i discovered how to make the game tough :)

[JerekKruger]

Poor Imoen. I actually felt she became quite interesting in BG2 but I agree that I kinda wanted to drown her in BG1.

[Reent]

I confess Imoen died a few mins into my runs, there was a nymph or something with a kiss of death - 2k exp or something xD

[demeisen]

Whoever has done solo wizard, do you also find that Arcane Veil is completely essential to survive most fights?  It's a short duration, but I end up getting mobbed (even if I'm in a corner or against a wall), and the only way I live through most fights is using both veils.  Which of course means a rest before the next fight, which means a lot of rests.  It's not so bad now (L4), but as I get further afield, it might become tedious.

​

​I'm trying not to do much meta-gaming: e.g, no kiting tactics or running around to do quests before they'd naturally happen.  I just fight my way through an area when I get to it naturally.  I'm still making progress...  but man, without veil, I'd be screwed.  Even Wizard's Double doesn't do much for me, since even with the +deflection, I seem to get hit right away, so it's like "gulp the potion, get hit, it's gone", and I might as well have used those moments for something more productive.

​

​

​Edit - I'm also, to some extent, surviving on potions.  Which isn't a bad thing, IMHO: in the 6-member game, there's not much reason to have to use them.  It's nice to be forced to use items, sometimes.

​

Edited October 15, 2016 by demeisen

[Reent]

Figurines can make you win a fight each, veil can win you a fight too - thats what its like everytime i try a resource class... at the moment my priest can fight once, maybe 2 times before resting again...

[Raven Darkholme]

Whoever has done solo wizard, do you also find that Arcane Veil is completely essential to survive most fights?  It's a short duration, but I end up getting mobbed (even if I'm in a corner or against a wall), and the only way I live through most fights is using both veils.  Which of course means a rest before the next fight, which means a lot of rests.  It's not so bad now (L4), but as I get further afield, it might become tedious.

​

​I'm trying not to do much meta-gaming: e.g, no kiting tactics or running around to do quests before they'd naturally happen.  I just fight my way through an area when I get to it naturally.  I'm still making progress...  but man, without veil, I'd be screwed.  Even Wizard's Double doesn't do much for me, since even with the +deflection, I seem to get hit right away, so it's like "gulp the potion, get hit, it's gone", and I might as well have used those moments for something more productive.

​

​

​Edit - I'm also, to some extent, surviving on potions.  Which isn't a bad thing, IMHO: in the 6-member game, there's not much reason to have to use them.  It's nice to be forced to use items, sometimes.

​

It depends on your playstyle, if you work with pulling and chokepoints veil might be less important, but if you like to run into the middle of the enemies right away it's essential.

As to resting, yes that's my main beef with wizards you rest a lot.

[demeisen]

It depends on your playstyle, if you work with pulling and chokepoints veil might be less important, but if you like to run into the middle of the enemies right away it's essential.

 

As to resting, yes that's my main beef with wizards you rest a lot.

 

 

I do try to use chokepoints, but was still getting hammered pretty hard without a veil up.  Since then I've hit L5 though, and Llengrath's Displaced Image seems to help a ton.  I only get two casts of it, but it lasts a whole fight, or at least most of the fight for longer ones.  That plus the veils gets me 2-3 "average" fights, or 1-2 tougher ones.

 

One sure uses a different set of spells than when playing a wizard as part of a group.

[Raven Darkholme]

 

It depends on your playstyle, if you work with pulling and chokepoints veil might be less important, but if you like to run into the middle of the enemies right away it's essential.

 

As to resting, yes that's my main beef with wizards you rest a lot.

 

 

I do try to use chokepoints, but was still getting hammered pretty hard without a veil up.  Since then I've hit L5 though, and Llengrath's Displaced Image seems to help a ton.  I only get two casts of it, but it lasts a whole fight, or at least most of the fight for longer ones.  That plus the veils gets me 2-3 "average" fights, or 1-2 tougher ones.

 

One sure uses a different set of spells than when playing a wizard as part of a group.

 

Yea Llengrath's is one of the best spells ingame.

[grausch]

Whoever has done solo wizard, do you also find that Arcane Veil is completely essential to survive most fights?  It's a short duration, but I end up getting mobbed (even if I'm in a corner or against a wall), and the only way I live through most fights is using both veils.  Which of course means a rest before the next fight, which means a lot of rests.  It's not so bad now (L4), but as I get further afield, it might become tedious.

​

​I'm trying not to do much meta-gaming: e.g, no kiting tactics or running around to do quests before they'd naturally happen.  I just fight my way through an area when I get to it naturally.  I'm still making progress...  but man, without veil, I'd be screwed.  Even Wizard's Double doesn't do much for me, since even with the +deflection, I seem to get hit right away, so it's like "gulp the potion, get hit, it's gone", and I might as well have used those moments for something more productive.

​

​

​Edit - I'm also, to some extent, surviving on potions.  Which isn't a bad thing, IMHO: in the 6-member game, there's not much reason to have to use them.  It's nice to be forced to use items, sometimes.

​

 

I used Hardened Veil for the fight in the Throne room in Caed Nua - wearing no armour and casting fan of flames, I managed to clear out the throne room before it expired. However, its usefulness to me was limited at best - in the early game, if you wear no armour, you can do a lot of damage before it expires, but that means resting after every fight. When you wear armour, it really reduces your damage-dealing potential. If I used it as an "in-case-of-emergency" button, I just ended up dying later in the fight.

 

In summary - it is extremely good if you use it offensively to get off as many damage dealing spells as possible, but it is not a good way to rescue yourself in difficult fights since its duration is too short to get off enough spells if you are wearing armour.

 

In Act 1, my solo wizard did every fight that David Ashon's paladin did. I don't recall how much he and I kited, but sometimes you need to run to a better position. Trying to take on a horde of guls in the open is a good way to die. Blocking them at a doorway increases your odds of survival significantly. Here Hardened Veil can be useful at times to enable you to survive longer.

 

In Act 2, fights became more difficult and I resorted to the Rotfinger Gloves and summons often. You could also use combusting flames together with the Rotfinger Gloves and the Wood Beetle summons to do a lot more damage. If I ever needed Hardened Veil here, it was usually not enough to survive the fight and I either needed to try a different approach or come back at a higher level.

 

Respecced in Act 3 and dropped both Veils. Best choice for my wizard at at the time.

 

It usually takes longer to dink potions and even though the animation usually completes, quite often the effect doesn't trigger and you need to click on the potion again for the effect to actually work. It is generally much more effective to use defensive spells since they are fast-cast and the effects always trigger.

 

Lastly, Wizard's Double was useful for me when used together with Llengrath's Displaced Image. They don't stack, but Wizard's Double provides a handy boost to deflection over Displaced Image and once you get hit, you still have the Displaced Image to fall back on. Both are fast-casting, so there is no significant time penalty to cast both.

[Dr <3]

But wizard double stack with the veil, so up to mid-late game, if you stack both you enter in "godlike" mode for 12 secs

[Boeroer]

I find that if your deflection is already good, wizard's double is very nice. You won't get hit at all - at least in melee.

 

What I also really like: Blaidh Golan + Slicken on myself when I'm surrounded.

[demeisen]

​

​

It usually takes longer to dink potions and even though the animation usually completes, quite often the effect doesn't trigger and you need to click on the potion again for the effect to actually work.

 

 

Lots of super good info, thanks Grausch!  In my prior plays I've never used re-spec, but I might do so for this play, to change things out to talents more useful in the later game.  Might swap veil out then.

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​I've noticed exactly what you describe in the quote above about potions: sometimes the effect doesn't trigger right even though the animation plays and the "gulp" sound is made.  Then I click it again and it works, but the whole thing takes a long time.  It doesn't seem like it's caused by normal combat interrupts - feels different from that.  However, if I drink the potion right at the start of combat while enemies are still running over to me, then it usually works right.

​

​On L5 now (still haven't found any summons to use), I got my butt kicked in the Raedric fight.  I came close a few times, but never survived it.  Might have to come back to that one in a level or two.  I sort of like not being able to breeze through everything.

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Edited October 16, 2016 by demeisen

[Raven Darkholme]

Yeah drinking potions is a bitch and I'm entirely positive it's a bug.

[grausch]

I did Raedric right at the end of Act 2 and it was a pretty easy fight. Used the Rotfinger Gloves and some other spells as I had not yet figured out the Citzal's combo.

[Raven Darkholme]

You mean at the end of Act 1 or really 2?

You can do Radric with level 5 if you have good equip and have been to Defiance Bay, but latest with level 7, at the end of Act 2 you are at least 9 and ofc the fight will be very easy.

[Boeroer]

Maybe he meant "Returned Raedric"?

[Raven Darkholme]

Only works in Act 3 afaik.

[Boeroer]

Yeah - maybe he meant right after the end of Act II. Whatever - "normal" Raedric at the end of ActII is a bit lame.

 

The most satisfying way is using a solo chanter, kite the whole floor to a chokepoint and leave all bodies there. Then lead Raedric there and cast "White Worms". That will shred Raedric to pieces - as well as your headphones. So much fun...  

Edited October 17, 2016 by Boeroer

[Reent]

White Worms... is so satisfying indeed, its the most ridiculous spell in the game - too bad you have to prepare too much for it, so its much more efficient to use dragon chant past lvl 9 or anything else past 10...

[Boeroer]

That's right - a lot of work you have to do before "the magic happens". But at the same time all that work lets you appreciate the outcome even more.

 

And you can clear maps with it even if they are way above your level - like Longwatch Falls if you're under lvl 9. Very nice in combination with a Ring of Searing Flames...  

[grausch]

Yeah, I took on normal Raedric at the end of Act II. I could not beat him in Act I and forgot about him while doing Act II. Luckily I remembered that unless you fight him before Act III, he does not return.

 

Doing the fight then made it extremely easy...

[Reent]

soloing longwatch falls before lvl 9 (better lvl 10) with chanter is really "i discovered how to make the game tough" - sure, it doesnt sound impossible... but its not rewarding (or is there a way to kill the alpine dragon before lvl 9 with chanter? since the alpine dragon defends THE best item for solo chanters (in my opinion))

Edited October 17, 2016 by Reent

[Boeroer]

You mean Black Sanctuary? Of course you can't kill him < lvl 9. Well at least I can't.

[Raven Darkholme]

It might be possible with scroll abuse but I really doubt it.

[Boeroer]

At high levels it's ok - especially if you have the Blackwarden's Breastplate + "Slay the Beast", followed by Dragon Thrashed. But at lvl 8 I wouldn't be able to even graze that thing with confusion or charm.

[demeisen]

​

You mean at the end of Act 1 or really 2?

You can do Radric with level 5 if you have good equip and have been to Defiance Bay, but latest with level 7,

 

​Act 1 Raedric.  I didn't manage it after a number of tries with L5 wiz, but I had not been to Defiance Bay yet and maybe did not have as good equipment as I could, and also no summons.  At L5 I kept getting close, but never could quite finish the fight.  I returned at L6 and it was quite manageable then.  L6 gave me a few extra spell casts (Edit: and I guess a little more accuracy & deflection) and that made all the difference.

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Edited October 17, 2016 by demeisen