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A guide to new magic items in BG2EE *SPOILERS*

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  • OzzyBotkinsOzzyBotkins Member Posts: 396
    Are drizzet items available in BG2:EE
  • HeindrichHeindrich Member, Moderator Posts: 2,959
    @OzzyBotkins

    I thought Drizzt's stuff has always been available in BG 2.
  • kryptixkryptix Member Posts: 741
    They're only available if your willing to put up with an archmage attacking you on every map to retrieve them... Drizzt, even if you kill him, will get raised as his god's champion and he has benefactors who will come retrieve his gear for him...
  • jacobtanjacobtan Member Posts: 655
    Most of the new items are way overpowered compared to vanilla items and should be weakened for overall game balance. I understand the developers really want players to play with the new NPCs but the difference in power level just distorts the game, especially for newbies. Overpowered items are nice and all that but IMO they should be restricted to custom mods and not included in the main game.
  • EudaemoniumEudaemonium Member Posts: 3,199
    jacobtan said:

    Most of the new items are way overpowered compared to vanilla items and should be weakened for overall game balance. I understand the developers really want players to play with the new NPCs but the difference in power level just distorts the game, especially for newbies. Overpowered items are nice and all that but IMO they should be restricted to custom mods and not included in the main game.

    Which items are you talking about? The only one that's kind of overpowered is the Silver Dragon Armur due to the presumed bug that means it counts as non-magical (and will likely be fixed). I fail to notice any other genuinely overpowered items added, especially when compared to those in the vanilla game (like everything in ToB).
    jackjackelminster
  • jacobtanjacobtan Member Posts: 655

    jacobtan said:

    Most of the new items are way overpowered compared to vanilla items and should be weakened for overall game balance. I understand the developers really want players to play with the new NPCs but the difference in power level just distorts the game, especially for newbies. Overpowered items are nice and all that but IMO they should be restricted to custom mods and not included in the main game.

    Which items are you talking about? The only one that's kind of overpowered is the Silver Dragon Armur due to the presumed bug that means it counts as non-magical (and will likely be fixed). I fail to notice any other genuinely overpowered items added, especially when compared to those in the vanilla game (like everything in ToB).
    I guess we have different standards about what is overpowered and what is not.

    For me, if I position a new item next to the old items of the same category, and am hard-pressed to find an old item that matches the new item in power, or if I cannot a compelling reason not to use the new item, then I consider it overpowered. The vanilla game already has some overpowered items, but for a remake that supposedly leaves most of the original content intact, they sure added several more.

    The Silver Dragon Armor is one, as you have noted.

    Consider Shield of Fyrus Khal. Compare this to the special abilities of the "best" shields in vanilla. Darksteel Shield is +4, and adds 10% fire/cold/acid/poison resist. Shield of the Order +4 adds +1 to all saving throws. Fyrus Khal, for 2 points less AC (arguably inconsequential in late-game), you get 10% fire/cold/acid/electric resist AND 5% MR to all allies .

    Consider Jade Fang. Compare this to all the other daggers in vanilla. The only other +3 or better dagger that inflicts status damage is Pixie Prick, and it causes Sleep instead of Stun.

    There are also other items which are noticeably stronger than their vanilla counterparts:

    Wooden Horse Necklace - No amulet in vanilla has +2AC and +2 to saving throws
    The Visage - There are very few headgears that offer +1 THAC0 or +1 saving throws. To have both, plus some immunities and free castings of spells a day, it is a bit much IMO.

    It is not that I object to any and all new items created, nor do I claim high ground for not using the overpowered items in the original game. But we have to be aware that introducing new items with more/enhanced powers will inevitably distort the original game, especially when the core game is unchanged. TOTSC distorted the difficulty of the original BG by allowing new spells, items and more XP, thereby making the final fight against Sarevok easier. But it was an official expansion pack after all. If EE is meant to be an expansion pack, they need more content than just a few NPC quests. If not, it is merely a set of mods, including 4 NPC mods and a few technical mods.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited March 2014
    Disagree completely. If you have to jump through hoops to get an item, as is the case with with the Silver Dragon Armour and the Visage, and there is NOT a compelling reason to use said item once you have it, then it is not powerful enough.

    The fully powered Abyssal Blade is a good example of an item which is not powerful enough for what you have to do to get it.
    elminstersemiticgoddessAndreaColombo
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    i used abyssal blade a lot in soa. making it more powerful would render subsequent finds useless.

    silver dragon armor is bugged and will be fixed.

    visage is fine imo.
  • jacobtanjacobtan Member Posts: 655
    @Fardragon‌ By your admission, the new items are more powerful, which is in line with what I said about these new items being overpowered. You are actually agreeing with my observation ;) It's just that you feel these items are justified in their power because you took the trouble to get them, while I feel that because the game is fundamentally unchanged, introducing an entire set of high-powered items will tilt the balance of power in favor of the player and hence makes the game easier. We shall have to agree to disagree on their impact.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    The only items added by BG2:EE that I would consider "very powerful" and on par with existing top-tier BG2/TOB items are the Silver Dragon Scale Armor and the Visage. All the rest are sidegrades or of niche utility. Headband of the Devout is also pretty damn good, but only really when exploited by a thief or bard with UAI, and is found deep enough into TOB that you're tripping over spare +5 weapons.

    You do get the opportunity to get some of these items early, but the FOA +3 and Carsomyr are both available in chapter 2.
    elminster
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    bob_veng said:

    i used abyssal blade a lot in soa. making it more powerful would render subsequent finds useless.

    I hardly used it at all, there are plenty of better two handed swords and weapons that Dorn can use (e.g silver sword). And the fully upgraded version requires a permanent major nerf to one of your companions powers. If you do that it aught to be as good as casomyr.

    It is impossible to unbalance Baldurs Gate because it has never been balanced in the first place. That's its strength.

  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited March 2014
    jacobtan said:

    Most of the new items are way overpowered compared to vanilla items and should be weakened for overall game balance. I understand the developers really want players to play with the new NPCs but the difference in power level just distorts the game, especially for newbies. Overpowered items are nice and all that but IMO they should be restricted to custom mods and not included in the main game.

    Hehe...the ring of duplication actually originally (in the pre-release beta) gave its users 4 simulcrum's when cast (that lasted for I think 4 rounds). Now its effect is nice but not astounding.

    There were a few other nerfs (Dorn's helmet for instance) before release. Honestly compared to what is already available for players most of the items that were added in the enhanced edition are pretty mild.
    jacobtanjackjack
  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    You can get into Watcher's keep right after Irenicus prison, so there really shouldn't be any complains about getting powerful items early. Even in a no-reload game it's possible to clear the first two floors very early for some amazing items.
    Corvino
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    edited March 2014
    @Fardragon‌
    silver sword is the only better two hander for an evil party.
    depending on the situation abyssal blade even might be more reliable and more suitable.
    i had two characters wielding two handers so i made plenty use of the abyssal blade.
    you get the evil version of carsomyr in tob. you can have only so much mythical +5 two handed swords in a single campaign.

    the abyssal blade doesn't get unlocked, it gets imbued with souls.
    that controversial quest resolution exists for dramatic effect and is not supposed to be in balance with other choices (as a strategic decision). the player needs to feel the loss in order for the statement to be made.

    i don't know why you're mentioning game balance in this context. you seem to, yourself, be advocating that it's unbalanced to have this quest resolution not being sufficiently rewarding.

    i haven't advocated for more balance, i've just said that i've used the abyssal blade and that it's not useless. if it was useless it would have been a poor addition to the game, balance notwithstanding (not a balance issue either way).

    also, not everyone is going to obtain the silver blade. in order to decide that the abyssal blade is useless you need to come from a metagaming perspective and that's not good rpg design, putting a lot of focus on metagaming dynamics instead of rp decisions.
  • CorvinoCorvino Member Posts: 2,269
    What about the Soul Reaver +4 found in the Underdark? That's a pretty damn good +4 two-handed sword primarily for non-good parties.

    I do pretty much agree with @Fardragon on balance though. Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 have a lot of choices that with metagame knowledge are clearly superior. Right now there's some poor Wizard Slayer crying into his pint in the Copper Coronet as an Inquisitor walks into the bar.
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    both the silver blade and the abyssal blade are much better than the soulreaver.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    The Unholy Reaver is on level 4 of watchers keep. You can get it quite early in SoA if you choose. It's a lot better than the Abysmal Blade, but not a patch on Casomyr
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    edited March 2014
    you can't go that deep early in soa
  • SjerrieSjerrie Member Posts: 1,234
    Sounds suicidal.
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    in general the greater challenge of getting the unholy reaver is proportional to how more powerful it is than the abyssal blade. there's no reason why you wouldn't get the abyssal blade first and use for a good while before ever going to the watchers keep; it'd be the only rational thing to do.
    why would you get the unholy reaver first and then do dorn's quest?
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    The only reason to do Dorn's quest at all is for The Visage. There are shed loads of great swords he can use that are available early in SoA. Watchers Keep level 1 is easy enough to do as soon as you leave the first dungeon.
  • KraakenDazsKraakenDazs Member Posts: 14
    Well neera-quest spoilers ahead (i know the title mentions it but i figured id try and be polite and warn some more :P)


    Would anyone know what cluacode is Dings the cat? Seems its a sorc-mage reward, but id still want to waste an item slot on the bugger if i could :P
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    Could anyone clarify where/when I would come across the "Trial of Darkness/Pain/Blinding"? The rewards for them look like items for a Monk so I assume it would be during Rassad's quest but I must have overlooked them. Any tips?
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    @Noobacca‌ It is in the final part of his SoA quest. They are the trials at the hidden twofold temple.
    Noobacca
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    @Tresset‌ Thank you! I remember having a big battle at the temple but I must have missed the part to do the trials. Thanks for the info!
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    @Noobacca‌ If you kill everyone instead of playing their game and trying to join the twofold you don't get the items.
    elminsterNoobaccajackjack
  • SneakWalkerSneakWalker Member Posts: 49
    are there these items codes?
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    @SneakWalker‌ It doesn't look like the codes are included here. If @ajwz wouldn't mind I could edit his guide to include the codes but it would take some time to list them all.
    elminsterjackjack
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    go for it, I'm lazy
    Tressetelminsterjackjack
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    edited June 2014
    @ajwz it is done. I also noticed your guide does not include Korkorran's Cowl, which I believe comes from the Hexxat romance (and is rather important too), but I am not sure on the details.
    SneakWalker
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