after my troubles at the plane sphere, i am beginning to doubt my abilities.. and not doing the right quests in order. i am at the temple doing the umar hills quest, i have:
mazzy (avoreen)
minsc (lilacor)
yoshimo (flail of ages)
jaheira (scimitar)
aerie (quarterstaff+1)
lvl11 sorc (quarterstaff +4)
i am at the dragon, and yet to have battled him. is this a lost hope, or is it a good idea to fight?
umar hills
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fable
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There is no right "order" to the quests in chapter 2. Don't play the game as a schematic, according to a pre-ordained scheme: accept quests at will, then try 'em out in any order you choose. Some are more challenging, but all are possible with just about any group.
Note that killing either of the dragons available to you in this chapter is not part of any quest. If you want to try 'em, fine, but you don't have to. If you dearly want to beat 'em, do a SEARCH in this forum on the word "dragon" and you'll find more than seventy-five tips on how to do the deeds.
Note that killing either of the dragons available to you in this chapter is not part of any quest. If you want to try 'em, fine, but you don't have to. If you dearly want to beat 'em, do a SEARCH in this forum on the word "dragon" and you'll find more than seventy-five tips on how to do the deeds.
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe.
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Galuf the Dwarf
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Actually, fable...
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Unless you kill him before hand, one dragon becomes a final quest for a certain character class stronghold, though not the Ranger one.
keeB: In case your levels are low (IOW, from about 6 to 9) and you may not have alot of decent equipment for your party, I wouldn't advise facing Thaxissylia(sp? think I got it right) the shadow dragon yet. If your just beginning the game, I wouldn't feel right disclosing many locations of good stuff, mainly if your interesting in some surprises. Are you new to it?
If you've equipped Yoshimo with the FoA, did you dual-class him to fighter? Just curious.
The +4 quarterstaff is a good weapon, especially in the hands of a proficient warrior (though I wouldn't suggest it in most cases). My experiences with Sorcerors are minimal, though I would have to say you might have bought the staff a little early, especially depending upon your party's money, your reputation, and your Sorc's Charisma (too bad Sorc spells are not Cha-based like in 3rd Edition D&D in this game).
Then again, I could be underestimating your game progress and strategy. I have yet to know. *shrugs*
Originally posted by fable
There is no right "order" to the quests in chapter 2. Don't play the game as a schematic, according to a pre-ordained scheme: accept quests at will, then try 'em out in any order you choose. Some are more challenging, but all are possible with just about any group.
Note that killing either of the dragons available to you in this chapter is not part of any quest. If you want to try 'em, fine, but you don't have to. If you dearly want to beat 'em, do a SEARCH in this forum on the word "dragon" and you'll find more than seventy-five tips on how to do the deeds.
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Unless you kill him before hand, one dragon becomes a final quest for a certain character class stronghold, though not the Ranger one.
keeB: In case your levels are low (IOW, from about 6 to 9) and you may not have alot of decent equipment for your party, I wouldn't advise facing Thaxissylia(sp? think I got it right) the shadow dragon yet. If your just beginning the game, I wouldn't feel right disclosing many locations of good stuff, mainly if your interesting in some surprises. Are you new to it?
If you've equipped Yoshimo with the FoA, did you dual-class him to fighter? Just curious.
The +4 quarterstaff is a good weapon, especially in the hands of a proficient warrior (though I wouldn't suggest it in most cases). My experiences with Sorcerors are minimal, though I would have to say you might have bought the staff a little early, especially depending upon your party's money, your reputation, and your Sorc's Charisma (too bad Sorc spells are not Cha-based like in 3rd Edition D&D in this game).
Then again, I could be underestimating your game progress and strategy. I have yet to know. *shrugs*
Dungeon Crawl Inc.: It's the most fun you can have without 3 midgets and a whip! Character stats made by your's truly!
i played bg2 a long ass time ago.. and played it a lot differently than i am now.
when i played before, i hadnt done much. recaptured de'arnise hold, then started playing FPS competitively and got out of the RPG loop.
now im back. and i really havent got much, i have only done 3 quests so far..
are you telling me i dont need to kill the dragon just yet, however?
[EDIT] yes, yoshimo is dual-classed to a fighter.
when i played before, i hadnt done much. recaptured de'arnise hold, then started playing FPS competitively and got out of the RPG loop.
now im back. and i really havent got much, i have only done 3 quests so far..
are you telling me i dont need to kill the dragon just yet, however?
[EDIT] yes, yoshimo is dual-classed to a fighter.
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Galuf the Dwarf
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Originally posted by keeB
i played bg2 a long ass time ago.. and played it a lot differently than i am now.
when i played before, i hadnt done much. recaptured de'arnise hold, then started playing FPS competitively and got out of the RPG loop.
now im back. and i really havent got much, i have only done 3 quests so far..
are you telling me i dont need to kill the dragon just yet, however?
[EDIT] yes, yoshimo is dual-classed to a fighter.
Oh okay. Anyways, I wouldn't suggest fighting him now, especially if you have a certain gem you got where you are. Without the right equipment (which depends upon your party, your character, and your playing style), sufficient levels, and maybe sufficient spells, your characters may get creamed. Unless you feel comfortable with having Aerie and Jaheira (if they can cast the spell) raising characters from the dead afterwards (unless their disintegrated or utterly destroyed, which rarely happens, until later on or with higher difficulty). I wouldn't suggest letting that happen, especially alot, since characters who die and are brought back to life miss out on EXP from kills or done quests or like while their dead.
If you really need help with the Ranger and Paladin strongholds, I can likely provide some help along with others. How far did you get with the game in the past? I'm just curious.
Dungeon Crawl Inc.: It's the most fun you can have without 3 midgets and a whip! Character stats made by your's truly!
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fable
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are you telling me i dont need to kill the dragon just yet, however?
When did you get a quest indicating you *should* kill it? You haven't, and since you're playing a sorc, you never will. If you want to try and kill it, have it, by all means; otherwise, you can ignore him and even return later to do the deed--assuming you want to.
When did you get a quest indicating you *should* kill it? You haven't, and since you're playing a sorc, you never will. If you want to try and kill it, have it, by all means; otherwise, you can ignore him and even return later to do the deed--assuming you want to.
To the Righteous belong the fruits of violent victory. The rest of us will have to settle for warm friends, warm lovers, and a wink from a quietly supportive universe.
It isn't necessary to kill the Shadow Dragon. As long as you have the Wardstone in your inventory and you don't try to talk to him, he will completely ignore you. An 11th Level Sorcerer should think twice about getting into such an unnecessary fight. But if you believe in righteousness and you want to be a hero, then why would you allow such a monster to live? 
Fighting the Shadow Dragon at 11th Level is probably about as hard as fighting a tanar'ri at 8th Level. (Yes, doing the Planar Sphere quest at 8th Level is a very humbling experience. I know, because I tried it myself.) But if you use the right tactics, I give you a 33% chance of success.
Here are a few tips.
The Shadow Dragon's breath weapon can cause level drain. This will cause spellcasters to lose memorized spells, which is very inconvenient. You can prevent being level-drained by using the Priest spell called Negative Plane Protection. I can't remember whether a scroll of Protection from Undead also prevents level drain. Any dragon's breath weapon also does enough damage to kill characters who have a low number of hit points. Some of the dragon's other attacks, such as the wing buffet, are also a lot of fun to deal with. You can avoid some of his attacks by hiding behind the columns on the east side of the room where he can't reach you. (That's known as using the terrain to your advantage.) If you try to use summoned creatures as "cannon fodder", he will probably dispel them with a Death spell if you have Throne of Bhaal installed.
Dragons are spellcasters, and they can buff themselves up. If you're not familiar with spells like Stoneskin and their counterparts like Breach, look them up in your manual. Since you're playing a Sorcerer, you want to know as much as you can about those kinds of spells, anyway.
Dragons, like many other monsters, have magic resistance. The Wizard spell called Lower Resistance and the Priest Spell called Magic Resistance can lower their magic resistance. (I don't think that was the original intention of the Priest spell Magic Resistance, but that's how it works in practice.)
Hitting a dragon really hard when he isn't protected by any protection spells can kill him, but it might take a while. You can expect a tough fight.
By the way, the order in which you do the major quests can make a difference. Some quests are easier than others, and I think it's better to do the easiest ones first. After the Circus Quest (which doesn't yield a huge monetary reward), Nalia's Keep is probably the best one to do first. (If you meet Nalia in the Copper Coronet, she will ask you to defend her family's home against invaders.) When you return to Athkatla, you might want to look into the injustices that are taking place at the Copper Coronet (start your investigation peacefully so that you'll have complete access). Then there's Korgan's quest, if that interests you. Certain cues will lead you to the Graveyard District, and you can get some gold and experience from plundering the tombs there if that's your cup of tea. (There are monsters and treasure there...what else do you need to know?) If you talk to people and pay attention to what's going on, you'll end up on several easy quests. I emphasize that it's a good idea to pay attention to what people in town are talking about. For example, if you hear about a really good play that's being performed, then you really ought to go see it, right? I wouldn't walk inside every house in town (BG2 is a little different from BG1 in that respect), but sometimes there's an advantage in doing so. Usually, when you visit an area you've never been to before, an NPC will walk up to you and give you a cue. NPCs in your party will also give you cues.
A couple of years ago, someone here was complaining that a certain stronghold quest should have come with a "warning label". Even though it's a stronghold quest, it is definitely not the first quest you should undertake. Or perhaps I should say, because it is a stronghold quest, you ought to undertake a few smaller quests first. If you're not prepared for it, you can really get stuck. As an analogy, imagine being trapped inside a locked room and a monster who can only be hit with +3 weapons has the key, and you don't have a +3 weapon. My own reply at the time was that you should consider the stakes: if you need to raise 20,000 gold pieces and someone suggests a quest that could raise that amount, does it not stand to reason that such a lucrative reward might entail a bit of...danger? In my way of thinking, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. Before undertaking such a risky adventure, you ought to embark on smaller, less rewarding quests to prepare yourself for the really big, dangerous ones. But I suppose not everyone is used to thinking that way. In any case, it goes to show that even though, as I said above, you should listen to what people say, you also need to use your own good judgment.
Fighting the Shadow Dragon at 11th Level is probably about as hard as fighting a tanar'ri at 8th Level. (Yes, doing the Planar Sphere quest at 8th Level is a very humbling experience. I know, because I tried it myself.)
But if you use the right tactics, I give you a 33% chance of success. Here are a few tips.
The Shadow Dragon's breath weapon can cause level drain. This will cause spellcasters to lose memorized spells, which is very inconvenient. You can prevent being level-drained by using the Priest spell called Negative Plane Protection. I can't remember whether a scroll of Protection from Undead also prevents level drain. Any dragon's breath weapon also does enough damage to kill characters who have a low number of hit points. Some of the dragon's other attacks, such as the wing buffet, are also a lot of fun to deal with.
You can avoid some of his attacks by hiding behind the columns on the east side of the room where he can't reach you. (That's known as using the terrain to your advantage.) If you try to use summoned creatures as "cannon fodder", he will probably dispel them with a Death spell if you have Throne of Bhaal installed.Dragons are spellcasters, and they can buff themselves up. If you're not familiar with spells like Stoneskin and their counterparts like Breach, look them up in your manual. Since you're playing a Sorcerer, you want to know as much as you can about those kinds of spells, anyway.
Dragons, like many other monsters, have magic resistance. The Wizard spell called Lower Resistance and the Priest Spell called Magic Resistance can lower their magic resistance. (I don't think that was the original intention of the Priest spell Magic Resistance, but that's how it works in practice.)
Hitting a dragon really hard when he isn't protected by any protection spells can kill him, but it might take a while. You can expect a tough fight.
By the way, the order in which you do the major quests can make a difference. Some quests are easier than others, and I think it's better to do the easiest ones first. After the Circus Quest (which doesn't yield a huge monetary reward), Nalia's Keep is probably the best one to do first. (If you meet Nalia in the Copper Coronet, she will ask you to defend her family's home against invaders.) When you return to Athkatla, you might want to look into the injustices that are taking place at the Copper Coronet (start your investigation peacefully so that you'll have complete access). Then there's Korgan's quest, if that interests you. Certain cues will lead you to the Graveyard District, and you can get some gold and experience from plundering the tombs there if that's your cup of tea. (There are monsters and treasure there...what else do you need to know?)
If you talk to people and pay attention to what's going on, you'll end up on several easy quests. I emphasize that it's a good idea to pay attention to what people in town are talking about. For example, if you hear about a really good play that's being performed, then you really ought to go see it, right? I wouldn't walk inside every house in town (BG2 is a little different from BG1 in that respect), but sometimes there's an advantage in doing so. Usually, when you visit an area you've never been to before, an NPC will walk up to you and give you a cue. NPCs in your party will also give you cues.A couple of years ago, someone here was complaining that a certain stronghold quest should have come with a "warning label". Even though it's a stronghold quest, it is definitely not the first quest you should undertake. Or perhaps I should say, because it is a stronghold quest, you ought to undertake a few smaller quests first. If you're not prepared for it, you can really get stuck. As an analogy, imagine being trapped inside a locked room and a monster who can only be hit with +3 weapons has the key, and you don't have a +3 weapon. My own reply at the time was that you should consider the stakes: if you need to raise 20,000 gold pieces and someone suggests a quest that could raise that amount, does it not stand to reason that such a lucrative reward might entail a bit of...danger? In my way of thinking, the higher the reward, the higher the risk. Before undertaking such a risky adventure, you ought to embark on smaller, less rewarding quests to prepare yourself for the really big, dangerous ones. But I suppose not everyone is used to thinking that way.
In any case, it goes to show that even though, as I said above, you should listen to what people say, you also need to use your own good judgment. Welp my good sir, i must say thank you very much for your long reply.
MY status is as follows. I dropped Yoshimo and Broughty Korgy on board. Jaheira got cursed and i fixed that, Nalia got arrested and i fixed that. (I really want to kill that bastard.. he treats me like im dirt.. i want him to fall and eat the dirt.. but thats aside the point)
I do seem to be doing a lot of sidequests.. and really havent undertaken any part of the main quest. I am about to go take bodhi down.. well i am thinking of it anyway.
I have a question, however. Will Aerie being Minsc's witch hinder my PC and her progression to romancing?
MY status is as follows. I dropped Yoshimo and Broughty Korgy on board. Jaheira got cursed and i fixed that, Nalia got arrested and i fixed that. (I really want to kill that bastard.. he treats me like im dirt.. i want him to fall and eat the dirt.. but thats aside the point)
I do seem to be doing a lot of sidequests.. and really havent undertaken any part of the main quest. I am about to go take bodhi down.. well i am thinking of it anyway.
I have a question, however. Will Aerie being Minsc's witch hinder my PC and her progression to romancing?
You are most welcome, "sir". (I'm actually not a "sir" myself.)
Aerie and Minsc do not get romantically involved, so their relationship does not interfere with your romance.
However, if you haven't noticed by now, Korgan and Aerie do not get along, and that could interfere with your romance.
I'm just curious: why did you select the NPCs you have in your party? When you rescue Imoen, are you going to dismiss one of them so Imoen can join your party again?
Also, do you think you need a Thief in your party, or do you think you can get by without one?
I should also point out that there's nothing wrong with siding with Bodhi instead of siding with the Shadow Thieves, if you haven't already made a commitment.
Aerie and Minsc do not get romantically involved, so their relationship does not interfere with your romance.
However, if you haven't noticed by now, Korgan and Aerie do not get along, and that could interfere with your romance.
I'm just curious: why did you select the NPCs you have in your party? When you rescue Imoen, are you going to dismiss one of them so Imoen can join your party again?
Also, do you think you need a Thief in your party, or do you think you can get by without one?
I should also point out that there's nothing wrong with siding with Bodhi instead of siding with the Shadow Thieves, if you haven't already made a commitment.
Sorry about the, Sir.. thing, heh, i just automatically assume like an ignorant fool.
I do think i need a thief in my party, and think Nalia suffices fine. i do also think my party is a little too magic-oriented for my tastes, as i am more of a melee-type and 4/6 of my party has magic, which includes jaheira, who, of course, is a fighter as well.
the thing i really hate about 2ed Rules, or maybe its just BG2, is that my sorc cant become proficient with bows. There seem to be a lot more options available for bows, but BG2 satisfies nothing for my sorcs Ranged Weapon tastes.
I do think i need a thief in my party, and think Nalia suffices fine. i do also think my party is a little too magic-oriented for my tastes, as i am more of a melee-type and 4/6 of my party has magic, which includes jaheira, who, of course, is a fighter as well.
the thing i really hate about 2ed Rules, or maybe its just BG2, is that my sorc cant become proficient with bows. There seem to be a lot more options available for bows, but BG2 satisfies nothing for my sorcs Ranged Weapon tastes.
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Galuf the Dwarf
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Originally posted by keeB
Sorry about the, Sir.. thing, heh, i just automatically assume like an ignorant fool.
I do think i need a thief in my party, and think Nalia suffices fine. i do also think my party is a little too magic-oriented for my tastes, as i am more of a melee-type and 4/6 of my party has magic, which includes jaheira, who, of course, is a fighter as well.
the thing i really hate about 2ed Rules, or maybe its just BG2, is that my sorc cant become proficient with bows. There seem to be a lot more options available for bows, but BG2 satisfies nothing for my sorcs Ranged Weapon tastes.
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Well, if you're proficient in darts, there is a cloak in the end of the Shade Lord dungeon that does make a small load of +5 darts once per day. There are some +2 slings available and a +4 sling (that is kind of hidden) WAY later. Also, one of the bonus merchants, Joluv, has a +5 sling available for a heavy amount of money, from what I hear. Still, unless you have the pre-order edition of SoA, you have to download him and Deidre(who came with either the Collectors Edition or the official SoA patch) to find them. Hope that helps.
Dungeon Crawl Inc.: It's the most fun you can have without 3 midgets and a whip! Character stats made by your's truly!
Sorry, I lost track of your party members. Who is in your party now? I noticed that you rescued Nalia when she was arrested, but I didn't know that she was still in your party. I've never really used her as a thief before, but I have always equipped her with a bow, so that's one good way to put her Thief class to good use.
If you want a good weapon for your Sorcerer, there's a really good staff in the game (the Staff of the Magi). If you want a nice ranged weapon, there's a +3 returning throwing dagger called Firetooth later in the game that you won't want to miss.
I think Jaheira makes a good "tank" if you play her the right way. There are several different items in the game that can boost her Strength (her Dexterity is already decent), and there are many powerful scimitars, staves, and spears to choose from. She can wear the heaviest armor in the game (which might perhaps violate the spirit of 2ed rules), and don't forget that she can use Cleric items and cast spells to buff herself up. Take a look at Armor of Faith, Iron Skins, Blade Barrier, and Shield of the Archons. Also take a look at Harm and Nature's Beauty. If you have installed Throne of Bhaal, check out the high level abilities a Fighter/Druid can choose. For example, Energy Blades combined with Critical Strike can do a great deal of damage. Jaheira is a powerful spellcaster, but don't overlook her abilities in melee. She could teach a single-class Fighter a lesson or two.
A lot of people seem to overlook it, but Mazzy and Minsc can also cast spells. The thought of Minsc casting Dispel Magic and Call Lightning is kind of funny, but Doom suits hims, and Armor of Faith is nice. His spellcasting ability doesn't make him any less of a warrior, but he doesn't have to cast spells if you don't want him to.
If you want a good weapon for your Sorcerer, there's a really good staff in the game (the Staff of the Magi). If you want a nice ranged weapon, there's a +3 returning throwing dagger called Firetooth later in the game that you won't want to miss.
I think Jaheira makes a good "tank" if you play her the right way. There are several different items in the game that can boost her Strength (her Dexterity is already decent), and there are many powerful scimitars, staves, and spears to choose from. She can wear the heaviest armor in the game (which might perhaps violate the spirit of 2ed rules), and don't forget that she can use Cleric items and cast spells to buff herself up. Take a look at Armor of Faith, Iron Skins, Blade Barrier, and Shield of the Archons. Also take a look at Harm and Nature's Beauty. If you have installed Throne of Bhaal, check out the high level abilities a Fighter/Druid can choose. For example, Energy Blades combined with Critical Strike can do a great deal of damage. Jaheira is a powerful spellcaster, but don't overlook her abilities in melee. She could teach a single-class Fighter a lesson or two.
A lot of people seem to overlook it, but Mazzy and Minsc can also cast spells. The thought of Minsc casting Dispel Magic and Call Lightning is kind of funny, but Doom suits hims, and Armor of Faith is nice. His spellcasting ability doesn't make him any less of a warrior, but he doesn't have to cast spells if you don't want him to.
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I kind of stopped playing BG2 in the middle because I loved it so much I went out and bought BG.
Anyway when I was going through BG2 I usually did all the quests i could before paying the shadow theives to help me because i thought they would help me fight Irenicus and I would need to be high level. But when I add Imoen back to my party shes low level compared to the rest of my party and Bodhis maze doesnt seem that hard( although i stopped playing before i finished it). So is there any reason I need to be high level before going to Spellhold? or should I do it as soon as i have 20,000 gp ( or 15,000 later) ?
I kind of stopped playing BG2 in the middle because I loved it so much I went out and bought BG.
Anyway when I was going through BG2 I usually did all the quests i could before paying the shadow theives to help me because i thought they would help me fight Irenicus and I would need to be high level. But when I add Imoen back to my party shes low level compared to the rest of my party and Bodhis maze doesnt seem that hard( although i stopped playing before i finished it). So is there any reason I need to be high level before going to Spellhold? or should I do it as soon as i have 20,000 gp ( or 15,000 later) ?
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JackOfClubs
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Originally posted by Idioteque
So is there any reason I need to be high level before going to Spellhold? or should I do it as soon as i have 20,000 gp ( or 15,000 later) ?
I usually do one or two quests, then go to get Imoen as soon as I have enough cash. If you do any of the major quests, you should have enough cash immediately, but I usually like to get a few items fairly early.
SPOILERS
A good choice for a starting quest is Renal Bloodscalp's since he goes away in chapter 3, plus you get a lot of cash from the lockpick training room.
Korgan's is also good to do early (if you care to) since a) it can be hard to get to the first portion of it without fighting Bodhi in ch 6 and b) if you are playing a good party, he won't want to join you if your reputation is too high.
Edwin's Nether Scroll quest should also be done early, for similar reasons, although I usually just skip him altogether.
Resistance to Tyrants is Service to God.