Volourn's Wowwy Journey With NWN2:Spoiler Edition

[Tigranes]

Yep. The key to buidling your keep is talk to everyone and looka round for ore mines as you progress along the game. Meaning an attention to detail helps you, just like in the old days (as opposed to TIP: HOW ABOUT GETTING SOME ORE MINERS?).

 

I had talked to Pentin in OOW before when I first visited, as well as Calindra in Port Llast, all the way back in Act 1, and remembered that they wanted somewhere to set up their ore shop.

[alanschu]

It's not like it matters. It seems like it is still possible to fully upgrade them.

 

 

And even with my completely non-upgraded guys, I still whooped-ass in the siege.

[Spider]

Which is why I'm thinking all this keep stuff is just fluff. Very cool and entertaining fluff, but fluff none the less.

 

(not that I mind fluff, I actually loved having the keep)

[alanschu]

Oh I'm sure it is.

 

I highly doubt they'd make the game unwinnable because you didn't fix up the keep.

[Spider]

The question is if it even affects the difficulty of the coming battles in any significant way.

[alanschu]

I imagine it does. You get an update of the abilities the soldiers have, such as their resistance to slashing and stuff like that.

 

I'm curious what will happen if you leave the keep unattached. Do you get a really hard fight in the courtyard, or do you just skip everything and go right to it, with no really difference?

[Tigranes]

Your soldiers get some buffs. Alliances give you better allies to fight with. etc.

[Spider]

Yeah, but still... I could easily have done both the courtyard stuff and the siege engines without the dwarf detachments I had with me. Seriously, in the courtyard the shadows usually didn't even reach the dwarves with Qara greeting them with fireballs and me mopping up the survivors.

 

Same with the siege stuff. My character would typically handle one tower by herself while Qara and Zhaejve held down the next (with the dwarves, but again they weren't really that helpful). There was never more than two towers at the walls at the same time.

 

The troops may as well just not have been there. As for the slashing resistance etc. Does that EVER come into play? It's not like you get any strategic troop deployments or anything. You fight and get some buddies to fight with you. I get the feeling that there was intended to be more of an actual battle (where you were commanding instead of on the front lines) but that it got cut.

[Dark_Raven]

Which is why I'm thinking all this keep stuff is just fluff. Very cool and entertaining fluff, but fluff none the less.

 

(not that I mind fluff, I actually loved having the keep)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like fluff.

[Darque]

The keep was very well done.

[Dark_Raven]

Now I am in Act 3. More delays! I must do some mundane quest to save that tight ass Nasher. I have stuff to do at my Keep damn it! Plus I am without my army. What shall I do?

 

Shandra is dead. :'( She was one of my better fighters.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Dark_Raven

[roshan]

Forget stupid sheepwoman.

 

What happens to the items in her inventory? I WANT MY LOOT BACK!!!!!

[Tigranes]

Ammon Jerro *should* have it. If not, you're screwed.

[Dark_Raven]

Stupid sheep woman she may be, but she was a valuable asset in my arsenal. Now my character will have to pick up the front line void she leaves behind. I can

[Darque]

Yeah, losing shandra sucked.

 

she was my favorite npc.

[Tigranes]

I can

[roshan]

Stupid sheep woman she may be, but she was a valuable asset in my arsenal. Now my character will have to pick up the front line void she leaves behind. I can’t let the dwarf do it all by himself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You can always take Bishop or Casavir.

 

Hell at high levels and with good gear, Elanee can more than hold her own in melee combat, and thats without any buffing spells.

 

I hated sheepwoman and never actually made use of her in combat. I just let the AI bother about the *****.

 

EDIT: edited to remove bad language that didnt get automatically replaced.

Edited November 17, 2006 by roshan

[Dark_Raven]

Khelgar may have a ring of regeneration and dwarves are cannon fodder after all, but he has gone down for the count a few times. No front line fighters leaves my spell casters open. My spellcasters are melee fighters when their spells run out. The only ranged fighter I have is the gnome and I rarely take him out.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Dark_Raven

[Volourn]

My keep timeline is 100%. Pretty much have everything maxed out except for number of troops. Only managed to get about 300 recruits including volunteers from the village. I suck at recruiting.

 

From a few apges back, I went back to Port Llast several more times, and eventually found that 4th sergeant. Gah.

 

I OWN Jerro. I OWN him so much. I put him in his palce, and he cried to his mummy. He's still a punk who deserves to be FRIED. Why is this FOOL forced in my party? I do NOT need him! I have Z who is 100x better. Though, I must admit, he touched me a little bit with his so called remorsefulness over Shandra's death after I OWNED him.

 

The Fortress Seige was aweosme! The opening cermeony with Lord Nasher at Port Llast cam eoff as lame; but everything else was WOWSERS!!! The various battle sequences, the reports, everything. Too kool for skool. I think there's no way to count how many udnead we slaughtered. Those crying about how 'useless' the Cloaks and allies are; try buffing them. I cast various spells like barksin, flame weapon, stoneskin, and the like on them. Great fun!

 

Oh my Elanee! She professed her love for me alongside some cheesy music (probably Obsidian's way of getting back at all the fans who demanded romances even though Obsidinaites don't seem to into game romances). HAHA! Elanee and I scored with other. I wonder if we'll have a dwelf!!!

 

KOS's domain was, let's just say, interesting. The undead kept on coming. It was pretty obvious that the dark clouds wer ethe key. Heh. Still greta fun! Boy, does that place ever collect the junkiest junk. I thoiguht you couldn't rest, btw? I tried when I first entered and di so no problem. After the next boss battle,. I tried again; got attacked twice then rested.

 

The battle with the three Shadow Weavers.. was interetsing.. it didn't help that several times Z and Jerro kept on NOT using the scrolls. Jerro eventually died 'cause he's an idiot so Z had to basiclaly do all the reading herself. She evn took time out of her busy schedule to rez my character. The first time my character had to be rez not counting the handful of times my party got TPK. Never got wiped out in this battle; but it sure took awhile to beat these dinks. This was a fun fight! They seemed to be able to damge my PC pretty easily.

 

Now for some more fun.. and, stupid. Bishop, of course, shows up and cries that I took the paladin's side too much? WTH? I never partied with the two of them together. LOLOLOLOLLIPOP What a maroon.

 

The next betrayer was Neeshka. Onc eagain, this shows how asanine her entire character she is. I showed no loyalty to her? WHAT!?! You forced yourself into my party, demanded that I steal, and continued to whine about EVERYTHING and you accuse ME of betraying YOU!?! One. of. the. worst. characters. ever.

 

The last betrayer was poor Qara. Too bad too 'cause as a player I liekd her a lot, and my character had high hopes for her too. Sadly she was too chaotic to tame, and her hatred for Sand knows no bound. I was sad to see her turn; but it was ultimately her choice.

 

Now, the actual battle. This was a long battle; not really hard; but took FOREVER. First off, the three scumbags dropped nice and easy. Morons. However, that slippery Bishop sneaked up on Z when I was paying attention to another part of the battlefield and killed her quick. He died 2 seconds afterwards by my PC, and his archrival, the paladin. Poor Grobnar also got ambushed by a stupid demon that ported in right beside him. With his alck of hit points, he nearly died instantly. Garius' minions were eaisly taken care off. I didn't realize at first that the barriers could be destroyed. LOL So, 3/4 of my party were trapped for the longest time 'til we took them down. Meanwhile, my PC decided to spend his time hammering on Gariius. And, it took FOREVER though I wasn't taking much damage. He must have been near death like 10 times AT LEAST. During this time, my other characters wer esmahsing the various barriers, and Z was rezzing Grobnar (I had rezzed her with a scroll earlier). Eventually, welal jnust gangbaned Graiius and he fell into a puddle of poo. WHAT!?! He had no ph@t lewt? btw, Was there a 'secret' o defeating him quickly or is he susppoed to have super regenerative powers? LOL I should also ifnorm you all that unlike most of the game, I didn't even bother to buff before beginning battle these last two boss battles so I wasn't as prepared as per usual. Hey, gotta get challenged somehow.

 

Anyways, I got to exact revenge on that annying tiefling finally, had to put poor beloved Qara out of misery, and had to end the evil existence of the betraying ranger who should have NEVER been with me in the first place. LOL

 

Does anyone know if you cna get Sand, and Qara both to stay? Is there a scenario where Jerro will betray you? Doubtful; but that would be cool.

What companions have others lost? Garious didn't even try to brainwash some of the npcs like Elanne, or Khelgar.

 

I am now level 20, and at full strength. The King of Shadows awaits his doom...

[taks]

I suck at recruiting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

why that does not surprise me i'll never know...

 

perhaps it's because you spin 'em with vologic then beat 'em over the head with a stick before asking "would you like to join?"

 

 

taks

[Darque]

I only had two defections, Bishop and Qwararara.

 

Needless to say, despite being Lawful Good (from the begining of chapter two oneward ) I rather enjoyed fireballing her to death.

 

Good ol' Neeshka stayed with till the end though.

[Volourn]

Neeshka is a hypocrite. She whines about loyalty yet has none herself. LOL She deserved to die just like Jerro yet he is too COWARDLY to leave. Jerkoff. He deserves to die!!!

Edited November 17, 2006 by Volourn

[Dark_Raven]

I only had two defections, Bishop and Qwararara.

 

Needless to say, despite being Lawful Good (from the begining of chapter two oneward  ) I rather enjoyed fireballing her to death.

 

Good ol' Neeshka stayed with till the end though. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hope Bishop defects from my group. I would love to personally gut him with my twin blades. Qara would be another one also. Those two I don't have good influence with.

[Wistrik]

I've noticed this game seems to use an old BG2 trick called MINHP1, which in that game was an item that prevented an NPC from dropping below 1HP and dying. When the time came, a script removed the item so the NPC could be killed. It has been the cause for many a cheesy battle where a competant party should have killed the NPC immediately if not sooner. Sad to see NWN2 using a similar tactic.

 

Jerro/Z only read the names the first one or two times to show you how it's done. After that quick tutorial, I always had to tell them to read the scrolls, even if they said they would do it. I just chalk it up to the usual weak AI.

 

I just had Bishop forced into my party for early Ember, so I let him die during battles. He's such an idiot. Qara is not much better; I have a 14 year old friend who is more mature than she is. Pathetic. Neeshka might work out for some folks, but we don't see eye to eye and I get tired of her perpetual whining, especially when Elanee joins the group or says anything later.

 

Your stronghold was better by a little bit; I only had 112 recruited, but we kicked ass. I set my standards to the same as Greycloak and left it there.

[Pop]

I only had two defections, Bishop and Qwararara.

 

Needless to say, despite being Lawful Good (from the begining of chapter two oneward  ) I rather enjoyed fireballing her to death.

 

Good ol' Neeshka stayed with till the end though. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I hope Bishop defects from my group. I would love to personally gut him with my twin blades. Qara would be another one also. Those two I don't have good influence with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bishop always defects, as his betrayal has nothing to do with influence. He foresees your loss and like any self-respecting CE character, bails on you at the least convenient time.

 

Qara defects if you've not gained any influence with her (as I do, as I fon't use her)