Skip to content

The Adventurer's Lounge: Guidance and Support for No Reload Challengers- Newbie or Veteran

1131416181967

Comments

  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    I forgot about Sanctuary entirely! That will definitely help me position the Shaman.
    lolien
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @Enuhal @Harpagornis: You two have a lot of experience with SoD. Can you give any advice on how to bring down Korlasz in a solo poverty run?

    Currently I'm running a poverty run with a full party, but I'm reasonably certain that everyone from Baeloth to Tiax will leave the party upon entering the starting dungeon of SoD, leaving me with a single sorcerer with no weapons.

    How would I bring down Korlasz quickly without having to deal with all those Arrows of Biting and so forth? Is it possible to bring any character into the starting dungeon of SoD besides player-created party members?
  • EnuhalEnuhal Member Posts: 920
    edited December 2017
    @semiticgod The official NPCs shouldn't leave your party at all at this point. This only happens AFTER the prologue dungeon (right after killing Korlasz, to be exact - each of them will also get a line of dialogue, saying goodbye and telling you what they plan to do next) - so you should have your full party available for the Korlasz battle.
    semiticgoddessWise_GrimwaldGrond0JuliusBorisov
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @Enuhal: Brilliant! What about Baeloth and Jaheira? Will they vanish after the first dungeon and reappear in their normal spots in SoD, in the first area and then before Bridgefort?
  • HarpagornisHarpagornis Member Posts: 1,658
    edited December 2017
    If your MC is a Totemic Druid @semiticgod Korlasz will be no problem even solo as your Spirit Summons should bring her down to "injured" fast enough. You might also throw in Nymphs for Hold Monsters as she tends to fail her save quite regularly. Just cast it on a Spirit Summons next to Korlasz before triggering the talking to time the impact right when she goes hostile - worked great in the past even on LoB difficulty (but you will have to wait until the spell expires before the surrender talking triggers). Iron Skin should keep you save long enough - or Pixie Dust. ;)

    P.S. Insect Swarm is even better and nearly like an instant win-button!!
    Post edited by Harpagornis on
    Grond0StummvonBordwehrJuliusBorisov
  • EnuhalEnuhal Member Posts: 920
    @Semiticgod Every official NPC will vanish after the first dungeon - those not available in SoD will be gone forever, the other ones (like Jaheira and Baloth) will reappear at their usual spots, indeed.
    JuliusBorisov
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,848
    Enuhal said:

    @Semiticgod Every official NPC will vanish after the first dungeon - those not available in SoD will be gone forever, the other ones (like Jaheira and Baloth) will reappear at their usual spots, indeed.

    It sounds like a lot of modding needs doing so that there can be a reunion in Amn at least if not SoD.
  • FlashburnFlashburn Member Posts: 1,847
    Enuhal said:

    @Semiticgod Every official NPC will vanish after the first dungeon - those not available in SoD will be gone forever, the other ones (like Jaheira and Baloth) will reappear at their usual spots, indeed.

    And they make off with all the equipment you gave them! At least everyone who returns for SoD keeps the items they have equipped when you exit the intro dungeon.
    Wise_GrimwaldsemiticgoddessJuliusBorisov
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    A quick test in preparation for the Ducal Palace has confirmed that Spell Revisions' Fire Traps, despite their crummy range of 10, can indeed make a huge difference in the fight with the doppelgangers if you really abuse them. You have to be in Sarevok's line of sight for the cutscene to begin; being in Belt and Liia Jannath's line of sight is perfectly safe. After spamming numerous Fire Traps, I found that they actually wiped out everyone but the Doppelganger Shaman and the Greater Doppelganger. The former might have gotten lucky, but the latter might have survived because not enough of the Fire Traps were close to it; it was too far to the west. So I mapped out good positions to set some additional Fire Traps, plus a good position for Yeslick's Dispel Magic.

    See that yellow square near the doppelgangers, and the blue circle just south of it, in the doorway? That blue circle is roughly where Faldorn can stand to cast Fire Trap on the yellow square, close enough to get a Fire Trap right next to the hardest-to-reach Greater Doppelganger, but not so close that Faldorn might trigger the cutscene early.

    See the red circle on the carpet, and the two green circles, one under Yeslick to the west and the other next to the blue circle for Faldorn? That red circle, the stem of the floral pattern on the carpet, is where Yeslick can cast Dispel Magic so that it hits all of the doppelgangers but is just barely shy of hitting Liia Jannath. That's not the only place where Dispel Magic is worth casting; that's just the rough limit, beyond which Dispel Magic runs the risk of revealing Liia Jannath. The green circles are the points at which Yeslick can most safely hit that red circle without getting too close to Sarevok.

    In SR, Invisibility Sphere only lasts 10 rounds and isn't as good for this fight, but Invisibility 10' Radius, the vanilla spell, should actually be a stronger option for this fight than Invisibility. Normally, casting Invisibility on Liia Jannath exposes your mage to Sarevok, starting the fight while your mage's aura is still partly clouded. Invisibility 10' Radius, however, does not expose you, and also makes Belt vanish at the same time. Plus, it lasts for 24 hours, so you can cast it and then rest before starting the fight.

    This buys your mage maybe 3 extra seconds at the start of combat and also can keep Belt temporarily invisible. The Invisibility 10' Radius scroll is a random drop as I understand it, but a sorcerer or a lucky mage can slightly optimize this fight by using Invisibility 10' Radius instead of Invisibility on Liia Jannath.
    StummvonBordwehrGrond0ArctodusJuliusBorisov
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    edited December 2017
    Did some brief testing. Looks like Melissan will cast Time Stop before Freedom, though I had trouble triggering her arrival when I imprisoned everyone but Yaga-Shura and then killed him. Doesn't matter, I think; I'll need to kill Abazigal instead anyway because otherwise Melissan will be immune to +4 weapons, which means we couldn't hit her in Earth Elemental form. I used some consoled-in PW: Stun scrolls to stun-lock her, and while she occasionally broke out of it for a half-second or so, I think that's because of time delays due to scroll casting.

    Looks like a maxed-out Wilson and Jaheira in Earth Elemental form, properly buffed, would need only 9 rounds of automatic hits to kill Melissan, not counting any Whirlwind Attacks. The only problem remaining is how to handle the immense pressure of the Five. If both sorcerers had Imprisonment, we'd need the first round for PFMW; the second could take down Illasera and Yaga-Shura; the third for Sarevok and Gromnir; the following arounds for PFMW and then debuffing Sendai and Abazigal; another Imprisonment for Sendai, and finally death for Abazigal, with PFMW at least 6 seconds before we deal the final blow.

    I don't know about planetar vorpal strikes. Dispelling Screen will block the dispel effect, so Death Ward should be safe, but a single Remove Magic could render us vulnerable. Thankfully, planetars are only level 18 in SR, so a caster level 23 Death Ward should persist.

    Wilson will have 250+ HP and 40% DR, while Jaheira will have maybe 150 HP and 80% DR against slashing/piercing/missile damage and 40% DR against crushing damage (so Gromnir and Yaga-Shura could be very dangerous).

    EDIT: Physical Mirror will block missile attacks like Illasera's, and lasts 2 turns instead of 9 rounds. Protection from Missiles will as well, though it only lasts 10 rounds in SR.
    Post edited by semiticgoddess on
    ArctodusStummvonBordwehrJuliusBorisov
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Physical Mirror should give a cleric pretty decent survivability in the late game. With 1 mirror image per round and a 50% chance of replacing the mirror image when hit, it should cut all physical damage in half on average. But it's subject to chance, and isn't remotely as reliable as standard damage resistance or mage buffs.
    JuliusBorisov
  • ArctodusArctodus Member Posts: 992
    @semiticgod I went through your file quickly and it's a beautiful mess, like personal notes usually are. However, it's clear that there is gold into those files. When I'll go through them more thoroughly, I'm pretty sure I'll find very useful info for no reload. Thanks !!
    semiticgoddessStummvonBordwehrtbone1JuliusBorisov
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    edited January 2018
    Also see @Harpagornis' thread on solo LoB runs, which has lots of details about the saga, especially BG1 and SoD.

    Finally, it's a good idea to download Near Infinity so you can look things up. Knowing an enemy's AC or immunities can let you know if a given strategy if likely to work on them or not.
    HarpagornisAerakarJuliusBorisov
  • Grond0Grond0 Member Posts: 7,305
    edited January 2018
    RelSundan said:

    @Grond0

    Intending to do a co-op run on BG2:EE with SCS, is there any other component than just SCS you need to make it work? And I assume you must have the exact same components installed to get it to work?

    @RelSundan you don't need any other mods, though I think the best way to get SCS installed is to use the Big World Fixpack - see https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/60969/scs-with-hotfixes-edit-forget-hotfixes-use-the-bwfixpack/p1. If you follow the suggested link to read about what is required you will see that you may also need the Modmerge utility (you don't need that if you got the Beamdog version of the game).

    The game may still work if you have slightly different installations, but my advice would be to make them identical.

    Best of luck :).
    semiticgoddessWise_GrimwaldJuliusBorisov
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,848
    I am wondering what to do about mod items if/when I go to Dragonspear.

    In previous games, upon getting to Dragonspear the items are in a slot but it is impossible to see what they are.

    Is there a way of accessing them after defeating Sarevok in Baldur's Gate? Copying files over and the like?

    I fully expect that descriptions etc. will be wrong but I can live with that.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    @Wise_Grimwald: I'm not sure I understand what your situation is. Mod items should only be possible if you've run ModMerge, which means all items would be the same between BG1 and SoD. If you haven't run ModMerge, then yes, you'll need to copy the items somewhere to get them into SoD, but I don't know where the SoD override folder would be.

    You might try this:

    1. Take notes on the items, spell picks, and XP you had at the end of BG1.
    2. Create a new install with Modmerge and then install the mods you had on BG1.
    3. Load up your previous save. If it works, you're done; you can just continue to SoD with no interruptions.
    4. If your old save doesn't work, create a new game in SoD and use EEKeeper to give yourself the XP, spells, and items you noted in step 1.

    This probably won't give you the right NPCs (SoD gives you a preset list of companions), but summoning them via the console would work, and you could use EEKeeper on them. But BG1-exclusive NPCs like Yeslick and Faldorn would not persist beyond the first dungeon, and some BG1 NPCs will leave the party after the first dungeon and reappear later in the game (like Jaheira).
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,848
    edited January 2018

    @Wise_Grimwald: I'm not sure I understand what your situation is. Mod items should only be possible if you've run ModMerge, which means all items would be the same between BG1 and SoD. If you haven't run ModMerge, then yes, you'll need to copy the items somewhere to get them into SoD, but I don't know where the SoD override folder would be.

    You might try this:

    1. Take notes on the items, spell picks, and XP you had at the end of BG1.
    2. Create a new install with Modmerge and then install the mods you had on BG1.
    3. Load up your previous save. If it works, you're done; you can just continue to SoD with no interruptions.
    4. If your old save doesn't work, create a new game in SoD and use EEKeeper to give yourself the XP, spells, and items you noted in step 1.

    This probably won't give you the right NPCs (SoD gives you a preset list of companions), but summoning them via the console would work, and you could use EEKeeper on them. But BG1-exclusive NPCs like Yeslick and Faldorn would not persist beyond the first dungeon, and some BG1 NPCs will leave the party after the first dungeon and reappear later in the game (like Jaheira).

    Thanks for the quick reply. I haven't arrived in SoD yet, but have had problems in the past despite running Modmerge. I have a fresh installation this time, so I'll wait and see what happens. Hope that there aren't any bugs this time.
  • semiticgoddesssemiticgoddess Member Posts: 14,903
    Fatigue penalties scale indefinitely, so a restless tetralogy run would normally not be possible. However, it's possible to remove fatigue for the whole party:

    1. For NPCs, you can clear their fatigue just by temporarily booting them from the party. When they rejoin, they'll be at zero fatigue.
    2. For Charname, you'll need to wear the Battle Tankard, an SoD item you get from Irina in the Elfsong Tavern after the first dungeon. I think the only way to bring it into BG2 is to use EET and smuggle it somewhere so you can collect it in SoA.

    It may be possible to beat the game without 1 or 2, but doing without either the reform party trick or the Battle Tankard would make a tetralogy run a bad idea. I don't think you can realistically take down Melissan with -50 luck for Charname and -20 luck for everyone else.
    JuliusBorisov
  • Jaheiras_WitnessJaheiras_Witness Member Posts: 614
    Too long since I played BG1 so can’t remember dynamics and if there are any free rests.

    But in BG2, don’t forget you always get one free rest in SoA (journey to Spellhold). If you are roleplaying you can also get free rests in Windspear Hills (go to Garren’s house, you are not choosing to rest) and by giving in to Phaere (similarly not a choice and staying on character).

    After that, it’s all about Wish.

    So BG2 and ToB are doable without ever choosing to rest. Whether you can get through BG1 and SoD I leave to others to figure out :)
    JuliusBorisovCorey_Russell
  • Jaheiras_WitnessJaheiras_Witness Member Posts: 614
    Oh and I also forgot: chapter 7 transition to hell is also an unavoidable free rest :)
    Grond0Corey_RussellJuliusBorisov
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,848
    edited January 2018
    Horror of horrors. None of the characters that I am supposed to meet after my return to Baldur's Gate are there.

    No smuggler near the bridge.
    No harper to give hints as to what to do next etc.

    Will I be able to finish the game?

    It is as if the game hasn't registered the fact that I have finished Candlekeep. Though it has given me the extra Bhaal powers for doing so. :(

    At least I have plenty to do at present: Werewolf Island; Durlag's Tower; The Drizzt Saga. Having thought about it, it looks as if I need to change a Global Variable. Which it is, I have no idea. If anyone knows which global variable it is, I would be exceedingly grateful to know.
    Post edited by Wise_Grimwald on
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    @Wise_Grimwald Most likely you'll need to attach your save in the modding section (describing what mods you have installed) and ask the folks there to look at your save.
Sign In or Register to comment.