Need help playing as a Wizard...

[SparocheeDoom]

I just got to Guilded Vale as a God-Like Death Wizard. I managed to clear out earlier areas without problems, except for the cave bear, which killed me in 1 or 2 attacks.

 

I played and beat BG1, BG2, IWD + Exp, IWD2 + Exp, PlaneScape: Torment, Fallout 1 and 2, Arcanum, Divinity: Original Sin, and a ton of other old-school classic RPG's on Normal. This game seems to be harder than those classics, but it only became harder when my companions died. I really hope someone decides to come along soon because I am unable to kill a simple spider in even Guilded Vale's underground (below the giant three). Anyone got tips? I decided to pick up spells, where half are about attacking and another half are about defending, but none help at the moment. I have:

Arcane Assault, Dazzling Lights, Chill Fog, Death's Usher, Fleet Feet, Ghost Blades, Wizard's Double, Gaun's Pledge. When I made my character, I put 3/4th of available points in Might, Intelligence, and 1/4th in Dexterity as those were the ones with starts. It seemed like a decent build, but I am not sure anymore.

 

Do I have a weak build or all the wrong spells? I recall in BG2, it was very important to select the right spells from the beginning, like Protection from Evil, Haste, Chant, Bless, and some others. Is it similar in the game? Could someone advice on whether I should make a new build or just keep talking to people in Guided Vale to find myself a followers (warrior!) ???

[Kriber22]

There are two companions in Gilded Vale - Eder and Aloth. A third, Durance, can be found in the area south of GV and a fourth, Kana, two areas to the east of GV.

 

And the underground temple is meant to be a pretty tough dungeon for that early in the game. Pick up some companions and get to level 3, minimum, before going down there.

 

Your build seems OK. Once you pick up Aloth I'd consider scribing some spells from his tome; Fan of Flames and Minoletta's Minor Missiles come to mind.

[Daemonjax]

 

Do I have a weak build or all the wrong spells? I recall in BG2, it was very important to select the right spells from the beginning...

 

You find spellbooks during the game and you can hire mercs and use their spellbooks as well, so I wouldn't worry about choosing the right spells on your first playthrough -- although some are more useful than others.

[skaffen]

Generally go for crowd control over damage, especially confuse / paralyze / blind and then some nukers for finishing things off. 4 guys fighting each other confused is worth more than a fireball...

[Dravin84]

Generally go for crowd control over damage, especially confuse / paralyze / blind and then some nukers for finishing things off. 4 guys fighting each other confused is worth more than a fireball...

 

That has been my experience. Crowd control with a smattering of nuking for those boss fights or "Oh Crap!" moments works well.  If you play it right you've got a group of mewling kittens trying to scratch their way through your tank while your rogue sneak attacks, due to the status effects, them out of existence.

[SparocheeDoom]

There are two companions in Gilded Vale - Eder and Aloth. A third, Durance, can be found in the area south of GV and a fourth, Kana, two areas to the east of GV.

 

And the underground temple is meant to be a pretty tough dungeon for that early in the game. Pick up some companions and get to level 3, minimum, before going down there.

 

Your build seems OK. Once you pick up Aloth I'd consider scribing some spells from his tome; Fan of Flames and Minoletta's Minor Missiles come to mind.

 

Thank you for such a prompt reply!

 

Eder won't talk to me after I selected some dialogue option. I just found another elf Wizard, but I surely need a warrior. What do I do to make Eder be my companion?

[LadyCrimson]

What do I do to make Eder be my companion?

You need to rest, if you haven't already, so you get a dream. Then go to the hanging tree and have a convo. Then walk by Eder again and talk to him.

[Althernai]

I just found another elf Wizard, but I surely need a warrior.

Make sure you copy his spells (and maybe have him copy yours). You can do it by right-clicking each grimoire, scrolling to another Wizard and then clicking the plus sign on the spell. It costs money and you may not have much in the moment, but I would definitely copy at least Fan of Flames. Crowd control is nice later on, but something has to actually be doing damage and you're kind of short on party members at the moment.

[Blackthane]

You don't really need another tank unless the situation is pretty dire. Like 20+ mobs rushing through a 3 man wide doorway. In which you can simply line up your support classes (chanter, paladin) with a fighter and cast Withdrawal on all 3 of them to form a roadblock while your dps nukes away from behind. 

[SparocheeDoom]

So far my approach consists of killing enemies one by one instead of attacking them all. The problem is that Wizards DIE so fast. I keep my tank fighter up-front and enemies target him first, but there are times when you enter a new zone, like a castle room or whatever, and there is no space or time to place my tank up front. Your group can appear in new area with Wizard being closer to enemies, which will attack the closest person to them (Wizard!).

 

Another problem is that AoE spells damage your own group members! That's just not fair IMHO. I do not recall this in BG2 games and other AD&D games... My Wizards end up burning down my tank in no time with their spells! The only way to do damage JUST to the enemy is to make Wizard a tank, without any party members around, which doesn't work because Wizards die so fast! I got powerful spells, like that big fireball that runs through everyone and then bounce off walls. It obliterates everything in its path, including my own party.   

[MoxyWoo]

Your build is fine, wizards just take a little bit of ramp up to feel awesome.

 

I've been using a moon god-like with a similar stat spread as yours, though dumped CON/PER to get DEX > MIGHT > INT > RES and blast talents with dangerous implement.  Nothing fancy, but when you get 5th lvl, you have Kalakoth's Minor Blights to cycle through every type of element for 1 3rd lvl slot which is nice for stamina and your aura heal via race makes you a decent HP support when Aloth and yourself start to pew-pew.  Saves the spells for things that matter and when double hits of from the wand/blast that target deflection and reflex respectively, make it very easy to keep going.

 

I also enjoyed Concelhaut's Parasitic Staff and beat sticking behind Eder before then.  +8 accuracy and ~30 dmg per hit is crazy good for a 1st lvl spell, and with your stats, you can also enjoy the endurance drain it provides.  Just make sure to let the melee'rs get in first.

 

Finally, I highly recommend Eder with his saint's armor tanking + chill fog.  It naturally has a good cold resistance, and between his defenses + endurance regen as a fighter, you and Aloth can stack them for some pain on monsters (except for some annoying starter ones like shades, skeletons, and basically 'undead' ones, even tho PoE doesn't have undead per se) along with crowd control.  And if I recall, I got one of those freeze cloaks that return endurance for every freeze dmg you dealt which was awesome too.

[Blave]

So far my approach consists of killing enemies one by one instead of attacking them all. The problem is that Wizards DIE so fast. I keep my tank fighter up-front and enemies target him first, but there are times when you enter a new zone, like a castle room or whatever, and there is no space or time to place my tank up front. Your group can appear in new area with Wizard being closer to enemies, which will attack the closest person to them (Wizard!).

 

Another problem is that AoE spells damage your own group members! That's just not fair IMHO. I do not recall this in BG2 games and other AD&D games... My Wizards end up burning down my tank in no time with their spells! The only way to do damage JUST to the enemy is to make Wizard a tank, without any party members around, which doesn't work because Wizards die so fast! I got powerful spells, like that big fireball that runs through everyone and then bounce off walls. It obliterates everything in its path, including my own party.   

 

Being attacked on entering a new area is extremely rare. Try putting your wizards in the back row. Note that entering a new area will IGNORE any custom formations. You need to put your melee guys in the leftmost slots in the bottom left corner of the screen if you want your wizards to stand behind them in new areas.

 

AoE spells have always hit your own party members in every Infinity Engine game. Try throwing a fireball in close quarters in BG1 and watch your party burn. There where spells that specifically affected only enemies (like Slow, Glitterdust, Horrid Wilting) but most would just blow up your guys, too. Check the spell descriptions in PoE (not just the tool tip! Right click a spell for details). If the effect says "AoE", it will hit everyone in the area. "AoE Friends" will only hit your party (usually buff/healing spells) and "AoE Foe" will only hit enemies.

 

PoE makes using Area Spells quite easy, actually. It shows the exact target area of AoE spells (unless you play Expert mode or deactivate the display of the target areas manually in the options) so you can just aim to only hit enemies. Can be tricky with moving enemies but you can always wait until your tank has engaged them and stopped their movement.

Also note that the target area of offensive spells has a red center and a yellow circle around it. The red area is the base area of the spell, the yellow area is the bonus radius you get from having high int. The yellow area will NOT hit your party, only enemies.

[Exoduss]

Build your wizard tankier more battlemagish than pure glasscanon caster use it for cc , aoe , and offtanking with + 60 deflection self buffs its not like u can reliably spam dps with your mage for first 9 levels , but 1 slicken is better than 5 fireballs , also lvl 2 spells has infuse vital essence that makes you on par with other tanks , also when your wizard can be a frontliner and take damage nothing stops you from fan of flaming them 3 times in a row , it gets way harder if your wizard cant go to frontlines because he insta dies

 

I go for minimum dexterity and i use armor that i steal from eder at lvl 2 , might and int should be close to max rest resolve perception and const(atleast 10), even with -60%~ recovery speed from saints war armor and min dex i can still spam spells one after another prety much ( you can cast before the animation of previous spell ends ) also i should mention that this build wont work as 2nd tank , it is purelly offtank build for holding the line against potd mass groups of enemies

Edited April 21, 2015 by Exoduss

[SparocheeDoom]

Is Eder's armor that great? I found a better armor, I think - Fine Brigandine. Or maybe its the new Fine Large Shield that I found that made the difference. Not sure... It seems to work better for him too. He takes less damage than before. I just cleaned up Raedric's castle and found that armor there. I have't killed Raedric and his little army in the throne room though. Now i have 12650 gold! That's a lot for level 4 group, right? I finallly found Durance or whatever his name is. He is of so much help. I also found out that help you can hire from Tavern is almost worthless compared to those who join you willingly. What's the max number of characters you can have in your party? 

 

I need to learn utilize all the features the game offers. I have't even made any potions from all the grasses I collected. I can't figure out how to transfer spells from someone's book to mine! When I click on their spells, it clears up mine and theirs! I do have the latest patch, so I am sure I am doing something wrong...

Edited April 21, 2015 by MonarchX

[knownastherat]

Maximum number in party is 6. Eder's armor is not that great but has neat utility as you maybe noticed: Second Chance - he gets up when he gets knocked out. While swapping armor before every fight may not be feasible, generally the armor with highest DR (damage resistance) to particular attacks is best - some armors are good against Crushing damage others against Freeze etc Check the stats on armors and combat log for type of damage used.

 

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edit: Learning spells - put Grimorie with the spells you want in inventory of Wizard who wants to learn. Click on spell and pay set amount 100,200,etc

Edited April 21, 2015 by knownastherat

[Exoduss]

At the moment my Battlemage is lvl 9 , using Eders armor , It is already exceptional with 11 DR and i am not planing to change it any time soon , 11 dr is enough for some1 who can buff himself this hard as battlemage and 2nd chance helps when you get crit ,also pierce proofed is nice , basicly i use it on battlemage because : for maintank its just plain bad as it has 7 DR when eder "donates" it for you meanwhile some backer npc has shiny plate armor with 12 dr but for an offtank who doesnt want to gimp his recovery speed too much its perfect choice 

[SparocheeDoom]

What do I do with wolf hides? Are they just for sale or will I be able to craft items with it? I saw others asking the same questions. Has anyone beaten the game know whether hides are useful for upgrades or crafting?

Edited April 21, 2015 by MonarchX

[Exoduss]

Animal Pelts , Horns , Talons etc etc are just for flavor i guess and are generally trash items sell them 

[knownastherat]

Inventory/Stash is divided to sections. I believe that what is in section called "Other" can be sold except tools - grappling hook, lockpicks, etc The section for crafting is called "Ingredients" and since wolf pelts don't go there but to "Other" you can sell them. I have not found any other use.

[Psychevore]

Positioning is key. Get your tank(s) in position first, make sure they can engage as many enemies as possible (Hold the Line and Defender) and then start slamming with spells, making sure they don't hit your party members.

 

And I'd go for a build like this, for max damage (with weapons and spells):

 

 

Ignore the race I chose, he's from my all Godlike themed party.

[SparocheeDoom]

Now I have a full 6-person party, but only ONE true tank - Eder! Where can I find another one? I want to do the 13 level dungeon under my castle, but I am not sure if I can do it with 1 tank @ level, especially since there is no way to get out, until you reach the very end! I hope camping supplies are plentiful there!

[MoxyWoo]

Buy one at an inn or similar.  Otherwise I guess Pallegina in defiance bay can tank and Kana is ok too for that role.  Mainly these two have more passive benefits so using them in all heavy armor and shield is ok.