How to actually play single character in SoA?

ne0gen · Post by **ne0gen** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:32 am

I know this might be a lame question, but how to do it?
I mean, I've alerady read that the best is F/M/T, but at what levels to dual to different class so you wont be too weak or so?
And how multiclass work, ive never seen how to make a multiclass character?

And is it really possible to play the WHOLE game as single character? I mean what about the dragons and stuff?

And when do you get backstab with your char.?
Thx forwardly

rputran · Post by **rputran** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 6:31 am

Just a few years too late, I guess

. There was a time when forums were full of this. Most of them may have been archived by now. Try Baldur's Gate Ironworks though - they may still have something up.

To answer your question - yes it is very much possible to solo the entire game. I have. People have done it with different characters with completely different experiences - that is really the beauty of the game. With the ToB expansion pack some characters are tough but just SoA is very doable.

ne0gen · Post by **ne0gen** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:16 am

cmon )

Cmon, just tell me your advice on what level to dual to differeny class so youre not too weak or too late, pls

Baldurs gate is immortal, there will always be people playig it and asking the same

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:57 am

There are plenty of people here with the experience, and they do like answering this question. So either wait for their replies, or simply do a search on "solo" in our archives.

Three hours is not enough time for a response, anywhere. Give it a day.

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:24 am

You'll have to pinpoint what it is that you want to have help with... As for now, it looks to me that you want a dualclassed F/T/M, which is impossible.

And yes, it's very possible to solo the vanilla game with pretty much any char, though some alternatives (fighter/thief, fighter(kensai)/mage, sorceress) are more popular than other.

Masa · Post by **Masa** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:11 am

I think it's actually easier with one character than with a party, I played a kensai/mage first time. The game becomes a bit boring after underdark if you don't take off the exp. cap coz you can't see your character improve.
When you have all the best items and experience to yourself you're almost invincible.
The most challenging fight was with drizzt and his pals.

ne0gen · Post by **ne0gen** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 3:30 pm

Cool

That sounds worth trying

but, still you havent answered my question, and that is WHEN to dual from kensai to mage, so you have all the great kensai abilities and still you arent too late to be a good mage?
And, is the xp cap removed by adding ToB, to the game? (not playing it, but instaling it)

And one more thing, HOW can you play single sorceror? in the beginning there is a lot of creatures you will not be able to kill without somebody holding them far away from you, and im not even talking about the dragons here!

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 4:29 pm

[QUOTE=ne0gen]That sounds worth trying

but, still you havent answered my question, and that is WHEN to dual from kensai to mage, so you have all the great kensai abilities and still you arent too late to be a good mage?
And, is the xp cap removed by adding ToB, to the game? (not playing it, but instaling it)
[/QUOTE]

It appears that you haven't done a search on the database, because we have several lengthy threads arguing what are the best levels to dual a kensai/mage. If you want a lot of opinions with good reasons, that's the easiest and quickest way to locate them. Search on kensai, and knock yourself out.

As for the XP cap, it isn't removed at all by ToB. When you install the latter, it simply raises the cap.

Masa · Post by **Masa** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 1:07 am

Well it depends whether you want a bit stronger fighter side or max your mage.
If you want to max the mages exp then you have to dual at level 9, as mage needs 2 700 000 exp to reach level 17 and 8 level spells. Thaco is sufficient in Soa but if you want to play the same character in Tob then I'd suggest wait at least level 11 with kensai before dualling to mage, I know it may make Soa a bit more difficult but it gets easier.
You have played the game through with a party? It's good to know where the best items lie before playing solo.

smass · Post by **smass** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 3:53 pm

I just wanted to point out to the original poster - there are about a dozen "solo" play guides in the BGII section. These guides are a good place to start to get some ideas about soloing.

Sir Redweed · Post by **Sir Redweed** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 10:08 pm

Are you playing the game to beat it or playing it to enjoy?

If you choose to solo it is possible to beat the game but to really play it you need to have a party to allow the NPC interaction to take place.

Try to solo with a Paladin. Hard to do. Even the holiest of warriors realize they need a party to survive.

Thrifalas · Post by **Thrifalas** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:31 am

[QUOTE=ne0gen]That sounds worth trying

but, still you havent answered my question, and that is WHEN to dual from kensai to mage, so you have all the great kensai abilities and still you arent too late to be a good mage?
And, is the xp cap removed by adding ToB, to the game? (not playing it, but instaling it)[/QUOTE]

5
6 +1 Hit/Thaco
7 +1/2 Atk/Rnd
8
9 +1 Hit/Thaco <--- here
10 no more warrior HD
11
12 +1 Hit/Thaco
13 +1/2 Atk/Rnd <--- or here
14
15 +1 Hit/Thaco <--- maybe even here
16
17
18 +1 Hit/Thaco
19
20
21 +1 Hit/Thaco <--- last chance

are some of the best levels to dual, depending if you want to solo ToB as well. The other levels are the same, just ad +1 Hit/Thaco to each 3rd level. And 21 is the absolutely last level to dualclass, as you'll end up with a 21/22 ken/mage. 9 is probably the first level to dualclass, as you start somewhere like that and will be really gimped if you to it earier.

And INSTALLING tob will raise your xp cap from 2950000 to 8000000.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:27 am

I think the sorcerer is the best solo class there is. There is almost nothing the other classes can do that the sorcerer can't with a spell. You can open locks with knock and magical protections can protect you from traps. If you're solo, you will get some major-powerful nukes early on (you need to wipe out crowds fast if you're solo). You can summon your own meat shields or even use Tenser's Transformation if spells don't cut it. If you have ToB, you can eventually summon a planetar (you will hit the "epic" levels long before you finish SoA), who can cast divine spells for you like Heal and Raise Dead, so you become a bit of a cleric anyway.

Don't be fooled by the jack-of-all-trades allure offered by the F/M/T.

Deadalready · Post by **Deadalready** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:05 am

[QUOTE=ne0gen]And one more thing, HOW can you play single sorceror? in the beginning there is a lot of creatures you will not be able to kill without somebody holding them far away from you, and im not even talking about the dragons here![/QUOTE]

Fireball at distance and sunfire at close range. Sorceror is the ultimate in solo characters in my opinion, not too cheesy and not too easy. If you search the internet for Elmonster, you'll find a craftily written story about soloing as a mage.

I also solo as a Bounty Hunter, which I find has more opportunities than an Assasin.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:02 pm

Stoneskin and spell deflection will protect you from weapons and spells. They also protect you from traps (so forget about dual/multi thieves). You can throw in a few extras lik improved invisibility if you're hard-pressed.

I've never played a kensai/mage, and I question its worth. Your THAC0 is somewhat better, but will it make an appreciable difference in the later game when the enemies have higher ACs and HPs, and your spells dish out better damage?

Another good class to try solo is the monk. In the first half he's bit weak (expect to quickload a lot with some battles), but he gets really good once his AC bonuses mount and his magic resistance kicks in. Liches are no longer a challenge when you laugh off all their spells.

moltovir · Post by **moltovir** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:58 am

I've soloed BG2 and ToB with a Blade, and had loads of fun

A Blade is basically like a F/M/T, tuned down, but with the level requirements of a thief. A fully leveled Blade will likely not be as powerful as a highlevel FMT, but he'll reach that point much, much earlier. You can get some insane levels with an experience cap remover. Since the blade isn't a strong mage, nor a strong fighter or even a decent thief (only has pickpocket) you'll have to use all your abilities to the maximum to survive some of the challenges the game throws at you. A blade's maximum spell level is 5, which may seem low, but luckily the best spells for a blade are in that range. The key to winning fights is preparation, and a good combo of offensive and defensive spells combined with a quick arm. By using his dualwield advantage with weapons that grant an extra attack, and combining this with spells like Improved Haste or his innate Offensive Spin, the blade can attack extremely fast which compensates for his low damage bonus. Since you need so little experience to level, you'll probably have the powerful HLA's like use any item and time trap long before you go the Underdark, which will give you a well-rounded and very powerful character capable of defeating anything the game throws at you

Emnelion · Post by **Emnelion** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:51 am

I'm almost always soloing. Haven't done anything else the past six month or so.
The berserker 9/thief is awsome and the kensai/mage is rediciously strong
SPOILER

killed the blackdragon in Sulldanessalar whitout suffering a single hp damage

END SPOILER
The Bounty Hunter is just sooo CHEASY CHEASY.
But I dont think that soloing the game means less enjoyment (is that even a word?), I think it can actually increase the fun. And that becouse you have to squeze out as much as you possibly can from your character. I often find myself using like 30% of my characters abilities when playing with a party. When soloing, things like your environment, corners and doorways, tactical fightingspots becomes something to have in mind, as opposite to play with a party when you just have to run your enemies over.
But you chould really test your own dream character out. You can always start a game with six home-made characters and then CLUA them up some levels just to check their abilities; that's how I work out different characters.