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[no spoilers please] Need Chapter 2 general advice regarding NPCs, items, etc.

AlequeAleque Member Posts: 149
Hi

Although I am kindly asking you not to spoil anything major, I will allow myself to write minor spoilers for some side quests.

This is my first real BG2 experience, where I'm doing my best in reading things and immersing myself in them.

I have decided to just "go where the wind takes me", so to speak. I don't want to start speaking with every NPC I find but if they approach me and give me a quest, I will do it - unless the quest is evil or sinister.

I am in Chapter 2 and I like to take it slow, with the main quest, especially.
I just finished Umar Hills and I have 20k gold but I am in no hurry to give it to Gaelan Bayle.


I have attached a screenshot of my current Journal status to help you better understand my situation.




Characters:

I am playing a good alignment character and I am planning to romance Aerie, and keeping Jaheira as my friend.
Since the game also begins with Minsc joining me, I am planning on keeping him and later Imoen, as well. For now I have 2 slots available and I am unsure as to who to take with me before I continue my main quest. I know what Yoshimo will do to me later, so I am prepare for that, although I am still unsure whether I should take him with me anyway, or take someone else.

I want to squeeze as much content as possible out of every NPC that I like and do their personal quests etc, but I am unsure of the mechanics. For instance: Nalia is imprisoned. If I save her, will she give me more quests afterwards?
Anomen's sister's death is unavenged - I am not sure what happens later, and I want to find that out on my own, but I really hope, that I can avenge her in a good way (no spoilers, please). But if I do his quest as well, is there a point, where he will be satisfied for the rest of the game and stop giving me new quests and requests? And same with Nalia.

I am trying to understand the mechanics of these NPC-triggered quests, how many to expect and when they are triggered. Are they triggered by the amount of time that has passed in the game or when I am in a certain place of a main story?

Any recommendation that supports an optimal playthrough, is welcome. For instance: take this and this character with you until chapter X, do their quests and replace them with others. I know it's subjective. But I am mostly interested in choices that complement the main quest, so it "makes sense" in grand scheme of things.


Stashing items in the shop barrel:

Since I keep finding lots of good items, which I unfortunately can't use right now I have decided to store them in Adventurer's Mart - there is a barrel inside. But will I be able to return to this place later in the story and will my items still be there, then? The reason I keep many of those items is because I am not sure which characters to have in my party later on (due to my confusion written above).

Also, the amount of weird, random items in my inventory right now is almost intimidating. I tried reading Baldur's Gate Wiki about some of them, but the problem is often, that either they spoil something from the story or there is not sufficient information as to whether to keep it or not. I have attached a screenshot of them just to give you an idea.




I am starting to think I should just complete my side quests, put those items in the aforementioned barrel and move on with the main quest. And regarding the NPCs... Anomen, as arrogant and pompous as he is, is starting to grow on me as a good friend. I like him more than I like Nalia, although he is neutral and she is good. I might free her but I am not sure that I want her in my group... but then again - I might need a good "thief" who can find traps and open locks and I know what will happen with Yoshimo... *sigh*


Any spoiler-free help is highly appreciated.




Comments

  • Humanoid_TaifunHumanoid_Taifun Member Posts: 1,055
    Aleque said:

    Hi
    I am still unsure whether I should take him with me anyway, or take someone else. [] Nalia is imprisoned. If I save her, will she give me more quests afterwards? [] is there a point, where he will be satisfied for the rest of the game and stop giving me new quests and requests? [] I am trying to understand the mechanics of these NPC-triggered quests, how many to expect and when they are triggered. Are they triggered by the amount of time that has passed in the game or when I am in a certain place of a main story? [] take this and this character with you until chapter X, do their quests and replace them with others. I know it's subjective. But I am mostly interested in choices that complement the main quest, so it "makes sense" in grand scheme of things. [] I have decided to store them in Adventurer's Mart - there is a barrel inside. But will I be able to return to this place later in the story and will my items still be there, then? []

    Okay, step by step.
    Nalia's imprisonment is her last quest for you.

    Anomen still has a few things ahead of him.

    Most NPC quests work on ingame time. If you romance a character, their quests will run on REAL time. That means, that for the former, you can travel a lot to trigger them. For the latter, you pause the game, go eat dinner and come back. Or you do like me and just use cheats to finish up NPC quests when it's convenient.
    But other than Yoshimo/Imoen, there is nothing plot specific about the characters.

    Take Yoshimo with you, he will fulfill his job until you have Imoen to take over. Her skills are better than Nalia's. If you have the Ring of Danger Sense for her, her relevant skills are both at 100% and thus working perfectly. Also, you get some XP for ending the Yoshimo stuff properly.

    Yes, you can store stuff at the Adventurer's Market and get back to it later. I usually use the first bookshelf. But so long as it's in a container, it's safe.
    Aleque
  • AlequeAleque Member Posts: 149
    Whoa, did not expect a reply so fast. Thank you.


    Also, you get some XP for ending the Yoshimo stuff properly. <-- Yeah, I would like to play the game the way that it is "meant" to be played. With him being in prison with us at the beginning, being with us in the same boat, and all.

    Speaking of "cheats", do you mean http://gibberlings3.net/tweaks/ ?

    Because I have considered some of them, as well. (in my previous topic I asked how to kill "you have to gather your party" sound) Even though, some of those fixes have some spoilers in the info, which is pretty annoying - but it can't be avoided, I guess. Like the Aerie romance...

    Any good things you can personally recommend installing? I don't mind a few quality of life tweaks to make the gameplay less frustrating and clicking less, as long as it doesn't feel like cheating. For instance, I don't want to feel like I am receiving free items and the value of my gold is diminished.

    But there are some things that really bother me, like not knowing whether a weird/quest item is still useful or not. Would be nice if they would be greyed out, if the function of the item is complete. I don't like the idea of not having a specific item on me when I need it: to open a door or to trigger a conversation or even complete a quest.
  • BorekBorek Member Posts: 513
    If you have the console enabled or use EE Keeper you may want to give yourself a bag of holding so you can carry around all the quest items and other stuff. bag31 is the console code if so. There is a bag you'll probably find later on, but it's just so much easier having it earlier.

    Tweaks anthology is the one yeah, lots of good stuff, but will be down to personal choice what you decide to add. There's quite a lot of quality of life options such as allowing stack-able items to go up to 999 (ammo, potions, scrolls etc), xp cap removal, obviously the gather your party sound removal.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    Aleque said:


    I am playing a good alignment character and I am planning to romance Aerie, and keeping Jaheira as my friend.
    Since the game also begins with Minsc joining me, I am planning on keeping him and later Imoen, as well. For now I have 2 slots available and I am unsure as to who to take with me before I continue my main quest. I know what Yoshimo will do to me later, so I am prepare for that, although I am still unsure whether I should take him with me anyway, or take someone else.

    Hey, I think you are making excellent choices of NPCs for your first run through. Minsc and Aerie are great together.

    Protagonist, Minsc, Aerie, Jaheira, Yoshimo and a rotating cast for the sixth spot is a wonderful way to experience this game, especially for the first time. You should definitely keep Yoshimo. When you lose him you get Imoen back almost immediately, so it makes a lot of sense.

    Anomen has some interesting stuff coming up, so keep him around until then. I think that is the end of Nalia's quests though, so save her from Roenal and move on if you don't want her permanently.

    Make sure to enjoy the sights and smell the roses. Definitely take your time with Chapter 2 (it ends when you pay Gaylen... coo!). It is the best part of the game imho, all about Camaraderie, adventure and steel on steel. The stuff of legends! Right, Boo?
    UnderstandMouseMagicAleque
  • Humanoid_TaifunHumanoid_Taifun Member Posts: 1,055
    edited March 2018
    @Aleque There is only a single key that you would need somewhere else than you found it. And I'm pretty sure that its description points that out. Besides that, you can throw away most random items without obvious functions. (which is sometimes quite frustrating. I make it a habit of killing a certain drow and taking the gems that he forced me to acquire for him - but they are a quest item and can't be sold. They just take up space, but I refuse to let go of them because they are MINE)

    As for cheats, no, I meant the actual cheat console. I know what quests every character should have and so I change the variables that determine when these quests start, and sometimes I spawn the characters that are supposed to trigger them. That is not necessary in a normal playthrough, because you'll spend plenty of time with your characters. It's just when you basically want to pick them up, do their stuff and then get rid of them, that it's annoying waiting for things to go their natural course.

    As for the tweaks, I think you should install very sparingly and carefully. If this is your first time playing the game, you have not really experienced the way it was designed to work. So I don't think you are in a good position to decide what you want it to work like. My own preferences are just that, my own. They probably would not appeal to you.
    Aleque
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147

    How can you not rescue Nalia?
    Shame on you, she's stuck in prison, poor thing. :'(

    All quest items are just that, single quest items. When you have finished the quest, you have no more use for them. They are confusing in some ways because they look like they could be useful somewhere else. But read the discriptions carefully, it's made quite clear what's a "quest item" and what's a reward.
    Only exception the key to the sewers you must have already picked up from Firkrag's dungeon (given to you by Tazok) but even that has a very clear discription.

    In the screenshot provided you have,
    the "mimic's blood" there's a small quest involving that in the Unmar Hills village.
    the Crom Faeya scroll, not a quest item, it's a reward. Find the smith Cromwell in the docks.



    Alequebooinyoureyes
  • inkblowoutinkblowout Member Posts: 49
    edited March 2018
    I recently finished BG2:SOA for the first time (Currently on Throne of Bhaal atm) and here is my suggestions for you.

    1. Do Hexxat's Quest line (I assume you have the EE version.) Do it and get the Bag of holding you get from her. It's an amazing items which can hold a lotttt of things. (Even more than the regular holding bags.) I've held quest items/books until ToB and it still has space.

    2. Bring Yoshimo in your permanent party. (His character development is one of the best in the game.) If you don't bring him... you'll find yourself regretting it.

    3. Take your sweet time in Chapter 2. Do everything you can, explore as long as you must, immerse yourself in Amn. Chapter 2 wasn't meant to be rushed... you'll find out later why as you progress through the game.

    4. When you pick up a NPC during chapter 2, bring them along for a bit for the banters + combat + Personal Quests (if you happen to trigger them). Find out if they are worth bringing to your party for your quest to rescue Imoen. (Pretty much find out if they are worth having in your dream team for the main story.)

    5. And then until there is nothing else to do and you finished all the side quests you can do. Create the party of the best NPCs (Bring yoshimo) and start chapter 3 and just focus on the main story line to the end of the game. Like I said in #3.... you'll understand why.

    Note: Also Imoen is a Thief as well so you are covered when you get her. She's dual class Mage/Thief yes.... but her Thief level is high enough for her to pick all doors and chests. (this is honestly a huge problem with thieves actually.) You want to bring yoshimo and get imoen to replace him later on.
  • Humanoid_TaifunHumanoid_Taifun Member Posts: 1,055
    edited March 2018


    3. Take your sweet time in Chapter 2. Do everything you can, explore as long as you must, immerse yourself in Amn. Chapter 2 wasn't meant to be rushed... you'll find out later why as you progress through the game.

    I disagree with this. If you wish to take Imoen along, then you also want her to get some experience so she can perform well as a mage.
    If you do not wish to take Imoen along, then you should bring a different thief, and in that case, you probably have no space for Yoshimo.
  • inkblowoutinkblowout Member Posts: 49


    3. Take your sweet time in Chapter 2. Do everything you can, explore as long as you must, immerse yourself in Amn. Chapter 2 wasn't meant to be rushed... you'll find out later why as you progress through the game.

    I disagree with this. If you wish to take Imoen along, then you also want her to get some experience so she can perform well as a mage.
    If you do not wish to take Imoen along, then you should bring a different thief, and in that case, you probably have no space for Yoshimo.
    I took her in after doing everything in Chapter 2 and I had no problem with Imoen despite being 3 levels lower than the rest of the party. Also I had Aerie with me so she was the main mage while imoen was backup. At Endgame SOA (Chapter 6) and TOB Imoen is very very good at that point and then I dumped aerie eventually in ToB.

    Story wise it doesn't make since to do all the side quests later. Especially with the pacing... So I decided to do everything in chapter 2 and just focus strictly on chapter 3 to the endgame once I was done.

    Sure if people have played this multiple times it'll make sense for them to get Imoen ASAP and then do the side missions later. But OP looks like he is really playing for the story mostly (taking his time and whatnot) so I suggest for him to do everything in chapter 2 and then continue on.
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