76 réponses à ce sujet

[Squidmaster]

I just finished BG1 with a Tutu install and am moving onto 2.  I decided to install Sword Coast Stratagems 2, as I handled SCS1 fairly well after a bit of early frustration.  I am a bit scared though I must admit, because the game becomes so much more wide open in BG2, and SCS adds so many spells that can have disastrous outcomes.  I imagine it will be just fine, but I would love some general or specific tips, spell prebuff combos, and that sort of thing to ease the learning curve.

I don't want to really discuss specific boss-type encounters, but monster types are fine if they are tough enough to mention.  I'm mostly concerned with spell users given the barrel of crazy they can open.

Thanks!

[Biotic_Warlock]

I think id prepare for TOB in SOA lol... those TOB battles are so hard... XD
Get as high levels as u can.

And get as many unique weapons as you can. Loads of awesome ones out there.

[polytope]

Squidmaster wrote...

I just finished BG1 with a Tutu install and am moving onto 2.  I decided to install Sword Coast Stratagems 2, as I handled SCS1 fairly well after a bit of early frustration.  I am a bit scared though I must admit, because the game becomes so much more wide open in BG2, and SCS adds so many spells that can have disastrous outcomes.  I imagine it will be just fine, but I would love some general or specific tips, spell prebuff combos, and that sort of thing to ease the learning curve.

I don't want to really discuss specific boss-type encounters, but monster types are fine if they are tough enough to mention.  I'm mostly concerned with spell users given the barrel of crazy they can open.

Thanks!

The difficulty will vary quite a bit depending on what options you chose on installation; but I can relate what worked for me (I installed everything except maximum difficulty spawns, Tactics improved Irenicus and HLAs for SoA mages).

About enemy mages; if you went with the spell tweaks of SCSII, you will need ruby ray of reversal to debuff L18+ mages (unless you feel like waiting out their protections), the earliest fixed location for this scroll is Ust Natha (though it can be found as random treasure), so a sorcerer is a good choice for early access to this useful spell.

Many enemy mages have powerful spell sequencers (3*skull trap, 3*flame arrow), I've found limited wish for minor globe of invulnerability on the party is useful to counter these (also blocks web, which liches/rakshasas love using).

Beholders new AI gave me trouble at first, but I realized they only use their anti magic ray once/round and they can be surrounded with invisible party members and tricked to waste AMR on a single buffed character, then finished off by the invisible fighters before they use it again. Fiddly, but low risk.

You also may find enemy thieves annoying at low levels if you don't have an Inquisitor, or grind a few levels early for True Seeing.

[ussnorway]

Basic spell tactics;

• Sleep is very powerful in BG1 but next to useless in BG2.
• Air elementals (all types) are great against Beholders… immune to rays.
• All animals eg. Spiders are week against moral spells like Horror.
• Trolls = fire.
• Myconid = range attacks.
• The little spells are always worth taking… Vocalize, Silence & Sanctuary are my favourites.
Ambushes;
Depending on your selections, SCS2 replaces real enemies with summoned ones eg. the harder starting dungeon inserts Gray-dwarfs instead of Goblins. This is important because the game treats summoned critters differently eg. If you run away from them they will often disappear.

Modifié par ussnorway, 15 mars 2011 - 09:26 .

[Biotic_Warlock]

@ussnorway... you mentioned beholders... you could try using spell deflection (the one with the blue circle on the ground under the avatar, forgot the exact name) but i read i think on gamebanshee that that spell reflects all beholder rays so they basically kill themselves XD.

[Squidmaster]

I installed all of the creature modifications I believe, but chose the "casts like a mage" option for the ones where that was relevant to give me a fighting chance. I tended to not install the overhauls of various areas (I might have done the Watcher's Keep tweak because it sounded mild) because I have not seen the game for a good 8-10 years anyway. I didn't choose the monster hit point increases except for dragons.

Is there a list of defensive spells you have to prep with each and every fight? How many of them to you tend to memorize at a time? Are there any that sound better than they are?

I'd also like some input on what weapon proficiencies would optimize the various good aligned NPCs. I will probably keep Minsc, Jaheira, and Imoen. I will get another divine caster and probably the Inquisitor guy as well.

[ussnorway]

Squidmaster wrote...

I'd also like some input on what weapon proficiencies would optimize the various good aligned NPCs. I will probably keep Minsc, Jaheira, and Imoen. I will get another divine caster and probably the Inquisitor guy as well.

If it where me;
Minsc = two handed sword.
Jaheira (N) = Club & shield... club & scimitar i.e. spectral brand... if good (an SCS2 option) then can use Defender.
Imoen = Shortbow & staff.
Haer'dalis (N) = Two; short-swords then longsword, bastard and eventually the HolyAdvenger.
These two are a set;
Mazzy = Axe & shield then two [one-handed] axes.
Valygar = Katana & hammer.

[polytope]

Beholders with SCS tend to kill summons rather quickly (except skeleton warriors), and they're immune to their own eyebeams, so spell turning doesn't work as well.

Squidmaster wrote...

Is there a list of defensive spells you have to prep with each and every fight? How many of them to you tend to memorize at a time? Are there any that sound better than they are?

I tend to walk around with Chaotic Commands, Death Ward and Protection from Magic Energy up (once mage level >12), as they last for hours and save your life in many situations. The last one is important, as SCS includes Taimon's fix for the bug where mirror image would block are of effect magic.

Squidmaster wrote...

I'd also like some input on what weapon proficiencies would optimize the various good aligned NPCs. I will probably keep Minsc, Jaheira, and Imoen. I will get another divine caster and probably the Inquisitor guy as well.

I don't think weapon profficiencies matter too much with SCS, unlike other mods - such as Improved Anvil - SCS doesn't add any super resistant enemies that need a particular damage type to be defeated.

Keldorn will use Carsomyr ofc, if you find Firkraag too challenging at low levels he will get by with Lilarcor. Consider increasing his pips in two handed weapon and halberd, for the Ravager. Otherwise bastard sword specialization for Foebane; the hp boost is useful to Keldorn, as he is less resistant than other paladins.

Minsc I tend to build as a dual wielder, with flails (FoA is still available very early) and axes, he can also be very resistant with the Defender of Easthaven - though Valygar also suits this role.

Jaheira, her weapon proficiencies are a bit limited; either scimitars and dual wield, or spears/staves and two handed weapon style - Ixils's spike is very good, but requires whirlwind to get the most out of it.

[Squidmaster]

Keep in mind nothing will be available early in the sense I think you are meaning, because I have not played this for many years. It's a new game in terms of locations and items.

My primary character is a gnome illusionist/thief. Right now he uses a short sword with single weapon style. What is the ideal setup for him based on available weapons and however backstab works in this game?

[Jeff W]

Gun Minsc down in his cage at the beginning of the game so you don't have to listen to his obnoxious drivel all game long. Otherwise, use two handed swords and later halberds. If you want to dual wield, you can, but you need to build up some proficiencies in useful dual wield weapons like flails or katanas first.

Jaheira's best weapon early on is staff of arundel +3 because it gives +1 5th and 6th level spell. You can buy it in a store, so you really can't miss it if you have the bonus merchants installed. 1 Extra insect plague and 1 extra fire elemental are pretty huge perks and Jaheira isn't a great damage dealer in general, which isn't to say she's not a great tank--ironskins means she can take way more pounding than squishies like minsc and keldorn. In tob, there are a couple nice weapons that she can use that are two handed--staff of the ram and ixil's spike. Jaheira has no use for scimitars, believe it or not. They are nothign more than utility weapons in bg2 (belm off hand for extra attacks with certain weapons and ras the dancing sword is basically a summoning item).

Keldorn is gonna use two handed swords/carsomyr, end of story. Even scs 2 nerfed carsomyr is still king.

For a cleric, you can use Aerie or Anomen. You already have 3 fighters, so I'd use Aerie. You'll figure out her proficiency slots since she's pretty limited. Anomen should put 2 points into Flails and use the flail of ages (2nd best weapon after Carsomyr) + Shield of Harmony, but don't put any points into sword and shield style because it's useless. You can dual wield defender of easthaven in your offhand later after you've built up 2 weapon style.

Believe it or not, staves rock for backstabbing, iirc(I don't use backstabbing much). Staff of striking early on can be bought in temple district(it uses charges, though) and in tob you get staff of the ram. Another choice is celestial fury. 

Modifié par Jeff W, 16 mars 2011 - 01:38 .

[DMWW]

ussnorway wrote...
• Air elementals (all types) are great against Beholders… immune to rays.

Not on my install.

Depending on your selections, SCS2 replaces real enemies with summoned ones

Not intentionally.

eg. the harder starting dungeon inserts Gray-dwarfs instead of Goblins. This is important because the game treats summoned critters differently eg. If you run away from them they will often disappear.

They're not summons, and they have the same combat script as the goblins.

[ussnorway]

DMWW wrote...

ussnorway wrote...
• Air elementals (all types) are great against Beholders… immune to rays.

Not on my install.

Depending on your selections, SCS2 replaces real enemies with summoned ones

Not intentionally.

eg. the harder starting dungeon inserts Gray-dwarfs instead of Goblins. This is important because the game treats summoned critters differently eg. If you run away from them they will often disappear.

They're not summons, and they have the same combat script as the goblins.

They are immune in my build.


Yes, it is divine remix that makes her good... My mistake.
I said the game treats them as summons...  simple to test, just rest and then run away from them, try it yourself.

Edit; Added the photo link.

Modifié par ussnorway, 18 mars 2011 - 07:58 .

[Biotic_Warlock]

There are lots of cool classes to choose from that no other companions have (minus mod NPC)

Swashbuckler, archer, kensai, monk, sorcerer, avenger, undead hunter...
A thief for you main character may be more convenient due to a lack of good thieves in game - except Yoshimo and Jan, but i don't like them two - except jan's battle cries XD

"Beware, your knees are mine!"

[DMWW]

ussnorway wrote...

DMWW wrote...

ussnorway wrote...
• Air elementals (all types) are great against Beholders… immune to rays.

Not on my install.

Depending on your selections, SCS2 replaces real enemies with summoned ones

Not intentionally.

eg. the harder starting dungeon inserts Gray-dwarfs instead of Goblins. This is important because the game treats summoned critters differently eg. If you run away from them they will often disappear.

They're not summons, and they have the same combat script as the goblins.

They are immune in my build.

The linked shot shows that air elementals are immune to the Unseeing Eye's bite attack. It doesn't show anything about rays (which are treated as spells, not as weapons).

I said the game treats them as summons...  simple to test, just rest and then run away from them, try it yourself.

I believe that's standard behaviour for rest-spawned creatures. The normal duergar (the ones who replace the goblins) won't do it.

[ussnorway]

I was not aware they had a bite attack... Yippee, learnt something.

[mad cat from hell]

Take spell thrust on mage spellbook level 3: it removes ALL spell immunity spells the enemy has buffed on itself with 1 lvl 3 slot. Then you can cast true seeing while doing some aoe damage with ur own mage to disrupt spellcasting. Have a sorcerer and a backup clric/mage in your party so you are flexible with spells and can use barrages of mage and cleric spells(have another cleric in party, preferably cleric/fighter multi.).

Use Ravager well: its awesome in ToB especially with whirlwind attack.

Against beholders in ToB you can use hindo's doom + shielf of harmony/ hindo's doom + helmet of charm prot + ring of free action. You will only be vulnerable to damage rays, telekinesis, flesh to stone and disintegration.

If you have chosen " all mages of lvl 18+ in SoA use high level abilities", then you will encounter enemy planetars in planar prison and guarded compound(where you get celestial fury).

Vampires are fond of casting insect plague on you. Fireshields or spell immunity : conjuration protects against it.

Demons and Celestials now have innate magic which they insta cast every round. power word stun, blind, symbol stun/death/fear, confusion, remove magic and fireballs are common. Also, domination, charm and dire charm are.

Dont underestimate myconoid colonies and yuan-ti mages : mycos will confuse you easily if you are not protected with magic/items and yuan-ti mages will throw greater malison(-4 saves) and chaos at you : the particularly nasty spell which confuses the party with -4 save penalty.

Trolls in nalia's keep and druid grove have been buffed quite a bit: they cast emotion: hopelessness, unholy blight and flame strike, also they become improved invisible at will.

If you plan to use blackrazor (and you probably should), fix it like in this topic: http://social.biowar...-5911855-1.html

Modifié par mad cat from hell, 17 mars 2011 - 04:05 .

[Squidmaster]

Spell thrust is a great tip! In most cases I only upgraded the creatures, not the areas. So far the first one I have encountered is the improved vampire, which apparently can level drain me while in gaseous form. That is super, super cheesy, unfair, and totally against the 2E rules. What are you supposed to do about that?

What defensive spells are must-haves early on for regular memorization? How much should I care about the "tired" debuff that Korgan gets or haste gives? Is regular haste worth taking a ton despite the tiredness aftereffect? Right now I have none of those but I only really just got started.

I am holding onto Aerie because I like her vibe. That will (when I can reclaim Imoen) give me 3 mages, 2 healers, and 2 warriors with Minsc (I made him a barbarian because he is one) and Keldorn. I would imagine I would want someone dual wielding, and Minsc would be the most powerful doing it I would wager. Would the best weapons for him be flail and scimitar? Some of what I've read suggest that I think, but it also seems odd to have no longsword users.  Usually games like this dish out longswords like candy.

I could make Jaheira a staff user but that will give me 3 or 4 of them (my main gnome guy, Aerie, Imoen). Does the game throw enough awesome staves at you to make that worthwhile? I checked out the scimitars and I see what you are saying about the quality of those. It seems like you get the one for bonus attacks and maybe a good one waaaay later with defending properties. Otherwise squat.

Is it possible to dual wield backstab, or is it MH only?

Since I have not played this game in many years I am going to not feel bad about editing the proficiencies to what I want here and there. Heck, the newest version of the rules lets you swap stuff around a bit anyway so it's all ok by me so long as I don't give them more points than they deserve.

Modifié par Squidmaster, 18 mars 2011 - 12:52 .

[ussnorway]

Protection from undead/ drain or 'Sanctuary' spring to mind.
Tired is a problem in the city but less so out doors... IMO any de-buff is bad news.
Haer'Dalis will (easily) out damage Minsc with dual wielding weapons and is far less inclined to attack his own party.
Changing/ fixing stats for role-playing is ok at the start but after that you will enjoy the game more if you only do what the game allows i.e. you want to play an elf bard, fine but if you picked axes and got a nice sword then go recruit a new npc and build them to use swords however it is always your game.

Modifié par ussnorway, 18 mars 2011 - 01:37 .

[Squidmaster]

Yeah, but having a bard and 2 mage/rogues seems like overkill.

I don't plan to change weapons every 2 minutes. Sometimes though you figure something out part way through that would have helped you more. Given that I'm doing what is in essence my first play through of this game using a hard mod, I figure I can afford a little of that. You're right though in concept.

[polytope]

Squidmaster wrote...

What defensive spells are must-haves early on for regular memorization? How much should I care about the "tired" debuff that Korgan gets or haste gives? Is regular haste worth taking a ton despite the tiredness aftereffect? Right now I have none of those but I only really just got started.

Fatigue is actually a killer, it imposes a cumulative penalty to luck (attack rolls and damge rolls you make, plus the spell damage you suffer). Definitely worthwhile upgrading to improved haste once you get it (reserving vanilla haste for mordy swords and skeletons).

Korgan's fatigue after berserking isn't the same as regular fatigue, it only lasts for five rounds - normal fatigue lasts until you next rest. One of the reasons I prefer barbarians to berserkers in BG2 is that they do not become fatigued after raging, and can refresh their rage immediately (although strictly they shouldn't be able to until they reach epic levels).

Squidmaster wrote...
I am holding onto Aerie because I like her vibe. That will (when I can reclaim Imoen) give me 3 mages, 2 healers, and 2 warriors with Minsc (I made him a barbarian because he is one) and Keldorn. I would imagine I would want someone dual wielding, and Minsc would be the most powerful doing it I would wager. Would the best weapons for him be flail and scimitar? Some of what I've read suggest that I think, but it also seems odd to have no longsword users.  Usually games like this dish out longswords like candy.

I could make Jaheira a staff user but that will give me 3 or 4 of them (my main gnome guy, Aerie, Imoen). Does the game throw enough awesome staves at you to make that worthwhile?

I don't think it matters much for Imoen and Aerie, since they will be out of melee most of the time anyway. There are not many great staves barring Staff of the Ram in WK - and to upgrade it you must sacrifice one of the best helmets in the game - staff of the Magi is powerful but used more like a wand/dispelling item than a damage dealing weapon. Even so, if you specialize Jaheira in spears, it would make sense to have a backup profficiency in staves.

You might prefer your main to use longswords for backstabbing anyway, they outdamage staves except the expensive staff of striking and the late game Staff of the Ram.

I would never let my characters dual wield a flail and scimitar, as it looks silly and unbalanced, but this is an aesthetic choice.

Squidmaster wrote...
Is it possible to dual wield backstab, or is it MH only?

Certainly, but as a mage/thief your THAC0 will be suboptimal and I'd avoid dualwielding in the early stages.

[mad cat from hell]

Best weapons for SoA will be : flail of ages, celestial fury(katana), blackrazor (in the very end of soa, longsword), crom fayr (hammer), mace of disruption +2 (upgraded), staff of the magi (dispel on hit with caster level 30, +ac, +saves, immunities, once/day abilities), carsomyr( paladin only, grtsword, dispel on hit 30 casterlvl), soul reaver(greatsword, i think its only for evil). Get staff of arundel from joluv (bonus merchant) for jaheira, close to the end you get another good druid staff(even 2 of them). Use belm off-hand for +1 attack in main hand. Make sure to buy defender of eastheaven (flail) from joluv for off hand use (gives +1 ac and 20% phys resists).

In ToB, you will upgrade flail of ages and you also will get halberd: the ravager +6 : insta killing weapon (no save, plain 10% chance even on dragon).

Modifié par mad cat from hell, 18 mars 2011 - 03:50 .

[Biotic_Warlock]

mad cat from hell wrote...

Best weapons for SoA will be : flail of ages, celestial fury(katana), blackrazor (in the very end of soa, longsword), crom fayr (hammer), mace of disruption +2 (upgraded), staff of the magi (dispel on hit with caster level 30, +ac, +saves, immunities, once/day abilities), carsomyr( paladin only, grtsword, dispel on hit 30 casterlvl), soul reaver(greatsword, i think its only for evil). Get staff of arundel from joluv (bonus merchant) for jaheira, close to the end you get another good druid staff(even 2 of them). Use belm off-hand for +1 attack in main hand. Make sure to buy defender of eastheaven (flail) from joluv for off hand use (gives +1 ac and 20% phys resists).

In ToB, you will upgrade flail of ages and you also will get halberd: the ravager +6 : insta killing weapon (no save, plain 10% chance even on dragon).

Don't forget the githyanki silver sword - Chance of death to target, unless save vs. death (or spell)
Works against dragons.

Modifié par Biotic_Warlock, 18 mars 2011 - 04:21 .

[Squidmaster]

Awesome info. I will remember those weapon combos for sure.

I picked up Korgan yesterday because he had a request that seemed both reasonable and fairly short. After a challenging slog through the crypts I was trying to get to the Temple and got ambushed by that slaver gang. Holy aardvarks, that was a hard fight. It must have taken me a good 6 or 8 tries to get it done with my virtually unchanged gear from the starter dungeon. SCS2 aint messin' around.

[ussnorway]

I'm not a fan of chunk weapons like the silver sword, like my loot thanks. Speaking of such... The fearsome foursome in the sewers is a good way to get some magic armour/ weapons.

[Squidmaster]

Ok, sewers enemy party encounter... I'm level 8, their wizard is at least level 15, probably higher. How is it possible for me to hope to kill him? The first thing that happens when I see him is a multi spell setup of improved invisibility, immunity to divination, immunity to magical and nonmagical weapons. I'm level 8. Come on.