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[twillight]

Where were we...:

- you don't have to do anything in the Promenade, go straight into the Slums. There you don't have to buy anything, but you might still consider the glasses of identification (for safety reasons), the wand of frost (although wands are hardy as useful as they were before), and investing the rest of the coins into piercing arrows (for THACO).
- avoid to deal with the two ruffians at the Copper Coronet until later. Much later.
- when you go to pick up the Mae Var's guild quest (the only quest only available in Chapter 2 - buy the nymph cloak before giving the documents) enter the Sea Bounty Inn to make Jaheira cursed. You'll have to enter here anyway once Edwin sends you for the documents of Marcus. Then hop to the Government district not just because of the particular quest, but also to buy the magic licence. Takes 5K gold for the paper and 2K for the quest, but as it was mentioned gold is no issue for bard.
After this things settles until you get the special random encounter with the dying harper. Still, I say roll the Mae Var quest a bit - stealing even from a priest is a quick thing to do, and we can check the prayer-men's shops (Lathender has a boots of grounding, what is pretty ok, also Staff of Striking with its astonishing +9 thaco).
Killing the mage for Edwin is no small task. The mephits are ok to deal with, mayor problem is actually moving Jaheira from harm's way. Then I casted improved invisibility + blur, and went up with 1 offensive spin. The game is really unfair, as even w/o it I hit the golems (stone variant) rolling a 6, still they killed me more often than not despite after the initial offensiveness I changed to defensive, what ment they can only hit me with a 20.
Now remove your armor, and prepare the mage. Start with a Magic Missile AS SOON AS YOU APPEAR and say you're leaving. If you do it right you'll have time to cast another spell. The guy is dangerous and higher level than you, so make it a summon. Now the fear/stun spells will go that way. Trick comes: go down a floor and wait 30 ticks (watch the pendulum in the corner). Go back up. Thanks this being a program, the fight did not continue, and the protection-globe has expired. Cast Aganzanar's Scorcher for more damage, while start impaling him with piercing arrows (sometimes it hurts him, sometimes it does not). When your summons start die and your scorcher expire launch a fireball to finish this fight.
The rest of Mae Var is talk, so let's skip to the end: you only have to kill Mae Var for the goodies. So leave Jaheira outside the building, turn invisible, and go in then down. There watch out for the prisoner in the cell on the left (the tortured guy doesn't matter) and launch 2 fireballs. Hopefully this kills everyone but the priest (who you have to deal personally, but easy as he won't attack as he can only cast, and that won't happen until the invisibility completely expires - use the improved version), and even if not they'll all be near death, so kill them with arrows or something (but try to keep the prisoner alive, he'd cost reputation, and even though you can easily buy it back be a bit humane). After the dust settles cast invisibility again and walk out.

EDIT: I went spending the thief-given money in the Adventurer's Mart buying the harp from the special merchant in it before turning it off for the day, when encountered the first special random/inbetween encounter. Panicing shot a fireball what killed everyone except me and Jaheira (my aim is quit good I have to say). Good for me, but now I'm stuck(?) as the next move will be the Xar/Montaron quest, where a simple fireball I assume won't work. I'll come up with something though I suppose.

[yoga]

Originally Posted by twillight

Where were we...:

- you don't have to do anything in the Promenade, go straight into the Slums. There you don't have to buy anything, but you might still consider the glasses of identification (for safety reasons), the wand of frost (although wands are hardy as useful as they were before), and investing the rest of the coins into piercing arrows (for THACO).
- avoid to deal with the two ruffians at the Copper Coronet until later. Much later.
- when you go to pick up the Mae Var's guild quest (the only quest only available in Chapter 2 - buy the nymph cloak before giving the documents) enter the Sea Bounty Inn to make Jaheira cursed. You'll have to enter here anyway once Edwin sends you for the documents of Marcus. Then hop to the Government district not just because of the particular quest, but also to buy the magic licence. Takes 5K gold for the paper and 2K for the quest, but as it was mentioned gold is no issue for bard.
After this things settles until you get the special random encounter with the dying harper. Still, I say roll the Mae Var quest a bit - stealing even from a priest is a quick thing to do, and we can check the prayer-men's shops (Lathender has a boots of grounding, what is pretty ok, also Staff of Striking with its astonishing +9 thaco).
Killing the mage for Edwin is no small task. The mephits are ok to deal with, mayor problem is actually moving Jaheira from harm's way. Then I casted improved invisibility + blur, and went up with 1 offensive spin. The game is really unfair, as even w/o it I hit the golems (stone variant) rolling a 6, still they killed me more often than not despite after the initial offensiveness I changed to defensive, what ment they can only hit me with a 20.
Now remove your armor, and prepare the mage. Start with a Magic Missile AS SOON AS YOU APPEAR and say you're leaving. If you do it right you'll have time to cast another spell. The guy is dangerous and higher level than you, so make it a summon. Now the fear/stun spells will go that way. Trick comes: go down a floor and wait 30 ticks (watch the pendulum in the corner). Go back up. Thanks this being a program, the fight did not continue, and the protection-globe has expired. Cast Aganzanar's Scorcher for more damage, while start impaling him with piercing arrows (sometimes it hurts him, sometimes it does not). When your summons start die and your scorcher expire launch a fireball to finish this fight.
The rest of Mae Var is talk, so let's skip to the end: you only have to kill Mae Var for the goodies. So leave Jaheira outside the building, turn invisible, and go in then down. There watch out for the prisoner in the cell on the left (the tortured guy doesn't matter) and launch 2 fireballs. Hopefully this kills everyone but the priest (who you have to deal personally, but easy as he won't attack as he can only cast, and that won't happen until the invisibility completely expires - use the improved version), and even if not they'll all be near death, so kill them with arrows or something (but try to keep the prisoner alive, he'd cost reputation, and even though you can easily buy it back be a bit humane). After the dust settles cast invisibility again and walk out.

EDIT: I went spending the thief-given money in the Adventurer's Mart buying the harp from the special merchant in it before turning it off for the day, when encountered the first special random/inbetween encounter. Panicing shot a fireball what killed everyone except me and Jaheira (my aim is quit good I have to say). Good for me, but now I'm stuck(?) as the next move will be the Xar/Montaron quest, where a simple fireball I assume won't work. I'll come up with something though I suppose.

Hi, dear twillight,

According to my last word I am returning to the game
Baldur gate 2 - Enhanced Edition -BG+ToB+more.

Because screen shot of my last save game is 1.5 MB i am unable to post here and i sent to You.
Pls see Yr e-mail.

Xa xa xa

I have small problem with this save file.
Namely, i duno where am i..

Many times from this gameplay.
My team are from 6 members.

How You doing?
Greets

yoga the brave


@SmilingSpectre
Dear SS, relax,
I keep my last save of LoG 2 and maybe soon will
do Superfinal.

[twillight]

Originally Posted by yoga

Hi, dear twillight,

According to my last word I am returning to the game
Baldur gate 2 - Enhanced Edition -BG+ToB+more.

I have small problem with this save file.
Namely, i duno where am i..

How You doing?
Greets

yoga the brave

I had technical difficulties and little time to play in the recent days, but I welcome your post, and I tell you where youare:
in the end-area of BG2. It is a pocket-dimension in the Abyss, where you'll be trialed, and fight Irenicus the last time (big-big bossfight coming!). The eyes on the door told this clearly.
Take them as my watchful eyes. Although I'm not Helm But for you, unless you have some backup save, there's no turning back. Hope you stuffed all precious cargo in the Watcher's Keep or at your characters!

------------

I went a little further in my version, and yet did not immediately encountered the Xan/Montaron quest. Good for me. Went to the Graveyard District, and used a prot. from undead scroll to rob primaly the Crypt King, and it even lasted through all minor crypt in the area. Found a Staff of Curing, although is is not usable despite told class-restrictions which does not apply bards. Whatever.
After the tombs went down, killed spiders, and even got the Spider Figurine! Dealing with the spiders on the way was passable as long as it happened one-on-one (defensive spin needed against sword spiders), and summon monster (II) was used at the gate of the dome, mainly as there spiders don't reside, but appear. Strange was for me to see how much stronger an ethercap was compared to an ogre berserker.
Inside I launched a fireball, ran out, waited for regeneration (fortunate nothing followed), ran back and launched a second fireball after I was sure it'll clear the room. As only low-health mutant spiders are in aside the chief this works good. I wasn't even got hurt by anything but my own fireballs, and that wasn't that harmful at all. On top of the figurine the ioun stone (HP + thaco) and the spells are also nice.

-------------

While Jaheira is called away you have some time to spend alone. This is a good opportunity to do some quests which include none, or minimal fight. For example the Silver Pantaloons is the perfect time (contains an optional fight against weak enemy/s for the boots of avoidance), or Wellyn the ghost child (no fight at all). Dueling Amalas is also a perfect example.
I leave the rest for your imagination, but after you go to sleep you'll have a maximum 2 days window to gain even more exp before a BIG, mostly mage-fight will happen. And while 1 ingame day can contain 2-3 sleeps, any timed group-fight, where streetwalkers limits you, and the difficulty constantly rises should worry some. So before you go to sleep to return Jaheira hop to the Watcher's Keep to buy at least the potion bag!

The slaver compound is a semi-large battle from your possibilities. The biggest problem poses entering it. When you appear IMMEDIATELY go left to avoid igniting the miniboss in the room, and release 2 fireball to weaken the people and hopefully kill the archers and the healer. I used up scrolls as I was out of memorisations and fireball isn't that top-notch anyway. Finally whack until the room empties. Then save, wait until healed (you'll need HP 'cause a big trap) and try to charm (use the nymph cloak from Mae Var's guild) the leader. When succeed run through the corridor into the room filled with slavers with the charmed boss and you yourself stay behind disposing the coming yuan-ti(s). The guy is very strong, will kill a lot of guys before falling.
If needed you can use Nemarra sword's silence ability (at lvl 14 I could identify it myself).
Oh, and against the carrion crawlers in the sewer the Arbane Sword is invaluable preventing Hold Person.

-------------

The hardest part was until now rescuing Haer Dhalis. Going down the sewers is primaly troublesome for the random monster spot at the entrance, but that only prevents you easy access to healing, so prepare to stand around for long long times.
The Raksasha gives a cloak which improves the AC, but it is far from being enough. The only good thing is, Keldorn is slow as f*, so we can kill him and take his stuff.
The mephits, or even the lesser earth elemental aren't real issue at this point, but the Umber Hulk ARE. Even by drinking potions along the fight I was not be able to handle more than one, and even that demanded trial and error (save and reload). Standing at the right position allows you to arrow down 1-2 of them without fight (they are many, so are stuck), and the nearby chest releasing bolt(s) of lightning can do its fair share of harm too, but that's the most advantage you can gather. Then there's nothing else but hoping the best, running away separating them, and even relying on running through the door of the house (which doesn't always work, and leaves a copy of the creature at both sides).
This shows if I'll finally try my luck with the De'Arnise castle, I'll need a potion of invisibility to remove the hulks from the way, and will have to be very-very cautious.

Also, the "infinite money" until being ready to start Act 3 has a limit, and can't eg. buy that nice fire damage dealing axe in the Copper Coronet

[yoga]

Originally Posted by twillight

I had technical difficulties and little time to play in the recent days, but I welcome your post, and I tell you where youare:
in the end-area of BG2. It is a pocket-dimension in the Abyss, where you'll be trialed, and fight Irenicus the last time (big-big bossfight coming!). The eyes on the door told this clearly.
Take them as my watchful eyes. Although I'm not Helm But for you, unless you have some backup save, there's no turning back. Hope you stuffed all precious cargo in the Watcher's Keep or at your characters!

------------

I went a little further in my version, and yet did not immediately encountered the Xan/Montaron quest. Good for me. Went to the Graveyard District, and used a prot. from undead scroll to rob primaly the Crypt King, and it even lasted through all minor crypt in the area. Found a Staff of Curing, although is is not usable despite told class-restrictions which does not apply bards. Whatever.
After the tombs went down, killed spiders, and even got the Spider Figurine! Dealing with the spiders on the way was passable as long as it happened one-on-one (defensive spin needed against sword spiders), and summon monster (II) was used at the gate of the dome, mainly as there spiders don't reside, but appear. Strange was for me to see how much stronger an ethercap was compared to an ogre berserker.
Inside I launched a fireball, ran out, waited for regeneration (fortunate nothing followed), ran back and launched a second fireball after I was sure it'll clear the room. As only low-health mutant spiders are in aside the chief this works good. I wasn't even got hurt by anything but my own fireballs, and that wasn't that harmful at all. On top of the figurine the ioun stone (HP + thaco) and the spells are also nice.

Hi, my watching Eye,
my progress is still very little.
More over after so mant time i forgot how to play BG2,
but i entered some town under attack and was atacked from 5 soldiers
even i want to help them.

[yoga]

Rats!

I am still in that town under siege.

Have to leave it!!

Ha ha ha

[twillight]

Originally Posted by yoga

Rats!

I am still in that town under siege.

Have to leave it!!

Ha ha ha

Get in the castle (through the sewers), and kill the local boss. It's not that hard to leave Saradush. I have no idea when I'll reach that far with this character

[yoga]

Originally Posted by twillight

Get in the castle (through the sewers), and kill the local boss. It's not that hard to leave Saradush. I have no idea when I'll reach that far with this character

Whos character,please?

Preparing to leave the town after Yr sincere help?

175 KB for color picture is so small size.
(

[twillight]

Originally Posted by yoga

Whos character,please?

Preparing to leave the town after Yr sincere help?

175 KB for color picture is so small size.
(

Not sure what ur looking for.

MY character currently is a bard (check title of posts).

For YOUR character a what-to-do list:
- enter sewer
- go until you enter castle
- kill Gromnir
- go to pocket dimension (use the special ability)
- leave pocket dimension, and you'll be offered to be transported outside the sieged city.

-------------

The first Jaheira-related fight was ... less challenging then expected. What you need is 1 Stone skin, 1 Mirror Image, 1 Melf's Minute Meteor (MMM from now), 2 Sunfire. Buff yourself up (MMM just makes life easier, and avoids consuming supplies), go in, PAUSE during the loading screen so you can send Jaheira away and place yourself in a position you can effect everyone, then ASAP start casting the two sunfire to get rid of the numerical superiority. When that's done RUN AWAY like mad to avoid possible condition-spells (confusion, held) and to get rid of the lesser earth elemental. Save, and finish mopping the floor. Also do not forget to find Montaron's body for 20K exp.
WARNING: Do NOT have ANY kind of invisibility on you when you enter the compound! The battle will not start unless you're 100% visible!
TIP: if you have some stoneskin left from the fight I suggest go and kill the sea-troll in the sewers. It is too though to fight without protection, but your leftover should be enough to win finally (MMM's autohit helps too).

Getting the Horn of Valhalla has the basic "find an immunity spell, or magic resistance and reload until it kicks in" methods, but rly the most simple way is to have someone for a second and let her/him take it for you. This whole "you're mazed for 2 minutes, so it's game over" thing is quite ridiculous anyway.

-----------

The De'Arnise Keep is pretty ok area at lvl 15-16 with 2 "waypoint", but before that let me mention 2 things:
- I could identify a coursed scroll at lvl 15. That's like 85 lore or sg.
- I met an event before I never encountered during any of my playthrough - for obvious reason. As I did not do the Copper Coronet immediately I met 2 slaver leading a slave at the entrance of the Copper Coronet. Theslave asked help, so I force-attacked the slavers who turned hostile and defeated. This worthed 5K exp.

So, Nalia's Keep has mostly 1on1 fights with trolls who aren't impossible (although can hit a lot, so prepare to stand around lacking any medic around). The main hall should be avoided or handled very carefully with its 4 trolls, but as you can avoid them it's not that serious. The guard captain is. I tried the method which did work in vanilla BG2, but seems it is no longer there anymore in the recent patch. So have to kill him. To do it quaff a potion of speed, run around him softening by arrows until he drinks it too. That's the time to leave the room, close the door and just wait until the effect expires (there's always a sound-effect). To ensure victory I casted Draw Upon Holy Might and offensive spin - this turned the table.
The second is TorGal the local boss. That's one big troll, immun to invisibility (he smells you) and a good portion of magic resist. First drink another potion of speed because he can slow and statdrain you. Cast Mirror Image, and whatever defensive spell you still have (I only had improved invisibility). Also cast MMM. Don't forget to summon stuff (horn of valhalla, spider figurine). After all this run in and lure him out closing the door behind him to lock out his two bodyguard. Then kill him. I used offensive spin 'cause MMM is not autohit after all, and 3 magic missiles. Still need a couple of good hits, but manageable. To kill the two greater troll 1 potion of firebreath was used (basically Aganzanar's Scorcher).

-------------

Trademeet:
More trolls trolling. If you go cautiously they usually pose no problem. For variation there be humans. Their first group is fighting some trolls, which are bigger than usual. Your job is to find balance so the two group kills each other leaving a totally weakened single opponent for you. I suggest you kill the mage, and the first troll falling. BEWARE, a lot of times these trolls don't die on fire! Acid still works as intended.

The second group is more dangerous if not more annoying. Drop in a cloudkill (use a wand), and let's hope after it dissipates they won't heal each other and do other foolish things soyou can kill them with (piercing) arrows.

The raksashas (yes, as you can steal you might as well work for the djinns instead of fighting them) are immun to magic or something, but one stoneskin and a MMM can carry you a long way (kill the boss first, the others are weaker). Support the MMM with offensive spin!
You just gained a new necklace which renders you immun to poison. Don't forget, you got a new, +2 longbow from the De'Arnise Keep too.

[yoga]

Originally Posted by twillight

Not sure what ur looking for.

MY character currently is a bard (check title of posts).

For YOUR character a what-to-do list:
- enter sewer
- go until you enter castle
- kill Gromnir
- go to pocket dimension (use the special ability)
- leave pocket dimension, and you'll be offered to be transported outside the sieged city.

Bard is a nice character.

OK, thanks for instructions.

If You do not mind i will play with 6-members team.

Still i learn how to play.

......

3 last characters shown.

PC: I agree with Yr formation-
weak character is located in circle.

Let bet who will passed the game first?

ha ha ha

[twillight]

Originally Posted by yoga

Bard is a nice character.

If You do not mind i will play with 6-members team.

......

3 last characters shown.

Let bet who will passed the game first?

ha ha ha

Yes,a full team is much more interesting for the first couple of times until you figure out to judge even from pure look which character is good and which sux, or simple don't fit in your group. And you get familiar with the story, so pay less attention to the interactions of NPCs.

For example while everyone praises Aerie I HATED her slow progress, she was always behind the group by capability. And while the baby is nice, she IS a whiner, which might be attractive in real life, but not in the BG-series.
(PUN: BG, like Bulgaria!)
On the other hand Viconia is a machine of destruction. The semi-low HP of her did not bother me at all ever.

But 1 solo playthrough actually widens a player's look on the game, for thing like the above mentioned Sunfire spell, which will never be used with party, but when you don't have to hesitate for harming your allies, it rocks (this was a pun by the way pointing the best BG2 sling-ammunition).

On the other hand bard is a terrible character in itself (check first bard-post).
Yes, it has one of the more appealing strongholds (warriors, magelings and bard have way better strongholds then the others), and Blade is a nice party-leader with the spins, or Skald is a freaking ultimate support character (its song is bloody powerful), but otherwise quite horrendous with its terrible offensive power (and lack of defense). It has no thac0, the spell-resource is very limited, not to mention don't really have any worthy special abilities (and when HLAs come to play, it'll choose the same as a thief, which can be dual/multi to fighter to help on the taco, or thief/mage which is pretty much bard on steroid - rly, if you wand to play a bard, play instead thief/mage!).
I honestly play it for the challenge-factor.