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hello all.. just started playing baldurs gate 2 after hearing the raving reviews about it. i, thinking of playing the expansion after i get through this one.
the problem is i am not able to understand anything. for example
the monster othyug which is weapon resistant got killed by jaheria who attacked it using a weapon. how is that possible?
And is it necessary to take all the characters who come to you? cant you play it by yourself alone?
Most importantly. what class do i play with? im now playing as an archer . Is he any good? what other classes offer a fun gameplay?
I really have so many more things to ask.. but these seemed to be the most irking ones..
so thanks ya all

The monster of which you speak is not immune to all weapons, if it has resistances less than a hundred, the damage is reduced.

It is not necessary to take all the characters with you and is possible to solo the game, however, I do recommend to pick the characters up so you get the feel for different classes and get more out of the story and character interaction.

You can play with any class you want, My personal favorite is a Blade. Archers are a good strong class and you shouldn't have much trouble with them.

I really think that you should take 3 or 4 people with you, it makes the game much more easy to understand in the beginning.

A very fun class to play is with a Gnome Illusionist. I did it once an it was very easy and powerful!

Many players have beaten the game without understanding anything, but reading the manual can help a lot.

The otygh is immune to non-magical weapons, but can be hurt by magical weapons normally, so I guess Jaheira used one. Quite some monsters can only be hurt by +1 weapons or better, there are even a few monsters which require +4 weapons or better to take damage and there are few monsters which are immune to slashing and piercing damage, so it's always good to have a backup weapon in case your arrows don't work.

You can play the game with only one character, it's easier than keeping a whole party alive. Archer is surely possible if you like it, a tripleclass fighter/mage/thief offers more options however.

Install the expansion if you haven't done it yet, it changes the main game too.

Crenshinibon wrote: It is not necessary to take all the characters with you and is possible to solo the game, however, I do recommend to pick the characters up so you get the feel for different classes and get more out of the story and character interaction.

I couldn't agree enough.
BG2 is a fantastic game, and a large part of that relates directly to party interaction and banter. If you want to go solo you certainly can, but I really would not recommend it, especially for your first run through.

hiya guys! thanks for the quick reply! i just got out of the dungeon and i am overwhelmed seeing the HUGE place in front of me! i dont know where to start!!
more doubts!! why couldnt imoen use any magic in my party? she is part mage though! is it because she has not leveled up enough in the other class?
and i learnt cleric spells on a level up! how is that? an archer learning spells?
And how do i do backstab with the yoshi guy?

The Otyugh is only invulnerable to missile weapons. I've always used Minsc to hack it to death with a regular two-handed sword. This is easy because the Otyugh can't fit through doorways and 2-handed weapons have enough range to keep your characters out of its reach. Also:

1) Imoen should be able to use a few spells from the start. Not sure why she wouldn't be unless you have her wearing armor which disables wizard spells. Elven chain and similar armors can still be worn by multi-class mages without killing their spellcasting.

2) Ranger classes can learn druid spells up to level four. Similarly, Paladins can learn cleric spells up to level four.

3) Any thief (except Swashbucklers) can backstab. They just need to be invisible and attack an enemy from behind. If they land a hit while still invisible, you'll get the backstab damage multiplier for that hit.

Ajax12 wrote: more doubts!! why couldnt imoen use any magic in my party? she is part mage though! is it because she has not leveled up enough in the other class?
and i learnt cleric spells on a level up! how is that? an archer learning spells?
And how do i do backstab with the yoshi guy?

Imoen should be able to use magic when you are in the dungeon. Did you go into her spellbook, select her spells, and then sleep so she could memorise them? Or, is it possible you had her in armour? Mages can't cast spells while wearing armour (there are exception, but you'll get to those quite a bit later).
Archers are rangers, and rangers have access to a few spells.
To back stab, put your thief into "hide in shadow mode" (he or she may not be sufficiently levelled in this), place said thief behind your target... and attack.

hahah oh yeah!! i put her in armour!! i cant believe this.. i made life difficult for myself!
i can just go talking to random people and start doing quests right? in chapter two!! how big is the game with all quests complete?
ill start expansion after i complete this one. is it worth it?

It's very long especially if you try to complete most of the quests

I'd suggest playing with a party, it's very interesting and easier if you're playing for the first time.

But you'll probably replay the games million times once you finish it, you just get addicted.I'm just playing the game for millionth time once again with many mods installed and I still find exciting and the best game I've ever laid my hands on.

is the replay value due to the different classes or are there any other factors? i loved it so far!
and i am a noob.. so what are mods? what the used for?

Ajax12 wrote:is the replay value due to the different classes or are there any other factors? i loved it so far!

There are other factors, as well. One branching choice leads effectively to two different versions of a single chapter. Different professions also have unique strongholds: thieves get to lead a local thieves guild branch, for example, while mages get...well, as you haven't played yet, lets just say a piece of unusual real estate, with several apprentices.

and i am a noob.. so what are mods? what the used for?

Mods are modifications to the game made in the form of file archives with their own installers. They can do many different things, depending upon the mod: get rid of bugs, add lots of new quests, fill out dialog, make things much tougher, create new merchants and items, provide new NPCs for your party. They really increase the playing experience, in my opinion. If you are interested in mods, take a look at the sticky thread to see what people think of a variety of them, and ask questions as needed.

Best of luck.

hey im back again!
how do u identify items? i have no mage in my party! ranger, druid/fighter and thief. so can i get stuff identified. im in the promenade..

If you don't have a mage, some shopkeepers can also identify items for you for 75-100 gold each. Just click on the question mark in the purchasing screen and select the items you want identified. Also, you have 2 options for getting another mage this early in the game. Go speak to the guard in front of the circus tent and convince him to let you in. If you play the quest correctly, you'll find another mage who can join your party inside the tent. You can also go to the slums and there will be a mage inside the Copper Coronet who can join you. I'm trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible while still giving guidance.

ok. im confused again.. i fought a shadow, and only minsc can harm it.. with a bastard sword or sword of chaos. the others dont even seem to touch it. So does this mean that you need to have a +1 weapon to kill them? how do you find out? trial and error? what if i have no access to such weapons? and no money to get them?
and i just got the mage you mentioned

yes, trial and error. That's how I found out that you (spoiler ahead)



can only hit the iron golem in nalias keep with +3 weapons.

It's usually safe to assume that any creature other than humans or demi-humans requires a magical weapon to hit. If you don't have one, there are spells that can make one. Clerics can cast Spiritual Hammer, Druids can cast Shillelagh, and Mages can cast Enchanted Weapon. Still, you should have an adequate number of magical weapons already. Irenicus' dungeon had a Longsword +1, a bastard sword +1, Sword of Chaos +2, and a quarterstaff +1.