hardest battle

[Memnoch]

To Ramon, the Twisted Rune is kind of like an Easter Egg, like Kangaxx, it's not related to any specific quest but rather you stumble onto it (like an Easter Egg!)

There's a building in the southwest part of the bridge district that you need a rogue stone to get into. that's where the rune are. And i got their levels from Infinity Explorer, plus i had a look online at some AD&D modules about the Twisted Rune because i was a bit curious about them.

warning may contain spoiler!!!
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1. Mind Flayer dungeon: It all started right when I landed in the Underdark. At that time I was not aquantied with the powers of the light up and down switch so I was totaly lost. Until of course I came upon this place where I could travel from YES!! FINALLY I thought Im utta here! But as I took the fatal step forward 6 mind flayers came and psychily drained me! I fell over drained and woke up in a prison! As I broke out I only fought one MF at a time until I forced open the door. When I stepped forward I rushed in with Minsc screaming "Live by the Sword live a goooooood loooong time!." However Minsc wasn't going to live long, actually not one round more. First comes the psionic blasts, then even worse diomination on my other fighter! Then INT drain! So in ten seconds my party which took down Firkragg died . But then I cast sanctuarry on aerie and snuck in and got the brines. Then I EASIILY finished the level!

Having not finished the game, I have probably only fought about 1/2 of the hardest battles, but all in all, I would say that the hardest, or a few of the hardest, would be, the crew in the sewers under the bridge district, but that is because I fought them really early on.
Other than that, Kangaxx was rather difficult, I was quite saved by prot. from Magic!
I found the area where the twisted rune guys are, quite by accident actually! though I have fought them yet.
also some more basic fights, against guys, like I got really pulled up on some greater wolfweres, or some umberhulks...
as I said though I haven't played the whole way through yet.

I suppose the underdark with the MindFlayers and Beholder Dungeons were pretty scary, purely down to the quantity of opponents.

Good trick I learnt was to don the cloak of mirroring in the Beholder Dungeon, carry the Harmony Shield and to wear the ring of free action, I became unstoppable and was able to take down the gauths/beholders et al, single handedly.

Similar kit also worked well in the Mind Flayer Dungeon, but I also enrolled the help of two Ullilthids using the control circlets.

However the best fight has to be as Memnoch stated the "Twisted Rune Encounter", to just unknowingly stumble into this fight, thinking it is just another building, is altogether mind numbingly exhausting..... Superb is my only comment!

Memnoch must have some skills i can only dream of having. without cheating and having level 12-13 characters i was completely unable to kill the twisted runes. i am half way done with the underdark and have advanced to level 14-15 and hope to be able to do them in.

twisted rune is definitely hard - at any level - too many diverse creatures to fight.
the harpers in the dock dist. were hard at level 11-12
Anyone that can cast time stop and you need certain level mag. weapons is difficult - kangax, liches, etc., though help from a summoned fire elemental is often a saviour in these cases.
drow can be a bit tricky

beholders and gauths are unfortunately easy if you have some sort of reflecting device

anything that can level drain is a pain - like vamps and demon knights...

people keep talking about using melf meteor - i havent found and what level is it - i think i am a long way from using it.

but what a great game with the mixture of strategy you need.

[Magness]

Theidrim,

Melf's Minute Meteors is only a 3rd level spell and can be found at many of the merchants that sell magic scrolls. It just might be the best 3rd level spell. The one caveat to it is that the spell creates little +5 flaming balls that must be physically thrown at the target. It helps if your mage has a reasonably good Dex & Thac0.

The Hardest battles I've had are 1) anything to do with any large numbers of Beholders (espc near the entrance to the Drow underworld at the bottom of the map) 2) in the sewers near the entrance to the unseeing eye quest (too low of level for the attempt, I think 3) the party that appears after you find the Dragon Slayer Long Sword and the matching Shield 4) and of course, good o'Firkraag. But that was before I used traps to their fullest and used animal summoning and Breach spells. It is hard to get past the whole killing with sword mentally I received from being a fighter all these years.

=-)

H