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Blade weapons

first Bard/blade play through. Currently level 16 have two weapon style ***, daggers *, Scimitars, Longswords *. Got Belm and daystar on currently. thinking about the best weapon choices for a dual wielding blade, do you guys max out APR Kundane/belm/scarlet ninja? or maybe an APR weapon plus crom Faeyr? my character has 19 strength, 19 dexterity, and 16 constitution. I like buffing him and slicing and dicing.

And does the belt of the skilfull blade measure up to late game belts for this character?

Comments

  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Equip whatever weapons you wish to use, there very powerful variations of pretty much any weapon type in the game. If really want to powergame and only care about dps, get an APR weapon in the offhand and people will debate you endlessly over the main hand weapon so don't sweat it too much. Personally, I like to take the UAI HLA and use the Purifier in the mainhand.
    madmaximusAerakar
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    Yea I want my guy to be a DPS machine
  • NuinNuin Member Posts: 451
    edited June 2017
    I use APR weapons + Improved Haste/Offensive Spin for most enemies and switch to Melf's Minute Meteors/Offensive Spin + Enhanced Bard Song image for the really tough enemies.
    Feel free to swap in/out weapons depending on enemy types too, unless everyone in the party is a dual-wielder (highly doubtful) a blade should have a large selection of weapons to choose from for any given situation.

    For the "this is it, no holding back" enemies, use all of the above + the Big Metal Unit/Rod, pulse ammo, as many potions/elixirs as you can swallow and Tenser's Transformation.
    Post edited by Nuin on
    madmaximusAerakar
  • ArunsunArunsun Member Posts: 1,592



    And does the belt of the skilfull blade measure up to late game belts for this character?

    Depends on your STR but if you tagged 18 at creation and took the STR tome, the STR bonus from Machine of Lum the Mad and the STR bonus from Hell you'll have 22 anyway. Or you can use Angurvadal to get 22STR as well
    madmaximus
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    edited June 2017
    @madmaximus - with Scimitar proficiency and (eventually) UAI, your best speed-weapon is obviously the Scarlet Ninjato, and (in most parties) you probably don't have anyone else who could use it so effectively. Furthermore, it also feels (IMO) quite thematically appropriate for a Blade.

    For a mainhand weapon, well, take your pick. People enjoy arguing about which would be "best", but there are pretty decent weapons of all sorts, and in any case "best" can vary according to whom you're fighting and your tactical approach, so I'd recommend just making a role-playing choice. (However, do bear in mind what weapons your companions are using, and thereby avoid choices which would leave your party all competing for the same best-in-class items.)

    As for the Belt of the Skillful Blade ... if you're using slashing weapons (and already have at least 19 STR, which you do), then yes, it's a pretty decent choice right through to the end of the game. Certainly there are other good late-game belts, but you'll probably have companions who can make good use of those, so they won't be wasted, whereas your companions probably won't be able to make such advantageous use of the Belt of the Skillful Blade. On the other hand, if your Blade instead chooses mostly to use a (mainhand) blunt or piercing weapon, then you might be better off with a different belt.

    [Edit: typo.]
    Post edited by Gallowglass on
    ThacoBellAndreaColombomadmaximusBlackraven
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    I did not know there was a strength bonus in hell?
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    If you fight (and defeat) Sarevok in Hell, instead of resisting his taunts, the Tear of Bhaal will grant you +2 to STR. It will also make your character's alignment evil if it wasn't already.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    @Blackraven - that's not quite accurate. For the avoidance of confusion ...
    You're going to fight and defeat Sarevok (or rather his wraith) in Hell either way. The key point is whether you give in to temptation and attack him, or resist temptation until he attacks you first. When you then place his Tear of Bhaal at the gateway after defeating him, the former choice gives +2 STR (and you turn Evil), whereas the latter choice gives +1 WIS and +1 CHA (and your alignment remains unchanged).
    ThacoBellQuartzAerakar
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    edited June 2017
    @Gallowglass

    Just did the latter and got the cha and wis (utterly useless for me). But alignment changed to chaotic good, not happy but would that be related to this segment/trial or one of the others?
    tbone1
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    edited June 2017
    In the unmodded game, the Hell trials shouldn't ever cause a change into CG. It's either unchanged from whatever you were before, or change to Evil (and in EE no change on the Law->Chaos axis, although IIRC in pre-EE it'd always change to NE if you turned Evil).

    I therefore assume that your observed behaviour must be due to some mod ... or else you've found a bug.
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147

    In the unmodded game, the Hell trials shouldn't ever cause a change into CG. It's either unchanged from whatever you were before, or change to Evil (and in EE no change on the Law->Chaos axis, although IIRC in pre-EE it'd always change to NE if you turned Evil).

    I therefore assume that your observed behaviour must be due to some mod ... or else you've found a bug.

    Thanks.

    Just checked, nope definitely changed chaotic neutral>>chaotic good.
    I wonder which mod is causing it?
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    In the unmodded game, the Hell trials shouldn't ever cause a change into CG. It's either unchanged from whatever you were before, or change to Evil (and in EE no change on the Law->Chaos axis, although IIRC in pre-EE it'd always change to NE if you turned Evil).

    I therefore assume that your observed behaviour must be due to some mod ... or else you've found a bug.

    Thanks.

    Just checked, nope definitely changed chaotic neutral>>chaotic good.
    I wonder which mod is causing it?
    Its not a mod. Its new EE behaviour. It will change you Good/Evil alignment, but you keep your law/chaos unchanged. The original always changed you to neutral good/evil.
    BlackravenAerakar
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    @ThacoBell

    Anyway to stop it changing? A mixture of decisions in the Hell trials would that work?
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486

    @Blackraven - that's not quite accurate. For the avoidance of confusion ...

    Thanks for correcting me. It's been too long since any of my characters made it that far in the game.

    NoobaccaAerakar
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    ThacoBell said:

    Its not a mod. Its new EE behaviour. It will change you Good/Evil alignment, but you keep your law/chaos unchanged. The original always changed you to neutral good/evil.

    I'm pretty sure that's wrong about both EE and pre-EE. I've never had a Neutral character change to Good in the Hell trials (neither EE nor pre-EE), so I stand by what I said before - if this is happening then it's either a mod or a bug.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356

    @ThacoBell

    Anyway to stop it changing? A mixture of decisions in the Hell trials would that work?

    That would presumably depend upon whatever mod is causing this. If it is allowing a change into Good, then probably it does allow some other sequence of decisions which fail to trigger that change without necessarily triggering the Evil change instead, so your alignment would stay the same as before ... but first you'd have to identify the mod and then investigate it.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    @ThacoBell

    Anyway to stop it changing? A mixture of decisions in the Hell trials would that work?

    Okay, I must apologize. I misread your post and thought the game was changing you from "chaotic evil" to "chaotic good". You shouldn't be changed from neutral to good for taking the good path. Do you run mods?
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    that sucks, i always play a hero.
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    Any way to get the strength bonus without becoming evil?
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    ThacoBell said:

    @ThacoBell

    Anyway to stop it changing? A mixture of decisions in the Hell trials would that work?

    Okay, I must apologize. I misread your post and thought the game was changing you from "chaotic evil" to "chaotic good". You shouldn't be changed from neutral to good for taking the good path. Do you run mods?
    No need to apologise, you are trying to help after all.

    Just checked, it's the mod "Questpack". Apparently I should have chosen a more "neutral" path through the hell trials. TBH, I didn't even realise there was some additional choices/answers. Just shows it pays to read stuff even after the nth time of playing.
    ThacoBell
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356

    Any way to get the strength bonus without becoming evil?

    No, not in the unmodded game.

    However, as @UnderstandMouseMagic has revealed, you can change this behaviour with the Questpack mod.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    edited June 2017
    ThacoBell said:

    Okay, I must apologize. I misread your post and thought the game was changing you from "chaotic evil" to "chaotic good". You shouldn't be changed from neutral to good for taking the good path.

    I don't wish to seem to be nagging, but I think that's still misleading and I want to avoid sowing confusion.

    I'm pretty sure that in the unmodded game, Evil can't switch to Good in the Hell trials, just as (we now agree) Neutral can't. The only change possible in unmodded EE is to become Evil (from either Good or Neutral, with no change in previous Law/Chaos alignment) if you make one or more Evil choices in Hell.

    Also, although I'm not quite so certain of this because it was long ago, I believe that the only change possible in unmodded pre-EE was to become Neutral Evil (from Good or Neutral, over-riding previous Law/Chaos alignment).
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235

    ThacoBell said:

    Okay, I must apologize. I misread your post and thought the game was changing you from "chaotic evil" to "chaotic good". You shouldn't be changed from neutral to good for taking the good path.

    I don't wish to seem to be nagging, but I think that's still misleading and I want to avoid sowing confusion.

    I'm pretty sure that in the unmodded game, Evil can't switch to Good in the Hell trials, just as (we now agree) Neutral can't. The only change possible in unmodded EE is to become Evil (from either Good or Neutral, with no change in previous Law/Chaos alignment) if you make one or more Evil choices in Hell.

    Also, although I'm not quite so certain of this because it was long ago, I believe that the only change possible in unmodded pre-EE was to become Neutral Evil (from Good or Neutral, over-riding previous Law/Chaos alignment).
    Well no, part of the reason this tripped me up is that the Hell Trials CAN change your alignment either from Good to Evil AND the reverse. But in the original it would always change you to "neutral" on the law chaos axis. For example: a lawful good would become neutral evil if the character picked just one evil option. Likewise a chaotic evil would become neutral good for picking a good option.

    When I initially read @UnderstandMouseMagic 's post above, I thought they were expecting the original behaviour. The change for the EE is that it now keeps your law/chaos alignment when it changes you. SO if you were lawful evil, you would become lawful good.
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    ThacoBell said:

    ... the Hell Trials CAN change your alignment either from Good to Evil AND the reverse.

    That's exactly where I think you're wrong. Good (or Neutral) to Evil, but NOT the reverse.

    To re-check, I just now loaded up a save (in EE 2.3.67.3) with a (high-REP) Lawful Evil protagonist at the start of the Hell trials, and went through them all making the Good decisions every time. If there were any (unmodded) way to trigger an Evil->Good change, then surely this would do it ... but no, he stayed LE. Also, I'm entirely certain that in all these years in pre-EE and previous versions of EE, with numerous protagonists of various alignments, I've never seen any change in the Hell trials except into Evil, not into Good (or Neutral). Nor have I read (in these forums or elsewhere) of any other player (until this thread, obviously) claiming such a change in an unmodded game.

    I accept that all of this isn't actual proof that it can never happen in an unmodded game ... but if it can ever happen, then please explain what criteria will trigger it.

    Thus, if you're seeing any change Evil->Good, then I reckon that must be some mod.
    KuronaAerakar
  • KuronaKurona Member Posts: 881
    Yep @ThacoBell must use the Revised Hell Trials component from Questpack because in the unmodded game you can only switch to evil, not from it. A quick glance at the script (TEARDOOR.BCS) should make this evident.
    Blackraven
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Alright! Good to know that Oversight, or at least Revised Hell Trials, is EE-compatible!
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Kurona said:

    Yep @ThacoBell must use the Revised Hell Trials component from Questpack because in the unmodded game you can only switch to evil, not from it. A quick glance at the script (TEARDOOR.BCS) should make this evident.

    No actually, I don't use revised Hell Trials. But for some reason I do recall Being able to change from evil to good in original BG2.
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    Where can I get this revised hell trials for EE? I have actually never used a mod...
  • madmaximusmadmaximus Member Posts: 140
    I love that I asked about something and learned something else entirely. baldurs gate still has some suprises.
    ThacoBellAerakar
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