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The LoB + SCS Solo Challenge vs Bhaal´s Cataclysm

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  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    Gotta say those arrows are the direct answer to LoB without ScS.
    In a lot of ScS encounters like Sarevok those arrows wouldn't do anything for you. :disappointed:
    (You can't even straight up kill Sarevok without taking the minions there and those turn into skeleton Warriors after they die. :smiley:
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305

    Gotta say those arrows are the direct answer to LoB without ScS.
    In a lot of ScS encounters like Sarevok those arrows wouldn't do anything for you. :disappointed:
    (You can't even straight up kill Sarevok without taking the minions there and those turn into skeleton Warriors after they die. :smiley:

    As Harpagornis suggested the arrows of explosion are far less efficient at winning battles in LoB than the standard game (including the fight with Sarevok). There aren't enough of them to affect more than a few LoB encounters when individual enemies have hundreds of HPs each. I think he's correct that they need to be reserved for the small number of fights where time is a factor, so that just kiting enemies or using stealth isn't appropriate.
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    I never disagreed with that.
    But the "base game" with SCS mod (you might have overlooked I was talking about that mod) is much harder and especially the Sarevok fight is not winnable by just spamming detonate arrows.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016

    Mordra vs Crusaders Attack

    The problems in the following fights are:

    1. You dont have much time - if you are not fast enough enemies will overrun the camp
    2. If the enemies break your support lines they will get help from several crusader mages
    3. If Andrus dies the barrels will explode - Game Over
    4. You cannot rest between the waves

    Will Mordra prevail where Calis failed? Lets go for it!

    First Wave - O g r e s & T r o l l s

    Buffs: Potion of Speed + Fire Resistance Potion
    Support Troops: Dwarfes of Dumathoin
    Essential: Arrows of Detonation + Myconid Summons


    The Trolls are tough and if they get hasted from the Mages its getting even tougher. At first i thought that the Archers with their Fire Arrows would be of great help here. But no! They go down too fast so the Trolls might be over you in no time. The Dwarfes on the other hand are really tough tanks that will absorb high amounts of damage - perfect. After shooting two Arrows of Detonation Mordra summoned some Myconids. This "Arrows + Summon" game continued until all enemies went down.

    Arrows of Detonation used: 13

    Second Wave - T h e S h i n i n g L a d y 's W i z a r d s

    Buffs: Magic Protection Potion + Potion of Speed
    Support Troops: Mage Slayers
    Essential: Arrows of Detonation + Arrows of Dispelling


    The Mages will try to crowd control like crazy so you better protect yourself. Arrows of Detonation work great when combined with Arrows of Dispelling which will leave them helpless to the attacks of the Mage Slayers. If things do not run in your favour throw in some summons!

    Arrows of Detonation used: 15

    Third Wave - S o l d i e r s o f t h e B u r n i n g W a y

    Buffs: Potion of Speed + Potion of Invulnerability
    Support Troops: War Mages
    Essential: Arrows of Detonation (+Summons)


    In several guides the Soldiers are called "no challenge" so Mordra took it too easy on her first try. Especially the Clerics can be a real pain so she burnt them down fast with Arrows of Detonation. The other problem is that the enemy group is quite large and if your mages are failing with their spells the enemy will overrun you fast. With the help of summons - Ankhegs work great if your Myconid charges are empty - Mordra killed the rest of the badly wounded soldiers with some powerful sword slashes.

    Arrows of Detonation used: 15

    Final Wave - G r i m g o r — C r u s a d e r C o m m a n d e r

    Buffs: Potion of Speed + Potion of Invulnerability + Potion of Power
    Support Troops: Assassins + Archers
    Essential: Keep cool...!!!!


    The final battle could have been a neverending nightmare. You will not only face several named enemies but they will also constantly get the help of support troops that are swarming in. What changes this battle from superhard to eeeasy are mainly two chars on your side: Auziel and Garrus! Why are they a gamechanger? Because they are immortal. What happened was: All enemies were trying to kill these two while Mordra shooted the enemies down from the backrow and drinking a cup of tea. Not to forget: Throwing in several Necklace of Missiles in between!

    Arrows of Detonation used: 0 (without Auziel and Garrus: 20+)

    After this defeat the Crusade falls back to their stronghold. Time to start the Siege of Dragonspear & Chapter Eleven!

    Or as Mordra would say: May darkness prevail... :D
    Post edited by Harpagornis on
    Victor_Creed_SFVGrond0BlackravenJuliusBorisov
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305

    But the "base game" with SCS mod (you might have overlooked I was talking about that mod) is much harder and especially the Sarevok fight is not winnable by just spamming detonate arrows.

    Arrows of explosion can be used to kill Sarevok and all his companions:
    - use invisibility to park Sarevok in a corner and all of them except Angelo will group around him
    - use a scroll of PfM to deal with Angelo
    - fire multiple arrows at the others, using invisibility or stealth as necessary
    I think there are enough arrows of explosion for the skeleton warriors as well, but you don't have to kill those anyway.
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    The process you describe works very well and I did something quite similar years ago, but this takes a lot longer than it sounds.

    @Harpagornis
    Good job :smile:
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    @Victor_Creed_SFV: Which process do you mean? ;)

    Mordra will hopefully face Belhifet soon but - damn - the Demons are really annoying... :D
    Victor_Creed_SFV
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609

    @Victor_Creed_SFV: Which process do you mean? ;)

    Mordra will hopefully face Belhifet soon but - damn - the Demons are really annoying... :D

    I was referring to the poster above me about that Sarevok strategy. :)
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    edited December 2016
    I've been thinking about dealing with the Shadow Aspect during this day.

    NearInfinity shows the Shadow Aspect is undead. So to defeat it, we can use the Secret Revealed against it. When you leave the Dwarven Dig Site you can ask Brother Deepvein to recharge it (of course, if this item is not drained beyond recharging).
    BlackravenNoobaccaCrevsDaak
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016

    Mordra vs Belhifet

    Okay - time to put this to an end! After testing the final battle for some time it was quite clear that SoD Belhifet is much harder than Icewind Dale Belhifet (which can be slain by a level 1 char).

    Things Mordra needed to prepare for:

    Hold Person -> Potion of Freedom, Ring of Free Action
    Charm Person -> Anti Charm Helm or Potion of Clarity
    Fear Aura -> Commander's Chain Mail +3 (not for Blackguard)
    Blazing Inferno & Infernal Conveyance -> 100% Fire Resistance
    Lightning Bolts -> Potion of Absorbtion (or dodging)
    Various Symbols -> Protection from Magic

    Not to forget: +3 Weapons to damage Belhifet -> Longsword of Acid +3 & Void Arrows +3

    Sidenote: Arrows of Detonation will not work here as all enemies are immune to fire!!

    Belhifet will dispel all buffs when the final battle starts so make sure to buff up again:

    Potion of Storm Giant Strength + Potion of Power + Potion of Speed + Potion of Invulnerability + Regeneration Potion (!)

    Protection from Magic Scroll works great - just make sure to use it right before the battle!!

    Durlags Goblet will be a Lifesaver but also make sure to bring many Healing Potions (40+)!

    Belhifet will from time to time summon new Demons so the longer the fight goes the harder it will get. Using the +3 Void Arrows is tricky because a) the Archer Demon will hit you hard for sure and b) teleporting demons tend to attack instantly which will result in even more damage taken. Switching between Weapon Sets fast and proper positioning will be key!

    The damage from the 80 Void Arrows will be not enough to bring Belhifet down (he has 33% DR) so Mordra did what she trained before in Icewind Dale: Circling around, waiting for the opportunity to rush in, hit Belhifet hard once and move out again fast. Do not attack him if there are several demons around him because you will not only take damage but the teleporting demons will easily surround you. The constant teleports are another reason to keep on moving all the time - never let them get you! Even if you can spot Belhifet alone do not attack more than one or two time as he hits fast and hard for 50+ damage while causing poison, bleed, curse & disease!!!!

    Once Belhifet goes down - this may take up to an hour - all demons will disappear. Except for Hephernaan! Either kite him down or - if you got enough potions left - just hack him to pieces. Should be easy!

    Mordra died countless (!) times before getting lucky with good crits, not getting surrounded and refreshing protection potions in time (missed this part more than one time!). Damn - this final battle is harder than any other i have done for quite some time. Its so toxic that i will move around it in the next days (or weeks). Maybe there are better ways to fight Belhifet. Maybe not...

    Anyway: May patience be with you - Good Luck! ;)
    Post edited by Harpagornis on
    JuliusBorisovGrond0
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    Reminds me of noober :smiley:
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Yeah - Belhifet was Nooberized! But it felt even tougher than Thaos... :D

    With regard to the Shadow Aspect: Yeah its Undead so the Damage from "The Secret Revealed" will go throw even though its always going to make a saving throw. But even with some hacking in between its possibly not enough damage before the next mislead is coming. Anyway: The Inquisitor should have best chances thanks to True Sight.

    Next on Mordras list is BG 2. Will she really start with 500k xp instead of 161k? And which items will she be able to transfer from SoD to BG 2? But before playing on i need to install the game first. :D
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714


    Next on Mordras list is BG 2. Will she really start with 500k xp instead of 161k? And which items will she be able to transfer from SoD to BG 2? But before playing on i need to install the game first. :D

    Yes to the first question. Items can be seen here. Good luck to Mordras!
    Harpagornis
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    Good luck on BG2 just don't be surprised how much easier than SoD it will be.
    BG2 really needs SCS to shine, there's so many mages which are shit without prebuffs.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Ah, thanks @JuliusBorisov - thats good to know! :)

    Yeah @Victor_Creed_SFV i was thinking the same. Maybe the next run should be LoB + SCS. We will see! ;)

    Hhhmm... think i will do some rest before going on - this final battle sucked away so many hours. I am tired. :D
    Grond0JuliusBorisov
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    edited December 2016
    I think LoB and SCS could work, since you will start with 500k xp and getting the first few quests done is super easy.
    But then again if you don't have a mage class SCS might just be too much idk, never tried to combine SCS and LOB and also I usually play with mage classes, only exception is monks really.
    Monk starting with 500k xp probably outright destroys the game, since you will reach level 14 before you have to do any serious fighting and from that level on Monks are gods in any difficulty except maybe ToB, some of those Elder Orb/dragon fights in Abazigals Lair could spell trouble because of MR removal.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Aaaaaaaah.... this damn Belhifet fight is not getting out of my head... tried it again and again and again. And i get DESTROYED... no... i mean... OBLITERATED!!! Dont know what am i doing much different but... hell... i get him to injured at best... but thats it... constantly missing while the demons seem to hit every time and teleport like crazy in my way. Or i am just tired? :wink:

    Standings so far:

    Mordra - Belhifet 1:100+

    Need some sleep... :D
    Post edited by Harpagornis on
    Victor_Creed_SFV
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    After getting through Baldurs Gate 1 + Tales of the Sword Coast + Siege of Dragonspear its time to settle down for a moment. I have claimed earlier that up to up to this point most Warrior Classes should be able to do the job. But with a view to the last maps of SoD i am not so sure anymore. The reasons are:

    1. Any Warrior Class without Arrows of Detonation will suffer horribly in the Crusader Attacks
    2. Any Warrior Class that lacks heavy Armor and a big HP Pool will get slaughtered by Demons
    3. Any Warrior Class that cannot defend against Fear is doomed against the Demons
    -> Greenstone Amulet!

    Which classes meet the requirements above?

    1. Cavalier: Without Arrows of Detonation i could not find a way through the first Troll + Oger Wave attacking Coalition Camp. Necklace of Missiles is far too slow. I tried it dozens of times but even with perfect summoning - nearly always 3-4 Myconids - this battle wasnt even close. It was a slaughter!

    2. Wizard Slayer: Lacks nearly everything for too little gains. I would not even dare to try this one. Or should i?

    3. Kensai: I would love to make this work but with all the incoming damage this class will suffer too without Dual Classing.

    4. Swashbuckler: Low HP and not so great AC shouldnt be any problem until SoD. With trapping and preparation this class should be able to get at least to the Crusader Attack and possibly even Avernus. But the Demons will make him cry. So much incoming damage and even worse: Fear all around. The only protections are: Commanders Chain Mail or Kiels Helmet - both are out of reach for the Swashbuckler. Have i missed something? Maybe Greenstone Amulet will solve this problem!

    5. Monk, Dark Moon Monk, Sun Soul Monk: Same problem as the Swashbuckler. This Class would be godlike in mid-late BG2 but in late SoD it will get destroyed. No fear protection, lacks AC and the bad ThAC0 will make it nearly impossible to hit Belhifet. Anyway: Without Arrows of Detonation the Crusader Attack will put an end to this Class.

    I am not so sure about Archer, Stalker and Beast Master. They lack some AC but beside this they should have no big problems up to Belhifet. But i must admit that i lack huge experience with these Kits - any opinion on this one?

    Appendix to Greenstone Amulet: Will it last long enough in Avernus to survive the demon armies + the final battle vs Belhifet? Or: Can you push the Saving Throw far enough to be save?
    Post edited by Harpagornis on
    JuliusBorisov
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    I see you edited the above to point out the Greenstone Amulet before I could post! If you sell and rebuy that you get a lot of charges so I think it should be possible to make use of it. If dispel magic is not being used regularly then you can also use potions to boost saving throws to provide a defence - there's no such thing as a critical failure for a saving throw, so if you get those low enough you're safe against anything that offers a saving throw in the first place.

    For monks is THAC0 such a constraint? I know they don't get weapon proficiency bonuses, but they can use fighter potions - does Belhifet have particular resistance to crushing attacks? If Belhifet is not immune to stun that would also give a monk a chance to rack up some significant additional damage.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Hhhhmmmm.... with regard to saving throws: I fought the demons for quite some time but Mordra still got paralyzed from time to time with Saving Throw being -5. Very strange...

    I dont know if Belhifet is immune to stun but i would not bet on the Monk. Their fists wont hurt him (+3 needed!) and with weapons their chance to hit is even smaller than with Blackguard. And yes - Belhifet has 33% DR against all physical damage. The lower HP pool alone will make this fight even harder while he gets hit more. A neverending nightmare... :D
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    What saving throw were you testing against? They might be making you save against breath for instance ...
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    Yeah, thats the point. What is it? Looks like a gaze attack or just a spell. Then it would make sense. Save vs Spell 1. Get a bonus to it and Mordra might fail easily...
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    edited December 2016
    I would guess it's a proximity related effect - would that make sense from your experience? There are quite a few creatures in BG2 that emit a fear aura (particularly if you play with mods), e.g. dragons, vampires, undead, demons. It could be more specific, like TorGal's cloak of fear, but my guess would be on an innate ability.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Yeah - looks like the Hold & Charm Person are some kind of innate ability as they can spam it all day long. But i cant say for sure. What i can say is: Any Protection from Magic is your best friend in this last fight!
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    Well that was annoying. I was having another go with my swashbuckler and had done lots of hard work in getting up to level 8 when I arrived in a routine kobold travel ambush. I'd already bought full equipment, including Claw of Kazgaroth and Cloak of Displacement, so the kobolds needed a critical to hit. However, 2 of the 4 kobolds got criticals with their first shots - and both of those did maximum damage of 28 each :s. That left me with only 5 left, but even so I had a number of potions of invisibility so should have been able to survive. Unfortunately though, as I hadn't been expecting trouble, I was a touch slow in hitting the pause button and 2 of the kobolds had time to shoot again before I paused - and stared at the screen in dismay as one of them got another critical ...
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    Oh dear @Grond0 - thats sounds painful even when only reading it. Bad luck at its best. But it can also go the other way round: In my successful Belhifet fight Mordra critted the Demon like there was no tomorrow. I did not count them but at the end it could have been ~20 crits for 30+ damage each time.

    I still think that this battle is not winnable without luck on your side plus a fresh mind to dodge around the constant teleports. The teleport animation alone will hinder the movement and if you do not dodge around it fast the Demons will attack immediately when reappearing near you. Thats absolutely annoying and will force you to drink healing potions non stop that will be missing later on. But enough of this damn fight... :D

    I am planning for BG2 at the moment - which i havent played for a century. So my question is:
    What will be key items for LoB - especially which weapons will prove to be most useful?

    Thanks a lot! :)
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    If you're planning to tank then I suggest the FoA. Keeping things slowed will make a major difference to your chance of being able to stay in combat. In a similar vein you could look to exploit the Short Sword of the Mask against things with no distance attacks - stepping back to use 2-handed weapons or missile weapons when they are entangled.

    I would suggest using scrolls of PfU fairly early on to kill the liches in Athkatla - picking up Daystar as well as Ring of Gaxx on the way. Daystar's sunray should still have a chance to kill some undead outright, although Azuredge and MoD will probably be better at that.
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    Has any of you guys tried Dwarven Defender?
    I did the first dungeon with it and it seemed super powerful.

    As to BG2 as Grond0 already said FoA is not only good but by far the best weapon ingame dual wielded to get 5 apr and then if you either get the amulet or cloak with improved haste you can get 10 attacks per rest.
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2016
    Dwarfen Defender is next on my list. Seems really powerful thanks to Defensive Stance. With Level 20 and Defender of Easthaven 90 % physical DR incoming - so cool. If you wanna give it a try @Victor_Creed_SFV feel free to do so. I am playing a vanilla Ranger atm - who cares about kits? Mordra has to wait. :D
  • Victor_Creed_SFVVictor_Creed_SFV Member Posts: 609
    Trouble is I can't be asked to play BG1 atm, since I also play Tyranny and Smite, but without BG1 I'm not quite sure how many consumables especially Arrows of detonation you get from BG 1, so I would probably end up ee keepering too many of those cause they are op. :smiley:
    I could play BG2 tho if it's ok skipping SOD and BG1, since you pretty much start without items there anyway.
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