Level 1 Human Kensai, Name: Fiorea. 18/70 - 18 - 18 - 18 - 7 - 14! I rolled that in 2019, stopped playing, and picked up the game again yesterday. I've never finished 1 or 2, but I have played quite a bit of both. I'm hoping to get all the way through both this time. My buds and I are starting a coop run of 3 this weekend.
Baldur's Gate
Everything about original Baldur's Gate series, Enhanced Edition and the Infinity Engine games.
Those are some pretty potent stats you rolled there!
What pips did you go for?
Not sure honestly. It was so long ago. I played a couple of hours this morning, but I never bothered to check. She's wielding a battle axe and a bastard sword and does hefty damage. I managed to get to Neshkel from Beregost and to whack Neira pretty handily third try. The first two attempts, she managed to get her hold persons off and prevented me from doing any damage before slowly offing my party.
As a side note: it's pretty great on Steam Deck. There's a controller configuration that makes everything easily accessible, and the track pads do a decent mouse impression. I'm enjoying it more than I expected to given my spotty history with it. Dunno why I've always bounced off Baldur's Gate. I played a lot of Icewind Dale back when it came out and had no trouble finishing just about everything you can do in that one.
Battle axe and a bastard sword sounds like a quick way to turn people into mincemeat haha.
She's a pain if she gets those hold persons off and to stick. I've found two good ways to deal with her - 1. Have yourself a cleric in the party before you deal with her, they can fire off command and put her down quicker than she can cast hold. 2. Stick an oil of speed on someone with a fast weapon to try and get the interrupt (even better if you can use a potion of invisibility on Monty or Imoen and then oil of speed to get a backstab in as well). think in this play I used offensive spin on my blade to get the haste effect and interrupt her casting, if I remember correctly.
I never played them back in the day, picked them (BGEE, BG2EE, IWD and Planescape Torment) up for iPad during Covid lockdown as I spotted them and they were on sale.
She's got two battle axes now that I picked another one up and noticed I have two points in axes, and two in dual wielding.
I just offed Mulahey this morning. I was probably a bit underleveled since I more-or-less went straight there. I had to reload a few times to get him. Minsc kept getting Rigid Thinkinged. I'll probably backtrack for a while now and get some experience finishing up chapter 1 and 2 quests and exploring more of the countryside.
She sounds awesome. I've not played as a Kensai. Who have you got backing her up party wise at the moment (other than Minsc)?
Have you been to the 'Garden' lots of Xp there if you're prepared...
My Blade and his party have just entered the lower levels of Durlag's Tower - think I'm high enough level to get through it without it being a complete nightmare.
Party is Kensai - Khalid - Jaheira - Imoen - Minsc - Dynaheir. I recently dropped Garrick for Minsc and Neera for Dynaheir. Wild Magic was entertaining, but was becoming a little too detrimental. While I was rescuing Dynaheir, Neera summoned a Nabassu that killed literally everyone. Shortly before that, she'd polymorphed herself into a squirrel. Great fun, but yeah, I had to reload each time. The number of potential PCs is getting to me. I've turned down so many, and they're so cranky about it when you do. I forgot how many there were.
I don't know about the 'Garden', but as I need xp, I'll probably Google that up.
Nice - cannon party. ☺️
I don't blame you for ditching Garrick, regular bards in BG are meh (unlike IWD where I think they're great!).
There is a plethora of potential companions - I'm deliberately trying ones this time I've not tried before (with the exception of Minsc because... well Minsc). Mine is Blade - Ajantis - Misnc - Yesslick - Alora - Neera (who also summoned a demon on me once but thankfully I was high enough level to kill it).
The 'Garden' I mention is the area known as Mutamin's Garden... lots of XP but big risk of instant death if you aren't prepared (I can give a spoiler if you like).
Seems like I'm at constant risk of instant death anyway. Might as well give it a shot.
All I’ll say is ‘protection from petrification’…
That's not ominous or anything.
I went back into Nashkel mines today. I realized I still had somebody's dagger. Oops!
haha.
How’s you play through going?
It kind of stalled as I pursue becoming Elden Lord. Elden Ring is a whole other kind of suffering. I'll get back to BG eventually. I'm sure.
Haha easily done - better to get waylaid by another game that incurring restartitis which is a common problem I have with RPGs... ooh what about this class...
Haha! Elden Ring doesn't really have that problem. All the classes are essentially identical once you gain a few levels. It's all about how you spec. And re-speccing is relatively easy compared to older Souls games.
I made my actual DnD character. In tabletop he's a high charisma low intelligence wizard that uses a transmog ring to look like an old man. Focuses are char, wisdom, deception and persuasion. He sucks in a fight, but generally can B.S. enough to get out of the fight
Ultimately it's hard as hell to play on BG