Advice on mods
Advice on mods
I am usually strictly anti any modifications, patches or whatever else that was not made by the original game developer. But I've heard some good things about ToB mods, so i would like your advice on which one(s) should i try. Thanks!
If you are not normally interested in custom-made content, ask yourself what it is that you feel you are lacking in the game, if anything. Ie was there a bug or limitation that you wanted to get rid off? Was there a type of a character (kit) that you really wanted to play and it was just unavailable in the game. Did you feel that you wanted an NPC of a specific class/personality/alignment/romance. Or you wanted to see how the started but unfinished story-lines ended. Etc. Once you shortlisted the reason why you want to try mods, then go ahead and look through the major modding sites (Spellhold Studios, Pocket Plane Group and Gibberlings 3) and either ask "what mod will do that?" or pick it on your own. This way you will less likely be dissappointed by downloading a mod that is *someone elses'* BESTEST MOD EVAR! For example, if I went on the recommendations for NPCs from this board, it would have been Valen, Solaufein, Tsujatha, Tashia and Chloe - and each and every one of these NPCs would never-ever end up included into my parties, and some of them if I played them _before_ seriously diving into the modding world would have made me think that mods for BG2 are just not worth it. Not because they are bad mods, they just go against what is interesting to me. Solaufein alone made me wish I've never discovered IE modding back in 2001, but lots and lots of people still adore this mod.
Joinable NPCs for IWD2:
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
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fable
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Baldurdash has David Gaider's excellent series that individually toughen up several ToB opponents (Abazigal, Illasera, etc). These are no mindless "give 'em 1000 hit points" mods, but changes AI, abilities, classes, and spells that improve how they react, and what they can do. Well worth a look.
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.
10x for the intelligent reply's guys 
I looked around a bit but i'm still not quite sure. I don't think the game is lacking, but i'm a curious person by nature, so i would try new npc/quiests/tougher monsters. But i don't need a +5 Celestial Fury or new kits (the ones we have are strong enough, please...) I heard of a mod that lets you recruit Irenicus and/or Bodhi in your party.. Any comments on that? It seems to me that this would be completely overpowered, John being able to cast all sorts of fun spells (2 of which are unique to him alone) and Bodhi being the smexy lvl draining vampiress that she is
I looked around a bit but i'm still not quite sure. I don't think the game is lacking, but i'm a curious person by nature, so i would try new npc/quiests/tougher monsters. But i don't need a +5 Celestial Fury or new kits (the ones we have are strong enough, please...) I heard of a mod that lets you recruit Irenicus and/or Bodhi in your party.. Any comments on that? It seems to me that this would be completely overpowered, John being able to cast all sorts of fun spells (2 of which are unique to him alone) and Bodhi being the smexy lvl draining vampiress that she is 
If you have completed Throne of Bhaal and would like to play the game again, I recommend the Ascension Mod, which was written (mostly) by one of the original developers, David Gaider. Mainly, all it does is change the final encounter, but it also contains the optional components that Fable mentioned, i.e., Tougher Abazigal, , Tougher Gromnir, Tougher Illasera, Tougher Yaga-Shura, and the original version of Demogorgon, which is much tougher than the cut-down version that appears in the final release. Ascension makes the ending much tougher (you need plenty of melee power) and adds extra dialogues and roleplaying choices. I wouldn't play Throne of Bhaal again without it.
Generally speaking, I don't like mods that take over the entire game or completely unbalance it. For example, I don't like item mods, de-nerfing mods, or ridiculously overpowered NPCs. However, I do like to use the Baldurdash FixPack (which fixes lots of bugs) and certain components in the Ease-of-Use Mod such as infinite stacking and bottomless containers. There are also some useful components in the G3 Tweak Pack such as World Map Fixes (which make travel times between areas more logical) and in the G3 Oversight Mod such as Alignment Corrections (most NPCs were created from a template and many were not given the appropriate alignment). The G3 Tweak Pack also has components that, for example, change Viconia's skin color to a darker color and give you the option to make Imoen dress like a Mage instead of a Thief, which are perfectly reasonable customizations.
There are some nice NPC mods that let you recruit interesting new party members and add new dialogues to the game without completely changing the flavor of the game. Kelsey is a bit too much for my taste (it makes me feel like I'm playing a game called Baldur's Gate 2: Kelsey of Amn) but it does set a benchmark for quality. Personally, I like Keto (a modest NPC who seems more like a real person than most NPCs) and Saerileth (who is only suitable for Good parties). You can find a lot of suggestions in these forums. Chloe seems overpowered (her bio makes it sound like she can destroy entire armies singlehandedly without getting a scratch, which ought to tell you something) and some mods which I won't name suffer from, shall we say, a lack of refinement (attempts at philosophy without adequate background knowledge, horrible poetry, bad spelling and grammar, etc.), but most of the NPC mods I've seen are worth looking at.
There are also some nice mods that add extra quests to the game without completely overrunning the original plot. The Gibberlings Three Anniversary Mod is a very humorous quest. If you want more dialogues, you can try the Pocket Plane Banter Packs or the Unfinished Business Mod.
Generally speaking, I don't like mods that take over the entire game or completely unbalance it. For example, I don't like item mods, de-nerfing mods, or ridiculously overpowered NPCs. However, I do like to use the Baldurdash FixPack (which fixes lots of bugs) and certain components in the Ease-of-Use Mod such as infinite stacking and bottomless containers. There are also some useful components in the G3 Tweak Pack such as World Map Fixes (which make travel times between areas more logical) and in the G3 Oversight Mod such as Alignment Corrections (most NPCs were created from a template and many were not given the appropriate alignment). The G3 Tweak Pack also has components that, for example, change Viconia's skin color to a darker color and give you the option to make Imoen dress like a Mage instead of a Thief, which are perfectly reasonable customizations.
There are some nice NPC mods that let you recruit interesting new party members and add new dialogues to the game without completely changing the flavor of the game. Kelsey is a bit too much for my taste (it makes me feel like I'm playing a game called Baldur's Gate 2: Kelsey of Amn)
but it does set a benchmark for quality. Personally, I like Keto (a modest NPC who seems more like a real person than most NPCs) and Saerileth (who is only suitable for Good parties). You can find a lot of suggestions in these forums. Chloe seems overpowered (her bio makes it sound like she can destroy entire armies singlehandedly without getting a scratch, which ought to tell you something) and some mods which I won't name suffer from, shall we say, a lack of refinement (attempts at philosophy without adequate background knowledge, horrible poetry, bad spelling and grammar, etc.), but most of the NPC mods I've seen are worth looking at.There are also some nice mods that add extra quests to the game without completely overrunning the original plot. The Gibberlings Three Anniversary Mod is a very humorous quest. If you want more dialogues, you can try the Pocket Plane Banter Packs or the Unfinished Business Mod.
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fable
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The Ascension mod that VonDondu mentions is required if you run Redemption, the latter being the mod with a playable Jon Irenicus. (You can download both of 'em from here.) From the website:
The mod gives you a chance upon entering the Throne of Blood to talk Irenicus into siding with you, playing on his sense of wounded pride by reminding him that Melissan goaded him into cooperation. After you defeat all possible and impossible enemies (including some appearances by your old foes) and right before you are to make a final choice about your Bhaal essence Jon will speak to you and request that you keep your word and petition the Seldarine for another trial for him. The result is rather unexpected, and very different from what he hoped for...
I haven't played either of these mods, so I can offer no opinion about how they play. But I've heard some good things about both, always allowing for the fact that Ascension is considered probably the most difficult tactical mod ever written for the BG2 series.
Finally, there's a mod called The Longer Road, by the same author, which extends Irenicus' involvement with the party, making him more of a full character than just a momentary player on your side, at the very end.
The mod gives you a chance upon entering the Throne of Blood to talk Irenicus into siding with you, playing on his sense of wounded pride by reminding him that Melissan goaded him into cooperation. After you defeat all possible and impossible enemies (including some appearances by your old foes) and right before you are to make a final choice about your Bhaal essence Jon will speak to you and request that you keep your word and petition the Seldarine for another trial for him. The result is rather unexpected, and very different from what he hoped for...
I haven't played either of these mods, so I can offer no opinion about how they play. But I've heard some good things about both, always allowing for the fact that Ascension is considered probably the most difficult tactical mod ever written for the BG2 series.
Finally, there's a mod called The Longer Road, by the same author, which extends Irenicus' involvement with the party, making him more of a full character than just a momentary player on your side, at the very end.
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.
I'd say that in case of clerics for one things like Divine Remix do a great job of adding kits not for adding power but RP choice.or new kits (the ones we have are strong enough, please...)
Bodhi... Bodhi I think was added by Tortured Souls, anmd it was only available temporarily.I heard of a mod that lets you recruit Irenicus and/or Bodhi in your party.. Any comments on that?
As fir Irenicus in ToB (The Longer Road), there is no if or buts - it's the single most controversial IE ever made (not influential, that would be TUTU
). The author, Dorotea, sets you squarely on the way to re-understand SoA, role-play your ideas on foes, redemption and mercy, while you are going through (let's face it) emotionally empty ToB. She did use a lot of ideas that BioWARE initially intended for SoA. The mod is skillfully made, one of the opening scenes in the Nine Hells is striking. The downsides of the mod are the wordiness - you have to read it all too to make up your mind- and in some cases if you have a very strong opinion on what Irenicus is it can really put your hackles up.
Is Irenicus powerful? Yes, he is. But he is not Chloe-, vampiric Solaufein- or Saerileth- unexplicably powerful, and he'll not lay waste to the Coast all by himself, with the rest of your party just tagging along for the show.
Where mod shines in particular is the variety of outcomes, and the outcomes that have a potential to actually surpise the most savvy player.
Joinable NPCs for IWD2:
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
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fable
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Domi Ash, to give Sator a better sense of matters, what level does Irenicus join your party at, in The Longer Road? After all, you're probably going to drop a mage/sorc to add Irenicus, and it makes sense that you'd want an NPC comparable to your own level of experience.
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.
Yes Ascension sounds nice, i suppose i will just get all the difficulty-increasig mods, move the slider of the in-game difficulty setting all the way up and see what happens I'm currently in a SoA game with a party that has around a month of game days behind it, should i start anew after i install the mods, or can i just go on? Oh, and thanks again for the replies, i must say I'm pleasantly surprised by this forum and the vast knowledge most of the senior members posses
About that Irenicus thing, i started a thread in which i will need all of his stats anyway (although i suppose he is somewhat nerfed in the mod). But a mod that gives you a lvl 30 char at the beginning of ToB would be a bit too much i think...
I'm currently in a SoA game with a party that has around a month of game days behind it, should i start anew after i install the mods, or can i just go on? Oh, and thanks again for the replies, i must say I'm pleasantly surprised by this forum and the vast knowledge most of the senior members posses About that Irenicus thing, i started a thread in which i will need all of his stats anyway (although i suppose he is somewhat nerfed in the mod). But a mod that gives you a lvl 30 char at the beginning of ToB would be a bit too much i think...
I think his "exceptionality" is limited to being level 30 in the begining (or was it 20?) and 20 in INT stat. To be honest, because ToB has XP cap, the party evens out and catches up to him relatively quickly. It's also something very easy to eat from the story prespective. ToB is in a way unique, because even relatively rookie chars end up fighting like Neo in Matrix, with one hand behind their back. Not that I mind, mind you. I hate too tough games (one more check mark against Solaufein).Domi Ash, to give Sator a better sense of matters, what level does Irenicus join your party at, in The Longer Road? After all, you're probably going to drop a mage/sorc to add Irenicus, and it makes sense that you'd want an NPC comparable to your own level of experience.
As for dropping issue, I'd say it is really a biggie if you are playing once and only. If you are playing once and only, I'd say only go with the NPCs you truly adore. If you are playing to try the particular mod out it's really less of a problem. Irenicus is definetly the most interesting choice for mages-sorcerers personality and content wise for ToB.
Also, my recent idea-fix is the idea of the party where the XPs are uneven and PC does not have the most XP. I'm probably going to experiment with it in IWD2 on the next test-run
Anyways, my two cents!
Joinable NPCs for IWD2:
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
Thanks for the great thread Sator, like yourself I too have been hesitant to modify my original game simply because Ive been pretty satisfied with the way it plays out so far, but youve all piqued my curiosity. I only have two questions which might be better suited to threads by their own right but here goes.
1) Are there any of these mods that directly conflict with eachother? In other words if I installed EVERY mod there was available for the game would I end up with a better and extended version or a total mess prone to glitches, bugs and crashes.
2) By what Im reading above it seems possible that you could enter T of B with a party consisting primarily of some pretty hardcore Bhaalspawn ( Irenicus, Sarevok, Bodhi, Me? ) Has anyone ever tried this and if so how did it work out.
1) Are there any of these mods that directly conflict with eachother? In other words if I installed EVERY mod there was available for the game would I end up with a better and extended version or a total mess prone to glitches, bugs and crashes.
2) By what Im reading above it seems possible that you could enter T of B with a party consisting primarily of some pretty hardcore Bhaalspawn ( Irenicus, Sarevok, Bodhi, Me? ) Has anyone ever tried this and if so how did it work out.
The later. You will have better luck if you avoid each and every 'big' quest mods (ie TDD, SoS, etc). You can install as many NPC mods as you want. They are all pretty much done in WeiDU and intercompatible. If you install Cross-mod Banter Pack in addition, some of them will even banter with one another as well as with BioWARE's NPCs.1) Are there any of these mods that directly conflict with eachother? In other words if I installed EVERY mod there was available for the game would I end up with a better and extended version or a total mess prone to glitches, bugs and crashes.
For the second time: there is NO mod out there that adds Bodhi permanently and with any sort of character development!2) By what Im reading above it seems possible that you could enter T of B with a party consisting primarily of some pretty hardcore Bhaalspawn ( Irenicus, Sarevok, Bodhi, Me? ) Has anyone ever tried this and if so how did it work out.
You can have Valen - an over-powered evil vampire; Saerileth - an over-powered 15 yo Chosen of Tyr Paladin from Mount Celestial; Chloe - an overpowered demi-god Kensai if that's your thing
Joinable NPCs for IWD2:
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
[url="http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116"]http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showforum=116[/url]
Why do you say that Saerileth is overpowered? I've played with her through Chapter Six of Shadows of Amn a couple of times, and she didn't seem all that unbalanced to me. Does something special happen in Throne of Bhaal? (If so, just say yes or no, don't spoil it, please.) On the other hand, the guy from Mount Celestia who follows her around must be incredibly hardy--I let him take all of the damage in a particular Saerileth-related quest that I couldn't finish any other way, and my characters would have died twenty times over if they had taken so much damage.Domi_Ash wrote:You can have Valen - an over-powered evil vampire; Saerileth - an over-powered 15 yo Chosen of Tyr Paladin from Mount Celestia...
Wow this thread turned out better than i expected, thanks to all the reply's from you guys! Oh and a Chosen of any god sounds just too much... i mean why doesn't anyone ever try to actually make the experience harder by adding, say, Joe the one-legged carpenter (lvl 3 fighter/lvl 5 Priest of _whichever god neutral good carpenters follow_) and give him a special ability "Summon Wheelbarrow xlvl/day " Why i remember people beating Might and Magic 6, 7 and 8 with the so called peasant parties - lvl 0 chars that have 1 hp 0 mana and 1 to all stats... Now that's fun Hmmmm, i wander if it could be done in BG?
Oh and a Chosen of any god sounds just too much... i mean why doesn't anyone ever try to actually make the experience harder by adding, say, Joe the one-legged carpenter (lvl 3 fighter/lvl 5 Priest of _whichever god neutral good carpenters follow_) and give him a special ability "Summon Wheelbarrow xlvl/day " Why i remember people beating Might and Magic 6, 7 and 8 with the so called peasant parties - lvl 0 chars that have 1 hp 0 mana and 1 to all stats... Now that's fun Hmmmm, i wander if it could be done in BG?