Is soloing a mage impossible in BG1?

ajpc · Post by **ajpc** » Tue Jul 31, 2001 10:59 am

I would like to take a single mage all the way through the saga. It's easy to solo in BG2, quite hard in ToB, but is it totally impossible in BG1?

Thanks.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Tue Jul 31, 2001 11:09 am

I think it would be very very hard - impossible I don't know - it will dependt on how much you want to do in the game, if you only want to follow the direct storyline or you are going to do side-quests also.

But one thing - you will need many wands of moster summoning - and be afraid of arrows.

You might want to start a fighter with 2* in bow and a meele weapon and dual at 2 level to a mage, then it will be a bit easier.

mikeheitz · Post by **mikeheitz** » Tue Jul 31, 2001 12:02 pm

I think the way to go in BG1, if you are trying a solo-mage, would be to avoid as many encounters as possible early on. You can do some of the non-combat quests to gets some levels under your belt before taking on a bunch of baddies. I started to try it, but kept getting wiped out, and never really got very far into it.

Vehemence · Post by **Vehemence** » Wed Aug 01, 2001 12:56 am

It's not impossible. Just difficult.

ki-master2 · Post by **ki-master2** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 11:20 am

Lol soloing a mage will be practicly impossible because you will run out of spells all the time.

Anatres · Post by **Anatres** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 2:39 pm

Try a Sorcerer. The slow spell learning can be absorbed during BG I (you might want to take one NPC along for awhile). Then you'll be much better off by BG II. Just my opinion. (I have soloed a specialist mage through BG I. But I kept Imoen for awhile, switched her for Ajantis for a bit, then Branwin replaced by Yeslick.... but went up against Sarevok all alone - except for a few pets

).

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 5:36 pm

No Sorcerers in BG1... Nor Monks, Barbarians or Kits.

Meerlight · Post by **Meerlight** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 8:17 pm

Here was my strategy to get through the early parts of the game. Use the spell Sleep on everything then kill them with your staff/sling/darts whatever. You should be almost as effective as a fighter at the lower levels at physical combat against sleeping enemies since all classes thacos start at 20. This spell saved my life throughout the whole game because i could cast then run through the group or kill one or two and then run. It will be slow going through the game but it will get faster as you use your summons so get the wand soon. (no summoning limit is cool too) Watch out for archers and use Mirror Image/Blur against them. Get a good AC as soon as possible and don't be discouraged!

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 8:22 pm

Dire Charm and Monster Summoning, very handy in BG. And don't be ashamed to run from some battles. You can always return later on.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Sat Aug 04, 2001 12:14 am

You can also temporarily recruit Garrick in Beregost and have him grab Algernon's cloak for you.

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Sat Aug 04, 2001 5:24 am

Start out with Strength 18. That way, when you get the Tome of Strength, you'll get insane combat bonuses.

Originally posted by Sojourner:
You can also temporarily recruit Garrick in Beregost and have him grab Algernon's cloak for you.

Doesn't that defeat the very purpose of soloing? It's almost like recruiting Minsc and Kivan to get through some hard battles...

ajpc · Post by **ajpc** » Tue Aug 07, 2001 12:33 pm

Well I started soloing with my CG human mage. This is my first time playing BG, so I've been using the gamebanshee walkthrough to pick out the easy sidequests. Right now I need 2k exp to reach 5th level. Once I do that I'll probably attempt the Nashkel mines to progress in the story.

So far my strategy has been Blindness + darts combo, with a Charm Person now and then when there's more than one monster. I've killed Greywolf, Bassilus, mage in the carnival tent, darts master dude, etc. etc., but now I'm running out of easy fights. Next on my agenda is to pay the halfling village a visit and try to kill the ogre mage in the firewine dungeon. Hope he doesn't have any henchmen with him.

I have nearly 16k gp, but don't know where to spend it. Any tips?

BTW, I have the ring of wizardry, thank god for that.

Doomspell's abilities:

STR 8
DEX 18
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 18
CHA 10

A bit powergamish, I know, but I need all the help I can get. I sacrificed STR for roleplaying reasons, and because I don't plan on using the staff anyway, only sling and darts.

[ 08-07-2001: Message edited by: ajpc ]

Xyx · Post by **Xyx** » Thu Aug 09, 2001 1:32 pm

Originally posted by ajpc:
I've killed Greywolf, Bassilus, mage in the carnival tent, darts master dude, etc. etc., but now I'm running out of easy fights.

IMO, those were some of the harder battles in the game (at that point in my career, that is).

Originally posted by ajpc:
I have nearly 16k gp, but don't know where to spend it. Any tips?

Did you try that wizard in High Hedge? If you're Good, you'll probably want that Robe of the Good Archmagi. Thunderhammer's Dagger of Venom is also a good bargain. One of the most damaging weapons in the game, and usable by Mages.

Originally posted by ajpc:
Doomspell's abilities:

STR 8
DEX 18
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 18
CHA 10

A bit powergamish, I know, but I need all the help I can get.

Not at all powergamish, IMHO. Wisdom 18 does not get you anything at all (except for a bit of Lore), and Strength 18 can be upgraded to 19 with one of the Tomes, thus granting you enormous combat bonuses.

ajpc · Post by **ajpc** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 7:59 am

Hello again. I was away on holidays for a few weeks, so I haven't progressed much.

Xyx, those battles were extremely easy because they usually involved only one powerful enemy. I have tons of Blindess spells memorized, so I just cast it until they fail their save, then fill their posteriors with darts from a safe distance. The problem is when several enemies attack me, especially archers.

Anyway, I have managed to kill Mulahey (again, blindness and darts), and Tazok's contact in the Feldepost Inn. I had to use a few Sleep spells in the mines, when facing groups of kobolds, but most of it was pretty manageable. I bypassed a few groups with Invisibility.

I have a question about wands. How do they work in BG1? How many charges do they have? I read that you can buy many wands of summoning... don't know where though. I think I'm going to need them in the battles to come (bandit camp).

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:04 am

ajpc,
I think you can in general buy wands from any magic seller. There is the mage in high hedge, and another in 'Sorcerer's Sundries' in Baldur's Gate. I could be wrong of course, but they *should* both have wands.

I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong

Have fun with your soloing!

Viv

Worldfrog · Post by **Worldfrog** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 9:12 am

There's also a number of wands just lying around waiting to be found. There's the wand of frost near the Nashkel mines, the wand of monster summoning in a crypt in the Cloudpeak mountains, and several others. Also, there's the necklace of missiles available at the Carnival.

Worldfrog

sigurd · Post by **sigurd** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 11:56 am

A dualclassed fighter/mage shouldnt be too hard to solo with since monster summoning is very much too good, the only thing that really spoils the game is in fact how good the spell is.

However, any other class is more or less impossible unless you cheat with exp cap or multiple tomes. Maybe a bard, since he can use scrolls..

A dualled mage with spiders bane would be a good soloist for sure

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Tue Aug 21, 2001 12:48 pm

Originally posted by ajpc:
I have a question about wands. How do they work in BG1? How many charges do they have? I read that you can buy many wands of summoning... don't know where though. I think I'm going to need them in the battles to come (bandit camp).

Wands found in the wilderness/dungeons have varying charges, often less than 10. Most Shopkeepers will put ~20 charges on the wands, with the exception of the proprietor of the Friendly Arm Inn, who puts 50 charges on them. The proprietor of Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur's Gate city has a lot of wands, but due to his location, can only be visited later in the game. If you have the expansion, you can go to the Durlag's Tower map - there is a merchant standing outside the tower who also sells some wands. The really annoying thing about the wands in this game is that you can't tell how many charges they have.

About the Necklace of Missiles sold at the Nashkel Fair: It's sold to you the first time with only one charge on it, so you need to sell and buy it back.

UberJason · Post by **UberJason** » Fri Aug 24, 2001 12:59 pm

sigurd A dualclassed fighter/mage shouldnt be too hard to solo with since monster summoning is very much too good, the only thing that really spoils the game is in fact how good the spell is.
However, any other class is more or less impossible unless you cheat with exp cap or multiple tomes. Maybe a bard, since he can use scrolls..

I've soloed a fighter, thief and I am currently soloing a bard. It's actually not that difficult, with Algernon's cloak... I find it is much quicker than going through the game with a full party.

The hardest battle by far is the one where you have to protect the Council members. To many attackers at once!

UberJason

sigurd · Post by **sigurd** » Sun Aug 26, 2001 12:47 pm

How can you defeat Sarevok with a fighter without summons? He beat any fighter i had one on one, and my fighter had 19 in all the 3 main stats as well as good armour. and then you have Tazok and a pair of mages to worry about as well