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Is it possible to Solo Level 1 the BG Saga?

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  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    I dont why, but I get great satisfaction for killing dragons, good or evil.

    Adalon
    http://youtu.be/TSiSGTt3VQM

    Nizidramanii'yt
    http://youtu.be/eV249bBfkko

    Here are screenshots of their deaths:

    image
    image
  • TwaniTwani Member Posts: 640
    You guys are amazing. I did SCS insanity once, did a "That's it, I'm done, never again."

    Yet for all the skill got during that, I can't imagine playing lvl 1 though the saga. Cheers to you who are attempting, and best luck! Though it doesn't look like you need it...
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    edited February 2014
    Hell Trials: I chose good paths in fear and selfishness and gave into pride, greed and wrath.

    Pride:
    Good: +20% fire, cold, electric resistances
    -> Evil: +200k exp + items (a scroll of time stop, wail of banshee, 20 arrows of dispelling, and other stuffs that are not important)

    Frankly, a scroll of timestop and 20 arrows of dispelling are more useful than the elemental resistances because I have stocked up tons of potions in SoA.

    Fear:
    -> Good: Immune to +1 magical weapon and less
    Evil: +2 Constitution, Nymph Cloak

    It could have gone either way. The evil path +2 Con only gives 1 measly extra hp anyway, but then there isnt that many enemies in ToB who use normal or magical +1 weapons.

    Selfishness:
    -> Good: 10% MR, -2 HP, -1 Dex, less experience
    Evil: +2 AC

    Definitely good path. ToB bosses have such low Thaco that +2 AC is not enough. Had the bonus was +8 or more AC, then I would consider choosing the evil path. Losing 1 point of Dex is no big deal from 20 to 19 because the difference is thief skills.

    Greed:
    Good: +2 saves
    -> Evil: +15 HP!!!, Blackrazor

    There is no question. Absolutely the evil path :). Fifteen extra HP (and the selfishness penalty) raises my PC's HP from 47 to 60. The Blackrazor is nice. +2 Saves is not much a reward when my PC's saves were horrendous to begin with.

    Wrath:
    Good: +1 Wis, +1 Cha
    -> Evil: +1 Str (after answering Wraith Sarevok), +2 Str (Tear reward)

    +3 Str >> +1 Wis, +1 Cha. My PC's strength went up from 19 Str to 22 Str.
    Post edited by bbear on
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    edited February 2014
    I just realized this, but something is wrong with my character's strength. It should be 19 instead of 20 pre-hell. I checked my "final save" (the moment I clicked on the eye after the first trial), my PC had 19 strength, white text. At "quick save" (the moment before last tear +2 strength), my PC had 20 strength, white text. Weird.

    Edit: Apparently when the evil path is chosen with Wraith Sarevok, your PC automatically gains +1 Str. Interesting, I didnt notice this in all my playthroughs.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Hell Trial Battles: Pride Dragon + Wraith Sarevok

    Pride Dragon:
    http://youtu.be/GXR4OfcEvoc

    Wraith Sarevok:
    http://youtu.be/4h6Fz1tNefY

    Here is a screenshot of the death of Pride Dragon.

    image
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    edited February 2014
    Battles with Irenicus:

    Mage Irenicus:
    http://youtu.be/o1mSSdtxRWI

    Slayer Irenicus:
    http://youtu.be/VqNCUml3gR4

    These 2 battles are not too bad. Mage Irenicus was harder because my PC had to avoid the Power Word Kill. Fortunately, I had Spell Turning from the Book of Infinite Spells. I always discarded that book because I thought it was useless. I stand corrected.

    This is the first time I used the Slayer Form. I didnt know it was so powerful. It just owned Irenicus in 2 rounds.
    Post edited by bbear on
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Twani said:

    You guys are amazing. I did SCS insanity once, did a "That's it, I'm done, never again."

    Yet for all the skill got during that, I can't imagine playing lvl 1 though the saga. Cheers to you who are attempting, and best luck! Though it doesn't look like you need it...

    Thank you for your compliments. I'm not sure, maybe SCS insane difficulty is harder. I never could play SCS because it always failed in installation in my computer.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    ToB initial stats and inventory:


    image
    image


    ToB is going to be a whole new ball game. My newly minted evil PC is looking forward to maim, kill and slaughter! Muhahahaha.

    Strangely, my familiar is still a psuedo dragon. Also, do I have to kill him to receive more hp from familiar?
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    Amazing. Looking forward to ToB!
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    I always feel that the beginning of ToB is a letdown. Instead of starting with a bang, the game throws you a very easy battle. Illasera, even though the weakest member of the five, died after my PC shot her some arrows. All she accomplished were casting a Death Spell on one of my summon and a Monster Summoning 1.

    The First Pocket Plane challenge is depressing too. The game must have detected that my solo low level character was going to have a hard time, so it spawned only 4 commoners, 3 elven archers and 2 knight of orders. That was it.

    Saradush gameplay feels like playing Chapter 2 quests in SoA. Here is a battle with Gromnir.

    http://youtu.be/F_y7ug1EaLk

    In hindsight, taking immunity to +1 or less weapons was a great choice. My PC did not have to worry about kitting or getting critical hits when surrounded by groups of enemies wielding those weapons.

    Here is a battle with the Master Wraith/aka Gorion shade:
    http://youtu.be/F9diN9K-VfA

    The fire giants may appear intimating, but they are in fact of kittens. With proper setups, they could only hit my PC on a critical. While cone of cold is the most straight forward method, hiding off screen and spamming cloud kill is the most efficient strategy. It takes about 8-10 charges of cone of cold to kill a regular Fire Giant and 15-20 charges to kill an Elite Fire Giants simply because they heal themselves with potions. In contrasts, it takes about 8-10 full strength cloud kill to destroy an Elite Fire Giant. The added benefit of using cloud kill is there is no kiting involved.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Here is the battle with Yaga Shura (Warning: extreme flickering!).
    http://youtu.be/KS5M0pL25oI
    The strategy is to eliminate the 2 spellcasters first then Yaga Shura. Spell Turning for some reason does not reflect Creeping Doom and Insect Plague, so I cast a Spell Trap just in case. In the end, it didnt matter and I still couldnt find out because Yaga Shura died before they hit me.

    Oasis Battle
    http://youtu.be/pTkyTYQ8gF4

  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    @bbar try doing the first Pocket Plane with a level 40 or more solo, it won't disappoint you. It even spawns Irenicus, Bodhi, etc, it's insane at high levels, and yeah, it gives enemies for your level, I've tried with a very low level PC in BG2:EE once, it spawned around 20 commoners and 5 Elven Archers; no Knights :(
    About Illasera: she was toned down to make her easy to beat for ToB created PCs. Still you have to try the Ascension version of Illasera, it makes her the most powerful of the Five (arrows that make you unconscious for 5 rounds and around 20 ranged damage each hit, plus she has like 3,5 APR and casts some spells, nasty).
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Abazigal's Lair Part 1

    After Yaga Shura, my Bhaalspan had to pay a visit to the dragons first. From previous gaming experience, I feel that Abazigal is the most difficult of the Five. On top of that, his son Draconis is even more dangerous. In terms of loot and upgradable equipments, most goodies are found in Sendai's Lair. The notable items in Abazigal's Lair are that bronze pantelette, the blue flail head, Gram the Sword of the Grief and Hindo's hand.

    Normally, players easily glance over the upgraded Hindo's Doom. However, in this challenge, it is a real gem. When equipped, the warrior becomes immune to all forms of death magics. This will make some future encounters survivable (ie Death Spell and Quivering Palm Balthazaar).

    Without further ado, here is the battle with Draconis. I divided it into 2 videos, one human form and one dragon form. To save between the two forms, my PC just traveled back to Amketran.

    Human Form
    http://youtu.be/-nq0GUU-UaU
    Dragon Form
    http://youtu.be/Qhn4UBIhyYU

    It appears that Draconis is impervious to spell disruption. It like to cast Heal on itself at badly injured. To rectify this, my PC timestop shapeshifted into a Mindflayer and mind F him.

    The Greater Werewyvern at the entrance of the outer lair was giving me troubles. Like Greater Werewolves, it had insane regeneration. Even transforming into a Slayer + Improved Haste could only reduce his health to "Injured". My strategy:


    Gave him the middle Finger of Death!


    The Greater Water elementals and Prince were pushovers. They were stuck at the wall, spamming cloudkill sent them back to their elemental plane. I largely avoided the eyes. I came here to slay dragons, not poke some eyeballs!
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Abazigal Lair Part 2

    Guarding the inner sanctum is Fll'Yissetat. Like the Green Dragon in Watcher's Keep level 5, she is immune to cloudkill. Since dragon breath is the same element as its immunity, my PC had no real way of protecting himself. However, that doesnt mean I would let her stay alive. Here is one quick way to end the battle.

    Fll'Yissetat:
    http://youtu.be/bb21kGeghB4

    Like Draconis, spell disruption doesnt seem to work on her. Like most dragons, she would cast Heal on herself at badly injured. That's annoying.

    Abazigal:
    http://youtu.be/ppelvzZsroY

    Finally, the fight with Abazigal. My PC first ninja the eight Frost Salamanders (not featured in video) in the room. The Clay Golem is a great summon. He can tank dragons any day of the week. Fortunately, all his attempts to heal himself were thwarted. Good game.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Sendai's Enclave Part 1:

    In the Underdark, the drows are formidable. Not only do warriors have great physical prowess, their wizards and priestess are magically talented too. In comparison, Sendai's army is even more powerful but fragile. While her warriors, pets and slaves are at a higher level, their armors and resistances are pitiful. I remember in SoA, my PC had to roll a critical hit to penetrate the toughest armor of a full plate drow warrior. In ToB, a roll of 10 would suffice. This could only get worse because the Answer+4 made subsequent hits easier to land. In essence, the game sacrifices defense for offense. My strategy is to eliminate the offense capability.

    The special abilities are GWW, Hardiness for warriors and high level spells for spellcasters. One easy trick to avoid them is invisibility. Yes, the game even supports this strategy by giving away tons of invisibility potions when the drows die.

    Another comment I want to make is that Sendai's Enclave is a great place to farm gold and upgrade weapons. Most drows drop an elven chain armor and some drop crossbow+3 that sell for 1000+ gold. I believe my PC collected 50+ these armors and 20+ crossbows. The notable components for upgrading weapons are the Eye of Tyr, Skull of Lich, Heart of Damned, Gond Bowstring and Liquid Mercury. In additional, potions are abundant. In one playthrough, I had one potion bag dedicated to just potions of healing and another for potions of invisibility.

    Last comment is that the katana Hindo's Doom +4 is an awesome weapon. My level 1/1/1 PC can "safely" walk into cloudkills without instant death when equipping the katana. Combo with potion of invisibility, cloudkill is a great game cheese/exploit/abuse strategy. The following videos show the mastery of this strategy.

    Sendai's Enclave Exterior:
    http://youtu.be/88lgb4RinBY

    Sendai's Enclave Interior (just the encounter with Drow Captain)
    http://youtu.be/fSfIVs3Mwro

    The Earth elemental prince was pretty easy. While it could be annoying when it hit you for massive damage and dispel all your protections, it could only hit my PC at a critical hit. In addition, I used the Ras and Spectral Brand to tank it. Diathya and her groups were easily dispatched as well. Cloudkill spamming prevented any of her spellcasting and killed the Hive Mother offscreen.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Sendai's Enclave Part 2

    The words for describing the battle with Sendai in the Solo Level 1 Challenge are excruciatingly annoying. Unlike the battle with Abazigal, survival is easy. Sendai just refuses to die properly. I reload couple times because her script for dying wont trigger. In my experience if the battle with her final form takes too much time, she would just stand idle at near death. Also, I think it is a poor game feature for her to spam endless spiders, big skeletons and remove magic when she otherwise could cast other spells.

    Sendai Battle Part 1 (first 3 clones)
    http://youtu.be/bzOy78DNgjs

    Sendai Battle Part 2 (last 3 clones)
    http://youtu.be/i7hmcKNse4k

    Sendai Battle Part 3 (final form)
    http://youtu.be/2xul9QSSLzw

    Four down, one more to go.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Amketran Monastery Part 1:

    Back at Amketran, my PC was ambushed by Balthazar's army. Foreign mercenaries and monastery monks would attack him on sight. Actually, it wasn't really an ambush, more like active engagement. Crush them in one blow!

    Mercenaries:
    http://youtu.be/dfZ2lck-CJs

    Monks:
    http://youtu.be/R6J37QbH34c

    One of the monks dropped the monastery key, and my PC took the front entrance (as opposed to Saemon or Fajeed's route).

    Knock knock.
    Who's there?
    Bbear.
    Bbear who?
    Bbear is going to kick your butt.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    edited February 2014
    Amketran Monastery Part 2:

    At the monastery, Balthazar the self-righteous just cannot be reasoned. Instead of working together in stopping Melissan, he is hell-bent on murdering my PC. Balthazar may be powerful, but he has a weakness...! Weakness in computer AI logic.

    Balthazar Part 1:
    http://youtu.be/rV_vyFajsuI

    Balthazar Part 2:
    http://youtu.be/fen0rOrrArw

    Before viewers scream that I cheated the game, my response is that this is the quickest way in dealing with him (but not faster than Cltr-Y). I guess the "legit" way of killing him is to blind him first then spam cloudkills. Another crazy/creative way I can think of is blind him first, set 20x skull traps in a corner of the room, then use the ring of the ram to push him to the skull traps. This method is probably a more satisfied victory.
    Post edited by bbear on
  • ctrl-y everything!!!!!!!

    Unless you're fighting a fission slime ;)
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Pocket Plane Challenges Part 1

    #2: Charname + Tamoko + Angelo + Semaj
    http://youtu.be/cQnzWnLwrPA

    During the Hell Trials, my PC gave into his desires and fell from grace. The alternate universe Charname thus was born a holy warrior. Surprising he recruited the same evil characters from Baldur's Gate. Tamoko was Sarevok's lover who tried to change Sarevok and arguably she might be a benevolent person. However, Angelo was a corrupted officer in the Flaming Fist, and I dont recall Semaj in the original story except in the final battle. I'm curious how my PC's alignment would affect the alignments of Tamoko, Angelo and Semaj.

    Charname is a Paladin and wields the Holy Avenger. Tamoko is a dual wielding Kensai, Angelo is a fighter thief multiclass (illegal class), and Semaj is a mage. Direct engagement is suicidal (unless you use protection against magical weapons, but I'm being cheap/resourceful). The best course of action is run in circles to "confuse" enemies until they break into moral failure.

    Ironically, I reloaded the most times in this battle out of all five pocket plane challenges. I video captured and won the first time, but I forgot to save. The second time, Angelo mentioned "No more", a message enemies rarely displayed when most of their companions died and they were about to perish. He disappeared before he died, and the challenge could not be completed. The third time, Angelo was about to die and the game crashed. OMG. The fourth time was finally the charm. Interesting fact, Angelo was always the last to die and least succumb to morale failure.

    #3: Slayer
    http://youtu.be/HjxpzQmo14I

    This is the easiest battle in the last four Pocket Plane Challenges. Basically, my PC walked toward and waved his sword at the Slayer, and then it died. Who would have thought AC still matter in ToB? The Slayer could only hit on a critical.
  • bbearbbear Member Posts: 1,180
    Pocket Plane Challenges Part 2

    #4: Cyric's Favorites
    http://youtu.be/x1Oj_jIi_yU

    Those are level 25 assassins. They can easily chunk a group of unprepared adventurers or a small size army. The key is preparation. My PC managed to chunk two of them, but an Ogre stole the last kill.

    #5: Ravager + Boneblades
    http://youtu.be/jlWrCqYjxNQ

    Surprising, this is an easy battle. Survival was never a problem. The two things you need in this battle are: a wand of cloudkill and the Reflection Shield+1. The Reflection Shield is sold by Ribald back in Chapter 2 in SoA.

    Solo is indeed easier than playing with a party. I can try out crazy methods and dont have to babysit fragile party members.
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    *Hisses like a vampire with a cross shoved in his face*

    I do not approve of powergaming and I am allergic to cheese.

    But bravo! You sure do it well!

    A master of anything is worthy of respect and praise. That is in fact the true meaning of 'Kung Fu'. :)

    Welldone bbear!
  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    edited February 2014
    Heindrich said:

    *Hisses like a vampire with a cross shoved in his face*

    I do not approve of powergaming and I am allergic to cheese.

    But bravo! You sure do it well!

    A master of anything is worthy of respect and praise. That is in fact the true meaning of 'Kung Fu'. :)

    Welldone bbear!

    I'm giving you half an agree since I've discovered that I'm not a vampire and I like cheese a lot, the one you eat and the cheese you exploit in BG. The other part of the agree is because I also congratulate bbear for making this challenge and I also agree with your definition of mastery.
  • MacHurtoMacHurto Member Posts: 731
    Congrats! What would be the most common tactic? Spam cloudkills?
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    You're still crazy wether it's doable or not.
  • MetallomanMetalloman Member, Moderator, Translator (NDA) Posts: 3,975
    But I like it. :grin:
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