Anything special to do before starting SoD?

[Witch ~]

Didn't realize you could take literally everything with you including followers. "kinda" ended up rushing the story at the end since the combat gets a bit tiring

[Trickle]

Before you enter the last Sarevok battle consider spending 80-90% of your cash on fireball/monster-summon wands, all of the Arrows of detonation etc. Maybe a stack of level 4 malison spell scrolls etc etc.

Its useful to have some high value gem stacks in your inventory, or 5K value items in your inventory slots that you can then convert into cash later in SOD. This is because you cant transfer pure cash from BG to SOD proper.

Save a lil bit of cash, 1-2K in case you want to buy heals/resurections from the sole healer in the first mandatory dungeon. The first dungeon is easy with a fireball wand and 20 arrows of destruction. Its not so easy without nukes.

At the end of the first SOD dungeon you need to move all [equipped] items you want to keep from NPC companions that don't appear in SOD. Its clear when you are about to leave the first dungeon. If you have imoen in the party you dont need to strip her, her stuff is in a chest, just in a different one than where your stuff shows up. You don't need to worry about things in inventory slots. That all gets carried across and is clear where that is.

Also your gear chest 'travels' with you. You dont need to start shifting it into the bag of holding you can buy before leaving Baldurs gate.

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Yeah, that's a big "beware!". Various companions will not be available in SOD after the prologue dungeon. You cannot foresee which ones will be affected, unless you research it on the Internet. Some of the companions reappear, but will refuse companionship. Their items will be lost, if you don't transfer them to your player character(s) and/or companions that will be available in SOD later.

[One death guy]

we could maybe do a list of those companions that dont appear (or can be taken into your team) at SOD

I dont recall any single one of such sadly... I finished SOD almost a year ago

[red255]

pretty sure if they got a voice they go to SoD if they just got text, they don't.

[wendigo211]

Here are a few tips:

• Fill Neera's Gem Bag with as many precious stones as you can find.
  
• Buy as many scrolls of Protection from Undead as you can find. The fights with the Shadowed Souls in SoD are horrible.
  
• Pick up the few +3 weapons in BG.
  
• Consider turning Safana into a Thief/Mage. You'll need to spend your intellect tome if you choose to do so, but she'll play ersatz Imoen in SoD.
  
• The following BG companions will be available to you in SoD:
  • Safana
  • Minsc
  • Dynaheir
  • Jaheira
  • Khalid
  • Edwin
  • Viconia
  • Neera
  • Rasaad
  • Dorn

[Witch ~]

Originally posted by wendigo211:

Here are a few tips:

• Fill Neera's Gem Bag with as many precious stones as you can find.
  
• Buy as many scrolls of Protection from Undead as you can find. The fights with the Shadowed Souls in SoD are horrible.
  
• Pick up the few +3 weapons in BG.
  
• Consider turning Safana into a Thief/Mage. You'll need to spend your intellect tome if you choose to do so, but she'll play ersatz Imoen in SoD.
  
• The following BG companions will be available to you in SoD:
  • Safana
  • Minsc
  • Dynaheir
  • Jaheira
  • Khalid
  • Edwin
  • Viconia
  • Neera
  • Rasaad
  • Dorn

Oh ♥♥♥♥ Kivan doesn't stay? Lowkey screwed then.

Thanks y'all I didn't know about the Companion and Gold part. Guess I have to get rid of my gold digger then :(

[Dwarven Crusader]

Just so you know all companions who come back in Siege of Dragonspear will keep their entire inventories including equipped items so you can use them to import tons of stuff to use/sell. Companions in the party who don't come back like Kivan, if they're in your party during the BG1 final battle will join you for SoD's first dungeon but then leave and any non-equipped inventory will be dumped into a chest for you. Optimally you'll wanna load up equipment on all the returning companions and then take 5 non-returning companions into the final fight with empty inventories but a few wands of fire and a sufficient reputation will let you buy all the unique equipment in Siege of Dragonspear.

[Witch ~]

okay we got the follower part but what about unique weapons and stuff? Anything special there? Can I carry items over to bg2?

[red255]

Originally posted by Witch ~:

okay we got the follower part but what about unique weapons and stuff? Anything special there? Can I carry items over to bg2?

I think there are like 20 items that import into random places into BG2 if you have them in your inventory you export From SoD.

most aren't too good.
Helmet from helping the dwarves (temple sewers in BG2)
Dart from helping the halflings (night merchant in the first map in amn)
Belt of the skillful blade.... maybe drow city
Voidsword/hammer. god knows.
archers eyes, ....I know I find this but can't remember where
Buckler of the fist
dragon Blade (Tazok)
Some shaman stuff (slum sewers)
Robe of the red mage (edwin)
some bard ♥♥♥♥ (bridge vendor)

would have to look up the rest.