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I'm not hardcore, so looking for average difficulty or balancing mod which doesn't change the story too much and something that might spice it up and isn't buggy. And, possibly an ease of use mod (like with IWD II mod where you can store 99 of same object etc...). I was reading the sticky thread, but it was just way too much info for me to take in.

- Damian

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Try an unmodded game before you bring out the big guns.

If not, then Unfinished Business may help.

Yea, I don't want to change the original story much, just looking for something that might spice and/or balance it a little bit. I'll take a look at unfinished business. Any other suggestions appreciated.

- Damian

Get the Baldurdash fixpacks and the latest patch, and that's it. If you're feeling adventurous, add in a banter pack, but I would suggest not altering any game mechanics at all your first time through.

And avoid walkthroughs, unless you're really stuck. You'll have a lot more fun that way.

I did take a look at Unfinished Business and it looks to fix some problems and restore some of what wasn't able to be finished. And what about some romance pack and a couple of the ease of use mods (stacking etc..)?

My issue is that though I know I'll love the game, I just don't game so much anymore, so may never even ever get around to playing it a second time around.

- Damian

Here are my suggestions for a first time player who wants to tweak the game. The game developers went to a lot of trouble to balance the game, so by definition, any changes you make to the game will have a tendency to unbalance the game (not to balance it). Even so, some changes are helpful, especially if they correct errors the designers overlooked.

No single website has all of the mods I like to use, so I have provided links. If you would like to find other mods, you can visit the the Pocket Plane Group website. They maintain an extensive index.

Some of the setup programs can be run from the directory where you downloaded them. Other files must be "unzipped" and copied to your BG2 directory, and then you run the setup program from there. Some files aren't really programs per se; all you have to do is "unzip" them and put them in your BG2 OVERRIDE directory. Each download comes with instructions.

First you should install BG2: Shadows of Amn, and then install Throne of Bhaal. Then you should install the Official TOB Patch. This constitutes a clean copy of the game.

Most mod makers assume that you have installed the Baldurdash Fix Pack v1.12 and English-Language Game Text Update v1.2, so you should install those before any other mods. Then you can install the following:

Weimer's Ease-of-Use Mod Collection

Select only the following components:
- Infinite Weapon and Potion Stacking (SoA)
- Infinite Weapon and Potion Stacking (ToB)
- True Grand Mastery
- Shut Up "You Must Gather Your Party ..."
- Wear Magical Armor AND Magic Rings
- Multi-Player Kick Out Patch
- Bonus Merchants
- Imoen ToB Dialogue Fix
- Female Edwina
- Romance: Bug Fixes

Sorceror's Place Cloak of Mirroring for BG2:TOB

'Safe' XP Cap Remover for Throne of Bhaal by Kevin Dorner

The G3 Tweak Pack

Select only the following components:
- Shadows of Amn World Map Fixes
- Change Magically Created Weapons to Zero Weight
- Alter HP Triggers for NPC Wounded Dialogues
- Viconia Skin Color Change
- Weapon Animation Tweaks
- 100% Learn Spells
- Bottomless Bags of Holding
- Maximum HP on Level Up
- Make +x/+y Weapons Consistent
- Restore SoA Load Screen Logo
- Disable Portrait Icons Added by Equipped Items

SimDing0's Miscellaneous Tweak Pack

Select only the following components:
- Enhanced Goodberries
- Corrected Summoned Demon Behaviour
- Corrected Demon Animations
- Tweaked Weapon Enchantments
- Ghrey's Holy Symbol Fix
- Smarter Illusionary Clones
- Improved Oasis II

Oversight

Select only the following components:
- Alignment Correction
- Cleric Kits

Unfinished Business

Select only the following components:
- The Kidnapping of Boo, by Cliffette
- The Suna Seni/Valygar Relationship Restoration
- Restored Crooked Crane
- Restored Encounters
- Corrected "Xzar's Creations"
- Gorf the Squisher Fix, by Gebhard Blucher
- Item Restorations
- NPC Portrait Restorations
- Corrected BAMs and Scripts
- Corrected Character Names
- Restored Minor Dialogs
- Throne of Bhaal Minor Restorations
- Sarevok's Remorse, by Sovran and Winterine

Three of the female NPCs can be romanced. Ordinarily, if you try to romance more than one of them, they will force you to make a choice. If you want to romance all three of them, you'll have to use the Multi-Romance Patch that is included in the Ease of Use mod. Also, the NPCs are picky when it comes to race. The Multi-Romance patch makes it possible for any race to have romance.

You can also add new NPCs to the game. But some of them have a way of taking over the game, so I don't recommend an NPC mod for a first time player. It's nice to have extra dialogue in the game, but new dialogue isn't always true to the original characters. Sometimes the new quests are too distracting from the main quest. And personally, I don't like it when an NPC steals the focus from my main character. The NPCs are engaging just as they are, and the first time you meet them, it's just as well to leave a bit of mystery about them that could be spoiled by extra dialogue. Just rely on your own imagination as you get to know them. That's my advice.

And are all these mods compatable? I read that a lot of mods that are non-weimer aren't usually compatable with weimer mods.

- Damian

I haven't had any problems using those mods together. Most of them merely add new files to the /OVERRIDE directory where they have no effect on each other.

By the way, some Weimar mods conflict with each other because they try to modify the same files or dialogue trees. For example, there are a couple of mods that change the final battle in Shadows of Amn, so you should choose one or the other instead of installing both. You should also be careful with mods that alter the DIALOG.TLK file.

You should always make a backup of your override folder before installing any mod. If you are installing multiple mods, then you should have a backup of the override before each mod is installed. That way you can "rollback" the mod in case there is a problem / conflict.