Fist time soloing - spoilers

[True_Moose]

I would definitely add cleric/mage, and the two triple-classes to that list.

[Detherin]

I love soloing. I find it's a great challenge, and it entitles you to bragging rights ^_^.

There are about 3 of us that play BG2 were I live, and we're constantly trying to do something better than someone else . Good fun, been playing for years now [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

I want to try and solo as a Jester. They look terrible. Jester, Insane, Tactics...hehe, that sounds pretty hard [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

[Cam_H]

Detherin,

Although their spell book levels off at 6, there are still some terrific spells that Jesters can cast up to Level 6. You get access to wands from the outset (other than Wand of the Heavens, and Wand of Apprenti), and these are usable once you get Use Any Item (provided adequate stats). Under invisibility you can also play your Jester's song for quick escapes, or have your enemies attack each other to erode HPs. The Rogue's HLA table is great, and the ability to Pick Pocket can get you extraordinarily well equipped quite early in the game. I have not found the Jester to be an especially difficult kit as a solo (although I don't have installed quite a few of the Tactics components).

Try a single-class Wizard Slayer for a challenge - do-able, but can be tough given the restrictions. Also challenging but not without hope is the Beast Master.

Rockstar / True_Moose,

Berserker(9)-Cleric, Undead Hunter, and Inquisitor are other good kits for a non-Tactics solo game. If using Tactics, I'd lean towards a kit with some magic use. Improved Ilyich for starters is arguably best done with a mage of some fashion (although a Totemic Druid can rip through it). The Fighter/Mage/Thief has been criticised for watering down experience points too much, but the fast levelling considerably outweighs this problem of split levelling in my experience, and I rate this multi highly for a solo run.

[Detherin]

Cam_H that's what I find most interesting about tactics - trying to beat it with very minimal arcane help. A single class wizard slayer does indeed sound very challenging in Tactics. I've never been a beastmaster, nor have I checked the advantages/disadvantages of the class, but i'll take your word for it when you say it's a difficult class to solo ^_^.

My assassin is doing pretty well, mainly down to the traps really - specially useful against beholders. I just cleared the southern (I think) tunnels in the place that's dark and underground, some of those behodlers (hive mother) could see through my HiS and cast true sight, so I had to run as fast as my boots of speed could cary me, setting traps. I've only cast one spell from a scroll, and that was to summon a creature for a particular sacrifice .

All good so far ^_^.

[True_Moose]

Although even those two have their abilities. If you ever manage to get a couple of hits in with a wizard slayer, a mage is dead meat, regardless of his protections. If you keep around a regular weapon (to avoid PfMW that Tactics is so fond of,) and can hit a mage a couple of times, the wizard slayer can then focus on the damage baddies, and he can go toe-to-toe anyway due to his warrior abilities.

The beastmaster would definitely be tougher, but a couple of things help him out. First, stealth (invisibility in general) is hugely helpful to a solo player, especially with boots of speed - take out one enemy, duck around a corner, then hide again. Many good leather armours are available early in the game, I'm thinking Aeger's Hide in particular. The weapon restrictions suck, but aren't so bad, especially when you consider some of the better clubs and staves are available fairly on, again for money, which is of course plentiful in a solo game.

I'm currently finishing up my first ever game with a single class druid (specifically with an avenger), and after that I will be very interested to take a look at the new Big Picture mod. It has several of the encounters of tactics, as well as general AI improvements to almost everything, except minus the cheesiness and adding intelligent AI to creatures instead. If it works as well as it sounds, it sounds like a sweet alternative to Tactics.

[Dundee Slaytern]

All the original classes have been soloed before, if you exclude external mods.