Stronghold: What's Worth Building?

[Baron Bawookles]

 I've read a fair share of criticism of the stronghold, that it's nothing more than a money sink, you don't get any bonus for finishing building the thing, and you end up losing more money than making money.

 

 So I'm just wondering, what's worth building that's good?

 

 I assume the Warden's place is so you can do the bounties.

 

 Are the items in the Merchant Hall or Craft Hall worth building for them or is it just generic stuff I can get from another merchant?

[dukefx]

Just generic stuff. The artificer has 2 traps... wow

[Chep]

I think the botanic garden and the craft shop (?) are also decent options since they give you free recipe parts, at least if you're into crafting/enchanting.

I also think that you can buy the mindflayer-brains in that shop, so you can do some "exceptional" enchantments.

[Baron Bawookles]

I think the botanic garden and the craft shop (?) are also decent options since they give you free recipe parts, at least if you're into crafting/enchanting.

I also think that you can buy the mindflayer-brains in that shop, so you can do some "exceptional" enchantments.

 

 So no cool or unique weapons from the Merchant Stall?

[Corylea]

The Gamepressure Guide recommends these.  (Everything that follows is from the Gamepressure guide, not from me.)

 

Main Keep - It will allow you to welcome visitors and further upgrade the fortress .

Bailey - it cleans up strongholds surroundings and allows further upgrades.

Warden's Lodge - you receive the possibility to get new quests.

Barracks - they allow you to recruit hirelings, and thus increase prestige and safety pretty cheaply.

Dungeons - it allows you to take prisoners during some fights.

Botanical Gardens - each turn your stronghold will produce one random plant that can be taken from the chest in the keep.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Corylea

[Peanuckle]

I just built everything because roughly halfway through the game, I had 42,000+gold.

 

Once you get out of Defiance, money isn't an object anymore.

[Corylea]

Once you get out of Defiance, money isn't an object anymore.

 

Good to know!  I won't worry so much about it at this point in the game, then.

[dukefx]

You only get the nicer stuff from visiting merchants if you have enough prestige. The merchant will offer one item at a time and it'll only show you its name, no properties are shown until you buy it, and if you don't, next time he may have the same thing for sale, so you better buy the junk if you are after one of those ?9? items. Imo the shield is nice, I wasn't fond of the others.

[Chep]

there is a trader in the market place of Twin Elms (well, the village....Heartsong?) that pays 2-3 times the normal selling price for items. In case you still need money lategame (don't expect it)

 

I never understood what the Dungeon is actually good for. Yeah storing prisoners, but what's my benefit? a more "benevolent" reputation since I kill less? more exp/loot somehow?

 

The Merchant has some decent items but nothing unique (I think he has everything in "fine" and getting fine plate armor might be interesting for you, if you build it early on).

I really think the craft/curio-shop that sells the body parts is a good building, since improving your stuff to exceptional level is (at least on easy/normal/hard) sufficient until the end of the game

[dukefx]

I can tell you what the dungeon is good for...

The bad:

- unable to complete bounty quest if you imprison a bounty target

- less loot because you didn't kill whoever you imprisoned

- wasted time and money on building it

- prisoners can escape if your security is low

 

The neutral:

you can chat with your prisoners (good for people who like to read)

 

The good thing

- according to the wiki: You can also get rare items in exchange for one of the prisoners in your dungeon.

[RevBlue]

I gotta say so far the stronghold seems underwhelming. I was expecting it to be a little class specific, like in BG2, and to give you special quests and special items available.

Man the Planar Sphere in BG2 was just amazing

[Icezera]

Barracks definitely. I was able to recruit one potential enemy as a hireling.

[Baron Bawookles]

I gotta say so far the stronghold seems underwhelming. I was expecting it to be a little class specific, like in BG2, and to give you special quests and special items available.

Man the Planar Sphere in BG2 was just amazing

 

Planar Sphere was the gift that kept on giving... until your apprentices died.

[Jasta11]

Barracks, to recruit hirelings. A few NPCs can be convinced to work for you, including a large fellow.

 

Warden's Lodge to get bounties, which award good xp and unique items. Tough fights, so don't get it right away.

 

I finished Act 2 and still haven't been able to put anyone in prison, albeit I did only complete the dungeon recently.

 

General merchant and armorer don't have anything special.

 

And start with Keep and Bailey so that the place doesn't look abandonned.

[draek]

I made the dungeon thinking I could put the king in it. 

Lets just say after the discussion he really wasn't in the mood to breathe a word to me or anyone anymore. 

Edited April 1, 2015 by draek

[Sylvanpyxie]

 

 

I never understood what the Dungeon is actually good for. Yeah storing prisoners, but what's my benefit?

I had a slaver visit, looking for prisoners to buy. I sold him a guy for a boat load of coin.

[dukefx]

That's something, thanks for sharing!