Looking for a new experience

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:17 pm

I'm getting pretty bored with the same thing over and over.

Click Single Player, Click New Game, sit there for 30 minutes deciding what to play, etc.

I'm looking for opinions on how to get some new excitement out of this game. I've currently got the Dungeon-be-Gone and BG2 Fixpack mods installed, but I'm open to any suggestions.

I want a new game-play experience, but I'd just like to note that I don't enjoy playing mages. I'd also like to note that a romance is a definite must, otherwise I'd just get bored. =/

Thanks for any input! =)

~Ber

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:13 pm

Before reading, note that these mods are for powergamers such as myself. I grew tired of the characters and the story a long time ago (They're genius, but you get bored of anything after a while.)

They will however definitely spice up your game if you want to take it to the next level. But note that you should stock up on inquisitors and sorceress' for it. They're not for the guy who wants to solo with his swashbuckler.

Ascension is a must for every BG fan. It makes the five more believable as the most powerful bhaalspawn around. The best part of the mod is that it does not make a joke out of them and it's still possible to beat the fights without prebuffs and reloads.

The Illasera and Abazigal battles are way better and very fun now, while Yaga-shura is still a pushover and Sendai is unchanged. Demogorgon is worthy of the title Prince of Demons now as well, but the fight itself is extremely boring.

The best part of Ascension is the changeover of the last battle, however. From being one of the most disappointing last battles to being the most epic. It's long, it's tactical and it's difficult, and when you finally win you get that "HELL ****ING YES"-feeling that was leftout in the vanilla game.

Yeah, I'd say that Ascension is the most balanced and fun mods for people looking for "something new." Be prepared though, you do not want to run into Illasera with a single fresh character. x]

Tactics is something of a put-together mod with mods ranging from being excellent (Improved Irenicus, Improved Bodhi, Kuriosan, Red Badge) to disasterous (Improved Dragons) and some joke battles (Improved Illyich, Improved Mind Flayers).

Compared to Ascension it is similar in difficulty but really, really chaotic. First you run into some fun and well-balanced fights, then you run into something that just wrecks the entire game due to it being so ridiculous in one way or another. Still, it's worth playing at least once to find out what mods are worth keeping.

Solaufein Mod is another classic. It contains one overpowered character (Fig/Mag with high magical resistance and a personal off-hand blade that gives ridiculously many bonuses) and four really fun and challenging battles. Most notorious is the Eclipse Encounter which is is imho the best, most fun and most challenging after the Ascension final battle.

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:29 pm

Can I install any of those mods after installing G3 Tweaks?

Not sure if they are WeidU mods, because the Tweaks gave me a warning to wait until otuer WeidU mods were installed.

I messed up the installation of Acsension somehow last time I tried, but I guess I'll try to go through it cautiously this time around (assuming that there aren't any complications w/ Tweaks).

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:38 pm

They're all WeiDU mods. You can pick up Valen and Item Upgrade if you'd like as well. Playing all five mods combined will change your game so much you won't recognize it. So much overpowerdness that it makes your eyes hurt. ^^

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:40 pm

So do I have to un-install Tweaks, install those WeiDU mods, and then re-install tweaks, or can I just install them right now?

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:46 pm

I have absolutely no idea. Never played with the tweaks. I just install everything as I see fit and it has always worked out for me so far. If they warned you about WeiDU mods it might be a good idea to uninstall them though.

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:50 pm

:X

I'll probably have to do that then, though it sucks. I just spent the last 20 minutes answering whether I would like to install certain tweaks.

Ah well. Acsension is worth it, from what I've read.

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:13 pm

It is. The developer is David Gaider, one of the game's original developer. Some fights are not made more difficult, but rather restored to what they had in mind pre-release. Then they had to cut the difficulty, which was probably a good thing.

Although Ascenion makes the fights more of what they should be, completing ToB for the first time on this level would be incredibly hard.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:14 pm

If you like romances there are some pretty good NPC mods out there, [url="http://modlist.pocketplane.net/index.php?ax=list&cat_id=12"]this[/url] page should help get you started.

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:26 pm

I've beaten the few games now so a change of difficulty would be a welcome addition to my gameplay experience. I've always thought that the final battle was more tedious than epic or hard, so that's probably the fight I'm most looking forward to.

I heard that they nerfed Demogorgon big-time for release, and he was pretty weak, so fighting him in his full form should be more interesting too. I mean, honestly, the three battles that ensue from inserting the keys are tougher than the guy they're concealing.

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:05 pm

I hate double posting, but I want to ask this:

Does anyone have any suggestions for classes to play? I've played way too many Single-Classed thieves.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:12 pm

Berethor wrote:I hate double posting, but I want to ask this:

Does anyone have any suggestions for classes to play? I've played way too many Single-Classed thieves.

Bard. It has actually become my favourite class because it is so versatile, it's not overpowered, and if you haven't done it, the stronghold quests are fun too.

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:43 pm

Berethor wrote:I heard that they nerfed Demogorgon big-time for release, and he was pretty weak, so fighting him in his full form should be more interesting too. I mean, honestly, the three battles that ensue from inserting the keys are tougher than the guy they're concealing.

Yeah well, that's no longer the case. New Demogorgon is up there with all the modded fights, such as Ascension final battle or the Eclipse party. This time around it's a good thing he's optional.

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:48 pm

Berethor wrote:I hate double posting, but I want to ask this:

Does anyone have any suggestions for classes to play? I've played way too many Single-Classed thieves.

Sorceress. If you don't like mages you should learn how to play and utilize them. Learning the ins and outs of spell defenses makes modded fights a lot harder. Without proper dispelling and protection battles like Eclipse becomes impossible.

thebannedone · Post by **thebannedone** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:07 pm

If you like epic battles, try my Improved Irenicus mod, it also includes a tougher Demogorgon and a new battle with Cyric at the end of ToB.

Now the tactics Irenicus is a quite fun battle also, but if you want it to feel more like you actually fighting Irenicus himself and not a bunch of random weirdos so to speak i recommend trying mine out, i wouldnt say its any easier than the tactics one though.

My version of Demogorgon is quite similar to the tactics one, but slightly more difficult perhaps, so again if you like a challenge give it a try.

It will also fix broken regenerations for original creatures, most of them are ToB bosses, though Ascension will override Abazigal, so his wont be restored if Ascension is put in.

Now my mod isnt in Weidu format, but its very simple to put in, you can put it it in before any of the other mods you will install. If you want my Improved Irenicus instead of the Tactics one, just dont choose to install the Tactics Irenicus from its installation, same thing with Demogorgon in Ascensions installation. Just unzip/uncompress the files in the epics.zip to your Override folder which is in your Baldurs Gate II folder and thats it.

I'd really love it if you or someone else would try out my Irenicus out, cause it would be fun to get some feedback(negative too), since i'd like to make
more tactical challenges/epic fights but if nobody ever wants to play/try them out it kinda kills the inspiration of doing them.

Well anyways heres the link to the topic where i posted it: http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/baldu ... 03262.html

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:35 pm

I just read that thread and I'd be glad to try out the mod. Keep in mind that I've just started the game so it'll be a while before I get to those fights. Look for some feedback in the future though.

I decided to roll a multi-classed Fighter/Druid. I've got Jaheira, Minsc, and Yoshimo in my party, who will be exchanged for Imoen. I'm on the fence regarding Solaufein and whether I should pick him up to make my party 6 people (I'm grabbing a certain NPC that shows up at the beginning of ToB).

With the new tweak pack I installed, multi-classed fighters can get grand mastery, so I rolled a Fighter/Druid so I could cast spells and dual-wield Scimitars.

Now that I look at that party, Solaufein might be a good idea as I lack magical power with that setup. Might be necessary with an improved Irenicus mod. :X

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:50 am

Berethor wrote:(I'm grabbing a certain NPC that shows up at the beginning of ToB)

***spoiler warning***

Depending on how experienced you are, I'd recommend you think twice about that. For some reason - I've yet to figure out why - Sarevok quite commonly turns against you in the last fight of Ascension. Now, not only do you face all Five (improved ones) and Melissan, but adding an extra enemy and losing a member is quite annoying. The fight is hard enough without betrayal on your side.

thebannedone wrote:I'd really love it if you or someone else would try out my Irenicus out, cause it would be fun to get some feedback(negative too), since i'd like to make
more tactical challenges/epic fights but if nobody ever wants to play/try them out it kinda kills the inspiration of doing them.

I'll gladly try out your mod. I can try the Demogorgon one in the game I'm currently playing since I can't seem to kill the Ascension one anyhow. (My party is kind of weak, freshly created in ToB so no Gaxx or Vecna and with 5m exp each.)

I cba to play through SoA for a single fight though. Do you have any saves nearby Irenicus that I could use?

Crenshinibon · Post by **Crenshinibon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:16 pm

Those fights are really well done, much more difficult than before. I'd recommend that mod to people looking for a challenge. In my experience these fights are harder than in Improved Anvil, so be warned.

Also, I agree with DW's bard suggestion. For me, it is a hands down favorite class.

A lot of people on this forum told me that the drow is overpowered, so it might kill the who difficulty aspect.

Berethor · Post by **Berethor** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:12 pm

I've heard that Solaufein is pretty munchkin-y too, but looking at my party I seem to need more magical power. I hate Nalia's snobby attitude and Aerie's constant whining. I don't mind Jan but I just finished the game with him so I want to try out someone new.

Solau can fill the second mage slot nicely but the cheese factor might make the game too easy (with the exception of the modded fights).

As for the Bard, I have played a Blade for a little while before. It was pretty fun, but only 6th level spells and no decent armor until you get the elven chain in Chapter 7 makes it a bit of a turn-off for me.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:54 pm

Berethor wrote:So do I have to un-install Tweaks, install those WeiDU mods, and then re-install tweaks, or can I just install them right now?

As I recall, G3 Tweaks will uninstall then reinstall itself, if you try adding anything afterwards.

Solau can fill the second mage slot nicely but the cheese factor might make the game too easy (with the exception of the modded fights).

As for the Bard, I have played a Blade for a little while before. It was pretty fun, but only 6th level spells and no decent armor until you get the elven chain in Chapter 7 makes it a bit of a turn-off for me.

It appears that the lack of power you dislike in your second paragraph is what you're looking for in your first. Why not use a bard, to handicap yourself? A weak party, with the difficulty cranked up, and some of the harder mods installed, should make for quite a challenge.