POLL: Hardest/Easiest Side Quest

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It's been too long since I've done a poll, and I started to get the shakes. Need my fix. This is also the first post-30 Aldeth poll.

For the sake of brevity, I'm not including ALL this side quests here. Basically, we're going to stick to the strongholds that you encounter in chapter 2, as that is the least linear part of the game, that allows you to divert from the main storyline. Which one do you tend to do first (easiest presumably) and which one do you do last (hardest presumably). I understand that many people try to do their stronghold as early as possible, so I'm asking you to select without taking your class into account. Sort of like an "all other things being equal" which one do you do first/last?

Poll Information
This poll contains 2 question(s). 55 user(s) have voted.
You may not view the results of this poll without voting.

Poll Results: Hardest/Easiest Side Quest (55 votes.)

Most difficult stronghold/side quest (Which one do you save for last?) (Choose 1)
* D'Arnise Keep (fighter, barbarian, monk) - 2% (1)
* Windspear Hills (paladin) - 22% (12)
* Umar Hills/Temple Ruins (ranger) - 4% (2)
* Trademeet/Druid Grove (druid) - 2% (1)
* Unseeing Eye (cleric) - 36% (20)
* Planar Sphere (mage, sorcerer) - 27% (15)
* Mae'Var's Guildhall (thief) - 2% (1)
* Playhouse (bard) - 5% (3)

Least difficult stronghold/side quest (Which one do you do first?) (Choose 1)
* D'Arnise Keep (fighter, barbarian, monk) - 31% (17)
* Windspear Hills (paladin) - 4% (2)
* Umar Hills/Temple Ruins (ranger) - 5% (3)
* Trademeet/Druid Grove (druid) - 15% (8)
* Unseeing Eye (cleric) - 2% (1)
* Planar Sphere (mage, sorcerer) - 2% (1)
* Mae'Var's Guildhall (thief) - 36% (20)
* Playhouse (bard) - 5% (3)

 

Most difficult, definately the unseeing eye. At least it is when you don't use the shield of cheese. Maybe I'm a bit biased because I am counting the encounters with the powerful group in the sewers and the elemental lich which is also on the way.

Easiest I voted Maevar's guild hall. The most difficult part of that quest is the assassination of a cowled wizard. Of course this only counts when not playing the Improved Maevar mod.

 

I completely agree with Apeman. I like to wait to a certain level to take on the Unseeing Eye quest, but a blind Xvart can take out Mae'Var and his cronies.

 

I often go for the D'arnise hold, as it's not too hard and gives some good rewards. The unseeing eye or Firkraag is the last I do as they are the most challenging.

 

Apeman is now thirded.

 

Planar Sphere was the hardest because of the damn Halflings.

Umar Hills is the easiest.

 

I think Unseeing Eye/Cleric stronghold is hardest, if for no other reason than having a protagonist with less than 60HP results in instant death against the Unseeing Eye when he Power Word: Kills you. Maybe it's based on your level when you hit it, but since I refuse to use the Shield O' Cheese, the Beholder Cult is tough to crack.

I always found De'Arnise Keep easy. I do it first because (a) it's not that hard except for the last battle and the Umber Hulks, and (b) usually Nalia annoys me into doing it as soon as I go to the Copper Coronet.

 

I find the playhouse to be the hardest. I do use the shield of cheese against beholders because I get tired of their ranged touch attacks that do holy crap amounts of damage.

Not to mention you can't exactly counter the thrall commander and all his damnable thrall mages.

 

I'm assuming that you want to defeat the "boss" at the end of each quest.

Windspear Hills is IMO the hardest because it involves killing very tough monsters; a dragon, packs of high level undead, packs of golems.

Trademeet/Druid Grove is IMO the easiest by far because there are no tricks or traps and the monsters you face are relatively easy; trolls and some druids. Entering the Troll Mound is doubtless the hardest fight and that is very much optional. The "boss" fight at the end is a pushover and you can even have Cernd do it and then dump that useless excuse for a druid.
Additionally there is an "evil" alternative solution if you for some reason don't want to duel the "boss".

The Unseeing Eye is hard because of the Beholders, but by using summons, sneaking and some area damage spells they can be handled. Casting multiple Skull Traps and managing to lure beholders into them can be done. The "boss" fight is easy. Beholders are very difficult though.
I - and probably most other veteran players - don't use the Shield of Balduran.

The Planar Sphere is another tough quest with many difficult monsters. IMO this quest is one of the best quests in the game.

 

I never put my two cents into it. I voted for the Windspear Hills as the hardest, just because to properly complete the quest there are multiple very difficult encounters. I had considered the Unseeing Eye, but the more I thought about it, the only time you really HAVE to fight a group of beholders is on the other side of the bridge. In the catacombs underneath the temple, the two largest groups of beholders are entirely avoidable.

Easiest I went with Mae'Var out of convenience. If the druid quest was located within Athkatla, it would have got my vote. A spirit troll certainly doesn't count as a "difficult" enemy unless your group is devoid of magical weaponry.

 

I chose the planersphere quest as most difficult, since I like to take all the demons out, usually with a semi-solo character, their deathgaze and paraletic gaze is hard to overcome when you don't want to rest in hell or have the appropiate spells. Furthermore, those halflings are a total pain! (Does anyone know why there are lizardmen in the controlroom BTW?)

The temple ruins quest is totally easy IMHO. Shadows are not a big threat unless in large numbers and that only happens in the beginning where you can use the mirror to amplify the light of the gamstone. And the shadow dragon you don't have to deal with before you take on the joke boss of the area: the shade lord (what a wimp!).

 

I haven't voted, and I don't think I can. Most of the quests have variable elements so that they are easier when you are lower level, harder when you are higher level. And most of the higher level monsters can be easily countered with the right strategy. With an unmodded game, a bit of stealth, detect evil and farsight, and a wand of cloudkill can overcome nearly any enemy before they even see you.

Probably the hardest thing to do is take on a quest at mid-level, where you get all the hard monsters (spirit trolls in place of regular trolls, etc.), but are only moderately powerful yourself.

Generally, though, it has been so long since I played without the improved Mae'var, improved undead, improved Beholders, etc., that it is hard to think of any of the original quests as "hard."

But if I were to vote, my vote for the easiest would go to the druid grove. You can sneak all the way to Faldorn invisibly, and you can even ask Cernd to fight her for you when he's not in your party. No one in your party ever has to lift a finger.

 

Bombur does raise a good point about the variability within the quests. For example, if you do to Spellhold first, and do the side quests after you return, the monsters will be a whole lot harder. Off the top of my head, in addition to getting Spirit Trolls in place of regular trolls, you also get a lich thrown in to the undead room in the Unseeing Eye quest, as well as a lich thrown into the room off of the fire room in the Temple Ruins, as well as by the floor with the letters. That does increase the challenge.

 

i would also like to add that if you are playing with a lot of mods that improve battles, like myself sadly i have over 20mods installed IIRC and it makes pretty much any quest hard: here is a short list if your wondering:
mods that made them harder:
Tactics (all components except for Improved Illyich)
Improved Battles (all components)
Acsension
There are other mods, but i might pick for the hardest quest would be the Cult of The Unseeing Eye, because of Improved Beholders and with the Dark Ritual mod as well it makes some of the encounters in the quest harder, so in all it makes that quest very very difficult and sadly required me to use cheese to defeat it
I am ashamed for i very dislike using cheese, but desperate times called for desperate measures

 

Not so much in terms of difficulty, but more of what I do when. The poll does say which to you do first and which last.

de'Arnise Keep is a definite first as it gives a good amount of gold once completed. Early on, though, the trolls can be a pain.

The planar sphere is the one I do last (if at all) since, as of late, many of my characters are multi-classed mages and I tend to do the other quest (fighter, thief, etc).

 

I only played the game with a paladin (cavalier) sometimes, so i can't determin which one is easier of harder.
But my question is, where can i find the mod which enables you to play all strongholds, no matter what class or race.
I had it once, but i lost it.

 

The Ease-of-Use mod includes it.

 

I think he wanted a location where he could download it.

http://www.weidu.org