RE: Finances ~Chapter 1-3 Spoilers~

[Dundee Slaytern]

Thanks to all for the previous help. A little update on the party.

Finally got Dynaheir. You would think that she would at least call out a bit from the pit when I walked pass. Sheesh. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Then came the disappointment. She was an Invoker. I was so hoping that she would be a General Mage. Ah well... more scrolls to sell. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

So with a full party of six now, I headed to the Naskel Mines and blundered my way through the levels. I met a sculptor who surprise, surprise, met Ellesime. That lady sure breaks a lot of hearts.

I was rather surprised by the relatively easy battles in the mines. I heard so many horror stories about it that I anticipated meeting a group of 40+ Kobold Commandoes or something. It puzzles me though... on why the game only awards the player 7 XP for killing a Kobold, when kicking a Wild Dog around gives you 35 XP. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

In any case, the slaughter of Kobolds led me to the unusual scenerio of having... too many arrows. I even converted Minsc into an archer just to try to use up the arrows in vain. I was impressed with what he could do with a Composite Longbow +1 though, so I decided to make him a fulltime archer instead of a frontline tank( gave him the Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise later on too).

I was hardpressed to name any hard fights in the mines. Even the end-boss was disappointing. A Bless and Chant, and I was literally shredding the pitiful army he tried to pit against me( I tried to give him mercy, but the scumbag was an ingrate). Oh well... a +2 Longsword which I am hestitant to use.

Yeah... I got a Scimitar +3, a Longsword +2, Dagger +2, etc... and everybody is still using normal weapons. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Do weapons still break after you clean out the Naskel Mines?

So I popped out of the Naskel Mines and *GASP!*, finally found a party that proved to be difficult. Took several reloads, but after a Potion of Stone Giant Strength, Potion of Agility, Potion of Heroism, Potion of Invulnerability, Bless, Chant, multiple Protection from Evil, Draw Upon Holy Might, and the fact that I blinded most of them with Chromatic Orbs, I perforated them with a barrage of missile fire and claimed my rightful loot! MuhWahHAHAHAHA!

Then I reached Firewine Bridge which proved to be more boring than the Naskel Mines in that there were literally almost no fights at all other than the Fighter which I beat up for loot, a few Kobolds and Undead.

Went back to Bererost where I sold a lot of loot. I also faced a problem. In most CRPGs that I play, the best loot is often found, not sold. Up till now though, I have not been very impressed with what I have found, and I have about 10,000+ gold( would be 20,000+ in fact, but I bought a Composite Longbow +1 and Shortbow +1).

Thanks to my 16 Rep and Imoen's high charisma, most magical items are sold rather cheaply. In fact, that plain unchanted Full Plate Mail looks more tempting everytime I see it. Its' price of 7000+ being the only hurdle.

The Dagger of Vemon looks extremely potent too, then there is the Shadowmaster Armour. I remember the Carnival sold good stuff too, but I could not afford them at that time. Then there is the matter of Potions of Healing. I am very tempted to buy a stack of them, but again, it will be costly.

My biggest bugbear though... is the price of enchanted ammunition. For crying out loud, it burns to buy Arrows +2. I have been using normal ammunition since day one, and it looks like it will stay that way.

Am I hoarding too much cash? Should I go nuts and just buy what I can from the shops?

[Darkman]

Short and choppy reply because I'm lazy like that [img]smile.gif[/img]

- Congrats on finding Dynaheir. She's not exactly easy to locate. As an Invoker she might not seen all too powerful, but she starts already knowing Fireball... If you acquire her at high enough character level that is.

- The Naskel Mines really aren't that bad. It's the Firewine Dungeon that most people complain about [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img]

- Minsc is indeed a very good archer and also a good melee fighter. With a Composite Bow +1 he is a beast.

- As far as I can remember, normal weapons still break even after you reclaim the Mines. Magical items won't break though.

- I don't want to give away spoilers, but there are some really nice items that can be found throughout the game. But there's also some high-end stuff at the shops which I definately recommend buying if you have the funds. Don't forget about the mage at High Hedge btw [img]smile.gif[/img]

- As for enchanted ammo, I usually only break out the premo ammo for tough fights. I consider most human encounters (besides bandits) to be tough fights. I would try to conserve your best ammo for the later parts of the game. However, magic potions pop up all over the place and I highly recommend using them whenever they may be useful. When I beat the game, I had entire inventories of unused potions [img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img]

Anyway, it sounds like you're getting along just fine. Good luck and have fun [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Then I reached Firewine Bridge which proved to be more boring than the Naskel Mines in that there were literally almost no fights at all other than the Fighter which I beat up for loot, a few Kobolds and Undead.

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(spoiling an IW moderator, go me!)
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Hmm...was there this ghostly old guy outside the bridge area who sent you on a quest for a book? The fighter you fought, was that a skeleton, by any chance? If so, you might not be at Firewine.

The place I described with the old guy is accessable by walking off a map edge, but you have to do something special to get to Firewine.

[Butterfingers]

In BG, it takes money to make money. Spend!

The better weapons and armor you have, the more fighting capability you have, meaning you can get potential good loot sooner. Bandit camp has something you will want for Minsc. Scrolls, good scrolls, are scarce as hen's teeth in BG1. You will be at the late game before you find some really good magic spells. High Hedge is a good place to find some spells and items though.

As for the ambush coming out of the mines, I always have a wand of fire waiting, send off a few fireballs from off screen, and roast them long before they see me. Always send a scout ahead, stealthed, to get their exact location.

Missle weapons own all in BG1. Get everybody a bow, a sling, some darts, or some throwing daggers. Or even a crossbow. Khalid can make a wicked archer, getting 4 stars in bows in no time at all, and, he has good dex.

Dyna makes for a good mage, but, lack of enchantment and conjuration really hurts. Do you have a back up caster?

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Finally got Dynaheir.... Then came the disappointment. She was an Invoker. Ah well... more scrolls to sell.

Don't sell them if you don't want to--Specialist Mages are not barred from casting their opposition spells directly from the scrolls. That restriction was not put into place until BG2. There are also plenty of Wands, but then most of the Wands are of Evocation spells anyway.

I was rather surprised by the relatively easy battles in the mines. I heard so many horror stories about it that I anticipated meeting a group of 40+ Kobold Commandoes or something. It puzzles me though... on why the game only awards the player 7 XP for killing a Kobold, when kicking a Wild Dog around gives you 35 XP.

Because killing a Kobold is about as difficult as killing a Commoner, and you don't get any EXP for Commoners? The Mines were designed to be do-able by a very low-level party, so that newbies wouldn't get overly frustrated. How would it be if the game encourages you toward a certain quest, and then you get stepped on every time you try it?

I was hardpressed to name any hard fights in the mines. Even the end-boss was disappointing.

With 3 Tanks and a backup Tank, all of whom can double as archers, you're not going to have any problems.

Yeah... I got a Scimitar +3, a Longsword +2, Dagger +2, etc... and everybody is still using normal weapons. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Do weapons still break after you clean out the Naskel Mines?

Umm.....Dundee? What alignment is your Cleric? Or are you that curious to see what happens in BG2? Normal weapons will break throughout all of BG1.

Then I reached Firewine Bridge which proved to be more boring than the Naskel Mines in that there were literally almost no fights at all other than the Fighter which I beat up for loot, a few Kobolds and Undead.

Hm. Didn't have the guts to take the Fighter one-on-one, did you? (I forget his name.....I think it began with an M.) And that's not ALL of the Firewine Bridge, I'll have you know.

In fact, that plain unchanted Full Plate Mail looks more tempting everytime I see it. The Dagger of Vemon looks extremely potent too, then there is the Shadowmaster Armour. I remember the Carnival sold good stuff too, but I could not afford them at that time.

The best "Found" items are mostly in Chapter 5 and late Chapter 4. Right now, the only worthwhile gear for you is for sale in Beregost or the vicinity.

Am I hoarding too much cash? Should I go nuts and just buy what I can from the shops?

I'd ignore the enchanted ammo. You won't need it--the "requires +? weapons to hit" in BG1 are quite rare.

The place Pirengle is talking about is the Ulcaster Ruins, not the Firewine Bridge ruins. Why he felt the need to spoil you on a question that you didn't even ask is beyond me.

Butterfingers' advice about using a Stealthed scout to warn the party of potentially tough fights is useful pretty much 100% of the time.

No need for a backup caster if you've got the right Wands.

[ 02-19-2003, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: SixOfSpades ]

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by SixOfSpades: The place Pirengle is talking about is the Ulcaster Ruins, not the Firewine Bridge ruins. Why he felt the need to spoil you on a question that you didn't even ask is beyond me.

::pokety:: Female.

(Don't worry. I've been playing Diablo for a year and a half now, and some of my gaming buddies still get mixed up. [img]tongue.gif[/img] )

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(EDIT: whoops, nearly forgot this was a spoiler! Whoops!)
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Mistook the fighter in the Firewine Bridge for Icharyd outside the Ulcaster Ruins. And for some reason, the Ulcaster School did a better job kicking my keister than the Bridge...

[ 02-19-2003, 09:41 PM: Message edited by: Pirengle the BNM ]

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by SixOfSpades: Don't sell them if you don't want to--Specialist Mages are not barred from casting their opposition spells directly from the scrolls. That restriction was not put into place until BG2. There are also plenty of Wands, but then most of the Wands are of Evocation spells anyway.

I thought to myself. Do I need that spell? Or do I want the gold? I want the gold. As for wands... I have only found Wands of Magic Missile( just 2 in fact)

Umm.....Dundee? What alignment is your Cleric? Or are you that curious to see what happens in BG2? Normal weapons will break throughout all of BG1.

Eh? Why? I do not quite get what you are trying to say here. In any case, my Cleric is Chaotic Good. Does this mean I can liberally use my magic weapons without fear of them breaking? This would be a VERY good thing, as using normal weapons is kinda boring.

Hm. Didn't have the guts to take the Fighter one-on-one, did you? (I forget his name.....I think it began with an M.) And that's not ALL of the Firewine Bridge, I'll have you know.

Eh? You can take him on one on one? How?

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In any case... now I am going to save up for that Dagger of Vemon and give it to Khalid. Stacked poison damage is evil. :hehe;

[Angelousss]

magic items do not break, normal weapons all will eventually break. I suppose wands and the like get used up but you already knew that

[Vedran]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Eh? You can take him on one on one? How?

Leave your party behind [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: I thought to myself. Do I need that spell? Or do I want the gold? I want the gold.

True. In Chapters 1-3, you'll generally be hurtin' for money. But there are still some very useful Enchantment and Conjuration spells that Dynaheir can't learn (not being able to summon critters is a pain, be glad you've got a good Cleric), and these would be more useful to the party than more gold.

Eh? Why? I do not quite get what you are trying to say here. In any case, my Cleric is Chaotic Good.

I'm wondering why you said that you said you were carrying a Scimitar+3, and the only way to get a Scimitar+3 is to kill someone of Good alignment. Or were you just quoting other people bragging about having a Scimitar+3?

Does this mean I can liberally use my magic weapons without fear of them breaking? This would be a VERY good thing, as using normal weapons is kinda boring.

Your magical weapons will never break. You should be sporting at least 1 or 2 +2 weapons by now. All melee weapons that are at least partly metal will break (including Spears), and so will Crossbows. Gatekeeper also has "Broken Armor," "Broken Shield," and "Broken Miscellaneous," but neither I nor anyone else I know has ever experienced anything beyond "Broken Weapon." Imagine losing your unenchanted Full Plate in the middle of a fight!

I remembered the Fighter's name: Melium, give or take exact spelling. Not bad for not having played the game in well over a year. Anyway, Dundee, I should take this moment to formally request your aid as my beta-tester for Chapter 13 of Volothamp's Comeuppance: It's my "quasi-walkthrough" section, and while I certainly don't want to spoil anybody, I also don't want my hints to be too cryptic. So please let me know which hints you found informative, too informative, etc.

[ 02-20-2003, 05:39 PM: Message edited by: SixOfSpades ]