New to the series

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I bought BG2 SoA/ToB in a bargain bin at a local game store and I'm damn impressed. I think it's far better than any of those lame anime style RPGs on the consoles.

Anyway, my gf's brother told me that there lots of files to d/l. So after some time spent getting some files, I'd like everyone to tell me if I need more and their thoughts on the ones I got

Thank you!

Here is what I have:
Ascension
Berserker Minsc
Samurai Kit
Ease of Use
Item Upgrade
Weimer Spell 50
Redemption
Xan

 

Most poeple will probably tell you that you should play your first run through BG as pure as possible- and I agree. The vanilla game already offers a plethora of options, hundreds of spells and items and can get quite overwhelming. For the first run through I'd suggest only the G3 Fixpack, which fixes a lot of bugs the the official patch never adressed, and maybe some components from the G3 Tweakpack ( convenience and cosmetic changes like higher stack of ammunition or the much needed "Shut up: you must gather your party..." etc. I'd certainly not recommend any mods that change the rules ( Spell 50), add even more powerful items ( Item Upgrade) or ramp up the difficulty (Ascension). Don't get me wrong, some of the mods you mentioned are quite good but you'll already have your hands full even without adding more confusion and there is always the issue of ballance which is hard to keep if you don't know how the game is supposed to work and how the mods will change it. Wait for your 2nd or 3rd run through before you start adding mods- it will also give you something to look forward to.

 

So my list is pretty much good?

Thanks!

 

Oh being the official mod freak out here I can reccomend you a lot of high quality mods which really enhance and make BG2 still exciting and fun to play even today. But you are still pretty green, you should first play the game a couple times without serious mods, (fixes are OK as well as ease of use) to learn the game and get the original feeling. Then come back and I will tell you lots.

I have finished BG2-ToB for the tenth time and thanks to new mods and all the cool stuff (and my greater understanding and tactical ability) it was more fun than ever. Man I even look forward for the next one!

 

I second that playing for the first time all I would suggest you download is that latest patch and go Vanilla with it as the game has so many ins and outs to enjoy you may miss a lot with moding the game to start off with, also some mods can make the game highly challenging to someone who is very new to the game mechanics even if they already have a good understanding of the rule set used in the series. But if your feeling crazy and adventurous have a look here.

 

I'd use these if I were you (install in this order)

BG2
BG2 TOB
Official Patch
BG2 Fixpack
Some (but not all) parts of BG2 Tweakpack

Thats it.

Next runthrough (if there is a next runthrough!), I'd add SCSII, Ascension and Wheels of Prophecy.

 

thanks everyone!

 

I wouldn't even install anything inofficial. Simply intall BG2, ToB and the latest official ToB patch. Fixpacks have the habit of affecting the game balance.