Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition Announced

[Chilloutman]

Hmm, I will get it on sale eventually

[ManifestedISO]

Trolls, gangs of trolls, slumming the dungeons with spellcasters guaranteed to Hold your Person. Almost no loot and absolutely zero fire/acid items in this level. Next one down, two dozen cold wights, a temple guardian, and a pot-shooting bastard skeleton jump your party at the doorstep and made minced meat of six characters. This game is hard. 

[Gizmo]

Is there any practical reason to buy IWDed if you already have IWD?

[ManifestedISO]

I was wrong, it's not a hard game, it's an insanity burrito wrapped in isometric masochism. Dark Souls stole the idea for Prepare to Die from Icewind Dale.  

[IndiraLightfoot]

ManifestedISO: At what difficulty?

[prodigydancer]

I was wrong, it's not a hard game, it's an insanity burrito wrapped in isometric masochism. Dark Souls stole the idea for Prepare to Die from Icewind Dale.  

It's not how I remember the original. Need to try IWD EE - maybe it's more challenging.

[Nepenthe]

 

Is there any practical reason to buy IWDed if you already have IWD?

 

If you want to play it again with classes from BG2 then yes. I don't think there is a mod for that.

I assume there dual wielding now, too.

[Tale]

I've tried playing IWD several times before and this is the first time I've really gotten anyway. I love the zoom function, there's nothing more to it than that. It was so freaking cramped before.

[ManifestedISO]

ManifestedISO: At what difficulty?

 

Core, just the regular D&D Hardcore. No modifiers to XP or damage. I don't understand why the dungeon is so clean now, since mobs of elite enemies are wiping the floor with my 6th/7th-level characters.

 

I'm in the Dragon's Eye dungeon, working the fifth level ... the Yuan-ti High Archer and his six buddies are laser-guided missile-launching death machines. The masochistic elements ... if you don't disarm the poison trap outside his lair, since your whole party made it this far without antidotes, death is swift and laughs at your lack of preparedness.

[Cluas]

Hey guys, I have been playing since the beta started. It's a cool game. Here are my thoughts...

The zoom and Quick load functions are awesome. Kits and new spells.
BUT -  I'm missing the "Guard" button from the original. 

Also... The game is easier now, as you find more spells and equipment than in the original. You can rest in places that you weren't allowed in the original...Map notes can reveal certain plot points. Dual wielding makes the fights too easy at times...

 

And some details: The log is spammed by the messages: Turning undead, singing bard song... Minor detail but very annoying to me.
Sound sets do not work properly (not yet. It has been reported as a bug).
There is NO character abbreviation in game. You have to go back and forth in your multiplayer saves, to edit characters.

 

Feel free to ask any questions, I probably can't answer anyway...

 

[Drowsy Emperor]

I never found any of the ID games particularly hard. Dunno where that's coming from. I guess they are hard if you're used to the modern "play on autopilot" games.

 

There's just a bit of trial and error as with all IE games. 

Edited November 9, 2014 by Drowsy Emperor

[Jotra]

The difficulty in all the IE games varies wildly depending how well you build your party and understand the rules. So game that seems incredible hard to one can at the same time be incredibly easy to another.

[ManifestedISO]

Yeah, I don't know why it feels brutal. Each character has the best found weapons, armor, and spells equipped and memorized: paladin, fighter, monk, thief, cleric, and wild mage. On the other hand, I never use pre-fight protection buffs, spells or potions. I'm on the second level of the Severed Hand tower where Shadow Goblins, Shadow Ogres, and other mobs swarm like crazy. Just doesn't seem as fun as I remember having to Rest after every encounter. I had to settle for two Raise Dead spells after the final battle with Yxunomei in Dragon's Eye.  

[Zoraptor]

I rested twice in the entire Dragon's Eye and twice in Severed Hand last time I played. It helps when you've played before and can remember what is coming but those two areas are not particularly hard. I do remember there was an odd bug in Severed Hand where one of the shaman type enemies cast healing spells on the party (!) which helped a bit there. Also paying attention to floaties to see where ambushes were going to occur and bottlenecking as much as possible.

 

OTOH the Barrows in HoW with those asterisking Drowned Dead and Banshees...

[Endarire]

Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition is a tremendous challenge and reward for me.  It's my first time playing Dale 1, and I started a solo character at level 1 on Heart of Fury mode - a CG Elf Fighter/Mage/Thief - because I was curious.  I'm in Severed Hand now.  The Yxun fight was by far the most challenging part, which i was able to get through due to a lot of kiting as well as quick-saving during lulls in the battle.  (Get all your currently-aggroed foes out of your view long enough and the battle mode stops.  Use that to save and rest and save!)

[Cluas]

I just started an IWD2 run. Had to give up, I was constantly looking for the Quick-loot bar, while trying to zoom out

[Woldan]

I played Icewind Dale and had to stop when I started Heart of Winter after the IWD campaign, I cant deal with the totally tedious and boring monster killing anymore. I have no idea how I was able to enjoy that game, years ago. 

[archangel979]

I am also playing IWD:EE (on core rules) but I decided to take my lvl 9/10 party and go do the expansion content. It was challenging as hell (some figts I needed to try multiple times) but I done it all and came back to regular content as lvl 13/14. Now everything is super easy and boring and I cannot force myself to finish it. And I don't like to put difficulty above Core rules, I like playing with full D&D rules, no easier or harder.

[Woldan]

I played on hard but I have to admit I had to change back to normal during the final boss, those iron Golems crushed my characters with three hits.

[archangel979]

I decided to start with new 3 member party (Dwarven Defender, Druid (Avenger) and Swashbuckler 6 (then dual classed to Mage) ). 

I am playing on HoF difficulty but my party are lvl 1

 

I wonder how far I can get. I plan to enter expansion content ASAP so I can access higher level spell offered there. So far each fight is super hard and uses up all my spells. Only thing keeping me alive is the awesome Avenger (first with web spells and from lvl 7 with summons) and dwarven defender tanks all even with crappy equipment (splint mail lol).   

[Majek]

 

Is there any practical reason to buy IWDed if you already have IWD?

If you want to play it again with classes from BG2 then yes. I don't think there is a mod for that.

 

There are really crazy people who like those classes in other games? Horrifying thought. :/

[Vaeliorin]

Just out of curiosity, did they keep the special Icewind Dale bard songs? I don't recall what they all were, but there was one that was a couple points of healing/round that I really liked to have to keep my party topped up between fights. I'd miss that if it were gone (and I'd never play IWD without a bard in the party.)

 

Yes, I know that you could pause and spam the button to heal in combat, but I never did that, I just liked having a way to get those last couple points to full health without having to waste a healing spell.

[archangel979]

I am playing Blade and he only has the basic bard song so I got no clue :D

Skalds have all kinds of songs, maybe they have those. 

[Agiel]

Thinking about breaking in my new iPhone 6 with this, even if my heart is in Icewind Dale II. Wonder how well it will play, given my new phone isn't a "phablet".

Edited November 29, 2014 by Agiel

[Cluas]

Just out of curiosity, did they keep the special Icewind Dale bard songs? 

 

 

Yes