Introduction and First Questions

[Johnny Carwash]

Hi everyone, glad to be joining the forum. Apologies in advance if this seems long-winded, but I wanted to keep this all in one place vs. cluttering the forum with multiple posts.

I just recently bought the set of BG1 and BG2 plus the expansions. I’m currently on my first playthrough of BG1 (with tutu installed). So far I’m loving it—it’s hugely addictive and is quickly working its way into my short list of favorite games of all time. I’ve played a number of RPG’s, and I much prefer the tactical depth and having a full party of diverse characters vs. games like NWN and DragonAge, which I felt were more dumbed-down. My all-time favorite game in any genre is Jagged Alliance 2, and if you're familiar with that game, there are a lot of similarities with BG, mechanics-wise.

My party consists of my PC (human ranger), Imoen, Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc and Dynaheir. Since this is the “canon” party I figured I’d keep them for the first go-round, and then experiment with other NPC’s on subsequent playthroughs. My usual plan of attack is to have my PC and Imoen scout up front and then attack with bows, Khalid and Minsc as tanks, Jaheira as a second-line fighter and healer, and Dynaheir in the back casting spells.

So, here are my most pertinent questions so far:

1. At what experience level do you recommend beginning the endgame (the return to Candlekeep, etc)? My party is currently at levels 6-7, and I just finished the fight on the top floor of the Iron Throne stronghold. I got slaughtered repeatedly at first; I finally managed to beat it by “semi-cheating”—luring the enemies down to the floor below, one or two at a time, and then concentrating all attacks on them. I feel like if the rest of the main plotline battles are as difficult as this, I still have some leveling up to do.

2. Along the same lines as question #1, should I do the TotSC quests before or after finishing the main BG1 plot? So far I haven’t touched them, but am not sure when they’re intended to be tackled.

3. I’m planning to import my PC into BG2 when I finish BG1. Does the level of the character I import matter, or is there a fixed starting level in BG2? Not sure if I need to maximize my XP in BG1 before I import.

4. So far I’ve mostly been hoarding money, very rarely purchasing anything expensive in shops, and have nearly 100K gold. My thinking is that in the course of completing quests I’ve come across improved equipment for all of my party, so it might be a waste to buy things you’ll eventually get for free. Are there any items in shops you’d recommend purchasing that don’t have an equivalent to be found in the regular course of the game?

5. I’m still figuring out the best way to utilize my mage. I’ve heard conflicting philosophies—either that they are best used for direct-damage spells, or that their real value comes in casting buffs/debuffs. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Spoilers ahoy.

1. At what experience level do you recommend beginning the endgame (the return to Candlekeep, etc)? My party is currently at levels 6-7, and I just finished the fight on the top floor of the Iron Throne stronghold. I got slaughtered repeatedly at first; I finally managed to beat it by “semi-cheating”—luring the enemies down to the floor below, one or two at a time, and then concentrating all attacks on them. I feel like if the rest of the main plotline battles are as difficult as this, I still have some leveling up to do.

2. Along the same lines as question #1, should I do the TotSC quests before or after finishing the main BG1 plot? So far I haven’t touched them, but am not sure when they’re intended to be tackled.

3. I’m planning to import my PC into BG2 when I finish BG1. Does the level of the character I import matter, or is there a fixed starting level in BG2? Not sure if I need to maximize my XP in BG1 before I import.

4. So far I’ve mostly been hoarding money, very rarely purchasing anything expensive in shops, and have nearly 100K gold. My thinking is that in the course of completing quests I’ve come across improved equipment for all of my party, so it might be a waste to buy things you’ll eventually get for free. Are there any items in shops you’d recommend purchasing that don’t have an equivalent to be found in the regular course of the game?

5. I’m still figuring out the best way to utilize my mage. I’ve heard conflicting philosophies—either that they are best used for direct-damage spells, or that their real value comes in casting buffs/debuffs. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any help.

1. Once you've finished up everything else, pretty much.
2. Once you enter the final area of BG1 you can't leave, so head to Ulgoth's Beard (go to the Beard first, and then to Durlag's Tower) either just before or just after you've done Candlekeep. You'll want to be at high levels for the expansion areas.
3. You'll start at the level your PC is at from your imported save - milk that XP.
4. Gold is for spending and once you move into BG2 you'll lose it all anyway - try the smith in Beregost and the wizard at High Hedge for gear worth having.
5. For BG1 you're better using them for summons and disabling spells like Sleep - pity Dynaheir is an Evoker and so misses out on most of them. Luckily there are wands you can buy and/or loot for that sort of thing.

[RPGguy]

Welcome!

I can't tell you specifically what level you should be when you do what. There's no hard-and-fast on that. It depends on your builds, equipment layouts and skill as a player. Instead, let me recommend that you explore/clear all of the generic wilderness areas, whether expansion or original BG1 material first. This is a great, relatively safe way to grind up XP. Remember, you can expose additional hidden areas by exiting each map from different sides (N/S/E/W).

Instead of trying to semi-cheat your way through battles, retreat. If you find an area too tough, that's a pretty clear indication that you should back-off and find some other things to do for a while.


Much of the ToSC content is pretty tough comparatively. The problem is, once you complete the final battle in the main BG1 story line, you are denied any further access to content. So I would recommend you (1) finish as much of the BG1 material as possible (2) stop before entering the final temple (3) go complete all of the outstanding ToSC material, then (4) return for what's his name.

You will carry all of your stats, XP and 2 select pieces of equipment with you when you import (pantaloons and Helm of Balduran). That's it. Gold accumulated does not carry over.

Gold is for spending. I don't understand why you would save up 100K. You said it yourself that you were getting owned on the upper levels of the Iron throne building. I can't help but think that if you improved your arsenal, you'd fare better. 2 cents

Mage usage in BG1 couldn't be more different than mage usage in BG2. In BG1, the best spells are the 'disablers' (sleep, confuse, fear etc.). Most of the baddies you encounter are bunched and will frequently fail their saves. Of course these types of spells are mostly useless in BG2/ToB, so have fun with them while you can. Regardless of which BG game you are playing, there a few direct damage spells I recommend. In BG1, your spellbook is so limited, I would dedicate it to 'disablers' and buffs/illusions. There are a boatload of wands in BG1/ToSC so get your evocation fix that way

Good luck.

[kmonster]

1)+2) Explore the non-TotSC outside areas first, they are made for rather low level partys. TotSC is unfair so you'll want to start the quests there as late as possible. Definitely finish chapter 6 in Candlekeep first, it's not very hard.

3) unimportant, starting BG2 with less XP has even some benefits.

4) You can buy wands or recharge them by selling and and rebuying to get additional options for hard battles.

5) Just test everything.

[Curry]

You should be able to finish the game easily with six lvl 6-7 characters

[Johnny Carwash]

Thanks everyone for your input, it was very helpful. After a few more hours managed tot beat the main quest. I decided to bypass the TotSC content for this first playthrough, to get a feel for the game as it was in its initial release. I’ll tackle the expansion content in another playthrough. This game, and eventually BG2, are going to have a lot of replay value for me; I’m already itching to start a new game and try new strategies and party combinations.

After a number of attempts at the final battle I finally succeeded in killing Sarevok, though I lost three party members in the process. I might replay the battle again until I get a “clean” ending with everyone surviving.

One thing I learned I did wrong was to excessively hoard potions/wands/magic arrows until the end, thinking there were going to be more large, difficult battles in the late part of the game than there turned out to be. I’ll use them more liberally next time.

I do have one more question: Does the type of armor worn have any affect on abilities/skills (other than not being able to cast spells)? My PC was a ranger, and I did not equip with anything better than studded leather as based on the way I interpreted a few things, it sounded like it might affect my mobility or bow skills. Are there any affects like this, or should I always look to equip the heaviest armor allowed to a character?

[kmonster]

Rangers and multiclass thieves can't use stealth or most other thieving skills when they wear heavier armor than studded leather.
If you don't use those skills you should wear the heaviest armor allowed.

[Curry]

Archers are weak in BG2 so you might want to make your ranger a melee fighter.

[kmonster]

The archer class is very powerful in BG2.
If you prefer stealth and melee change to stalker.
If you prefer ranged change to archer.
If you don't use stealth and don't prefer ranged stay a pure ranger so you can use heavy armor.