GameBanshee Forums

Good evening,

Some days ago I decided to start a new BG2+ToB run with an 6 people selft created multiplayer party. The weak ago i disscussed my party ideas in this forum, (whatch "presenting my last party"). I installed several mods, like tactics, baldurdash, ascension and some balanced party of Easy-of-use. I started a game....

OOOKKK! First I go owned buy the 3 drugaer teams but made my way through until i reached ILYCH and what the **** was that. After 2 hours and about 100 loud times and after I lured over single one of them out of this room I got this. Good thanks that I had this evil archer!!! (3 shots per round, hit and run^^)
I went through the dungeon, ok what will be next?

Copper corrent wasnt a great challange, the difference was not big to the usuall vanilla game. I play some small quests in alkathla. Than I went down to the unseeing eye with the cheese "baldurans shield" against the beholders but what was that? These freaky bastard became INTELLIGENT? Needed to change my tactic... finally did it. I reached the room with the "rase dex to 18 gloves" where a lich with 3 pit fiends punded my weak weak ass, only got one +3 weapon at this time, so I skipped this, taking the gloves with me. After that I tried to get Mae'var but this idiot was much more improved than the copper corrent. Couldnt manage the assassins in his cellar and wasnt able to leave celler (BUG?). Good that I had a second safegame some time before... I skipped this, going out of alkathla first.

Druids grove was NICE! I like all these funny druidlike monsters, was great fun and not easywith troll groups of 8 trolls and the new druids with their spirit bears. feldorn was a joke!!! How shall I defeat her with no druid in my groud and no items? Had to be uninstalled after some hopeless tries, didnt even get one of her hitpoints... Next was Umar hills with the dark alter quest. The new dungeon was nice but still had to skip the lich and pit fiends (thanks for this boots of speed). I grabed the items and RANNNNN way. Next was Arnise! OKK thats nothing but a great bug. After I reached the last floor and had killed about 15 Yan Ti mages by luring them out I decided to crash trough. With invisible ranged went into the round and found myself againt 30 Yan Ti mages and 20 ElderUmer Hulks!!!! Thats a joke??? With each "load" it seemed that the enemies respawn.... had to be unistalled...
Finally after Firkraag was killed and the "tougher dragons mod" uninstalled (Why the **** can this dragon blast my mage with his breath, although she isnt in his line of sight and at the other end of the room????????????) What a **** mode, no logic!!!! I finally killed all the skipped pit fiends and lichs and am now completing the Mae'Var quest.

To be continued... (The new undeads are FUN! Spook and Doom rocks!)

The mods you list are all fairly old, and not updated any longer. Ascension is probably the one that is still most widely used to this day.

It seems as much as you like certain bits, you're finding other battles a bit much. This is a common criticism of tactics. I would recommend trying sword coast strategems II next time; it's kept updated these days and isn't over the top, though very difficult still.

I'd probably try the G3 Fixpack rather than baldurdash, as I think that too hasn't seen an update in some time.

Ease of use was absorbed by the G3 Tweak pack, which has many other nice components. Take a look at the stickies and search around. There's many good mods around nowadays (not to say the ones you listed are bad, it's all opinion).

I'm surprised you got through improved Illyich, that's the one component of tactics that is regularly regarded as a joke/near impossible. If you did, you're probably fine with the rest of it. Though my idea of fun is not reloading 100 times, i must say.

Ok thats true. This tactic mod is in some parts OVER diffucult and not challenging anymore. The reloadtimes are a joke. Same that some casters have infinite spells (was fighting improved Irenicus and killed his 4 minions mostly with Time Stop ambush and than running after him for 5 minutes with my 2 best warriors who could get a hit because he casted "absolute immunity" or "improved mantle" invinite times, thats a joke for me). I will go for one more Bg2+ToB run this time. Are there other modes, I could install to improve difficulty???

SCSII as mentioned is one to get. It's full of so many components it should most likely meet all your needs. The best thing is modularity; you needn't install what you don't like the sound of.

Improved anvil is another mod that increases difficulty, I have yet to try it, but would like to some day soon. IA is incompatible with certain mods that I do consider important; e.g. the fixpack. But don't let that put you off; it apparently has its own fixes. I don't think IA and SCSII work together, choose one or the other; even if they do, most likely the game will be too difficult or just plain buggy.

If you choose SCSII (and possibly with IA; sorry I have no experience with this) you can still add in parts of Tactics you really liked, check the SCSII readme for info.

There is also the Item randomiser mod recently released at G3; obviously does not increase battle difficulty directly but if you've played the game too often and know where to go and get your favourite items, then this should make things a little harder in that sense as well as the fun of not knowing where to find what. Not everything is randomised, and especially not plot-related items, area specific items and such, e.g. flail of ages components will not be moved out of the De'Arnise Keep since they're used there!

Again, always research yourself and peruse the readme; i'm just providing general overviews. Feel free to ask about anything else.

Thanks a lot. I know have installed the bg2 Fixpack and bg2 Tweaks (of course only the balanced componenets) as well as the scsII and some components of tactics like "improved city encounters" or "the ritual". I guess all would work nice together.