BG II: What makes a good first character

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Pocatello

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
9,754
2
76
Minsc is the one who should have the crom faeyr and flail of ages...then let him loose. If you see vamps, switch from flail of ages to mace of disruption.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
31,463
9,779
136
Originally posted by: Pocatello
Minsc is the one who should have the crom faeyr and flail of ages...then let him loose. If you see vamps, switch from flail of ages to mace of disruption.

i always gave minsc the silver sword and anomen the crom faeyr. never tried having minsc go dual wield (except in the very beginning)
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
Ok. Now I'm stuck - when I enter the palace there is a tree with nuts but i can't seem to get any - when i go down stairs the queen tells me i need nuts from the garden. Is the garden inside the palace or outside? I can't get any from the tree just inside the palace and i don't see any trees or nuts outside the palace...
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What a lame bug - i have to pick the nuts before i open the waterfall else i'm screwed and the game can't be completed :(
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Originally posted by: Pocatello
Minsc is the one who should have the crom faeyr and flail of ages...then let him loose. If you see vamps, switch from flail of ages to mace of disruption.

Hehe, I was the one dualing Crom Faeyr and a bastard sword, Foebane in the end. My ranger rarely worried about hitpoints, what with that and the ring of gaxx.

Minsc usually duals the two axes (stone fire from Bernard and the cold/acid dealer from Nalia's castle).

However, I've also given Aerie Crom. If ya could just get her HPs up more, she's be a nightmare.
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Originally posted by: you2
Ok. Now I'm stuck - when I enter the palace there is a tree with nuts but i can't seem to get any - when i go down stairs the queen tells me i need nuts from the garden. Is the garden inside the palace or outside? I can't get any from the tree just inside the palace and i don't see any trees or nuts outside the palace...
---
What a lame bug - i have to pick the nuts before i open the waterfall else i'm screwed and the game can't be completed :(

Click on the tree several times.
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
Ok. I finished the game and hte game auto-started TOB. Question - is it too late for me to install assention? Also can assention be installed on top of hte bg fixes I installed at the start of this thread ?
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btw you cannot click the tree several times after you open the waterfall - you have to reload a previous game and click prior to opening the waterfall - lousy bug :(
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Yes, you can install Ascension, but you may not want to right away. The last fight in Ascension is monumentally tough. You might want to just play though the base game.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
31,463
9,779
136
Originally posted by: aCynic2
Yes, you can install Ascension, but you may not want to right away. The last fight in Ascension is monumentally tough. You might want to just play though the base game.

i may have to install ascension just to see how tough it is. and bust out my custom party - 4 monks, 1 priest, 1 wiz/sorc. death incarnate, baby! :D
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
82,854
17,365
136
Originally posted by: aCynic2
Originally posted by: Pocatello
Minsc is the one who should have the crom faeyr and flail of ages...then let him loose. If you see vamps, switch from flail of ages to mace of disruption.

Hehe, I was the one dualing Crom Faeyr and a bastard sword, Foebane in the end. My ranger rarely worried about hitpoints, what with that and the ring of gaxx.

Minsc usually duels the two axes (stone fire from Bernard and the cold/acid dealer from Nalia's castle).

However, I've also given Aerie Crom. If ya could just get her HPs up more, she's be a nightmare.
Yup. It always amazes me that folks want to put strength enhancing girdles on Minsc and Korgan. As if going from a STR of 19 to 20 really helps.

Its much better to give Crom to Viconia or Aerie because they see the biggest boost. Same with the girdles of strength and ogre gauntlets. Not to mention all those strength potions you find laying around. If you just stockpile those on your mages and clerics then wait until battle to use them, the bulk of the games tougher fights can be a lot easier. With the +4 dagger and an 18 STR even Edwin can seem dangerous.

A good thing to remember about the girdles of giant strength in the Sling of Seeking (I think) applies the STR bonus to its bullet damage. Yet another way you can make Viconia or Aerie a real badass instead of adding 1 point of damage to Korgans attack.

 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Originally posted by: shortylickens
A good thing to remember about the girdles of giant strength in the Sling of Seeking (I think) applies the STR bonus to its bullet damage. Yet another way you can make Viconia or Aerie a real badass instead of adding 1 point of damage to Korgans attack.

Jaheira was the baddest azzed biatch in the game when it came to the sling, because she was a fighter, which meant she threw more often and hit more often.

With the girdle of fire giant strength (she was my ranger's love interest afterall, so she always got the best she could utilize), she was dealing like 30+ some odd pts on a critical hit.

Oh, and there is that other axe, Unyielding, I think it was called. Lopped off heads on a roll of 20...I let Minsc take that back to Rashemon with his bad assed self. And I did give Minsc the girdle of stone giant strength. A few extra points helped him to put down the opposition a bit faster.
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
Originally posted by: aCynic2
Yes, you can install Ascension, but you may not want to right away. The last fight in Ascension is monumentally tough. You might want to just play though the base game.

i may have to install ascension just to see how tough it is. and bust out my custom party - 4 monks, 1 priest, 1 wiz/sorc. death incarnate, baby! :D

I've not done it, yet. I'm too afraid actually.
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
How late in the game can i install Ascension without having to start over ?
 

mk

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2000
3,241
0
0
Originally posted by: you2
How late in the game can i install Ascension without having to start over ?
You should install it before killing Yaga-Shura, the fire giant who's besieging Saradush and at the very latest before going to meet Balthazar.

Ascension is mostly a redesign of the Throne of Bhaal finale but there are also a couple of minor mods that you'll see earlier.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
31,463
9,779
136
Originally posted by: aCynic2
Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
Originally posted by: aCynic2
Yes, you can install Ascension, but you may not want to right away. The last fight in Ascension is monumentally tough. You might want to just play though the base game.

i may have to install ascension just to see how tough it is. and bust out my custom party - 4 monks, 1 priest, 1 wiz/sorc. death incarnate, baby! :D

I've not done it, yet. I'm too afraid actually.

my main hesitation is that with an entirely PC party, you get none of the NPC interaction that makes bg2 so fun :(
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Originally posted by: mk
Originally posted by: you2
How late in the game can i install Ascension without having to start over ?
You should install it before killing Yaga-Shura, the fire giant who's besieging Saradush and at the very latest before going to meet Balthazar.

Ascension is mostly a redesign of the Throne of Bhaal finale but there are also a couple of minor mods that you'll see earlier.
No, every single boss battle (but one) in ToB is different.

I *strongly* recommend:

(1) Not playing Ascension your first time. It's hard. Really really really hard.
(2) Not playing the finale without going through the improved boss battles first. Unless you do, you'll have no idea what it's like. If you can beat the improved dragon boss, you have a shot at the finale. Otherwise, you could reload for (literally!) months without getting anywhere.
 

mk

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2000
3,241
0
0
Originally posted by: s44
Originally posted by: mk
Originally posted by: you2
How late in the game can i install Ascension without having to start over ?
You should install it before killing Yaga-Shura, the fire giant who's besieging Saradush and at the very latest before going to meet Balthazar.

Ascension is mostly a redesign of the Throne of Bhaal finale but there are also a couple of minor mods that you'll see earlier.
No, every single boss battle (but one) in ToB is different.

I *strongly* recommend:

(1) Not playing Ascension your first time. It's hard. Really really really hard.
(2) Not playing the finale without going through the improved boss battles first. Unless you do, you'll have no idea what it's like. If you can beat the improved dragon boss, you have a shot at the finale. Otherwise, you could reload for (literally!) months without getting anywhere.
Whoops. I seem to have an older version that doesn't include the improved BS/DG battles. Completely forgot about them last time playing through the saga.

IIRC DG was difficult, Abazigal very difficult. :D
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
I'm not sure i understand point 2. How do you not play the final without going through the improved boss battles first ?
 

mk

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2000
3,241
0
0
Originally posted by: you2
I'm not sure i understand point 2.
The finale in Ascension is very difficult. All the other fights are good practice.

How do you not play the final without going through the improved boss battles first ?
It's possible to play the original ToB and install Ascension right before the final fight.
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
You don't even need to install Ascension to get the tougher bosses. Baldurdash has tweaks for them.

 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Originally posted by: s44
Originally posted by: mk
Originally posted by: you2
How late in the game can i install Ascension without having to start over ?
You should install it before killing Yaga-Shura, the fire giant who's besieging Saradush and at the very latest before going to meet Balthazar.

Ascension is mostly a redesign of the Throne of Bhaal finale but there are also a couple of minor mods that you'll see earlier.
No, every single boss battle (but one) in ToB is different.

Yeah, Sendai didn't need any modding. That was one of the best and most fun fights in the game, SoA or ToB.

 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
Hum. Ok. Hum. Since both Ascension and Baldurdash tweaks them what is the correct install order? WHat I'll probably do is play through but save the game far enough back that I can then apply the update and replay :)
 

aCynic2

Senior member
Apr 28, 2007
710
0
0
Save your game at the very start of ToB...

Install the baldurdash tweaks...play.

install Ascension, load start of game save, play.

Know that the bosses are tough, real tough. After the tweaks, Sendai was a cakewalk compared to the others.

That is, if you want to play with the tweaks first.
 

you2

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2002
5,668
913
126
I had installed the fix pack before I started soa. I *think* this means that the baldurdash tweaks are already installed - so i figure i'd play but make sure to save just before i meet Yaga-Shura (per mk note above) and then after i finish install Ascention and try again... well that's the plan. Hum - been playing this for a while haven't I...

Ack it took me a month to finish soa.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Uh, if you don't experience Improved Ilasera you're going to be in for a massive shock in the Ascension finale.