Does it get better? (Spoilers)

[xraygord]

... or at least more challenging?

I have the game set on D&D Hardcore.

I just rescued Shandra from Zaerrie (SP).

So far to this point I just walk into an enemy mob, tell my PCs to attack, slaughter my enemies, rest, do it again in the next room. There has been no exception to this, except for the Hezrou which I had to do twice. Kinda boring so far.

Is this the way the whole game goes, or are there some challenging encounters? With all the magic equipment your able to find (more than a dragons hoard) I can't imagine that there would be too many challenges along the way.

[Claudius]

Its not a very tactics oriented game. Just buff and bash pretty much. Its the same on lower difficulty except it goes faster because theres no friendly fire so you can nuke everyone. There is some fights you might have to reload later. I don't want to spoil your game.

At the same time when I first started NWN2 I didn't know what to do and I thought the game was too hard!

[xraygord]

This game is just too easy, think i'll put it on ebay right away. Very dissapointed.

[Claudius]

Yeah the only hard battles I could think of were (spoiler in black): the Dragon which was easy as long as you had IGMS casters and the three soul reaver battle because sometimes the ones who could read the soul reaver's true names would get killed leaving you faced off against invulnerable oponents (with the rod of resurrection = ace in sleave)....

My character in particular rarely even took damage and he was a tank because of all the magic items gave a high AC and he was regenerating 5 HP a round...plus SR against spells.

Try resting only when it is realistic...that will be a challenge.

[Scottg]

..rest, do it again in the next room.

There in lies the problem with this game and pretty much all the D&D games, a problem which has been *altered* to some extent in the expansion game MOTB.

-really, full access to a range of spells and a large number of spells makes for a very easy time of it in the game FOR MOST BATTLES. There are of course a few exceptions, but then you really wouldn't expect end-game battle after end-game battle. In other words many of these minor battles are natural plot devices more than something that is really a threat to your party - that at least is VERY D&D'ish.

..and yes, there are several battles that are *very* difficult even with a full load of spells and healing potions. Again though, its just that they represent less than 1% of the game. Worse still, many of them are *canned* so that you can't use a rogue as a rogue to sneak up on them and make a surprise first attack (or set traps).

Note also:

You *could* stick to a normal self-imposed sleep pattern.

You *could* also utilize fewer characters.


Bottom-line:

If you crave constant action then look to a FPS game that *continuously* (and unrealistically) scales action to your character level.

The most "immersive" and "tense" games I've ever played are the original Thief games (I & II), and they aren't really FPS games.

[xraygord]

I'm not into action games too much. I like the slow paced RPG games. D&D based preferably. ToEE is the best game in IMO. Battles were not easy at all, some encounters were just impossible until you leveled up a bit. Not like NWN, just walk in and kill, it doesn't matter if most of your party dies as long as one survives. They will come back to life in a coupla secs anyway.

[Scottg]

I'm not into action games too much. I like the slow paced RPG games. D&D based preferably. ToEE is the best game in IMO. Battles were not easy at all, some encounters were just impossible until you leveled up a bit. Not like NWN, just walk in and kill, it doesn't matter if most of your party dies as long as one survives. They will come back to life in a coupla secs anyway.

Thougth it tends to get a bad rep. I too liked ToEE.

I particularly liked the turn-based approach, which just fits better with role-playing generally.

However, I thought that ToEE was (with the exception of a few battles), very easy. Go figure. I would agree though that some parts were near impossible without leveling, BUT that has more to do with the very low character/party level "module" nature of ToEE than anything. If you want that kind of feel again for NWN's 2 then:

-pick a 2 (or better yet) a 3 level penalty race AND take no more than one additional party member on any particular quest. THAT will be difficult, even if you use Kelgar almost exclusively and provide him with healing potions.

BTW, have you played the original Thief series?

[Claudius]

I read the next expansion if your companion goes down you have to cast raise dead to get them back or have them raised in town. Like IWDs BGs etc.

[XantharTheFlame]

I read the next expansion if your companion goes down you have to cast raise dead to get them back or have them raised in town. Like IWDs BGs etc.

No, that's not true. As with the OC, after a battle ends all your downed companions will still come back to life (even the main PC, as long as at least 1 party member is left standing, unlike BG).

However, in MoTB, Raise Dead and Resurrection are much more readily available and definitely come in handy, because I find many of the fights very hard even at normal difficulty. I tend to play spell casters, and only Okku is a tough fighter -- all the other NPC's are either no good in direct combat (One of Many is either a Rogue or Warlock for most of the game, but can be converted to Barbarian if you gain enough influence with it), or else they are heavily on the spell side as well. Even Kaelyn as a Cleric is not very strong in combat.

I encourage you to give MoTB a chance.

XantharTheFlame

[Claudius]

no I am talking about storm of zehir (after MoTB). It is not released yet...I am just passing on what someone said on a forum of course I haven't heard a developer say that...but its a pretty down to earth forum and the poster wasn't a nut ball or anything.