Is This Game Inordinately Hard or What!?!

[CursedShadow]

I must be missing something! I've played BG and sailed through it but I am getting my butt kicked something fierce in this game. I am in Dragon's Eye entering the third level where all the cold wights attack and I am getting slaughtered! I read posts by people who say they are advancing through this area with ONE(!) or three characters and I am incredulous! What the heck am I doing wrong? My mage has a handful of fire spells and I have some healing spells but I am getting surrounded and smacked down! Can someone give me a clue? My party is all about level 6.

[pritchke]

Yes, this is one of the more challenging of the Fogotten Realm RPG's. In you current battle if you are still there one of the things you can do is take out as many cold wights as you can and head for the exit. Then you can save, heal and go back to finish off some more. I found myself using this tactic on several occassions.

The other thing you can do as a last resort is shut down the game and open up the IWD application that allows you to change your game settings from the windows menu. Set the difficulty rating to easy from normal and load your game and breeze through. Ater you do that you can always change your setting back again to normal. But only do this if you are really fustrated because you will feel a little more satisfied if you get through the area without doing this.

I did this once when I was on Heart of Fury mode in the final battle 3rd time around. I just wanted the game to be over so I set it to hard. It was an experianced party that had already gotten through once before.

[Lord Brass]

Try using a druid's entangle and spike growth spells to slow down the enemy and hurt them before they get to you. Web is another good spell for this. At those low levels though, do what the rest of us do as pritchke says: run in and run out. You'll get through it eventually. It just takes longer that's all.

[andrewas]

Turn undead can be useful here, also Fireball works wonders. I honestly found this section quite easy, albeit tedious. I hadnt got any good tanks yet, but my cleric was high enough level to frighten the wights. They come at you in groups, but a well placed fireball will hurt enough of them to give you a chance. Follow up with more spells from the mage to finish any that get close. Avoid cold damage, its useless.

Using one character this section would be a walk in the park. Youd have 6 times the experiece. A cleric could literaly destroy the wights in a single glance. A paladin too, they also get turn undead. Any other class would be powerful enough to get through, with a little care.

[Ar-Cunin]

Have your cleric in front - cast sanctuary - and turn undead. This will allow you the 'herd' the wights into a corner - then use fireball and skull trap (you should have both of them by now.

[CursedShadow]

Well, I am finally progressing. I am using Pritchke's hit and run advice. I do not have a druid in my party and I don't have any of the "entangle" spells you refer to in the other postings but I am slowly but surely advancing. I guess I just need to change my mindset a bit about the way to attack this game.

[Peytin of Rothmire]

All of the above advice is good. Generally, in any dungeon type area, I move VERY slow, usually with just one leading character(a fighter with a decent range weapon works well). I try to uncover only one enemy at a time then lead them back to where the whole party can attack. My second time around I used four characters. I combined my mage's web spell with a ring of free action (or use a potion) on the fighter to lure each one or two at a time. If I ended up with three or more then the cleric turned undead to repell at least one.
Moving this way will come in handy later on too, especially in Wyrm's Tooth.
You can also use a potion of invisibility and your mage( or a thief/mage) and check out the area first to see what you're up against. Then get off a good fireball at the max damage spot. Be ready though as the wights will target your mage if you don't get him/her out of there in time and far enough away so that they are distracted by a melee character.

Don't get dicouraged by this level. The first time I played, at the initial fight when you first enter the level, was the first time I had to reload (TWICE!!!). Once you figure out something that works for you, it'll be a piece of cake.

Keep us up to date on how you make out.

[ 10-19-2002, 02:31 PM: Message edited by: Peytin of Rothmire ]

[CursedShadow]

Well, like I said, once I changed my mindset about how exactly to attack this game, things have gone much better. I realize now that even though I am a bit top heavy with fighter types, I cannot just blast my way through these levels like I did with BG. Thanks to all of you for the advice.

[NobleNick]

CursedShadow,

I hope that your statement "...a bit top heavy with fighter types, ..." does not mean that you are without a thief, or a magic user. A thief is all but essential throughout the game, if you are going to do anything other than stumble through traps and enemies as they come. And, without spoiling anything, let me say that if you are without a magic user: things are going to get very, VERY tough before you complete Dragon's Eye. (You are right, that cold wight greeting party is a real test; but if you think a party of X cold wights are a pain in the behind, just wait until...)

[CursedShadow]

No, I just meant that I have two Fighters, One Ranger, one Fighter/Thief, a Cleric and a Mage. I seem to be progressing nicely now especially since my main Fighter has become a real horse in battle. I am probably wrong to give him ALL the good stuff I run across but he has saved my behind so many times, often with a single blow.