Possible to build custom party by now ?

[Jǫrmungandr]

I considered playing this a while ago, but I steered clear because i wanted to build my own custom party. The NPC companions in this game (and many other games) don't appeal to me. It was told to me by several that building my own custom party Icewind Dale style was not possible in this game, where we could create/dismiss characters anytime during a campaign, so i didn't buy.

Has that changed now, either through update, expansion, possibly even a simple-to-use mod ? Game fundamentally looks interesting, but only with a custom party.

And what of the narrative in the game ? Is it a good story ?

Oh, and the same question applies for the first game ; Kingmaker

[Fingusa of the East]

I mean you can get mercenaries like two or so hours into the game, they are just kinda on the expensive side. You can fully customize them.

[Aussie 760]

No, at least not in the way you likely want.

You can use a mod to respec all the NPC companions into whatever you want, change stats, and alter point buys - but if you were looking to just make a squad of your own people and then tear up demons fromt he get go, sorry but that's not this game.

[Jǫrmungandr]

Originally posted by Fingusa of the East:

I mean you can get mercenaries like two or so hours into the game, they are just kinda on the expensive side. You can fully customize them.

So expensive that I will probably have to complete a huge chunk of the game before I can afford to have a fully customized party of 6 ??

I'm getting the sense that the answer is yes. Maybe i should just steer clear, again. Just looking for something to satisfy me while waiting for BG 3, which is probably 18 months away from release...

[GrandMajora]

Originally posted by krikkert:

don't appeal to me. It was told to me by several that building my own custom party Icewind Dale style was not possible in this game, where we could create/dismiss characters anytime during a campaign, so i didn't buy.

I don't know who told you that, but their tongue spoke LIES! You've been able to create your own custom companions since day one.

The downside, however, is these companions have no social interactions with anyone, no personal quest, and they are slightly bugged near the end of the game. During the final battle, there will be an optional fight to defend your camp from the enemy. I say 'optional' because although you are forced to participate, it doesn't really matter if you win or lose.

For some reason, custom mercenaries do not get to join this fight, or at least they don't spawn into the map properly. We don't really know why at the moment.


Also, custom companions cost money, and the higher their level is, the more expensive they'll be. A level 20 companion will run you somewhere around 200,000 gold per recruit. Fortunately, money in this game is extremely easy to acquire by just selling the excess loot you pick up. You can rack up between 1 to 2 million gold by Chapter 5.

[seeker1]

Mercs are expensive, and for reasons I don't get, start weaker (lower "point buy"). There's no way to be able to afford 5 right out of the gate. Unless: mods. Toybox easily takes care of both issues.

[AdmiralZeech]

OMG don't listen to these people.


It's trivial and fully supported to build a custom party in both Kingmaker and Wrath. Always has been.


Basically after the prologue area in both games, you will meet an NPC that lets you create mercenary party members. Each one costs a certain amount, multiplied by your current level. You generally meet them at around level 2 or 3, but if you delay your level up to stay at 1 you can get a full party at the lowest cost.


Even if you didn't want to do that, you can easily use a save editor or cheat mod to give yourself a little bit of extra money so you can buy a full party at the start.


The main thing with mercenaries is that they are silent and offer no banter or personal quests. But you can swap them out with one of companions at any time if you want to complete their personal quest.


You can swap a party member onto the bench and recruit new mercenaries at any time, you just need to talk to the recruitment NPC again.


As for whether the story is good, many people like it a lot. But some people don't like it. So it's hard to say. Personally I thought the story in Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 were pretty meh, and I hated the writing tone in Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2, but I loved Kingmaker and Wrath. I also liked Baldurs Gate 1 and 2.

[Jǫrmungandr]

Originally posted by AdmiralZeech:

As for whether the story is good, many people like it a lot. But some people don't like it. So it's hard to say. Personally I thought the story in Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 were pretty meh, and I hated the writing tone in Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2, but I loved Kingmaker and Wrath. I also liked Baldurs Gate 1 and 2.

I agree on the other titles, mostly. Pillars 1 and 2 were indeed "meh". I don't like it when my main character is a god-chosen who can speak with the dead or spirits or whatnot, or happens to be the dovakhiin who can slay dragons verbally, as easily as reciting the alphabet.

Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 didn't really have that great a story, I think it's overrated, but it was okay, it served a purpose, and BG 2 was obviously an amazing game, not so much because of the story, but because fo everything else.

As for Divinity, i tried them but didn't last long, so I can't speak of the story. Part of the reason why I didn't last long was, again, weak companions. I might have given DOS 2 another chance if I could create my own custom party, but it has been confirmed to me that the game doesn't allow it.

[Synner]

You need to go to solasta I think it's called or back to the 80's with gold box if you want a custom party. The legend of grimrock games too, but those are kind of a different genre. Curious though: Do you play tabletop? Because you have no control ver the characters others play there either.

[IRuleAll]

i mean i bought 3 mercs right at the very beginning the very first time you can buy them. they arent that expensive, and you can easily get 5 if you wanted to, i literally have no clue what all these people are talking about. maybe you can not buy them all at once, but you can easily get 4 at the cheap rate(something like 4k each), and buy another one for 8k or so when you get some more money. i currently have like 8 mercs in my squad, because im the same way as you and i didnt find most of these characters to be interesting, or i killed them already.

[seeker1]

Icewind Dale had an all-roll-your-own party. I personally enjoy the character interactions and quests, so ... I played it, but out of the IE games it/they were not my faves.

[Fingusa of the East]

Originally posted by Synner:

You need to go to solasta I think it's called or back to the 80's with gold box if you want a custom party. The legend of grimrock games too, but those are kind of a different genre. Curious though: Do you play tabletop? Because you have no control ver the characters others play there either.

I am to be honest other people may have some control over your char and vice-versa in tabletop. If my players start making chars for one of my campaigns and there happens to be no healer, I do usually tell them it might be a good idea for someone to re-roll like a Cleric or Druid.

Can be solved with potions etc. just easier to just have a healer.

[seeker1]

There were tabletop sessions where I controlled someone else's character because they were absent and asked. This usually went with a pledge not to get them killed or permanently disfigured.

But no, I never controlled 4 or 6 characters, though yeah, this became a feature of CRPGs from the very beginning. The Bard's Tale, Wizardry, Ultima. Although "back in the day" it was moving them around on a very simple 2D grid at best. I think in Bard's Tale when it came time to attack, all you could choose is which of two "rows" to shoot or swing at.

[Jǫrmungandr]

Originally posted by Synner:

You need to go to solasta I think it's called or back to the 80's with gold box if you want a custom party. The legend of grimrock games too, but those are kind of a different genre. Curious though: Do you play tabletop? Because you have no control ver the characters others play there either.

No. Never played tabletop. My first foray into all this medieval fantasy stuff was the Infinity Engine games. First IWD, then BG 2, so forth. Love at first sight. Tabletop any fun, or is it only for the nerdiest of us ?

[Frostfeather]

Start with Kingmaker, and don't level your main character until you get to the point where you can buy mercs (you'll probably be delaying your level by 5-10 minutes, not hours).

Mercs will then be very cheap and you can make a whole group. I always do this in Kingmaker because the starting companions are horrible in every conceivable way.

Or, just use a mod/cheat in either game to afford mercs whenever you want. Bag of Tricks (Kingmaker) and ToyBox (Wrath) are both extremely easy to use.

[Jǫrmungandr]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Icewind Dale had an all-roll-your-own party. I personally enjoy the character interactions and quests, so ... I played it, but out of the IE games it/they were not my faves.

I also enjoy the character banter and friendships if the companions are well-made and fit into the setting. But I also enjoy the IWD style where I get to create all the characters.

Even though a medieval fantasy setting has magic and trolls and dragons, keywords for me will always be realism and plausibility within those confines. Maybe to the point of my own undoing. I'm too old for the childish undertones that come with many companions. I'm in my 30s, so ...

F.ex. I really appreciated Jaheira in BG 2 because she was sufficiently lowkey to be credible in the grim circumstances. Her concerns and dialogue felt natural and organic. Minsc the lunatic, on the other hand, with his childish spacehamster was not very credible. Sten the Qunari in DA:O was also very enjoyable to me, due to his lowkey personality and stoic nature that just seemed to fit really well with him being a warrior.
Characters who are used to be at the frontlines wouldn't be spritey and flamboyant. They'd be grim, more sombre perhaps. I don't mind if one or two of the companions might be a little colourful, like a mischievous rogue or arragont sorceress or something, but just don't overdo it, you know...

I think game devs often try too hard to make interesting, original companions to the point where they all end up being too flamboyant, too colourful, too spritey, wearing clothes that don't make sense, as if they're part of a fashion show, telling a joke right in the middle of battle even though they're two seconds from dying in the face of difficult odds. Too much bravado beahviour, and generally just characters reacting in the most implausible manner in so many situations.

All that being said, yes, maybe you think me a boor or something. It's fine ;)