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Aran of the Shadow Thieves is ready to take me to Spellhold now, but I have not completed the majority of the quests in the game yet.

I've heard that all quests in earlier chapters should be completed before moving onto Spellhold. Is this recommended? Or can I come back with Imoen later and finish them up?

Thanks.

Depends. Do you want to use Imoen for most of the game?

If you do all the side quests before going her level will be substantially lower than the other's.

Also I would like to make enough money to buy at least one item before going.

Spoiler:














The Shield of Balduran.

Yes I would like to use Imoen for most of the game. I think she would have particularly interesting commentary and party interaction. But by the time I return to Athkala, wouldn't I be at around Chapter 6 or so? It would be funny having to go back and do those Chapter 2 quests...

If I take the ship to Spellhold now, when's the earliest I can return?

My current party level is 9-10, so what about in terms of difficulty?

To me it's a bit strange that you go around for two months completing all sorts of odd jobs when your sister has been kidnapped. But it's also a bit strange to do them when you're hot on the trail of the guy that did it.

So it'd be unrealistic to do them whether in chapter 2-3 or 6.

So I say do them whenever you want to.

Chapter 5 will be tough to complete, at least if you want to be thorough but of course not impossible.

So if you want Imoen then I say go soon. And bring Yoshimo if you haven't already.

I have played the game twice up to chap 6.

The first time through I finished all of the quests first and then obtained Imoen. Not only was she lacking in level compared to the rest of the party but I had also wasted all of the XP gained on another party member that was removed for Imoen.

The second time through I picked up Imoen as soon as I could. The game was much more challenging but possible. Having Imoen along to complete all of the early quests upon our return was also more fun.

In the end it is up to you how you want to play your game so do what feels right.

If you want Imoen in your party, then why would do all of the sidequests without her in Chapter Two?

Waterchan wrote:I would like to use Imoen for most of the game. I think she would have particularly interesting commentary and party interaction...

Unfortunately, Imoen has very little interaction with the other NPCs in Shadows of Amn and relatively few dialogue interjections when you do the major sidequests once you're out of Irenicus's dungeon. Fortunately, she has a lot more dialogue in Throne of Bhaal. (However, there's a bug that needs to be patched by the Baldurdash FixPack in order for you to see her dialogue--her name was misspelled in the resource files).

Waterchan wrote:I've heard that all quests in earlier chapters should be completed before moving onto Spellhold...

I don't know who told you that, but it is definitely NOT necessary. On the contrary, the game designers did as much as they could to create a sense of urgency to raise the gold you need to rescue Imoen and then go to her without delay. All of the quests in Chapters Three, Four, and Five were balanced so they would be challenging but not impossible for a mid-level party. If you have a high level party when you go to Spellhold, it's just too easy. But maybe that's why so many people like it.

If you do the major sidequests in Chapter Six, the game will automatically add extra traps and monsters to make the areas more difficult and therefore more suitable for a high level party (as opposed to a low level party you'd have in Chapter Two). This just goes to show that the designers did their best to balance the game. If you want to make the game easier, there are lots of ways to do it, but I'd rather play a game the way it was intended instead of wimping out. Everybody is free to play the way they prefer.

I used to run off and get Imoen ASAP. Now I take a slightly different approach. While I still love her character, I make sure each character I plan on keeping has one +3 weapon in his or her inventory. This is a good measuring stick in my games that tells me I'm ready for all of the challenges to get back to Athkatla in chapter 6. It makes for the best game IMO.

VonDondu wrote:On the contrary, the game designers did as much as they could to create a sense of urgency to raise the gold you need to rescue Imoen and then go to her without delay.

With this in mind, it seems to make sense just to approach it from a role-playing perspective. The stronghold quests are generally designed to get you at, or at least pretty close to, the amount of money you need, so you should be able to get that done for your passage. If there happens to be some other thing you hear about, say (spoiler)--slavery, people skinned alive, or guys getting buried alive for spiffy pantaloons--that you are compelled to deal with immediately, then that's all for the best. But otherwise let the Umar kids get their own booze and go after Irenicus/Imoen.

Klorox wrote:I used to run off and get Imoen ASAP. Now I take a slightly different approach. While I still love her character, I make sure each character I plan on keeping has one +3 weapon in his or her inventory. This is a good measuring stick in my games that tells me I'm ready for all of the challenges to get back to Athkatla in chapter 6. It makes for the best game IMO.

I agree. I think you need to be well-prepared before you try to storm a place like Spellhold, especially if you expect to face an enemy like Irenicus or the Cowled Wizards when you get there. Sure, I want to rescue Imoen as soon as I can, but a suicide mission won't do anyone any good.

Ian Kognitow wrote:With this in mind, it seems to make sense just to approach it from a role-playing perspective. The stronghold quests are generally designed to get you at, or at least pretty close to, the amount of money you need, so you should be able to get that done for your passage. If there happens to be some other thing you hear about, say (spoiler)--slavery, people skinned alive, or guys getting buried alive for spiffy pantaloons--that you are compelled to deal with immediately, then that's all for the best. But otherwise let the Umar kids get their own booze and go after Irenicus/Imoen.

I also agree with this.

As it turns out, two major sidequests plus a few of the less time-consuming quests around Athkatla (the Circus, the Graveyard, the Copper Coronet, etc.) provide plenty of experience by the time you start Chapter Three. From a roleplaying perspective, it makes sense to help some of the NPCs who will accompany you to Spellhold if you agree to help them first. There are a lot of people who need immediate help, and it makes sense to help them, too. But other quests are less time-sensitive, and besides, you can pretend that their problems have only just begun when the messengers track you down. If you meet them and put them off, you can justify it by saying that you don't really know what's going on in the first place and your own loved one needs immediate help. You can be reasonable about it.

I've found that one 12th Level Berserker can solo all of Bhodi's missions, so that ought to tell you something about the way the designers intended to approach the sidequests. In other words, they expected your party to be somewhere around mid-level when you start Chapter Three. I think that's why it just "feels right" and makes for the best game.