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Questions from a newbie...

Hey everyone! I just started playing Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, and so far, I am loving it!! I am not far into the game and have some questions for the more seasoned players. First, is the gameplay much like Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. It seems so. Second, I have gathered a couple quests, but my journal page shows them but not the details of those quests. How do you guys keep track of what quest requires what, who is involved, etc.? I saw that there is a page for my own journal notes, is it possible to have the quests and journal notes pages open simultaneously? I am trying to figure out the best way to both receive a quest as well as take notes for it (so I don’t forget what the quest requires). Also, if I want to look at previous conversations, how would I go about doing that? Is there a way to slow down the scrolling of past conversations? I tried to roll back the dialogue screen and the comments flew by! I hardly had a chance to read what was said!! That’s about it for now! Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
StummvonBordwehrAerakarmonicoJuliusBorisov

Comments

  • NeveroddoreveNNeveroddoreveN Member Posts: 173
    Also, my party consists of two fighters, one rogue, one cleric, and two mages. Does this sound like a well rounded party? Or can anyone suggest something different? I am still new to the game, and am open to suggestions!! Side note: I am the kind of player than does not favor multi-classed or dual-classed characters, it is my mindset that I want my characters to be single classed and reach the full potential of that class. Also, I don't understand the difference between a mage and a sorcerer. Is there much of a difference? Do you guys favor one over the other? Any help is appreciated with all of this! Thanks so much!
    monico
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Hi there, welcome !

    1- It is mechanically the same because it uses the same game engine, which is Infinity Engine. Mechanically yes, but tactifully it may be quite different, not to mention all other aspects such as joinable npcs, more dialogues and a very different pace.

    2- Try clicking on the line that briefly describes the quest , it should open up and reveal more info. Still, if you feel that you haven't got enough information about a quest I suggest you check it on the internet, there are dozens of walkthroughs available.

    3- I dont think you can simultaneously check quests along with your own notes.

    4- It may be a little tricky, specially if you reload the game then the dialogue history is no longer there, but it shouldnt happen very often so once again I suggest you simply type the quest's name on google followed by "baldurs Gate" that a walkthrough should pop up.

    5-Yes. A balanced party consists of two fighters for tanking and consistent damage, a cleric or druid for healing , a mage or sorcerer several uses such as crowd control, area damage, paralizing enemies etc, a thief for disarming traps and opening locks (that should be their main focus) and you got a sixth slot for extra flavour such as archer , a bard , a dual or multiclass...

    6- Mages learn spells from scrolls into their spellbook (your mage needs high intelligence for that) , that makes them versatile since you can change your tactics by memorizing different spells according to the occasion .

    Sorcerers can't learn from scrolls but they *gain* new spells every level ,do not need to memorize them (that can cast whatever is available on the spellbook) and they can also cast more spells before resting. The sorcerer's disavantage is their limited spell selection , so a sorcerer needs to pick spells that he will use throughout the whole game . There are guides to playing a sorcerer if you need.

    I guess thats it, cheers!

    ilduderinoStummvonBordwehrAerakarJuliusBorisov
  • NeveroddoreveNNeveroddoreveN Member Posts: 173
    Thanks, guys, for you posts and your advice. I appreciate that very much! As it might have been evident, I don't have any experience with mutli-classed or dual-classed characters. I have played AD&D before in PnP form, and even then I never used anything but single-classed characters. That said, can you guys give me any advice on how to make an effective character that is not single-classed? Also, I saw the comment about not making a full party, instead to use some of the companions that the game provides. Going with that subject, how many characters do you recommend I make on my own, and how many to "hire"? Can you guys give me a little more information on this topic? Thanks so much, everyone!
    StummvonBordwehr
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Hello again
    1- Multiclass characters: The most effective multiclass for beginners is fighter/x and thief/x .
    For example: a fighter/mage can attack with a longbow when he runs out of spells , and can use his spells to give him the kind of protection that a single class warrior is not capable of. Another example is mage/thief , he can perform the important role of disarming traps and picking locks while also being able to do magic damage.
    Fighter/cleric is also an excellent choice because he can use all cleric and fighter abilities to his advantage. The thing about multiclass is that they will always be one or more levels below , but the sinergy between the classes makes up for it.

    Dual Class- Dual class can only be achieved by humans and you need 15 in the first classbmain stat, and 17 in the second class main stat. Example: A fighter dualed to mage needs strength 15 and intelligence 17.
    Things you should pay attention to:
    -You'll only be able to use the abilities of both classes once the second class reaches one level above. Example: a fighter who duals to mage at level 7 needs to reach level 8 as a mage to make use of his previous fighter abilities.
    The disavantage here is that reaching that one level above may take quite a long time at mid to higher levels. My tip is that you should try doing it during chapters 2 and 3 because untill the end of it a full party might earn about 40k xp each, for example a fighter 4 dualed to mage will have regained all its abilities.
    - My advice for noobs is to dual at level 4 from fighter to any other available class, by the time you reach level 5 in the second class you'll enjoy 60% of the game with both abilities combined.
    - Dont dual spellcasting classes because their spells need to progress at higher levels, but dualing from a non spellcasting one to a mage or cleric is a great tactic.

    2-The premise of BG is that you have one protagonist and the others are joinable npcs. They're part of the story and theres a mod called "NPC project" which gives them more dialogues and depth in the story . There are over 25 npcs in the game, suiting all tastes so I suggest you create one character and give the npcs a chance.
    StummvonBordwehrAerakarJuliusBorisov
  • NeveroddoreveNNeveroddoreveN Member Posts: 173
    Thanks so much for your help and advice!! I am getting a clearer picture of how the multi/dual classed characters work. From what I am hearing, it would be beneficial to make one character and hire NPCs to fill the other 5 character spots. Not sure what class(es) I will pick.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    An Archer is a beast in BG1EE. There are a couple of NPC's that are decent with bows, but none of them are as good as a stereotypical Elven archer. Choose longbows if you're not going to transition them to BG2EE, otherwise choose shortbow. There aren't any great longbows in BG2.
    StummvonBordwehrmonicoJuliusBorisov
  • NeveroddoreveNNeveroddoreveN Member Posts: 173
    I am just baffled at how I should make one character for myself and use NPCs for the rest of the party! But you guys know (much) more than I do about this game, so I will take the hint and follow suit!
    DJKajuru
  • ZaxaresZaxares Member Posts: 1,325
    ilduderino wrote: »
    I think most of the appeal of the game comes from the characters that join you. If you played IWD first then your experience may be different but I think and hope you wil really like the BG approach

    This. :) A large part of the appeal of the BG series is from travelling with a group of NPCs and learning more about their stories and personalities over the course of your adventures. There's nothing wrong with creating your own group of 6 characters, of course (although if that's your thing, I recommend playing the Icewind Dale series instead, as that's tailored precisely for that kind of D&D experience), but watching how the NPCs react to your decisions and the way they interact with the world is a big part of the BG experience.
    TrauerweideThacoBellilduderinoJuliusBorisov
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    If you aren't playing with the npcs the game provides, you are playing BG wrong.
    ilduderinoConjurerDragonQuartz
  • Antarean0475Antarean0475 Member Posts: 14
    NPCs with personalities are nice your first two or three times through BG1. Then it gets repetitive and having a created party with maybe three sorcerers is more fun.
  • JGPJGP Member Posts: 26
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    If you aren't playing with the npcs the game provides, you are playing BG wrong.

    If you give any credence to posts like this, you're reading wrong. ;)

    Play the way you want to and do not think that a small group of promiscuous posters knows any more about having fun than you do. I cannot stand using NPCs in BG. I love to create my own parties, for any number of different reasons, and see how they perform at every stage and level throughout the whole series. This gives me far more enjoyment than listening to a canned set of 15 or 20 responses that simulate the personality of a petulant teenager. Petulant teenagers, I assume, might beg to differ.

    Play through with the party you chose, then play the game again and change some things up depending on what you enjoyed. Did you need a full cleric really? Or a thief? Maybe mix in some multi classes for these roles. Maybe you don't even NEED a cleric, cause hey, clerics come in bottles. That's just me and there may not even be a single player out there who agrees with me. It doesn't matter.

    There is not a right or wrong way to play this game. Spend less time here and more time playing, then come back and start a thread on custom party makeup where you can weed out the hamster lovers and get down to the serious business of how to create the tightest, smallest group of stone cold killers. First, never use more than four in a party. Second, clerics come in a bottle. Third, well, you get the picture. :)

    Have fun your own way.
    monicoTrauerweideDaevelon
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,367
    JGP wrote: »
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    If you aren't playing with the npcs the game provides, you are playing BG wrong.

    If you give any credence to posts like this, you're reading wrong. ;)

    Play the way you want to and do not think that a small group of promiscuous posters knows any more about having fun than you do. I cannot stand using NPCs in BG. I love to create my own parties, for any number of different reasons, and see how they perform at every stage and level throughout the whole series. This gives me far more enjoyment than listening to a canned set of 15 or 20 responses that simulate the personality of a petulant teenager. Petulant teenagers, I assume, might beg to differ.

    Play through with the party you chose, then play the game again and change some things up depending on what you enjoyed. Did you need a full cleric really? Or a thief? Maybe mix in some multi classes for these roles. Maybe you don't even NEED a cleric, cause hey, clerics come in bottles. That's just me and there may not even be a single player out there who agrees with me. It doesn't matter.

    There is not a right or wrong way to play this game. Spend less time here and more time playing, then come back and start a thread on custom party makeup where you can weed out the hamster lovers and get down to the serious business of how to create the tightest, smallest group of stone cold killers. First, never use more than four in a party. Second, clerics come in a bottle. Third, well, you get the picture. :)

    Have fun your own way.

    So, clerics are......... genies???
    monico
  • Antarean0475Antarean0475 Member Posts: 14
    Balrog99 wrote: »
    JGP wrote: »
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    If you aren't playing with the npcs the game provides, you are playing BG wrong.

    So, clerics are......... genies???

    I think he means a potion is the same as a cleric.
    Permidion_Stark
  • monicomonico Member Posts: 571
    edited October 2019
    Powergaming often means going for multiclasses/dualclasses.

    But powergaming does not necessarily means more fun. As stated above (in a somewhat aggressive manner :smiley: ), play the game the way you intend to.

    Your first post said that you like single class characters. A party of 1-2 fighter classes (Fighter/Ranger/Paladin), a Divine Caster (Cleric/Druid), a Thief and 1-2 Arcane class (mage/sorcerer/bard) is very balanced and will allow you to cover all needs.
    Plus, in the Enhanced Editions, you have access to the kits making a single class characters a bit more specialized.

    In general, as a first playthrough, I would suggest NOT looking for what is most powerful/best party composition, but just play the game as it is thrown at you.

    Start with your main character, whatever class and race appeals to you, and just go adventuring, recruiting NPCs as they come along, exploring with those you like, ditching the ones you don't.

    In fact, in just the first few maps (1st area after prologue, Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost), you can recruit:
    - a girl-next-door thief
    - a halfling fighter/thief
    - a crazy necromancer
    - an elven wild mage
    - a stuttering fighter
    - a bossy fighter/druid
    - a dwarven fighter
    - a disappointed and somewhat disappointing bard

    If you explore a bit here and there, you will find a Paladin, an elven ranger, a drow cleric, a fliratious thief, a feminist fighter, a petrified priest of Tempus, a wandering monk, a very very powerful yet very very arrogant mage, a very very hard hitting yet very very crazy ranger.

    I think you should be able to make whatever group composition you want with this already, and they are all available in just one or two hours of gameplay (if you know where to look, may take a bit exploring for some of them).
  • ZaxaresZaxares Member Posts: 1,325
    monico wrote: »
    - an elven wild mage

    HALF-elf! ;)

    ThacoBellmonicoJuliusBorisov
  • monicomonico Member Posts: 571
    Zaxares wrote: »
    monico wrote: »
    - an elven wild mage

    HALF-elf! ;)

    HAHAHA. Yeah, my mistake ^^ She would be pissed
    Zaxares
  • MaurvirMaurvir Member Posts: 1,090
    I'd echo what Monico said. Play it by ear the first time through and don't worry about metagaming anything. That's the joy of your first play through - everything is a surprise. By the time you get to where most of us are, we could practically recreate the map from memory, and I suspect we all "prepare" for certain areas.

    Also, sometimes the conflicts between opposing alignments can be interesting, and they can certainly cause issues if a fight happens in the wilderness. Most people probably pick up the three NPCs in the first area after the prologue, but they are all of different alignments. That said, getting to where you need to go is a lot easier with help, even if that help is of a rather dubious nature (depending on your PC alignment).

    The good news is that the vast majority of NPCs have zero issue with you switching people out. Some may not be recruitable if you dump them on the first meeting, so keep that in mind, but otherwise, you are free to swap NPCs out as you will. (BG1 has this issue of pairing a few, which was always a PITA, but still)

    So venture forth and find some adventure, and don't worry about creating the perfect party. It doesn't exist.
    Noonmonico
  • drdavedrdave Member Posts: 4
    I'd say that first time, play it the way the developers intended, as a single PC meeting NPCs as you travel through the world. There's a definite challenge in trying to build a balanced party from the available NPCs, whilst dealing with their demands and it does fit the story better.
    However, it's your game, so the best way to play it is the way you enjoy it.
    Regarding party make-up, I'd agree 2 warriors, 1 rogue, 1 each arcane and divine caster, then fill the gap(s) to suit your style.
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