alternate NPC's

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If I want to start BG2 SOA again, does anyone have suggestions on alternate party members instead of Jaheria and Minsc, or are they a must have?

 

No, they are not a must-have at all. Especially as Minsc does not have any quests, you get no extra XP for having him in your party.

There are enough NPCs to go through three times with different party members each time.

I suggest a party that includes Cernd, Nalia, and Mazzy as that would be a nice change from the NPCs you had before. It also depends what your player character is.

 

Oh you cruel man HB. Making him take those three.... EEEEEvil!

 

I think Jaheira and Minsc are made available at the start and suggested by the storyline as party members because, to be honest, you cant really go wrong with them. Jaheira, Minsc and Imoen form a solid, dependable core party to help new people get stuck into the game. If you've played through once, try taking some of the characters who are a bit harder to use properly, like Haer'Dalis, Aerie and Valygar. Makes you play the game differently, thats for sure.

However, as said above, a lot depends on who your PC is. What sort of character were you thinking of playing?

 

My first run through I played a multiplayer game with a sorcerer as the protagonist, and a fighter/mage/theif as a sidekick. But the f/m/t ended up being a bit more involved in the action, so I want to start again and import my f/m/t into a single player game.

 

If you have a Fighter / Mage / Thief as your Player Character then it won't matter what NPCs you take. For completeness, you might want a divine spellcaster like Viconia and a pure tank like Keldorn.

That would be a nice party: F/M/T, Viconia, and Keldorn. That covers all main party skills, you get Keldorn's useful Inquisitor skills, plus all the healing you could need. The perfect recipe for a happy adventure.

 

I suggest downloading a Happy mod, so no one will leave your party, then get Korgan, Edwin, Mazzy, Valygar and Viconia. I prefer having Jaheira in my party, but it doesn't matter.

 

It's more fun without the happy mod.

 

But it is pretty hard to keep all of you favorite NPCs without it. And since the game promotes having a good reputation (stuff costs less, there are more NPCs aligned with good, you get more experience doing stuff the 'good' way, etc), it's nearly impossible to have the party you want and keep a good reputation.

 

That's just life. If you got everything you wanted easily then there would be no point in playing. But what do I know, I'm still playing through for the first time.

"Next time", I'm thinking of going with Neville the Wild Mage, Korgan, Jan, and Jaheira. Hmm, must stop thinking of "next time" and concentrate on "this time"......

 

I wouldnt worry too much about the reputation thing. Recently I've been playing neutral characters so I can do evil quests when it suits me but don't have to be nasty all the time. I'm not much of a roleplayer, but this actually feels more realistic (ie in real life, while most people aren't evil as such, they tend to be good and evil as and when it suits them). I've found that I have no real problems with reputation, but then I'm a hoary old BG2 veteran who knows where the reputation bumps come.

However, I am having some problems at the minute. I want a party containing both Edwin and Aerie, I can't bring myself to leave Imoen behind and I dont want my PC to be a pure fighter type. I'm thinking:

- Valygar
- Mazzy
- Ranger/Cleric
- Aerie
- Imoen
- Edwin

Bit light on the old tankage, but it'll make me think of some new tactics. Lots of summons (with Valygar hiding among them if he feels like it) and range attack/debilitation before we mop up in close range. Lovely.

 

My current party consists of 4 self made characters, Jaheira (for the romance), and then i switch other characters in and out. After I finish everyone's quests, ill either make a half-orc barbarian (i lack strength in the front line, as i have an archer, a cleric, a mage, and a theif for my self-made characters.) Either that, or I'd add Valygar, cause i havent played with him past the Sphere quest.

 

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That looks like a good party, Will. Plenty of mage spells, plenty of priest spells. Valygar is a must for that party, since Imoen can't really backstab. Mazzy is a good choice to compliment the 'ranged attacks then close in melee and mop' tactic. Though since your party is kinda tank-light you might want a fighter who is less geared towards ranged attacks, such as Korgan (who is still excellent at ranged attacks. He can do lots of damage from a range) or Keldorn.
Also, if you are going to be switching between range and melee a lot, you might want to consider giving Valygar skill in Single Weapon Style so that you don't have to constantly go into his backpack to add another katana or take one off and add the bow. Plus, it will help his AC (always good for stalkers [if you are wearing Shadow Dragon Armour, having single weapon style (**) makes up for not being able to wear a ring of protection +2]) and improve your backstabbing ability (criticals and backstabs are always nice).