End of the road. What next?? [maybe spoiler][Xpost from TOB]

Scrim · Post by **Scrim** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 12:52 pm

Hi all,

Well it's 9 months later, and I'm finally finishing up my 1st journey through SOA and TOB. I'm in the middle of the very last final battle. It's a tough one.

Sigh.... It's been just so much fun. I attempted every quest with a "good" team made up of my character (fighter-mage), Anoman, Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira, and Keldorn. I think I made my party too powerful by doing the Watcher's Keep after Underdark. My battles with Irenicus were not that tough... But, I'm certainly suffering right now.

Anyway, what should I do next? This has been such a great experience that it'll be hard to follow up. I played D&D a lot back in high school (late 1970's) and just got a kick out of Baldur's Gate.

Should I do the game again as an evil party and side with the vamps? If so, what character class should I choose? I'm thinking a fighter thief of some sort.

Should I install any mods? I certainly don't want to wreck the balance or introduce any bugs. I'm not interested in harder battles or more powerful items. I'm just interested in a different story.

Should I play a different game? My son has Never Winter Nights. Better graphics, but not the same for me. Is Icewind Dale a good play?

I just don't have a whole bunch of disposable time to do this kind of stuff...
Many thanks to those that reply,
Tim

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 12:55 pm

Scrim,

Please don't double post. It's considered bad net etiquette. I'll assume you want your thread here rather than in BG2/ToB; if not, PM me. The other will be removed.

glenfar · Post by **glenfar** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 3:07 pm

I think it's definitely worth checking out mods - a few surprises and new quests can go a long way towards making it feel like a whole new game. There was a thread not long ago about this - check it out here

As far as party, you can certainly go evil for some different characters, or again go with mods that introduce whole new NPC's - really depends on your personal preference.

As far as character class goes, I'm definitely on the side of role-play in that regard - i.e: go with whatever you feel like. There's a wide enough variety of NPC's (even without mods) to back up whatever choice you make, so don't worry about that. If you really want to go evil, an Assasin would be an obvious pick. Or the anti-paladin from the Tactics mod. But really, go with what you like - aside from paladin and ranger, any class can be evil.

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 3:18 pm

I would recommend a replay, its nice to be evil.

Maybe play a Blade, or a Stalker, something odd, there very fun.

I'd reccomend Ice wind dale, its a great game. However the story is definately lacking, to say the least, and there are no (joinable) NPC's. But IWD2, is far superior, it appears to have more options as classes and races go, also its just a more indepth game, with a great story. (atleast so I'm lead to beleive)

I think you should stay away from NWN, its a terrible game, the 3d enviroment is annoying, you don't get teammates, you get uncontrollable "henchman" the plot is weak. Theres just no urge with playing it, all other games like this have always attracted me, and forced me to play them, due to intrigue over the story, and an urge to be more powerfull. This just doesn't happen, and I wouldn't bother wasting time with it. Although I'm sure many disagree with me, as it is a very popular game.

If you want an inhanced story, then there are several mods worth playing, they re-introduce many things Bioware missed out on due to deadlines, things like Ascension are good.

Another great game you should play is "Planescape: Torment" its simply amazing, I never ended up completing this game, but I did fall in love with it. Its similar to BG, in setup and engine. - its also kinda D&D, although not in Faerun (the land where BG and Amn are).

Also, a good play would be Baldur's Gate 1, its a great game, although playing BG2, the story is significantly ruined.

nephtu · Post by **nephtu** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 4:08 pm

My 2 gold worth...

MODs are good, replay with different parties is good, and there are other good games out there, some already mentioned, possibly Troika's Temple of Elemental Evil or Bioware's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

But, ultimately, do what you enjoy.

Good gaming!

The Godfather · Post by **The Godfather** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 4:18 pm

If you want to be evil, I'm going through right now with an Assassin and it is a lot of fun. It is a different experience trying to be sneaky rather than barrelling in with a fighter or throwing magic at everyone.

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 5:00 pm

[QUOTE=Scrim]what should I do next? This has been such a great experience that it'll be hard to follow up...

Should I do the game again as an evil party and side with the vamps? If so, what character class should I choose? I'm thinking a fighter thief of some sort.

Should I install any mods? I certainly don't want to wreck the balance or introduce any bugs. I'm not interested in harder battles or more powerful items. I'm just interested in a different story.

Should I play a different game? My son has Never Winter Nights. Better graphics, but not the same for me. Is Icewind Dale a good play?

I just don't have a whole bunch of disposable time to do this kind of stuff...[/QUOTE]
If you want a different story and you have limited time to play games, then I suggest that you play a different game.

Siding with the vampires in Chapter Three is only like changing one of the sidequests. Instead of doing some small quests for the thieves and attacking the vampires in their lair, you would do some small quests for the vampires and attack the Shadow Thieves in their lair. It won't change the rest of the game. Playing an evil character instead of a good character changes the game even less.

MODs can add new characters, new dialogue, and some minor quests, and that certainly changes the "flavor" of the game, but again, it doesn't alter the main story. There's a MOD called Ascension which adds new twists to the ending of Throne of Bhaal, but the end result is the same--you can either become a god or have the "taint" removed. And if you think the final battle in the original game is tough, I don't know if you would like the changes in the final battle that Ascension makes--it is considerably more difficult.

You didn't mention whether you had played Baldur's Gate (the original game) or Tales of the Sword Coast (the expansion pack). It's a fine game in its own right. Although it is a bit more primitive than Shadows of Amn (less dialogue, not as many neat weapons, spells, and monsters, etc.), it has an ambience that Shadows of Amn cannot capture. In Baldur's Gate, you play a kid who's on the run, and the whole world seems like an unexplored wilderness. It really is a joy to play a 1st Level character sometimes. I suppose you remember Sarevok from Throne of Bhaal, but if you didn't meet him in Baldur's Gate 1, then you can't know what he was really like (and how truly frightening he was) when he was your enemy.

Icewind Dale is also a good game, and you might enjoy the storyline. However, your own characters are very bland because the game does not personalize them. You are free to use your own imagination to flesh them out, of course, but it's hard to feel like any of the NPCs is really out to get you. Having said that, there's a lot more combat in IWD than there is in Shadows of Amn. You'd be amazed at the body counts.

Icewind Dale 2 is based on 3rd Edition rules, so you might be frustrated by the new rules unless you're really committed to learning them. Icewind Dale 2 has everything but the kitchen sink and I admire it very much for its content, but I was thoroughly exhausted when I finished playing it because it felt like way too much of a good thing. Other people love it.

Another game you might consider playing if you want a good story is Planescape: Torment. Playing the game is like reading a novel. I'm not kidding--the text you read (dialogue and so forth) could fill an entire book. The game might turn you off at first because on one level it's about death and decay, but if you give it a chance you might find it fascinating. We have talked about it in great detail in the forums here at GameBanshee.

Whatever you decide to do, have fun and good luck!

Scrim · Post by **Scrim** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 7:07 pm

Hi all,

Thanks all for the very thoughtful replies.

Fable, sorry about the double post. I didn't know which board was getting good traffic (I just had to leave these boards because every now and then I'd read a spoiler and then wish I didn't...). And people double post all the time on my mountain biking boards. So.... anyway. I won't do it again.

I'll check out some of the mods as well as IWD II. My son has the latest D&D rule sets, and I have to say that they are confusing. It seems one is forever looking in tables and stuff for simple combat. Might as well have a computer do it (doh!). So how does the Planescape compare to D&D rule sets and roll playing?

Bestest regards of all,
Tim

Vincent Vega · Post by **Vincent Vega** » Thu Nov 11, 2004 7:41 pm

Planescape uses the same ruleset as BG2, but you dont Roll stats, instead it has a point buy system. That and the fact that there is not a single sword in the entire city of Sigil are the only major differences that I can think of.
You really should consider Planescape though, It Is one of my favorite games and if the thought of a text heavy game makes you cringe just play as a fighter with low Wis and Int and you can fight all you want. You would be missing out though. Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale 2 are fantastic if you like combat, you could also consider giving Fallout and Fallout 2 a try

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 5:03 am

Oh god, how could I forget, Fallout2 is such an amazing game. Definately the most open ended RPG I've ever seen, its fantastic. (its set in a post nuclear world, and is turn based, so might not be your thing. If you've played Wasteland, you'll love it)

In torment there is atleast 1 sword I can think of; Dak'kons Zerth blade!

VonDondu · Post by **VonDondu** » Fri Nov 12, 2004 11:16 am

[QUOTE=me0w]In torment there is atleast 1 sword I can think of; Dak'kons Zerth blade![/QUOTE]
True. But the main character doesn't use swords and armor. He does just fine with knives, rings, and tattoos.

Scrim, Torment uses 2e rules, and it utilizes the Infinity engine, so it will feel similar to other Infinity engine games such as Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. But in Torment, the main character has, shall we say, a lot of idiosyncracies, so the way you develop him as a character is a lot different than the way you develop a standard D&D character. He has amnesia, but he's thousands of years old, so he has a lot of latent abilities. As he recovers his memories, he gains experience and new abilities. You can raise some of his stats just by talking to people or by using special items in the game. He starts the game as a Fighter, but if you can find a trainer, you can change his class to Mage or Thief, and then you can switch back and forth between classes at will.

At first glance, you might think it would be boring to play "the same character that everyone else has to play", but you can play the main character any way you want and develop him any way you want. (I think it's like Fallout 2 in that respect.) The experience you share with other people who play the game is trying to figure out who is this guy and what has happened to him? And if you're not acquainted with the Planescape universe (it's a cousin to the original D&D universe you're used to), just wait until you see the NPCs. It's really a lot of fun.

Nimiety · Post by **Nimiety** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 3:35 pm

Mods are good

I've gone through the game a few times, and after installing even just a few mods (the ease of use, and fixpack, I think) the game has already taken on a noticibly different feel. Battles I used to go to early because they were easy (Kangaxx, Valygar and the Planar Sphere, even D'Arnise etc) are different - either completely different tactics are require, changes of plan, or even new conversations are required to enable them. Overall, mods can go from having no effect on the plot of the game and only adding small enhancements, all the way to changes to the plot and adding whole new characters and areas.

It's sort of like the train has been revamped, and makes slightly different stops in the cities on the way but still connects Montreal and Toronto, if that makes sense.

I hope this helps!
N......

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 3:50 pm

EoU and fixpack won't make the game more difficult, or change the story at all. I'm sure of that. You must have installed something like Tactics.

Nimiety · Post by **Nimiety** » Sat Nov 13, 2004 4:01 pm

I had gone through a rather short list, but didn't make note explicitly of what I did.

The end result is that Torgal had an incredible regeneration rate, Kangaxx did a spell trap and pfmw trick, and to meet Valygar I had to chat with Suna Seni (or something similar). Evidently, I should have kept notes, as the battle with Kangaxx was very difficult until I tried a simple trick:

One scroll of prot from undead on the person closest to him beating him with the staff of rhyn, and one scroll of prot from magic on the person 20 feet away hitting him with the sling of everard. All the magical attacks were directed at the very person that was immune to them, so add in a touch of haste and he went quietly.

Off-topic, I know, but I guess my point is mods are good, but make note of the ones you install, as I've heard of the myriad of incompatibilities that are out there between one and another.

N...

LotharBot · Post by **LotharBot** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:55 am

One thing you can try is playing through the game with a different party. Since you played using a good-aligned party, and you had a lot of heavy melee (Imoen was the only character you named that can't hold her own in melee) consider:

- an evil aligned party

- a party with fewer fighters and more casters

- a party using all characters you rolled up, including some of the less played classes (monk, sorcerer, bard, or whatever it is you usually don't play.)

- a party using all characters you rolled up, designed to be "perfect"

Another thing you can try is playing through BG1. The BG2 game engine is better than BG1, but the BG1 environment is a lot better. It feels like you're adventuring through the wilderness, while BG2 feels like you're playing along to a bad horror / sci-fi / philosophy movie.

Elvis · Post by **Elvis** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 6:10 pm

Another game to throw onto the suggestion pile is
Might & Magic VII, For Blood And Honor (released in 1999).

A vast role-playing game in the D&D mode, it's a pretty decent dungeon
crawl.

The 3-D universe is interesting, the storyline (an Elven/Human war) is
engaging (albeit combat heavy), the graphics are reasonable (for 1999),
and the music is excellent.

One caveat, however.

If you've played the latter Might & Magic games in the series,
you might consider this one to be simply more of the same.

Me, I jumped from M&M II to M&M VII after
an eight or nine year hiatus.

So I enjoyed M&M VII a lot.

Matter of fact, I played it long before I discovered Baldur's
Gate and it entertained me for months.

boo's daddy · Post by **boo's daddy** » Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:44 am

Tim

I can relate to your post, particularly in the amount of time you've got available (but also in being able to remember doing scenarios from The Beholder in the 70s).

That's one thing that makes BG2 a great game: you can pick it up where you left off really easily. Just did so, in fact, after about 2 months.

I've found playing different classes more interesting than different alignments. As long as you don't read too many spoilers you will still get plenty of surprises.

So far I've tried Fighter/Mage, Bard, Avenger, and, since everyone seems to rave about them, have just started off a Kensai with intent to dual to Thief. I enjoyed the Druid the best, I think because there are some great spells and she can still dish it out manually if required.

Have fun

JJComo · Post by **JJComo** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 12:11 pm

Stay away from Might and Magic VII at all costs! This game is ridiculously retarded.

I would suggest you get on amazon.com and buy BG+ToSC collectors edition and play an evil party from level one. Baldur's Gate yes is primitive and you will have limited access to character classes and races but the story line is as good as SoA and Tob. Import this character into BG2 and continue your evil quest for ultimate power. This way will not give you access to the more interesting classes or races for your character but an evil party in BG2 no matter how boring the class is still quite enjoyable. Besides you can probably find mods for BG somewhere.

I'm currently playing a straight mage I started from BG and I'm enjoying my trip to the dark side. Have fun!!!

J

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:55 pm

JJComo, calling any game "ridiculously retarded" reflects more upon the critical values of the writer than the game, itself. If you have opinions to offer about why you don't like M&M VII, say so. Otherwise, it just comes across as a casual flame without any content.