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Actually the easiest character to roll is a Elf Ranger, they require the highest stat rolls, that is if you are going for a pure power gaming experience. One Elf Ranger I created had around 101 point when I started BG1 and by the time he started BG2 he had 109. Power gaming at its finest.

 

I really can't tell from your initial post, but is this for a solo character? If your as much a newbie as you claim, you probably don't want to solo your character and should pick up party members.

I think the Ranger Cleric multiclass is probably the easiest character to play -- as long as you play a good guy (don't become fallen). Very powerful.

This game was really designed with good player characters in mind -- it's just easier to win playing a good character as long as you keep in character. Paladins are almost a cheat in and of themselves. I don't think you can find an easier powergaming character than the paladin (especially when wielding a holy avenger). This will depend on stats, but with 18's in Con, Dex, and Cha the paladin is pretty powerful.

The issue may be the strategy you used instead of the character you chose. The real questions would be what kind of troubles did you have and what strategies you used. Besides, the game is supposed to be difficult in places.

 

He was including characters who fill more than one role.

Ranger/cleric is a powerful multiclass. Divine magic is more straightforward than arcane magic. The only disappointing thing is the lack of weapon choice, you miss out on some good stuff, but you can still use the Flail of Ages.

I don't see why people think arcane magic is so tough to use. It's certainly got more complexities than divine magic, but you can be very simplistic with how you handle it if you want to be. You've got shield spells on tap to deal with AC, it's really no big deal. My third playthrough was with a fighter/mage, and before then I'd never really used magic at all. Learning made the game a hell of a lot easier, even if it was a pretty hamfisted initial attempt. Oh well - if you don't play an arcane caster this time around, try one if you decide to replay the game at a later date. If you're anything like me you won't realise how much potential it has until you're using it with your PC.

 

Hey...sometimes hamfisted is the best way.

This hits a lot of them and does a lot of damage? Let's see how many I can slam the enemy with before they fall over? I enjoy that still at times.

 

Dear God! You guys rock! Incredible Well upon reading through a thread Ive decided to go through a game with Ranger/Cleric guy, partly because of I'm reading about Drizzt now and partly because I'm after some easyplaying as my time and patience are very limited these days

I'm sure I'll get stuck here and there but with experts like you guys I have no worries

I've also decided I'll go through a game a 2nd time, this time with a "pure" caster as my main. Want him to be as powerful as possible, but more about that later

What mods/fixes would you recommend? I'm not after gameplay altering stuff yet just basic fixes and balance stuff. (It is possible I've mixed BG2 with Morrowind and there are no fixpacks for BG2)

 

If nothing else you'll want Baldurdash, it's the best general fixpack. Anything else is just for additional content, but decent ones might be the Banter Pack for additional in-party dialog, Unfinished Business for quests and various features that were supposed to be in the game originally but were cut from production for whatever reason, and possibly the Quest Pack for some extra quests if you like (although no doubt there'll already be plenty to occupy you on your first playthrough).

Install order should be Shadows of Amn, then Throne of Bhaal, then the Throne of Bhaal official patch, then Baldurdash, then whichever of the other three you wish to use, if any.

 

Thanks mate! Any of those include that super duper shop from bonus disc? I vaguely remember installing 2 files that enabled that shop...

On the other hand is that shop any good

 

The bonus merchants... I know Ease-of-Use has them, but I don't generally use that because there's too many flagrant cheats in it. Does SP have a copy of the standalone files? Oh yeah, here it is (first item there). Just drop them in your override folder after you've installed Baldurdash and before you've installed any other mods.

 

I had my reasons to recommend a F/M/T over a F/M.

For the first half of the game (until 1,500,000 XP are reached) a F/M/T isn't even 1 level behind a F/M.

The F/M/T can get the devastating spike traps and do quite some backstab damage.

The only NPC who can get nearly as good regarding this is a neutral multiclass mage.
Neutral characters are annoying in a good party since they complain and a second mage multiclass is overkill since you'll want a pure or dualed mage in your party for getting high level spells faster.
The good aligned thieves aren't even able to disarm all traps without potions or other help and their trapsetting, pickpocketing or backstabbing is nearly useless.



Although many disagreed with me in that:


DON'T PLAY A RANGER, YOU CAN BECOME FALLEN EASILY !!!


Last chapter: *** SPOILERS ***


I'm challenged to attack, do I cowardly tell how peaceful I am instead of accepting and gaining +1 STR permanently ?

Do I accept permanent DEX loss instead of avoiding it by making another decision ?

I'm given a useful cloak for free. Do I decline it because of it's origin instead of taking the survival help ?

Do I really have to give this powerful sword to this stupid genie ?

Do I back off a fight with a mighty dragon ?


If your answer to any of this questions is NO or if you choose the wrong dialogue options off or on purpose you'll get fallen about an hour later and it might take you hours or even days to realize it.

If you just want to play with a walkthrough in your hand or like playing a fallen ranger you can still choose a ranger.

 

I can't let this pass, so sorry for highjacking the thread momentarily.

@kmonster - From the sounds of how you worded your statments in the above post, you really shouldn't be playing a ranger or paladin...or a good-aligned character, imo. I've had this argument before with others on SP:

You can role play Baldur's Gate! You can stick by your alignment!

You need to decide what's more important to you in an RPG: loot or story.

SPOILERS!!
These assume your ranger is intelligent (8+) and semi wise (14+).

1. Oh yes, I am going to let Sarevok *goad* and *taunt* me into another fight. I beat him. I paid the debt of Gorion's murder.

2. Hmm, let's see: let one of my friends die or become a bit slower with my reflexes? Tough decision...

3. (In BG, rangers can only be good-aligned.) Let me think about this. Will I take some ease off my cleric and mage by not having them memorize a 1st or 2nd level Remove/Resist Fear spell, or take a cloak made *from the skin of live nymphs*!?!? Um, no thank you.

4. A genie is trapped in Hell and only this sword will free him. I've been trapped, too. Empathy anyone?

5. You know, all I've ever done is kill things for survival. Just once, I'd like to come to a peaceful solution without any bloodshed. You mean, if I ask nicely and take a moment to *think*, I can have part of the key out *without a fight*? That's just nifty.

 

yet more
You can also get the Revised Hell Trials mod so that you won't automatically be branded by a single evil act. Unfortunately, the site is down, but I'd be more than willing to email the zip file to anyone who PMs me with their address.
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You know what? This really isn't fair to the rest of you. I'm going to see if I can e-mail the guy and get his permission to let SP host it.

EDIT:
Um, so it is; never mind. Well, everybody just get the PPG Quest Pack, then.

[ January 31, 2006, 19:19: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

Well, it's available as a component in PPG's Quest Pack for the time being.

 

@Prine: Not for the time being. It's in quest pack permanently. The author hasn't been working on it and gave SimDing0 permission to maintain it from now on.
Something to bring up about the R/C. Falling is just not an issue for this multi-class. Due to engine restrictions, multiclass rangers do not fall. Ever. You can take every evil choice in the game, turn evil, and you still will not fall. My only concern for the R/C is that your only defense against imprisonment is shield of the arhcons. The problem is that this spell only absorbs 10 spell levels before it drops. You can probably pull it off somewhat but against a demilich you are gonna have trouble. I like the blade or F/M because spell immunity lasts long enough to finish off your imprisonment-casting adversary and it's only a level 5 spell. Or you can just use spell trap.
Regarding the trials......many would argue that using something evil (like the slayer change) for good is not evil. I would also argue that being prideful isn't necessarily evil either. Taking an evil cloak made of dead nymphs to do good is also not necessarily evil....just repugnant. The nymphs were already dead when you got there. On the other hand, killing the genie is definitely evil. So is letting your companion die for a measly point of dexterity. Some of the hell trial tests are unclear. That's why the Hell Trials Mod was created. Incedentally, you can also avoid the alignment shift if you have SimDing0's Virtue mod installed. You don't need the Hell Trial mod, but it is supported.

[ January 31, 2006, 19:31: Message edited by: Drew ]

 

PPG's Quest Pack? Can someone provide a link?

 

Hopefully the end of this :
linky linky

 

@kuemper: I'd say more than 90 percent of the players who play BG2 would become fallen during the hell trials with a fully patched game. (The unpatched version treated the alignment switch in a different way(bug).)

1. The Powergamer:

get +1 STR for attacking Sarevok, see no negative outcome,
can get many XP and items by defeating a dragon, ...

He will become fallen for sure.


2. The shining battle hero who will never back off a fighting challenge:

Will become fallen at least twice


3. The rational one (my playing style):

I have to fight the evil enemies and I can need any assistance in reaching my goals. No one gets harmed if I take the cloak but many might get harmed if Irenicus succeeds. The welfare of society is more important than my personal disgust. If the cloak is evil or crap I can still dismiss it afterwards. I'm not as stupid as Ajantis seems to be in BG1. (A roleplayer doesn't know how useless the cloak is before the decision)

Will become fallen


You also have to consider that a typical player doesn't think long about answers and some answers depend on the personal mood the player is in and his awareness. No one has perfect concentration for hours. Several times I clicked a dialogue option in IWD2 and regretted it even before the answer was given. If you have a 20 % fail chance on three trials the chance passing all three trials is hardly more than 50 percent.

Giving Sarevok what he asks for is not evil.
Accepting a gift is not evil.

Of course you can. But you're most likely to become fallen if you play a ranger the first time without using a walkthrough.


It seems to me as if you have read a walkthrough and decided to create a roleplaying way afterwards to fit in. But that's not the way most people play the game.


A few questions:

1.Did you have spoilers before doing the hell trials for the first time ?

2.If no, did you choose the "good" solution at each trial ?

3.How likely (in percent for each test and total) is that Melhisedek, who needs a powerhouse passes each test the "good" considered way ?

 

kmonster: I've never fallen playing a good character. Even the first time I played (without a walkthrough). The Hell's trials are VERY obvious which choice is good and which is evil. Using common sense -- and thinking a little about the choice -- I'd say Melhisedek has a 100% chance of NOT falling. Good does not mean stupid. Powergaming does not mean 'raise stats at all costs and kill everything.' In fact, it is the opposite of powergaming to do something which will make your character weaker -- such as choosing an evil option for a ranger or paladin. Killing needlessly IS evil.

 

OK, first of all, remember that you don't know what your rewards will be the first time you play. In fact, you don't know that there will be any rewards AT ALL, so you certainly don't know there will be different ones depending upon whether or not you chose the good or evil path.

I will say this - a great factor to whether or not you fall is the order in which you do the tests. Some of the tests are obvious in that they are testing you - sacrificing yourself as opposed to a party member - killing the genie or handing him the sword are probably the most obvious. Two however are NOT obvious, in my opinion. That is the fight with Sarevok, and second is the pride test. I can easily see that a good character would not back down from a fight with a dragon, or would have to kill Sarevok again.

In fact, it happened to me the first time I played the game. I failed one of the trials, and passed the other four. The first one in fact. I fought the dragon. If I had done a couple of the other trials first, I probably would have figured out that there was a "good way" and a "bad way" to do each test, but on my first play through, without a walkthrough, I had no idea I was being tested. Demon has a big baddie waiting in the next room? Sure thing freak, do your worst and bring it on. Of course, for me it didn't matter, because my first character was a swashbuckler, and thus, not alignment dependent.

 

Dang now that was a lot of spoilers, now I wont be fallen for sure

 

1. No.
2. Yes.
3. I'm not psychic so I don't know what he would do these tests.

I think my first run (complete run, that is; I restarted a couple of times before that) was with a R/C too. I'm not much of a RP-er, but chosing the good choices comes naturally to me (apparently).

As for the Pride test, I can see how you can go wrong here, but when I saw the possibility of "why?", that was of course the answer I was going to pick. You're in hell and a demon asks you to kill something. And you just say ok? Maybe if you're playing a prideful paladin or someone with low int/wis, but I'm my first response would be: Why?

The possible answers with the cloak make it painstakingly obvious that it's evil to take the cloak. Though my first response was: I don't need the cloak. Seems the answer a man wielding considerable power and with self confidence would say.

With the genie and the Selfishness test, it is quite obvious which is the good path.

As for Sarevok... well, I would consider it a defeat if he were to taunt me into becoming the slayer. If he wants it, isn't that enough reason not to do it? (And as a powergamer with a guide, you should know the +2 strength you get from that test is pretty much pointless because of the Belts of strength that are strewn about everywhere. And that wisdom is not entirely pointless for a R/C.)


To give this post some semblance of on-topic-ness, I'll just give my 2c on the powerhouse thing. Personally (especially with ToB installed), I'd go for a sorcerer if I wanted sheer power. Less of a hassle in terms of preparation of spells than regular mages, but you do need to know what you're doing and not pick the wrong spells. For a first (or second) time player this would be difficult.

Something which requires less intimate knowledge of arcane spells but is still very powerful is a R/C or perhaps a Kensai/Thief.

I've soloed the game with all of these classes, and all are very powerful in their own right.

• The R/C can fight toe to toe with just about anything, provided you give him the right protections and buffs.
• The Kensai/Thief was a lot of backstabbing fun, but could also stand his ground in a normal fight. He was slightly easier against bosses, because of his traps.
• The sorcerer... is just awesome incarnate, especially with some Project Image cheese. With the proper equipment nothing can oppose him.

/edit
Sorry about the spoilers Melhisedek. Guess we got carried away there