Of all the games on my shelf that sit unfinished, Baldur's Gate 2 is one of the oldest and most prestigious. I did manage to complete the original game, twice actually, but always burned out after starting The Throne of Bhaal expansion. It's been several years since my last attempt, so long in fact that I don't even remember the last time I played. This time, in addition to the ever popular and necessary widescreen mod, I'll also be playing with a few others: the fix and tweak packs from Gibberlings3, David Gaider's Ascension, Nightmare's beauty pack, Weimer's Item Upgrade and Solaufien mods, PnP Celestials, Dungeon-Be-Gone, and 1Pixel Production's avatars. I'm only using mods that don't unbalance the game, so no cheats or godly items.
My original intent was to play through the game normally, but I've already done that twice before and decided on something different this time. I started a multiplayer game and created five characters for myself, leaving the sixth slot empty for NPCs. When deciding what classes to pick I tried to make sure I had each of the main jobs covered: a paladin to use the Holy Avenger sword, a high-damage fighter, a rogue to take care of traps and locks, a priest for healing and buffing, and a pure mage for power spellcasting. I'm not really big on multi-classing as they always lag behind my single-class characters. I thought about dual-classing, but decided against it since my last play through was a dual-classed Kensai/Mage.
After much consideration and dice rolling, I finally came up with my party:
Rune, Human Cavalier, 2-handed sword spec, 18 STR DEX and CON
Throk, Half-Orc Berserker, 2-handed weapons spec, 19 STR and CON
Darcy, Dwarf Priest of Lathander, hammer and shield spec, 19 CON
Lassider, Elf Swashbucker, bows and 2-weapon spec, 19 DEX
Zamiele, Elf Sorcerer, darts and staves, 18 DEX and CON
The Cavalier is the best paladin kit in my opinion because they are immune to fear and morale failure. Higher level mages and monsters almost always use some kind of fear, so it's nice to have one of my lead tanks be able to shake it off. I chose the Berserker mainly for their high damage output and combat ability, plus I wanted one pure fighter for weapon mastery. I almost went with a regular run of the mill cleric, but decided on the Priest of Lathander at the last second. They have a nice combat spell that boosts armor class and all saving throws, if I can remember to actually use it. A Swashbuckler has better combat abilities than a normal thief, the only downside being they get no backstab bonus. Lassider's primary job is to open locks and find/disarm traps, so no backstabbing wasn't a big deal. I gave him a bow for now so he can sit back and interrupt spell casters, but may switch him over to two weapons at some point. Last but not least is the Sorcerer, the best mage class in my opinion. They automatically learn spells each level and cannot scribe them from scrolls, which means Zamiele's spell selection will be limited. The upside is he has no need to memorize and prepare, instead being able to cast any spell he knows from each level a certain number of times.
Dungon-Be-Gone starts the game right at the very end of Irenicus' dungeon, and I have to say thank god for that. If there's one thing in this game I don't care to repeat, it's the starter dungeon. After the initial cutscene I'm free to go wherever, so like most vets I head straight down to the circus tent. There's a quick quest line and NPC you can pick up, plus it's a nice little warm-up for my group fresh out of the dungeon. Needless to say it's not difficult, taking less than five minutes to power through. After that I'm ready to move on to a real challenge, something I always try before I even leave Waukeen's Promenade.
In a private room above the Inn of the Seven Vales, Mencar Pebblecrusher and his band of adventuring misfits reside. They aren't part of any quest, and if you weren't looking you wouldn't even know they were there. There's Mencar the dwarf, hits like a truck and dressed in full plate. His pal Smaeluv Orcslicer, a berserker with a cursed sword and matching temper. Sorcerous Amon and Pooky the imp, a mage and familiar casting duo that can be annoying if not dealt with quickly. And finally Brennan Risling, a thief who attempts to backstab and usually flees the first time he gets hit. They may not seem like much, but these five can be downright deadly to an unprepared or newly created party. I distinctly remember one previous attempt that ended with my NPC party members dead, and Mencar chasing my main character all over the promenade. Eventually I was able to wear him down with missiles and spells, but it took a really long time and lots of running.
So this time I wanted to try and make it through with no one dead. There's a room right outside of theirs that can be used to prep in, so I save my game and start casting buffs. Darcy casts Bless, Chant, and Protection from Evil on the entire party. After that I have Zamiele protect himself with Stoneskin, then cast Haste on everyone. At this point I think we're ready, so I slide him over into the doorway. I have him cast Web into their room, holding just about everyone but the mage and his imp. I have Zamiele drop a Cloudkill into the room with a wand found in Irenicus' dungeon, then a Fireball before moving back. The blast luckily kills both Amon and Pooky, but Mencar and Smaeluv break free from the webs immediately after. They charge straight into Rune and Throk, who are thankfully blocking the doorway. About this time Brennan also breaks free and tries to make a run for the stairs. Lassider and Zamiele tear him down in a flurry of arrows and magic missiles before he gets very far. Mencar breaks off from Rune to try and retaliate, but Darcy paralyzes him with a Hold Person spell. Throk and Smaeluv trade blows, but then the Orcslicer gets hit so hard he explodes in a shower of gore At this point Mencar's the only one left alive, helpless to defend himself. A couple big hits and he goes down in a heap, then the battle is over. We loot the spoils, immediately handing Mencar's slightly-used full plate to Rune. I don't think I've ever been able to take them on that soon without at least one person dying, possibly two. If we can take them down with only five party members it definitely bodes well for the rest of the game. On to De'Arnise Hold!
