How do I start Heart of Winter with my Character party?

[Woofy]

Just finished Icewind Dale and am interested in the next part, but my last saved game is before the final battle In BG2, I started automatically after the credits.

Also, 1 of my characters died during the last battle. Will she come back in HoW? How about her stuff, it was still on the ground...Again, I don't think this was a problem in BG2.

Thanks!

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Uhm, Heart of Winter is integrated into the base game. You could have played it already before the final battle. In the village of Kuldahar, visit Hjollder in his house. The only strict requirement is to be at least level 9. Then you can agree on being taken to the first expansion village. Later, you can travel back and forth quite freely between expansion areas and base game.

If you want to start from scratch with/without imported characters, IWD's main screen features two large logos. Click the one for Heart of Winter, then import exported characters or create new ones.

[Woofy]

Oh, so it's more of an "ADD IN" instead of an "ADD ON". Shoot.
Well, thanks for clarifying!

[J345Pancakes]

Ah, I wish that was called out more clearly somewhere. I thought it was a separate scenario to be played after the main quest, since you can select it separately from the main menu. If I start the game with higher level characters like 11th or 12th level, will they be too high-level for Heart of Winter? Also, is it okay to finish the main game scenario and beat the final boss before starting Heart of Winter?

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by Lord Gorbag:

Oh, so it's more of an "ADD IN" instead of an "ADD ON". Shoot.

Heart of Winter is an expansion, Trials of the Luremaster is an add-on for the expansion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icewind_Dale:_Heart_of_Winter

Originally posted by J345Pancakes:

Ah, I wish that was called out more clearly somewhere. I thought it was a separate scenario to be played after the main quest, since you can select it separately from the main menu.

You can do that, too.

Originally posted by J345Pancakes:

Also, is it okay to finish the main game scenario and beat the final boss before starting Heart of Winter?

The base game ends, if you do that. Then your only way to start the expansion is the game's main screen, since you cannot return to Kuldahar anymore.

[Woofy]

Originally posted by D'amarr from Darshiva:

Originally posted by Lord Gorbag:

Oh, so it's more of an "ADD IN" instead of an "ADD ON". Shoot.

Heart of Winter is an expansion, Trials of the Luremaster is an add-on for the expansion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icewind_Dale:_Heart_of_Winter

Originally posted by J345Pancakes:

Ah, I wish that was called out more clearly somewhere. I thought it was a separate scenario to be played after the main quest, since you can select it separately from the main menu.

You can do that, too.

Originally posted by J345Pancakes:

Also, is it okay to finish the main game scenario and beat the final boss before starting Heart of Winter?

The base game ends, if you do that. Then your only way to start the expansion is the game's main screen, since you cannot return to Kuldahar anymore.

Yeah, I'm stuck in Kuldahar because I usually save after every battle and don't have any area saves....Oh well...

Thanks for letting me know! :)

[Godsarm]

You could always go back to a save after a battle but before ascending the stairs in the temple and just replay the last bit. I usually unlock the stair case (just in case I accidentally lose the quest items) and then leave and go initiate HoW. Then I go through all of HoW up until the point of no return and start Trials. That way I can go though all of the stories for each.

[J345Pancakes]

I was just curious, so I tried starting a new game of Heart of Winter from the menu. It created my new character at level 10. So I'm actually pretty happy about that because I can abandon my current party in the base game, and start a new campaign in Heart of Winter.

Initially I picked the default party for my play-through of Icewind Dale, thinking I was just dabbling. Then I was hooked, but didn't go back to make my own party. As a result I have just the default characters. I'd prefer to generate my party from scratch and pick just the classes I like.

[Woofy]

Originally posted by Godsarm:

You could always go back to a save after a battle but before ascending the stairs in the temple and just replay the last bit. I usually unlock the stair case (just in case I accidentally lose the quest items) and then leave and go initiate HoW. Then I go through all of HoW up until the point of no return and start Trials. That way I can go though all of the stories for each.

Can I leave Kundulhar during chapter 7? I don't have any saves before that.

[Godsarm]

Originally posted by Lord Gorbag:

Originally posted by Godsarm:

You could always go back to a save after a battle but before ascending the stairs in the temple and just replay the last bit. I usually unlock the stair case (just in case I accidentally lose the quest items) and then leave and go initiate HoW. Then I go through all of HoW up until the point of no return and start Trials. That way I can go though all of the stories for each.

Can I leave Kundulhar during chapter 7? I don't have any saves before that.

I can't remember the exact Chapters, but as long as you don't ascend the stairs in the Temple in Dorn's Deep and return to Easthaven, you can start HoW. I usually do everything right up to that point and then go back to Kulduhar from Dorn's Deep and start HoW from there.

[Woofy]

Okay, then I can't do it.
Thanks, Anyway.

[Woofy]

Thought of a workaround....

- I can export my characters
- Restart IWD
- Then, skip everything except for the part to Kundulhar!

Not the normal way, but it should work.
Thanks again everyone!

[Godsarm]

If you are in Kuldulhar you are fine, if you've gone back to Easthaven you are screwed...

[Woofy]

I'm in the very beginning again, so I think that's East Haven...

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Why don't you simply start Heart of Winter with your exported characters?

[Godsarm]

Yep, that's Easthaven...you can export your characters and start HoW but I'm pretty sure you will lose your containers and anything in them like the Bag of Holding...maybe I'm wrong but I don't think so.