Gearing Up For My First IA Run-Through

Remove all ads!

I realize there are other “what mods should I play” threads out there – which typically seem to degenerate into sophisticated bar-room brawls... hopefully that won’t be the case here – but this is my own thread, for my own game, and it’s my own specific way of asking the question.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I’m looking to start a new BG2 game soon (the urge has been bubbling inside me for a few days), and I’d really like to try Improved Anvil out for the first time.

I’m looking for some recommendations on which fully compatible mods I might use in conjunction with IA to enhance my overall playing experience. Since this is a rather subjective idea, here are some basic guidelines I’m working with:

No increased difficulty mods – I understand that IA adds quite a bit of challenge to the game, so I’m not really interested in other mods that’s do this same thing (e.g. Tactics), as I find games that are too challenging to kill the roleplaying experience. I don’t mind encounters where I have to reload a few times to get it right, in fact, I welcome this—but all within reasonable limits. I’m sure that having 2+ mods with increased difficulty components would not be enjoyable for me.
No Player Made NPCs – I’m not particularly concerned with playing player made NPCs this time around (I’ve played Kelsy, Keto and some Saerileth already). I think I’d like to stick with staples like Jaheira and Minsc, and perhaps spend some time with Valygar and Jan. I haven’t figured out my preferred party yet, but I have plenty of options with the BIO PCs, and they have a huge “nostalgia” factor for me.
No amateurish mods – Sorry if this one offends anyone, but I’d like to stick with mods that maintain the level of quality of the original game. Mods like The Darkest Day would be examples of what I’m not interested in. And nothing where the writer is struggling with the English language (sorry, poor writing is enough to kill the experience for me, so a great mod that busts out with, “We shoud run. There’s to many of them,” is going to have me running—away from the mod, that is. To, Too, and Two all are distinct words with their own appropriate usage, as are There, Their, and They’re!).

In terms of other mods that seem interesting, a few are:
• Tower of Deception – I know really nothing about this one, but it seems to be getting good press.
• Unfinished Business – this one has sort of become a staple for me—some (all?) of it’s content is written by a former Bio employee for god’s sake!
• Banter packs, possibly flirt packs – I love to hear what my party has to say to one another! And I definitely plan to run a romance.
• Tweak/Fix packs – there are at least a couple of good ones that I’ve used before, like G3.

The main thing is to keep AI as the centerpiece, and only pick additional mods that complement this one well. Also, I’d probably like to keep the total number of mods in the half dozen or so range. I get uneasy about bugs if I go much further than that.

I’m open to really anyone’s opinions, comments, and suggestions here – as long as they aren’t argumentative – and if Sikret felt so led to add his 2 cents, that wouldn’t exactly be tragic.

Thanks for your assistance!


* * * * * * * * * *
EDIT - THIS IS MEANT AS A SEPARATE POST FROM THE ABOVE

Well, in lieu of listening to crickets, I've been researching =0). Here's what I'm considering installing, in the specific order:

First the game:

-Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn - of course
-BG2 Throne of Bhaal Expansion - of course
-Official Bio Patch - of course

Now the mods:

1. Baldurdash Fixpack v1.12 (required for IA)
2. BG2 TweakPack v4 (has IA recommended Ease of Use, and a few other nice options – I will be careful not to install anything that updates magical items, etc)
3. Unfinished Business v15 (careful not to install Pai’Na quest and Suna Seni/Valygar relationship update)
4. Quest Pack v23 (no General AI Improvement, Creature & Area Improvements, Misc Enhancements, Improved Oasis II, or Further Slaver Involvement)
5. Banter Pack v6
6. Improved Anvil 4.2

Can anyone think of any issues with this package? Thanks much!!

Oh, and slightly off topic, for my protagonist, I'm currently bouncing back and forth between a Ranger/Cleric or a F/M/T. I think I'm leaning toward the F/M/T for the sheer fact that I've NEVER played this class before (it always seemed too unfocused for my taste - but I'm really trying to freshen up the game, so....). Any recommendations from others on this one?

[ May 15, 2007, 07:15: Message edited by: Marceror ]

 

Hi, Marceror!

Your installation list should work without any problem. Just be careful not to install the "Not Recommended" components of Ease of Use mentioned in IA's readme (such as the bottomless bag of holding, et al).

Perhaps it's better if you omit Unfinished Business from your list entirely. It's true that only two of its components are strictly incompatible with Improved Anvil, but some of its other components are badly bugged (regardless of whether you install it with IA or without IA).

Auramaster Druid Kit can also be good addition if you want to play with Cernd and try his new prowess.

As for your protagonist, both of your choices are very good. Both strongholds have new contents.

Good luck!

PS: And I fully agree with you about NPC mods. I don't like them either.

 

Cool, appreciate the feedback Sikret!!

I was very careful not to install anything you recommended against. I actually had the install guide open under the command prompt, so as "naughty" components came up, I was ready to decline them. Hopefully I didn't mess anything up.

Edit: by the way, you know you're a geek when the major part of your evening's activities consists of researching an "install strategy" for a PC game--no actual gameplay whatsoever. And you actually enjoy it!!

 

Just a minor suggestion. You mentioned you were thinking of installing Flirt Pack, but it didn't appear on your list in the second part of the post. Go for it. The chances of it interfering with another mod are very slim and if you are going to run a romance, I'd consider it almost mandantory.

From looking at the Tower of Deception thread in this forum, I advise you not to install it just yet. The author is currently working on improving the dialogues, which sound like they are needing a bit more time put into them.

 

TOD works fine in my current game. And IA difficulty is daunting enough that you dont have to get another increased difficulty mod.

As for protagonist, go for r/c or f/m. Backstabs are not that great in IA, and haer delis can handle high lvl traps for you

 

yeah IA is hard!!
I mean, all the easy battles of the normal game become really challenging.
Man, just to get past the slaver gards that are in the Copper Corronet in front of the cages was tough, not only are they more buff, but the mages are way more powerful.
Get ready for a good challenge!!

 

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I think that, reading between the lines here a little, that perhaps my first IA runthrough is not the best time to experiment with weaker class options. I'm sure that a F/M/T eventually gets very powerful, but I would probably be better served through much of the game with something a little more focused.

The current party I'm now considering is:

--Protaganist - Dual Class Berserker 9/Mage
--Jaheira (Love Interest)
--Minsc - dual wield style
--Anomen (many don't like him, but I do-- most of the time, at least)
--Keldorn - wise in his years, and oh so deadly with a big, big sword.
--Jan - Comic relief, thief, and backup caster

Going to do a clean install tonight, and most likely go with this party (unless someone can convince me to go another route).

 

I believe thetruth and sikret will concur that-

1. Your berserker/mage will have trouble hitting anything in the later stages of IA. Go for a multi-class f/m or even better, a gnome f/illusionist.

2. You'll need a true tank with high ac. My suggestion to you is to SK minsc to a berserker, and have him use use flails and a shield. You'll want to reach -24 ac asap.

3. I believe one divine spell caster is enough. Perhaps haer delis to replace anomen? I can assure you that an arcane defender (PFMW, spell immunity etc) is very useful late game.

4. Backstabs and traps are not that useful in IA. Infact, the only trap i've found useful are timetraps. Hence, i would drop jan, and have nalia or imoen take care of thieving, while haer delis deals with high lvl traps.

[ May 16, 2007, 06:18: Message edited by: Mongerman ]

 

The game is doable with the party you mentioned, Marceror. So, no need to worry; but consider the following comments as well.

1- Yes, the Berserker-Mage will not have good THAC0, but his "Enrage" ability can still be much useful. It all depends on your playing style. If you want him to be a better mage than a better fighter, then Berserker-mage is better than a multi-class F/M, because it will take ages for a multi-class F/M to reach high levels.

2- I would keep Anomen (as clerics are more useful than druids in IA) and would drop Jaheira (unless you really want to play her romance).

3- Valygar and Cernd (only if you have installed Auramaster Druid kit) can both be precious additions to the party.

4- Nalia and Imoen can both be more useful than Jan (as Mongerman mentioned too). Nalia is less risky, because in order to have Imoen you will need to wait till spellhold. Having another member and then replacing him with Imoen is possible but it will be probably a waste of experience points.

 

@Sikret

If I am not mistaken, IA also adjusts Immy's XP in Spellhold better than the original game, now she can be higher lvl than 13, right, according to party's lvl? So I think there will be no great loss of XP if you take someone till the Spellhold? (say, someone dependable and loyal like our good old Yoshi! ) Or do you think average IA party should reach Spellhold at lvl 20s or more? Hmm...

 

Good point, Silverstar! I had forgotten about my own changes to Immy's level of experience in spellhold.

 

@Marceror

Yes as Sikret said your game is doable with that party.

But I agree with Mongerman that a F/M would be much more effective offensively, especially in mid-late game.

IA's tough enemies have too good AC for the THACO of a 9 level fighter.
A B-M dualled at 18 or 21 level would be very powerful, but not a good idea for a 6 members party.
Still doable if you want a human protagonist, though in this case you should take Nalia in your party (better Mage than Jan).

HaerDalis is a good solution but replacing Anomen is not a good idea.
Druids don't have Free Action and Greater Restoration 2 of the most useful spells in IA. And besides Anomen can cast more spells/day than Jaheira.

 

My sentiments exactly. However, marceror intends jaheira to be his love interest, and love beats out spell slots any day hehe.

My suggestion? just Sk jaheira to a r/c. Best of both worlds, and still druidic enough for jaheira

 

SKing Jaheira is a good suggestion- R/C is a powerful class. OTOH, Marceror mentioned the original NPCs had quite a nostalgic effect for him. Changing Jaheira's class would likely disturb this somewhat.

 

Thanks for all the responses everyone. I hate to over-analyze the party creation process, but with as many times as I've played this game, I want to make sure my party is the right blend of fun and power going in.

Playing a greatly increased difficulty version of the game with an underpowered/underesourced party is not likely to be fun for me. And by the time I realize that I've got the wrong party and that I should start over, I will lose a lot of my momentum to continue. I'm up for a challlenge here, don't get me wrong, but I also want to avoid having to reload 10 times to get through most of the tougher battles.

So based on what I've read about IA, I want to have an extremely solid party (while still maintaining most of the party elements that are enjoyable to me). With that in mind, I've come up with an alternate party. By going with a Elven Fighter/Mage as my protagonist, I actually get to play a class combo that I've never played before, so that's a nice bonus -- I've done many dual class fighter mages, but never have I chosen to play as a multi class fighter mage before. And I'm one of those players who always likes to have a competent rogue in my party (which Nalia isn't), so going through without one isn't something I'm willing to consider. Taking many of the various comments I've received into account, I present to you party option numero dos:

Prot - Elven Fighter/Mage - Katana/Axe
NPC - Elven Swashbuckler - Longsword/Shortsword
Minsc - (SK'd to Berserker) - Flail and Shield
Anomen - Hammer/Shield; Sling/Shield
Jaheira - Scimitar/Shield; Sling/Shield; Staff
Nalia - Staff; Shortsword/Buckler; Shortbow

I was open to SKing Minsc to a Berserker, because this is such an obvious change anyway. And it also gives a pure, full-blooded fighter/tank in the party. It's been a while since I've included one of those in my party (like maybe since my first runthrough of the game, hehe). The Jaheira R/C change isn't too big a stretch for me, but no, she's a druid, and she must be able to wield Scimitars!! I may give the Auramaster a glance though.

The only thing about this party that sort of bugs me compared to my first, is that I end up with an extra squishy party member: Nalia. I didn't really have this in my last party, though Jan isn't exactly a "tank." But this is okay. It's a good change from a role playing perspective (my party needs to protect the niave miss Nalia). I can work with that.

As always, comments are welcome.

 

Looks fine, except for weapon choices. Try to have all melee characters have proficiencies in blunt weapons. In fact, the order of dmg types should be

1. Crushing
2. piercing/slashing

Sikret, you see, has a great love for golems.

 

Okay, that sounds like an important safety tip there Mongerman! Its only my protagonist and swashbuckler that aren't currently covered, so that should be easy enough to deal with (and I won't even need to change what I previously listed, just add to it).

And, that said, I generally have blunt backup weapons for all of my melee fighters anyway. I've fought enough adamantine golems to have learned my lesson there!!

 

Berserker/Mage would work fine in melee
Two Words: Tenser's Transformation. That spell should increase your wizard thac0 to be that of an equal level fighter. Not sure if it'll increase by another 9 level of berserker or not though. With cleric buffs added on there really should never be a problem with a berserker/mage hitting anything.

As for tanking going pure mage after a dual class gives you the options of getting spells like protection from normal/magical weapons faster.

As far as I know Jaheira is also the #1 tank in the game, able to reach the highest AC the fastest + spells like iron skin to make herself very powerful.

 

Yes this is definitely a more powerful party.

Better if you use Longswords with your F/M though. Longswords are better than Katanas in IA.

Your Swashie could use Katanas (or Longswords too) + Shortswords (Kundane) and after UAI Scimitars for the Scarlet Ninja-To.

For the Berserker take G.Mastery in Flails (better if you have the True G.M. patch installed) and dualwielding in battles where his AC cannot make a difference. Also you could consider G.M. in Halberds later.
I.A. adds some really powerful Halberds.

For Jaheira Blackblood + Belm is a nice combo in mid game and after you take 3* in dualwielding.

Generally dualwielding + I.Haste is very effective in IA.

 

Thanks for the proficiency tips thetruth. I went ahead and spec'd my f/m with longswords, per your advice. Cool.

I also made a last minute change to my swashbuckler, deciding to go with a Human fighter9/swashbuckler (using SK, obviously). Perhaps a little cheesy, not sure, but I've always been curious how this would work out. Seems like with a challenging mod like IA, it's not a bad time to find out. I think I'll have him be a Katana/Longsword dual wielder, primarily.

And after roughly 5 days of planning and prepping, I actually got everything installed and started my game. I'm still in Irenicus' dungeon-- hopefully I'll find some good blocks of time to play soon. I'll be sure to share my feedback on the mod as I progress.