Going back and hitting some of the quests I put off until later when rushing for Imoen, and just had the most anti-climactic battle with the Rakshasa that I've ever had. Even with SCS enabled. Keria is L20 and running with Celestial Fury, a shortsword with various immunities, Cheetah boots, and a belt of giant strength nowadays. Left everybody else back near the Druid circle. She just popped in, stealthed as soon as the Rakshasa went hostile, and immediately backstabbed Ihtafeer. Critical Backstab. No more Ihtafeer. Shadowstep out the door. Wait for spells to go away. Come back in, stealth over to Rakshasa number 2. Rinse repeat. The other two didn't get crits. But getting stunned by CF meant they weren't terribly more challenging. Rather cheesy, yes. But I expected them to immediately shield up and let loose with more spells. Even left the others way out of the way in case they followed me out the door.
Working on a graphic write-up of the final confrontation with Bohdi before going after Irenicus. I've stopped poking around wrapping up loose ends, because there simply isn't much point. Either Keira or Kord could just about solo much of what's left. Kord is L20, Keira L24, and both have their first HLAs. Hit Firekraag and he lasted maybe 4 rounds. Went back for the Shadow Dragon on the way home and he essentially exploded in the initial round. Kord specced for two-handed, high damage, with +Crit gear and skills pretty much dives in and tears apart anything in front of him. Only even bother going berserk if I'm concerned about mind control. While Kord dominates the numbers game, Keira simply breaks it in half. Even things that can naturally see through stealth can't do anything about shadow-stepping in and out of trouble, forcing them to waste time and spells. And if they can't deal with stealth-at-will + non-detection + backstab they are simply toast. Toss in ShadowDancer HLA's and she simply always engages on her terms. She solo-ed Firekraag's dungeon simply because I was curious to see if she could.
Add Imoen specced for stripping magic protections and Keldorn with the Holy Avenger and the only doubt in most battles is how long it takes those two to open up the can so that Keira and Kord can tear it up. Headed back to Suldanessellar once I finish the pictorial and we'll see how they do against all of the end-game shenanigans. Then its off to ToB - which, surprisingly - I've never actually completed! I've been playing BG2 since its initial release 20 odd years ago, but never pressed through ToB. So we'll see how the above stands up to that high-level craziness.
Yeah I really feel like the game gives out so much experience and loot the end game is often a cakewalk. There are a few difficult battles left; Irenicus in BG1, Draconis and the last Throne of Bhaal fights. But a lot of those are sort of trick fights, once you know the system well enough you can steamroller over all of those. Its satisfying only because the building process to get there takes some time. From concerns with a single wolf, to playing games with the Gods is quite a journey!
You do owe it to yourself to finish the journey once! I went a long time where I lost a lot of enthusiasm by ToB. But honestly now, I feel like I can push through it all fast enough I usually do.
I just compounded the problem. I headed down to take a "quick peek" at Watcher's Keep before heading on with Irenicus - because like ToB I'd never actually done it before. Got a few levels down in there and then realize... Oops. Keira is now L28. Kord is L24. That may make wrapping up BG2 a little anti-climactic when Keira can whip out things like Shadow Maze, Shadow Clone, and Time Stop scrolls.... On the other hand those powers feel awesome. Made a couple pics of Keira using them. I finally broke off of Watcher's Keep after destroying the machine of Lum the Mad, headed back to the Elven City, and am just about ready to charge in to the Palace. Needless to say most of the rampaging monsters in the city - including the dragon - were a bit of cakewalk. Only time I bothered with anything beyond auto-attack was when facing mages that needed to be "can-opened" faster than Keldorn with Carosymyr could accomplish.
Keira and her Shadow Clone:
And Keira just showing you she's about to have a lot more fun than you are:
I love the first “Shadow Clone”! Very cool looking.
I think of Watcher’s Keep as the end-of-saga equivalent of Durlag’s Tower. The level after the Machine includes, what I think, are some of the hardest IE fights in any official product (I can’t speak for mods!). I usually like to do it before I start collecting the sort of end game items that will be turning up in ToB. I think in the end, you will be overpowered at some points and more challenged at others. So order may change where you find challenges, but not so much the totality of challenges faced.
Just finished regular BG2, and moving into ToB. As expected, Irenicus was not that much of a challenge given how over-leveled they were. In the tree he went down almost instantly. Hit him with a Dispel from Keldorn and then he immediately got stabbed in the back by Keira and Keira's clone while getting smacked in the face by Kord and Minsc.
The battle in Hell took a little longer and one restart, because I wouldn't accept him killing Imoen the first time. Had to re-arrange formation before activating the last ward to call him. And then it was just a matter of Keldorn, Jaheira, and Imoen hitting him with enough Dispels/RubyRays/etc to bring down his guard so that the Keira(s) could tear him to pieces while Kord and Minsc dealt with the demons.
Final tally was pretty even. Keira, Kord, and Misc each had 20-25% of kills and XP. Keldorn was next at mid teens - mostly because he was recruited late and was often on Dispel/TrueSight duty rather than fighting. Jaheira pulled in around 10-12%, as my utlity infielder specced for archery and spellcasting. Imoen was 5% or so, as she was mainly used as a can-opener and otherwise plinked with the electric bow.
I'll do a pictorial of the final battles and celebration - which make take a few days worth of Copilot attempts to get right - and then its off to Throne of Bhaal! I think I may let Keldorn go home for ToB and recruit Sarevok. Interested to attempt his redemption arc, and really feel bad for keeping Keldorn away from his family. Will see if Keira scrolls and Imoen/Jaheira spells can make up for the lack of his overpowered Dispel... at least until Keira picks up UseAnyItem and can go to town with Carosymyr...
Anytime you have Keldorn with you the final Irenicus fights will not be very hard! His Dispel is crazy powerful. I think its capped at like 50th level of ability? I'm pretty sure 40th level is plenty effective...
Keldorn does have one of the most completely satisfying epilogues of any character, you'll be glad you brought him!
True. That's another reason I'm considering releasing him... so he stops trivializing mage fights. Though letting Imoen let loose with Time Stop, Improved Alacrity, and a bucketload of can-opener spells works as well. Pushing Keldorn's single button is just easier.
And now she can use things like Scrolls of Mislead as well... making copies of herself that can make multiple shadow clones... Could really go nuts with that if I wanted to.
Still working on cajoling the various images I want out of Copilot. This being the final battle of standard BG2 I want to give all of the companions their moments. And getting all of them to look good - especially Slayer Irenicus - is taking a while.
Anyway, here's a taste of Keira having it out with Slayer-form-Irenicus...
Up through Sendai now. Going slow as time to play is few and far between at the moment. I had in my head from 20+ years ago that ToB was unreasonably difficult, but Sendai was one of the few fights I've had to do more than once. Mostly because I took for granted the in-game descriptions and approached her as if she were a mega-assassin type instead of a cloned mage. Readjusted the second time around and did fine. Jaheira and Imoen summoned a bunch of high power flunkies to keep the drow adds occupied, and between Keira and her clones there was always somebody waiting and ready for an instant Celestial Fury backstab whenever a statue came to life. I'm running Sarevok as a Wizard Slayer kitted out for max APR, so once he starts hitting - even with Stoneskin and such - that spell failure chance starts stacking up quickly. Then its just a matter of peeling the onion until we can whack 'em. Lots of nice anti-mage gear in ToB, so when everybody is kitted out they go down quick even without Keldorn's super-powered dispel.
Actually the biggest issue I'm having is an AI quirk. For some reason every couple of fights Sarevok starts wailing on Keira for no apparent reason. No confusion, charm, or such. All I have to do is point him at somebody else to make it stop. But most of my ToB restarts have been because I failed to notice him turning on Keira in time. And since one of his loadouts is the insta-kill +6 Halberd things can go south in a hurry. Gotta love scripting bugs. Or maybe he's just secretly trying to get in good with Bhaal again.
That’s funny! I’ve seen a few oddities pop up late in BG2, like characters just stop walking or coming up with fewer hit points on a reload. Most of them can be fixed easily enough, but an intermittently psycho teammate is a new one!
About ready for Balthazar now. I've got Keira running with both Cheetah boots and an armor that doubles movement rate. As well as a "Talents of Faerun" ability that gives her +20% movement. That "superspeed" effect I use in some pictures is really apropos now. Almost don't need Shadowstep when you can backstab and be halfway back across the screen before they can react. Or zoom out of visual range before they even have time to cast a spell.
And Throne of Bhaal is finished. I was running Ascension, so the final battle was a complete PITA. The last few battles were just way too over-the-top. Fighting a resurrected Irencus, Bohdi, and a Fallen Solar at the same time... while my primary mage (Imoen) is turned into a Slayer and also turned against me? Bah. And then fighting Amylyssan and all of the Five resurrected and returned simultaneously? Major, major PITA. Got through it eventually, but Ascension + SCS required more cheese than I find enjoyable. I don't think I'll do that combo again soon.
I liked the ability to talk down Balthazar. I liked redeeming Sarevok. That was a very Keira thing to do, as he was, in a manner of speaking, her black-sheep brother.
As expected, Keira turned down godhood in the end. That just was *not* for her. She, Kord, and Imoen ride off to further adventures. Where the fate of the world is no longer in balance, their souls are no longer at stake, and they can amuse themselves with practical jokes at Kord's expense while being a thorn in the side for the likes of the Zhentarim and Thay.
I'll do some pictorials from Throne of Bhaal at some point to close out Keira and Kord's quest, but it'll be a bit as I'm headed off on vacation soon. Then, who knows?
Yeah I tried Ascension once, never again. Not my kind of gaming at all. I’m all for the extra story, and talking down Balthazar is good, but the final battle becomes so meta I think it’s ridiculous.
But that’s the perfect sort of end for your team. I always find rejecting godhood to be more satisfying.
Comments
https://zenosziggurat.com/keira-and-kord-bg2-the-underdark/
From heading down into the darkness:
To seeing the sights in disguise:
And fighting the natives:
Add Imoen specced for stripping magic protections and Keldorn with the Holy Avenger and the only doubt in most battles is how long it takes those two to open up the can so that Keira and Kord can tear it up. Headed back to Suldanessellar once I finish the pictorial and we'll see how they do against all of the end-game shenanigans. Then its off to ToB - which, surprisingly - I've never actually completed! I've been playing BG2 since its initial release 20 odd years ago, but never pressed through ToB. So we'll see how the above stands up to that high-level craziness.
You do owe it to yourself to finish the journey once! I went a long time where I lost a lot of enthusiasm by ToB. But honestly now, I feel like I can push through it all fast enough I usually do.
Full web page write-up here:
https://zenosziggurat.com/keira-and-kord-bg2-taking-down-bohdi-for-good/
Bohdi laughed derisively once again, but this the time they were far stronger than at the last meeting in Spellhold.
Kord charged into to take on the Vampire Coven:
While Keira chellenged Bohdi directly. And this time when Bohdi pulled out her "bullet time" and "mist form" nonsense, Keira matched her straight up:
Until Bohdi made her fatal slip:
And Imoen regained her soul:
Irenicus, we're coming for you next!!
Keira and her Shadow Clone:
And Keira just showing you she's about to have a lot more fun than you are:
I think of Watcher’s Keep as the end-of-saga equivalent of Durlag’s Tower. The level after the Machine includes, what I think, are some of the hardest IE fights in any official product (I can’t speak for mods!). I usually like to do it before I start collecting the sort of end game items that will be turning up in ToB. I think in the end, you will be overpowered at some points and more challenged at others. So order may change where you find challenges, but not so much the totality of challenges faced.
The battle in Hell took a little longer and one restart, because I wouldn't accept him killing Imoen the first time. Had to re-arrange formation before activating the last ward to call him. And then it was just a matter of Keldorn, Jaheira, and Imoen hitting him with enough Dispels/RubyRays/etc to bring down his guard so that the Keira(s) could tear him to pieces while Kord and Minsc dealt with the demons.
Final tally was pretty even. Keira, Kord, and Misc each had 20-25% of kills and XP. Keldorn was next at mid teens - mostly because he was recruited late and was often on Dispel/TrueSight duty rather than fighting. Jaheira pulled in around 10-12%, as my utlity infielder specced for archery and spellcasting. Imoen was 5% or so, as she was mainly used as a can-opener and otherwise plinked with the electric bow.
I'll do a pictorial of the final battles and celebration - which make take a few days worth of Copilot attempts to get right - and then its off to Throne of Bhaal! I think I may let Keldorn go home for ToB and recruit Sarevok. Interested to attempt his redemption arc, and really feel bad for keeping Keldorn away from his family. Will see if Keira scrolls and Imoen/Jaheira spells can make up for the lack of his overpowered Dispel... at least until Keira picks up UseAnyItem and can go to town with Carosymyr...
Keldorn does have one of the most completely satisfying epilogues of any character, you'll be glad you brought him!
I'm looking forward to the party.
Anyway, here's a taste of Keira having it out with Slayer-form-Irenicus...
https://zenosziggurat.com/keira-and-kord-bg2-irenicus-finale/
They finally get to kick Irenicus' butt. Twice.
Actually the biggest issue I'm having is an AI quirk. For some reason every couple of fights Sarevok starts wailing on Keira for no apparent reason. No confusion, charm, or such. All I have to do is point him at somebody else to make it stop. But most of my ToB restarts have been because I failed to notice him turning on Keira in time. And since one of his loadouts is the insta-kill +6 Halberd things can go south in a hurry. Gotta love scripting bugs. Or maybe he's just secretly trying to get in good with Bhaal again.
I liked the ability to talk down Balthazar. I liked redeeming Sarevok. That was a very Keira thing to do, as he was, in a manner of speaking, her black-sheep brother.
As expected, Keira turned down godhood in the end. That just was *not* for her. She, Kord, and Imoen ride off to further adventures. Where the fate of the world is no longer in balance, their souls are no longer at stake, and they can amuse themselves with practical jokes at Kord's expense while being a thorn in the side for the likes of the Zhentarim and Thay.
I'll do some pictorials from Throne of Bhaal at some point to close out Keira and Kord's quest, but it'll be a bit as I'm headed off on vacation soon. Then, who knows?
But that’s the perfect sort of end for your team. I always find rejecting godhood to be more satisfying.