Ultimate BG 1 & 2 Character

[Centurion]

On another thread I started a few of you started opining about the best character classes for your <charname> PC. Since I am trying to write my own BG 1 & 2 guide, I have decided, with great trepidation about the debates that will ensue, to ask the forum the question:

What is the absolute BEST (most powerful) character to create to take through the entire BG 1 & 2 Saga? Don't need to be esoteric about solo-runs, best party, or anything else. Just pure, straight up the most powerful class(es), race, and proficiency you would create to OWN the game from Candlekeep to Bhaal's Throne!

I would prefer one pick only, and feel free to say why. I will confess that I am waffling between Fighter>Mage and Fighter>Cleric dual-classes for my pick. (Fighter or Berserker.)

So, let's have some fun and see what you got?

[philos3]

Oprindeligt skrevet af wendigo211:

They can use both wands and scrolls while wearing armor but, outside of anti-magic zones (there's one in SoD if you decide to solo that, and one of the levels of Watcher's Keep in BG2 has them), I don't really see a reason to wear armor. Their armor spells (Shield, Ghost Armor and Spirit Armor) are pretty good and I find they last long enough to go from rest to rest.

Regarding the need for armor, I agree whole heartedly with wendigo. In addition to the spells he mentions, there are various bracers of defense (from AC8 to AC6) in BG1 that grant an AC bonus of up to +4. Plus some excellent robes that grant +5 to AC and a slight magic resistance. There is a robe for each general alignment; good, neutral, and evil. In SOD Belegarm sells an AC5 bracer that grants +5 and in BG2 You can find a set of AC4 bracers and Ribald sells another AC4 and an AC3 (equivalent to plate mail). I often take Nalia in my party and she is usually AC-3 or -4 early in chapter 2 without any spell buffs.

[fang]

Top Tier PC Classes

Berserker/Druids are very brain dead PCs while also very powerful. Just throw on protections and wail away.

Kensai/Mages or Berserker/Mages are probably the most powerful, but require more micromanagement than the berserker/druid.

Fighter/Clerics are also top tier.

Mage/Clerics are the most versatile casters in the game.

[fang]

I've beaten the game as an Undead Hunter, Assassin/Mage, Berserk/Druid, Kensai/Mage, Fighter/Mage/Cleric, Monk, and probably more that I can't remember and they're all quite powerful.

I've tried every class through Icewind Dale and really there aren't any truly terrible options to be had. Especially in BG. Your Charname is going to be OP unless you are intentionally trying to make him/her trash.

[Hamish]

Maybe not the most powerful in terms of raw damage output but definately the most powerful support class in the series is the Blade bard kit - nothing can out tank these guys.

I can get my AC to -24 (which is a cap I believe) meaning those fire giants can barely hit me, with a stone skin/mirror image on top while singing the enhanced bard song (which negates the Blade's class penalty of a weak bard song) meaning I am also buffing up my party to hit the giants more. This also worked well on Demogorgans's minions and Demogorgon himself.

Other Bards can do this too, but the blade can also have 3 points in dual weild, has offensive and defensive spins that help at lower levels, and has a cool name.

[Gustuv Wynd]

honestly...I think I'd have to say an Archer...as long as you have casters to support you to remove spell protections and to go stand there and tank. In BG2 the Gensen bow even does Piercing damage rather than missile so it hurts nearly everything.

I will almost always have one in the party and it will typically have higher party damage than my zerker/mage...though I also tend not go crazy resting every ten minutes either and save spells for when I really need them. Spike damage is of course going to an arcane caster, but for just simple killing power...Archers are kind of sweet.

[EolSunder]

You can't compare the 2 games due to the level limits. The most powerful character in baldurs gate 2 is a dual class fighter/mage of some sort, level 13 fighter then mage. You have the dual weapons fighting power of a great warrior with the health and weapons skills to buzz saw through your enemies, combined with the magic power of a full fledged mage who can load up triple sunbursts, waste their foes and you really can just solo the game with one fighter/mage, not including all your other party members.

And you can throw in a fighter/cleric to keep everyone healed if you wish, or a fighter/thief to thief everything, but there is no contest or doubt the 13/x fighter mage mows through everything.

You can't make that in baldurs gate 1 due to the level limit, so unless you just want to play a fighter in baldurs gate 1, you'll have to do 2 different characters. The best you can do is like the other poster said, 7 levels of fighter to get some benefit from weapons, health and then mage so in baldurs gate 2 you'll be a 7/x fighter mage instead of a 13/x fighter mage. the 7x really isn't a fighter and is very lacking compared to a 13 fighter but its still doable, and it's still beneficial to the mage in terms of health and at least some basic skill with weapons, if only for weapon magical property bonus's.

[Sephiroth]

A multi-class fighter/mage elf is already more powerfulthan a dual class in BG2 game because it gains both HLA for wizards and warrors. It also does not suffer any downtime.

So you trade off the Grand Master for the choosen weapon as a dual class and its special ability which is rage or kai for the benefit of never having downtime but most importantly you get HLA for warrors and also for mages which more than make up for the lack of GM plus you can still get Black Blade of disaster which gives you a GM while you use it.

[EolSunder]

in regular bg2 id say fighter/mage elf sure because of the level limits, but with the add ons and higher level, i don't want a fighter/mage, i want a mage who has the capacity of a great fighter. In BG2 regular a multi class would do better because of the lower level limit and you have no downtime as you progress, i think you get near 13/13 either way or something.

bg2 3 million would be a 13/13 multiclass i think or a 13/14 dual class maybe. about the same so going with a multi class is better, but with the add ons goiong up to 8 million exp, i don't want fighter levels higher than 13 i want more mage power, fighter 13 is plenty to get all the melee ability i ever need with dual weapons so going with a multiclass in the enhanced to me is worthless. Less magic power for a little more fighter. ick.

A dual class has some downtime sure, but in the end its much stronger than a multiclass. You have more magic power and just as good melee ability, the fighers melee ability really doesn't grow very much past level 13 other than a little more chance to hit, which you won't miss when buffed up by mage spells.

so you can be a level 24/20 figher mage multi, or a 13/26+ mage. Sorry to me, no contest. If i wanted to be a warrior i would have just made up a warrior. I want a mage who is as good as any warrior, not a warrior with a tad bit of magic thrown in.

so in baldurs gate, baldurs gate 2, because of level limits a multiclass would be better of course, no downtime and you work out basically the same, but with higher levels in bg2 addons, the multiclass falls to the wayside.

[Korhal]

I have to say, I cannot see, why people choose the lvl 13 fighter/berserker/kensai option.

If you math that through, you basically will only gain this "uber"-char in the very end of ToB.
Is it fun to wreck through even the strongest foes alone? Yes, for sure. But you will also face the game inbetween in a kinda slog-way.

I personally think, with removing the xp-cap in the first game, lvl 9 is already a very dragged out way to reclass your fighter-archetype into a mage, so you can experience both worlds and especially the greater magical advantages in the very beginning of BG2.
The disadvantages are slim and with having a party its even less needed to go for the aformentioned route.

In the end, people play this game like they like to play it, as its a sp game anyway. Yet personally, I feel doing "work" and thinking from the far end, its better to achieve (and also experience) the games possibilities earlier rather than later, as this leads to a deeper meaning of fun.

With that being said, I tried this way myself and I am roughly lvl 8 at the end of the final chapter in BG1. There is absolutly no way you will reach any point past lvl 9 (which already might be difficult) less lvl 13, before you finish SoD and you will not get into SoA being a fighter/mage anyway, but a very top-notch fighter, being a very weak mage during the earlier stages of the game, which even by thinking about it, feels like a slog already.
(Are you really wanna throw magic missiles lvl 1 around during the first 1 or 2 chapters of Amn?!)

Its surely a personal choice, yet I mind to consider the consequenes of having to lvl a char from BG 1 past lvl 9 (up to 13), just with the mindset of having a demi-god in the very endgame of the saga.

[Centurion]

Oprindeligt skrevet af EolSunder:

You can't compare the 2 games due to the level limits. The most powerful character in baldurs gate 2 is a dual class fighter/mage of some sort, level 13 fighter then mage. You have the dual weapons fighting power of a great warrior with the health and weapons skills to buzz saw through your enemies, combined with the magic power of a full fledged mage who can load up triple sunbursts, waste their foes and you really can just solo the game with one fighter/mage, not including all your other party members.

And you can throw in a fighter/cleric to keep everyone healed if you wish, or a fighter/thief to thief everything, but there is no contest or doubt the 13/x fighter mage mows through everything.

You can't make that in baldurs gate 1 due to the level limit, so unless you just want to play a fighter in baldurs gate 1, you'll have to do 2 different characters. The best you can do is like the other poster said, 7 levels of fighter to get some benefit from weapons, health and then mage so in baldurs gate 2 you'll be a 7/x fighter mage instead of a 13/x fighter mage. the 7x really isn't a fighter and is very lacking compared to a 13 fighter but its still doable, and it's still beneficial to the mage in terms of health and at least some basic skill with weapons, if only for weapon magical property bonus's.

Actually, this is exactly the idea. The idea is getting the best character for playthrough the entire saga, not just focusing on one game. So, no need to dual in BG1, What I am seeing here is a lot of people loving either the Fighter>Mage or the Fighter/Mage. And I am feeling that this may be the ultimate character?

[Centurion]

Oprindeligt skrevet af Gustuv Wynd:

honestly...I think I'd have to say an Archer...as long as you have casters to support you to remove spell protections and to go stand there and tank. In BG2 the Gensen bow even does Piercing damage rather than missile so it hurts nearly everything.

I will almost always have one in the party and it will typically have higher party damage than my zerker/mage...though I also tend not go crazy resting every ten minutes either and save spells for when I really need them. Spike damage is of course going to an arcane caster, but for just simple killing power...Archers are kind of sweet.

Actually playing one now. Elf, DEX 19, Bracers of Archery, +++ already with +1 bow (BG1) and it is amazing watching her pop off enemies in a single shot. Add in stealth and this is definitely a power-class. Although, as you mention, does need a solid dwarven tank up front! Although, I am getting suspicious of the AI. She is having a lot of critical misses for someone with a THACO of 2. Suspicious.

[philos3]

An elven fighter/mage was the first character I ran completely through BG1, BG2 and TOB. SOD hadn't been developed yet. He was quite the force in late BG2 and TOB. Good Choice!

[Korhal]

But an elf cannot romance Viconia. :(

[THAC0]

I think the arguement we need to discuss is powerful WHEN?
If we talking about end game then something like Kensai Duel class into mage at level 13 is possibly realy strong
problem? It has a large area of the game its basicly dead wight ...
Do we value a class Power Level based on the game over-all?
Mages are possibly the WEAKEST / Worse class early game, Legit possibly the worse class in the first few levels / BG1 possibly, But in BG2/ToB? Alright there power level spikes then
but ppl would argue while it takes slightly longer to level up a Fighter Mage is possibly FAR better then a Straight mage ...
we also have to worrie about do you wanna romance or not?
if so playing something like a Dwarf is pretty much a no go thus the shorty saves and such is kinda bye bye
Fighter Cleric I would argue is better then a Fighter Mage early on, Spells while wearing heavy armor, And the cleric spells stay powerful

but in terms of preist spells vs mage spells its one of thouse
Mage spells better late game but tend to suck the D early game
while Cleric is just good always
its like ok 1/10 early 10/10 late vs 7/10 all the time

[wendigo211]

Arguably, the most powerful spell in BG is Sleep. As such I've never had trouble with Mages in BG. 10/10 early and 10/10 late.