Identifying items - what's the point?

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In every RPG I find the "identifying items" mechanic pointless. It's always possible to identify an item, so the fact that the item is initially unidentified merely delays the moment you'll be able to use it. Also, there's no trade-off to identifying items: it's always good to identify, and it costs nothing except for gameplay time. Also, once you've been through the game, you know what the items are before identifying them, so it's even more pointless.

I know there's a tweak in BG2Tweaks to identify all items, but I'm just wondering why I should maybe not install it.

 

I agree there is little to no realism in that, I sometimes wondered about it too.
Just installed the game yesterday(BGT) and also I installed the b2tweaks. I left out that option mainly because it would take out some functionality out of my Blade.

When you put high INT and WIS to your Bard it adds to your lore, rare conversation options and chance to memorize the spell (I did NOT install 100% to scribe a scroll), I think it adds complexity and perhaps some more meaning to those two rather unimportant stats.

It is convenient though I finished IWD2 with this component and well, can't say it took out much joy of the game for me. There's a big chance I'd install it again if I wasn't playing Bard

 

dude, its to add usefulness to the less used classes and (such as bards) add a tad bit more roleplaying or use up your 1st level identify spells. In the beginning of the game where you dont' have enough lore and you need to speend precious money to identify it, it is a resource management and choosing which to identify first. first run thru it can be interesting

later in the game and after x runs, this does become tedious right clicking all the time. use the tweak if you think its a bore.

 

That's the reason - I also will second Pyro's comment that if you don't have a bard, there's a ton o' stuff that you won't be able to identify just by right clicking. While you'd technically need a lore of 100 to identify everything, getting it up to 50 or 60 is usually functional enough - the glasses of identification will be sufficient to identify the items that require higher lore values.

 

I agree with Pyroreaver. Although I will say that the part I never understood was having to identify items crafted by Cromwell/Cespenar. I mean, who in their right mind would give someone a bunch of good items and gold without knowing what they’re going to get in return?

 

Who in their right mind would take an item Cespenar had been tinkering with and play with it?!

 

I don't think you have to identify crafted items. Unless you mean that you don't know what the stats of the crafted item you'll get until after you make it. Although for most of the stuff, the individual parts are either entirely non-functional (like the wave halberd, the equalizer, gesen bow, etc.), or that the additional piece you add is non-functional unless you add it to the item you already have (like the Eye of Tyr, or the claw (forget the name of it) you add to the Axe of the Unyielding). About the only item I can think of offhand where you are giving up potential usable items individually would be Crom Faeyr, where you're giving up two strength enhancing items for one.

 

Yes, that's what I meant.

Now that I think of it, I’m not really sure what identifying items actually does that suddenly makes it useable. Consider a hypothetical example of Bill the Bard and Fred the Fighter:

Fred: Look at this sword I just found!
Bill: You can’t use it without identifying it first.
Fred: Oh, OK, what is it then?
Bill: It looks like it’s the Sword of Flatulence, which emits noxious gasses when hitting evildoers.
Fred: Neat! What do I have to do to use it?
Bill: Nothing. Just equip and attack.
Fred: Huh? Why couldn’t I have done that before?
Bill: I told you – it had to be identified first.
Fred: But why couldn’t I have just used it and found out for myself?
Bill: How can you use it if you don’t know what it does?
Fred: It’s a sword!. Swinging sticks is kinda what I do!
Bill: *sigh* Look, that’s just the way it works. If you don’t like it, go join the Titan Quest.

 

Hmm, it's obviously been awhile since I played (which it has), because my (apparently inaccurate) recollection is that you couldn't even equip items that haven't been ID'd, let alone get their bonuses.

 

You can equip items that don't need triggering (swords, armour, girdle of gender bender...) things that need triggering need to be understood first (scrolls, wands, items with special per day abilities)

 

And if you had to identify everything before you could equip it, all those cursed items wouldn't be such a problem either. Unless of course you just put anything on your characters, without paying any attention at all to what the description says.

 

LOL !