Just starting this game and it seems complicated as all hell. My character is a human paladin-any advice on when I should dual and to what role.

The battles are ferociously hard as a beginner. any advice on how to prepare for battles and helpful hints on how to be more successful in them...i hate having to reload a saved game (but it is so necessary in this game)

I think u have to be a maths major to understand all the permutations in this game particularly the hits, saves etc. any explanations for a layman would be appreciated

Thanks

first of all

RTFM (read the ■■■■■■■ menu)

then cheat, get everything you desire according to what you learnt by RTFM

play a MAGE, solo him, get every freaking spell there is, cheat your way through

after one run, go back, start from normal

remember: NO PAUSE, HARDEST level

once you cheat your way out, you'll understand everything, the next step is to restrain yourself from cheating... a little bit hard, but I did it :D

BigAl,

First off, you cannot dual class a paladin.

As far as being prepared for battles goes...use invisiblity or the hide in shadows ability. SCOUT ahead with one character and then you have a much better idea of what you are facing.

Battles are quickly won by the first party that does MASS damage to the most opponents as possible. Any area of effect spell is a must. If you know where the bad guys are, blast them before they know where you are. Eventually they will come whining to you. Blast, chop, shoot, whatever you have to do then. Area of effect spells are essential when you first start the game (newbie). :D

Try charming your opponents. They kill each other and you can watch.

The "q" key is a lifesaver. Quicksave. If you think it's about time you saved, don't think about it. Just hit the "q" key.

The THAC0, saving throws, etc. are just numbers. If your character has a THAC0 of 10, he needs a 10 (out of 20) to hit an armor class of zero. THAC0 stands for "To Hit Armor Class 0 (Zero). If the armor class is below zero you add the negative number to your THAC0 (you can change the settings so you can see the combat rolls) If the armor class is above zero you subtract the positive number from your THAC0.

example.

fighter THAC0 10....Opponent AC 8
you would need a roll of 2 or better to hit your opponent. (positive armor class = subtract AC from to hit roll)

same fighter

fighter THAC0 10....Opponent AC -8
you would need a roll of 18 or better to hit your opponent. (negative armor class = add AC to to hit roll)

As far as saving throws go...Each class has different base saving throws. Anytime you have a plus to your saving throw it helps. Any time you have a minus to your saving throw it's bad. Every saving throw and attack roll is based on a 20 sided die. 1's always fail. 20's always pass.

[ 11-08-2001: Message edited by: Mitro Jellywadder ]</p>

a choice selection of tips..the RTFM sounds interesting..maybe i'll find something on it like to eat also TFM that is.

If I cannot dual a Paladin would you recommend I start again with another character I can dual......i am just at the point of meeting Irencius so i guess that's pretty much at the beginning.

thanks mitro

No problem BigAl. I'm not suggesting that you switch your character. Paladins kick arse in the game. You might want to try an Inquisitor (awesome dispel effects...twice the level) or an Undead Hunter (+3 to hit/damage to undead, immune to hold and level drain).

I would suggest going through your first game as a fighter type..ranger, paladin, fighter...Take the different kinds of NPC's that you can and exploit their different skills. Once you get a feel for what kind of character you want to play then start kicking some major arse. The only reason I say to start with a fighter type is so you don't have to worry (so much) about what to do. Hack and slash until you figure out the spells, inate abilities, etc.

I started playing the game with rangers. (Archer...best ranger kit ever...awesome ranged killing machine) I used my first couple of games figuring out what the different classes could do. Once you find what you like, run with it. There are no bad choices...just those not taken.

Experiment! is the key factor,....
first time i played BG2 i restarted about 20 times experimenting each character's kit,...
then i ended up using the cavalier (all time fav) because it has less penalties in terms of using a ranged item...
but its sometimes abit of a bitch watching the intro clip, of Irenicus busting ur helpless ass for a about 20 times...