Could someone teach an old dog some new tricks? Returning player, first run going to BG2
odessa333
Member Posts: 59
Hello all!
So to make a long story short, I played a LOT of Baldur's gate when it first game out, spent months trying out nearly every race/class/alignment combination I could think of at the time. Yet for all that, I never played the expansions, never picked up Baldur's gate 2, nothing. I recently picked up a an enhanced edition package, 1 +2, siege, etc, and to be honest I'm a little intimidated getting back into it. Making a character for BG 1 used to be easy for me, but there are new kits I've never seen, not to mention I have no idea how things are going to hold up in BG 2, and I'm trying to party plan, and plan future romance options based on my starting race/gender.... and I'm over thinking things. I try to do research to take some of the uncertainty out of it, and one guide will say 'X is a good option' and then the next guide will trash it. I don't need to min/max to break the game, I'm just trying to not shoot myself in the foot. I don't even know how the transfer from 1 to 2 works yet, and I'm over thinking my party for BG2 before starting BG1, and that just hurts my head lol.
I could use a hand, if possible. Hopefully someone who could keep things simple. Thank you for your time.
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- Build a balanced party. At least one mage for the tough encounters, at least one thief to disarm traps and open locks, at least one priest to heal, warriors to beat up the riffraff. There are enough companions out there you can recruit to do this with any protagonist.
- A party of good and neutral characters is a lot easier to manage than a party with evil in it. They won't start fights with each other, and they won't complain when your reputation inevitably zooms up. Managing reputation to keep a mixed party happy can be done, but it's tricky.
- There aren't really any dud weapon choices. Just make sure that your party aren't all using the same thing (there's a limited supply of the really good stuff), and you'll be fine.
- Archery is really, really, good. If you can fit two longbow users and a shortbow user into your party, it's worth it. Early on, it's a way to kill monsters without subjecting yourself to lucky hits. Later, it's a way to really pile on the damage with the powerful magic ammunition you can buy.
- Offensive mage spells should be focused on disabling effects like Sleep, Web, Slow, and Confusion. Fireballs are good too, but you have wands (and necklaces, and potions) for that.
And then, when you really understand how things work and know what you're doing, you can break all the rules. I'm currently running a party that mixes good and evil, with no arcane or divine spellcasting allowed. And it works.
Going from BGEE to SoD is seamless. Kill the final boss, and you're immediately sent to the new campaign. You can also start a new campaign at SoD if you want to.
Going from BGEE (or SoD) to BG2EE - start a new game, choose "import" rather than creating a new character from scratch, and choose the appropriate "final save" to import from. If you want more than one PC, hit the "create party" button, and import a second character or create one from scratch. Recruited NPCs can't be imported this way.
Going from BG2EE to ToB is also seamless, just like the transition into SoD.
Feel free to make mistakes in character creation, learn from them and do 'better' next time.
One question I'm already run into.... not sure if anyone here has the switch version of this, but having trouble with the interface. Notably, I'm trying to bash a lock, or knock out a noble say to bash a lock (innocent whistle) I go to the command, select it, but then the game defaults to talk to the NPC or pick lock, and not the action I'm selecting. Still trying, but frustrating so far lol.
I don't have the switch version, but in the standard game bashing a lock or attacking a neutral is done by force attacking. That means you have the weapon you want selected (such as fists if you want to knock someone unconscious) and then select it again to override the standard behavior (of talking to, not attacking, neutrals).
I know these are probably super newbie questions, but I am making huge mistake after huge mistake this run, apparently lol.
Going into BG2 is a clean slate; all gear removed. You get a few bits back, but mostly you just find new stuff.
Going into ToB is a continuation. You keep everything, including party members and gold. After the prologue, you have the opportunity to recruit any of BG2's NPCs, plus one new one.
If you want a list, those are available- it's just a question of whether or not you want specific spoilers.
You can do stuff like have Khalid use a longbow and a shield + longsword without tedious weapon switching in the inventory. Or have Kivan dual wield longswords and a longbow. Your own archer can have a shield setup for when you need to be defensive. This becomes much more relevant in BG2, where two-weapon wielding becomes quite strong for a number of your characters.
Just something to keep in mind as you plan out your party and weapon proficiencies.
Yea, it's a good thing I started with BG EE, as even remembering this one, I am still making a LOT of mistakes early on. I can't ever remember dying as much as I am this run, as it took me half a dozen times to clear the first mines. Super embarrassing. I totally didn't know/remember the whole 'don't fire in melee' thing, as I'm sure that did NOT help me.
I also cannot decide on a party. I like too many characters, trying to fit 10 people on a six party limit. Not planning ahead led me to recruiting some people at bad timing, so while my Archer and Ajantis were level 3 in the mines, neera was only level 1 with 4 hit points. That was rough. I currently have them, Imoen, Jaheira, and Khalid was an acceptable death in the mine. I'm going to leave the spot open for a bit to try level. Maybe do some quests for Minsc, Rasheed, try Dorn (not likely), Coran, etc. Not sure who I'll end with yet. Too many I like, like I said.
And @masteraleph if there's a list somewhere of what to look for in transfer stuff, I'll take it, spoilers and all. I've beat the EE a dozen times, just not recently lol. From the sounds of it, it doesn't sound like much of BG EE goes to BG 2 EE, so it doesn't sound like it's worth doing the 'full run' every time, which I think is good? I'll do it this time to refresh myself, but not having to rush the first game to get the 'new' stuff isn't a bad thing in my book.
And then have that character take point and draw all the enemies' fire. And have pretty much all your other characters use ranged weapons. That's going to be your best basic tactic for clearing out the wilderness areas in the early game.
Another alternative, or just addition, is to use your archer or Kivan or Minsc as a scout, make heavy use of the stealth skill, and thus be prepared for 90% of the fights. Literally hiding in shadows will increase your odds of successful stealth.
Although it is too late for your party, I recommend NOT going immediately to the Nashkel mines at the beginning. Sure, it's tempting, but at every low levels, that many kobolds at once are harsh. Even my level 5 paladins (Isra and Sirene) were getting pummeled - though, with +2 weapons (Varscona and Spider Bane), they cut through them quickly.
As for mages, well, they have a very difficult power curve. If you can keep them through the first 5 or 6 levels, where they have incredibly few HP, they become the most powerful class in the game. In the beginning, however, they are a total joke. Reserve their *1* spell for Armor. When they get a second spell? Armor.
In my current run, Imoen had just dualed to a mage at level 6 thief, so while she didn't have squat for HP, she only had 2 spells by the time the party reached the mines again. I resorted to having Aura cast invisibility on her and using her as a scout in the mines. No thief skills meant she couldn't handle the traps, but, she had the HP to survive them. During the final battle, I kept her invisible the whole time.
Lastly, if you don't mind a few mods, there is a tweak that makes paired NPCs separable. I left Khalid in Tenya's house to "look after her". RP-wise, it felt a lot better than letting him get killed in battle for my good aligned party.
To be honest, though, it is mildly annoying, and one of the reasons I usually don't dual Imoen.