Return to the Sword Coast

Janitor

Get it, Dragon, the enhanced edition does improve the graphics except to make it fit the wide screen. Follow Cara's advice, don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

In that case you may want to mod the game so you can have access to all the extra dialogue and NPCs. Some of these mods are so good that (since you don't know the original game like the back of your hand) you won't know for sure that the dialogue you're reading or the quest you're playing are from mods.

The only thing you may want to stay away from are mods that change the gameplay too much (at least in a first run).

For instance here is a list of the mods and mod components I'm using for my Easy Tutu run:

Spoiler:

Mostly I'm using things for convenience like BG2 item stacking (I'm not using unlimited item stacking), I'm also using the max HP per level component and the 100% success for spell learning (so I can change the difficulty without having to bother about that). Other things like True Grandmastery are ok as well (this make pure Fighters somehow interesting).

NPCs/Summons Set Off Traps is a different thing however since it is a big departure from the original gameplay and will make the game easier when it comes to traps. I've chosen to install it because it has always annoyed me that only my party could be affected by traps but it is a cheat.

Last but not least mods are very easy and convenient to set up and you often have many choices to make the game work for you in different ways.

Skorponok wrote:

It could be fun to do three separate runs that cover all alignment spectrums. Like a run as a good PC (throws up), and you have already covered the Neutral part. I could take the mantle of doing the evil run, it would be a pleasure, actually.

That worthless do-goody-two-shoes Triple-Cacti could take care of the run as a good PC, he already got the alignment part nailed down.

What do you say, Cara? That would make for some interesting storytelling, I think.

Quote :: Xzar and Monty being not very useful or trustworthy have been permanently removed.

They are Zhents, which is affiliated with the Church of Bane. That makes them A-OK by me. Useful? Xzar can become a pretty powerful mage, and Monty can be built into a decent warrior and decent rogue. Hell, I even add Xzar to my party via console in BG2 because I like having this ranting, lunatic madman in my party.

You didn't get my point. Xzar is awesome, hell he is one of my favourite characters, once I even gifted him a tome of Wisdom so he could dual as a Cleric (just for a change of pace and he was great summoning skeletons) BUT Xzar as a level 1 Mage when your main is already a Mage... Not so hot.

I even made a banner for my forum signature using Xzar's actual lines:

Return to the Sword Coast - Page 2 Bannernx

Return to the Sword Coast - Page 2 Bannernx

Montaron is a pretty decent choice. I actually made him an Assassin so poison was an option in my game.

Also, a character who isn't affiliated to an evil deity will have problems trusting Zhents... In fact even an evil character will have problem trusting them. Thinking about it I don't think Xzar and Montaron trust each other at all.

When I was doing my clever evil run with my NE Jester I decided that a truly evil guy wouldn't trust the likes of Xzar or Montaron but would prefer tricking Jaheira and Minsc to do the dirty work.

Unless you're playing LE I don't think you can expect any sense of kinship from other evil characters. NE and CE are all out for themselves, they don't care about the big picture and the only reason they will cooperate is because they can benefit individually from such a collaboration. Take away the incentive and they are completely untrustworthy.

As for having you and Tri going through evil and good runs that is a brilliant idea. Do you have an idea of the character you are going to be playing?

World Savior

If it's not too much trouble, Cara, could you PM me (do we have PM on this site?) a list of helpful mods for a first-time playthrough?

Catnip Purveyor

Carabas wrote:: From what I've read BG Trilogy seamlessly takes your character from BG1 to BG2.

It does. After the closing movie of BG1, it plops you right back down in the Undercity after the final battle, and gives you a quest to follow to start BG2.

I may be wrong about this, but it may even allow you to finish up any left over quests around Baldur's Gate before starting SoA.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

Thanks for clearing this up Kana. Smile

Quote :: If it's not too much trouble, Cara, could you PM me (do we have PM on this site?) a list of helpful mods for a first-time playthrough?

We do have PMs on this forum.

In the spoiler in my post above there is a list of all the mods I've installed. You will need Easy Tutu (which I'm using) or BG Trilogy (which I've never used so you're better off asking Kana for advice).

http://usoutpost31.com/easytutu/

You will find mods on different websites:

http://www.pocketplane.net/mambo/

http://www.gibberlings3.net/

http://www.spellholdstudios.net/

http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/index.php

Sometimes you can find more about mods by browsing the internet and googling them.

If you can't find a mod on the list feel free to contact me and I'll probably be able to help. Wink

World Savior

Haha, alright. Soon as I get home from work I'll install some mods and get playing. Thanks a ton, Cara.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

Remember Easy Tutu comes first. It's all rather straightforward.

Check out my weidu log if you need suggestions for mods. Of course you may simply want to play without mods but I'd suggest adding the fixes and the BG1 NPC mod.

I've got a collection of portraits taken from the internet, it should be easy to get loads of portraits for the game by simply looking for them. There are some pretty nice portraits over there:

http://www.shsforums.net/topic/53637-npc-portrait-pack-expansion/

When you start playing remember that BG is based on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition which means that low level spellcasters usually suck (there are some goodies to be found that make up for this in the game but if you don't want spoilers you'll have to find out for yourself -remember that pressing tab will highlight containers and objects on the map). If you make your main character a Mage consider yourself warned. If you really want a spellcaster a Cleric is a more reliable choice (they have more HP and can wear armours and cast spells in armour).

My advice would be to start as a Fighter (extra HP) since they are reliable at lower levels or maybe a Cleric (or a multiclass in which case Ranger/Cleric is a very solid choice). Thieves take some getting used to but are a necessity in order to complete certain parts of the game (but you don't have to make one for your main character).

If you don't want to multiclass (spread levels between two or three classes but avoid three it's too slow) dual classing can be interesting but it's only available to humans (who can't multiclass).

Lastly, kits can only be applied to pure class characters or the first class for Dual Class characters. Kits can really make for interesting builds but you'll figure this out soon enough.

Feel free to ask any questions if you have a problem with mods, character builds or anything else in the game.

Have fun! Wink

World Savior

Thanks a ton, Cara. I'll get downloading straight away. Just gotta decide whether to use Tutu or BGT.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

In that case Kana will be able to help you because I've never used BGT. Wink

Some mods are not compatible (I'm really not sure about Finch for instance) but in the end it should be quite enjoyable.

Last but not least make sure you use the Widescreen mod and the larger fonts mod (you don't need the larger fonts if you download the UI mod I've been using which is absolutely fantastic by the way).

Make sure you read the mod documentation as it will help you making informed choices. Steer away from mods that sound like cheats or that modify the gameplay too heavily if you don't want to take away the challenge from the game.

Bear in mind that the mod hunting and mod installation will most likely take up a few hours but once you're done you will be set for a fantastic experience.

Regarding the BG2 part of the game I don't know how BGT handles that and you may want to install a few BG2 mods like Unfinished Business and the Tweaks. Kana will probably be able to give you some advice about that part of the game (I'm using regular BG2).

World Savior

I think I'm gonna go for Tutu for now. Maybe I'll try BGT eventually. Thanks.

World Savior

Also, didn't feel like having a disc version of BG2, so I bought it off GOG. Waste of money? Probably. Laughing

Pole Dancer Impersonator

dragoniguana wrote:: Also, didn't feel like having a disc version of BG2, so I bought it off GOG. Waste of money? Probably.

I did the exact same thing. It may be a waste but getting rid of the CD check is pretty useful.

If you're going for Tutu make sure you use Easy Tutu (I've posted a link above). It's really convenient and straightforward and you will be able to keep your BG2 installation separate (BG1 can be unistalled once you're done with the installation of Easy Tutu).

World Savior

Question for the night: If G3.net is down, where do I get the widescreen mod?

Pole Dancer Impersonator

dragoniguana wrote:: Question for the night: If G3.net is down, where do I get the widescreen mod?

Bad news. If it doesn't come back your best chance is to use google to find mirrors on mod sites and if that fails I can pack and upload them for you.

Anyway here is a link for the widescreen mod:

http://www.moddb.com/games/baldurs-gate-ii/downloads/widescreen-mod-v305-by-the-bigg

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I haven't played much yesterday but Kiu's romance with Branwen is over. His reputation drop after killing Shandalar (assault was worth 6 points) terminated it. I decided to let Imoen go to the Friendly Arm Inn since she wasn't that useful and recruited Shar Teel to replace her (since she can be dualled as a Thief but I will wait for her to get to level 7). I've considering getting Safana instead since I haven't had her in one of my parties for ages.

I may get rid of Viconia. I really like her but she has been around so long I would like some novelty in this game so going for BG1 only NPC that I haven't played much is a nice change (Alora is another option of course since she has been relocated to Gullykin).

There is also Kagain who can be fairly decent in a fight if I give him the gauntlets of Dexterity.

So many options...

I'm thinking Kiu is trying to come up with a fairly good band of adventurers to take down Tazok and not necessarily looking for "nice" people anymore.

In which case Garrick may have to be replaced as he is a bit of a coward.

Son of Loki

An evil cleric would be nice. Too bad I don't have access to the Dreadmaster class, but I can symbolically play a DM.

I am missing my BG1 CDs, though. I will dig them next time I visit my mother. I do, however, have BG2 so I will build my PC. Stay tuned.

Janitor

Well if BGEE did nothing else it seems to have reawaken interest in Baldurs Gate. Not that much awakening was needed. This game should be gold plated and sent to the Smithsonian and other National Museums. Do we have a Hall of Fame for games?

World Savior

Well, Cara, I finished modding and spent about an hour with the game last night. I gotta say: It is amazing! Unlike when I tried to play BG2, with BG1 I find myself never wanting to stop playing. It's great.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

I'm glad to hear that D. So which class did you pick? Share some pictures with us! I like taking a screen of my level 1 character just to compare and get a clear picture of his progress throughout the game.

Quote :: Well if BGEE did nothing else it seems to have reawaken interest in Baldurs Gate.

True. It has rekindled my interest after I had lost patience with my last game which was jinxed (one PC died on me, then Vista failed to save configuration files and the last straw I lost my save). Starting three times in a row SoA ended up feeling too much like work.

I'm enjoying BG1 a lot and just like Dragoniguana when I start playing I can't stop.

World Savior

Carabas wrote:: I'm glad to hear that D. So which class did you pick? Share some pictures with us! I like taking a screen of my level 1 character just to compare and get a clear picture of his progress throughout the game.

I chose Sorcerer. I was interested in doing a mage run. Hoo boy, were your words about low-level mages right. I spend most of my time hiding behind my party. All I have to my name at level one right now is four hit points, a quarterstaff, and three shots of either magic missile or spook.

My companions right now are Imoen, Khalid, Jaheira, and Finch (who's probably my favourite). I decided not to pick up Monty and Xzar- I probably would have picked up Monty on his own, but Xzar is just a bit too insane for my character. My character is True Neutral, and I'm trying to play him as, contrary to your True Neutral character, not so much an immature guy, but more of an aloof guy, not so much interested in the big picture as what's best for him and his friends. He doesn't like the limelight. Because of that, my character tends to like having Jaheira along, and "living in her shadow", as you said.

This game is insanely difficult, by the way. And I thought Dragon Age: Origins was tough! Every encounter in this game seems to be a fight for my life. I'm absolutely loving it. There's something incredibly fun about going into a bar only to be attacked and killed, reloading a save, and getting killed over and over till you figure out the best way to go about the fight. I learned early on to save early and save extremely often.

Janitor

I have played my fighter/thief for so long I think the game would feel wrong if I tried something else but if I do I think it will be a wild mage.

Pole Dancer Impersonator

Quote :: I learned early on to save early and save extremely often.

Very wise. Also don't use just one save slot. Wink

DAO is not hard. It has a learning curve but once you figure it out it becomes easy and you need mods to make it a bit challenging.

WIth BG 1 and 2 you have to be inventive at times because the game isn't holding your hand and won't prevent you from getting into a fight you may not be able to win.

There is no shame in running away to fight another day.

Kudos for going with a Mage as your main. That's ballsy for a first run. Smile

You may have put more points in CON just to get more hitpoints. If the going gets tough you may look for a Find Familiar scroll to get a nice little boost by summoning a rabbit familiar.

Sorcerers are easy to use because you don't have to memorize spells beforehand but they have a major drawback: you can't erase spells from your spellbook in order to exchange them for something better. So the choices you make are of paramount importance! Sleep may be a good pick for low levels but it will be absolutely useless later on so you may want to skip it.

There are countless threads on the internet discussing the issue of selecting spells for a Sorcerer, I'd suggest you look through some of them for ideas (keep in mind that spell selection reflects a person's playing style) or post about your spell selection so we may help you avoid bad choices (Spook while definitely not a bad choice would probably not have been my first pick).

Wild Mages are a bit unreliable but they don't have to worry about selecting spells since they will probably end up learning them all. It's a very different type of spellcaster and I wouldn't recommend one for a first run.

Some people argue that Sorcerer are the most powerful spellcasters but I believe that once the Wild Mage is able to cast higher level spells and use Nahal's Reckless Dweomer without messing things up he becomes much more powerful than any Sorcerer.

However, if you pick your spells right a Sorcerer is much easier to handle and doesn't require much in terms of micromanagement (and this is actually nice).

I'm glad you like Finch. Make sure she doesn't get killed permanently (Kiu lost her and couldn't bring her back it was a tough moment in my game).

World Savior

Haha, trust me, Cara. If i lose anyone permanently (can you lose normal companions permanently?), I'm reloading a save first thing. I did that with Final Fantasy Tactics, I did it with Fire Emblem, I did it with Mass Effect, and I will most certainly do it with Baldur's Gate. Razz

As for the class, I just can't wait to get to level 2 to see what surprises await me there. The leveling speed in this game is ungodly slow for me. Mad

Pole Dancer Impersonator

Well I try not to reload if my main character doesn't die. I'm not doing a no reload game because it is frustrating but I'm trying to keep things interesting.

As far as getting levels... Well progress is slow when you have a full party. Besides if you haven't installed a level cap remover the XP is limited so most characters will reach levels between 8 and 10 by the end of BG1.

Kiu is currently level 8 and the game is getting a bit easier (although some fights are still presenting a challenge).

Your character's progression tends to speed up when he/she becomes more powerful and starts killing more foes and thus bring more XP.

====================

Kiu's party consists of Branwen, Kivan, Kagain, Shar Teel and Tiax (who has been relocated thanks to the NPC mod).

Tiax is as fun as ever. I really like the gnome. Smile

Tension is growing as the merry little band is nearing Tazok's hideout...

Pole Dancer Impersonator

Ajantis replaced Tiax (a bit too crazy for this run, Kiu is True Neutral, not Chaotic Neutral). I've never used Ajantis much so since I'm trying different NPCs it's a nice change.

I've added Xan for a bit then replaced him with Indira (NPC mod) who is going to be my main mage for the rest of the game (not sure Kiu will regain his active class by the end of BG1).

Alora was recruited to clear the Firewine Ruins.

Finally Kiu ran into Coran and got him into the party to deal with his quest. Faldorn was added as a novelty (I never got to use her much either) and she replaced Branwen (since the romance "died" because of low reputation I felt I could get rid of her).

I'm considering getting rid of Coran to make room for Yeslick (I like Dwarves) Kiu is a level 4 Thief at the moment and he should be able to deal with most traps for now.

Current party is composed of Kivan, Ajantis, Indira, Faldorn and Coran (soon to be replaced with Yeslick if everything works out).

I dualled Kiu at level 9 after clearing up all areas outside Baldur's Gate except Cloakwood Mines and Durag's Tower. Since I've removed the level cap he should be able to level up (I'm not sure that it won't be a problem when importing the character in BG2 but that is not something Shadow Keeper can't fix).

Pole Dancer Impersonator

dragoniguana wrote:: Question for the night: If G3.net is down, where do I get the widescreen mod?

It seems to be happening a lot lately so here is a link for mirrors:

http://www.camagna.net/g3mirror/g3_emergency_mirror.html

====================

Kiu has recruited Yelsick and replaced Faldorn by Branwen (still quite useful given circumstances, I like Clerics as supporting characters and higher level Clerics make really powerful opponents).

So for now as Kiu is getting ready to enter Baldur's Gate after having a chat with Scar the party is made of Kivan, Ajantis, Indira, Branwen and Yeslick.

I don't have any plans regarding what to do next. There are so many things to do in this city, it won't be boring. Smile

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