Returning to Baldur's Gate after adventuring in the frozen wasteland of Icewind Dale

[Ranger]

I finished Baldur's Gate 2 about 4 months ago. Since then, I've been spending my time with Icewind Dale and HOW.

Nice game, lot's of action. But, not as engaging as the Baldur's Gate Series.

Now I'm ready to return to the city of Baldur's Gate and I'd like to adventure with a new cast of characters. My original party consisted of:
Me (a Ranger)
Minsc
Jaheira
Nalia
Anomen
Yoshimo (swapped for Imoen)

I never even met most of the game's other NPC's, and therefore never went through their personal quests. For my second run through BG 2, I think I'm going to try the following party:
Me (a Mage)
Keldorn
Mazzy
Aerie
Jan Jansen
Valygar (swapped for Imoen later)

Will this party work?
Am I too short on Cleric/Druid types?
Is Jan a good thief?
What is the stronghold quest for Mages?
Is Haer Dalis' usefull? (I've never played a Bard.)

Thanks,
Ranger

[ULockit I Stealit]

quote:

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Originally posted by Ranger:

Will this party work?
Am I too short on Cleric/Druid types?
Is Jan a good thief?
What is the stronghold quest for Mages?
Is Haer Dalis' usefull? (I've never played a Bard.)

Thanks,
Ranger

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IMO you should be pretty good, but it really depends on you.

Will this party work?
- Sure, they all will, but you might find it tough getting out of Irenicus's dungeon all by your lonesome

Am I too short on Cleric/Druid types?
- Aerie is supposedly one of the best clerics (even with low HP)

Is Jan a good thief?
- heard in this forum that he becomes the BEST. (never used him)

What is the stronghold quest for Mages?
- the Planer Sphere. Related to getting Valygar but if you want more start a new thread and all your answers will come.

Is Haer Dalis' usefull? (I've never played a Bard.)
- He is a Blade which hurts the Bard song but supposedly he is a really good fighter (Offensive/defensive spin and all that)

[Hayashi]

You could always enlist Jaheira & Minsc, and drop them when you find the other NPCs that you want.

[fable]

Any party will work. You could literally do the game without a mage, or one without a cleric; I've even heard of players liking a challenge who ran games without clerics and mages. They still enjoyed the experience.

Your party should simply be whatever works for you, and whatever fits into your overall strategy.

[Foo]

Will this party work?
Yes, this looks like a good group, as you will have 3 and later 4 mage-types. Between your main char and Imoen, you will be able to cast lots of very powerful magic!! Consider making your main char a Sorceror, so you don't have to use any of the scrolls yourself, and can let your 3 NPCs learn spells them....

Am I too short on Cleric/Druid types?
Possibly, although Aerie should be enough. She is the weakest cleric-type, as she is multi-classed and will level-up slower than Anomen or Viconia. As long as you use her spells wisely, you should be fine.

Is Jan a good thief?
Jan is the best NPC thief!

What is the stronghold quest for Mages?
The Planar Sphere.

Is Haer Dalis' usefull? (I've never played a Bard.)
I only got him in my group once, and that was only for a short time once I realized his many weaknesses-not a very good mage and not a very good fighter. With your group, you will have 4 spellcasters and 2 fighters, along with enough thief and cleric abilities mixed in. My advice would be to skip Harry altogether.

[Nifft the Nimble]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ranger:
For my second run through BG 2, I think I'm going to try the following party:
Me (a Mage)
Keldorn
Mazzy
Aerie
Jan Jansen
Valygar (swapped for Imoen later)

---

Hi Ranger!

Despite how much I like Jan's personality, he's redundant once you get Imoen back. I'd drop him before leaving for Spellhold. He is the best thief in the game, but Imoen is sufficient for everything you need to do.

Aerie by herself is more enough cleric for the whole game. (Probably more than enough: I've done it with just Jaheira for a cleric.)

Since you know the magic system pretty well by now, do consider playing a Sorcerer. They become very, very powerful once they can cast "Project Image".

Haer'Dalis is a typical Blade. I played one and really enjoyed it. If you have ToB, he'll become one of the most powerful and valuable members of your party. In SoA he's merely a poor man's fighter-mage. That's still not something to sneeze at, though: a fighter-mage is one of the most powerful combos in all of D&D. He is a good pick-pocket, and so will augment Imoen's limited thieving skills. With ToB and many levels, his bard-song will become amazing... until then, well, let's just say you've probably been spoiled by how good bard-songs are in IWD/HoW. You can have fun with him in your party, but you will have to micro-manage him. You may have more fun micro-managing your mages.

Overall, it looks like a very good group.

-- Nifft