Such atmosphere! (some chapter 1 spoilers)

[CerebroDragon]

This is only my second report of progress through the game, to which I wanted to share some thoughts with ye fellow Ironworkers. A bit of subjective discussion on the gaming experience itself as opposed to questions on parties/stats and the like. [img]smile.gif[/img]

First up, I just want to say that above all so far, I've enjoyed the wintery arctic atmosphere that the game seethes with, most of all. The soundtrack is wonderful in Targos especially. And the wheezing wind and the crunching snow underfoot! *Sigh*. The game is quite cool to play with all the lights off too. If only I had a big fat stereo surround sound system to enhance the atmosphere all the more.

I'll remember my spine trickling with apprehension the first time I heard the doom-laden theme when one first arrives at the Pallisade! That was very cool indeed. I think as I get deeper into the game, I'll no doubt end up downloading mp3s of the music just to make a soundtrack cd for it as I did with BG. It might come in handy for some over the table top ambience one day... [img]smile.gif[/img] Anyone else tried or done something like this?

I've only just started Chapter 2, having killed Guthma surprisingly easily.
I thought the addition of the beating drums in the lead-up to storming the stronghold was a great touch to prevent mindless rushing in. Eliminating them to prevent the dire warg-riding teleporter gobbies is practically obligatory.

A battle I did have some trouble with was getting stable control of the stronghold exterior. Lots of archers and a few mages with several Verbeeg and those little half-goblin tanks on standby. If you move too far from where you appear from the warrens, they all rush you at once, so I found it best to hold tight formation and kill as gradually as possible. Twas a decent challenge.

A slightly cheesy strategy I've been using in tougher fights consists of using my rogue to capture an enemy's attention and have him run around playing 'run run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man' whilst my ranger, barbarian and dwarven fighter laugh hysterically and fire at will.

Oh that reminds me when I discovered that Oswald Fiddlebender must be Jan Jansen's long lost 42nd cousin. Either that or my ears deceive me. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]
A funny yet sometimes overly literal absent minded fellow that we've managed to crash land with.

My party are all approximately level 7 with no multi-classes at all. Hopefully I'm maxing out on XP so far and will be strong enough to tackle Chapter two!
I'm surprised that we're already finding such an amount of magical weaponry so early in the game.

1. Half-Orc Barbarian. Aggallax Pikemist (Using longsword+1 and sometimes, a Great-Axe+1, heavy crossbow of defence)
2. Dwarven Fighter. Vastlaar. (BattleAxe+1, heavy crossbow+1)
3. Half-Elven Ranger. Kivan Kellethsmoth (Archer/Sophia's Flight)
4. Halfling Rogue. Cassandra (considering getting a couple of levels in fighter to increase potency of backstab...but are resisting the urge at this stage)
5. Drow Cleric. Karinah Maria. (She serves Lolth above all others, but makes an exception for Ilmater) [img]tongue.gif[/img]
6. Human Necromancer. Thanatos Vigamortis. (A darker, more stoic version of Xan from BG1) Loves inflicting horror and torching orcish shamans with flame arrow.

That'll do for now.
Cheers,
Cerebrodragon

[JrKASperov]

The magical loot appearing or not is random I believe. I found the mace of opposing elements somehwere on the shaengarne ford, but next game, I didn't find it anymore.

[TheGlow]

Yea, I noticed the reward item from the Barghest whelp is randomized. I settled for a +1 macewith garaunteed 1d6 fire. Troll slaying ahoy. But ive been having much fun greasin the floor up and have a summoned monster block it up and fireball the bejesus outta it. but my fighter/rogue is the one always dying, bringing too much heat on emself from sneaking deep behind enemy lines and sneak attackin a caster. Too many times he gets held and murdered. Haha, thats the way I like it.

[Luvian]

I once did a Barbarian/Rogue. He once sneaked up to a boss and backstabed him with his two-handed sword. The boss died in one hit before he even had the time to initiade dialog...

[JrKASperov]

Indeed, try any rogue with a greatsword or axe and 18 strength. Together with the sneak attack, they'll deal out MASSIVE damage. Might be a good incentive to play a half-orc rogue one time.

[TheGlow]

Well the way I see it, im going 2 weapon, because yea 2handed weapon bonus damage is nice, but sneaking is based on just hitting.
So If I get behind someone even in combat, everyhits a sneak. id rather do 2 attacks with my prim at 1d8, and one on my offie 1d6, Str dam bonus averages is a bit less, but im getting 3 sneaks of damage compared to just 2 the 2handed would have been doing. In this aspect, quantity, not quality [img]smile.gif[/img] .
Thats in combat. for straight up 1 shot, 1 kill, Im sure 2handed is proper.
Then again I was designing him to be a criticaler with dual scims, but I noticed there are no keen scimitars I believe, I think axes mostly. I may have to go into the axe business for fun.

[ 05-28-2004, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: TheGlow ]

[JrKASperov]

Yup, a rogue with two-weapon fighting is a massive sneakdamager. Sad thing is, a LOT of enemies will target your rogue as soon as he's behind them. And seeing that rogues normally don't have THAT high an AC, they'll get hit. It hurts.

[Luvian]

Originally posted by TheGlow: Well the way I see it, im going 2 weapon, because yea 2handed weapon bonus damage is nice, but sneaking is based on just hitting. So If I get behind someone even in combat, everyhits a sneak. id rather do 2 attacks with my prim at 1d8, and one on my offie 1d6, Str dam bonus averages is a bit less, but im getting 3 sneaks of damage compared to just 2 the 2handed would have been doing. In this aspect, quantity, not quality [img]smile.gif[/img] . Thats in combat. for straight up 1 shot, 1 kill, Im sure 2handed is proper. Then again I was designing him to be a criticaler with dual scims, but I noticed there are no keen scimitars I believe, I think axes mostly. I may have to go into the axe business for fun.

The hit my barbarian/rogue did with the two handed sword, on one attack was for 80+...

[ 05-29-2004, 12:16 AM: Message edited by: Luvian ]

[TheGlow]

Yea man, ive always loved thieves/rogues. I used to play a mud where you could only backstab once, but if you fled the screen and came back, you could do so. so a lvl 10 thief could out damage lvl 30 warriors and mages by repeatedly running around like idiots and stabbing.
In bg2 my assassin killed mostly everything on his own. boots of speed to outrun enemy, stealth, run up, stab, repeat.

[promethius9594]

heh, i like my strategy... mages and archers in the back... fighters lined up in front with a bunch of summoned monsters/spiders/beasts. send the barbarian forward and lure a bunch in then run back and hammer them to death. cleric cast the tangle spell, and mage hits those trapped with area of effect fireballs... and its orc BBQ for dinner.