@TheElf I think you make a legitimate point about the Mae'var questline. However even after all our playthroughs and all our meta knowledge of the game, it makes sense to CHARNAME to take up the quest: Athkatla is (in)famously a place of gray morality, and right now the protagonist needs to raise a colossal amount of money. They don't know that there will be 50 other sidequests that can help them raise that cash, so in desperation to save Imoen (or stop Irenicus), the morally gray decision to steal from a temple of Talos; take out a tyrannical Cowled Wizard; or bring down/banish a wayward thug from the city probably wouldn't seem so bad to many people, save for Paladins. Just something for us all to think about. After so many playthroughs sometimes you do forget the reality of the situation for your protagonist. I certainly can admit to doing so, from time to time.
I hate having to go through it anytime I want good old Eddy as a party member.
This. It bothers me to no end that I have to work for the "good" guild to recruit an evil character. It becomes a bit of a balancing act, and it's forced on you if you want to recruit Ed.
my first ever game ended when I went to the sphere too early so it has a special hate. it was also my fault I only had one save. nowadays i make too many saves when I look at my current playthrough
I love quests that end with a boss of some sort, and the planar sphere doesn't really. Unless you count the demons, I guess. It does have some good loot though and if you have mage charname it's definitely worth going through.
My best favorite by far is the Limited Wish quest, it's so silly! But it's funny AND difficult to get, since you need a mage at least lvl14 or a scroll of Limited Wish. Amyway I like the Planar Sphere a lot, it's really funny. Another of my favorites is Rescuing Haer'Dalis and his Trope from the Planar Prison.
Edit: wha-!? LEAST favorites!? Oh, the Quest of the Unseying Eye is by far annoying, but it's funny. Oh, crap, I've misunderstood everything...
It's such a chore. Move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow move 10 feet, down some trolls, FIRE arrow sleep Over and over and over and over and OVER. If it weren't for the Flail of Ages and the Elven Court Bow I wouldn't ever do that side quest.
EDIT I forgot to mention how FREAKING TEDIOUS trolls are to kill.
The first time I did it I loved it, but now I can't wait for it to end. Almost as annoying as Chateau Irenicus after the millionth time. I also did the mage/sorc stronghold for the first time and I thought it was a bit overrated. The Shadow Temple has also gotten kind of old, since the statue's puzzle has gotten tiresome after doing it so many times ("@#!@$ this sh@# I'm just gonna guess. 2... 1... 3... flamestrike! gaaaah, ouch! reload)
I love the Mae'Var guildhall and the Planar Prison every time I do them. I also like the De'Arnise Keep since it is short enough yet also challenging with the Umber Hulks and the final fight. The Cult of the Unseeing Eye is one of the best. The underground temple is always spooky and interesting and the voice acting for the cult members on the surface of the Temple District is so great. Gaal is one of the funniest characters in my opinion, plus all those gullible peasants were entertaining.
I tend to do Windspear later on so I can kill Firkraag instead of running away like a baby. The Druid Grove quest I tend to forget about often and have to go finish it before going off to Spellhold, which is weird since I actually enjoy the town of Trademeet quite a bit. There is a mod that improves the druids that makes the area more challenging and enjoyable. It has definitely made my experience better.
The Druid Grove is so easy... Just some optionable troll kills, a couple stupid group of druids, the optional stupid rakhasas, and just the final battle against Faldorn that Cerd managed so easily. I can't believe this was one of the big ones. For a Mage is way more difficult to get the stronghold.
For me it's a toss up with the Planar Prison and those intensely irritating holes in the floor which sometimes but not predictably suck characters through just edging out the Unseeing Eye. I just don't like Beholders which give you to options: (a) buy special anti-Beholder shield rendering them totally helpless or (b) do something equally cheesy like summon skeleton warriors and wait round the corner while they deal with the Beholders. You can't fight them fairly.
[censored] hunt for [censored] cats in [censored] Wild Forest. I barely kept myself from firebolling entire camp (and saving Red Wizards the trouble of doing this later) the first time I stumbled onto this "quest".
[censored] hunt for [censored] cats in [censored] Wild Forest. I barely kept myself from firebolling entire camp (and saving Red Wizards the trouble of doing this later) the first time I stumbled onto this "quest".
Hee hee up until a week ago I might have defended this quest, but then I tried it again. Cats kept squirming out and I don't know how but I lost ONE that I just couldn't find again. Screw that, 7 cats is enough for any horder. I moved on.
The most idiotic sidequest for me is the circus tent... I don't really leave it till last... It is, just... well... pointless! I still do it... I suppose it is not that long... But really?
Guard: Sorry citizens I cannot let you in as we have lost a legion of our best men trying to figure out what is going on...
CHARNAME: Why don't you just take the tent down?
Guard: Sorry... Errr... I don't have orders to...
CHARNAME: Look, take the tent down, we can un-peg it together. Your men will probably be standing around with a load of canvas on top of them, we will just pull them out afterwards.
Guard: Sorry citizen. Errr... I took a peek inside and I instantly could tell that powerful illusions are taking place inside!
CHARNAME: I can cast many an illusion... They are many nifty mind tricks... But not one, not ONE, illusion I know of can hold a tent up. Now lets start pulling pegs and collapsing canvas...
Guard: Okay citizen. If you can sort this out we will be in your debt *Guard pushes CHARNAME into tent*
I would say the wild mage encampment, but that poses a problem. The problem is the main reason I picked my sorceress to be chaotic neutral was to get a cat familiar (they're my favourite animal ever! I love cats)). So the fact you have to 1) chase down cats who break free and 2) get rewarded with a *second* fluffy, purring waste of space makes the whole thing very bearable for me. Weird thing, huh...
Overall, I'd probably say the Astral Prison because of those frikken rooms. They're mage killers! Every time I go over them its going to be a mage who decides to take a moment to say hello to a room of armed and thoroughly p'ed off thralls. Sigh.
Nalia's Keep I waited until I had death spell. And then it was immensely enjoyable.
For me it's Nalia's Keep. I sincerely hate fighting trolls, mainly because of the damage bug. Instead of collapsing to the floor, they'll stand there taking tremendous amounts of damage and continuing to fight as long as you keep hitting them. If you stop hitting them they just fall to the ground but how do you know when to stop hitting them?
So, for that reason I hate trolls and any quest that involves them. Oh and plus I really hate Nalia's aunt, that pompous high-class whore that can't even be intimidated, and you lose rep for killing that thing? REally?!?
So, for that reason I hate trolls and any quest that involves them. Oh and plus I really hate Nalia's aunt, that pompous high-class whore that can't even be intimidated, and you lose rep for killing that thing? REally?!?
Keldorn puts her in her place a bit, if you have him in your party.
The most idiotic sidequest for me is the circus tent... I don't really leave it till last... It is, just... well... pointless! I still do it... I suppose it is not that long... But really?
I like the circus, it's just so easy and a great source of XP right after you get out of the dungeon. Answer a question, kill 2 orcs disguised as peasants, run up the stairs on the second level and then just charge Kalah. Done in a couple of minutes.
Noooooooooooooo! This isn't what was promised to me!
De'Arnise Keep for sure. The trolls are simply annoying to kill, and I also dislike the outdoor map. I would have preferred it to have at least one feature not directly related to the quest itself (like the Druid Grove has the Troll Mound).
The Unseeing Eye would be my second pick, simply because you have to walk the same long paths over and over again. It gets tedious. The lich room is a nice feature, though, and a good challenge.
I haven't played vanilla BG in a long time, but SCS has branded me with a special grumbling for almost all the zones in at least one section. To be perfectly clear, I love it because it hates me. I love the challenge, but sometimes just knowing it's coming up now makes me grunt and get ready for my own personal 'Nam. But even after playing this game God knows how many times, and beating these fights who knows how many times, it still feels good to pull off the win. That's probably why I keep coming back to this game.
*Windspear Hills goes so smoothly, then you step over the body of the CHEATING IMMUNE TO EVERYTHING Rakshasa and his kamikazi kobolds, past rooms of Orc pincushion death, through a golem pack that makes Nalia's Keep look like a pre-card fight...into a mass of mummies and ancient vampires. At level nine.
*Unseeing Eye has the Gauth *pack*, with the swarm of shadows just north of their position, in a truly 'YE SHALL NOT PASS, JERKS.' moment on the bridge.
*Planar Prison needs to have a disclaimer of , 'You know how to mage fight? You have high enough mages to really get into this? Cool, you'll be fine, sure sure....tell the Warden hello.'
*Shade Lord. Still scarred after running into him the first time with SCS. That place is just so easy and then he just...tears you to shreds in about five seconds.
*Nalia's Keep's Spirit Trolls, uuurgh. It's more annoying than anything, but then you get to Tor'Gal and his twenty-eight bodyguards and instantly go from hard mode to Heart of Winter Is For Pansies.
*Planar Sphere's Cannibal Halflings. My God those things AI in SCS can be just wrong sometimes.
*The eight Myconid spore colonies in the Druid Grove can get insane, and the three Rakshasa's are waiting for whatever is left of you after it.
Am I missing something about Beholders? I usually just summon as many Skeleton Warriors as I can, Haste them, gulp an Invisibility Potion and just watch them smash their way through everything short of a Hive Mother...
Comments
Amyway I like the Planar Sphere a lot, it's really funny.
Another of my favorites is Rescuing Haer'Dalis and his Trope from the Planar Prison.
Edit: wha-!? LEAST favorites!? Oh, the Quest of the Unseying Eye is by far annoying, but it's funny.
Oh, crap, I've misunderstood everything...
Move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow
move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow
move 10 feet, down some trolls, acid arrow
move 10 feet, down some trolls, FIRE arrow
sleep
Over and over and over and over and OVER.
If it weren't for the Flail of Ages and the Elven Court Bow I wouldn't ever do that side quest.
EDIT
I forgot to mention how FREAKING TEDIOUS trolls are to kill.
I love the Mae'Var guildhall and the Planar Prison every time I do them. I also like the De'Arnise Keep since it is short enough yet also challenging with the Umber Hulks and the final fight. The Cult of the Unseeing Eye is one of the best. The underground temple is always spooky and interesting and the voice acting for the cult members on the surface of the Temple District is so great. Gaal is one of the funniest characters in my opinion, plus all those gullible peasants were entertaining.
I tend to do Windspear later on so I can kill Firkraag instead of running away like a baby. The Druid Grove quest I tend to forget about often and have to go finish it before going off to Spellhold, which is weird since I actually enjoy the town of Trademeet quite a bit. There is a mod that improves the druids that makes the area more challenging and enjoyable. It has definitely made my experience better.
Guard: Sorry citizens I cannot let you in as we have lost a legion of our best men trying to figure out what is going on...
CHARNAME: Why don't you just take the tent down?
Guard: Sorry... Errr... I don't have orders to...
CHARNAME: Look, take the tent down, we can un-peg it together. Your men will probably be standing around with a load of canvas on top of them, we will just pull them out afterwards.
Guard: Sorry citizen. Errr... I took a peek inside and I instantly could tell that powerful illusions are taking place inside!
CHARNAME: I can cast many an illusion... They are many nifty mind tricks... But not one, not ONE, illusion I know of can hold a tent up. Now lets start pulling pegs and collapsing canvas...
Guard: Okay citizen. If you can sort this out we will be in your debt *Guard pushes CHARNAME into tent*
Overall, I'd probably say the Astral Prison because of those frikken rooms. They're mage killers! Every time I go over them its going to be a mage who decides to take a moment to say hello to a room of armed and thoroughly p'ed off thralls. Sigh.
Nalia's Keep I waited until I had death spell. And then it was immensely enjoyable.
So, for that reason I hate trolls and any quest that involves them. Oh and plus I really hate Nalia's aunt, that pompous high-class whore that can't even be intimidated, and you lose rep for killing that thing? REally?!?
I like the circus, it's just so easy and a great source of XP right after you get out of the dungeon.
Answer a question, kill 2 orcs disguised as peasants, run up the stairs on the second level and then just charge Kalah. Done in a couple of minutes.
Noooooooooooooo! This isn't what was promised to me!
The Unseeing Eye would be my second pick, simply because you have to walk the same long paths over and over again. It gets tedious. The lich room is a nice feature, though, and a good challenge.
*Windspear Hills goes so smoothly, then you step over the body of the CHEATING IMMUNE TO EVERYTHING Rakshasa and his kamikazi kobolds, past rooms of Orc pincushion death, through a golem pack that makes Nalia's Keep look like a pre-card fight...into a mass of mummies and ancient vampires. At level nine.
*Unseeing Eye has the Gauth *pack*, with the swarm of shadows just north of their position, in a truly 'YE SHALL NOT PASS, JERKS.' moment on the bridge.
*Planar Prison needs to have a disclaimer of , 'You know how to mage fight? You have high enough mages to really get into this? Cool, you'll be fine, sure sure....tell the Warden hello.'
*Shade Lord. Still scarred after running into him the first time with SCS. That place is just so easy and then he just...tears you to shreds in about five seconds.
*Nalia's Keep's Spirit Trolls, uuurgh. It's more annoying than anything, but then you get to Tor'Gal and his twenty-eight bodyguards and instantly go from hard mode to Heart of Winter Is For Pansies.
*Planar Sphere's Cannibal Halflings. My God those things AI in SCS can be just wrong sometimes.
*The eight Myconid spore colonies in the Druid Grove can get insane, and the three Rakshasa's are waiting for whatever is left of you after it.