POLL: Worst HLA

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Thought I'd get in a this series of polls.

What do you think is the worst HLA in the game?

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 54 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Worst HLA (54 votes.)

What is the worst HLA in BG2? (Choose 1)
* Deathblow - 8 Levels or Lower? Come on! - 19% (10)
* Make Potion - How about some good potions? - 67% (36)
* Energy Blades - Mages still have crap THAC0. - 4% (2)
* Hardiness - It Lasts How Long? - 7% (4)
* Power Attack - I Ran Out of Things to Put - 4% (2)

 

I went with Death Blow. At the stage in the game where you get it, the odds of coming across an enemy who can be killed with it is pretty minimal. And even if you *are* lucky enough to find one, if the can be killed with Deathblow it's probably got so few HPs that a normal blow will kill it anyway.

 

I went with make potions. I always found that to be an incredibly silly HLA. I mean, by now, you're hauling around gazillions of different potions, probably having trouble stacking them all (I know I do!) and then you get a HIGH LEVEL ability, allowing you to make some more. Wa.Hey.

 

Death Blow here.
A level 8 enemy wont give you much trouble by the time you have access to the HLAs.

Hardiness I like and use it often during tough battles.

Make Potions may not be that great, but I like the idea of my bard cooking something. Somehow that fits.

The rest of the HLAs? My fighters get one of each, but when leveling up I will concentrate on Hardiness and Greater Whirlwind otherwise.

 

Make potions is pretty useless. About the only thing they might be good for is for selling but by the time you get the HLA, you don't need the money.

Regarding energy blades -- clerics and druids get it also and if you're a fighter/mage, your THAC0 isn't crap. Besides the +10 to your THAC0, doesn't it hit as a +5 weapon? For me, it certainly isn't useless.

Now I think that Magic Flute, Tracking, Scribe Scrolls and War Cry are pretty useless.

 

Suprisingly many enemies are lvl 12 or lower, so if you get Greater Deathblow, you'll kick some behind. Deathblow is a pre-req so...

Energyblades are actucally very useful, so is Hardines. I managed to kick Melissan by using that skill

Scribe Scroll, Magic Flute and Alchemy however, are really bad choices.

 

Death blow can be useful -somewhat- since it gives access to greater death blow Mindflayers, for one, are under level 12.

But 'make potions' is just utter rubbish. Potion of giant strengh? C'mon... Even that comes out randomly, so you always end up getting a wrong potion, which most likely is the least useful one or which you have bag full.

(Don't forget 'make scrolls' -another useless ability)

 

* cough * ripoff * cough *

Actually, good poll Raster. It gets the Aldeth seal of approval - and believe me - no poll can receive a higher recognition - it's like a movie winning an Oscar.

Seriously though, on topic, it has to be make potions. As has been said, at least death blow gives you access to greater death blow, so it isn't completely worthless. Make potion on the other hand, is garbage. First of all, the possible potions you get aren't that great (chances are you have a potion case with several copies of that potion already), and then to make matters worse, you don't even get to pick which one you make! The possible potions aren't expensive, and aren't rare, so this ability doesn't do anything a merchant doesn't do (provided you have a couple hundred gp).

 

Make potions might be a better ability if you actually got something worthwhile from it but none of the potions are anything much to write home about.

[ March 18, 2004, 19:32: Message edited by: david w ]

 

I don't know Aldeth... I mean, he forgot Scribe Scrolls and Magic Flute. Are you sure you want to pass off on it still?

 

Make potions. What a joke. I'd much rather rely on Morul for my random potion-making.

 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Tracking. I see nearly no practical use for that skill.

 

Energy blades is great... especially for Viconia. She eviscerates with energy blades.

 

Yea, energy blades are pretty decend. IIRC, they also set your THAC0 to -10 or something. Nothing like Time Stopping and throwing 60 or so blades at the enemy.

@ Jhonka

Guess that is because no one even remembered it

 

I agree with Jonkha, Tracking sucks most of them all. But of the abovementioned, deathblow blows.

 

@Jhonka -

Someone did...

 

You're right Mystra. I never even take tracking, magic flute, or scribe scrolls, so to me, they don't even register as HLA's in my mind. Yes, I know they exist, but they seem a waste, because there's always something better as an option.

Magic Flute is only available to bards. For one, I hardly ever have a bard with me. For two, even if I did, I would learn the traps, and many copies of them.

Scribe Scrolls is the same as magic flute (I think it's a bard HLA). Even if it is a mage HLA, it's still useless, as there are so many level 10 spells to learn, and then bonus spells for levels 6-9, that there's really no way I'd get all the way to the point that I would take scribe scrolls as an HLA.

Rangers have tracking, and they also have the fighter pool of HLA's. Obviously the fighter pool completely exceeds anything that you would tracking for...

 

Rangers should get the Trackin ability for free at high level.

I often play as Bard, though I've never even considered taking Magic Flute, Alchemy or Scribe Scrolls. They make poor HLAs when you can get Spike Trap, Improved Bard Song and Greater Evasion...

 

How can people say magic flute is bad when it gives you an extra 3 7th level spells, a 5th level spell and a resist fear to boot. At the very least its better than the mage HLAs for an extra 6th, 7th or 8th level spell.

I know bards get some insanely good HLAs, but after mine got UAI and Improved Song, I went for the Flute and was not disappointed.

The worst would be make potions, followed by scribe scrolls. I'm not a big fan of evasion either.

 

Evasion is pretty much meaningless at the stage in the game you get it. Pretty much anything in the later stages of TOB (and most of Watcher's Keep) seem to hit you no matter what AC you have.