Paralysis and Panic/Fear screw me every time

[Jesse Dylan]

Anomen can cast Free Action and Remove Fear, but those only heal one person at a time. It's really annoying when a simple kobold mage can stop my two tanks in their tracks, and it's even more annoying when a dragon can scatter my entire party and pick them off one by one.

I seriously hate the combat in this game.

[Jesse Dylan]

And then I have to stand there and wait for the Entangle spell to wear off, and it has the most loud and obnoxious sound effect ever which repeats over and over. It's bad enough when it's Jaheira's spell that I've cast, but when it's just from some kobold, ugh.

[ÄmJii]

Originally posted by Jesse Dylan:

It's really annoying when a simple kobold mage can stop my two tanks in their tracks, and it's even more annoying when a dragon can scatter my entire party and pick them off one by one.

I seriously hate the combat in this game.

You're saying dragons are actually a challenge in this game?
Methinks that's kinda what devs intended :P

[Jesse Dylan]

And THEN some stupid wizard named Gaius gets some kind of globe of invulnerability up before I can kill him (or even touch him, with melee weapons or ranged), before I can cast any kind of anti-spell stuff, and paralysis and fears me from behind his stupid globe. Seriously, this is not even fun anymore. I miss Baldur's Gate 1. 25+ hours in and thinking about quitting for good.

[Jesse Dylan]

Originally posted by ÄmJii:

Originally posted by Jesse Dylan:

It's really annoying when a simple kobold mage can stop my two tanks in their tracks, and it's even more annoying when a dragon can scatter my entire party and pick them off one by one.

I seriously hate the combat in this game.

You're saying dragons are actually a challenge in this game?
Methinks that's kinda what devs intended :P

Well kobolds aren't supposed to be, and I doubt this Gaius guy is supposed to be as challenging as a dragon.

[Jesse Dylan]

Someone suggested I do the paladin quest and get the holy avenger sword in order to beat Gaius in the sewers. The dragon has the holy avenger, apparently, and he is way harder to beat than Gaius.

[Jesse Dylan]

Cheesed my way through Gaius. Came from the other direction and for some reason he stayed blue/friendly after half the others went red/hostile. Surrounding "friendly" Gaius and dispatched him before he could do anything. Cheated basically.

[danconnors]

The big sewer encounter is about tactics, like the rest of the game. The boys have some good equipment, and you want it.

I usually attack from the south after wiping out the kobald clan and getting the cloak of the sewer. From there I send my thief north with a bow, slowly, cautiously, until I sight one of the gang. Pop an arrow or two at him, and he'll generally fall for the sucker play, charge after the thief.

Then, it's ambush them one by one till all their tanks are gone. The mages by themselves aren't all that hard to kill. You may end up with most of your people panic stricken and running in circles, but, big deal. They'll calm down when the spellcasters are dead.

Remember that all the spells mages and priests cast are time critical. Pull back and wait a few minutes and those globes of invulnerability and whirling blades will come down, making the spellcasters easy pickings.

Dragons are a bigger deal, and that's good. Dragons SHOULD be very hard to kill. There is only one in BG2 that you must kill. You can leave the shade dragon and Firkragg alive, and still win the game.

[Jesse Dylan]

I don't have a mage at the moment, so maybe that's part of my issues. I have two divine spellcasters, but I feel like their spells are not very helpful. That idea of luring them one by one is a good one, too, and then maybe retreating when Gaius casts the invulnerability thing. I seem to have no way to take down the invulnerability other than waiting and little defense against his spells. Don't know how I managed to cheese my way in there.

I am worried about encounters with Beholders and Mind Flayers and the like...

[danconnors]

With good reason. Those critters will rip your party a new.....

Fortunately even they can be defeated. There is a shield and a robe that will make a fighter so magic resistant that he can wade into a cloud of beholders and kill them all single handed. Using them, my berserker/mage killed at least 20 beholders by himself in the Underdark.

Good things come to those who quest every area.

[Jesse Dylan]

Hopefully I'll find it soon! It seems like even some of the chapter 2 "starter" quests have stuff I might not be able to accomplish until later.

[danconnors]

The shield of harmony can be found in Trademeet after you complete the quest. You really should get a mage, though. Nalia makes a decent mage, the girl who tries to hire you to defend her keep. Very early in game quest. She can be found at the huge inn in the slums.

[Jesse Dylan]

I don't really like Nalia, and I don't want to remove any of my current characters. :/ I was hoping I could stick it out until I can get rid of Yoshimo and have Imoen back.

I was just coming back to complain about Beholders some more (Gauths, actually--did not think I'd see them this early, but trying to do the Unseeing Eye quest I am suddenly attacked by a group of four that whittle my whole party down like a knife through butter). I will go get one or both of those shields and see how I do!

[Jesse Dylan]

Hm, don't see the Shield of Balduran at the Adventurer's Mart. Just a Fortress Shield and Reflection Shield (which reflects "missiles," but I doubt that includes Beholder rays).

[Jesse Dylan]

Found it! Shield of Balduran made short work of the Gauths. I feel like I cheated, but I have come by a lot of gold honestly, and I don't know how I would have beaten them otherwise.

[danconnors]

Buying equipment isn't cheating. The only bad thing about the shield of Balduran is that it lowers the wielders strength by one. A fighter with 18 00 would be lowered to 17 strength; his combat efficiency would be lowered. He wouldn't hit as often or as hard.