Making full use of spells and theiving
I played Baldur's gate years ago and recently did bg1 as a mage and BG2 as a f/m, both on normal difficulty.
I find that although I cast spells I do rely quite a bit on auto attacking, and don't make full use of mage and cleric spells or theif abilities.
I am thinking about another run that would encourage me to get into these mechanics more. One option is increase the difficulty, but I was thinking I find 6 companions a bit overwhelming and maybe I should do a party of 3, like a cleric, theif, mage, to make it critical to really get into the detail.
Does anyone have any recommendations for getting into these mechanics more, and if difficulty or small parties might help? I think solo might be a bit difficult for me at the moment.
Edit: dammit thief not theif
Posted Jun 9, 2023, 4:43 AM UTC
higher difficulty will force you to into the mechanics more but that's not necessarily a good thing. It sometimes forces people to "metagame". e.g. they know in the next room is a big fight so they pre-buff half a dozen buffs before starting the fight.
Also, keep in mind you are not stuck creating just 1 character. Although only one will be bhaalspawn you can create an entire party if you want to.
My last playthrough I 4 manned BG1 on insane difficulty .3 created characters and Neera. The big issue was the amount of damage they do. my cleric was pretty much loaded up on healing spells to keep me alive through fights.
Also, because they have way more Hps than normal, damage spells weren't quite as effective. Control spells were where it's at (I mean, sleep is still the single most powerful spell for the first 3/4 of the game).
It will force you to get into the mechanics, but it might not be fun for you. Can be a bit of a slog.
Finally with regards to a mage. I always train them in dart or sling and they usually spend most of their time sniping from the back. I save the spells for the big fights. That's pretty much how you play a mage.
Another option is to keep the difficulty low but try soloing the game. Sorcerer (dragon disciple) is a good option for that.
Yeah I'm thinking 3 or 4 sized party. It just seems people always talk about a full party or solo and not much in between, and I was wondering if mid size parties maybe don't work so well.
I find when I have multiple arcane and multiple divine casters that you get full size parties I don't need to full utilities them, and I end up using a part thief for traps and locks and not much else.
I mean, the full size parties are where you would learn the most about mechanics.
but, if you do go small/med, I think you might want to create all the characters. something like thief/mage figher/cleric (or fighter/druid), inquisitor and Dragon disciple.
Inquisitor is your front line fighter. He's a paladin but gives up most of his spells and abilities for a super powerful dispel magc and true sight. (high charisma so he might be the main character)
Dragon disciple gets one less spell but a host of other interesting bonuses. You have to be careful about what spells you select.
The thief mage handles traps and locks and is your mage that you can load up with spells that you don't take on your DD. As a t/m he is also your short bow user (and there are some sweet short bows in the game).
Fighter cleric serves as a front-line fighter, buffer and can still lay down some crowd control.
That would be an interesting mix. Core rules. Just enough of a challenge without being punishing.