Solo Blade: Best Items? Item list? Cool Spell Combos?

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Hey all, I searched the old threads looking for a list of all named items and where to find them but didn't come up with anything. David Hunt's list on SP is okay, but incomplete.

1. What do you think are the best item combos for a solo Blade, w/ or w/o HLA UAI?

2. Does anyone know where I can find a list of the best items and where they are?

3. What are some fun spell combos for Blades?

So after soloing a sorcerer (through Chp 4, got boring) I decided to take Scythesong on his word and try soloing a Blade. I was pretty dicouraged at first, left the game and messed around with some other solo characters. Still frustrated, I went back to the Blade and knew life would be much easier once I was out of the first Dungeon...

And I did. If you haven't tried it, these guys are amazing to solo! They level up like crazy and (from what I've found) are 'faster' characters (Sorcerers took a while to prep w/ summons and such), taking only a few rounds to prep (Stoneskin + Mirror Image + Improved Invis + Offensive Spin or Improved Haste).

My early progression went like this:
1) Dungeon
2) Circus tent (for Ring of Human Influence)
3) Spell stealing/item shopping (Cheese, but I'm a Bard, right?)
4) Gov District for Ring of Ram + Plus magic license
5) Got the Celestial Fury (Glitterdust + Web in Minor Squencer, lots of Cloudkills from wand
6) Planer Prison for all the goodies.
7) Killed City Gate Lich, Elemental Lich, Shade Lich, and Kangaax for Ring of Gaax (Prot from Magic and/or Undead + Ring of the Ram + Daystar)

And went from there. Thank you Scythesong, I'm a believer!

Btw, through all of this I have yet to use one Mislead spell, PI or Simi Scroll.

Oh yeah, someone mentioned on an older post that the best Armor for a Blade can be found in the Umar Hills? To what are they referring?

 

Try Scythesong's Guide to Blades:

http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/index_tips.php

 

It's something along the lines of Armor of the Night +5. It's a +5 suit of studded leather, but IMO being able to use spells is much better than the protection it affords.

 

Melodic Chain is very good, and you shuld have it already.

 

Best armour by end game for a bard is Aslerfund Chainmail +5 and immunity to normal weapons. It's elven chain so u can cast spells. An awesomely cheestastic spell combo is the Spell Immunity: Divination, followed up by a mislead. Then find a room to lock your mislead in, and you are completely invisible with no chance of being detected, the only thing they can do to you is area of effect spells, avoided by haste and run. Boots of speed are a must, as is the ring of gaxx, and then any other kind of ring: Acuity, improved invisibilty, protection +2. Necklace go with amulet of power. gloves of the bard from lvl 3 watchers keep. belt of inertial barrier or fire giant strength, depending on preferance. cloak of the sewers or cloak of mirroring. for the helmet any of the good helms in the game due to the uai, but the fighters helm u find in watchers keep that cespenar forges for you is quite good even tho it is hideous. weapons are mainly a matter of choice but a good combo i find is angurdval with hindo's doom.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. It looks like I'm on track and my Blade is leveling up like mad.

Here's another quick question for you all:

W/ the HLA UAI can I equip the Ring of Wizardry and get a 7th level spell slot (I can write any spell in my spell book and the ROW gives me a 7th level spell slot)?

Does anybody know?

 

Not unmodded. If you install ease of use's spell progression fixes, it allows bards up 7th level spells which would allow the ring to give that bonus spell. You have to be able to naturally cast a 7th level spell before an item can give you a bonus one.

 

Actually, that's one of the best suits of armor in the game for a thief, bard, or any class that can't wear full plate mail, and it's my personal favorite...right next to Enkidu's Full Plate +3.

 

@Malovae
Gotcha. I was really hoping to have a 7th level spell slot. I'm a fan of cheese every now and then, but really can't justify throwing that mod in. So I'll just abuse my UAI and simi scrolls through that helmet at the AM whenever there's a need.

@Kitrax
Where's the Aslerfund CM+5? Sounds like TOB....

Oh yeah, I restarted my Blade and accidently went against Kangaax w/ a Protection from Undead Scroll and now he can't die. Grrr... Any suggestions?

 

Slight spoiler
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@Caspian - Aslerfund chain is gotten from the black dragon in Suldanessalar. It gets upgraded by Cespenar in ToB.

 

@ Caspian,

Try using Prot. From Magic, or the Cloak Of Mirroring + SI: Abjuration. Should take care of your Kangaxx worries, since he can't actually do squat with anything else.

The Aslyferund Elven Chain is fantastic for a Blade; you can make yourself temporarily invulnerable with Prot. From Magic Weapons and that armour (although it's do-able without it if you follow the right path in the game, allowing you to use the Robe of Vecna with UAI instead of that armour).

 

@NonSequitur

Thanks for the feedback. I think it's a bug though....if you talk to Kangaax while having the Protection from Undead Scroll he cannot transform into the Demi-Lich. I keep hitting him w/ the RotRam and Sunray's. He's always 'near death' but won't change. Not sure there's a way around it.

 

Caspian,

Kangaxx the Lich is one of those enemies who "cannot die", as far as the game is concerned. When he reaches "near death", his dialogue triggers and he transforms into Kangaxx the Demi-Lich. If there's no-one to trigger his dialogue when it happens, he will be stuck at near-death and will be unkillable. For the same reason, I don't think he's someone you should hit with CTRL-Y either.

That's why I made those suggestions; it means you can blitz Kangaxx in both forms without hitting any bugs (and makes it disappointingly easy to kill him, but hey, he's exceedingly hard to stop otherwise). Then again, a lone mortal has no business taking on a demi-lich unless they're buffed out the wazoo anyway.

 

@NonSequitur,

Let me get back to you on that. I'm eons away from the Cloak of Mirroring (still in Chapter 2).

I guess what I'm saying is even after I rested and went back to fight Kangaax (w/ no Prot from Undead) he still cannot transform, no matter what I hit him with or how long he stays at Near Death (I had him at Near Death for 4 minutes or so, which is pretty long in regard to game time).

I think the bug is if you first talk to him w/ the Prot from Undead than he can never transform, but maybe I'm wrong. I'll jump back to him soon enough and see if I can do some more damage. In the meantime New Orleans is underwater...I can't believe that damage...

 

Have you tried force talking to him? It could be that the trigger to begin dialog has been activated and gone so he won't transform but by talking to him you can get him to transform.

 

one of the best weapon combos is
the 2 blades

CF(celestial fury) main hand
And the scarlet ninja to from the bonus merchant in the CC

 

Don't forget Dakkon's Zerth Blade from Deirdre (bonus merchant in Adventurer's Mart)! It's a +2 katana that gives you an extra spell per level from 1st to 4th.

[ September 04, 2005, 04:47: Message edited by: Felinoid ]

 

I got the Zerth Blade a while back, but I switched it once I got the Belm for the extra attack. I'm currently weilding CF (or Daystar, depending on if I'm fighting undead) and Belm b/c I rarely use summons (Offensive Spin takes care of most enemies in two or three hits).

It's working well, but those extra spells were nice. Right now I'm working toward the Ring of Acuity and then for the Flail of Ages.

Also, in regard to weapon profencies, this is what I have so far

***Two Weapon Fighting
*Longsword
*Katana
*Scimitar

Flail will be next. Any other good ideas? Quaterstaff for SofM? War Hammer for Crom? I'm still buzzing around Chapter 2.

I could (with little problem) go ahead and burn through Chapter 3 and 4 and so on, but my ability Draw Upon Holy Might is getting me a STR of 25 when stacked w/ my Belt of Hill Giant Str, which is pretty dang sick if you think about it. I don't want Irenicus to snag it just yet.

So I'm going to rack up as much XP as I can before I'm off to SpellHold. There's no reason why I shouldn't be level 24-28 before I leave the city.

 

IIRC, I managed to hit the XP cap before I got to the Underdark itself...so there's absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Once you get UAI and Imp. Bard Song...you're invincible...once you get Spike Traps and Time Traps and so on...well...'nuff said.

Also...remember that Spell Immunity is your friend. Keep as many of these memorized when playin a Bard. It saved my life so many times I cannot tell you.

SIivination,SI:Abjuration, SI:Necromany,SI:Enchantment...they're the lifeline for any Blade expecting to defend himself. You are a force of utter destruction. Hiding behind summons is for wussy druids!