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Yesterday I finished ToB without problems worth to be mentioned. The final battle was plain easy (no cheese, no wish spells, no heavy trap setting, just some short and violent melee).

Directly after that game I started a BG1 game with a human fighter PC and guess the look on my face when that ogre killed my PC with two hits; it took a moment to realize that my char had only 14 HP and a THACO of 16. No dual wielded +5 weapons, no time stops, no summoned Planetars, no greater whirlwind attacks and no 100+ dmg backstabs. Just me and an Ogre and the Ogre simply bashed me. And the Ogre was nothing compared to the Ankegh, one strike one kill. Three strikes - dead party.

In fact I never had so much fun for quite a long time, this is the first time after weeks of SoA and ToB where I really fear for the lives of my poor, weak characters. I almost have forgotten how much fun it is not to be superpowered!

Fun isn't it.
I was rather shocked to, but i like it a lot better this way.
The game is much harder, and becouse of the lack of high level spells, spells as charm, or even entangle can be a real killer!!!

The best fun is in actually running away from enemies.

I laughed watching my mage trying to zap a wolf only to turn around and try run to the end of the screen. Lets just say I had to reload after that incident.

Originally posted by Stilgar
Fun isn't it.
I was rather shocked to, but i like it a lot better this way.
The game is much harder, and becouse of the lack of high level spells, spells as charm, or even entangle can be a real killer!!!

Indeed. A Command spell in BG1 seems to have at least as much power as a Disintegrate spell in SoA/ToB. Used it three times, won three fights because of it. And a normal healing potion that was not even worth to be carried to the next merchant in BG2 gives me back half of my hitpoints.

And how about those Sirenes who keep Dire Charming members of your party... there's a reason they lowered the duration of the Dire Charm spell in BGII... But still, I feel it adds to the flavour of BGI (besides, their XP really counts - in Baldur's Gate I gathering those XP's is really a costly process).

Here is another interesting sensation.

You can actually die from poison. In BG2, it would just lower your HP a bit, this time it can actually kill you.

I noticed the poison thing too, after meeting some sirens: oh Minsc got poisonewd, no matter i'll just sleep it off... *minsc dies* wha?

those sirens and the golems in the constitution cavern really help in gaining exp...

i remember my first time ever on bg1 my pc fighter died in the very first area (xzar&montaron) fighting two wolves

Originally posted by Locke Da'averan
I noticed the poison thing too, after meeting some sirens: oh Minsc got poisonewd, no matter i'll just sleep it off... *minsc dies* wha?

Sirens are probably the nastiest opponents on that game (bar Sarevok) i try to avoid them until i am high enough level

Originally posted by Locke Da'averan
i remember my first time ever on bg1 my pc fighter died in the very first area (xzar&montaron) fighting two wolves

Thats the bit I posted about earlier. I watched Monteron and Xzar go down and thought to myself. "Screw this," I'll try to make a dash to the next map.

Originally posted by Tamerlane


Thats the bit I posted about earlier. I watched Monteron and Xzar go down and thought to myself. "Screw this," I'll try to make a dash to the next map.

I lost all my BG1 and BG2 saved games when my computer crashed, so I started BG1 over. I keep finding myself running when I get waylayed rather than killing that which waylayed me.

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn
I lost all my BG1 and BG2 saved games when my computer crashed, so I started BG1 over. I keep finding myself running when I get waylayed rather than killing that which waylayed me.

LOL! I had to do that several times too, esp. the time my party was waylaid by a bunch of worgs and a basilisk - that time my party ran like h-ll.

I just managed to take down three Sirens with my level 3 party. I tell you, this felt like killing my first lich in BG2.

Two party members are level 4 now and I also own two antidote potions and four arrows of biting. In other words: I'm almost invincible!

My big supriste had to be the minor healing potions, I automaticly sold them at the nearest shop.

Another shock where the non-powerfull mages, yeah, one magic missile and one indentify realy is a killer-combo like timestop and greater agilaty.

One point I realy like is more group fighting, in BG2 most major fights are against one person (Kangaxx Firkraag) in BG1 you have to fights groups more often witch are harder to kill.

But I do think that the beginning of BG is much harder then entire BG2

Originally posted by Phantom Lord
I just managed to take down three Sirens with my level 3 party. I tell you, this felt like killing my first lich in BG2.

I've only fought one Lich in BG2, but I found it a lot easier than fighting those Sirenes.

Some of the more difficult places on BG1, IMO excluding final battle: (spoilers)
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- The Vampiric wolves near Beregost temple (had to use multiple webs to keep them away from party)
- The ancient bridge dungeon (Kobold Commandos could lay waste to a party in seconds if you are out of fireballs)
- The mage under Cloakwood mine, those Invisible stalkers were HARD!
- The basilisk area (not enough potions of mirroring in the game, had to use some invulnerability ones)
- Areas where the mercenaries with Ice arrows spawn (don´t remember the name of their company)

These areas where much more challenging than any of The Five, Irenicus or Mr. Kangaax!

Another great thing in BG1--arrows are really lethal weapons. In BG2, they are only lethal if you have magic arrows or +2 plus a +3-5 bow.

All character using bows have the most kills in my party´s
even imoen!

SPOILERS
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Originally posted by Leonardo
Some of the more difficult places on BG1, IMO excluding final battle: (spoilers)
- The ancient bridge dungeon (Kobold Commandos could lay waste to a party in seconds if you are out of fireballs)

Yeah, IMO that's one of the most difficult places in game, as those Kobold Commandos keep spawning. Also the maze makes moving difficult, and many times your mages/ranged fighters end up being in frontline. Fortunately you don't have to fight those Kobold Commandos. Enter the maze from the hidden door in the cellar of one of the buildings in Gullykin village lets you go straight to the ogre mage (although you miss the dead warriors quest)

- The mage under Cloakwood mine, those Invisible stalkers were HARD!

Disarm traps and you don't have to fight Invisible stalkers...

- The basilisk area (not enough potions of mirroring in the game, had to use some invulnerability ones)

Protection from petrification. Duh.

Originally posted by Stilgar
All character using bows have the most kills in my party´s
even imoen!

Yeah, archers rule. With Longbow of Marksmanship + bracers of archery Coran or Kivan can reach THACO 4-6 or even lower, which is really really good in this game. Bow's are easily the best weapons in game.

And with arrows of detonaton...

Cloak of algernon makes BG 1 a walk in the park, right from the level 1. Charm one enemy, let fight against his allies and get yourself a cosy position, watch and enjoy. If charmed enemy gets killed, no prob - you only loose the XP's from killing that charmed enemy. And you can charm another.

In BG 2 cloak of the nymph has limit of one charm/day which is balances the game, in BG1 cloak of Algernon is too good.