Soloing

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I love soloing! I was shocked at how simple it made battles. Either you win, or you die. There is no reason for resurrection, and the only problem I've seen is lack of versatility (magic only with my sorcerer so magic resistance is a bit of an annoyance) which could be fixed with a multiclass like F/M or F/C. I don't have to worry about crowding up a battle and getting in my own way, and sunfire, the bane of party-fighting, is easily my second-favorite spell under level 8. Stoneskin is the first. Also, I hit the experience cap, and I haven't even started chapter three! Now the main problem is lack of challenge. I even took Firkraag on my first try.

I think next time, though, I'm going to play multiplayer, with 2 or 3 characters. A kensai/mage for stoneskin, and a mage/thief for stoneskin and invisibility, and maybe a cleric of some sort.

Too bad you can't multi a kensai/sorcerer/thief...

 

Use a F/M/T. They are perfect for soloing,

 

Soloing is good fun. Did a monk solo recently and just started a F/M/T one (though that's through Tutu as well).

 

Half-elf F/M/T with longsword and bow. Also, paladin(any special class), with 'you-know-which' two two-handed swords

 

As you may remember from the game, when you load, save or move between areas etc. you sometimes get the message:
"No single character han handle every situation. Use the strength sand skills of all your party members."
So there you have it. Soloing BG II is impossible. The game says so. You´re all liars!

 

Ironically, I find it far easier to solo (usually as a sorcerer) that taking an entire party through the game.

I think the main reasons are:

1. No party coordination is required. Hence, all of my attention is focused on one character, so that I use him to his maximum potential.

2. 5 fewer party members means that there are 5 fewer party members less to die. Which means 5 times less reloading (I don't bother resurrecting).

3. Far less buffing is required. With a 6 person party, I pretty much gave up on buffing them all up to a max., due to my impatience. However, 1 character doesn't take long to buff, so I usually load him up with max. protections, making him nigh invulnerable.

4. When soloing as a sorc. you level up quicker. As a result, you get the higher level spells earlier, and can seriously outmatch your opponents.

5. Soloing as a sorc. allows you to be more covert. You can essentially avoid fighting enemies by casting Invisibility, and sneaking past. Sure, you can do this with a 6 person party, but it's far more of a hassle. Again, I'm not a patient person.
I was able to solo Tactics with a Sorc because of that one little spell: Invisibility.

 

I'm currently playing Tutu with a duo (Assassin + Mage/Cleric) and I love it. There are sooo many different tactics you can use and best of all you don't get in your own way. Pathfinding isn't one of the best infinity engine features and I REALLY hated it when characters would simply fumble over one onother in constricted areas!
I think soloing (or if you feel lonely a duo) is optimal. Three already make a crowd imho.

p.s.
Next to all the bonuses mentioned by you guys (getting best equipment, etc.), you can get insanely rich very fast. If you only need to buy supplies for yourself you have very little expenses and you make a lot of money selling powerful items that are useless to your character.

 

I'm soloing a warrior now. It's not actually that hard with generous use of the simulcrum helm. I bought the expensive potions and scrolls, leave those in my quick slot and let my mirror cast those spells for me. With resistance to magic for every major mage / dragon / lich fight it's not so hard.

I do grab Yoshimo to lockpick doors for me but that's about it.

 

When you solo how quickly do you hit the XP cap?

 

Very quickly. Probably in Chapter 2, or if you skip some quests, for sure in Chapter 3.

Edit: changed response because this is the SoA forum, not ToB.

 

Omg are you serious? That would mean you would be at maximum strength waaaaaaaaay too early, I don't like the idea of that

 

Well, there's maximum and then there's maximum... Hello boys and girls, can we say "XP Cap Remover"?

 

Even with the XP Cap Remover, I've basically hit the glass ceiling. All my sorcerer gets is 1 HP, 1 Lore, and an occasional THAC0 boost. I hit max strength well before touching chapter 3. I love Time Stopping a group of pansy bandits just because I can! I've got 6 of 'em, so why not?

 

Then you need ToB. You can not hit ToB XP cap that easily. (though you can, it is a challenge)

 

Then it doesn't sound very fun to solo now does it

 

@ hendak - are you saying that, with a party of 6 characters, you are hitting the cap before the end of Chapter 3? Because if so, I'd like to know what mods you have installed - with a 6-person party, I generally hit the SoA cap sometime in Chapter 6.

 

@ Splunge - No. Soloing. With 6 it would take MUCH longer. With the XP Cap Remover, I was at over 4 million before starting chapter 3. This would be about 700,000 per character with 6.

 

Ah, OK. When you said "I've got 6 of 'em", I thought you meant you had 6 sorcerers, when you probably meant you have 6 time stops.

Anyway, I agree with you. I enjoy soloing, and for pretty much the same reasons as you and The Mountain Hare mentioned. Plus I hate micro-managing too many characters, so a full party of 6 (or 3, 4 or 5) spellcasters is out of the question.

 

Yeah Splunge, 6 Time Stops.

If I have a party of 6 characters, I will have, tops, 1 spellcaster. I might have a cleric or two, but I use them as pre-battle buffers, in-battle fighters, and post-battle healers. I even use Imoen as an archer with spells, not a mage with a bow.

In other words, I hate micro-managing too, Splunge.

 

Then I am a weirdo. I always at least have three arcane casters in my parties, sometimes even more. I love micro-managing, I order each to cast a spell at the same time, for greater effect. (Immy, breach that smarter mage! Kelsey, summon something tough fast! Jan, release a Greater Malison, Sola, launch a ABDHW, I will try my WoB!...) Also each of them has their own sets of Contingencies, Triggers, Sequencers, etc. I love magic so much I am addicted to it, I fear.

Auto-buff scripts are very handy though, my spell-casters always stoneskin themselves when it is gone. (a must to have in my mod-heavy games, I fear.)