Do everything/kill everything before bandit camp (core rules)

[itsu]

With some new players complaining this game is too hard on CORE rules (obviously wanting to experience this before going onto BG3), this is what you get if you play as the devs "intended", meaning not touching north of Beregost (excluding Friendly Arm) until you get to Larswood (start of Bandit Camp)


ALL MAPS SOUTH OF BEREGOST WERE EXPLORED TO 100 % UPTO BASILISK MAP SOUTH OF LARSWOOD

-completing all main and side quests (except companion) as good aligned
-exploring all dungeons, caves etc. 100%
-killing all monsters and hostiles, bears, wolves etc
-exploring maps 100%
-picking up the default chars (imoen, khalid, jaheira, minsc, dynaheir) as you meet them


Result: 3 of them on level 6, 1 on level 7, and other 2 close to 6

Basilisk map south of Larswood, too easy

So... way overpowered for just entering the bandit camp which probably level 4 would be sufficient. I predict the devs didn't really intend for EVERYTHING to be done, more pick and choose, but hey-ho I'm a completionist so there you go.

Putting in the grind this game is easy on core rules. No excuse for whining now. Talking bout those stuck in Durlag's Tower with a level 1 priest. If you want to blast through it before BG3, use story mode.

[Centurion]

I'll see your Core rules and raise you to Hard.

My strategy is to clear all the road areas between FAI and Nashkel. Then to the Xvart Village and Gnoll Stronghold. After that I am usually able to clear all the areas West of the Coast Way. I usually hit the Nashkel Mines around lvl 5-6. Then I can go straight through The Bandit Camp and Cloakwood. Did each mine without resting from beginning to end.

On Core I did the basilisks and other wilderness areas to the East before Nashkel as well. On Hard I am doing them just after my first trip to Baldur's Gate because I wanted to do some extra experience to level up Imoen who went dual and to bring Alora into the party. I could have done it sooner.

What veteran players know, that noobs don't, is that you DON'T have to follow the game prompts. The NPCs who want to go to the Nashkel Mines are satisfied if you speak to the mayor. The mines can wait for weeks or months. You can wait on Edwin/Minsc until you are ready to go to the Gnoll Fort. And you can ignore Kivan until you are ready The first time I played (OG), my paladin went to Nashkel and made level 2 there. The fight with Grey Wolf was tough (re-load) and also Mulahey and the spiders (re-loads.) Now, Grey Wolf is about as tough as a kobold and Mulahey is a push over.

[JC]

My play, I just went to the mines, took a detour to the gnoll stronghold with a lvl 2 group, then head to the bandit camp. You are around lvl 3 maybe someone is 4 by that point. It's more than enough to do the bandit camp.

I will say it does help knowing the spawns for sure, but you still just play the game and don't really need to use any exploit or tricks.

[itsu]

Interesting to see how others do it. BTW I did this just to see as an experiment. It's not the ideal way, way way overpowered for entering bandit camp. Which means exploring all the wilderness is not necessary.

Centurion, I like your way of doing it for my next playthrough, which will be hopefully a group I can take to BG2 and beyond. This group is just too vanilla and boring. We're steamrolling through greater basilisks like they were wild dogs. Not fun.

edit: ok this is what I want to do: assemble the weakest, most pathhtic companions (Neera, Xan, Khalid as tank etc.) and complete the game on hard/insane then go all the way to BG3. Obviously you need to role a weak char too. Then imagine the sense of achievement...completing the whole saga with a bunch of pathetic, useless bunch of whiny "heros" ever assembled. That's my plan. I can imagine this group around the camp fire resting, pooping their pants at every owl hooting or wolf howling...imagine the fun.

[Wicket W. Warrick]

I would add also that 1-2-3 levels more don't change very much, while a good strategy does. For instance Investing in a wand of sleep and items that cast fireballs and recharging them, while one character with high stealth explore the areas, allows to go through most of the area with no great problem also at 3-4th level.

Also without being completitionist, following some side quests and clearing some areas is sufficient, with a good strategy.

[Wicket W. Warrick]

Originally posted by Wasabi:

assemble the weakest, most pathhtic companions (Neera, Xan, Khalid as tank etc.) and complete the game on hard/insane

I hope you mean that they are the weakest froma a roleplaying point of view, because for the mechanics they aren't.

[itsu]

Originally posted by Wicket W. Warrick:

Originally posted by Wasabi:

assemble the weakest, most pathhtic companions (Neera, Xan, Khalid as tank etc.) and complete the game on hard/insane

I hope you mean that they are the weakest froma a roleplaying point of view, because for the mechanics they aren't.

Hey Wicket, I agree with your previous post, but who would you consider the weakest in a mechanic point of view, as I want to assemble a group of weaklings (without making custom companions) who would you go for? So let's say mage wise, isn't Xan and Neera the weakest? Neera if not the weakest is a liability for sure. Up until you get to the bandit camp she is useless and at the most tags along for the ride. I still remember when she stupidly polymorphed into a rabbit after a surge. Rabbits move so slow and for 72 hours. The only way I could avoid pulling my hair out was to use an exploit (kill her and then res). Ridiculous. Khalid as tank is pure fail too...with his low morale.

So who would be the biggest bunch of losers in your opinion. Say 1 of each: mage, thief/bard, tank, healer/druid/priest, dps. Which companions are the worst?

[Centurion]

Making a truly weak party of regular NPCs is a challenge, because of the pairings. Khalid is weak (morale problem), but comes with very strong Jaheira. Dynaheir is bad, if you can avoid Minsc (strong.)

Xzar and Montaron are the definition of weak and wimpy, with terrible proficiencies. Eldoth and Garrick (bards) are bad stats and bad classes. Kivan is not an ideal tank, as his specializations are messed up (but as an archer he's great). Tiax gives you a bad cleric with a so-so thief.

And if you want the ultimate bad 'tank' (or character), you can definitely go wrong with Rasaad, who adds inane banter and an ugly portrait for a bonus!

[Centurion]

Originally posted by Wasabi:

This group is just too vanilla and boring. We're steamrolling through greater basilisks like they were wild dogs. Not fun.

Solution: BG1 NPC Project. It's npt as good as BG2 (mostly text conversations), but it livens up all the NPCs, and since you seem to like a challenge, it has zero effect on gameplay. Just got to see how Alora reacts to Gullykin! Fun.

[Wicket W. Warrick]

Originally posted by Wasabi:

Hey Wicket, I agree with your previous post, but who would you consider the weakest in a mechanic point of view, as I want to assemble a group of weaklings (without making custom companions) who would you go for? So let's say mage wise, isn't Xan and Neera the weakest? Neera if not the weakest is a liability for sure. Up until you get to the bandit camp she is useless and at the most tags along for the ride. I still remember when she stupidly polymorphed into a rabbit after a surge. Rabbits move so slow and for 72 hours. The only way I could avoid pulling my hair out was to use an exploit (kill her and then res). Ridiculous. Khalid as tank is pure fail too...with his low morale.

I don't like Xan or Neera either, but it's all a matter of playstyle. They are not weak, they must be played in a specific way. For Neera you need to like all the wild surge thing, if you don't (I don't) it's a pain, but it's all about preferences not strength. Xan... you simply must use his school spells and use wands fo the opposite.

But all this weakness of khalid is a mix of forum legend and powerplayers that it's all about stats. Everything below 18/XX is weak. D&D and this game don't work in this way.

Morale? I played the last 3 walkthrough wth khalid, as a front, both tank and dps, because Khalid can do both things: havin AC < -5 and do half of damage/killing except Bhaalspawn. I think he got morale failure once or twice. His morale value are similar or equal to many other character, also tanks. But he got more hps, so except very early levels it is impossibile to have a morale failure. if you play correctly.

Originally posted by Wasabi:

So who would be the biggest bunch of losers in your opinion. Say 1 of each: mage, thief/bard, tank, healer/druid/priest, dps. Which companions are the worst?

My worst team is

MC shaman
arcane Xzar (lack of illusion....)
thief: Skie
tank: (none)
divine: Faldorn
dps: Rasaad
bonus: Tiax

Tanks are all good once they get dex 18 with bracers, Anyway Ajantis is my "worst".
Between "real" dps Shar-teel suffers the very low constitution. Obviously she is versitile in other ways (e.g. dual to thief).