I know some people have talked about soloing (doing the entire BGII with only one character and no NPC's). I originally thought that meant starting the game and not picking up Imoen, etc. and going at it from level 7 on. When I tried this, I dual classed a Kensai to a level 1 Mage and promptly got slaughtered (1st level mage can't hit squat in Irenicus's dungeon).

Now I'm under the impression that people who solo often import a character (level 17+, usually with experience cap removed) rather than start from scratch.

I'm wondering two things. If you solo, what is the lowest level solo character you've had complete BGII? More realistically, what is the smallest party to complete the game.

I completed the game with a 3 character party. Swahbuckler/Figter, Kensai/Mage, and one NPC. I started by dualling both in the very beginning. I picked up Imoen to pick locks and fireball goblins (how humiliating). After leaving the dungeon, I picked up Valgyar because I was sick of healing problems and I found that he could read restoration scrolls. I completed the game with these 3 characters.

Any other thoughts?

Personally, I have always started from scratch and I intend to do so with my next party consisting of 3 characters. I will then play on insane difficulty too. Importing a character makes it a little boring to play . I like to level up often, and think of my future choices. I want challenge from beginning to end.