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Please give me party composition advice.

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  • ifupaulineifupauline Member Posts: 405
    As many said already, Druid is a must they will give you a new experience from what they are in bg. Their elemental are so strong. Play them dual or multi.
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited September 2014

    As many said already, Druid is a must they will give you a new experience from what they are in bg. Their elemental are so strong. Play them dual or multi.

    We still don't know if Avengers get the elemental forms. If they do, then they may be better than dual/multi.
  • bob_vengbob_veng Member Posts: 2,308
    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    really? i think you go past lvl20 with normal play. that makes it possible to attain much more than lvl7 in the first class and regain it.

    but i might not be remembering things well.

  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited September 2014
    bob_veng said:

    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    really? i think you go past lvl20 with normal play. that makes it possible to attain much more than lvl7 in the first class and regain it.

    but i might not be remembering things well.

    I finished the basic game at around level 13. The expansions took me to around level 17. I think the official non-HoF xp figure is 1.5 million (each, assuming a full team).

    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.
    Post edited by Fardragon on
    JuliusBorisovKlorox
  • ifupaulineifupauline Member Posts: 405
    Fardragon said:

    As many said already, Druid is a must they will give you a new experience from what they are in bg. Their elemental are so strong. Play them dual or multi.

    We still don't know if Avengers get the elemental forms. If they do, then they may be better than dual/multi.
    I was talking about their summons.
  • KloroxKlorox Member Posts: 894
    Fardragon said:


    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.

    I usually favor a FMT in IWD. I hate losing Thief skills for an extended amount of time.

    It's not a terrible idea to dual two characters to cover all the two important thieving abilities: one could cover Traps, the other Locks. One duals into a Cleric, the other into a Mage (or Fighter). This would allow you to recover thieving abilities much faster, as you'd really only need a level 3 thief.
  • ThelsThels Member Posts: 1,416
    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    I finished the basic game at around level 13. The expansions took me to around level 17. I think the official non-HoF xp figure is 1.5 million (each, assuming a full team).

    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.

    If you managed to reach level 13, you reached about 1.25 million xp. Even if you go Cleric9 -> Ranger, you only need 225k xp for 9 levels in cleric, and then 600k xp for 10 levels in ranger, leaving you well under 1 million xp required.
    RAM021elminsterjackjack
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited October 2014
    Thels said:

    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    I finished the basic game at around level 13. The expansions took me to around level 17. I think the official non-HoF xp figure is 1.5 million (each, assuming a full team).

    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.

    If you managed to reach level 13, you reached about 1.25 million xp. Even if you go Cleric9 -> Ranger, you only need 225k xp for 9 levels in cleric, and then 600k xp for 10 levels in ranger, leaving you well under 1 million xp required.
    But why would you want a cleric->Ranger? You loose out on the high level spells for nothing you couldn't get with Ranger(7)->cleric. 2nd and 3rd level druid spells? How does that compare to 5th, 6th and 7th level cleric spells?!


    There isn't much point in duel classing OUT of anything but a fighter, thief, or stalker.
    RAM021
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,579
    abacus said:


    So, I'm asking for suggestions for appropriately thematic classes/ kits for my first run.

    IWD takes place in remote tundra and wilderness areas, so a "nature"-themed party would fit in well. Perhaps some combination of ranger and druid kits, with a ranger dualling to cleric at some point, and also a barbarian or two.

    A priest-oriented party would also fit in well - a couple a paladin (non-blackguard) and cleric (non-Talos) kits, with mage and thief duals or multis mixed in among the clerics.
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    My next group that I'm running in the beta (since I'm trying a non-thief party atm) is, as I like to call them, Team WildThing

    Barbarian
    Ranger (I think I'm going to change my archer to a beastmaster for this team)
    Druid (I really like shapeshifter here, although any could work)
    Sorcerer (Call it my own internal dragon, but DD will always be chosen over a plain sorc for me)
    Bard (Really like skald here for flavor, but obviously anything works)
    Rogue (They DO make life easier, I like swashie here for flavor)
    JuliusBorisovRAM021
  • ThelsThels Member Posts: 1,416
    Fardragon said:

    Thels said:

    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    I finished the basic game at around level 13. The expansions took me to around level 17. I think the official non-HoF xp figure is 1.5 million (each, assuming a full team).

    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.

    If you managed to reach level 13, you reached about 1.25 million xp. Even if you go Cleric9 -> Ranger, you only need 225k xp for 9 levels in cleric, and then 600k xp for 10 levels in ranger, leaving you well under 1 million xp required.
    But why would you want a cleric->Ranger? You loose out on the high level spells for nothing you couldn't get with Ranger(7)->cleric. 2nd and 3rd level druid spells? How does that compare to 5th, 6th and 7th level cleric spells?!


    There isn't much point in duel classing OUT of anything but a fighter, thief, or stalker.
    I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. The thing is, it's from what I could see the most XP demanding option, so it served quite well as an example of what you could do with that XP limit. More logical solutions should have an easier time.
    elminster
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited October 2014
    Thels said:

    Fardragon said:

    Thels said:

    Fardragon said:

    If you are going to play the game streight, without HoF or xp farming, then you won't get your original class back in time for the end if you duel much after level 7 or so.

    I finished the basic game at around level 13. The expansions took me to around level 17. I think the official non-HoF xp figure is 1.5 million (each, assuming a full team).

    The thing with dueling fighters is you want to do it at level 2, 7 or 13, to take advantage of the increased APR. However, 13 is to late, and there is little point in 8-12, so you might as well duel at 7. With a thief, you will want to duel when you max out traps and locks, which should be around level 6.

    If you managed to reach level 13, you reached about 1.25 million xp. Even if you go Cleric9 -> Ranger, you only need 225k xp for 9 levels in cleric, and then 600k xp for 10 levels in ranger, leaving you well under 1 million xp required.
    But why would you want a cleric->Ranger? You loose out on the high level spells for nothing you couldn't get with Ranger(7)->cleric. 2nd and 3rd level druid spells? How does that compare to 5th, 6th and 7th level cleric spells?!


    There isn't much point in duel classing OUT of anything but a fighter, thief, or stalker.
    I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. The thing is, it's from what I could see the most XP demanding option, so it served quite well as an example of what you could do with that XP limit. More logical solutions should have an easier time.
    There are a huge number of BAD options. You think we should list them all? People can do whatever they like for role-playing reasons. The point was to suggest OPTIMAL levels to duel class for a non-HoF playthrough of IWD.
  • ThelsThels Member Posts: 1,416
    Who said anything about listing them all?

    You basically said that there wasn't enough XP to go around to duelclass much except at very low levels.

    I gave you an example of the most XP demanding duelclass at level 9 still easily doable with the XP amounts you claimed to have earned. Because the most expensive one still works, all should still work.

    I never said certain combinations were good or bad. All I said was that you could potentially dualclass all the way up to level 9 without too much problems, regardless of the class combination.
    RAM021
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    edited October 2014
    No, that's not what I said. What I said was there wasn't enough xp to duel class at level 13, and there isn't any point in duel classing a fighter between levels 8-12 (or a thief after you have maxed out the skills you want).

    Sure, you could duel class at level 9 and just about get your first class back before the end, but there is no point in doing so. Sorry for not pointing out the obvious.
  • DragonspearDragonspear Member Posts: 1,838
    @Fardragon‌

    I agree for the most part, for a fighter the common dual class levels are 7 (extra attack), 9 (maximum HP bonus per level) or 13 (last extra attack), but yes dual classing at 8, 10, 11 or 12 is pretty pointless.
    KloroxjackjackRAM021
  • Knuckles217Knuckles217 Member Posts: 5
    @abacus this must be way too late but I have a wicked party composition that fits the story and covers all the roles. Four characters because I prefer having quicker leveling and having your sole arcane spellcaster a bard means you'll get your spells at roughly the right parts of the game.

    NG Human Blade - party leader, fallen paladin who tries to find a new life adventuring in the frigid north, in hopes to one day atone for his discretions. They are the only foreigner in the party. High str, con and cha, moderate dex, int and wis. Uses swords, single weapon prof and is the only arcane spellcaster.

    LN Dwarf Dwarven Defender - a lost descendent of Dorn's clan searching for remnants of his ancestors whos halls are known to be in the region, to better understand who he is. High con, moderate str, dex and int, low cha and wis. Melee fighter, uses axes and shields.

    CN Gnome Fighter/Thief - the half-dwarf brother of the Dwarven defender. His goals are similar though more interested in lost inheritances. High dex, str and int, moderate con and wis, low cha. Skills lock pick, detect traps and set traps. Starts with crossbow and shorts word

    CG Elf Archer - a descendent of the powerful elves known in the region. Their motive for aiding the party are unclear though it seems they know more about the situation than they let on. High str and dex, moderate con, int and wis, low cha. Party scout and the only divine spellcaster. Uses bows and swords.
  • UlshUlsh Member Posts: 17
    Since the thread has been revived I'll chip in with my latest party. Pretty power gamey but it was probably the smoothest playthrough I've ever had (i.e. could comfortably handle every encounter as I arrived at them with no reloads, no grinding etc) early, mid and late game.

    Gnome F/I, axe, "tank" role after he was high level enough for effective mirror images and stone skins. Before that the "tank" was:

    Half orc F/C, flail, buffs and melee damage.

    Human F7-C, morning star, same as above, I wanted to have both a multi and dual this time to compare them to each other (btw, in my opinion the dual was the stronger fighter, and had better spell progression and turn undead).

    Human F7-D, scimitar, melee damage, summons, healing and some AoE damage shenanigans.

    Elf F/T, longbow and longsword, trap remover and ranged/melee damage as needed.

    Half elf unkitted bard, never used a weapon, singing all day every day and providing arcane buffs if needed.

    Strolled through the game without hiccups on insane difficulty. Could consider replacing the F/C with a paladin. I just think Pale Justice is a bit overrated to be honest *ducks*. And also, it would leave you without a healer in the early game, before the duals become priests (no biggie really).

    And of course the fighter duals started kitted, adding insult to injury, but that was definitely not necessary.

    I might give them a spin in HoF, but never really enjoyed that game mode. I would rather just restart with a different party.
    ineth
  • KloroxKlorox Member Posts: 894
    I’ve been playing IWD EE on HoF mode since level 1. It’s awesome. You need lots of summons to make it through this game.

    Here’s my party:

    Human fighter 3 > druid (slings)
    Human fighter 7 > cleric (slings)
    Human swashbuckler 5 > fighter (short bows until you get the boomerang axe)
    Elf sorcerer (this class is unfair in IWD EE, it almost feels like cheating)
    Half elf skald
    Half elf bard

    Yes, this party misses out on some great weapons. In HoF mode, melee is an option you don’t want to go near anyway, so you’re good.

    If I had another spot, I’d work in another sorcerer before I could work anybody else in.

    I’m considering working the swashbuckler > fighter towards longbows in case I get the hammer longbow, but even then I don’t know if it’s worth it. I have a ring that gives him a 19 STR and he does so much damage hurling that axe.
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