Mod my next run through please

[Jedi_Sauraus]

I'm looking for a yay or nay on the follwing Mod components. I'm looking for balanced extra quests that mesh in well with the rest of SoA.

I'm also looking to increase the difficulty by making monsters have better AI, and better use of abilities. I'm also trying to avoid insanely cheesy fights that can only be won through abusing mages, much prior knowledge, or really cheesy items.

I'm also going to dispense with Vhalor's Helm and Shield of Beholder cheese to make the harder fights more interesting

Ascension:

Main component
Tougher Abazigal
Tougher Demagorgon
Tougher Gromnir
Tougher Illasera
Tougher Yaga Shura

Oversight:

Tougher Sendai
Aligment correction
Altered spells
Improved continuity ?? - not sure about this one what does it actually do
Monk HLA's -for my Monk

Quest pack:

AI improvements
Creature, Area and Boss Improvemet
Miscellaneous enchancements
Additional Shadow Thieves content - not sure here ??
Alternative Xzar/Harper plot
Extended Reyald sequence Fallen Paladins material
Intrigue at the Copper Coronet
Rahul Kanakias' potion quest
Revised Hell trials - not sure ?? Help me decide
Improved Oasis dialog and combat enchancement
Burglary of the bookeeper
Saving Sanik in Brynnlaw
New fate for driad acorns
Tragedy of Besamen
Further Slaver involvement
Sending the Solamic knights home
Nazariel the Lich
Infernal Thievery

NPC kitpack: All components. They change biography only

Unfinished Business

Suna Seni/Valygar
Kidnapping Boo
Kalah and what he was promised
Cat and Mouse in spellhold - not sure
Hilldark and extended Ilithium quest
Pai'na Spider's Bane
Restored Crooked Crane
Restored Encounters
Artemis in Bodhi's lair
Xzar's creations
Item Restorations
Gorf the Squisher fix
Corrected BAM's -whats a BAM, Scripts, Names, Biographies.
Minor Dialog restoration
Bhaal Powers -Covered by Ascension ?? not installed

Tactics:

Anything you guys would recommend ?? I was thinking of:


Streamlined Trolls
The Ritual
Slightly Tougher Demons: Is this Balanced
Improved North Forest
Improved Nymphs
Improved Demon knights
Improved Undead compatable with Quest Packs Improvements ??[B]
Tougher Kangaxx and Guardians masochistic ??

Thanks

[Saros]

In my experience, every mod except maybe Improved Anvil relies on spell abuse in order to win the harder fights and enemies with better AI. For instance, Tactics mod alone can be won not very hard with a solo arcane caster, but it's really a big problem to be won with a fighter or divine caster.

Secondly, it is not really necessary to get rid of Vecna, Vhailor, Mirroring or Balduran. You may just nerf those, although this way the distinction between arcane casters and other classes becomes even more obvious - again, in favour of the arcane casters. Use Sword Coast Strategies Primary Nerfs, if you like. BtW those also nerf the Staff of the Magi, Carsomyr, Crom Faeyr and other overpowered items. You may also use the secondary nerfs to nerf items like Daystar, which are not insanely overpowered, yet they surely are powerful in some situations.

Third, I see people using only Oversight Sendai from the Oversight mod, so I guess that the spell altering changes and other changes this mod grants are not something favourite or well balanced, but I haven't had much experience with the mod.

If you want some real challenge, don't install additional quests from Quest Pack and other mods, which usually give great items and otherwise rewards, just stick to the AI improvements and 'tougher' monster improvements. You may wanna install most of the Sword Coast Strategies, because this mod surely improves a lot enemy AI without adding any new bonus overpowered items to the game, as Tactics do. The Tactics mod is good, yet with all overpowered item it grants - somewhat annoying, so I'd suggest installing only monsters and AI improvements from Tactics. Yet I've tried both Tactics improvements AND SCSII improvements on a solo Insane game, and spent many hours reloading each and every major battle, so I'd say this is only for suicidal or very confident players.

For instance, the Ritual is something very unbalanced, since you'll receive boots which protect from Dispellation magic - something very cheesy for an arcane caster. And this isn't the only reward...

[Silvanerian]

I can only offer a bit of advise/my experiences with a couple of the mods that you want to go with:

The Ritual:
Completely fubar 'quest' - don't do it unless you're willing to either a) abuse a lot or b) be frustrated
Agree with Saros that the rewards are completely overpowered.
A suggestion though is to part 1 of the quest and not keep the rewards/loot. (I think you can get somewhere around 100,000 gps just for selling the loot)

Cat and mouse:
Installed this, but never actually saw anything from it, as it will takes several hours to 'trigger'. My run throughs, I never rest in the Asylum. Cannot comment beyond this.

Enhanced battles:
Most are really tough for a vanilla game player ie no obvious spell abuse, no extra items from various mods.
However, the ToB ones can be a nice challenge for a high level party as the vanilla fights can be a breece to an experienced player.

Would recommend the ToB ones if you like a challenge.

As for the SoA ones, ie Improved Kangaxx and Guardians/ Dwarf illusionist at Docks / Extra 'lich' in docks / Various Tactics additions: I regretted installing them after I played them, as they a) don't mix well with the original feel of the game (being way overpowered) b) dropped too good loot/experience making the rest of the game even easier.

Again, if you want an unbalanced challenge, go ahead, but again, if you want to keep being challenged, don't grab the loot. (the illusionist and the lich drops wicked stuff compared to where in the game they can be dealt with)


Improved undead is a 'nice' challenge, however, when small critter like a shade 'spooks' your people, it gets annoying in the end. Also remember an issue with your undead not having same abilities, which is OK in my opinion as the game would otherwise be even easier. However, things like this makes the game uncreditable in my opinion, wherefore I unfortunately quickly loose the RP feel.



My personal suggestion if I think I understand your question correctly:

For a better challenge without insane opposition, go with the AI upgrades, possibly the ToB improvements as well as Unfinished Business and other minor things.
Then, challenge your self in your gameplay: ie only logical pre-buffing when your guys would actually know they were going into the fray along with standard long-term buffs (stone skin etc). Further, as you already suggest yourself, drop the superpowered items or Roleplay (who would want to wear the old stuffy robe of a super evil lich, unless they were Edwin? Same goes for the Ring of Gaxx etc)
With this kind of play, I found the game to be immensely more enjoyable and also quite the challenge.

Further, would suggest mods that put the game more towards PnP if possible - I know there's a mod/tweak at G3 which for instance makes you 0lose 1 Con permanently if your NPCs get resurrected, which is good, as it'll make you a bit more precautious.

Lastly, a mod like Rogue Rebalancing I found good - especially the improved Shadow Thieves fights (with the exception of all the clay golems) (join Bodhi)

[Jedi_Sauraus]

I'm going to go with the Ascension fights for sure. I've played ascension and except for the final fight, the improved fights were challanging and enjoyable. Nothing beats the feeling of besting 2 dragons in their own lair. The last fight was absolutly horrid I admit, I ended up using Timestop+Harm and 20 or so Planetars

I haven't tried Improved Sendai from oversight, but she should be along the lines of Tougher Abazigal.

I'm hesitant to install tactics "improved" AI since I've heard it gives alot of critters god like abilities simply to compensate for player cheese. Same goes for Improved Bodhi, Irenicus or Kangaxx. I've also heard random mages get get level 9 spells and possibly HLA's and use them as a player would. This is not really too realistic since a mage who can cast level 9 spells is a hero in the realms.

Good call on sword coast stratagems it seems to be the perfect mod, but how laggy are the scripts ?? Are all of the laggy ?? I'm running a Pentium 3 1ghz with 256mb ram. The standard game runs perfectly on this but the ream me said that the new scripts can bog down even new machines.

The read me also said nothing about nerfing Crom. Considering the trouble of locating and assembling that hammer and taking into account that one of those pieces is on a dragon, I'd rather keep it as is. the other items were nerfed by placing them on powerfull guardians not accessable (or killable) early on. I think it's a wonderful idea.......... but Vecna is one piece of equipment I really love to use....... It does make more sense it's found on a powerfull lich at the bottom of Watcher's keep.]

all AI improvements in SCSII look nice, which ones can I install without lag ?? The gated demons look nice. Clerics will actually be useful, and demons will no longer simply look like a sign saying free expierience.

[Saros]

Well, if you don't wanna install all of the Tactics components, you should consider installing Smarter Mages and Smarter Liches. And Tougher Beholders/Undead are also quite enjoyable. Tougher Tactics beholders, for instance, don't mind you using the Shield of Balduran as long as you don't mind them using Anti-Magic Rays and melee attacks with their poisonous teeth.

The Ascension mod is something I always have installed, that's why I didn't comment it earlier. Yet, all of the tougher ToB enemies are nothing compared to the tougher SoA enemies if you install Tactics+SCS AI improvements. Mages start not only using HLAs, but also Project Images and Simulacra, and worse even, mages start the fight well buffed with long-lasting buffs, like Protection from various Elements/Magic Damage/Death Ward/CC and so on.

Actually, the last Ascension battle can be won by a solo characters without any cheese like summoning 20 planetars. You just need the right strategy, which isn't always easy to find.

Item Nerfs actually don't make a powerful item useless, just less powerful. For instance, CF is still a powerful weapon, but it sets Str to 22, not 25, and also kills Golems/Trolls with 60% chance, not 100%. Staff of the Magi doesn't offer Invisibility on Equip, but instead has 3 Invisibility charges/day, and also Spell Trap from the SoTM can be removed. And Vecna still offers reduced casting time, but 2 instead of monstrous 4.

The SCSII AI modifications are actually no trouble at all if installed alone. If you, however, install them with all of the other mods you scribed above, I'm positive that there will be lagging and maybe even bugs.

[fable]

I'm hesitant to install tactics "improved" AI since I've heard it gives alot of critters god like abilities simply to compensate for player cheese.

I completely agree. Since I avoid using cheese, I was dumbfounded to see how ridiculously overpowered the enemy had become. Ascension, on the other hand, is a wonderful challenge. It's a pity BIS didn't offer players the option of playing it in the original ToB release. (Developers seem to think players can't handle choices.)

I assume you're running the G3 Tweak Pack. There are individual selections to be made that can ramp up the difficulty. These should be carefully considered. For example, I ran afoul of Shapeshifter Rebalancing in the Tweak Pack, which allows even a relatively low level shapeshifter to "summon two 20 HD Greater Bearweres (they're like Greater Wolfweres)." They also had a pleasant knack for healing themselves back from heavily wounded to healthy. Had a run-in at level 11 with an enemy of Kelsey's and her gang that included a shapeshifter. I had to quit and reload (something I *never* do), because those damn bearweres wouldn't stop after the party itself was defeated. Literally nothing I had worked. Caution is advised.

[galraen]

For instance, CF is still a powerful weapon, but it sets Str to 22, not 25, and also kills Golems/Trolls with 60% chance, not 100%.

Why would anyone want to nerf CF even more than it's already nerfed?

[Jedi_Sauraus]

after all the trouble it takes to get it...... well it makes a nice offhander :laugh: soo back to the question at hand does anybody know how laggy the SCSII scripts are?? It sounds like an excellent mod, but I'm running BGII on a 5 year old computer.

I plan to start playing BGII tomorrow my monk just finished Durlags tower, Killed that um Aec whatever dude in Ulgoth's beard and is now hot on the trail of Sarevok in the thieves maze

Minor rant here, is it just me or was that final demon in ToSC a total pushover ?? I read how insanely hard he's supposed to be, so I buff up like mad expecting a challenge and what happens..... I rip through the place in 6 or 7 rounds and kill that demon twice because Minsc alone killed him before the others managed to kill all of the cultists. I did burn alot of good potions, but I still have alot more not too mention 200k gold with which to buy more just in case.

[Kulyok]

If you're installing Unfinished Business, try one more PocketPlane mod, Dungeon Crawl: Pocket Plane Group - Bending Baldur's Gate 2 and the Infinity Engine
It's a large new quest with four new areas.

(Here I should say "I like it," but, hey, I made it! Naturally, I like it. )

[rbeverjr]

I've got several threads on making the game harder in the Bioware forums. The hardest game is with Improved Anvil version 5. Until you learn the game, you will be reloading, and metagaming will be a factor. The unbridled power of the mage in the vanilla game has been nerfed considerably, as have aspects of the thief and archer.

Because I want to blow things up with my mage and experience the ideas of other people, I have taken a small break from Improved Anvil. I have included numerous mods in my latest game, such as Zyraen's primary and secondary item nerfs, Zyraen's staged XP caps without restorer, numerous SCS2 creature/area improvements and enhanced AI, Ascension, BG2 Tweeks everyone has max HP (both good and bad guys, but there are only 6 good guys that matter ), etc. and am playing on insane. It seems like a vacation to me. Some of the IA battles on Easy are harder than these battles. However, I just started. I'm level 9 and have killed a lich, toll keepers, and rakasha. My impression is that this could be a really tough game if you tried soloing it with a non-arcane type, particularly if you set the XP stage caps to hard rather than normal.

The XP stage caps will keep you from removing the difficulty because of excessive XP gains from extra quests; however, you should leave the loot from extra quests (like tactics) on the ground if you want the game to be harder.

PS: I have also heard that SCS2 requires a good computer, but can not comment on that other than to say it has worked fine so far on a 3 GHz dual core Intel computer.

[rbeverjr]

You might want to check out this thread: BioWare Forums: Mod Set for RP/No-Reload Games
On the end of page 6, I detail the modded game that I am presently playing. On the beginning of page 7, I provide my initial impressions.

[Jedi_Sauraus]

Excellent thanks for the link it was very helpful