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Solo mage run for BG1

cyberhawkcyberhawk Member Posts: 350
There is a documented solo mage run for BG2 (google Elmonster). The character is a human general mage, with extreme stats, but considering the tomes from BG1 still possible to have without cheats. I've followed Elmonsters descriptions and managed to beat BG2 as a solo mage, albeit with ToB installed (higher experience cap ;) ). The only real cheat necessary for this feat, would be having the bag of holding right from the start.

Now I'm wondering if anyone ever tried beating the first game as a solo human mage with no specialisation? I once created a new mage and gave him all the most powerfull items through CLUAConsole, which made him have only AC -2 without buffs. While the final fight with Sarevok should be possible with enough monster summoning wands I wonder if the rest of the game would be manageable (especially the traps).

So, did anyone here try soloing BG1 with a normal human mage?
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Comments

  • CandramelekhCandramelekh Member Posts: 109
    I managed this month ago with BGT. Nothing really special. For the last fight, where i want to kill all Sarevok minions, and then himself, i used potions of speed, invisibility and firebreath. To kill Sarevok i use skulltraps in the middle of temple while was in invisibility, but he can be beaten with a sling
  • SarevokokSarevokok Member Posts: 171
    well there's a solo bard series on youtube on the hardest setting..so I'd imagine so.
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    Did once solo BG1 with Mage/Cleric, but I'm sure it can be done with mage only (at least the last battle can be done).

    How I did final battle with mage (no my party members involved):

    0. Preparations: oil of speed, protection from evil, potion of power, 3x potion + 3 dex, potion of stone form x3, mirror images ofc.
    1. Dispel magic off-screen
    2. 2x Greater malison off-screen. (shamefully, still don't know if stackable in pure BG1)
    3. Luring out Sarevok.
    3. Dire charm him (it is possible - I had 4 scrolls of it and managed to do it with 3 scrolls).
    4. Cast Haste on Sarevok.
    5. Slaughter his entire party, using your new steel-type pokemon.
    6. Dispel magic on him.
    7. Magic missile him to death (in ToTSC he's not magic resistant).

    Btw. While luring Sarevok, Semaj might teleport near you. Magic missile him, use sling (bullets +2) or darts (+1) in between spells.


    But I think soloing BG1 on BGT isn't such a problem due having a familiar, who happen to be great tank early game.
  • AmardarialAmardarial Member Posts: 270
    Even without that you just cast sleep on everything and poke it to death till you can Web everything and then poke it, till you can cloudkill everything...

    Mages can solo the game very easy if you know what to do.....doesn't even really nee gear outside ring of wizardy....
  • Markus_ZhangMarkus_Zhang Member Posts: 13
    I never did that, partly because some traps in Durlag's Tower are very deadly and partly because BG1 is a low magic world, considering the player only have access for a handful of 5th level spells. But I did some runs with FMT or MT, which I believe are too easy. I also gave myself a bag of holding.
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    Speaking of MT, with Tutu, two levels of thief is enough to give Imoen 75 in Detect Traps. I imagine that only works even better for a lone PC if you wanted to dip in and get a couple levels of Thief before dual classing to Mage. You'd eliminate the one downside of a 100% mage with two or three levels of rogue.
  • fighter_mage_thieffighter_mage_thief Member Posts: 262
    LOL Elmonster, I love the name.
  • AmardarialAmardarial Member Posts: 270
    Only traps a solo Mage would have trouble with would be repeatable traps, one time traps, send in summons.
  • cyberhawkcyberhawk Member Posts: 350
    Sarevokok said:

    well there's a solo bard series on youtube on the hardest setting..so I'd imagine so.

    are you talking about the run with the polish version of BG? The one from NAVARI0? Will definitely watch that.
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861

    Only traps a solo Mage would have trouble with would be repeatable traps, one time traps, send in summons.

    Do summoned creatures actually set off traps? I know they are supposed to but I find when I play BG1 I can send any number of summoned hobgoblins wandering over a trap and they never trip it. Do they just keep making their saves?

  • AmardarialAmardarial Member Posts: 270
    @Permidion_Stark

    Been a long time since I've tried, I do remember it working though.
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    Mages are so dang squishy I'd rather make sure they're shut down for good and get a few points of XP while I'm at it. With the right gear and spells it wouldn't even matter if you know what the trap was, but I'm such a dunderhead sometimes I know I'd end up killing myself on a trap repeately given the chance, hahaha.
  • Markus_ZhangMarkus_Zhang Member Posts: 13
    Mages are weak in BG1, or at least before they reach lvl 5. They do not have access of the powerful protection spells like Stoneskin, which renders them vulnerable to deadly traps.

    A little thought about traps: If it's a magical trap, say, that hits the player with magical missiles or fireball or lightening bolt, a potion or a spell can render these useless. The problem is physical traps, and if summons can set off these traps then there is no problem. The mage can also unlock with the knock spell, but under some circumstances it's much better to have a thief around (thinking about Durlag's tower where resting may respawn monsters).
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    @MArkus_Zhang

    In pure BG1, Mirror Image works as stoneskin, which lasts much less, but can protect from magical damage-dealing attacks and every damage-dealing traps. Number of your images equals number of hits you can take without consequences. Just correcting you.
  • UnseeyingEyeUnseeyingEye Member Posts: 48
    I have never attempted nor have any desire to attempt a solo run with any class... or any race... or gender... ever.
  • bigdogchrisbigdogchris Member Posts: 1,336
    I think off-screen cheesing is being removed in BG:EE
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    Easily soloed BG1 once with a cleric-mage. Played it NE which certainly made it easier than playing LG, let's say. Surprised at how little trouble I had. BG2 I would imagine would be a bit more challenging what with the higher level spells. But then again, you'll be an insanely high level mage.
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    Cleric/Mage is nice because of the sheer variety of magic you get. Since you need to use magic for everything, pretty much, having a wide variety of mid-range magic isn't a bad thing.
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    edited October 2012
    CaptRory said:

    Cleric/Mage is nice because of the sheer variety of magic you get. Since you need to use magic for everything, pretty much, having a wide variety of mid-range magic isn't a bad thing.

    Funny that this is the general attitude in this thread. I solo'd the game with a Fighter/Thief with ease but I honestly don't want to imagine the difficulty of performing such a task with a Cleric/Mage.
  • sandmanCCLsandmanCCL Member Posts: 1,389
    I beat the entire saga with a solo Blade, hardcore. No reloads, no deaths.

    I doubt I could repeat it because I'm just a sloppy gamer nowadays and don't remember the game as well as I used to. But yeah, I see no difficulties soloing it with just a mage.

    Wands are your friends. I rarely actually prepare fireball/skull trap in my third level slots because that's what Wand of Fire is for. My most recent playthrough of BG1 (I just finished it, btw), I had like 6 wands of fire on Xan? Something like that.
  • cyberhawkcyberhawk Member Posts: 350
    @Quartz: don't forget the wands. Wand of Cloudkill/Cheese is cumulative and brutally outsmarts all of the enemies. Also, Monster Summoning isn't as powerful as in BG1 anymore, but still distracts enemies and forces mages to waste a Death Spell on them.
  • XanthulXanthul Member Posts: 57
    I've tried to solo a few times but I find it gets stale real quick... I played a solo cleric/mage in BG1, solo sorceror and solo monk in BG2 and I don't think I finished any of those games except maybe the sorceror. The first 15-20 levels or so can be challenging and fun but after that tactics end up being the same time and time again and you're forced to metagame a lot so it ends up being pretty boring. 15-20 levels might sound like a lot but when you're soloing, it's not, you get there pretty quick.
  • Metal_HurlantMetal_Hurlant Member Posts: 324
    I agree with Xanthul. I've finished BG1 with a F/M/T and Bard quite easily.
  • CaptRoryCaptRory Member Posts: 1,660
    Quartz said:

    CaptRory said:

    Cleric/Mage is nice because of the sheer variety of magic you get. Since you need to use magic for everything, pretty much, having a wide variety of mid-range magic isn't a bad thing.

    Funny that this is the general attitude in this thread. I solo'd the game with a Fighter/Thief with ease but I honestly don't want to imagine the difficulty of performing such a task with a Cleric/Mage.
    I was meaning more in terms of spellcasting. Cleric/Mage vs. Pure Mage. Cleric/Mage has a wider variety of magic whereas just mage gets more stronger magic, if I recall.
  • cyberhawkcyberhawk Member Posts: 350
    I'm doing this solo mage run right now. The PC is an elven normal mage who has min/maxed his stats as follows:
    str 18
    dex 19
    con 17
    int 18
    wis 7
    cha 8

    I'm at level 5, got the Rings of Protection and Wizardry, solved the Nashkell mines, bought a lot of useful spells from Thalantyr, the usual stuff. My normal non-buffed AC is 3 because of the Ring and AC8 bracers from Feldposts. I can go to -1 when I put mage shield and protection from evil on. I've got the girdle and boots of missile avoidance, so anyone who is trying to hit me with missile weapons performs that feat at a -8 "bonus" :) It is easily visible when one enables feedback about all the throws in the console.

    My last achievement: I owned a huge group of ogres and ogrillons south of Candlekeep by putting most of them to sleep, then throwing a skull trap at them, then making several others slow down in grease and throwing a fireball from the amulet. Good times!

    The next thing I'll do will be probably an extended Ankheg or Basilisk hunt, then I'll go for the bandits hideout. They won't know what hit them *evil laugh* It will most likely come down to web, then skull trap and fireballs till nothing moves.
  • ryuken87ryuken87 Member Posts: 563
    @cyberhawk If you're min/maxing then you can drop a point of con. Non-warriors don't gain HP benefits after 16 con.
  • moody_magemoody_mage Member Posts: 2,054
    @cyberhawk.
    What Alignment are you? The robes of the good/neutral/evil archmage will help your AC a bit.
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    someone up there ^^ asked about if monsters can spring off traps in bg1, and the answer be nay, at least for vanilla bg 1, i dont know what wacky mods ye all have but in vanilla bg1, only pc players
  • IsairIsair Member Posts: 217
    @ryuken87 It does mean however that you can use The Claw of Kazgaroth without penalty to your HP (once you gain the tome of Con).
  • QuartzQuartz Member Posts: 3,853
    Isair said:

    @ryuken87 It does mean however that you can use The Claw of Kazgaroth without penalty to your HP (once you gain the tome of Con).

    Exactly. I'm assuming this is why cyberhawk put it up to 17.
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