murraydd

BG2 is still one of my favorite games of all time, although the recent surge of superb CRPGs and my newfound obsession with Dark Souls and Hollow Knight have pushed it down a few notches. It sat at the top for a very, very long time - specifically because, as some other posters have commented, it's just such a huge game with so much going on. A long time ago, when Westwood Studios still existed, I played RTS games almost exclusively; BG2 was my first big RPG and having a decent amount of RTS blood in it helped me get into the genre. (Funny enough though, when I played BG1 years later, I wasn't too impressed by it). That all being said, though, I still think PoE1 is a better game overall than BG2, because the mechanics are so much better. PoE2 isn't there quite yet, but it has a ton of potential. Don't forget how much better PoE1 is now than it was at launch. (To be fair, I haven't yet completed a 100% playthrough because I was waiting for PotD buffs and now I'm a little too busy to devote myself to another run, so there's still time for Deadfire to already be great).

In my first playthrough, I named my ship Iovara, in honor of Iovara. In my second playthrough, I named my ship Fiery Whore, in honor of Durance.

I just played through it with a Marauder (Berserker/Streetfighter). I used Eder, Xoti (both multiclassed) and a pair of hirelings (Troubadour, Crusader). It wasn't easy, but I got through it on my first attempt without using any weird kiting shenanigans. My biggest piece of advice other than "use hirelings," is to use Explosives. Stun Grenades were my MVPs. I also had everyone rest and eat Rice for 10% DR, and ate Whiteleaf with Eder and my PC. The game is rarely going to be more difficult than it is right now, so now is the time to use everything at your disposal to win!

As of the new patch, my comments about Soul Annihilation are no longer valid. They got rid of it working in an AoE with Whispers or my fancy pollaxe. It was probably too good, but I will miss it all the same!

I'm playing a Transcendent (Helwalker/Soul Blade) using the WoEP in New PotD, and not only does the cone apply attack-based statuses, it also applies Soul Annihilation to everything inside of it. With its size enhanced by Duality. It is absolutely glorious. Raw damage all over the place. (Helwalker was really dangerous to play until about level 9 though! I'd probably do Shattered Pillar if I did it all over.)