Solo, HoF, EL1 Ironman (SHEL1I) Runs - Fighter/Druid

iwdee_fmc_solo

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RUN STATUS & HISTORY
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Elenaie (8/25/24 - 8/26/24) (RIP)
- Half-Elf
- EL: 8/10
- AS: 18/100,18,18,10,18,18
- Died in Goblin Pass
- (I) made a critical error to afk in the Hermit Cave while waiting for summons to finish fighting and un-summon, so that I could rest. Goblins didn't de-aggro. Came back to find a horde outside. Died from being surrounded.
- Proved that the Fighter/Druid has a reliable, and practical route through the early game, and can make it HoW.


Josden (8/27/24 - )
- Current Run
- Half-Elf
- AS: 17,18,17,13,16,15

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SUMMARY
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The Fighter/Druid is in an interesting spot as far as solo, HoF, EL1, Ironman (SHEL1I = "shelly") runs go. As a multi-class Druid they are part of the privileged "summoning class", although they do not gain access until Druid EL7, and as a multi-class Fighter they gain additional hit points, thac0, and weapon proficiencies along with relaxed armor constraints. They have the easiest full clear of Easthaven of any class, being able to use their wide assortment of debuffs, and buffs, to crush Grisella's Beetles with ease. Charm Person or Mammal lets them readily deal with Apsel's Wolf, and Goblin Bridge, via kiting, buffing, debuffing, and "Snowdrifting". Wolf Valley becomes almost trivial, leaving the way open to Orc Cave.

The biggest hurdle to clearing the Orc Cave in the early game of a Fighter/Druid is that they enter the cave with 49480 XP, or ELs of 5/6. This is good enough for Druid SL3, but not to cast Animal Summoning I (Druid SL4), so they have to take something of a unique route. Instead of sprinting to Kuldahar under the cover of Barkskin, and perhaps with a great mass of Goblins in tow, the F/D is able to get the XP they need - almost to the digit - to deal with the picnic of orcs waiting for them in the center of the Orc Cave.

They can do this by killing the three Orcs waiting for them in the beginning of the Orc Cave, then the three Orcs, and one Orc Archer immediately after them, before carefully pulling the two Orcs in the vanguard of the picnic. Kiting these mobs outside, and then Calling Lightning down on them, interwoven with Charm Person or Mammal is the basic strategy. This will leave them ~4k XP shy of Animal Summoning I, but by turning in the quest to Hrothgar they can relieve themselves of the unreliable, impractical agony of having to run through Goblin Pass, and relieve the denizens of Orc Cave of their lives, instead.

Thus, can they march through Goblin Pass as a natural force of destruction, and enter Heart of Winter where massive reams of XP, and powerful magical items, await them.



As part of an ambitious project to create a comprehensive guide for solo, Heart of Fury, EL1, Ironman challenge runs I will be doing them with every single class, and kit. The basic thread was here, but is now awaiting mod approval:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/88835/solo-heart-of-fury-el1-ironman-runs-every-single-class-and-comprehensive-guide#latest

A few notes:
(1) Rolls are done with the console + subtraction. I cannot find an autoroller for Linux that I can make work. Disdain me if you must, but these will only increase the consistency, not the reliability, and practicality of a run. Yes, it is not as great an expression of skill. Yes, I'm okay with that.

(2) Double quest XP is on. It's a part of the game mode, and classes need to hit certain benchmarks at specific times for a reliable and practical run. This helps with that.

iwdee_fmc_solo

Every solo, HoF, EL1, Ironman run - heretofore referred to formally as a SHEL1I run, and informally by its pronunciation "shelly" - starts in the same way.

You will exchange words with Hrothgar, go next door to Pomab, grab his stuff from upstairs, sell what you can't use to him, and then outfit yourself with the gold that you have afterwards. Elenaie is a 1/1 Fighter/Druid with 2* in Club, and 2* in Two-Weapon Style, so she buys:

Splint Mail
Club (x2)
Helmet
Potion Case
Gem Bag
Scroll Case
Bottle of Wine

Afterwards, she heads to Old Jed to either counsel him to drink less if she's intelligent enough, or gives him a bottle of wine if she isn't. This normally yields 2400 XP. Then, she talks to Jhonen, and takes the Good path through his quest in order to receive 4800 XP in total. After finishing this, she cashes in her level ups and reaches 2/2 before heading to Grisella's tavern for a drink just like Old Jed. Only, there is no drink to be had because Grisella's cellar is full of Beetles!

Elenaie is a paragon defender of the wild, although she lacks the intelligence to be slinging the Beetles down, instead. At 2/2 she does not shirk from melee combat, even with a Beetle whose heart is furious, but she is also wise enough to know that she has to find a way to win the fight outright, otherwise her foe will just heal back to full while she retreats. To this end she casts Doom, then Shillelagh, then Bless. This gives her five rounds in which she can beat on a debuffed Beetle with crushing damage while enjoying +2 to hit and damage. Does it work?



Seems like it (after a few lucky critical hits)!



Slaying the, now hardly furious, Beetle yields 2140 XP which gives Elenaie 3/3, and a powerspike from SL2 Druid spells. She fills her spellbook with Alicorn Lances for the -2 AC penalty, guaranteed damage, then heads to the Snowdrift Inn to rest. To make a long story short, the Beetles are crushed in short order Such quick, and solid, work was made of them that the last two refused to even fight back against our half-elf paragon, instead staring at the wall as they waited for the long dark to take them for eternity.





Turning this Grisella nets an additional 2400 XP. Along with the 2140 XP from each of the four Beetles, this brings our total to 18160 XP, which is good enough for a Fighter/Druid to be 4/4. What's next for Elenaie? It has to be Apsel's Wolf, but can she melee him? Maybe, she could instead use the SL2 Druid spell Charm Person or Mammal, and clear the Goblin Bridge first by turning the green buggers against each other. All she needs is to kill a few. At 25k XP she will reach 4/5, and obtain Hold Animal which will spell any single Wolf's doom. What to do...

iwdee_fmc_solo

Elenaie's pulse quickens, and her blood begins to pound as she breaks down the door to Apsel's shop. Wolves are a part of nature, but so is human commercial activity, and this one must die.



She breaks for the exit as the beast lunges at her, and the chase begins. A Wolf is a ferocious beast in its own right, and Elenaie seeks to charm this one so that she can prepare herself for battle - and retreat.



Near the boats of the scrimshanders she turns and hurls her hand towards at the beast, a spell forming on her lips. Natural power begins to flow into her outstretched palm as she seeks to charm the Wolf to her side. So that she may prepare to kill it.



Blasted failure! The beast is upon her, and she must turn to run before it sinks its fangs in her neck.



Her swift legs carry her away from the beast, creating distance between the two. Elenaie turns, an incantation forming on her lips to call the flame of the Sun down onto the Wolf's back. Blinding light strikes the creature, and it yelps in pain as its vision turns white. Now is the time to strike!



Even blinded as it is, and vulnerable, the beast knows that is fighting for its life and manages to sink its fangs deep into Elenaie's thigh, long daggers coming away stained to the roots with red. Yet, Elenaie is merciless, pounding vicious blow after vicious blow into the Wolf's side with her clubs. When the Wolf seems to be re-gaining its bearings, she calls the sun down on it without hesitation. Seeing her hands begin to motion, and hearing the same words form, the beast lunges at her desperately, but to no avail as a column of fire scorches it once more with blinding pain. A magical lance pierces its side, and the beast knows that its hour has come as Elenaie lands a final wicked blow to its skull, crushing the animal and its life.



Does such a majestic creature deserve such a violent, and savage end? Perhaps one can argue yes, perhaps another may argue that it would have been better for a Druid to commune with the Wolf and try to seek an alternative solution, but this Wolf is an outcast. It is a loner, cast out from its pack after losing a battle for dominance, and deciding to take its humiliation out on a human settlement. Refusing to communicate with even a half-human, and knowing that the North is a harsh land for a single Wolf, in truth it came to Easthaven to meet its end.

Goblins, however, for Goblins there is no such argument...

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Goblins are nasty creatures. There is little that is noble about the squat, misshapen, evil little buggers. Bullied by the larger evil races like Orcs, and Gnolls, Goblins tend to stick together where they are less vulnerable. They might be sympathetic figures if they did not take every opportunity to bully those smaller and weaker than themselves. A band has taken occupation of the bridge leading south out of Easthaven, and stolen the fish of a young lad named Damien. Eleniae stalks closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of them so that she may begin picking them off.



One notices her. Covered head-to-toe in armor Eleniae hardly strikes an enticing figure, but the monster is unable to contain its vicious urges, and rushes at her, shrieking wildly at the top of its lungs the horrible things it will do to her as it chases her across the bridge. Suddenly, Eleniae stops and turns to face the creature. Thinking her cowed, and accepting her fate, the creature rushes headlong only to meet a warrior of greater mettle.



Her confidence bolstered, Eleniae leaves the pathetic monster to bleed its last into the snows, and stalks back to its band. Lightning answers her call as an EL5 Druid, and brilliant bolts of electricity begin to lance amongst the Goblins out of the sky.



Two charge to meet her. A shimmering club whirls into her hand, and she faces their charge head on, but the creatures fight with an unnatural fury, and she is forced to retreat under the force of their blows. Battling her way backwards towards the bridge, Eleniae manages finally to catch one with a fatal blow, its skull splitting like a ripe melon.



The other meets its end shortly thereafter, but first Eleniae enchants it to believe it has tasted her charms so that she can heal some of her wounds.



There are still a handful left. Lightning has taken its toll on their ranks, and Eleniae is able to dispatch two more in short order. She turns two of the remaining three on each other, and retreats as they come out of their enchanted stupor to realize what they have done, and the fleshy tatters of their once-compatriot.



She rests at the Snowdrift Inn, and returns at night to finish the two fellows off. One of them is the leader of the pack, and the boy's fish is found in their pack.



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SUMMARY
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The deadly contest leaves her seriously wounded, but her adversaries dead so it's a fair trade. With the Goblin Bridge clear, and Damien's fish returned to him, Eleniae has full-cleared Easthaven, netting her 42040 XP. She has progressed to being a 5/6 F/D. She stands 28k XP away from Druid EL7, and the crucial ability to cast Animal Summoning I. Without this spell she will be forced to kite, a strategy that is not always reliable or practical, her way to the point where she finally has sufficient XP to cast it.

With Animal Summoning I she will be in a position to full clear the Orc Cave, netting her 100k XP, and a magic item that has a chance to be a significantly powerful belt that she will wear until she can afford the Shimmering Sash. At this point, the XP is more impactful, and so is the fact that if she can't reliably and practically clear the Orc Cave, then she also can't do the same for the Goblin Pass - which will net her even more XP and magic items.

This point is a Great Filter for a SHEL1I ("shelly") run. Classes that are powerful enough to clear the Orc Cave will only grow more powerful as they travel to Kuldahar, and when they reach the town they will be able to head straight to Heart of Winter where an even greater abundance of XP and magic items await. Classes that are not powerful enough to clear the Orc Cave will only face even more difficult challenges as they try to survive the journey to Kuldahar, and even if they manage to, they will find that their foes only grow stronger, and further eclipse them.

The Fighter/Druid has a unique route that they can take which allows them to obtain Animal Summoning I. The first real gut check of the run occurs in the central cavern of the Orc Cave, where a picnic of close to a dozen orcs is waiting for them. A SHEL1I soloist will have a serious challenge defeating this group in a reliable, and practical manner without summons. Kiting backwards with ranged weapons into Wolf Valley is impractical and unreliable. Kiting around the cavern will run into additional parties, and risks the shelly player's character becoming surrounded. In a solo run, being surrounded is a death sentence unless the soloist has their buffs up, and physically outclasses the mob around them. Neither of those are possible here, and the mob of over a dozen enemies would need to be peppered with ranged attacks until they were all dead without the PC being caught, so this is an impractical, and unreliable strategy that is unfit for an Ironman run.

iwdee_fmc_solo

What is this unique strategy? At this point, a Fighter/Druid will have ~49k XP, and third level Druid spells so we are able to kill the two groups of Orcs near the entrance by kiting them outside. The above map accurately renders their numbers, and in fact the numbers for most of the rest of the Orc Cave. The exceptions are the "Picnic" in the center and the "Ogre Party" in the southwest corner who have significantly increased numbers.

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Killing the Entrance Orcs - First Party
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The strategy here is straightforward, reliable, and practical. Kite the Orcs outside, and Call Lightning on their heads. Charm Person or Mammal helps here because it temporarily removes Orcs from the fight, although they also tend to shake it off for no apparent reason. To be honest I couldn't tell you what makes an Orc no longer Charmed because there were times when I would pepper one with spells, and it would stay loyal, and times when it would turncoat after lightning struck a different Orc.








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Killing the Entrance Orcs - Second Party
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Strategy here is the same as for the First Party. Sunscorch, Alicorn Lance, Call Lightning, and Charm Person or Mammal made up the majority of my spellbook for this fight. The most dangerous parts of these fights are getting cornered. Getting cornered in a shelly run is the equivalent of dying. If you find yourself getting penned in, low on spells, and you're away from the exit to Easthaven, just retreat into the Orc Cave, and then back out into the Wolf Valley. You'll appear away from the Orcs, free and clear to fall back to Easthaven.









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Obtaining Animal Summoning I
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In the center of the Orc Cave is a massive party known as "The Picnic". In its full glory, The Picnic is a dozen strong:
1 Orc Shaman
3 Orc Elites
3 Orcs
5 Orc Archers



If you could cast Animal Summoning I, then beating this party would be the same basic process as undertaken to beat the First and Second Party. Kite them outside, cast Animal Summoning I (new step), and then Call Lightning, Sunscorch, Alicorn Lance, and strategically insert yourself to aid your fellow mammals with your martial prowess. This all is much faster than it is to Call Kitening. However, after beating the First and Second Party you are ~8k XP short of Druid EL7 when fourth-level spells like Animal Summoning I become available.

The solution is twofold:
(1) Turn in the main quest to Hrothgar and his supply list to Pomab (4800 XP)
(2) Kill the Orcs at the vanguard of The Picnic (4120 XP)

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The Picnic - Vanguard
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(1) is straightforward, and so is (2) in principle, but (2) is also a delicate operation that must be undertaken with the utmost care lest the entire Picnic is pulled. If you inch forward it is possible to aggro only the two Orcs in the vanguard, and leave the rest of The Picnic sedate while you kill these fellows outside, then go back to Easthaven to advance the main quest, and acquire Animal Summoning I.



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The Picnic - Killing
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Now that we have Animal Summoning I, The Picnic can be confronted in its full glory.



Lead them outside, summon a squad of Black Bears and Wolves, then drop the fury of the elements on your enemy's heads, until the thread of their life is extinguished. This strategy is fairly reliable. The biggest wrench that can be thrown in it is if a stray arrow catches you mid-summon, and you suffer Spell Casting: Failure. In this eventuality, just retreat to Easthaven, and come back. You should find no enemies in sight (they're all around the corner), and enough time to get Animal Summoning I off. This is important because you'll likely need to do it when fighting the Ogre Party, potentially multiple times.





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Intermezzo
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After crashing The Picnic, it remains to clean up the rest of the Orc Cave. In the southwest corner is the Ogre Party, a frightfully strong group led by four Ogres, and scattered around the rest of the cave is a handful of small groups. Run around and pull them. There's a chest in the northwest corner that can potentially hold a belt which gives the wearer Bless. This is the best outcome from the chest. More likely is a magical dagger or pair of boots that can be sold for a modest amount of coin. Take care not to be surrounded as that will be a death sentence, and require you to restart.




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Ogre Party
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The Ogre Party is a terrifying group in the southwest corner of the map. They guard a chest full of items, and one of them has a caravan contract that you can speak to Gaspar the Fishmonger with for 2400 XP. The Ogre Party has

4 Ogres
4 Orcs
2 Orc Elites
2 Orc Archers



The drill is clear. Kite outside, get your animals summoned, and then rain fire, and Call Lightning on the host. The battle may take a few days for a Fighter/Druid because they don't have the power that a solo Druid would at this point. Just make sure to not get surrounded, and keep a solid line of your infantry. The Ogres are the most dangerous enemy's in this battle by far, and the best way of dealing with them is to pick one and rain Call Lightning on it until it falls. Try to ignore the orcs because they'll probably end up dying incidentally to the repeated lightning strikes that you have called, and they'll absorb a lot of your attacks while the Ogres get the opportunity to chunk your mammals for a scary amount of damage.







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Orc Cave Enemy Tally
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4 Ogres
2 Orc Shaman
5 Orc Elites
22 Orcs
10 Orc Archers

iwdee_fmc_solo

Well folks, it happened, and it's all my fault. ID10T error and whatnot. Last night, Elenaie was killed in the Hermit Cave of Goblin Pass while waiting to rest.



Turning into a Polar Bear helped in absolutely no way, but it was the only thing to do since she had completely exhausted her spells. I had disengaged her from this huge group down the Pass while letting her summons fight their way through the rest of their duration, and left her waiting in the cave while I - stupidly - afked away from the screen to work on the guide, and watch Davaeorn play through BG2:EE Insane SCS Ironman with Apollo Creed, the Monk.

Thinking that the goblins would fight the animals until they were unsummoned, and then de-aggro, I tabbed back after a while to find "Auto-Pause: Enemy Sighted" had triggered, and the host waiting outside my doorstep because they had instead tracked Elenaie back to her place of "safety.

If I had thought quickly enough, I could have ducked deeper into the cave, and mashed the rest button, but I was taken aback, and Elenaie's life was taken. If I had thought more carefully, I would have never placed Elenaie in a spot where she could be surrounded. On a SHEL1I run, there are two main ways to die:

(1) Become surrounded
(2) Become dispelled (and then surrounded)

Frustrated, I reloaded, made a note in the journal, and then cleared the Pass for practice. This led to another death against Uligar. I missed the opportunity to pacify him with my ferocity, and instead of running outside where there is more space, I stupidly cast Animal Summoning I while in a corner, and surrounded by his orcs.



Since this is a SHEL1I ("shelly") run, that means it is time to go back to CC (and console up another paragon of natural power ). Still, it was good practice for making to Kuldahar, and this attempt shows that the Fighter / Druid has a reliable, and practical route for SHEL1I as they can obtain summons just in time to clear Orc Cave, and reach Kuldahar with ~330k XP, good enough for 8/10, AND the ability to immediately head to Heart of Winter .

iwdee_fmc_solo

Here is the digital tomb I made to her, it has all the screenshots that I took of her run in `remembrance/` , and all the game data for her save file

Gone, but never forgotten, Elenaie was a paragon of the natural world. She was not smart enough to try resting somewhere safer, or sooner, but her sword arm was as strong, quick, and hearty, as any but the most gifted Barbarian. Divine magic thrummed through her blood. Wild animals paid heed to her call for aid, and brilliant bolts of electricity lance out of the sky, to strike her enemies.

Barren of these powers, and wishing only for rest, but instead surrounded by a horde of goblins, Elenaie fought back furiously in the form of a mighty white bear. It was a Heart of Fury that drove her swings, but a stronger one still that drove her enemies, and their press was too much. The thousandth cut finally bit too deep into her side, her thread of life shearing free as the metal was pulled out of her, red, and dripping.



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ELENAIE
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END
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iwdee_fmc_solo

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JOSDEN
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START
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(Previous comment laying Elenaie to rest is awaiting moderator approval)

Seasons change, ages come and pass, myth fades to legend, and legend becomes long forgotten, but the Wheel of Time turns, and what once was, ever springs anew. Josden has known since he was a young lad that the thread of his life was stretched taut between the arms and armor of his human father, and the call of the wild that his elf mother had answered.

A respected druidess, she had taught him to revere nature, and how to channel its might. But nature is not just the mighty oak, it is also the metal slumbering beneath the earth, ready to be forged into a suit of mail. Not quite blessed with the grace of his elven mother, nor the constitution and strength of his human father, Josden still boasts impressive wisdom, a respectable intellect, and an easy way with others as he emerges from Grisella's tavern, blinking, into the sunlight.