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HoW:TotL only from scratch (solo, moderate stats, Insane diff.)

YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
edited October 2021 in Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
The idea is to start HoW and to go directly to Trials of the Luremaster without any additional actions. HoF seems too extremal for a solo char of lvl 10, so I started on insane diff.

My first try:

Berserker (dual-classable to Thief) with moderate stats
STR=15, DEX=17, CON=INT=WIS=CHA=10
Grand mastery in longswords, 2pips for sword+shield.

Comments

  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    edited October 2021
    Hobart's shop has the following useful things for my campaign ?:

    Bag of Holding
    Ogre Bracers (STR=18/00)
    Golden Girdle (AC+3 vs slashing attacks)
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Golden Girdle helps significantly in melees with constantly spawning Harpies in the backyard. ?
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 261
    Interesting idea, and with a non-spellcaster to boot! I'd be worried about the berserker's rage wearing off too soon in fights, and the general lack of healing/buffing/spell damage. Between the harpies, greater mummies, spectral guards, and rakshasas, I'd say your work is cut out for you.

    What are you wearing for armor/shield and using for a weapon? Using non-enchanted ones and hoping to pick up something good?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Aerich wrote: »
    Interesting idea, and with a non-spellcaster to boot! I'd be worried about the berserker's rage wearing off too soon in fights, and the general lack of healing/buffing/spell damage. Between the harpies, greater mummies, spectral guards, and rakshasas, I'd say your work is cut out for you.

    What are you wearing for armor/shield and using for a weapon? Using non-enchanted ones and hoping to pick up something good?

    Thanks for your reply! ? I've just cleared out the Watchknights Crypt.

    When U start in HoW, it gives you some decent equipment (flaming sword+2, Lathander's helm, great shield+3). I improved it bying the full plate+1 in Hobart's shop. I have also found longsword of action+4.

    So, now my Berserker has lvl 13, AC=-10, THAC0 = 0. It's enough to crush most of enemies, including groups of harpies, on Insane (however on HoF it would be impossible imho). ?

    Now, I'm preparing to fight with Harpy Queen and Wyvern Matron. ⚔️
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 261
    Ah, ok, that makes sense. The Great Shield alone helps a lot - I was wondering how your AC could get low enough to survive. :wink:

    LSoA and a flaming longsword is one of my favourite combos. It looks cool, and it's pretty effective, especially against revenants, trolls, etc.

    So since you're in melee almost exclusively, how are you doing the fights with mixed mobs? Going straight away to take down greater mummies and just tanking the mob with AC/HP/DR until after that's done?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    edited October 2021
    Aerich wrote: »
    Ah, ok, that makes sense. The Great Shield alone helps a lot - I was wondering how your AC could get low enough to survive. :wink:

    LSoA and a flaming longsword is one of my favourite combos. It looks cool, and it's pretty effective, especially against revenants, trolls, etc.

    So since you're in melee almost exclusively, how are you doing the fights with mixed mobs? Going straight away to take down greater mummies and just tanking the mob with AC/HP/DR until after that's done?

    I've beaten 1 Greater Mummy in the Watchknights Crypt and, curiously, it was not difficult. It inflicted only a disease (giving regular poison damage) that I cured with a potion. There is no level drain in IWD, otherwise it would be a huge problem (no temple services in TotL to restore from level drains). ?

    Now, normally, I go straight in the middle of massive melees. ⚔️

    Current status: lvl 15, AC=-13 (-15 during the berserker's rage), 9/2 attacks/round with longsword of action+4. ?

    N.B. I've found a mantle, compatible with armor, improving AC to -13.
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Oh well, there are temple services by Rikasha at the end of the Castle Dungeon. ?

    Current status: level 26, searching for portal gems in Castle Dungeon Level 4. ?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    edited October 2021
    Aerich wrote: »
    So since you're in melee almost exclusively, how are you doing the fights with mixed mobs? Going straight away to take down greater mummies and just tanking the mob with AC/HP/DR until after that's done?

    So far, Glabrezus and Kornugons (24,000XP on Insane) were the toughest melee fighters. ⚔️

    N.B. 3 Kornugons appear on Insane when U put an incorrect flawless gem into one of Portal's slots.
    Post edited by Yigor on
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    TotL is finished, my berserker returned back to Lonelywood and has lvl 28. I'm planning to dual-class him to Thief at lvl 29 (probably after importing in a new game). ?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Finally, I dualed Berserker in this game and survived with lvl 1 Thief thanks to enormous amounts of quest XP.

    Current status: Berserker(inactive)/Thief of lvl 29/19 after completing the Burial Isle.

    The "completion" of Burial Isle is just picking up Wylfdene's talisman using only Hide in Shadows. LoL ?

    I've taken also the cursed armor possessed by Glabrezu. ?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Current status: lvl 29/23, fighting with Remorhaz and Ice Golems in Gloomfrost's caves with traps, lotsa traps. ???
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    After completing Gloomfrost, I finally got my first maximal dual-classed character of lvl 29/30. ?
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 261
    Questions: did you do a lot of exit, rest, and re-entry to spam traps? Or pulling to outside so you can missile them to death safely with a shortbow? A solo thief against remorhaz seems like a long and arduous process.
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    edited October 2021
    Aerich wrote: »
    Questions: did you do a lot of exit, rest, and re-entry to spam traps? Or pulling to outside so you can missile them to death safely with a shortbow? A solo thief against remorhaz seems like a long and arduous process.

    Don't forget that I played on Insane (not HoF) and 5 traps are normally enough to kill a Remorhaz. Basically, the completion of Gloomfrost was a long sequence of resting and of trap installing. Sometimes I finished Remorhaz, as U indicated, outside with a shortbow/sling. A bit arduous but not excessively, it affords a quick lvl progression since each Remorhaz gives 24,000XP. ?
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    Currently, I'm planning a trio in TotL on HoF: Berserker/Thief (lvl 29/30), Morninglord(/Wizard) and Shadowdancer(/Fighter). ⚔️❤️‍?
  • AerichAerich Member Posts: 261
    I am wondering if you are going to relax any self-imposed limitations and use Animate Dead with the cleric. My concern for that group on HoF without a summons here and there is that if the shadowdancer hides, the berserker will get swarmed, and his AC/DR may not be good enough to tank several attackers at a time, even with a bit of added spell support from the Cl/M. Bear in mind the added attacks (and to-hit bonus?) that HoF adds as well as the HP. Also see my comments about access to Blood Iron for the shadowdancer in the other post.
  • YigorYigor Member Posts: 795
    My new try in this setting is Archer (/Cleric) LoL. 😸 Currently, my Archer has level 12 after completing the crypt. I'm planning to dual-class it to Cleric at level 29. 😎
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