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I was getting totally peed off with the message `You have been waylaid...` etc. Sometimes the odds were completely against me.
Then I realised there is a way around it. If you go from A to B and you get waylaid, immediately go back to A and then immediately back to B. It works everytime for me.
Cheers

You don't even have to go back to A, you can directly go to B

I never found those waylaid occurences very difficult. Only a certain one after the underdark can be challenging.

Originally posted by Maxwell'sDaemon
You don't even have to go back to A, you can directly go to B

Yep. Since the waylaid events are for the most part scripted to occur the first time you travel a certain route, once you've hit it going between A and B, you probably won't--at least, for a long while--again.

Well on one occasion I was waylaid time after time, irrespective of where I wanted to go. The odds were so heavily against me that I had no chance. If that`s scripted then it`s not as good a game as I thought!
Cheers

Can you be a bit more specific? 1) Where were you, and 2) where exactly were the destinations you tried to go?

I always loved getting waylaid in BG1. It gives a nice sort of an (un)fortunate factor in the game. I was quite annoyed that you didn't get half as much of these fights in BG2.

I was in the City. I had a rep of 15. Every time I tried to leave, I was faced with a ridiculous number of oponents.
Every exit was the same.
The strange thing is that I posted this problem at the time and nobody who is now claiming that this is not a problem had a solution!
Cheers

I've never had any problems with the "waylaid events" in BG2, I think they are far too easy for the most part. I mean, remember BG1 ? Those where hard sometimes, but the only time I had a bit difficulty in BG2 was when soloing a sorceror.

Spoilerish below.

Reputation often has nothing to do with waylaid scenarios. Waylaid scenarios are triggered from other things.
- One of the triggers is that you get waylaid when you have beaten the slavers in the Slums district (Hendak's Copper Coronet Quest). I believe this slavers quest has a second waylaid continuation, but that one seems more random.
- Another one is when you try towards the docks or if you are going straight out of town without having been to the docks, you will also get waylaid for the same reason (the poisoned harper quest).

- There is also a more random waylaid that can occur several times in the game. I believe these are linked to whether you haven't chosen a side yet between the Shadow Thieves and Bodhi. This one gives you the idea that you are being hunted or mugged (an attempt to anyway) and the people that try to overwhelm you are then always the same. I'm not entirely certain but as far as I recall there will be a mage, a priest, two melee fighters and I think a bow using character.


Now, since you know you're getting this waylaid the next time you travel, prepare your party for it. Put on the gear that gives you the lowest AC. Reload all arrow slots. Memorise the most useful spells. Prebuff with spells that can last hours (round of turn lasting spells will most likely fizzle).
After you see the enemies, pause and cast Defensive Harmony, Chant, Bless, Invisibility, mirror image, protection from normal/magical missiles/weapons... spells like that. Retreat your spell casters away from the rest and have one or two fighters tank your opponents. The rest should retreat to shoot arrows/bolts, throw stones like a big sissy and cast spells. Often it is wise to retreat first and then cast certain spells like bless and chant. They take a while to cast.

Also, drink potions if you think you need them. You can protect your characters by giving them potions of invisibility.


Finally... tell us how it went and exactly where you have problems with. (A big mage, a large amount of Orogs, a priest....)

Originally posted by davfra
Well on one occasion I was waylaid time after time, irrespective of where I wanted to go. The odds were so heavily against me that I had no chance. If that`s scripted then it`s not as good a game as I thought!
Cheers

Yes, it's scripted, rather than randomized. And it sounds from what you subsequently wrote the waylaid event you refer to, above, actually occurred when you tried to leave the city. If this was your first time out then yes, you will get a waylaid event. There are also one or two other triggers that will cause waylaid events while traveling outside the city; so no, that doesn't equal "irrespective of where I [you] wanted to go."

As for the difficulty level, I've never had any trouble with an waylaid event in playing through BG2 four times. Could you perhaps tell us 1) the level of your party; 2) its numbers; 3) the difficulty setting of your game; and 4) what you're fighting, in as much detail as you can manage? It might help us lend a little more specific assistance.

Usually I have no problem with those encounters but earlier today I had just come out of the crypts ( Korgan's quest) and a couple of my party members were level drained and near death. I tried to get to a temple but no matter if I travelled to th Waukeens Promenade or the Temple District I got waylaid. I had to reload a few times because level drained Anomen kept dying on me.

I`m afraid you`re all missing the point. My post said that I know a way around this problem. Therefore, I don`t have to fight them.
In most cases they were a nuicance to me and held me up from quests that I was on.
The only useful one was when a guy got mugged and asked me to carry him to the Harpers. Now that was worth something.
For the most part, I`d sooner avoid these distractions and get on with the game.
But, as always, it`s each to his own!
Cheers

As you say, each to their own. I'd rather keep 'em in, because they add flavor to the game: the notion that your overland travels are not perfectly safe via some magical teleportation device. In a very small but adequate way, it duplicates some of the constant waylaying that was part of BG1--except that in BG1, it was interminable, as you had to travel the same routes, back and forth, between towns on a regular basis. Bioware could have learned something from the Ultima series, and how Origin Systems forced you to travel a few times by foot (and sea) before finding the runes (and in later games, the stones) that allowed for instant travel.

Only really had trouble with them early on in the game. I did get waylayed all that often to be honest but after awhile its only a small inconvenience as they do not seem to improve at all. I think they are good to have in th game but more and harder opponents would be nice. Little tip for when traveling . always pays to have atleast 1 fighter at the back of your party as when waylayed the attackers usually appear behind you and mages etc earlier in the game can be easy targets (probally doesnt need to be darker but just incase). Other than that waylays are good, you can pick up some gold and maybe some scrolls, depends on the attackers.

Good advice there. I've had 'em appear in the middle of the party. You get some useful stuff off 'em in the earlier encounters, so it's well worth it.

I agree that they add to the game, and also that they should get more powerful as you level up.

It also makes sense that they'd be more likely to attack you if you were dripping blood and looking a bit knackered.

`It also makes sense that they'd be more likely to attack you if you were dripping blood and looking a bit knackered.`

I think too much of my heroes to send them on long trips feeling like that!!
Cheers

Heh heh. Not me.

* oh, no need to rest just yet, enough hp for just one more quest.. *

Though they can still jump you when you're on your way BACK, especially if there's vampires about...

Originally posted by boo's daddy
* oh, no need to rest just yet, enough hp for just one more quest.. *

Exactly the reason why I use resurrection spells a lot or go to a temple for that matter. I prefer resurrection to sleeping... reincarnation has its "thing".