OK, let's get some discussion going here. What was your toughest battle in BG2. You should state your experience levels at the time of the battle so that we can keep things in perspective.

For me, the battle with the Twisted Rune guys in the Bridge District. My party was roughly level 11/12 at the time, I was actually doing the Buried Man quest and in chasing the man in red stumbled into the Twisted Rune guys by accident. I had a rogue stone and ended up entering this building with this lich Shangalar. Didn't know who the f**k he was or what he was babbling about. Then him, another mage, an elder orb, a vampire, and some other guy all started attacking me at once. The lich gated in this pit fiend who thankfully started to attack the other enemy mage but since I was obviously unprepared for the fight and had NO Cloak of Mirrors at the time I pretty much got chunked in about 30 seconds. Try fighting two mages who can both cast time stop and gate (one of whom had a Staff of the Magi), a vampire using domination and level drain, and a beholder using panic and fear etc plus a fighter wailing on you. And since i was trying to complete the Buried Man quest I was expecting *ahem* easier opposition than that. Took me a few reloads, eventually used divide and conquer to beat them but I never had a battle tougher than that.

Heh, I remember that battle. First time I wandered in like a fool and got well and truly smashed. Second time I put all my spellcasters in that non-stairway, tippy-toed in with my fighter, set off the lich-guy, then ran back into the lobby. I managed to take care of them one on one, with exception to the start; had to take the lich and the assassin at the same time. Fortunately the assassin stank, and I always carry those neat green scrolls for things like liches, dragons, Elminster, etc. The others fell easily enough when I took them on one at a time. Anyway, enough ranting. The hardest battle in the game for me was the illithid lair, where I was made a meal of many a time. Levels didn't really matter, I could have been level 50 and I still would have died many times. Next to illithid battles, which don't really count (stupid brain sucking bastards), was a vampire I was unfortunate enough to face at level 8 a short while after I left Irenicus' dungeon. Heh. And then, of course, that group of pricks in the sewers, especially that mage and the little lawn ornament with the neverending throwing axe. That's about it.

Illithids were tough for sure. But I wonder how many people did the Firkraag quest and just blindly walked into that room full of vampires and mummies? I was level 9 at the time and didn't even know what Negative Plane Protection was.

I think that Kangaxx rates high, until you see the easy way(s) to beat him. I haven't finished yet, but this battle took me the longest to crack, as I didn't realize protection from magic/undead would make it so much easier. Those gits in the sewers were absolute swines but I definitely think that any mind controlling enemies are the worst! There is nothing more frightening than watching your hasted and magically protected tanks turn on you! I hate mindflayers! I was disappointed with the Dragons as I beat both Firkraag and the Shadow dragon first time, without casting magic resistance(I guess I like doing things the hard way). However, the toughest battle I have had was when I fought the Golems in the keep, as my party was very low level and I had forgotten that clay golems could only be hit by blunt weapons! Duh! Generally it seems that most battles are easy,... in hindsight. There is usually an approach that will minimize the risk and often eliminate it all together. The fun part is finding it. As a bit of a completist, I like to finish all sub-quests before moving on along the main path, so although I have only just reached Spellhold, I have only the Twisted Rune and the last part of my mage stronghold to complete in the quests journal. Consequently, my party is probably at a higher level than most at this stage, so battles are generally easy eg I killed the mind-controlled mage in Brynnlaw with one blow from my thief/mage, before his contingency spells had finished. However I am sure there will be quite a few shocks yet...

During my first run of the game,(right after exiting from the Irenicus' dungeon)the temptation to edit my party into walking Gods (thru Shadowkeeper) was the biggest battle that I have to fight.Sorry guys.... nothing personal to those "edit-lovers".
I just hope that even with great editors, like the one mentioned, true gamers should at least have a run through the game without such aid.Trust me, there's a hell lot of difference in terms of fun and gaming spirit.

Well, to be honest, all of the major battles have been tough for me. I opened the game the day I got it, designed a pretty decent fighter that uses two weapon fighting style, and jumped in. Like an idiot, the first quest I took was Nalia's stronghold. Trolls are NOT fun to fight when your party has all of about 3 magical weapons between the six of them. I found the umber hulks and the main group of trolls particularly difficult. After that, I went on my mary little way to the Windspear Hills and took a horrific pounding at the hands of Ruk the Transmuter. After about five reloads, I gave up on that one. Next in the line of quests at the absolute wrong time for my low level party, I decided to help out Haer Dalis and ventured into the sewers seeking him. That stinking party of spell casters and dwarfs really started to get my goat but I finally took them with a LOT of creative spell casting and the juicing up of my party prior to encountering them. After licking that little encounter and freeing Haer Dalis I found myself in the extra planer prison. That one didn't give me as much trouble as I thought it would. I then found myself on another quest in which both Nalia was kidnapped and Jaheira was cursed. Fighting those stinking mages in the derelict house of the slums with no offensive mage firepower was not fun. After that, I ended up on the Cult of the Unseeing Eye quest at which point I quickly developed an extreme dislike for gualls.

But since the Unseeing Eye, everything's been a little easier. I've done all of the quests save the planar sphere and the Windspear Hills and I just entered into Chapter 3.

Well, obviously everyone now knows I had a horrifying time with Kangaxx by now! Definitely the toughest strategy battle of the game in my opinion.

The other trully tough battles are all of them with Illithids, dang mind sucking vermin! The Illithids in the sewer, and the Illithid cave in the Underdark esp come to mind.

But one that sticks out in my mind the most as being the one I was least prepared for was right after stumbling out of Irenicus' dungeon in the beginnig of the game my first time through, with not a clue or a prayer, I walked upstairs above the Den of Seven Vales and got a true and thorough humbling from that group! Ended up giving up and coming back to it later- good loot though!

Actually Tara you're right, I didn't think about those adventurers. I thought I was tough at the time too. The dwarf has 200 hp by the way, that's why it takes so long to kill him.

Kangaxx was frustrating more than anything, because until you worked out the strategy he was pretty much impossible. I encountered him really early before all these strategies started popping up and i was scratching my head all night. Anybody who says they didn't get at least one character imprisoned by him is full of shit.

Well i haven't got much time to play so i'm in chapter 2 atm, but the hardest battles fought so far have been those guy in the Inn at the Promenade, Tanova (spell-casting vamp under graveyard district), the guys in the sewers, and any lich (seeing as they all cast imprisonment for some reason )

i wasnt imprisoned ny kanggax due to the fact that i have never faced this guy yet... hahaha! i don't know bout the twisted runes... what're those? well, the battle i hate the most are mind flayers dominating you and suckin your brains out!!! it sux... im playin kensai now... i like the no armor and im gonna kick your ass feel better than the paladin! and i ove editin my characters!!! im a cheater!!! hehe makes me feel better and flys my problems away (real-life) im very problematic...

who can ever beat a kensai who wields a celestial fury on his right hand and a blackrazor on his left!