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What do you skip?

I recently finished a playthrough where I hit chapter 7 and just said "screw it, I'm not going to retrieve Shandalar's cloak.". After dozens of playthroughs, the thought of having to face the same set of teleporting, confusion-casting mages in a trapped maze just sounded like the opposite of fun. Ditto for Ramazith's tower, stat boost be damned; it's easy loot, but it's tedious and I couldn't be bothered.

While I'm normally a completionist in most games that I play, a reduction in free time and SoD's bumping you WAY over the original level cap mean I feel liberated to just outright skip major dungeons and quests at this point. The ice island is my big example; I'm curious, who else finds themselves skipping significant content, even at the expense of loot and xp, and why?
OrlonKronsteenJuliusBorisovGotural
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  • SkatanSkatan Member, Moderator Posts: 5,352
    For me it's quite the opposite, what do I do. I tend to skip most of BG1 since I am busy running forward into an end-state I've imagined, usually to a point in mid/late BG2. I never reach that point though because I quit and restart, hehe..

    But here's some things I almost always skip:
    Durlag's tower
    Werewolf island
    Nashkel Carnival
    Firewine ruins (I pop in from behind, kill the mage, exit the same way out)
    All road maps without proper loot or exp (enter map, ctrl-j to the other side, move to next map)
    The Drizzt map unless I specifically want his scimis
    Beregost Temple map except for quest return
    Gnoll Fortress (pop in, take the DEX gloves. Ctrl-j/Run for the CHA tome, exit again. Never get Dynaheir, never use Minsc)
    Ulcaster ruins (You can't kill the ghost for his cloak anymore, AFAIK)
    Almost all maps in Baldurs gate. The only things I do is meta-kill the poison guys (forgot the names) for his boots of speed before dialogue starts to avoid that quest to start. Get the INT tome, get the WIS tome, go into Thieves den, kill everything for EXP, take the DEX tome and exit. Go get Baldurans cloak and helmet, skip all quests. Go to docks for Rasaad's quest start. Go kill the ogre mages if I need EXP. Then I push the story quests. Might pop down to take out the ogre mage in the sewers if I feel like it.
    Very seldom do the TotSC content, just get the items from the vendor in Ulgoth's.

    I actually do the Shandalar's cloak quest. It gives great EXP for some fairly easy fights (the ankheg bard is the hardest IMHO), some good loot and gives you an opportunity to kill off that bugger himself at the end with the old wand of paralyzation trick.

    Now that I think about it, I probably seldom cover more than 20% of the content in a normal run. I usually go: Candlekeep -> Beregost (Silke) -> Sirens or Mutamin's garden (depends on charname) -> Ankheg's (and the wand of fire there) -> Pick up tomes -> Hunt items -> Kill off all assassins/hunt merc crews/Nashkel mines and the go forward towards Cloakwood roughly around max level usually and with most items I want. Get the boots of speed there, speed through the mines to the last level, take out Davaeorn and push for BG. Go back, pick up Dorn, force his quest line, go back and finish his quest. Go get Rasaad/Neera, force their quest line, finish them for the loot (No Rasaad if solo, then I don't need the belt. And if no mage I skip Neera, 'cause no need for Stoneskin). Yeah, that probably sums it up pretty good.
    OrlonKronsteenGotural
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    Depends what kind of character I am roleplaying as. Paladin will not help out thieves, for example.
    ArctodusredlineAerakarGotural
  • MonotremataMonotremata Member Posts: 78
    I don't bother roleplaying and avoiding things based on class. I try to do the whole game but Im somewhat absent minded so I usually end up missing something on accident. This is why it takes me a couple years to finish ANYTHING, I gotta go for that 100%!!
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147


    Maybe because I don't play very well, (possible, very possible) I find SCS/insane always throws up difficult and tricky fights.

    So currently in Durlags, garden level, those Ashkuri(sp) things are still and have been a challenge.
    So as the whole point of playing a game is to beat what a game throws at you, why would I skip any of it?
    Especially to move onto a later portion of the game where it's again about beating what the game throws at you.

    So if I complete Durlags, returning to Ulgoth's is going to be a nightmare, always is, for me.

    It's not because I'm a "completionist", it's just that challenging gameplay is the whole point isn't it?

    Only time that gets lost, for me, is mid/late TOB.
    ThacoBellthe_sexteinGrond0
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    i mostly just skip durlag's tower.
  • the_sexteinthe_sextein Member Posts: 711
    edited September 2018
    I do everything. It all contributes to character building and experience. I don't find anything in the game annoying to the point that I don't want to play it. Each fight is a challenge and avoiding playing the game is odd. I can't imagine avoiding the game that you are playing until you are so bored that you decide to start over. I mean no offense to people who have restart issues or like finding ways to avoid battle but it never made sense to me and I always complete my games once I start them.

    Regarding Ramazith's tower... You can have a thief go invisible and just walk up to the top floor and insta gib him with a single backstab in the vanilla game. Takes less than a minute and you get the book. Of course I fight everything for the fun of it but if I didn't want to, I would go that route for the gratification of it and getting the tome.
    UnderstandMouseMagicOrlonKronsteen
  • MortiannaMortianna Member Posts: 1,356
    The EE Quests/NPCs. I like the game much better without them, especially with the BG NPC Project installed.
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    Mortianna said:

    The EE Quests/NPCs. I like the game much better without them, especially with the BG NPC Project installed.

    Do you know, I completely forgot them.

    So yes I do skip some things...those.
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    I normally play solo and tend to amass about 250-300k XP in BGEE. That means skipping large portions of content - in particular I rarely complete the TotSC areas when solo. When I play a full party exceeding the XP cap is much less of an issue and I will complete most or all of the content.
  • DordledumDordledum Member Posts: 243
    The only thing I sometimes skip is the last level of Durlag's Tower. For instance when I got into Durlag's Tower comparatively early and the bottom level(s) are still too tough. I don't always (remember to) come back and finish it. Generally I do want to complete every quest and clear every area though.
    OrlonKronsteen
  • redlineredline Member Posts: 296
    Mortianna said:

    The EE Quests/NPCs. I like the game much better without them, especially with the BG NPC Project installed.

    I felt that way at first, but they've really grown on me. And the unevenness of the NPC project makes it nice to mix things up a bit with other NPC mods or EE-only content.
    ThacoBellmegamike15
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    Wilderness areas..unless i'm looking for a specific thing I want. Too much repetition and wandering..by god do i hate the repetitive wandering.

    Now with Siege of Dragonspear..the BG1 replay tedium has increased by 50% at least^^
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    If I am soloing I try to do everything (and always end up dying in the process because I do something stupid). With a party I tend to give most of TotSC a miss (apart from getting the Tome of Wisdom from Durlag's) and might not bother with Ulcaster and Firewine because it is such hard work trying to get a party to go where you want them to in those dungeons.

    The only time I really enjoyed Ulcaster and Firewine were when I was soloing as a Fighter/Thief. They are a really nice challenge if you are not too high level (and you haven't played them for long enough that you can't remember where all the traps are). When you are soloing path finding isn't an issue and they turn into really good dungeons instead of a chore.
    OrlonKronsteenAerakar
  • redlineredline Member Posts: 296

    i mostly just skip durlag's tower.

    I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to difficulty in BG but Durlag's has grown to be one of my favorite parts of the game. Cool backstory, fantastic design, and gobs and gobs of loot and XP. My only issue is trying to justify why any CHARNAME would put "saving the world" on hold to plunder a tourist attraction.
    UnderstandMouseMagicOrlonKronsteenAerakar
  • the_sexteinthe_sextein Member Posts: 711
    redline said:

    i mostly just skip durlag's tower.

    I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to difficulty in BG but Durlag's has grown to be one of my favorite parts of the game. Cool backstory, fantastic design, and gobs and gobs of loot and XP. My only issue is trying to justify why any CHARNAME would put "saving the world" on hold to plunder a tourist attraction.
    I know what you mean. It requires that the gamer come up with a reason to justify it. That is a problem with TOTSC expansion. Most of the areas are way off the main story path which is great in the spirit of adventure but makes little sense in the story.

    Personally, I wait until I escape the Candlekeep Catacombs. At this point the Iron Throne is practically destroyed but thanks to Serevok you have the Flaming Fist looking for you and you just barely escaped the trap at Candlekeep. I use this part of the game to "lay low". I will usually split up my team and take on extra NPC quests at this point in the game and I will usually do quests far off the beaten path to keep busy. Durlog's Tower, FIrewine Ruins, Werewolf island ect.

    After I have completed every quest in the game I pretend that my character gets word of Serevok's coronation and so I get my original team back together and head for Baldur's gate to complete the game.
    ThacoBellbutteredsoulAerakarsemiticgoddess
  • WatchForWolvesWatchForWolves Member Posts: 183
    I wonder why people who skip content in a game even bother with playing it at all.

    Is it just to get to the ending cinematic?

    Next you'll be telling me you're playing it on mobile devices in public.
  • KuronaKurona Member Posts: 881
    Sweet Sweet XP
    For you I will
    Crusade against windmills
    From Moongaze's furries
    To Sillara's lolis
    Red shall be Lilarcor
    As I pick HLAs with ardor

    Sweet Sweet XP...

    (This post is brought to you by severe jet lag and a few martini shots)
    UnderstandMouseMagicGusinda
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790

    I wonder why people who skip content in a game even bother with playing it at all.

    Is it just to get to the ending cinematic?

    Next you'll be telling me you're playing it on mobile devices in public.

    I haven't seen a strawman like this in a while. Congrats.
  • PingwinPingwin Member Posts: 262
    I skip the lower levels of Durlag's Tower because I usually play no reload runs and the lower levels are far too dangerous, especially the garden area with the invisible backstabbing monsters.
    I'm not too keen on the werewolf island either as the plot is full of holes - your party ends up in the sea in a storm wearing full plate armour and gets washed ashore instead of going straight to the bottom and drowning? Then luckily when you make your escape, your party happen to be experienced sailors who can sail a ship home.
    Aside from that, I try to do virtually everything unless there are RP reasons to skip certain parts. I'll always explore every last corner of every map I visit.
    OrlonKronsteen
  • ChroniclerChronicler Member Posts: 1,391
    In all my years playing this I've never done the werewolf questline. Once in a blue moon I'll start looking up how to get to the werewolf island and get bored partway through.
    OrlonKronsteen
  • megamike15megamike15 Member Posts: 2,666
    edited September 2018
    redline said:

    Mortianna said:

    The EE Quests/NPCs. I like the game much better without them, especially with the BG NPC Project installed.

    I felt that way at first, but they've really grown on me. And the unevenness of the NPC project makes it nice to mix things up a bit with other NPC mods or EE-only content.
    i think thats why the ee content does not bother me. as my bg games are a mix match of vanilla, mods, and ee and to me the ee stuff fits in well with npc project that i am not as annoyed as most people.

    I wonder why people who skip content in a game even bother with playing it at all.

    Is it just to get to the ending cinematic?

    Next you'll be telling me you're playing it on mobile devices in public.

    theres stuff in bg 1 that epople don't like and rather skip on repeat runs?

    like i said i don't want to do durlag's tower but i'll do werewolf island and the ice maze.
  • DorcusDorcus Member Posts: 270
    I almost always usually do a completionist run but at least more than once when I've maxxed out my EXP and I want to move on to SoD with a new character class I haven't tried yet I'll just zerg the main quest for Sarevok.

    I love Durlag's Tower however. I feel it's the best dungeon in a video game.

    Also, I have two kinds of Paladins. One is a traditional kind, where I avoid thievery, murder, all that bad stuff, and others are total kleptomaniac murderhobos who justify their actions on a cosmic scale by not being punished by Reputation loss. I don't know if anybody else does this, it's kind of ironic metagaming. Good, Evil, Law, Chaos, being measurable things in Dungeons & Dragons, when nobody in the (limited video game version of the) multiverse gets mad at me, it MUST be ok, right?
    AerakarUnderstandMouseMagicDaevelon
  • SimulacreSimulacre Member Posts: 102
    edited October 2018

    I wonder why people who skip content in a game even bother with playing it at all.

    Is it just to get to the ending cinematic?

    Next you'll be telling me you're playing it on mobile devices in public.

    Not sure if this is trolling but I'll take the risk of feeding !

    So... Why skip game contents ?

    Because you won't always feel like doing it ALL over again if you're replaying the game. Clearly, some areas in the game are more tedious than others.

    People have the right to dislike the game as well. When I played Fallout 3 I wasn't really into it. Something was missing and I didn't find it in me to do every single quest there was... cause it was boring. Now if you compare my Fallout 3 experience with New Vegas it's totally different, I spent more than 500 hours on New Vegas cause the atmosphere was great. Baldur's Gate certainly is a great game, but it's not flawless and it's entirely ok for some people to just "meh" it. Don't blame those for wanting to end the game rather quickly.

    Also, it's not crazy to skip for roleplay reasons. If you're in a hurry, you might not have the time to wander across the land and save a witch who might be dead already just because some madman and his rodent asked you to. People sometimes forget after Candlekeep that your foster father just got crushed and that there are assassins everywhere hunting you down. What kind of mindset should you have then ?

    I believe it to be of little realism that someone who's being tracked like an animal would just help you out with your chicken problem. To wholeheartedly accept and fulfill every single quest there's is not necessarily the best way to play, it's just the completionist way.

    That being said, you could decide to help out a LITTLE because of your good nature while not losing track with your own predicament. Picking who you're gonna help or not - especially if you take into account alignment - can make for several playthroughs and that's nice. A completionist, once he's beaten the game, will find it harder to do it again unless he really is a hardcore fan.

    So you see, while I certainly am a completionist deep down I totally understand those who skip.
    Post edited by Simulacre on
    ThacoBellUnderstandMouseMagicBelgarathMTH
  • PingwinPingwin Member Posts: 262
    Of course when a madman with a big sword and a pet rodent asks you to go and save a witch, you really have nothing better to do with your time anyway. From a RP perspective, it makes perfect sense to help him on his rescue mission as you have no leads as to why people want you dead and lying low in the wilderness could be a good way to avoid getting killed by assassins, especially if that means that said madman with big sword will be around to defend you should you encounter anyone who wants you dead.

    Later in the game, it becomes more difficult to rationalise going off on side quests, especially when you are approaching the showdown with Sarevok. Getting on a ship and disappearing for 3 months to investigate a mysterious island at that point is a bit too much for me. You might want to lie low after leaving Candlekeep for the second time until the heat dies down a little bit, but there's a sense of urgency at that point in the game - you know that Sarevok's plans are proceeding and you must stop him so leaving the country is over the top.
    ThacoBellredline
  • SimulacreSimulacre Member Posts: 102
    edited October 2018
    That's funny. I disagree with everything you said from a roleplay perspective. Let's share some contradictory wisdom with all due respect. :wink:

    Right into it. Are you seriously entertaining the idea that teaming up with Minsc would allow you to lie low ? Come on, you could bring along a whole orchestra you still wouldn't be as noticeable as with Minsc. That lunatic can't keep his mouth shut when necessary because he lacks reason, unlike Jan who understands when to cut the crap off because he's just a smart troll.

    Minsc is the kind of fella that raises his rodent like a trophy upon entering a village to present his famous space-rodent - or whatever it was - to about just everyone with a stupid grin on his face. And don't even think about bringing him into the woods cause he'll probably lose Boo or put the whole forest on alert by yelling and babbling about god knows what. So much for lying low..

    It will take two days at most for assassins to find you again, even in the most remote of places.. * just follow the screams, guys ! *

    And let's not forget that wizard affair should you doublecross Edwin. You were hunted down by forces you have yet to comprehend and now you also have one of the strongest wizards on your back.

    How is that going to help with your protection ?

    How come the little voice in your head doesn't tell you that it's a BAD idea to get involved in all this ?

    Despite Minsc being physically strong I would no doubt prefer someone less insane to protect me, especially when I'm quite weak and already accompagnied by Imoen, Jaheira and Khalid who are trustworthy and competent. That big sword of his could also be your end if he starts going berserk for some reason. Oops, critical hit, you're dead. Soooo long BG2 !

    In my opinion, hiring Minsc makes sense if : One, you're playing a lunatic yourself. Two, you're a paladin or so kind-hearted - good alignment needed there - that you can't help but bring along Minsc out of compassion for his... condition. In this case, the big risk is justified by goodness. Not my fancy but it's a valid and strong way to roleplay imo.

    Back to fetching quests here and there..

    When facing an unknown force, it's logical to me that one should stick outside of big cities as much as possible and avoid human contact till things quiet down. If you already got to the Friendly Arm then you have three people you can count on and that's quite enough. No need to hire more and risk betrayal or unexpected business.

    Hunt some gibberling, kill some bandits, do some minor quests that won't make you famous and for god's sake, stay away from Beregost, Nashkel and major cities because that's where you'll be expected. When you eventually get stronger in the wilderness, THEN give it a shot and crush those assassins when they cross your path.

    Later in the game, you've reasons to do major quests and postpone the encounter with Sarevok.

    First, you've gotten stronger so you can dismiss those assassins with more ease. Getting more famous is not gonna make a difference at this point because you are not afraid they'll find you. Just do your business and meet them with even stronger abilities as you progress.

    Sarevok, however, is a whole different matter and you know that because he annihilated your powerful foster father and has many, MANY perks that you dunnot have. Progressing through the story shows how resourceful that guy is.

    Rushing to him like a complete idiot will get you killed in all likeliness so you need to gear up and level up, even if that means going away for a while. Maybe the whole trip will turn out to be a bust, but MAYBE you'll also get a rare item that will allow you to have the upper hand with Sarevok. In other words, it's worth it you're lacking experience or items. You'll miss those during most of the game so it gives you time to reasonably wander.

    To put it in a nutshell, the sense of urgency can't be helped if you accomplish nothing by getting there asap.
    UnderstandMouseMagicBelgarathMTH[Deleted User]
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147

    Seems obvious to me that everybody would turn Minsc down if they were truly RPing.
    Or at least at the very first time he went berserk.
    And that happens if you take too long to do his quest or if you run into the gnoll who talks about eating Dynaheir.

    (Both of which happened to me on early run throughs of the game years ago before I understood about timers and still had Minsc down as "endearing" rather than infuriatingly annoying and bloody useless)

    It makes more sense from an RP perspective, if playing paladin types, to go rescue the witch without him.

  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    I used to spend days looking up how to install lotsa mods and then skipped at least half of them ingame. Being able to gain XP & magic from other sources makes it more plausible to roleplay suboptimal actions and skip ingame content though- like skinning Valygar for instance.
    Gotural
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