Baldur's Gate The Baldur's Gate Series Thread

[BruceVC]

I was able to defeat the Lich without the item, but it took awhile. I had to lean on Melf's Minute Meteors. I think I also used polymorph self to take advantage of the mustard jelly form. I still had scrolls of Protection from Magic and Arrows of Dispelling from BG1 proper. The Lich has a tremendous amount of spells. Constantly removing his protections took everything my party had.

Thats impressive and a clever approach, I used the gem and arrows of anti-magic and then other arrows. I killed him but then had to run to the Fire Elemental room to avoid fighting him again. Once I destroyed his Phylactery I killed him a final time, he killed 2 of my party but I Raised Dead them so it all ended well

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

BruceVC Scrolls of Protection from Undead can also be used, but the improved AI in EEs doesn't make it auto-win. The lich will still move around and seek enemies. It will also cast dispell magic in its vicinity after repeated strikes. That's one thing to appreciate about the EEs. They took notes from SCS. I found it best to have protection from undead in my archers and meteor throwing mages for that reason.

 

[Sarathiour]

I was able to defeat the Lich without the item, but it took awhile. I had to lean on Melf's Minute Meteors. I think I also used polymorph self to take advantage of the mustard jelly form. I still had scrolls of Protection from Magic and Arrows of Dispelling from BG1 proper. The Lich has a tremendous amount of spells. Constantly removing his protections took everything my party had.

It start with stoneskin, pfmw, fire shield and spell shield. Assuming you're using SCS, you're going to need two breach at the very least, and pray that he does not recast anything. Without SCS, you're just fucked because of the flat level 5 immunity.

 

[Average Manatee]

It start with stoneskin, pfmw, fire shield and spell shield. Assuming you're using SCS, you're going to need two breach at the very least, and pray that he does not recast anything. Without SCS, you're just fucked because of the flat level 5 immunity.

You can just run away and wait 4 rounds for PFMW to run out. He's only got 68 HP and an AC of 0 (for comparison Sarevok is -7 in SCS), having 4-5 good physical characters you can chew through his stoneskins and take him down in seconds once it's gone. Or abuse traps and alpha strike him before he can do anything. If you're playing without imported equipment and wealth though it's probably very hard.

There's a later lich (can't recall, might have been demi-lich?) fight that is way, way harder and has an awesome reward which sadly doesn't import into BG2. Can only face him if you specifically save the spectacles to use in a particular spot.

 

[Sarathiour]

Fire shield is still an issue before breach. A relatively big problem is , if you have done lick me, pick a good party and killed baeloth, you only have dynaheir as mage, which is a bit short for engaging a lich in a magic duel.

 

[Average Manatee]

You can just power through a fire shield and stoneskin. If you have 5 attackers and they each need to hit 5 times to get a kill that's only ~30 damage they each suffer (the lich dies in about 1.5 rounds to a bunch of hasted attackers and is getting interrupted in the meantime). Buff with fire resistance potions or protection from fire (available to mages, clerics and druids) if you want to be more careful.

I do agree that party companion limitations in SoD is a very aggravating design issue. It's one of the reasons that the game would have been better IWD-style.

 

[Sarathiour]

If you have 5 attackers

I do agree that party companion limitations in SoD is a very aggravating design issue.

Yeah, because at this point, you only have minsc and corwyn, and they both are 2handed wielder. Obviously fire protection is an option, but pretty sure the lich open up with dispel magic, so you're gonna need a stock.
I did not really bother testing the fight further than that, I used the item and called it a day.

 

[Average Manatee]

Safana and Viconia are still quite useful, his shit AC will be hit almost all the time when they are buffed. Safana can wield a bow for this and get 3 APR while hasted, still perfectly fine for blowing through stoneskins. As soon as you get through stoneskins he dies in about 3-4 hits, you only need APR, not damage.

Also I checked and his defensive spells are a joke, Any half-assed party can absolutely destroy him before his contingency goes up. He does cast remove magic but if that's a problem then remember that you're supposed to back out for 4 rounds to let PFMW run out anyway, you can buff during that time.

For what its worth though I run with BG1 proficiencies so Minsc can use any large sword. Without this BG1 weapon progression is borked. Have no idea what proficiencies he gets in standard SoD or whether you are allowed to level him yourself to change his proficiencies.

 

[Sarathiour]

Safana can wield a bow for this and get 3 APR while hasted, still perfectly fine for blowing through stoneskins.

Might as well used dart then, it's 1 extra apr.

 

[octavius]

Dart of Hornets Nest would have been nice.

 

[BruceVC]

I completed SoD last night and it was a very entertaining DLC for BG1, well worth the experience. Its gets a solid 70/100 on the globally respected " BruceVC game rating system "

The key take-aways and indelible points from SoD were

• I enjoyed the large battles like Boareskyr Bridge and the assault on DS castle
• I decided to take the challenge of the one-on-one duel with the bombastic and arrogant Ashatiel, I had my doubts I would win because Im a wizard but I got lucky with Wand of Paralyzation and then once she was frozen I killed her with spells like Magic Missile
• I thought the maps like Underground River had some interesting quests
• I decided to poison the DS Castle water and food and I used the barrel explosives to destroy the gate, the crusade had to be defeated and I had no qualms about using these types of controversial strategies
• I aligned with Caelar Argent in the final battle against Belhifet, I understand why she did what she did and I forgave her

I enjoyed the appearances of the Hooded Man\Jon Irenicus and how this tries into the BG2 narrative, Im considering continuing with BG2 but I probably wont because I played BG2 about 12 years ago and I remember too much about the narrative so I may wait a while?

 

[BruceVC]

And that's not even the worst thing about the ending. The forced murder of Skye with some BS magic from Irenicus

It's obvious she's not really dead but for whatever reason they just never followed up on it. Would it have killed them to add what, 30 minutes worth of content as a BG2EE update?

I read your spoilers, thanks for taking the time to not reveal what you meant

I had no real issues with what you didnt like, the writing isnt something I generally critique but I do realize this is something that many gamers will notice

And the killing of Skye was sad because she was cute and I wanted to maybe Romance her but lets see what happens. And Im sure she can be revived because you need to find that dagger? I will starting on BG2 tomorrow , Im just loading some mods

 

[BruceVC]

rusty_shackleford
I found a mod that includes the Skie resurrection quest

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/68711/mod-skie-the-cost-of-one-girls-soul

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

And Im sure she can be revived because you need to find that dagger?

It's not spoiling anything to tell you: no. It's never brought up again. Because all of Dragonspear, including that, was basically a fanfiction written by the same fat, self-professed SJW that wrote Pathfinder: Wrath of the Tranny.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

rusty_shackleford
I found a mod that includes the Skie resurrection quest

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/68711/mod-skie-the-cost-of-one-girls-soul

If you can stomach the writing in this sort of mod, yeah. I'm more a minimalist when it comes to these sorts of things and modders tend to add dialog for their pet project in way too often. To the point that the original game feels lost at times.

I used to play every mod I could get my hands on for these games, but that was back when RPGs were scarce. Today, I try to play mostly unmodded, apart from BGT, which combines BG1&2 into one giant game.

 

[BruceVC]

And Im sure she can be revived because you need to find that dagger?

It's not spoiling anything to tell you: no. It's never brought up again. Because all of Dragonspear, including that, was basically a fanfiction written by the same fat, self-professed SJW that wrote Pathfinder: Wrath of the Tranny.

Edgy I am sure you have higher writing standards than I do which is why you will notice the subpar effort. But I found a mod for Skie which I will installed it , I am glad you guys mentioned her because she use to make me laugh with her enthusiasm

This writer how bad SJW is he because that type of writing can annoy me quickly, I havent played any Pathfinder games and is he the official writer ?

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

BruceVC I'm mostly in agreement. I loved the battles, thought the area design was good, and for the most part enjoyed the quests. I also dueled as a wizard and won via a wand of paralyzation. I did not side with obnoxious Mary Sue though. She was slain with Belhifet, a miserable fallen failure of a caricature. Good for you for enjoying it. Plot and NPCs aside, it was fun. It should never have been connected to the saga though. Should have been a stand-alone adventure, like The Black Pits.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

This writer how bad SJW is he because that type of writing can annoy me quickly, I havent played any Pathfinder games and is he the official writer ?

Amber Scott was the official writer for that Pathfinder game's campaign, and she was also one of the people in charge of writing Dragonspear.

Her SJWism seemed to be reigned in to a degree. But you can notice in in characters like the strong and independent single mother lover interest/companion named Corwin. There's also a transsexual character that stirred people up back when it released. This was before people were used to SJW writers shoehorning in some faggot who tells you their life story and what "gender" they are in every game.

But other than that, it's mostly just bad writing that put people off. The Irenicus scenes were unnecessary and unnecessarily wordy. Returning characters had noticeable changes in their dialog style and whatever voice actress they got for Jaheira didn't even seem to try to sound like the original.

The overall plot on rails and hokey, disappointing ending fell flat.

That said, there were a lot of new areas and fights. I won't say that it isn't enjoyable if you play it like it's a mod. But for this to be official canon that new players play through before playing BG2 is just sad.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Plot and NPCs aside, it was fun. It should never have been connected to the saga though. Should have been a stand-alone adventure, like The Black Pits.

Yeah, this would have been better. A low-level side story that happens between BG1&2 with a different protagonist and party would have been interesting. It could have been loosely connected (like hearing about <Charname> and his party going missing), but as is, I feel it taints the main story and ruins things like the mystery surrounding Irenicus.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Her SJWism seemed to be reigned in to a degree. But you can notice in in characters like the strong and independent single mother lover interest/companion named Corwin.

This character was terrible. Strong bisexual single mother captain of the guard on the rebound from a lesbian relationship. In a medieval setting. That same lawful good single mother captain then sacrifices herself and kills her comrades for a recently met spawn a Bhaal, orphaning her bastard. Very noble.

SoD is a veritable parade of such tripe. I have never played a game with such awful NPCs. It's really a shame too. If the NPCs and plot were cut out, this would have been heralded as total incline.

 

[BruceVC]

BruceVC I'm mostly in agreement. I loved the battles, thought the area design was good, and for the most part enjoyed the quests. I also dueled as a wizard and won via a wand of paralyzation. I did not side with obnoxious Mary Sue though. She was slain with Belhifet, a miserable fallen failure of a caricature. Good for you for enjoying it. Plot and NPCs aside, it was fun. It should never have been connected to the saga though. Should have been a stand-alone adventure, like The Black Pits.

You raise an important moral question about should I have killed her, its relevant and one I pondered on for about 30 minutes because in RPG like this these decisions influence my entire narrative and I always ask " what is the right choice, what would the scales of justice do "

And this is why I decided to not kill her and align with her, let me know what you think of my reasoning

• the entire story her followers believed in her quest and she did demonstrate in the beginning how she wanted to parley
• Her initial objective of wanting to free souls from hells was both noble and admirable. Yes it was about uncle at the end but that was still showed me her honor and sense of loyalty
• I learnt she was being manipulated in the pool which made me realize something much darker was behind her crusade
• When she was betrayed she went after Hephernaan which was brave but made me realize there was a master and they represented true evil
• She did have real affection for her men and she didnt kill the one follower which showed me had a sense of control and respect
• When I finally faced Belhifet there was no doubt who what was the greater foe and what he represented
• I wanted her help because that was going to be a difficult battle
• Once I understand the story and how her uncle gave up his soul I couldnt see her as evil, She was 9 when it happened

And then she stayed behind, thats how she will atone. It was a tough decision but I feel letting her live felt better

I was hoping she would be keen for a Romantic interlude

 

[BruceVC]

Her SJWism seemed to be reigned in to a degree. But you can notice in in characters like the strong and independent single mother lover interest/companion named Corwin.

This character was terrible. Strong bisexual single mother captain of the guard on the rebound from a lesbian relationship. In a medieval setting. That same lawful good single mother captain then sacrifices herself and kills her comrades for a recently met spawn a Bhaal, orphaning her bastard. Very noble.

SoD is a veritable parade of such tripe. I have never played a game with such awful NPCs. It's really a shame too. If the NPCs and plot were cut out, this would have been heralded as total incline.

Yes I never took Corwin once in my game, she immediately irritated me

 

[BruceVC]

This writer how bad SJW is he because that type of writing can annoy me quickly, I havent played any Pathfinder games and is he the official writer ?

Amber Scott was the official writer for that Pathfinder game's campaign, and she was also one of the people in charge of writing Dragonspear.

Her SJWism seemed to be reigned in to a degree. But you can notice in in characters like the strong and independent single mother lover interest/companion named Corwin. There's also a transsexual character that stirred people up back when it released. This was before people were used to SJW writers shoehorning in some faggot who tells you their life story and what "gender" they are in every game.

But other than that, it's mostly just bad writing that put people off. The Irenicus scenes were unnecessary and unnecessarily wordy. Returning characters had noticeable changes in their dialog style and whatever voice actress they got for Jaheira didn't even seem to try to sound like the original.

The overall plot on rails and hokey, disappointing ending fell flat.

That said, there were a lot of new areas and fights. I won't say that it isn't enjoyable if you play it like it's a mod. But for this to be official canon that new players play through before playing BG2 is just sad.

Something occurred to me, do you Mr. Magniloquent read fantasy books and what do you read and have you Tolkien and what did you think of it

 

[Jarpie]

This writer how bad SJW is he because that type of writing can annoy me quickly, I havent played any Pathfinder games and is he the official writer ?

Amber Scott was the official writer for that Pathfinder game's campaign, and she was also one of the people in charge of writing Dragonspear.

Her SJWism seemed to be reigned in to a degree. But you can notice in in characters like the strong and independent single mother lover interest/companion named Corwin. There's also a transsexual character that stirred people up back when it released. This was before people were used to SJW writers shoehorning in some faggot who tells you their life story and what "gender" they are in every game.

But other than that, it's mostly just bad writing that put people off. The Irenicus scenes were unnecessary and unnecessarily wordy. Returning characters had noticeable changes in their dialog style and whatever voice actress they got for Jaheira didn't even seem to try to sound like the original.

The overall plot on rails and hokey, disappointing ending fell flat.

That said, there were a lot of new areas and fights. I won't say that it isn't enjoyable if you play it like it's a mod. But for this to be official canon that new players play through before playing BG2 is just sad.

The ending was pretty damn lulzy as it was rushed as hell, and made zero sense, and they clearly had to shoehorn it into the game why the player's group left Baldur's Gate, which was never even needed.

 

[Average Manatee]

The ending doesn't just make no sense, it basically torpedoes the whole setting. Killing a high level devil on their own plane kills them permanently, rather than just returning them to their plane if they are killed on the prime material plane like happens to Demogorgon. Doing that should be an epic-level fight for late ToB, if it can be accomplished by a fucking level 9 party then we have to seriously ask why hell still exists since it could have been cleaned out long ago.

Hate to beat a dead horse but the whole game would have been far more appropriate as an IWD extension for level 25s+. Forget the cringe tie-ins with BG1/2 and the NPCs, just have the player's group of characters go "you know what? lets really fucking kill belhifet" and you'd have a much better expansion than the low bar set by the already existing IWD expansions. Maybe patch in HLAs from ToB even.