Contrary to the title, I'm not so arrogant to think that this thread here is the first or will be the last about which weapons and styles (as in Single Weapon Style, Two-Weapon Style, Two-Handed Weapon Style, Sword and Shield Style) fit best conceptually with which classes and characters. I would be interested to hear any opinions board members have, though.

(And no, this is not a "tell me what style to use for my next character" thread. But I will take whatever is said into consideration. [img]smile.gif[/img] )

By this I'm guessing for powergaming?

K/M: 2H or Dual Weilding. Either the staff/huge swords, or two very specific weapons that'll make you uber.

Two-Fisted Monkey Style...

To be honest, there is no weak weapon style and although as Degrader mentioned dual weapons and 2 handed can be mental, single and shielded have their benefits - especially with some of the more powerful items found later in the game ;) Personally i just tend to RP the weapon and style, although as i generally always play a theif its usually single weapon katana or scimitar with crossbow proficiency that are the favourites (sometimes just going for the dualling daggers works nice too tho :D )

Yeah, I'm not sure if dueling is such a good idea, bioware and black isle have gimped them in other games (KOTOR, KOTOR2), so it would make sense. I'd RP really, as Madman said, its easy to be uber, but it gets boring.

[ 12-27-2005, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Sir Degrader ]

Dual-wielding: There are so many kickass weapons in the game (especially as you get further and further along) that you just want to use ALL of them! It seems a crying shame to leave any of them behind, so you've got to take advantage of what weapon enchantments you can. Obviously, this is only an option for Warriors, who have the THAC0 to make their offhand strike count for something, and who also have the hitpoints to be able to run around without a Shield. I use this style very sparingly, however, since it's the only one where you can't equip a ranged weapon, and I'm a BIG fan of shooting down the bad guys before they can get to you.

Sword & Shield: Don't EVER throw any of your proficiency points down the toilet that is Sword & Shield Style. What, 2 weapons stars for a piddling -2 AC bonus vs. Missile Weapons? If they made to be against all weapons, it would be worth something, but as it is, it's just crap. This is not to say that Shields are worthless, however--I love love LOVE my Tanks, and use one all the time (except in situations like Dragon battles, when there is no such thing as a Tank). True, a Shield will only get you a -3 to -5 AC bonus, which is rather paltry in BG2, but it's worth it to have 1 character who's that much more difficult for the bad guys to hit. There's a BIG difference between being hit 5% of the time, and 25% of the time.

Two-Handed Weapon: For me, the main reason to use this style is if I have a 2-handed weapon (ranged or melee) that is worth more than 2 1-handed weapons. A lot of ranged weapons fit the bill here, since I almost always have party members that I want to keep out of the fray, but a few melee weapons (such as Carsomyr) are worthwhile as well. There are a lot of good Bows in the game, so this style sees a lot of use with me.

Single Weapon: This style is useful for....Thieves who want to raise their chances of a Critical Backstab from 5% to 10%....and....that's about it. Seriously, get a damn Shield.

Nervously, timidly and with quivering knees, I'm going to disagree with six <<<gulp>>> but I usually give Aerie a point in sword and shield. The only weapon I ever bother giving her ever her is a sling, so she can carry a shield as well (some of which carry nice other bonuses) and ideally she is well back, so that missile weapons are all she has to worry about. Plus, where else is it worth putting her proficiency points? It's not as if she uses the sling that much either.

You're right, Andraste. I finished the game with Aerie, and she ended up with the Blackblood club as her melee weapon, and never used it! I don't think I ever got into melee combat with her once in the game (which explains how I was able to keep her alive!).

IMHO, the weapon styles are good to add-on to character concepts (except for Two Weapon Fighting). Always choose the weapon proficiencies first, then build the style points around them for a little boost.

Does Sword/Shield style suck? Yeah, pretty much! But it's better than wasting a slot in a weapon you'll never use.

Sling+Shield=good for AC bonus, especially for mages.

i think you were after a more 'characterful' answer than a 'power' answer, so my unguarded thoughts would be . . .

paladins - as my typical knights of, y'know, yore - paladins should have a shield i reckon for hiding behind when dragons breathe and for carrying their device - 2-handed swords are also perfectly acceptable of course - pretty much any weapon is appropriate i'd say with the possible exception of lightwight scimitar type swords, clubs or quarterstaffs (not too much use against your similarly armoured foes) - also missile weapons would probably be frowned on - certainly they could use these things but wouldn't invest much practice time in them

ranger - the two free *'s in 2-weapon style is a clue and fits well with the lighter armour of most ranger kits - also (if you ignore the slight problem that your average BG2 maxed strength ranger could easily be carrying four sets of plate mail, a halberd, 2 spears, 4 long bows . . . ) i don't see a ranger travelling the wilderness weighed down with a shield - similarly halberds and 2-handed swords are battlefield weapons although the spear is good for hunting - bows of course are perfect and more 'fitting' than crossbows - generally i see swords and axes rather than warhammers, maces and the like

fighter - take your pick based on chracter concept and preference but don't dual wield a scimitar with a warhammer (imho ;) )

thief - the weapons that they're allowed all seem pretty appropriate i think and the inability to use a shield also fits for me

cleric - as you're not going to be skilled enough to wield two-weapons the main choice is shield or no shield - if you're a fighting cleric then shield (and indeed full plate) is the way to go but otherwise, not - ironically it's the 'non' violent cleric character that could most usefully have a shield to protect against missile fire withought interfering with sling use but why would a back row cleric bother to lug one around? come to think of it, it's a shame there aren't any cleric kits that give some bonuses for the choice not to wear armour, more healing spells or something . . .

that'll do for now!

BTW, I think TWF is one of the most powerful fighting styles, but it also needs a serious dedication for it to work well (at least two proficiency slots).

PLEASE READ THIS! You are completely wasting this style if you use it for just one extra attack. Use that offhand weapon, which will only attack once a round (except with WW and GWW) for it's special bonuses (added STR, protections, ect.).

If you use GWW a lot in ToB, you would be better off with a two handed weapon or a weapon/shield combo because GWW does attack more than once with the offhand weapon.

I usually give Aerie a point in sword and shield. The only weapon I ever bother giving her ever her is a sling.... Plus, where else is it worth putting her proficiency points? It's not as if she uses the sling that much either. </font>[/QUOTE]Okay, slight correction: "Don't EVER put any of your proficiency points down the toilet that is Sword & Shield Style, unless you're really scratching your head over what else to do with them." Yeah, characters who don't fight can do anything they damn well want to with their weapon proficiences, it won't make any difference. Or to Monks, for the same reason.


I'm with total agreement with Armen on the "roleplay your class" factor. In my opinions, Cavaliers shouldn't be allowed to put any proficiency points in any Style except Sword & Shield, seeing as how they're supposed to epitomize the ideal of defending the party.

That makes sense. Likewise with a swashbuckler using Two weapon style. Or a ranger using 1 weapon style. It's all in how you play.

But you get no bonus for two handed weapon style until you put the bow down and pick up your melee weapon. A character who will be primarily using a bow shouldn't put anything into two weapon style until he has 5 stars in the bow and two in the melee weapon of choice. If you have character that you REALLY want to keep out of the fray they are better off with a shield. If they can't use a shield single weapon style is slightly better than two handed weapon style - these character probably need a critical to hit, so single weapon could be doubling your hit chances, and who really cares about what weapon speed your mage has?

True. But that doesn't mean that the extra AC of a Shield (and the -2 AC vs. Missiles from Sword & Shield style) is worth using a Sling or Darts instead of a Bow. I'm not saying that there are no good Slings in the game--heaven knows there certainly are--I'm just saying that those few really good ones should be given to those who can use practically nothing else, and let the really good Bows shine as well. Both from a powergaming and roleplaying standpoint, the Shield of Harmony is great, but it's not going to make me ignore Gesen.

For the most part, yes--obviously, your character should cater to what he's going to be doing for most of the game. A Fighter who's concentrating on ranged combat should concentrate on ranged proficiencies first of all--but I can see deciding to spread out his melee skills among ALL 2-Handed weapons, putting a star in Staff and then 2 stars in 2-Handed, before branching out to Spear, 2HSword, and Halberd.

If they can't fight worth beans, who really cares what melee weapon they're carrying at all? I'm gonna be giving Edwin the Staff of the Magi instead of Pixie Prick, thanks, doubled chances of getting a Critical be damned.

Weapon style hardly matters as long as you have a character with celestial fury 1 handed katana in your party, this is definitely the most important weapon in BGII for me. Once I start a new game I almost immediately set out to pick it up. One insane sword, even though it's only +3 is Blackrazor, but it's better than any other sword plus you can use it with a shield (fortress shield helps you out)

Also you have to think of what type of character you're playing. Let's say a swashbuckler/mage with celestial fury and fortress shield with 2 slots in sword and shield is a killer character. You'll have a mage with killer AC and is virtually immune to missile damage.

2-handed weapons tend to do a little more damage, but are slower. 2 weapon style just looks nifty, but BGII has a bug with two weapon style long swords/short swords and boots of speed, allowing you to only use your left handed weapon. This sucks since your THAC0 is lower with the off-hand weapon.

single weapon fighting is also good for pure kensai's.

In the case of a "SOLO" kensai, what prof would you use? Remember you have nobody to divert the attacks and arrows to, cannot wear armour or use shields.

Do you dual wield for an extra attack to try and kill the enemies faster or do you go for +2 to your AC which is only +2 off its base...

Can anyone give me more information about this? This is NOT a good thing. :( I tend to give my boots of speed to my dual-short-sword-wielding single-classed fighter.


Sillara

The boots of speed bug is only there if you forgot to use Baldurdash and the patches. Otherwise, you're going to have a kick-ass fighter with 5 attacks per round! :D And boy, I know I've used those lots of times, powered up with improved haste they're going to be pure blenders with 10 apr!