits, it's even worse for a F/M because of slow leveling.
Say you are level 15, that's 15 hits. Wraithform will protect you for way more than 15 hits. Enemies that can bypass wraithform are better dealt with your magic than sword. Also at 4th level you have sequencer, polymorph etc competing with stoneskin. And a backline mage shouldn't need stoneskin at all
Edit: normal bard / FM play. Cast Stoneskin, mirror image, improved invisibility, blur for one battle, using most of your spells just so you can survive a battle lol. might as well just be a fighter
Wraithform takes care of most problems and you have other spells for things it doesnt
Web, I didn't say you walk into it, I said it's annoying and you can easily trap yourself too
Death spell? yeah it's good
I think improved haste is overrated, you don't really need it. It's strong but it's boring
And spook is another one of those spells people know is good, but they just use magic missile anyway even though spook has better utility at stopping casters, 2 spooks in a sequencer
Except Wraithform disables spellcasting and does not work against the more powerful enemies. And that Stoneskin has a 12 hours duration. There's a reason the spell has a high material cost in PnP.
Like golems?
In BG2 killing enemies with physical damage is almost always more efficient than using offensive magic.
WTF? in my original explanation, it's for trash mobs
"Great for bards or F/M against trash mobs"
and I literally replied you do not use it against powerful enemies
Yeah it disables spellcasting, do not use precious spells slots on trash mobs as a bard or F/M
Golems? you go toe to toe with golems as a bard? No, cast a spell, melfs meteors wastes them
or cast protection from magical energy and change into the slayer and waste them
cost far less spells than the "standard" way of doing it and much safer
the whole point of this post was to show there are other useful spells out there for a different playstyle than the cookie clutter "you need stoneskin" and all that other crap
"In BG2 killing enemies with physical damage is almost always more efficient than using offensive magic."
wait first you complained that wraithform disables spellcasting, then you say melee is better! WTF
YEAH HENCE THE BIG "USE SLAYER FORM" NOTICE
Chain horrid wilting is very good, it's also multiple high levels spells for one fight, when banshee can thin the herd while you deal with the rest for one spell. it is a good spell, but players get upset because it doesnt kill everything.... they would rather spend multiple high spells at once to kill everything
What you should do is look for a youtuber channel named daevoran who needed to get good at magic because of his style. The guy is very good at the game and livestreams quite a lot of characters with the goal of beating the whole game without having to reload the game. That means he will roll with the punches and try to endure if things do not go his way. Plays a really hard version of it too using the SCS scripting overhaul and improved enemies.