Good Morning All. I am new to this forum and fairly new to this terrific game. I have been progressing nicely so far but having just stepped into Dragon's Eye, I suspect the difficulty of the game was just kicked up a notch. Anyway, I have a question that perhaps someone can answer for me. Even though all my fighters are equipped with one-handed swords, when I try to equip them with shields I am told that I have two handed weapons equipped and the game refuses to let me carry the shields. Can anyone tell me why that is?

Welcome to the Boards, Cursedshadow. [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img]

To answer your question, do any of your fighters have a bow or crossbow in their weapons slot? If so, you've got to remove them in order to equip yourself with a shield. Even if you're not USING the bow, you still cannot have it in the quick weapons slot if you try to equip your shield. If that's not the problem, I'm stumped.

[ 10-07-2002, 10:44 AM: Message edited by: Keraptisdm ]

Welcome Cursedshadow!

Keraptisdm is most likely correct. There are times I feel like having everyone carry slings or a throwing ax just so they can use some of the great shields found in the game.

[ 10-07-2002, 12:45 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

Oh. You're probably absolutely right. I have assigned points to ranged items for all my characters and I didn't realize I would have to remove them altogether to equip the shield. I am on a different pc right now but when I get back to my gmaing machine, I will give it a try. I am sure you're right. Thanks.

Give it a try CursedShadow and let us know if that worked. In my fighter's four quick weapon slots I ususally have: bow, two-handed sword, long sword, mace/flail. (Mace or flail to beat on skeletons)
I use the bow for the ranged attacks. As monsters close to melee distance, I switch to one of the other weapons without equipping shield. If I'm in an area and know that I cannot use the bow, I remove it and the two-handed sword from my quick weapon slots, place them in the inventory slots, equip shield, use long sword, engage. You can also switch weapons and equip shield when paused (even in the middle of combat), but some get :mad: if you tell them that. Full report on my desk tomorrow morning, soldier.

Well, I am surprised as heck but that didn't work. I have a long sword equipped, no bow in my weapon slots and when I try to equip the shield it tells me I have a two-handed weapon equipped. I don't have the game patched but I didn't think I had to if I have HOW installed. Any other ideas?

Never seen this problem before CursedShadow. I would have sworn that the advice about unequipping the bows / crossbows would have solved the problem. I have a couple of suggestions:

1) Unequip ALL weapons, shields etc. Then requip ONE weapon only, make sure its a one handed weapon (check the weapon description CAREFULLY just to make sure). Then try equipping the shield.

2) If suggestion #1 doesn't work, try this. download the v1.41 patch for HOW and install that.

3) If neither of the first two suggestions work, then grit your teeth, back up your saved games, and characters and any custom portraits and *sigh* uninstall EVERYTHING and reinstall. Make sure the installation is in THIS order:

IWD - HOW - HOW patch v1.41 (or alternatively Trials of the Luremaster in place of the v1.41 patch) You do NOT have to install any of the IWD specific patches if you install HOW over IWD as HOW updates IWD to version 1.40 and includes all previous patches.

I would try removing the sword as well just in case it is two-handed. The other thing that it could be is that the shield is class related like only can be used by elves but it would be a strange message to get than. Other than that I am completely baffeled.

Well, I am sure it is a one handed weapon. When I right-click on it , the description is of a long sword and it is decribed as a one-handed weapon. I use my bow so often, maybe I'll jusr suck it up and do without shields (this problem applies to all my fighters). Thanks for your suggestions, though. I will download the HOW patch and see what happens.

<font color = mediumspringgreen>Welcome to the forum, CursedShadow!!

Just to troubleshoot: Drop EVERYTHING (weapons, armor --> get naked) and see if the shield will go on. If not, you have a bug. If it will, keep picking up stuff and equiping one-handed weaps until you find out where the conflict is. Then report back and I'm sure the experts, here, will be able to diagnose your problem AND prescribe the solution.

Party On!
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As a point of information, should I be able to equip the shield even if I am not carrying any weapon?

Hiya CursedShadow. Yes, there's no problem with equipping any item that your character is capable of using i.e. no chainmail for mages etc. This certainly is a problem. Do you have a thief at all? I was just wondering whether you could equip a buckler on them, or equip a shield on your cleric. That way we'd know that the problem is/isn't limited to fighters solely.

Let us know and we'll see if we have to put our heads together a bit more.

Guys, I feel like an idiot but the answer was in Keraptisdm's answer way at the top. I unequipped my bow, but I still had a two-handed sword in another weapon slot that I figured was OK. Sorry to waste your time, but at least the mystery is solved. The Shadow is just a bit slow!

LOL, not to worry Shadow. We all suffer thru brain-lock on occassion. Glad that it was something simple so you didn;t have to go through all of the unistalling / reinstalling nightmare. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hooray, I got one right for a change! :D Don't worry Shadow. As Micah stated, we all suffer from brain-lock from time to time. That's just one reason why this forum is so great, we all try to help. I'm glad that I had a correct answer for you! Now if Mr. Baggins and I could just get Lord Brass to change his views on Kobolds. Everyone, join the round robin discussion in the Baldurs Gate 1 forum regarding the oppressed Kobold! (Then vote yes) :D

Yes, we have all had problems.

Just to make sure you know the spacebar will pause your game during combat so you can make your next move.

I have heard of people going through an entire game without knowing that simple rule. But it is only a rumour.

ROFLMAO!! [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img]
I remember that thread!
Another one to remember is that it's not a good idea to cast Agannazar's Scorcher from the middle of the party. Or so I've heard.

one way to get away with using shields requires party management use bows when you want, but drop them and any two handed weapons when you want to get into melee (the pause function is great for this) my cleric normally has an AC of -11, but could be better if I gave him all the best stuff, instead of having him share (he is the only one to use a shield, like in bg2.

What sort of crazed lunatic would go through IWD without using pause? Honestly, they'd have to be some nutter from...Calgary say, or somewhere like that!