I kinda thought the extra speed plus a couple pips in longbow or crossbow would make BG1 a breeze. It'd be super-easy to get him to level 6 without taking any damage at all by kiting. At level 6 grab a real tank, such as Kagain or Yeslick along with a proper party and you're home free.
It's the image of the class clashing with what it's actually good at. People see "barbarian", and think of a melee brute who gets up front as a tank. But low-level warrior tanking in this version of D&D is all about heavy armor and AC, and a barbarian can't wear the armor you need for it. So you have to change up your tactics; exploit that mobility edge for hit-and run attacks, whether melee or ranged.
At high levels, barbarians get physical resistance. And AC is a lot less important, because the high-end melee threats will hit you anyway. That changes things up, and high-level barbarians are excellent tanks.
Not an answer for the op, but an additional question. Has anybody tried out a Barbarian all the way through? I've wanted to try it but always end up shying away from pure fighter types.
I ran a barbarian named Arkona a few years ago. She completed a SCS/Ascension solo no reload, including Watcher's Keep with Demogorgon. She was capable of handling everything the game threw at her.
I went with a halfling for the dex bonus, shorty saves, and the Sword of Arvoreen (which confers Stun and Slow immunity while equipped and is useable by all halflings, not just Mazzy).
In BG1 she was primarily a ranged fighter/skirmisher, although she was capable of straight forward melee, using Potions of Defense, Potions of Invulnerability and Potions of Stone Form, supplemented with Potions of Mind Focusing. As for her armor slot, she typically used unenchanted studded leather, for the more versatile adjustments, but she'd switch it out for unenchanted splint against crushers.
Potion of Defense or Invulnerability + Potion of Mind Focusing + unenchanted splint or studded leather + protection item + the right belt is solid in BG1. The relevant potions are semi-plentiful. Just remember that this is a big fight brew, not an every fight one. Also, be sure to have invisibility->rebuff in reserve if there's a dispel threat on the field.
In SoA her go to armor setup was Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted studded leather or splint + Guard's Ring, for a base AC of 1, enhanced with enemy specific adjustments. Naturally, she could improve upon those numbers with additional items and potions as the situation required. All in all, the armor restriction wasn't a serious impairment in SoA. Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted leather or splint + Guard's Ring is respectable.
In ToB she was excellent, ofc. Little needs to be said here.
In sum, she was an enjoyable and rock solid character from beginning to end. The run was documented in the Bioware forums NR challenge. I can provide a link if you like.
Have fun with your barbarian, if you choose to run one!
I kinda thought the extra speed plus a couple pips in longbow or crossbow would make BG1 a breeze.
Yup! Nailed it, lol.
BG1 is a breeze for barbarians, since the movement rate bonus trivializes the early game. I went with shortbows/slings/darts rather than longbows/crossbows, but the idea was the same. In a party get a real tank late, as you say. Solo, use your potions. In either case barbarians can cruise through BG1, if they so desire.
Btw, commenting on the SCS/Ascension solo no reload context, my answer to the general question would be:
i) Almost anything arcane (Bards and multis included, gimpy specialists and some duals excluded)
ii) Anything combining shorty saves + missile weapons + high value potions + small shields (including clerics, as I've recently learned)
Life gets harder when your character doesn't fit one of those categories.
Surprised no one mentioned Dwarden Defender, literally starts strong af and stays like that the entire game through TOB , the best unkillable tank in game.
Not the best, but i really liked the early dual specialist mage to fighter. Use all items for mage and fighter is an interesting playtrough. Using fire wand as machine gun in bg1 is easier than any ranged weapon
Surprised no one mentioned Dwarden Defender, literally starts strong af and stays like that the entire game through TOB , the best unkillable tank in game.
Not the best, but i really liked the early dual specialist mage to fighter. Use all items for mage and fighter is an interesting playtrough. Using fire wand as machine gun in bg1 is easier than any ranged weapon
Both excellent suggestions! And while I haven't tried either, I'm inclined to agree. A dwarven defender falls cleanly into my category two. The low level mage->fighter dual may -may- qualify for my category one. My only caveat would be that the comparatively poor human saves required for dueling, intersected with the lack of mid level arcane spells, would increase risk at certain stages of the adventure. In party play, or with reloads allowed, this would be less of an issue, though, and I imagine it would be a fun choice. I may try it someday
Not the best, but i really liked the early dual specialist mage to fighter. Use all items for mage and fighter is an interesting playtrough. Using fire wand as machine gun in bg1 is easier than any ranged weapon
I love simplicity of BG1, fireballs cleans everything.
Not the best, but i really liked the early dual specialist mage to fighter. Use all items for mage and fighter is an interesting playtrough. Using fire wand as machine gun in bg1 is easier than any ranged weapon
I love simplicity of BG1, fireballs cleans everything.
The One Gift Lost gives everybody access to fireball. No bard, wizard or rogue with UAI required. I recently found that there's a merchant in Trademeet that sells one in SoA. It's the tent outside the city in the SE. Available after dealing with the Dao Djinns.
Not an answer for the op, but an additional question. Has anybody tried out a Barbarian all the way through? I've wanted to try it but always end up shying away from pure fighter types.
I ran a barbarian named Arkona a few years ago. She completed a SCS/Ascension solo no reload, including Watcher's Keep with Demogorgon. She was capable of handling everything the game threw at her.
I went with a halfling for the dex bonus, shorty saves, and the Sword of Arvoreen (which confers Stun and Slow immunity while equipped and is useable by all halflings, not just Mazzy).
In BG1 she was primarily a ranged fighter/skirmisher, although she was capable of straight forward melee, using Potions of Defense, Potions of Invulnerability and Potions of Stone Form, supplemented with Potions of Mind Focusing. As for her armor slot, she typically used unenchanted studded leather, for the more versatile adjustments, but she'd switch it out for unenchanted splint against crushers.
Potion of Defense or Invulnerability + Potion of Mind Focusing + unenchanted splint or studded leather + protection item + the right belt is solid in BG1. The relevant potions are semi-plentiful. Just remember that this is a big fight brew, not an every fight one. Also, be sure to have invisibility->rebuff in reserve if there's a dispel threat on the field.
In SoA her go to armor setup was Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted studded leather or splint + Guard's Ring, for a base AC of 1, enhanced with enemy specific adjustments. Naturally, she could improve upon those numbers with additional items and potions as the situation required. All in all, the armor restriction wasn't a serious impairment in SoA. Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted leather or splint + Guard's Ring is respectable.
In ToB she was excellent, ofc. Little needs to be said here.
In sum, she was an enjoyable and rock solid character from beginning to end. The run was documented in the Bioware forums NR challenge. I can provide a link if you like.
Have fun with your barbarian, if you choose to run one!
I kinda thought the extra speed plus a couple pips in longbow or crossbow would make BG1 a breeze.
Yup! Nailed it, lol.
BG1 is a breeze for barbarians, since the movement rate bonus trivializes the early game. I went with shortbows/slings/darts rather than longbows/crossbows, but the idea was the same. In a party get a real tank late, as you say. Solo, use your potions. In either case barbarians can cruise through BG1, if they so desire.
Hi,
If you still have it, I would be very interested in the link for the run. Particularly on the weapons / proficiency choices.
I am currently playing a Dwarf Berserker, instead of a Halfling Barbarian. I finished BG1 without any problem, but I am a bit more concerned about the viability of the character for SoA and ToB. Any advice would also be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
The coverage of Arkona's run was uneven and sloppy because it had started as an install test. I also spent a lot of time waxing philosophical about restrictions and such, at least in the beginning. IIRC, by ToB the coverage got better.
I also ran a solo unkitted fighter, named Aestica, in this forum's No Reload Challenge. She died in Nyalee's glade, due to a freak occurrence involving Physical Mirror, the Reflection Shield and Smite. She was doing well until that point. The BG2 portion of that run starts here:
The coverage of that run was stronger, so that's a better reference. Maybe the thing to do is read Aestica, until the end of her run, and then checkout Arkona for the rest.
Best of luck with your run, and feel free to ask if you have any questions!
Comments
At high levels, barbarians get physical resistance. And AC is a lot less important, because the high-end melee threats will hit you anyway. That changes things up, and high-level barbarians are excellent tanks.
I ran a barbarian named Arkona a few years ago. She completed a SCS/Ascension solo no reload, including Watcher's Keep with Demogorgon. She was capable of handling everything the game threw at her.
I went with a halfling for the dex bonus, shorty saves, and the Sword of Arvoreen (which confers Stun and Slow immunity while equipped and is useable by all halflings, not just Mazzy).
In BG1 she was primarily a ranged fighter/skirmisher, although she was capable of straight forward melee, using Potions of Defense, Potions of Invulnerability and Potions of Stone Form, supplemented with Potions of Mind Focusing. As for her armor slot, she typically used unenchanted studded leather, for the more versatile adjustments, but she'd switch it out for unenchanted splint against crushers.
Potion of Defense or Invulnerability + Potion of Mind Focusing + unenchanted splint or studded leather + protection item + the right belt is solid in BG1. The relevant potions are semi-plentiful. Just remember that this is a big fight brew, not an every fight one. Also, be sure to have invisibility->rebuff in reserve if there's a dispel threat on the field.
In SoA her go to armor setup was Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted studded leather or splint + Guard's Ring, for a base AC of 1, enhanced with enemy specific adjustments. Naturally, she could improve upon those numbers with additional items and potions as the situation required. All in all, the armor restriction wasn't a serious impairment in SoA. Bracers of AC 3 + unenchanted leather or splint + Guard's Ring is respectable.
In ToB she was excellent, ofc. Little needs to be said here.
In sum, she was an enjoyable and rock solid character from beginning to end. The run was documented in the Bioware forums NR challenge. I can provide a link if you like.
Have fun with your barbarian, if you choose to run one!
Best,
A.
EDIT: I just noticed this comment:
Yup! Nailed it, lol.
BG1 is a breeze for barbarians, since the movement rate bonus trivializes the early game. I went with shortbows/slings/darts rather than longbows/crossbows, but the idea was the same. In a party get a real tank late, as you say. Solo, use your potions. In either case barbarians can cruise through BG1, if they so desire.
i) Almost anything arcane (Bards and multis included, gimpy specialists and some duals excluded)
ii) Anything combining shorty saves + missile weapons + high value potions + small shields (including clerics, as I've recently learned)
Life gets harder when your character doesn't fit one of those categories.
Both excellent suggestions! And while I haven't tried either, I'm inclined to agree. A dwarven defender falls cleanly into my category two. The low level mage->fighter dual may -may- qualify for my category one. My only caveat would be that the comparatively poor human saves required for dueling, intersected with the lack of mid level arcane spells, would increase risk at certain stages of the adventure. In party play, or with reloads allowed, this would be less of an issue, though, and I imagine it would be a fun choice. I may try it someday
I love simplicity of BG1, fireballs cleans everything.
The One Gift Lost gives everybody access to fireball. No bard, wizard or rogue with UAI required. I recently found that there's a merchant in Trademeet that sells one in SoA. It's the tent outside the city in the SE. Available after dealing with the Dao Djinns.
Hi,
If you still have it, I would be very interested in the link for the run. Particularly on the weapons / proficiency choices.
I am currently playing a Dwarf Berserker, instead of a Halfling Barbarian. I finished BG1 without any problem, but I am a bit more concerned about the viability of the character for SoA and ToB. Any advice would also be appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Arkona's run was on the old Bioware forums. The BG2 portion can be found here:
blackstrider.net/public_html/bg2-full/baldurs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/forum.bioware.com/topic/124277-baldurs-gate-2-no-reload-challenge/page-554.html
The coverage of Arkona's run was uneven and sloppy because it had started as an install test. I also spent a lot of time waxing philosophical about restrictions and such, at least in the beginning. IIRC, by ToB the coverage got better.
I also ran a solo unkitted fighter, named Aestica, in this forum's No Reload Challenge. She died in Nyalee's glade, due to a freak occurrence involving Physical Mirror, the Reflection Shield and Smite. She was doing well until that point. The BG2 portion of that run starts here:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/comment/902421/#Comment_902421
The coverage of that run was stronger, so that's a better reference. Maybe the thing to do is read Aestica, until the end of her run, and then checkout Arkona for the rest.
Best of luck with your run, and feel free to ask if you have any questions!
Cheers,
A.