BG2 mod update thread

[Monte Carlo]

Hi, thanks for helping me with the uninstall issue with BG2.

 

I'm currently doing a completely fresh BG2 + ToB install for the second time only on this rig, after this I will apply the final official Bio patch.

 

And after that... well it will be the widescreen mod probably. I've taken a look at my old mod installations and some of them are, well, old. Baldurdash, for example, which has probably moved on. Weimer's Tactics, which I think has also moved on.

 

What I'm seeking to do is put together a balance of mods to make the vanilla game more challenging / different (and try out some stuff I've not tried before) while aiming for optimal stability (i.e. for some reason a mod I used last time caused Saemon Havarian never make the Brynlaww RV, thus I missed the Sahuaguin city).

 

So, any ideas, suggestions and particularly mod installation order gratefully accepted.

 

Not wildly interested in NPC mods unless you think they are either (a) really really good or (b) are for a thief. I now use that ancient mod that allows you to alter the core NPC's base class (so I now always have Jaheira as Rngr / Cleric and Imoen as either a single-classed thief or a sorcerer).

 

Again, thanks in advance, I know this forum is the one place I can always come to on the web and get decent feedback on stuff like this and it is appreciated.

 

Cheers

MC

[213374U]

G3 Fixpack. As far as I know, it incorporates all the fixes from Baldurdash and then some.

 

You may want to take a look at some components from Tweakpack, too.

 

Other interesting mods are Rogue Rebalancing (and aTweaks), Oversight (for the Monk HLAs), and Sword Coast Stratagems/SCSII. That one is a serious boost in difficulty, but unlike Tactics, it's actually fun to play.

[Tigranes]

As numbers says, G3 Fixpack is now the automatic 'patch' to apply immediately after TOB 26498 (don't ask me why I remember that number).

 

I would argue that Sword Coast Stratagems II is absolutely necessary as well - an excellent combination of AI, scripting and enemy upgrades that results in mages and clerics that pre-cast, enemies that use abilities and potions, better calls for help that actually work, smart dispelling of player buffs and so forth. Also endlessly customisable.

 

Otherwise, depends on your tastes, but here are some of my favs. I despise mods that lack proper production qualities, polish, or don't mesh properly with the existing games: this goes for most of the horrendous, self-indulgent NPC mods with disgusting custom portraits, even worse music and dialogue worse than anything you'll ever see in Oblivion. Stuff below are okay.

 

Technical / Rules Mods:

Since I'm pretty dense when it comes to D&D rules some of these may contravene real rules and you might balk at 'em.. hm.

• Ashes of Embers: Good for one thing, removing hard-coded class restrictions on weapon use in AD&D. I have Edwin on crossbow at the moment.
  
• Gibberling Tweaks: As numbers man says. Good tweaky stuff.
  
• Improved Summons: Some options are a bit on the power-gamey stuff, but I always thought summons should be more significant in BG2.
  
• TOB Refinements: Pretty old-ish and has things like HLA fixes and true Grand Mastery, I recall...
  
• Rogue Rebalancing: Great mod for thieves and bards including rule fixes and additional stuff.
  
• Wild Mage Additions: If you play wild mages, a few new things to play with.
  

 

Quest / Gameplay Mods:

• Ascension: The obvious one, still good after all these years.
  
• Turnabout: Allows you to summon old allies to help you in the final TOB battle, just as Melissan does. Use with Ascension.
  
• Dungeon Be Gone: Skips Irenicus dungeon, gives you xp/loot.
  
• Assassinations: A series of assassinations that you are tasked to do - quite interesting setup.
  
• Quest Pack: A bunch of new quest content.
  
• Unfinished Business: Restores cut content from the game as close to the original devs' intentions as possible. e.g. Minsc loses Boo!
  
• Banter Packs: Adds more banter, quite good.
  

 

No time to add links to everything, but you know where to go for BG mods - Pocket Plane Group, Gibberlings 3 adn Spellhold Studios.

 

edit:

I now use that ancient mod that allows you to alter the core NPC's base class (so I now always have Jaheira as Rngr / Cleric and Imoen as either a single-classed thief or a sorcerer).

 

Give!

[Pop]

Pretty sure it was packaged in a bigger tweak mod. I want to say it was BG2 tweaks, actually. It worked for BG1 at least - changing Khalid into a fighter-mage makes him entirely more useful, since it removes the quaintness of BG's non-munchkin stats.

 

Also I think the Quest Pack and Unfinished Bidness are incompatible with each other. Or it might have been one of the other big important mods (baldurdash?)

Edited July 15, 2009 by Pop

[CoM_Solaufein]

Baldur's Gate mods? Our BG2 mods are mostly of the NPC type but our BG1 mods are mostly quest and encounter mods.

[Monte Carlo]

In the beginning there was Blucher's level one NPCs mod, which you cimply dumped in the override folder and voila!

 

Then some clever-clogs came up with this, which is quite good:

 

 

LINK to G3 LVL 1 NPC Mod

[Monte Carlo]

Hey, here's Blucher's original, which I much prefer:

 

LINK

[Tigranes]

Awesome stuff, thanks Monty.

 

What mods are you going with in the end?

[Monte Carlo]

A the moment...

 

G3 Fixpack

SCSII

A few bits of WW's Tactics

WW's Item Upgrade

Improved Oasis

Rogue re-balancing / aPack

1PP BG1 avatar / graphics BG1 restoration

Tower of Deception

Ascension / Redemption

Questpack

Assassinations

Widescreen Mod (v 2.2)

 

Will add a few more, but not many.

[213374U]

Good selection. It never occured to me to have both Tactics and SCS. Knowing how Tactics was designed, I'm just going to say... good luck to you, sir. Beware the Shadow Druids.

 

While still an open beta, I'm finding Wheels of Prophecy an interesting concept - if, like me, you didn't like how dreadfully linear and shoehorned ToB felt, you may want to take a look. The main risk is that being a mod that changes the main quest, it may irreversibly break your game. Install before the transition to ToB.

 

I'm also rather partial to Longer Road, but his long-winded tirades may get on your nerves. Regardless, it's a great mod for evil bastards; for goody two-shoes players, not so much. It's essentially the spellcasting equivalent of Weimer's Valen, so it kinda, totally destroys balance, especially if you install the un-nerfed PnP spell progression tables.

 

edit: I forgot to add: Icewind Dale Voice Pack Converter by Greystar. Not a mod in the classic sense, but if you are sick of the same four soundsets, this allows to extract and use all voices from both IWDs with just one click...

Edited July 16, 2009 by 213374U

[Tigranes]

Wheels of Prophecy and Longer Road are both mods I have, forgot about those. I actually haven't tried WOP properly, might do that this time.

[Monte Carlo]

Good selection. It never occured to me to have both Tactics and SCS. Knowing how Tactics was designed, I'm just going to say... good luck to you, sir. Beware the Shadow Druids.

 

I am a Wes Wiemer's Tactics veteran, I can't actually play without it nowadays even if I do leave all the phat lewt those random evil parties leave behind! I've tried to segue the most complimentary elements of SCSII and Tactics, will post results / apparent conflicts.

 

Blucher's mod rocks, beware Vista users (even with UAC switched off it really didn't like me putting stuff in the override - I had to do it a different way as opposed to simple copy-and-paste). I have Imoen in Chateau Irenicus as an 11th level thief (I Shadowkeeper in the level I'd finish BG1 / TotSC at) and Ilyich's mob are suffering much trap and backstab carnage as a result, as opposed to dual-class Imoens, er, Acid Arrow and Web spells

 

Am toying with a Cavalier, one of the most munchkin kits is the game and lots of fun. However, I can now dual-class a Barbarian to a Thief (hey, thanks G3 Tweaks!) so I'm considering that too for the improved thief quests from Avenger's and Quest packs. I've always wanted to finish BG2 with a Bard, though, am thinking about trying one out in Irenicus' dungeon to see if I like it.

 

Cheers

MC

[Pop]

I could never bard it in BG2, probably because I never got used to micromanaging everything in my party (except for the spellcasters) the Blade, however, can become a pretty formidable fighter. I'm not sure why they even made that class a bard class considering how his combat abilities come at the expense of bard abilities. It's basically a fighter/mage with a spell ceiling at 6th level and a bunch of nifty tricks up his sleeve.

[Monte Carlo]

^ OK, thanks for that. To expand on the whole bard idea, does anybody have any advice on a Bard character for BG2 / ToB for a full run-through, seeing as I've always felt like doing it?

 

Any views on which kit, stats, alignment, complimentary NPCs etc would be welcomed by anyone who's done it. I'm thinking perhaps the evil route because I've never fully completed BG2 that way.

 

Hey, I've played this game so many times I'm happy to SK stats / profs etc if anybody has interesting ideas - am thinking supercharged Skald or Blade melee / backup mage build.

 

Cheers

MC

[Pope]

I could never bard it in BG2, probably because I never got used to micromanaging everything in my party (except for the spellcasters) the Blade, however, can become a pretty formidable fighter. I'm not sure why they even made that class a bard class considering how his combat abilities come at the expense of bard abilities. It's basically a fighter/mage with a spell ceiling at 6th level and a bunch of nifty tricks up his sleeve.

 

The most important downside to a Blade (lesser bard song) can be totally negated in ToB with the Enhanced Bard Song.