What is ur perfect party composed of?
How many mages/tanks/ranged atackers?
Types of chars?
Ect.

I was just thinking about this earlier.
You could go the standard-
3 fighters, 1 cleric, 1 mage, 1 thief.

Maybe Paladin, Ranger, fighter, Cleric, Thief, Mage.

Beyond that you have all your multi class options too.

I agree with Desdicado. This combination is good, at least in BG1.

Welcome to Ironworks, Bonski! [img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] Where in New Zealand are you from?

<font color=33CC33>I generally don't like questions like this one, but I'm gonna answer anyway.

First, </font> <font color=red size=3>WELCOME TO IW!!! [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] </font> <font color=33CC33>

Now, to the topic... If you're playing for the first time you'll probably play the party of 3 fighters (paladins and rangers included), cleric, thief and mage because that actually is (IMO) the perfect party.

However, when you finish the game and when you decide to play from the start, you might want to try some other combinations. For example playing without a mage or a thief at all or even soloing.</font>

Any party with me in would be perfect :D

lol. Failing that...

2 tanks...
1 cleric/tank.
1 thief.
1 cleric.
1 mage.

That will cover just about everything.

Forget perfect parties. I like imperfect parties. Makes it more interesting. I'm playing through for the first time with no mage and no straight-up fighter in my party. ranger/ranger/ranger/thief/fighter-druid/cleric. I just finished mopping up Balduran's island, and am back on the mainland again. I haven't finished Durlag's Tower yet, but I did take out the warders after a couple of tries fighting them out in the open (no cheesy tactics). I wanted my thief to improve her traps skill before I went through the rest of it, that's why I haven't finished it yet. I use my druid and cleric to minimize the effects of magic in the big battles, and always attack the mages first. That seems to work best.

In BG1:
1 Primary Tank
2 or 3 Backup Tanks
1 Cleric (or at least half a Cleric)
1.5 Thieves
1 Wizard, but not added until halfway through the game.

In BG2:
1 Primary Tank
2 or 3 Backup Tanks
Half a Cleric, or a full Cleric
Half a Druid
Half a Thief
2 full Wizards

As far as BG goes? There's no such thing as the perfect party. If you know what to do with your group, they are effectively your best party.

6 dwarven fighters with too much ale and no sleep....

Thanks all im pretty new to bg,
Im playing with coran, adjantis, minsc, branwen, jahiera (i dont know why i cant find anyone better at the mo, and me (mage) im about lvl 7-9 with the chars and i havent gone into the iron throne base yet,
im from nelson btw,
Do you guys play much online in parties and stuff?

i've started to think that parties of four or less are the way to go

my BG1 party has grown to 6 and i think i'm starting to get bored (ish ;) ) by dragging them all around (hence being distracted by a F/M/T solo) - i don't want to artificially seperate Minsc & Dynahier so they're going to have to go i'm afraid which leaves me:

Kivan - repositioned as tank
Coran - archer and scout
Imoen - traps detector and mage
Darroch - (me) druid

i say its best to have 2 wizards 1 cleric 1 thief and 1 fighter and maybe a ranger or another fighter--- i find it better to always have 2 mages

Vohl - I like your style, get some small dudes in your party that's what I say.

Dobian - me too, I like to mess around with unbalanced groups, it makes for more inventive tactics and more variety.

Armen - I think you have a good point, it's quite nice to play with 3 or 4 strong characters, so that nobody is standing around waiting to have a task to do. For example in IWD aparty of 4 is all that's needed and the same can be said of BG1. I also like to play multi-class characters like Fighter/Mage and Cleric/Mage so the smaller party helps with the level-up's.

I prefer this classic combo
Me as a Paladin
Minsc (Ranger)
either Branwen or Yeslick as a cleric
Garrick (Bard)
Imoen (thief)
Drynaheir (Invoker)
However I'm thinking of this
Me as a Paladin
Minsc (Ranger)
Khalid (fighter)
Jaheira (Druid)
Imoen (thief)
Drynaheir (Invoker)
These two parties look good and I have played all the way with my first and am going to try the other one next I might even try this
Me as a Bard
Minsc
Adjantis
Yeslick
Imoen
Drynaheir

I'll have a go once I've finished my exams.

If you're new to the game then the initial characters are fine for your party. Nothing really wrong with them, but I too think an imperfect party is perfect. Having gone through it a few times, I get rather resentful of the feeling of having to take Imoen or Minsc et al.

As Midget Gems says, a smaller party is better in some ways - in number if not in stature! ;)

my personal favorite party would have to be as follows

Coran
Garth One Eye- main char i made he's a fighter/thief
Xan (moonblade all the way baby)
Yeslick
the gnome mage guy outside of baldurs gate, cant remember name
and the ultimate duo juggurnauts of destruction, Minsc and boo

WELCOME DUDE!
I think: a tank, a mage, a cleric, a theif, and two others of youre chose, pref. part spellcaster/strong dudes.

Quayle [img]smile.gif[/img]

So is it better to recruit people into your party or just design a load of characters yourself in multi-player? I'm still on my first run through the game and have:

- Me (paladin)
- Imoen (dulled over to mage just recently)
- Jaheria
- Khalid
- The dwarven cleric guy from the cloakwood mines
- Kirvan (I think that's his name) the ranger chap

Until I duelled Imoen I had no mage at all - can't remember what I did when I arrived in Nashkel but I seemed to miss out on Minsc all together. I'm about to reach Baldur's gate and I know that there is a mage waiting just outside apparently - who should I get rid of to get him into the party? The dwarf cleric is proving to be a very useful fighter and I believe Khalid / Jaheira come as a package, so is it Imoen or Kirvan (a great archer to be sure) that should go? And if they go where can I find them again if I want them back?

The Ranger's name is Kivan and the dwarf is Yeslick. Quayle isn't that good though for a first party. It's a decent party though and using the right equipment and tactics you should be able to complete the game.

ok about the jahiera/kalid package deal, and no i dont rly care about spelling, if you get one of them killed, whichever it is that u dont want, then u can get them out of the party for whomever you do want, so lets say u dont like whiny kalid, get him killed, or kill him ureself, then go and switch him with quayle, and btw i think quayle is one of the tightest characters you can get!

Yeah sorry about spelling and stuff - sitting in the office writing business cases makes it hard to remember the names and locations of people based on my PC at home!

If I get Kalid killed won't Jaheira throw a major hissy fit and want out of the party as well or does she deal with it fairly well? Of course I could just try and find Minsc and his lady friend again (even if it means treking across half the known world back from BG to Naskhel and the stronghold!). So what should it be: Jaheira and Quayle or Minsc and Dynaheir? Answers on a postcard please.

"Topic: The perfect party (Add ur opinion)"

In my opinion the perfect party is composed of a lot of beer, a lot of girls (singles are preferable) and a lot of time :D

Welcome to you Bonski [img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]


I started the game by creating bot a single player party and a full multi player party. I played both games equally until chapter 4, then I lost the interest for the multi player game. For me, it is much more fun to cover up for the 'weaknesses' of your characters by giving them good items instead of just having good characters. Example: Where is the fun in finding bracers of DEX 18, when all the characters in your party already has DEX 18 (well - except your main character, who has DEX 19 [img]smile.gif[/img] )?

I thought of making a solo F/M/T character for my next game, but I think I would rather make a character that picks up some of the NPCs I didn't use in my current game. Maybe I will use a small party until I reach the regions where I can get the new NPCs.

In my current game I use:

Me: Paladin
Minsc
Coran
Branwen
Imoen: Dualed to a mage
Edwin

Next time I might use:

Ajantis
Khakhakhakhalid
Yeslick
Alora, Skie or Safana
Me: Bard
Dynaheir

I might exchange Ajantis for someone else (ex. Quayle) and move Yeslick up front as my second tank.

[img]graemlins/greenbounce.gif[/img]
Insane

BTW: The perfect party is the party you think gives you the most fun. The most common used party for first time players must be (I guess):
You: Fighter, Paladin or Ranger
Khalid
Jaheira
Minsc
Dynaheir
Imoen

If you want a very powerful tank and very good mage, Minsc and Drynaheir. If you want a druid and an annoying gnome, jahiera and Quayle

Hey, Duke, just a thought about your party - I think it may be too late to go back for Minsc and Dynaheir, there levels will be too low. Maybe you should consider getting another thief, it could be that Imoen will not be able to handle your needs in Chapter 6, so I would take another look at Coran if you can. Never had much time for J & K myself, so if I were in your position I'd boot them both and get Coran and Quayle.
Good adventuring and watch out you don't become the 'Duke of Manure'.

ooh - ooh! i thought of a new one (multiplayer)

ranger/cleric
thief/cleric
mage/cleric

[img]smile.gif[/img]

how can u all make fun of quayle like that, quayle is ultimate, you guys just dont know wut a true gnome can do, in my opinion he is one of the tightest characters in this game, i mean illusionist/cleric wut can be better then the combined amount of spells of those two classes!

lol just sayin my peice

Cleric/Mages are indeed one hell of a powerful combination, especially in BG1: Where a straight Cleric can hit Level 8, and a straight Mage can reach Level 9, a Cleric/Mage hits Levels 7/7 under the ToSC EXP cap. Not much of a loss, especially the only thing a Level 9 Mage gets is a whopping *one* Level 5 Spell per day. Go Multiclassed: Twice the levels, twice the carnage, twice the fun.

With that said, however, there are three reasons to dislike Quayle:
1) His voice/attitude. A lot of people hate his annoying, grating wheedle about how superior he is. Personally, however, I LOVE his voice. I'd much rather listen to this egomaniac Gnome than someone as lacking in personality as, say, Dynaheir. I love Xan, too, by the way.
2) His picture. Who the @#&*!ing hell is this black guy in the top hat? It bears NO resemblance whatsoever to Quayle's paperdoll, avatar, or what any sane person would expect him to look like. Custom Portraits to the rescue!
3) You have to wait until flippin' Chapter FIVE to get him. They couldn't let you across the bridge for just three measly minutes, could they? NoooOOOOoooo. Sorry, but by the time I've been through the Cloakwood and back, I've already poured enough EXP into my current party to think about shuffling, thank you.

Affirmative on the last! If you don't have a cleric already (or a druid) then you're either happy with the one you've got, or can't be bothered with a new one. Ridiculous really, as most of the NPCs should be available without having to commit to the long haul Main Quest. Coran's good, but you have to plow through to Cloakwood before you can get him. It would be nice to have him sooner.

Some NPC distribution just doesn't make sense. The game's geared really to a good party, but who do you meet straight after Imoen? Xzar and Montaron. They'll fit right in with your reputation won't they. 'Cause, if you imagine that you won't have them up to Rep.20, then why bother, as it's time and XP wasted on deadbeats you aren't going to (or can't) keep.

Affirmative on the last! If you don't have a cleric already (or a druid) then you're either happy with the one you've got, or can't be bothered with a new one. Ridiculous really, as most of the NPCs should be available without having to commit to the long haul Main Quest. Coran's good, but you have to plow through to Cloakwood before you can get him. It would be nice to have him sooner.

Some NPC distribution just doesn't make sense. The game's geared really to a good party, but who do you meet straight after Imoen? Xzar and Montaron. They'll fit right in with your reputation won't they. 'Cause, if you imagine that you won't have them up to Rep.20, then why bother, as it's time and XP wasted on deadbeats you aren't going to (or can't) keep. </font>[/QUOTE]Can I remind you that when you pick up the characters that they have the same level exp as your party has on average.

Coran can actually be recuited very early, if you're willing to abuse some game knowledge and zip right to him. In one of my games, I entered the Bandit Camp when my PC (a Fighter) was only Level 1, and it's possible to beat the Bandit Camp without killing *anybody* (although you do have to fight 1 person). After that, it's just a matter of finishing Coran's quest in time.

I expect lots of people recruit Monty and Xzar, if only to increase the number of possible targets for Tranzig's damned Cheating Magic Missile (which Nimbul also knows). Either one (or both) of them are actually quite good for the long haul, though, if you don't mind their Alignment.

I'm not really worried about Quayle lagging behind, EXP-wise (although there's certainly enough EXP in the Chapters 1-4 areas to leave him in the dust), it's just that after a month with my current party, it seems a shame to toss somebody out to make room for the new guy that you just met. (Also consider the fact that you've had NO control over Tiax and Alora's Thieving skills.)

My point is that after level six, things become a lot slower in terms of character advancement. Its that element I'm concerned about really; you might have spent a good deal of time with your (probably small) party, running around the Sword Coast gaining XP. Thus, when you come to a later charcter, your extant party members might already be a level higher. Why go back and bother with someone else in that case?

Of course, it's true about thieving skills, which is the only reason why you'd recruit a thief character early. That way you have some control over points distribution.

That's why everyone has Imoen.

This is the party I usually end up with, except when I just go to Nashkel before I go to the Friendly Arm.