Icewind Dale The Icewind Dale Series Thread

[octavius]

Just started Heart of Winter. Damned, those Spirit Wolves and Bears hit hard. My power trio had to use Invisibility Potions and Otiluke's Sphere to survive.
And the best is to come - the Wailing Virgins. The Drowned Dead were not as hard as I remember, as long as you use crushing weapons (it never stops annoying me that sling stones are considered "piercing" in the IE games).

 

[Wayward Son]

My sprites are terrible looking, though I don’t know why.

A CRT will affect the crispness of the sprites.

 

[smaug]

My sprites are terrible looking, though I don’t know why.

A CRT will affect the crispness of the sprites.

Is there a way to emulate a CRT Screen on my monitor?

 

[Wayward Son]

I don’t think so since it’s a matter of the difference in the method of displaying the image to the screen. CRT uses a phosphorescent beam, LED uses small current electric signals to flip certain switches. You could ask some of the emulation weebs here tho they might know for certain.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Guys, guys. It's all about 1024x768. That is the optimal resolution. You're welcome.

 

[Daidre]

The Drowned Dead were not as hard as I remember, as long as you use crushing weapons (it never stops annoying me that sling stones are considered "piercing" in the IE games).

Sling Stones are Missile damage in IE games, Piercing is entirely different category.

 

[Piotrovitz]

It's Icewind Dale II a level 5 sorcerer. Sleep affect foes with 2d4 hit points, not good I believe. But maybe it can be useful in the goblin fortress. I guess I will search how many spells of level one a sorcerer can learn until, level 12 at least, and then decide if sleeps is convenient.

If it's IWD 2 then definitely take chromatic orb - it doesn't have ridiculous saving throw bonus like in BG, and it can cause shitload of ailments depending on level, from blindness to paralyze.

I also always take good old magic missile for my sorc - quick casting time is nice to dirsupt other spellcasting mobs.

 

[octavius]

The Drowned Dead were not as hard as I remember, as long as you use crushing weapons (it never stops annoying me that sling stones are considered "piercing" in the IE games).

Sling Stones are Missile damage in IE games, Piercing is entirely different category.

You're right. But in practice it seems to be more or less the same, those resisting piercing also resisting missile damage.
I used to mod BG 1 so that sling stones would do crushing damage.

 

[Dramart]

It's Icewind Dale II a level 5 sorcerer. Sleep affect foes with 2d4 hit points, not good I believe. But maybe it can be useful in the goblin fortress. I guess I will search how many spells of level one a sorcerer can learn until, level 12 at least, and then decide if sleeps is convenient.

If it's IWD 2 then definitely take chromatic orb - it doesn't have ridiculous saving throw bonus like in BG, and it can cause shitload of ailments depending on level, from blindness to paralyze.

I also always take good old magic missile for my sorc - quick casting time is nice to dirsupt other spellcasting mobs.

THanks but I rage quit the game is too hard

 

[Average Manatee]

For 3rd ed D&D in general and IWD2 the main thing to guide your spellcasting choices is that you should be able to target each saving throw of your enemy with a different spell. Enemies follow the same classes and saving throw progression you do so rogues will laugh off fireballs but eat shit on their constitution saves while warriors will make their constitution saves but are dead meat for wisdom saves.

 

[Cael]

It's Icewind Dale II a level 5 sorcerer. Sleep affect foes with 2d4 hit points, not good I believe. But maybe it can be useful in the goblin fortress. I guess I will search how many spells of level one a sorcerer can learn until, level 12 at least, and then decide if sleeps is convenient.

If it's IWD 2 then definitely take chromatic orb - it doesn't have ridiculous saving throw bonus like in BG, and it can cause shitload of ailments depending on level, from blindness to paralyze.

I also always take good old magic missile for my sorc - quick casting time is nice to dirsupt other spellcasting mobs.

THanks but I rage quit the game is too hard

IWD2 too hard? It is perhaps the easiest of the IE games...

Just play with 3 clerics (1 paladin/cleric of Ilmater, 1 cleric of Lathander and 1 cleric of Bane for the psycho DC crowd control spells), 1 sorcerer, 1 bard and 1 wizard (or 2 sorcerers and a wizard, if you want to make one of the sorcs into your talky guy). Cross-class search and disable device on the wizard, and you are basically done.

 

[Dramart]

Really easy man, there are like eight or eleven clerics and I have to choose Lathlander and Ilmatter and Bane, plus two sorcerers and one with disable device. Very noob friendly. I think Baldur's Gate II is easier, your mages are not a hinder for the party because they have a lot of spells and clerics too. GG.

 

[Cael]

Really easy man, there are like eight or eleven clerics and I have to choose Lathlander and Ilmatter and Bane, plus two sorcerers and one with disable device. Very noob friendly. I think Baldur's Gate II is easier, your mages are not a hinder for the party because they have a lot of spells and clerics too. GG.

You don't really have to. That is just the easy party. A LP'er got through the game with a barbarian, a druid, a sorcerer, a wizard, a bard and a monk. You don't need disable device or open locks or the like. It is just easier with them.

IWD2 doesn't have as many crazy overpowered spells (e.g., Wish abuse, etc.) as BG2, yes. It is also not an epic level game like BG2 is. IWD2 ends at level 16 or so. BG2 is up to level 40. BG2 also has the multiclassing thing, which is actually very powerful compared with IWD2 multiclassing.

So yes, if you are used to the kind of "Rocket tag! I win!" buttons in BG2, you will struggle in IWD2. But don't be fooled that BG2 is easy. Try playing it without wizards and see what happens.

 

[Dramart]

Really easy man, there are like eight or eleven clerics and I have to choose Lathlander and Ilmatter and Bane, plus two sorcerers and one with disable device. Very noob friendly. I think Baldur's Gate II is easier, your mages are not a hinder for the party because they have a lot of spells and clerics too. GG.

You don't really have to. That is just the easy party. A LP'er got through the game with a barbarian, a druid, a sorcerer, a wizard, a bard and a monk. You don't need disable device or open locks or the like. It is just easier with them.

IWD2 doesn't have as many crazy overpowered spells (e.g., Wish abuse, etc.) as BG2, yes. It is also not an epic level game like BG2 is. IWD2 ends at level 16 or so. BG2 is up to level 40. BG2 also has the multiclassing thing, which is actually very powerful compared with IWD2 multiclassing.

So yes, if you are used to the kind of "Rocket tag! I win!" buttons in BG2, you will struggle in IWD2. But don't be fooled that BG2 is easy. Try playing it without wizards and see what happens.

Well a lot of enemies can be killed even before battling with in BG2 just scout with Yoshimo and then use that green/brown cloud spell and fireball, so yeah probably would be harder without a mage. Maybe the problem is that I have a sorcerer at this point and she still has not learned those spells. I should have chosen a wizard but I am not going to start the game again, the Targos part is very slow and boring.

 

[Cael]

Really easy man, there are like eight or eleven clerics and I have to choose Lathlander and Ilmatter and Bane, plus two sorcerers and one with disable device. Very noob friendly. I think Baldur's Gate II is easier, your mages are not a hinder for the party because they have a lot of spells and clerics too. GG.

You don't really have to. That is just the easy party. A LP'er got through the game with a barbarian, a druid, a sorcerer, a wizard, a bard and a monk. You don't need disable device or open locks or the like. It is just easier with them.

IWD2 doesn't have as many crazy overpowered spells (e.g., Wish abuse, etc.) as BG2, yes. It is also not an epic level game like BG2 is. IWD2 ends at level 16 or so. BG2 is up to level 40. BG2 also has the multiclassing thing, which is actually very powerful compared with IWD2 multiclassing.

So yes, if you are used to the kind of "Rocket tag! I win!" buttons in BG2, you will struggle in IWD2. But don't be fooled that BG2 is easy. Try playing it without wizards and see what happens.

Well most a lot of enemies can be killed even before battling with in BG2 just scout with Yoshimo and then use that green/brown cloud spell and fireball, so yeah probably would be harder without a mage. Maybe the problem is that I have a sorcerer at this point and she still has not learned those spells. I should have chosen a wizard but I am not going to start the game again, the Targos part is very slow and boring.

You can do the same in IWD2. It just takes a while to get there.

And I can see your problem right there: You are used to high level play and don't know how to handle low level play. You'd be raging at BG if you are playing it.

Low level play is about conserving your spells until absolutely needed. With the dumb goblins in Targos, just beat them up with a fighter or two. They have -4 to-hit and -4 damage. They literally can't kill your guys unless you are being stupid. Only the bosses are dangerous, but those are the guys you want to unload your casters on. The level 1 Cleric spell Command is priceless in Targos. Use it! Take out the main guy with Command and dogpile him.

At level 4, your Sorcerer would have access to a cold based fireball (called snowball, ironically enough). Take it and wipe the floor with the orcs with it.

Your Sorcerer spells at low levels:
Level 1 - Mage Armour, Chromatic Orb, Identify, Magic Missile, Grease
Level 2 - Snowball, Web, Luck

Leave the stat boosting spells to your clerics or bard.

 

[Dramart]

Man, if I beat BG2 obviously I owned the weak goblins, I'm at the horde fortress. I will try the snowball spell then. And yes I don't like thee low level in these games, my problem is with mages, I think they suck at low levels, they have low hp, just a few spells you use in on battle and that's it, some take a lot of time to cast and don't do much damage. In BG Xzar sucks, he just has a dagger and dies in one hit, so I gave him a sling and that thing doesn't do any damage is very bad and the boss in the Nashkel mines, I can't beat him.

 

[Cael]

Man, if I beat BG2 obviously I owned the weak goblins, I'm at the horde fortress. I will try the snowball spell then. And yes I don't like thee low level in these games, my problem is with mages, I think they suck at low levels, they have low hp, just a few spells you use in on battle and that's it, some take a lot of time to cast and don't do much damage. In BG Xzar sucks, he just has a dagger and dies in one hit, so I gave him a sling and that thing doesn't do any damage is very bad and the boss in the Nashkel mines, I can't beat him.

Just aim Minsc at the idiot in the mines while the rest of you take out his minions. Use mages tactically. The idiot starts casting, hit him with a magic missile or something similar.

Horde fortress can be deadly if you don't kill the drums fast. You were warned about them for a reason.

I play with a mod that increase the number of enemies and upgrade them. I also have the Undead Targos mod installed. If you don't play smart with mages and use them as snipers instead of carpet bombers, your low levels is gonna suck.

 

[Krivol]

and the boss in the Nashkel mines, I can't beat him.

Wait, what? Really? I mean I know it's a tricky battle, if you just go with full team to Mulahey's room, cos' kobolds and skeletons will attack you from behind, but it is really not that hard (positioning, man!), and you can level up a bit if it's still to difficult (lvl 3 means this fight is a cacewalk).

 

[Dramart]

and the boss in the Nashkel mines, I can't beat him.

Wait, what? Really? I mean I know it's a tricky battle, if you just go with full team to Mulahey's room, cos' kobolds and skeletons will attack you from behind, but it is really not that hard (positioning, man!), and you can level up a bit if it's still to difficult (lvl 3 means this fight is a cacewalk).

It was before playing BG2. I beat the guy a pair of times, but at the cost of losing party members. My party missed everything and I also think the guy used horror or something to control my party, of course I didn't know about magic missile, and also the place had some annoying traps. BG2 was a lot different and found it better. I think now I can beat that guy easily of course.

 

[TemplarGR]

No IE game is "hard". Every single one of them was meant to be savescummed. At worst they are tedious, not hard. Actually i don't think hard games exist much in the last 2 decades. Even Dark Souls, a game where you literally can't die and you just resume from the last checkpoint, is considered "hard" and i don't know why. It is tedious, not hard. Savescumming is the best skill codexers possess, and can make shortwork of any cprg.

 

[octavius]

If you find the Nashkel mines too hard, do the Gnoll Fortress first. If you still find it too hard, git gud, or git Kivan.

 

[Chippy]

It's been a while since I played the original - if I remember correctly the install order was: IWD > HOW > TOTL and the patches were not needed?. I suppose it couldn't hurt to install the HOW patch before TOTL though.

No idea, i got my game from GOG years ago before the "enhanced" bullshit, i didn't even know that there's a second expansion, in my playthrough of IWD1 i skipped Heart of winter and did the main campaign only.

Shit ! i shouldn't have skipped the expansions,this looks good:

What resolution is that, and what monitor? I would love my IWD to look like this.

Don't know about the screenshots, but this is the best CRT ever made: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-GDM-FW900-Widescreen-Trinitron-Monitor/product-reviews/B00004YNSR
I had x2. I threw one away like a total spastic because it was taking up too much space. Dumb. Fuck. Is. Me. If I had a choice between having the hottest big tiddy goth pornstar fuckbuddy for 6 months, or getting that monitor back - I'd pick the monitor.
THe other one developed a problem after I installed a mod for Severance: Blade of Darkness. That mod cost me x2 video cards, and the monitor. I've shelved it atm and will get it repaired.

But yeah, great monitor if you've got the space and a stone hearth to sit it on.

 

[Chippy]

No IE game is "hard". Every single one of them was meant to be savescummed. At worst they are tedious, not hard. Actually i don't think hard games exist much in the last 2 decades. Even Dark Souls, a game where you literally can't die and you just resume from the last checkpoint, is considered "hard" and i don't know why. It is tedious, not hard. Savescumming is the best skill codexers possess, and can make shortwork of any cprg.

I take it TemplarGR is back...

 

[octavius]

Completed Heart of Winter with my power trio of Fafhrd the Ranger, Grey Mouser the Fighter/Thief and Cappen Varra the Bard.

Didn't enjoy it as much as I did replaying Icewind Dale some months ago.

Encounter design was pretty lacklustre, with the Spirit Polar Bears and Winter Wolves "ambush", the Wailing Virgin boss fight (in which GM died to a Death Knell) and the two last fights being the only exciting ones. Hordes of Trolls were challenging halfway through IWD, but in HoW they just don't cut it.
But I guess the setting is not very suitable for high level combat; hard to justify the presence of lots of demons and high level mages.

I didn't really remember much of HoW despite completing it at least twice. I remember the Burial Isle being really brutal with a standard party, but this time the Drowned Dead and Wailing Virgins were not nearly as scary. Neither were the barbarian fighters.
But I remember the difficulty being very variable, with the area after the Burial Isle (Gloomfrost) being far too easy.
And of course The War Chant of the Sith changes the whole dynamic of the game when you can recover hit points very quickly for free. And with no Cleric in the party, and no source of buying Healing Potions, there wasn't really much choice either.

Even the final fight was not too difficult, even when I played it "blind" with no buffing I did it on first try.
I know old Icy is not considered a very tough Boss, though.
Death Fog was very effective against her Sahugian (sp?) minions.

But what was that about her heart being broken by a man called Aihonen? Did she mean it literally, as in he killed her by piercing her heart with a weapon? And wasn't Aihonen the same guy that was involved with a Sea Elf in IWD?

EDIT:
Some further thoughts.

Game was shorter than I remembered, but maybe that's why I don't remember much of it. With optimized AI scripts you could probably get through the whole expansion in one evening, with so few fights requiring any advanced tactics.

There were some minor bugs where I sometimes was not able to talk to NPCs.

 

[Tigranes]

HoW was incredibly short, hence Trials of the Luremaster, which arguably is a more extensive experience than the rest of the expansion entirely.