Ironman: Icewind Dale

[sorophx]

In my previous walkthroughs I've identified a few trouble spots (for me): the game seems to be designed with a couple of 'checkpoint' hurdles where if you've designed a bad party or have done a couple of dumb things you really can't beat them. Sherincal is one, the child-kidnapping witch-dragon is another. Hell, even Targos is dangerous.

I am playing on normal difficulty, Sherincal was one of the easiest foes. I just got past the Ice Temple, the game is easy, but at the same time I don't want to touch the difficulty, so I've decided not to lvl up at all and see where it gets me. I'm halfway through Fell Wood (only 2 battles left) and my party is still lvl 6.

 

anyway, prior to making my party I read some guides on gamefaqs. one of the better ones suggested not making any rogues. there's a build that I'm using right now: a drow rogue1/conjurer. it's more of a support mage with loads of buffs in the beginning, so he relies on ranged weapons a lot. it's a good build for a couple of reasons. first of all drows get +2 intelligence and dexterity, second their favored class is wizard, so you don't get multiclassing xp penalties. and since he has loads of intelligence, he gets high skill modifiers and loads of skill points to raise both wizard and rogue skills.

 

I'd suggest going with this build instead of a full-time rogue, you sure don't need one in this game. one thing that seems to be common for CRPG games based on D&D - there can never be enough sorcerers in your party. I'm using two (gonna switch one to bard at lvl 19) - one is the leader with bluff and diplomacy, high charisma and intelligence - to get through conversations. rest is up to you. definately make a paladin (aasimar looks cool, but I'm using a human fighter4/paladin) for teh Holy Avenger and bonus dialogue options.

[Tigranes]

You should really be playing at Core for the proper experience I feel - Normal gets rid of friendly fire which really makes it cheeseable, and enemies actually get damage handicap, which I'd argue isn't "normal" at all.

 

I'm always disappointed by the lack of utility full rogues have in IE games, but I just have a liking to them - Purkake hardly did any damage in this IWD run but he was important in terms of recon, poison backstabbing mages and even the lure + fireball tactic. We'll see though... I wonder if 2Pal/Sorc can actually hold his own in melee.

 

Anyway, going to set this up soon and see.

[HoonDing]

I have no shame to admit I made a Drow ranger first time I played the game.

[Monte Carlo]

Actually a multi-classed Fighter / Thief is one of the most fun characters in BG2.

 

All the FTR HLAs and all the Thief HLAs, Use any Item, relatively high HP, backstab (etc). I invariably create a stealth-tank (Half Orc is perfect) and pwn entire levels with him.

 

But, yes, you get to a point where you badly need a cohort of decently equipped and prepped spellcasters, but I use them as support.

 

But for sheer power and twinkiness, the Ranger / Cleric multi-class (Half Elves only) is for my money the most powerful build in the IE version of 2E AD&D.

[sorophx]

You should really be playing at Core for the proper experience I feel - Normal gets rid of friendly fire

I do have friendly fire, I heavily rely on the rogue to recon the field, then to skulltrap and grease the narrow areas leading to party so the fireball actually has a chance of hitting enemies and not the party.

 

my lvl 1 rogue drow can hide pretty well, has hide and move silently at 4 +5 adjustment makes it a total of 9, and also +4 from equipment = 13 which is very high actually and is just where it should be at that point in the game

[HoonDing]

In BG2 spells like Fireball & Sunfire damage your party, but spells like Horrid Wilting, Dragon's breath & Comet do not... why?

[mkreku]

Actually a multi-classed Fighter / Thief is one of the most fun characters in BG2.

 

All the FTR HLAs and all the Thief HLAs, Use any Item, relatively high HP, backstab (etc). I invariably create a stealth-tank (Half Orc is perfect) and pwn entire levels with him.

 

But, yes, you get to a point where you badly need a cohort of decently equipped and prepped spellcasters, but I use them as support.

 

But for sheer power and twinkiness, the Ranger / Cleric multi-class (Half Elves only) is for my money the most powerful build in the IE version of 2E AD&D.

Could you please stop speaking in 50% abbreviations? It's like you're speaking in code! I've no clue what you're on about and I'm getting a suspicious feeling you're all planning on murdering my poor death-prone character.

[Nepenthe]

In BG2 spells like Fireball & Sunfire damage your party, but spells like Horrid Wilting, Dragon's breath & Comet do not... why?

 

Spell level.

 

In fact Horrid Wilting's PnP version might also work that way (Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting... I guess Abi-Dalzim was 'inappropriate' even back then), but unfortunately I don't have my 2e Spell Compendium (or whatever book it was in) with me at work.

[Raithe]

but unfortunately I don't have my 2e Spell Compendium (or whatever book it was in) with me at work.

 

If memory serves.. that was the Tome of Magic.. (which also introduced Wild Mages for 2nd Ed)..

 

 

Just for the geek points.

[HoonDing]

A meteor swarm hurts your party, but a comet doesn't? This is doing Ben Affleck & Bruce Willis a huge disservice.

[Oner]

One rock is easier to dodge, I'd wager.

[Sannom]

In BG2 spells like Fireball & Sunfire damage your party, but spells like Horrid Wilting, Dragon's breath & Comet do not... why?

 

Horrid Wilting is designed to not hurt your party, I suppose Abi-Dalzim was the kind of man to care about his companions not getting hurt by friendly fire. I remember that I wanted that spell, but there were other 8th-level spells for my sorcerer and Jan couldn't get it due to his specialization.

As for the other spells you mentionned, I suppose it's because they're "legendary" spells?

[Nepenthe]

but unfortunately I don't have my 2e Spell Compendium (or whatever book it was in) with me at work.

 

If memory serves.. that was the Tome of Magic.. (which also introduced Wild Mages for 2nd Ed)..

 

 

Just for the geek points.

 

Yep, pretty sure it was that.

[Raithe]

Hm, the other thing (just to highten the geek) was that Horrid Wilting was a necromancy spell.. Fireball, Meteor Swarm etc..are all evocation spells aren't they? Mayhaps that also has something to do with it...

 

 

(happy now Oner?.. One simple typo...)

Edited August 31, 2010 by Raithe

[Oner]

Hm, the other thing (just to highten the geek) was that Horrid Wilting was a necromancy spell.. Fireball, Meteor Swarm etc..are all ecocation spells aren't they? Mayhaps that also has something to do with it...

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[Atreides]

Just signed in after awhile to say how much I enjoyed this!

[White-Dragon]

Not to Brag but twice in Baldur's Gate and once in Baldur's gate II I rolled 18/00. I have played both games over 100 times each to the end. In Icewind Dale the best I've rolled 

was 18/97 but in the collector edition of Icewind Dale II the first time I turned on the game it started with 18/00 without even rolling once, since then in new games of ID II best I

have rolled is 18/89 even after hundreds of rerolls. 

Even with all the potions for strength I have only used them a few times as I don't save a lot of the junk and dropped weapons unless they are high powered and gold doesn't have any weight so Mostly I just save Jewels and high end items.

[Nonek]

Erm, Icewind Dale II does not have percentile strength, it uses 3rd edition rules friend. Do you mean the Heart of Winter expansion by any chance?

 

Nice spot of necromancy by the way, six years is quite a span.

[Tigranes]

I recently went through IWD again on Insane / Solo with a FMT, and I'm not sure why I had such a tough time with the Obsidianites. Maybe I was just rubbish back then, or maybe I was subconsciously hoping half of you would drop dead... 

 

Of course, going solo can have its advantages in the sense that it's much easier to have your whole party protected. Hasted invisible backstabber lobbing out confusion spells and the like from the shadows. Belhifet was a cakewalk - but the Luremaster, and half of TOTL really, was a pain. Did a lot of running in that one.

[majestic]

There are two reasons for that - you essentially played a party of three and insane in IWD gives twice the experience that core rules/normal does. The doubled experience leads to the ridiculous situation where even a full party insane run becomes easier than a full party on core rules once you pass a certain point in the game which is roughly around the beginning of Dragon's Eye or thereabout.

 

Now apply this to a single character hat is essentially half a full party and you've probably broken the game by the time you cleared out the yetis in the vale.

[Tigranes]

Pretty much. I did have to sneak past some enemies, e.g. the Kuldahar crash landing goblins were just 2-hitting me all the time, and ultimately the XP gain still wasn't enough to give me 7th level spells until the very end. But it definitely was a breeze after the first 1/3.