20 réponses à ce sujet

[Windfoot]

Hi all,

So what's your favorite solo character?  And what is your favorite technique with him/her?

Any interest in a solo challenge?

V/R,
Windfoot

[kenng]

I have been plugging BG1/2 with a variety of solo characters these past 2 weeks, and I must say my favourite still remains the kensai9 dualclassed to mage combination, even after all these years.

You reactivate the kensai portion so quickly, the inconvenience is barely felt.

Technique, not much, For most fights in BG2, the kensai portion more than suffices. For the rest, support with mage spells as appropriate (be it buffs vs tougher fights, or damage spells/wand spam vs more deadly foes like beholders). Nothing beats the thrill of going trigger: tenser's transformation+prot from magical weapons+improved haste before going beatdown on a dragon (took it down in 1 round???).

[Sparky The Barbarian]

I always liked a Berserk. Tough enough to take damage from the traps he can't disarm. Strong enough to bash open most of the locks he can't pick. Immune to damn near all the worst forms of magic while Berserk. A real tanks tank.

Only problem, strategy goes out the window.

Alternative: F/M/T. Difficult at first, but it gets easier as you go.

For a real challenge: Blade. (Bard Kit) Stock up on Charm spells.

[Windfoot]

How about a Berserker dual? I see alot of people talk about a Kensai dual and I agree with kenng that a kensai/mage dual is very powerful. But why is a berserker dual not as popular...especially for a soloist?

[kenng]

 For me, I like how many of a kensai's traditional shortcomings are rendered moot or made a non-issue by its mage counterpart.
No armour: mages don't wear armour anyways.No helmet: Can still use ioun stones, some of which are comparable to the better helms in the game. No bracers: robe of vecna + kensai AC bonus gives the same net AC as bracers of AC3, saving you that few thousand gold early on. Not to mention the AC bonus also stacks with armour effects like potions of invulnerability or spirit armour. No ranged weapon: mages suck at them anyways. I lack Elmonster's patience to kite foes for hours on end.No shield: I dual-wield, so I didn't on using shields anyways. 

I dunno, they just complement each other so elegantly. 

I value a constant +3 attack/damage over berserk, and when you are familiar enough with the game, you should be able to properly use spells/items to counter whatever gets thrown your way. 

Forgive me if I sound like some gushing fanboy. I recently just finished a solo with kensai/mage and was simply stunned by its sheer effectiveness, especially when I am not really that 'pro' with the game. Only improved balthazar game me some problems with his seemingly unsaveable stuns and endless heals. 

[Dante2377]

Sparky The Barbarian wrote...

I always liked a Berserk. Tough enough to take damage from the traps he can't disarm. Strong enough to bash open most of the locks he can't pick. Immune to damn near all the worst forms of magic while Berserk. A real tanks tank.

Only problem, strategy goes out the window.

Alternative: F/M/T. Difficult at first, but it gets easier as you go.

For a real challenge: Blade. (Bard Kit) Stock up on Charm spells.

Acutally, I found the single-class Berserker solo to be MORE strategic that typical since without Mage spells you've got to find creative ways of dealing with magic and with hordes of enemies.  Just running up to enemies and bashing them <derf derf> doesn't work for very long.  The special abilities of weapons that you'd normally toss out started to play key roles (like the Silence 15' radius from that long sword, Namarra I think).

As to the question of Kensai-> Mage, obviously powerful and eliminates the negatives (like you mentioned no armor and no shield dont matter since a Mage cant use them anyway), but I like my dual-class to add positives.  I've always found a Berserker -> Mage more useful when you need it - e.g. the most difficult fights, since the Berserker rages give you strong immunites so you can use your spells slots more offensively, while still being protected against just about anything, whereas the Kensai just gives a few + to damage and a few Kais.  The extra defense against every negative effect always seemed to make more of a difference for me in the harder fights.

[kenng]

I am more of a "in your face" type of player, so I have little patience for classes with less combat capabilities like rogues or clerics that require more finesse to play. It seems that my favourite solo choices are either fighter-types, arcane casters (wiz/sorcs) or some combination of the two.

Soloed a barb once as well, but was frustrated by his rather low AC.

[AnonymousHero]

kenng wrote...
No bracers: robe of vecna + kensai AC bonus gives the same net AC as bracers of AC3, saving you that few thousand gold early on.

Why would AC bracers be your choice of bracers/gloves? I realize they come along quite late, but the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization grant +1/2 attack per round. With Imp. Haste that's 1 extra attack per round which is huge in terms of added damage. (Before that you can use the gauntlets that have +1 THAC0. Not a huge dual, but it reduces the margin to the Kensai's THAC0.)

EDIT: Just to stay on topic: I always play solo and I prefer some type of Arcane ability. (That includes Blades, but not the other bard types.). Non-arcanes: Pure Dwarf Berserker can be quite fun since it forces you to think a lot more about item use. Bounty Hunter can also be great fun, though it is very different from every other type of character.

Modifié par AnonymousHero, 14 juin 2011 - 02:14 .

[Enuhal]

Totemic Druid is by far my favorite solo character. I just like to play summoners.

The tactics are usually rather simple - in the early game, spirit animals and fire elementals are pretty much undefeatable. When you get HLA's, you can add a Deva and Elemental Prince to the mix. In ToB, you will need other spells like Nature's Beauty or Energy Blades to defeat physically strong opponents, and your lack of direct damage will become a problem against Draconis and Amelyssan. You have access to a lot of Harm and Heal spells, though, and those can help you out quite a lot. Spellcasters, however, are never a problem - you can outsummon even the most powerful ones on any difficulty level.

[Incantatar]

Mine is Conjurer, especially with Spell Revisions.
I like pure classes which have to think a lot and have a great arsenal of strategies. In PnP i'd probably pick a Diviner but unfortunately divination is not great in a cRPG.
With Spell Revisions it's just so cool to use immunities of your summons to your advantage. Cast Ice Storm on your undead, Incendiary Cloud on your Efreeties and Fire Elementals etc.

[kenng]

AnonymousHero wrote...

kenng wrote...
No bracers: robe of vecna + kensai AC bonus gives the same net AC as bracers of AC3, saving you that few thousand gold early on.

Why would AC bracers be your choice of bracers/gloves? I realize they come along quite late, but the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization grant +1/2 attack per round. With Imp. Haste that's 1 extra attack per round which is huge in terms of added damage. (Before that you can use the gauntlets that have +1 THAC0. Not a huge dual, but it reduces the margin to the Kensai's THAC0.)

Then what would you rely on for AC early on? Fullplate disables casting. Or do you just eschew AC in favour of protective buffs? Potions of defense/invulnerability, while superior, come in limited supply and will eventually run out, so I try to save them for tougher fights. Same for armour spells, I don't have the resources to cast them every battle, and I try not to rest ever so often.

While AC may become irrelevant later on, it still counts for a fair bit in the early part of the game, where you are mostly facing hordes of weaker foes. 

[AnonymousHero]

kenng wrote...
Then what would you rely on for AC early on? [...] Same for armour spells, I don't have the resources to cast them every battle, and I try not to rest ever so often.

Spells. Spirit Armor and Ghost Armor last a very long time (several battles). If you don't want to rest very often you can always memorize a few of those.

If you don't like resting, then I can certainly see the appeal of decent AC, but I was assuming that anyone using a "power combo" like B->M or K->M would be using spells/equipment to maximize the character's oomph anyway.

Besides, if you're not using armor spells/potions, how are you protecting your Kensai?

EDIT: quote fail

Modifié par AnonymousHero, 15 juin 2011 - 04:16 .

[kenng]

An AC -6 of (robe5-2kensai-4dex-2ring of prot-2ring of gaxx-1cloak of sewers) typically suffices. If I want to improve that, I can choose amongst blur, ghost armour, improved invis or potions, just that I can't afford to do them all at the same time unless I am prepping for some major fight (like planar prison or guarded compound).

You are right about using spells to maximize my oomph, but I find I can rarely afford the resources to do this consistently per fight without running dry. Not to mention I still need my slots for misc spells like knock, mirror image, skull trap, stoneskin, true-sight, improved haste and tenser. So I can only afford 1-2 castings of each, forcing me to have to ration them.

Maybe I have not been choosing my fights wisely, but I find they tend to run out quite quickly...???

[Shadow_Leech07]

kenng wrote...

An AC -6 of (robe5-2kensai-4dex-2ring of prot-2ring of gaxx-1cloak of sewers) typically suffices. If I want to improve that, I can choose amongst blur, ghost armour, improved invis or potions, just that I can't afford to do them all at the same time unless I am prepping for some major fight (like planar prison or guarded compound).

You are right about using spells to maximize my oomph, but I find I can rarely afford the resources to do this consistently per fight without running dry. Not to mention I still need my slots for misc spells like knock, mirror image, skull trap, stoneskin, true-sight, improved haste and tenser. So I can only afford 1-2 castings of each, forcing me to have to ration them.

Maybe I have not been choosing my fights wisely, but I find they tend to run out quite quickly...???

Do you have the bhaalspawn ability "Draw upon Holy might"? If you do then you can use that to bash chests open so you can save slots for mirror image. Ibratha also has a mirror image so keep that in mind, it can be acquired fairly early, the amulet in the opening dungeon gives a extra second level spell so that's another mirror image. I'd also collect rings of air control which confer improved invisibility, I'm going to do that with my kensai. Buy several of them so that mages will have a difficult time dealing with you unless they have true sight. I think cloak of nondetection counters this, or perhaps spell immunity, I really don't remember. Once you get to level six spells you'll have protection from magical weapons to work with...etc it's going to be very difficult for anything to touch a kensai mage later on. Unless you're playing some modded game I don't see the point to getting items which lower AC. But don't get me wrong, Shield, ghost armor, and all those spells are great, and one might as well use them if one has the opportunity to. I would spend money on weapons, scrolls and potions...etc.

[kenng]

I only have 2 uses (sometimes 1), and it is not always enough. I don't get a bag of holding until after spellhold, so I don't have a lot of spare room to hold eq, thus I always sell excess gear ASAP (basically everything which is not my core gear). Your suggestions are valid though, maybe I should relook my priorities and the order in which I attempt the game.

But kensai-mage aside, I have also tried an archer. Not too shabby, but gets tedious fast, and ultimately, you still die to mages very horribly.

Inquisitor is pretty good as well, dispel magic works wonders against mages.

[Shadow_Leech07]

kenng wrote...

I only have 2 uses (sometimes 1), and it is not always enough. I don't get a bag of holding until after spellhold, so I don't have a lot of spare room to hold eq, thus I always sell excess gear ASAP (basically everything which is not my core gear). Your suggestions are valid though, maybe I should relook my priorities and the order in which I attempt the game.

But kensai-mage aside, I have also tried an archer. Not too shabby, but gets tedious fast, and ultimately, you still die to mages very horribly.

Inquisitor is pretty good as well, dispel magic works wonders against mages.

If you didn't know already you can store items in empty containers. I usually put my items in Cernd's former home and the Copper Coronet, I usually just put them on the first table I see as they will not disappear in the game once in a container. You can also use your stronghold but I never use the stronghold there is just too many accidents that can happen. But this is just a suggestion, you might play a certain way for role playing purposes, but this is how I play when soloing.

[kenng]

I have actually been trying to come up with a sequence that minimises movement time while soloing (eg: completing as many quests/fights in a single area as possible in the same sitting to cut down on time spent zig-zagging back and forth), so anything I stash in containers, I don't really intend to take back unless necessary (such as stuff meant for forging later).

So I rarely ever hang onto items simply for their 1/day uses. The way I play is not so much for roleplay purposes, but one of simple convenience (ie: whatever results in less work/effort on my part), even if it may not necessarily be optimal gameplay.

That said, any more tips/personal quirks you all have when playing the aforementioned fighter kit/mage dualclass? I wasn't very satisfied with my earlier kensai/mage game and might be replaying as a berserker/mage. From what I see, I am essentially sacrificing some combat prowess vs regular mooks (whom I normally should have no problems taking care of anyways) for added defense against more deadly enemies (which normally give me migraines).

We will see how well berserk vs mindflayers works as a replacement for the combat bonuses.

[DimMak]

Thief9/Mage dual-class. Open locks, find/remove traps, detect illusion, x4 backstab, better weapon proficiencies and hit points than a single class mage.

[Windfoot]

I never answered with my own opinion so I thought and add my 2cp.

I've been trying alot of different solo chars to see how they play.  I'm weak in using magic so I have been focusing on arcane casters and varients (B->M, T/M, T->M, Blade {I've done a Kensai->M in the past})

For me a Blade wins hands down...it fits my play style better.

Fighter-mage variants.  I like the huge number of hit points and the ability to use helms, shields, etc.
but, if it's a dualed fighter, he/she will lack the THAC0 really needed to hit mobs later in the game.  And, a F/M lacks the high level for casting.  At the 8M exp cap, the mage will only be casting at level 20 vs a Blade casting at level 40.  For things like dispell that difference is huge.

Thief-mage variants. The ability to BS, stealth detect/disarm traps, pickpockets, lay traps are very nice. and can get you more exp to boot.  Similair to the F->M dual, the thief->M dual lacks the power of high level BS (unless switching late) and trying a bounty hunter switch has to dual too late if he/she wants to get the best trap prior to HLAs.   The T/M can get high enough in thieving skills but then the mage is left at level 20 at max exp.

Pure mages.  Awesome spell ability (obviously).  But once those protections are gone very, very weak physically...hope you picked a good contingency.

Blades.  In some ways I think Blades are overpowered.  Offensive spin(OS) is like a berserk (+2 hit/damage, no immunities though), haste (+1 attack and faster movement) and Kai (all attacks do max damage) all rolled into one...and it lasts 24 seconds.  Hell, a Kai only lasts 10 seconds for a Kensai!  For me, like their names, Blades are focued on their blades.  They can do some great damage with spells but their blades are where it's at.  One point on casting, because of the fast leveling of thieved/bards they reach the damage cap of their spells fast and can do more damage per spell than their mages counterpart at the same exp point.  Though it does suck having so few spells on each level before needing to rest.

One favorite technique for a group with a single caster is to buff up, run in with haste, OS the caster then drop a DS when surrounded and cast sunfire.  The defensive spells last long enoughfor you to kill the caster then sunfires can quickly kill the melee (or really hurt them bad).  And another favorite (assuming you don't abuse it) is to use Vhailor's helm to create a copy of yourself...double the fun!

[Sparky The Barbarian]

Dante2377 wrote...


Acutally, I found the single-class Berserker solo to be MORE strategic that typical since without Mage spells you've got to find creative ways of dealing with magic and with hordes of enemies.  Just running up to enemies and bashing them <derf derf> doesn't work for very long. 

That's true in the early going. Try not to get overwhelmed, stock up on potions, make sure you can run away. After the midpoint of the game I find that noting really stands up to the Berserk. Even when playing one with a full party I find myself rushing in withe the Berserk while the rest of the party stays out of the way.

[C Barchuk]

I definitely like the more finesse oriented classes. So my pick would have to be the assassin. Definitely not a toe to toe class and it begins the game a bit slow but the style and feel is very cool from a roleplaying perspective. I've soloed the game with one and it was an awesome experience. Potions of Master Thievery help with the limited thieving skills in the beginning but after a while you end up with enough points anyways so the disadvantage is not a big deal. Backstab, arrows, poison, and traps are all you need. But obviously the class requires alot of patience as well as hit and run tactics which I like. Not the most powerful class but very effective at what it does.