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Four man party recommendations

IsthmosIsthmos Member Posts: 3
Hello guys!

I am finishing my first playthrough of BG1 and am already thinking ahead towards BG2. In BG1 I had a four man party which I was very fond of. It felt like a tight knitted team where everyone had a specific function and nothing was doubled, and it was easier to micromanage the team as I wanted. Plus it’s nice with a little bonus XP. I’d like to go with a four or perhaps five man party in BG2 as well, but I don’t really know the NPCs of that game so I’m asking for some recommendations. This was my composition for BG1:

CHARNAME: Wild mage
Yeslick: Cleric/Tank
Minsc: DPS/off-tank
Coran: DPS/Thief

I liked this team a lot and am looking for something similar in BG2. I’m thinking perhaps Jaheira, Imoen and Minsc. Would I need an extra tank with this do you think? Could someone in BG2 take up both the duties of a tank and divine mage as Yeslick in BG1? Is there some multi-classed thief that could also do DPS like Coran? Or should I perhaps go with five instead and have one as a primary tank?

Looking forward to playing BG2 later. :)
Mush_MushStummvonBordwehrAerakar

Comments

  • sarevok57sarevok57 Member Posts: 5,975
    if you want to go 4 man here is what I would do:

    anomen: he is an amazing fighter dualed over to cleric, he can eventually get 5 proficiency points in a weapon and he gets full cleric levels so all the divine spell casting you need

    mazzy: she is an amazing melee character ( if you want to make her that way ) she comes with 18 dex so her AC will be great, she is a fighter so she can hit up to 5 proficiency points, and her invoke courage ability is actually really great ( plus she gets lay on hands twice a day - she can only use this on herself - and she gets a strength ability twice a day as well, solid melee character ) although you might want to give her the belt of hill giant str ( since she starts with 15 ) but in the mean time you can use those strength abilities she has

    jan: jan is one of the only thieves in the game that can actually gain thief levels since his is an illusionist/thief, nalia and imoen are dual classed thieves, hexxat is an evil thief, and spoiler:
    yoshimo will eventually be leaving "permanently" in chapter 5 but then again you can pick up imoen when this happens
    StummvonBordwehrAerakar
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    As you haven't played BG2 before I'd suggest a five man party and keeping the sixth slot open for interchangable NPC for their quests.

    Nearly every NPC has an individual quest you won't get if you don't take them.
    Plus encounters are harder and there's far, far more party interaction.

    Apart from that advice, pretty much any direction/suggestions are going to contain spoilers.

    You will need a thief, mage, tank, cleric to cover your bases in an unknown game as a minimum. Just play it by ear, see who you meet, take it from there.

    And enjoy, you can always change things along the way, find you are coping well, drop somebody and reduce the party size.

    BG2 is a very long game and what you think you will do often turns out to be impossible so you have to change things.
    And it's hard.
    tbone1Aerakar
  • Mush_MushMush_Mush Member Posts: 476
    I too am playing BG1 atm with a team of 4. My team looks like this;

    Elenari (female elf mage protagonist)
    Imoen
    Branwen
    Elohim (male Dwarven defender)

    I was thinking of swapping Branwen out for Yeslick I think him n Elohim would make a good dwarven duo.

    Anyway to your question, for BG2 the dialogue is much richer and I'd suggest if you're new to BG2 you should probly take a full party simply to maximize the banter and quest opportunities That being said for a 4 man team I'd suggest

    Jaheira - Tank - (full plate, fortress shield, iron skins + healing = great tank)
    Anomen - Good cleric if you can stand his arrogance...Aerie is an alternative (cleric/mage)
    Yoshimo - solid thief, Jan is also great altho he is an Illusionist/thief so you'd have to share scrolls.
    tbone1Aerakar
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    edited August 2017
    You want one person who can cast "lesser restoration," one person who can disarm traps/locks, one person who can use flails, one person who can use katanas, and at least one person who can cast breach. It's fine to combine some of those roles in the same character, though.

    You also want to make absolutely sure that your main melee characters are currently progressing as a fighter (or ranger or paladin) and will continue to do so the entire game, so they'll eventually be able to access the exceptionally strong HLAs (high level abilities) granted only to warriors. The meta before Throne of Bhaal was released was to dual from fighter to something else, but the meta afterward is to multiclass fighter with any of those classes (or ranger with cleric).

    I like to combine several of those "essential" roles into a single character so I typically opt for a fighter/mage/thief protagonist who dual-wields katanas, handles traps/locks, and casts breach. I then take Minsc for flails, Viconia for lesser restoration, and Jaheira to maintain some continuity with BG1.

    Another solid protagonist is a ranger/cleric who dual-wields flails and can cast lesser restoration. I then take Jan for traps/locks and breach, Minsc for katanas, Mazzy or Jaheira for flavor, and sometimes Imoen (after her "vacation") if I'm doing a speed run and want to make sure I can access time stop before the game is over.

    If you don't create a multi-role main character yourself, you don't have the greatest options when it comes to thieves. There's nobody like Coran, for example, who can give you a solid melee presence while simultaneously handling traps/locks. And while some people can tolerate Anomen's personality, his inability to get fighter HLAs really starts to bite once you enter the latter part of the game.

  • IsthmosIsthmos Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the advice. I will heed both Sarevok and Mush_Mush's recommendations. Those NPCs you talked about Sarevok sounded awesome. But upon more reflection I've also concluded that I might need to go with a 5 team or just trying out some different characters. Depends on how it goes in the game I guess. Fun times ahead.
    Mush_Mush
  • profanitywarningprofanitywarning Member Posts: 294
    So you like wild mages, and you have a party in mind, and you would like to play a party of four. My recommendation would be to create a Fighter-thief charname and take the party you get. That way you'll have party of four for chapter 1, and you can recruit a wild mage early in chapter 2. Or you create a Wild Mage charname and recruit an Illusionist-Thief early in chapter 2, and be bored stiff with turnip stories. Anyhow, you're going to want someone with thief abilities for chapter 2 to 4. You're also likely to want a fifth party member for late SOA and all of TOB. If you play an FMT charname, you'll be able to have a party of 4 for early/mid SOA rotating quest npc's (most are pretty damn good) and pick the one you like best for the rest of the game (or not and just proceed with the 4 you start with).
  • KhyronKhyron Member Posts: 626
    My absolute pro-tip for folks who are new at BG2, Grab Aerie (Cleric/Mage).

    She is extremely underestimated.. but god damnit, give her the robe of vecna and use the right mage protections (if sanctuary fails you) and she can walk around the battleground healing so, so fast.

    The robe of vecna has a Mage requirement, thus she is the only healing NPC in the entire bhaalspawn saga that can use it, and it vastly improves casting time/speed.

    This makes her casting time for healing spells ridiculously fast, when she gains high level abilities (late SoA, early ToB) and gets improved alacrity.. well, she can burn off heal spells faster than your 2-3 melee chars can chug potions.. combined.

    As suggested above, Anomen is also a safe bet.
    You can't really go wrong with him, because Flails and Warhammers have some of the extremely supreme OP artifacts available in the entire saga. Combine this with his excellent stats and class combo.. One of my strongest ever bhaalspawn (except total cheese chars) was built just like him.. except for more optimal base stats. He can be your tank, healer or dps.. or all 3 at once.

    Keldorn is also extremely newbie friendly.. inquisitors are, in general.
    He is the only NPC in BG2 that gets to wield the (imo) most powerful weapon -by far-.
    His inquisitor true seeing and dispells will make you shread Mage enemies like paper, where a lack of Keldorn/Inquisitor might make it seem nearly impossible. Get his Dexterity up, and he is also an excellent main tank. Far, far superior as a melee combatant compared to any other NPC available.. rivaled only by.. some guy you meet at the beginning of ToB :)

    Jan as suggested above is also.. well.. he has his uses. A so-so mage (I don't like illusionists, personal pref).. and a pretty good thief. Laying traps (and lots of them) is a game changer (or breaker..) and his Thief high level abilities like Spike Trap can obliterate fights.
    He is extremely chatty though.. my god, is he chatty..

    So a party would look like this:

    Charname: Wildmage - Offensive spellcaster
    Keldorn: DPS, Tank, Dispeller - Mage/Lich destroyer extraordinaire
    Anomen: DPS, Tank, Healer - Blunt weapon specialist
    Aerie: Support, Protective Spells, Healing extraordinaire
    Jan: Offensive/Crowd Control spells, Thief
    Imoen: Summoner, Offensive/Disabling/Dispeller, Thief (Can drop Jan really)

    A total of:
    2 Melee (perfect, avoids crowding - fill with summons when needed)
    4 Mages - Extreme firepower
    2 Clerics - Good healing cover
    1 Thief - Utility, Tactical
    1 Mage/Lich destroyer

    I guess that's a little over the top on details..

    In any case, if you want a max of 4 then:
    Wildmage
    Anomen
    Jaheira
    Jan

    2 mages
    2 healers
    2 melee
    1 thief

    7 critical roles, 4 chars. Go get'em.
    Mush_Mushtbone1Isthmos
  • jsavingjsaving Member Posts: 1,083
    That is a solid party for sure, though in a party where Aerie can take care of level drain, you could consider Jaheira rather than Anomen (iron skins + whirlwind attack is a potent melee combo).
    tbone1
  • tbone1tbone1 Member Posts: 1,985
    Khyron said:

    My absolute pro-tip for folks who are new at BG2, Grab Aerie (Cleric/Mage).

    She is extremely underestimated.. but god damnit, give her the robe of vecna and use the right mage protections (if sanctuary fails you) and she can walk around the battleground healing so, so fast.

    I cannot up vote this enough. I know there are some who really dislike, even despise Aerie. However, her class combo is nuts. She is a spell slinging machine, and her ability to cast any non-druid spell out there gives her a versatility that is unmatched and a power that rivals Edwin. Consider that she can simultaneously equip the Robe of Vecna, the Helm of Vhaillor (sp?), the Shield of Harmony, the Amulet of Power, the Mace of Disruption, the ring that grants extra mage spells along with the one that grants extra cleric spells, and then consider all the spells at her disposal. She's not a battle priest like Anomen or Yeslick, but her range of spells and equipment can make her more formidable than either for one combat.
    ArtonaStummvonBordwehrsarevok57
  • tbone1tbone1 Member Posts: 1,985
    I had a case of restartitis and decided to do an RP run through BG1. My characters are:

    Larek (CHARNAME, shadow dancer, plan to dual to a mage in BG2)
    Yeslick (tank and healing)
    Kivan (artillery and reserve second-line fighter)
    Imoen (switched to mage at second level)

    I gave Imoen a pip in darts for some lovely, tasty spell disruption in addition to arrow-filled magery. The only problem with this group is keeping enough arrows around.

    The best I might have had was

    Charname (cavalier, always a good choice for frontline badassery)
    Coran (thief, artillery)
    Branwen (healer)
    Dynaheir (mage)


    sarevok57
  • GrumGrum Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,100
    edited September 2017
    Charname:
    Haer'Dalis (mage defensive Spells, blade dances)
    Aerie (Cleric/Mage)
    Jan (Thief/Mage)

    Everyone can tank like a boss. You have a healer, thief, and a melee tank. Charname can be just about anything. If you can roll high enough and go from BG1 try a Berserker (9) Druid.

    With stoneskin and ironskin melee opponents won't be a concern. A 4 man party will mean hitting lvl14 before spellhold if you do all quests.

    Finally Charname will have grand mastery, near full fighter HP, high Cha and his own spell list. It will make him feel unique.
    Post edited by Grum on
    Shikao
  • unavailableunavailable Member Posts: 268
    mazzy and korgan are good. they talk a lot to each other, and have the best saving throws and armr thanks to stats and race. Last but not least, they're as skilled at range as they are in melee, which is good because sometimes melee is too dangerous or the fight is too crowded.
    Shikao
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    Isthmos
  • IsthmosIsthmos Member Posts: 3
    Great suggestions all! I'm glad for your informed and highly thought out responses. You were right that the NPC interactions are a lot more interesting in BG2. I'm going with Khyrons suggestions at this moment and it seems to work well. Can you keep Keldorn in your party even if you plan on playing it good?
    Grum
  • KhyronKhyron Member Posts: 626
    Do you mean Korgan?

    If your Charisma is high enough, you can keep him despite being good.. (he might pick fights with some other chars)

    Keldorn is a paladin and will of course endorse a good party.
  • GrumGrum Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,100
    The only issue with Keldorn is his personal quest. In good play throughs, I can never manage to keep him. The one time I took him all the way through, I avoided ever taking him to the government district...
    tbone1
  • BorekBorek Member Posts: 513
    tbone1 said:

    Khyron said:

    My absolute pro-tip for folks who are new at BG2, Grab Aerie (Cleric/Mage).

    She is extremely underestimated.. but god damnit, give her the robe of vecna and use the right mage protections (if sanctuary fails you) and she can walk around the battleground healing so, so fast.

    I cannot up vote this enough. I know there are some who really dislike, even despise Aerie. However, her class combo is nuts. She is a spell slinging machine, and her ability to cast any non-druid spell out there gives her a versatility that is unmatched and a power that rivals Edwin. Consider that she can simultaneously equip the Robe of Vecna, the Helm of Vhaillor (sp?), the Shield of Harmony, the Amulet of Power, the Mace of Disruption, the ring that grants extra mage spells along with the one that grants extra cleric spells, and then consider all the spells at her disposal. She's not a battle priest like Anomen or Yeslick, but her range of spells and equipment can make her more formidable than either for one combat.
    To be honest by the time you're into ToB territory Aerie shouldn't really need any rings for spell slots, you can use Project Image and Simulacrum to burn through her spells and when the fight is over just splash out on Wish a few times, even if you only memorize 2 you're bound to get the full rest option before you've burnt through all your 7th/8th level slots and that assumes you don't abuse the Wish Scroll in the quick slot trick. A high level Mage shouldn't really be running out of spells very often.

    Totally agree though, having cleric spells with Robe of Vecna/Amulet of Power is insanely good, probably the most annoying thing about cleric spells is many of them have long cast times, and you can do some crazy combo's with Sequencers, trigger and contingencies. A Mage/cleric is easily able to solo the game.
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