Who Always Misses the Cut?

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There are a few NPCs as far as I'm concerned that hardly EVER make it into my parties, and I'm not even sure why in most cases.

For example, if I'm playing a good party, I almost always will have Keldorn and Minsc.

If I'm playing an evil party, due to the lack of a lot of evil NPCs, you can bet that Edwin, Korgan and Viconia are all coming along.

Some characters like Jan, Aerie, and Jaheira, being multi-classed are very versatile, and fit into many of my parties as well.

You also need a mage, so (unless I'm playing evil) either Nalia or Imoen come along.

Then there are some that I occassionally take, people like Valygar, Anomen, and Mazzy.

But there are a few poor sots that never seem to make the cut. I can say that I've only played through using Haer Dalis once, and I don't think Cernd has ever been in my party long enough to even complete his quest. I don't even know why Haer Dalis doesn't make the cut - perhaps I don't like the micro-management needed to use a bard properly. But Cernd I think the answer is obvious - he's too gimmicky as a shapeshifter. Jaheira is almost as good of a druid (given that you gain exactly ONE LEVEL between 1.5 million and 3 million experience points) and the fact that she's also a fighter make her infinitely more versitile than Cernd.

Is there anyone out there that has a similar experience? That there are a few characters who even though you've played the game through 20 times now you STILL haven't taken with you for any appreciable length of time?

 

I guess I will go from my least to most used.

For me the ones I pretty well never use would definitely be Nalia and Cernd - for me it is mostly due to my not being able to stand their dialogues.

I have played Nalia through the entire game once but given that I always take Imoen I really don't need both of them and I find Nalia highly annoying.

As far as Cernd goes, I just can't stand his dialogues. I also agree with you re. his class - the werewolf form is either too weak unmodded or too powerful with rebalancing and the rest of his abilities make him a distant second to Jaheira or a ranger/cleric. I don't think I have ever kept him for the entire game - I meant to once but I quickly dumped him for someone less annoying.

The next tier of infrequent use would be Mazzy, Valygar, Jan, Anomen and Haer Dalis. I can think of no real reason for the first three. I don't like putting up with Anomen's arrogant comments so he usually does not make the cut.

I didn't like Haer Dalis' dialogues at first and that lumped him in with Cernd and Nalia in my do not use category. However, he has kind of grown on me - especially after I began using his class more effectively - so I am using him more frequently now.

Aerie, Jaheira, Viconia, Korgan, Edwin, and Keldorn would be my next class of frequent inclusions. I use all of them quite frequently.

Minsc is almost always included except when I am playing as a really evil party. How could I do without Minsc's butt-kicking for goodness?

Finally, Yoshimo and Imoen always make it into my party for story reasons plus I like both characters.

 

Yes, I feel this way, too.

For me, Jaheira, Valygar and Anomen and almost always in my party.

Jan, Minsc, Korgan, Nalia are sometimes in my party, but I don't have room for everyone.

Haer'Dalis, Keldorn, Yoshimo and Viconia... I love them, but somehow they rarely in my party, as well.

As for Cernd and Mazzy.. I just forget about them most of the time, I guess.

 

Most people seem not to bother with Cernd.

 

Anomen has only adventured with me twice - the second time, our little group had lots of fun making him fail his test and then walking directly to the Radiant Heart. Taunting ensued.

I won't be using him again. Korgan is another I don't take along much, since I'm a goody-two-shoes who can't stand little dirty psychopaths. Cernd and Haer'Dalis haven't been present much, so I'd like to take them along next time. Here's what my party might look like:

Sorceror (PC)
Korgan
Haer'Dalis
Cernd
Mazzy
Yoshimo/Jan

That ought to be a treat.

[ March 01, 2005, 17:32: Message edited by: Albert Rose ]

 

I never seem to use Mazzy, Valygar and Cernd. I think it is because they live too far away, but that's a lame excuse. Nalia makes it now because I've had enough of Imoen. Anomen makes it because I've used Aerie too many times. Jan almost always makes it because he is such a good thief. I try to use Yoshimo sometimes, but he can't pick locks very well and you need another thief. Haerdalis made it twice when I played evil and when I did the Aerie romance.

 

I never take Nalia or Aerie, not entirely sure why for Nalia, but Aerie's far too whiny for my tastes. I rarely have Keldorn in my party, though in most of my games I start out intending to pick him up.

Minsc is ALWAYS in my party unless I'm playing evil, which rarely happens. I always have Yoshimo for plot reasons, and very rarely will I leave Imoen behind. Others are pretty much a case-by-case basis, though lately Jaheira has been getting the boot more often than not. I have no idea why.

Perhaps I'll start a new game, and take Keldorn, Mazzy, Nalia, Minsc (just gotta! ), and Haer'Dalis or Jan.. I haven't traveled with either of them for a while. Thanks, Aldeth, for making me think about my choice of companions

 

I've been stuck in a real rut.

Main Character almost always Human Kensai.

Minsc and Jaheira both come because they were bushwhacked by Irenicus just like I was and deserve to come along, and because they both seem better than the alternatives.

I find Keldorn indispensable.

Imoen/Yoshimo for story reasons, and because I want a thief.

Aerie as a compliment to the above, because I want some sort of mage till I get Immy back. Of the other mages, Nalia is an Imoen clone with worse thieving skills, I've always had the idea that having Jan along would make me want to fall on my katana, and Edwin is evil.

Speaking of which, I only tried playing evil once, and having to tell Imoen that she'd have to find her own way out of the asylum felt so wrong that I abandoned that game not long after.

I've spent a lot of time trying to come up with any justification for playing with a different party, and I just can't do it. I guess I'm not very imaginative.

 

I don't feel you need to give Imoen the boot if you're evil necessarily-- even evil characters have friends, and Imoen is loyal no matter whether you're good or bad.

I have played BG:II about fifty times but I always barely get halfway through chapter three before starting over with new characters, a new PC, I don't know if I have ADD or what. But I only had Cernd once and hated his stupid guts. Haer daelis is annoying as well. Aerie is okay sometimes, she just seems to die constantly for me.

I think 90% of the games I've played have had Minsc, and usually Jaheira as well. Jan is also a common add on because he serves as a decent mage as well as a thief, and I find his gab pretty entertaining.

I've never had Mazzy, I have no idea how to get her. How do I do that?

 

To get Mazzy, you need to accept the quest from the boy, Delon, at the middle of Government district. Then you go to Umar Hills, accept the quest from the mayor, go to the Merella's cabin (down left corner), take a book from the table into your inventory, and go out to the area called Temple Ruins.

Once there, visit the cells. To open them, you need to kill the shadow that will talk to you "You shall not free master's consort !" and loot her corpse for the key. The cells are next to her. Open the cells, Mazzy's there.

 

Cernd and Nalia ALWAYS seem to miss the cut, in my case and due of the same reasons stated before: too annoying and not too versatile. I once tried to play a game with those characters I hate the most, but, needless to say; I didn't get too far...

Korgan and Edwin are in only a little better situation; can't see why I should bugger taking them along, the first one being useful, yes, but since I'm a roleplayer I wouldn't take him only because of that. The second falls due of the same reasons as Nalia and Cernd.

Somewhere in the middle-ground, NPCs I could perhaps take if just my party weren't so FULL, are Valygar and Jan Janssen. Poor sods and in a certain sense they are the ones who "always seem to miss the cut."

That's because my party almost always consists of the protagonist, Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira, Aerie, and Viconia.

 

I almost never take Aerie (Oh! My wings ), Nalia (What do you mean help the poor, we are in your friggin keep lady!) or Cernd except maybe for their quests.
Yoshimo (Traitor!) & Mazzy (Stop your self-righteous bombast, shorty.) dont even get to stay that long.

Valygar (Where in a Golem are you gonna put that Katana ), Haer'Dalis, Edwin & Korgan (Axes are pretty pathetic in SoA) make the team only if I have specifically created a place for them.

Keldron, Imoen, Minsc, Anomen, Jaheira, Jan & Viconia are almost guarenteed a place unless I cant find a way to keep them with me.

 

I can actually stand Cernd. It's Nalia and Anomen that make me pull my hair out.

Mazzy was never there long enough, mainly because the one time I was going to take her for the ride she got very nasty towards Valygar, whom I liked far more than her, so I gave her the boot. Too bad, because she's an exceptional sniper.

Cernd is not so good in SOA-only. He's tremendously better in TOB though.

Nalia is a lesser Imoen. An ANNOYING lesser Imoen. Enough said.

Anomen is THE NPC I wanted to slap most.

I don't like Keldorn much (too goody two shoe for me) but he's so powerful he gets my respect. Korgan is the exact opposite in personality, but his strength is not something to take lightly either. I actually like Yoshimo... in a way you can understand why he does what he does.

Aerie's not worth having around unless I'm romancing her (which I did once). But she is VERY powerful at later levels... kind of an odd contrast, seeing a walking arsenal of destruction complaining about how weak and sad she is.

 

I never take Anomen, Jan or Cernd.
I rarely take Jaheira, Keldorn, Haer'Dalis, Valygar or Edwin.
Viconia sometimes features, but not a huge amount. Yoshimo and Nalia also quite often are left on the sidelines.
Imoen, Mazzy and Korgan are the ones I take most often. Mazzy is probably my favourite NPC.

 

Mazzy - I have never used properly

Cernd - I always take him but dump him before he reaches level 14 for some strange reason,

Minsc - a funny guy but he gets killed too easily for me

Anomen is good but probably the most annoying so I never even bother taking him these days,

Aerie she shows great potential, but I never take her after her whining about her wings.

Jaheria will always have a place in my party, especially when she gets that impaler spear!

Haer'Dalis has grown on me,

Viconia is great, now that I know what spells to have her memorise.

Valygar and Yoshimo are great backstabbers

 

Valygar and Anomen are never ever used in my parties, Yoshimo was in my party in the first run-through, but as that was back when the game was just released (he never has been in my party since then)
My character is almost always an arcane spellcaster (single-, multi-, or dualclassed) So I don't need Nalia as I prefer Jan for his thieving abilities

 

Never Use (tried, but never liked nor used fully):
Anomen
Cernd
Haer'dalis
Nalia (only use her for her quest)
Aerie


Use Some of the Time:
Valygar
Yoshimo
Mazzy
Jan

Use Always:
Jaheira
Viconia
Edwin (not on this run-through, though)
Minsc (not on this one)

 

If I'm playing as a good character, absolutely.

Always: Minsc, Jaheira, Imoen (after Spellhold), Yoshimo

Often: Aerie, Nalia, Valygar

All useful, although it depends on the PC.

Rarely Use: Keldorn, Haer'Dalis

I can't keep a guy from his family, and HD never seems to fit, despite his power.

Never For Long: Mazzy, Cernd, Jan (don't kill me, Takara!), Anomen

They either don't fit/aren't needed (Jan and Cernd), or they just annoy me WAY too much. That said, Jan is hilarious, Mazzy and Valygar have some good dialogue, but it's not reason enough to take them.