Skip to content

The Man Who Knew Too Much

I've played through Baldur's Gate 2 many times now. It's been a blast, and the first 2-3 times I can honestly say the "wonder" was still at work.

But no longer. :(

There's not a quest I haven't completed, item I haven't found, etc. As soon as I start the game I know what quests need to be done in which order to optimize my party and get the best weapons/items.

I know some people spice things up by just increasing the difficulty, but not me. I'm not looking to make the game harder, per se.

But I would like to enjoy it again, make the game somewhat unpredictable.

Long term players, do you have any suggestions on how to recapture the magic of the game? Is there a mod which can change it significantly?

Comments

  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    one of my favourite runs to do, is make a team of 6 different multi class characters, and make them all different races ( so no human) that can really spice things up, lots of spell casting good stuff

    or make a team of 6 chums, and put all their stats to 10, that will REALLY spice things up, because it will force you to use things you wouldn't think you would have used before, and with stats like that, you cant optimize to the fullest, it's definitely a different playing experience
    BaptorThacoBell
  • BaptorBaptor Member Posts: 341
    sarevok57 said:

    one of my favourite runs to do, is make a team of 6 different multi class characters, and make them all different races ( so no human) that can really spice things up, lots of spell casting good stuff

    or make a team of 6 chums, and put all their stats to 10, that will REALLY spice things up, because it will force you to use things you wouldn't think you would have used before, and with stats like that, you cant optimize to the fullest, it's definitely a different playing experience

    So you actually use a custom party and ignore the NPCs? I've always thought of doing that but was always told that the game is terrible without the NPCs. I'm not so sure that's true once you've played it as many times as me.
  • TressetTresset Member, Moderator Posts: 8,262
    Danacm said:

    Try spell revision, item revision to some fresh content and an item randomiser, its cool to do not know where is powerful items anymore.

    Yeah, the item randomizer sounds like what you are looking for. I never tried it myself, though; too much of a powergamer I guess...
    JuliusBorisovAerakar
  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    Baptor said:

    sarevok57 said:

    one of my favourite runs to do, is make a team of 6 different multi class characters, and make them all different races ( so no human) that can really spice things up, lots of spell casting good stuff

    or make a team of 6 chums, and put all their stats to 10, that will REALLY spice things up, because it will force you to use things you wouldn't think you would have used before, and with stats like that, you cant optimize to the fullest, it's definitely a different playing experience

    So you actually use a custom party and ignore the NPCs? I've always thought of doing that but was always told that the game is terrible without the NPCs. I'm not so sure that's true once you've played it as many times as me.
    to be perfectly honest, there is probably no one on earth who has played this game more than me, I used to be crazily addicted to this game from '99 all the way to 2010 or so, I have had 1000s ( literally) of play throughs of both BG1 and BG2 and at this point in the game, I don't bring NPCs for there personalities or their banters, but more so for different play styles and different class combos

    so it really depends on how you like playing the game, granted that making your own team of 6 doesn't feel as lively as having an NPC team, but the team combos you can make have a waaaaay wider variety than you would get with NPCs

    and I know you said that you don't want to increase the difficulty, but to be perfectly honest, you are really cheating yourself not playing on insane ( with double damage) the way on how you play the game on insane compared to core rules is a whole different ball game, and will really make it play it differently, and will force you to try new things, especially if you play for top optimization, because in all seriousness, there really is no point in making full optimization if you never really need it, also what's nice is that once you start playing insane difficulty, you will being to like it, and once you beat the game on insane, you will never go back

    I remember waaaaaay back in the day, like 16/17 years ago I used to play bg2 on easiest and I would still struggle to win ( back then the easier difficulties didn't have story mode or give you the arbitrary luck bonus on to hit and to damage and the like) but then I started playing on harder and harder difficulties and I enjoyed it more and more, because it forced me to play better and use better tactics, and really changed the playing experience

    and even to this day I still don't use mods when I play, just whatever beamdog dishes out and insane difficulty is good for me, although I've been taking a break from the game for a couple weeks, I will probably come back to it in the summer time

    lolienAerakarBelgarathMTH
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    There are a large number of decent quality mods which will alter how you play. I also recommend no-reload play, as it alters how you approach risk-taking.
    lolienAerakar
  • BaptorBaptor Member Posts: 341
    Mantis37 said:

    There are a large number of decent quality mods which will alter how you play. I also recommend no-reload play, as it alters how you approach risk-taking.

    Any mods you can recommend? There are a lot out there and not all of them are compatible with Beamdog's 2.0. I used to run with lots of mods back on the original but most of them no longer work and that list they have is incomplete.
  • GallengerGallenger Member Posts: 400
    Usually I'll play through BG2 at *least* once a year. There a lots of other great games offered by Beamdog after all (IWD and Torment in a few days) and quite a few they haven't gotten around to redoing yet, that'll still run fine, and by the time you finish those up you'll have forgotten a lot of the minute details of BG2, and it'll be good times again :D

    That's usually how I approach it.
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    The most obvious approach is probably to go with the recommended BWS install, tweaking the content which adjusts game rules according to your preferences. Some mods which I often use which alter vanilla game content would include...

    Unfinished Business
    Quest Pack
    Alternatives
    Item Randomiser
    NPC Strongholds
    Sword Coast Stratagems
    Wheels of Prophecy

    The Revisions mods are also very good, and I'll usually have 2-3 mod NPCs who will often have their own quests as well.
    JuliusBorisov
  • NeverusedNeverused Member Posts: 803
    I think one of the reasons I started playing no-reloads myself is due to the Pokemon Nuzlocke challenge, and their wonderful community of artists. They'd take the same game they'd played hundreds of times and insert a narrative twist to it, giving life to their characters, using the bare mechanics of the games to craft a story. So if difficulty doesn't appeal to you, try to actually put yourself in the head of the characters, imagining the debates, the talks, the love and strife that take place as you journey around the Sword Coast and Amn. Imagine your own CHARNAME, his/her personality, whether he's a gruff warrior that simply cares that the job is done, and stocks up on potions for efficiency' sake, or a bleeding heart that hates to see his friends die and thus goes overboard with defensive items. Maybe the bleeding heart would do the Slaver Stockade, while the gruffer warrior would rather rush to Trademeet for the higher promised reward.

    If you're feeling even more inspired, try recording these events down, write a story about your Bhaalspawn and his friends! After all, you can't do worse than the cosmic horror that is Abdel. :tongue:
    JuliusBorisovThacoBellBaptorRavenslight
  • BaptorBaptor Member Posts: 341
    edited April 2017
    Neverused said:

    After all, you can't do worse than the cosmic horror that is Abdel. :tongue:


    NeverusedThacoBellMontresor_SP
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    Rather than increasing the game difficulty, how about introducing restrictions on your play? For instance you could play without pausing, allow melee only, not use magic items etc etc. Appropriate restrictions will force you to adopt changes in your normal tactics, which should help you regain a bit of that 'wow' factor.
    BaptorAerakarJuliusBorisov
  • Necroscope86Necroscope86 Member Posts: 79
    Baptor said:

    sarevok57 said:

    one of my favourite runs to do, is make a team of 6 different multi class characters, and make them all different races ( so no human) that can really spice things up, lots of spell casting good stuff

    or make a team of 6 chums, and put all their stats to 10, that will REALLY spice things up, because it will force you to use things you wouldn't think you would have used before, and with stats like that, you cant optimize to the fullest, it's definitely a different playing experience

    So you actually use a custom party and ignore the NPCs? I've always thought of doing that but was always told that the game is terrible without the NPCs. I'm not so sure that's true once you've played it as many times as me.
    I can say absolutely this isn't the case. I've had so much fun with custom parties.
    Baptor
  • BaptorBaptor Member Posts: 341

    Baptor said:

    sarevok57 said:

    one of my favourite runs to do, is make a team of 6 different multi class characters, and make them all different races ( so no human) that can really spice things up, lots of spell casting good stuff

    or make a team of 6 chums, and put all their stats to 10, that will REALLY spice things up, because it will force you to use things you wouldn't think you would have used before, and with stats like that, you cant optimize to the fullest, it's definitely a different playing experience

    So you actually use a custom party and ignore the NPCs? I've always thought of doing that but was always told that the game is terrible without the NPCs. I'm not so sure that's true once you've played it as many times as me.
    I can say absolutely this isn't the case. I've had so much fun with custom parties.
    Cool! Now of course if you do a custom party you do miss the side quests for the party members. Do you find this is a significant loss of exp? (I'm guessing not.)
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    SCS changes the game significantly.
    It's wrong to think of it as simply difficulty enhancing, it changes the fights/encounters.

    For example, the call for assistance. That means you can't pre arrange your party pre fight as you have done a billion times before, the sneaky buggers turn up behind you sometimes. They look for a way to get to you.
    The beholders wander around, move out of the way of AOE spells.
    Mages actually use the range of spells they have.

    So, if you usually play insane, SCS makes you think rather than slug it out so it doesn't feel like somethings missing if you turn the difficulty level down.

    I'd definitely try SCS plus Unfinished Business/restoration mods before going for custom parties if you still enjoy the NPC.
Sign In or Register to comment.