Nalia or Aerie?

[sonny]

Hi guys.

Just started Chapter 2, I'm in The Copper Coronet and have the folowing in my party.

My PC Fighter NG
Minsc
Yoshimo
Jaheria
Anomen
Aerie

I checked the threads to see if there was any comparison between Aerie and Nalia and could not find any direct comparison. I try to be very careful reading them because they sometimes give you more info then you want.lol

Any way until I rescue Imoen (who I want to keep) I need a mage. Who will be a better mage to get me to that point. Aerie or Nalia. And since I already turned Nalia down from joining, will she still join when I start her quest which I accepted. If not I have a saved game just before I talked to her.

In one of the threads, someone said you can't have Imoen and Yoshimo in the same party. Is this true?

Thanks everyone.

[Crenshinibon]

Of the two, I prefer Aerie, because of her cleric levels and in my opinnion she is much more powerful than Nalia.

However, if you plan to use her *just* as a mage, you might as well take Nalia.

[Dummy]

okay

nalia or arie

nalia is a "single" mage with some thiefing skills
and aerie a mage/priest

naila starts off with ~300k xp
aerie with ~ 1.2mio

so this is a + for arie

if you compare the lategame power arie will win if you play her right

the personality mhh hard, but i would say aerie too

and with your current setup i would say u dont need nalia
and annoymen could focus on his own buffs to do more damage and aerie could focus on damage spells and group buffs

and since you use yoshimo you dont need the very limited thiefing skills of nalia

and for yoshimo vs imoen, you will see, i would advise dont read more in this direction

[sonny]

and for yoshimo vs imoen, you will see, i would advise dont read more in this direction

Thanks. I'm glad you put it that way. Don't want to spoil anything. So far this looks like a great game, but like I said, if it's as good as BG1, I'll be a happy fellow.

Thanks again.

[VonDondu]

It's a tough choice.

Nalia is a lot like Imoen when it comes to stats. You might think of her as a single-class Mage who can use a bow. After you complete the task she hired you for, she will ask to join your group again. You definitely need to talk to her and make some decisions, but you don't have to accept her into your group. If you do accept her into your group, the quest will continue for a little while because trouble has a way of following someone in Nalia's position (i.e., the heir to a large estate).

When it comes to power, Aerie won't reach her full potential in Shadows of Amn. Just to clarify, what most people like about Cleric/Mages is their ability to use high level Priest spells, which only go up to 7th level, in combination with the Mage spells called Spell Trigger and Chain Contingency. That requires more experience points than Aerie can acquire in Shadows of Amn. In TOB, she's a powerhouse.

When it comes to personality, it's a toss-up between Nalia and Aerie. Many people find both of them annoying.

Nalia constantly talks about "helping the poor", which is indeed annoying when you are focused on other other things and would like your party members to be, as well.

To say that Aerie "has been through a lot" is an understatement. She would like to confide in your character. If you find her attractive, there is the possibility that she might find your character attractive, as well. But a lot of people think she whines too much. Either way, she provokes a strong reaction from everyone who ever plays with her.

For what it's worth, the interactions and dialogues with Nalia are not very interesting in TOB from a relative standpoint. But if your character has a strong, enduring relationship with Aerie, there will be plenty of interaction and dialogue with Aerie in TOB. It's something to look forward to, in my opinion.

In one of the threads, someone said you can't have Imoen and Yoshimo in the same party. Is this true?

Stop reading these message threads. You should be playing the game without any outside help at this stage in your BG2 career (i.e., your first time). That's what I did when the game first came out--there weren't any messages to read on any message boards at that time. The game tells you that you need to rescue Imoen, so just get to Spellhold as soon as you're ready and see if you can find Imoen there.

As a rule of thumb, I would say that you will be ready to start Chapter Three when your characters are at least 10th level (adjust accordingly for multi-class characters). To start Chapter Three, all you need to do is pay the fee to the guild who promised to take you to Spellhold. In my opinion, Chapter Three is a breeze compared to some of the sidequests you might undertake in Chapter Two. Some people like to do every single sidequest in Chapter Two, but I recommend that you leave a few of them for later.

[sonny]

Stop reading these message threads. You should be playing the game without any outside help at this stage in your BG2 career (i.e., your first time). That's what I did when the game first came out--there weren't any messages to read on any message boards at that time. The game tells you that you need to rescue Imoen, so just get to Spellhold as soon as you're ready and see if you can find Imoen there.

I know, you are right. Every time I go there I end up seeing something I didn't want to see. I'm afraid if I don't check the threads before I ask a question, then someone is going to chastise me for not checking the threads first.

Not making excuses, but I went there to see if there was a comparison between the two. I knew that Nalia was a thief/mage from the Game Manual (which I'm always checking) but did not know how the two stood head to head.

But you're right, I need to ask my questions here. Decided to keep Aerie, at least until I get to Nalia quest.

Had planned on doing as many side quest as possible in this chapter (2) but if there are some I should put off until later. With out spoilers, can you give me any info as to what ones to wait on. (like quest givers name) so I don't talk to them. If not I understand, you don't want to ruin the game for me.

Thanks for all the help and have a great evening.

[Klorox]

You can do them now or later.

It will affect your game experience, but in the end it won't matter. This game is a great one!

[VonDondu]

Had planned on doing as many side quest as possible in this chapter (2) but if there are some I should put off until later. With out spoilers, can you give me any info as to what ones to wait on. (like quest givers name) so I don't talk to them. If not I understand, you don't want to ruin the game for me.

Look at it this way: if you want Imoen to be in your party, then why would do all of the sidequests without her?

The only other reason to put off the sidequests is because after Chapter Two, the game will be completely linear if no more sidequests are available. I don't see how other players can stand that.

Aside from those considerations, you can do the sidequests whenever you feel like doing them.

If Aerie is in your party, then you have already done the Circus Quest. The next "quest" I recommend isn't really a quest; it's an area you should try to clean out. Just go to the Graveyard District and clear out the tombs. The lower level can be quite difficult, but it will teach you how to kill undead monsters. (You knew that's what you'll find in the graveyard, right?)

While you're in the graveyard, talk to any people you meet there and pay attention to what's going on around you. It might lead to some mini-quests (hint, hint).

Next, you should head for the Bridge District. Again, there isn't a single "quest" to follow, but it's an interesting area to explore. As you make your way through, you will learn a few things about Athkatla, and you might be able to start a couple of short quests, as well as an extended quest.

There is an inn called the Five Flagons Inn. The extended quest I mentioned begins in the basement, but it's probably not what you expect. I would wait until Chapter Six before you start that one.

Nalia's quest is a good one to go to from there. When you get back to Athkatla, you should explore the back rooms of the Copper Coronet. See what the merchants have for sale.

Next, you can make your way to the Docks District. You've met Gaelan Bayle, who wants you to hire the Shadow Thieves to take you to Spellhold. Well, things are not exactly as they appear, because for some reason (I don't think I could explain it), everyone seems to think that YOU are working for THEM instead of vice-versa. So go to their headquarters and talk to them.

From there, I would do one more major sidequest such as the one that starts in the Temple District or the one that becomes accessible if you talk to a young boy in the middle of the Government District. I would save Lord Jierden's quest, the Planar Sphere, and the Trademeet quest for later.

[sonny]

Look at it this way: if you want Imoen to be in your party, then why would do all of the sidequests without her?

Very, very good point. Maybe the question should have been. Which sidequest will get the money I need to free Imoen the fastest?
Then I could do the majority if the side quest with her in the party.

Don't know why, but I've grown a little fond of her. May be because I have 3 girls of my own and her innocence and naive outlook reminds me of one of them.:speech:

Thanks again guys/girls for the help and advice. I'm off to quest for money.:mischief:

[Dummy]

mhh i dont know, i think the tradesmeet quest is just the quest you "want" to do befor going to brynlaw because it you could easy beat it and its quite much xp,

i usually investigate the copper cornett, help nalia and do one more thing

but remember you will return, so you could finish some quests lateron with imoen

[VonDondu]

mhh i dont know, i think the tradesmeet quest is just the quest you "want" to do befor going to brynlaw because it you could easy beat it and its quite much xp,

i usually investigate the copper cornett, help nalia and do one more thing...

I don't think the Trademeet sidequest is any more difficult than the other sidequests. It is simply my own preference to do the sidequests in Umar Hills and the Temple District earlier in the game. The latter sidequests take longer to finish in real time, but Trademeet seems more tedious to me, and I just don't enjoy it as much. Besides, there are certain monsters that are fun to meet when you're less than 10th or 11th level.

[Crenshinibon]

Well, money doesn't have to be raised through quests alone. There is a group in Waukeen's Promenade that is very rude and should you decide to get offended, you can easily raise ten thousand gold. They do put up quite a fight for new players.

There are other quests which I'd do too, for items and experience, which are, in my opinion pretty simple as well. Namely the class specific quests.