Skip to content

Archer BG2

So I'm approaching the end of SoD and my archer is beastly. My understanding has always been that BG1 Longbow is superior, BG2 it's shortbow. She's currently a GM with Longbow. My question is this - am I going to feel the pain of not being able to use Tuigans and Gesens effectively till endgame? (Well Gesens is endgame anyway). Or because I'm already GM with longbow, I won't feel the loss of the extra attack that Tuigan would bring?

Comments

  • OrlonKronsteenOrlonKronsteen Member Posts: 905
    As an archer with all the bonuses you'll still be a beast with a shortbow, even if you only have one proficiency point in it, but you obviously won't be as deadly as you would with grand mastery. The extra attack with Tuigan bow is added to any extra attacks from fighter levels and proficiency points, AFAIK.

    It's a shame that they still haven't provided an in-game longbow equivalent to Gesen. Possible work-arounds are:

    1. Using EE Keeper to change your archer's proficiency points from longbow to shortbow at the start of BG2. Depending on your play style this might feel like cheating, but BG2 is a reset in so many ways (your starting NPCs, the loss of NPC spells from BG1/SOD etc.) that you might want to just reset your charname, too.

    2. Use Near Infinity to make Arrows of Piercing strike as +4 weapons. Then you can still use long bows and you'll have +4 arrows. Again, depending on how you play you may or may not feel like this is cheating. You could also use Near Infinity or EE Keeper to bring +4 arrows from Black Pits into BG2.

    3. There's an Items Upgrade mod that allows you to create a longbow called Teleomortis, which has a THACO of +4 I believe, and produces it's own unlimited ammo like Gesen.
    Necroscope86
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited April 2017
    You can start BG2 using a longbow until you you've reached level 15 (very few enemies are immune to +2 arrows) and bought 2 pips in shortbow. It's not like you're gonna lose your edge by shooting with heartseeker +3.
    Necroscope86OrlonKronsteen
  • Necroscope86Necroscope86 Member Posts: 79
    @DJKajuru @SomeSort @OrlonKronsteen
    Thank you all for the information, really really appreciate the info guys.
    Theres certainly a few options to consider - I'm thinking I'll do something along the lines of, Use SK to take a point out of Bastard Sword and put it into SB (dont realy know what I was thinking with this, as I think it was more of a error on my part) and just work myself up to GM of SB throughout SOA. This will at least give me a headstart.


    OrlonKronsteen
  • OrlonKronsteenOrlonKronsteen Member Posts: 905
    Enjoy your game!
  • DanacmDanacm Member Posts: 951
    There is fine mod in mod section that modify the game to use the bow enchantment level rather the arrows.
  • SomeSortSomeSort Member Posts: 859
    Danacm said:

    There is fine mod in mod section that modify the game to use the bow enchantment level rather the arrows.

    I believe the new version of Enchant Weapon can be used to get bows to hit as a +3 weapon, too. (I'm on 1.3, so I can't verify.) Really, like I said, +4 enemies are very rare and it's not a big deal to just switch weapons for that small handful of encounters.
    ThacoBell
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,211
    Enchantment level really isn't the biggest concern. Sure it's annoying when it comes up, but Archers also get access to one of the best +4 ranged weapons in the game pretty much at the start of BG2. It's really nothing to worry about too much.
    Necroscope86
Sign In or Register to comment.