Getting owned again

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Hey all,

i have just started IWD2 on HoF mode for the first time. i am finding rather difficult compared to IWD as you have a few enemies between you and the first shop to get better weapons. does anyone have any tactics for a level 1 party (fighter, barbarian, paladin, rogue, druid, sorcerer) in order to actually kill something.

Cheers

 

You're "supposed" to continue a high level party from normal over into HoF. If you want to do it at level 1, you'll need to rely on summons for quite a while.

 

Err...in HoF the Goblins are like lvl 15 fighters or something like that...I KNOW they have almost 80-100 HP so you are in for a tough time my friend...

 

The HoF goblins are considered level 7 monsters in regards of XP gained.

Combat tactics at the beginning:

Summon, summon, summon !

Have your druid and sorcerer cast the level 1 summoning spells next to your enemies.
While they are busy fighting your enemies attack with quarterstaffs. Just make sure there is at least one summon nearer to each enemy than your party members by resummoning in time.

When you don't have any summoning spell left have the monster chase after one party member in circles while you shoot at it.

Another strategy is:

- hide in shadows
- sneak at a goblin
- hit the goblin
- run away into a safe house before he can hit back
- hide in shadows there
- sneak out behind the goblin
- repeat this procedure until the goblin is gone

If you meet several goblins at once you can use the charm spell, but if the charmed monster isn't killed before the spell wears off you don't get XP for it.

Leading the goblins to the dwarf or other NPCs who will fight them is also possible, but better try to get the XP for your party.

If you want to buy something first you can sneak past the goblins.

You will have a far easier time if you replace one of your 3 warriors with a cleric.

 

Alternately, you could go stick your hand in a blender. Sounds about as much fun as starting HoF with a level 1 party

 

It can be done, but it is a very boring combination of "hit, run, and summon" that takes ages to get through. Import at least one higher level character to help get things off the ground or you'll go mad.

 

What about some spellsword solo combos? Perhaps you could manage to kill a goblin, then you'd get at least one level, then again another goblin another level etc. Not like I managed to kill (or even hit IIRC) anything in HoF with a level 1 solo character.

 

thanks for the advice, especially you khaavern, real helpful. i have another save file from about 2 years ago and the characters all seem to be pretty reasonable (around level 9) so i am thinking of just importing them.

 

You could sneak past the goblins and buy a lot of arrows/bolts and maybe a bow or crossbow (some can be found here! then you just try to take out one goblin at the time by hitting him with one char that after that just start running around while the others shoot at him. It takes some time but every goblin will give tons of XP!
I once started like this and then used summons when the lonely goblins were all dead. It got booring after just a couple of fights.
Summons is better but not always an alternative in every party.

 

By a "TON" of XP...how much exactly are we talking here? Say lvl 1 character solo kills a goblin fresh off the boat in Targos Docks...

 

You gain 3600 XP per goblin if your average party level is lower than 4.

 

Whooo...

That means if you are soloing Targos and the Targos Palisade battle, squat at lvl 4 and you could theoretically have a lvl 12-15 character by the end of it...am I right?

Yikes!! I might actually do it too if its soo awesome....

 

Yeh but that's if you can ACTUALLY DO IT! It would be god damn hard finishing the palisade battle with a level 1 party from the beginning ...

 

If you have a level 18 summoner (sorc or cleric) and 5 mules squatted at level 1, your party level is 3...

Dropping party level lower than that is pointless, because the XP chart uses the same line for levels 1-3.

 

A level7 cleric is probably strong enough for the palisade battle in HOF mode, since the boneguard skeletons have a high damage reduction which makes them nearly immune to goblins.

Level7 wasn't enough for my solo deep gnome druid, so I had to desquat her to level 19.

The difference in XP gain is actually pretty low between level 3 and 7.

The palisade battle is nearly impossible at level1, you'll have to do a hit and disappear again in the building until you have killed the 100 or so enemies. Chances are high that you are surrounded and cannot reenter the building at some point.

 

EVIL HINT:

That enchanter chick in Targos sells a spiffy dager named 'Goblin Slayer', only in HoF difficulty. Its trick is, it kills a goblin with a single hit, no save is allowed. If you can manage to afford it (forgot its cost but must be pretty expensive) then even the pallisade battle can be easy.

I equipped it to my mage, casted Improved Inv, and haste, and then it was pure salughter as he blasted goblins with each hit.

Do not discard that dagger after prologue, you will encounter nastier goblin kind, even very strong half-goblins (who tend to score improved criticals for hudnreds of damage), that dagger will just kill them with a simple strike. Isn't this cool? Even little boss Captain Pudu in Severed Hand is goblin-kind!

Hope this tip actually helps you.

Another evil hint:

On HoF diffuculty, there are books in Enchanter's home and shop. They look like normal IWD books, telling the events in IWD, but they can summon an Air elemental, or launch Whirlwinds and Frost orbs here and there, and they are nearly FREE. Get them ASAP! Oh this is soo cool!

Need more evil tips, just ask. Har har!

 

That goblin slayer dagger is crazy. Just like that axe that kills constructs instantly. That is why it is silly to install that mod that gives you HoF items in normal mode.