GameBanshee Forums

This related to a thread I started in the SoA forum about a Tank-Heavy party.

The party will be like this:
Cleric/Ranger protagonist
Jaheira
Keldorn
Minsc
Imoen

Now, my original idea was to do all of the NPC-related sidequests in SoA. Since I have a 5 person party made up, I can add any NPC at any time to my party, and really get things going. I was to add Sarevok in ToB (an NPC I've never played with before).

But I was thinking: I think Mazzy can do everything Sarevok can, except for that whole deathbringer assault thingy (but OTOH, Mazzy's saving throws will be so much better). I'd have whichever NPC eventually weild halberds, for the Ravager in ToB. And the Strength difference really wouldn't be an issue, because I will have enough STR-enhancing items in my game (I'm not planning on building Crom Faeyr, and the protagonist has a 19 STR from BGI).

So, I don't think the power-level will really be the difference maker here. I'm actually most interested in which NPC will fit my above party better, and which has better dialogue.

Depending on whether I'll have the option to tell Mazzy to "wait right here" or not, I still might be able to do a ton of NPC-related sidequests. Since Fighters go up in levels a lot faster than Rangers and Paladins, I won't have to worry about Mazzy falling behind in power levels with respect to Minsc and Keldorn.

Given the people you have in the party, Mazzy fits very good concerning alignment and overall attitude. And without getting into the power discussion I can confirm that Mazzy is a very capable fighter, melee and ranged. Mazzy adds Short Swords and Bows to the mix, which is fine. And yes, she has a wait option (every NPC has). Her dialogues are nice (with Korgan they would be hilarious IIRC, but you don't have him) and she gets along very well with Keldorn.

Sarevok of course is a very interesting NPC as well, especially since you have an influence on his development. But unless you dual him, you'll have a third big-guy-with-two-handed-weapon-type tank, which isn't a problem (and halberds rock in ToB), but a little boring.

With the above party, I tend to say that Mazzy is the more balanced choice. My very first BG2 party resembled yours btw, except the PC was a dual class F/M and I later dropped Minsc for Sarevok (an option you may could consider too).

Personally, I find Sarevok to be one of the most interesting ToB NPCs. If you've never had him in your party before, I'd use him.While its true that Mazzy can do the job, you'll probably get more interesting dialogues in ToB from Sarevok. Similarly, if you've never had both of them in your party before, you might swap one of your "standards" out in exchange for them both.

I also answered your tread in SoA forum, I confirm that if you want Sarevok drop one of the two big guys because they are all almost identical in gameplay. Mazzy is nice but she is still a plain fighter, why don't you try Valygar?
He is very peculiar, you should play him as a F/T (hide and backstab); he is a good fighter and would give you more variety in gameplay.

Unfortunately, you can't have all the NPCs in your party. So you have to make choices. Any of the NPCs could be made to "fit" your party and your playing style. When you're talking about Mazzy and Sarevok, you're basically talking about two Fighters, and you would do just as well to pick one or the other. Keldorn is distinguished by his Inquisitor abilities, so I wouldn't drop him. I'm very fond of Minsc, and I wouldn't drop him either, but if you want both Mazzy and Sarevok in your party, I suppose he could go. His dialogues with Aerie, Jan, and Haer'Dalis are more funny than the dialogues he has with the NPCs in your party, so aside from his hilarious battle cries (which always keep my spirits up), I don't know how much you'd miss him if you dropped him.

All other things being equal, Mazzy has the better saves, as you note, but by that time in the game your spellcasters and items should be able to cast pre-battle spells that help out all tanks. Sarevok has his weapon and his strength, and a lot of interesting dialog. In this respect, I agree with Faust: if you haven't tried Saravok before, he's certainly worth placing in a party just for the interactions. If you have used him, then I would still incline in his direction because he kills quicker. At that point, you want quick kills, and he delivers.

If it's about kills, Minsc is the weakest link. Mazzy rivals Korgan if properly developed and equipped, she's probably the most underestimated fighter in the game.

But then, if your aim is playing tank-heavy the solution is obvious: Drop Jaheira for Mazzy.

[QUOTE=Phantom Lord]If it's about kills, Minsc is the weakest link. Mazzy rivals Korgan if properly developed and equipped, she's probably the most underestimated fighter in the game.

But then, if your aim is playing tank-heavy the solution is obvious: Drop Jaheira for Mazzy. [/QUOTE]

But Jaheira is a much better tank than Mazzy defensively, considering all the auto-buff she can cast, losing something on the melee offensive side (few lev. of Thac0 being only some fighter lev. behind and the effect of mastery), but gaining a lot on the overall offensive side for all the spelcasting of a druid (and at high lev. it's amazing).

But Mazzy would eat Minsc and I still consider Minsc more of a tank than Jaheira.

So since the PC has cleric spells and the player wants tanks, ...

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the question of which NPC will be more powerful. If this is not your first time through the game, take the NPCs you've not tried before. For the most part, you really can't go wrong. Any party composition is doable, though some are more challenging than others. Again, I think you'll really enjoy having Sarevok with you in ToB. He's quite interesting, or at least I thought he was. Mazzy as good as well. If you've not used her before and have used Keldorn or Minsc quite a bit, I'd encourage you to drop one of them (personally, it would be Minsc. But to each there own.)

It's about fun and dialogue with a Tank-Theme. I love Minsc. I love Jaheira, Keldorn, and would never abandon my little sister.

I'm going with Sarevok just because (not only in this thread), I've been told that he's really worth taking through ToB if you've never done it before.

I also relish the idea that I can take all of the other NPCs with me for a small while and do their little personal quests. It'll be a lot of fun, and will help pass the time since I'm romancing Jaheira (which takes forever) and trying the flirt pack for the first time (which is kinda weak so far, but I'm early in the game).

Mazzy rules...

if you pimp her out with short bow, dual weapon, and short sword, she is a bad-a** chick. Equip her with Boots of Speed, Turligan's Bow, and dual wield her with the Short Sword that casts entangle, she
becomes a killing machine.