which character is best for starting?

[HASSAN]

i am starting game i finished the ice wind dale i can't decide which caracter shouls select please help me

It depends. Do you like pure magic or melee combat? I've played as a berserker. He's great.

[eb]

I should suggest a Mage in some way.
Fighters are not a problem to have in the game.
Minsc and Anomen is great fighters.

[HASSAN]

i am good at combat but i want to use magic more effciently i thought to start up with a mage but i am worried that i can't go further without a good fighter even i f i had minsc with me what shoul i do? what do you suggest(in details) why?

[Sir Exxon]

WELCOME TO IW, BOTH OF YOU! [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img]
[img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]

Now Hassan, there are many good classes. It totally depends on what kind of tecnique you like.
If you like to play as a spellcaster, I would suggest a totemic druid or a pure mage.
If you like warriors, try maybe a kensai or a stalker. The barbarian is also cool.


see ya!

[melancholic_goat]

For a spellcaster, totemic druid rocks, but (in my opinion anyway) will not become truly powerful until you reach the experienc elevels provided by ToB add-on. Whereas a mage (not sorcerer, too finnicky, not specialist, too specialised) will become very powerful relatively soon in SoA, later a totemic druid will surpass any mage by far (but, as i said, only in ToB experience levels) So its your choice.

As for having minsc, use him up close, while you blast away with magic missiles (if you play mage, that is) from the back (or, if you chose totemic druid, also summon a few beasties to give you a hand)

Sound good?

What is so good about totemic druids because i have never had one.

on another line barbarians are very good and so are bezerkers.

[F. Gottwald]

it´s different if you have TOB (which i don´t) but for SOA, the following are absolute powerhouses:

kensai dual-classed to mage at lvl 9: with robe of vecna (need bonus merchants for this) you get around the armour restriction, it can reach the maximum level of a wizard, gets bonus spells like a specialist wizard and can turn itself into a juggernaught of destruction with beefing spells like stoneskin and improved haste.

ranger dual-classed to cleric at lvl 8: can cast all cleric and druid spells, vastly superior to any druid available. good melee capability and imo the best selection of spells in the game (though it sorely lacks the recycling/fast delivery capabilities of mages)

sorceror: amazing at later levels... with project image, you can recycle all your spells to a ridiculous amount, and the class is much better than normal wizards once you figure out which spells to chose.

figher/mage/thief: somewhat dull but a nice and easy way of killing most things: backstab, hide using the staff of the magi, sneak off and repeat until the opposition is dead. can be unsatisfying though.

[Warby]

About specialist mages. I completed the game with a necromancer and with Jan in the group I had no magic that I couldn't cast. Besides, having those extra spells is nice. Death spells work very well against umber hulks. I don't think that a straight mage is very interesting. I deleted the savegame I had before the last battle so I'll have to start again. I thought the mage quest was a bit lame reward wise. All you end up with is a big silver ball. But once you get the staff of magi and a few other items its much better.

If you want to be a fighter then go with a half-orc fighter class with a 2 handed sword and deal out real damage.

Warby

[Nifft the Nimble]

Hi Hassan!

So, are you going to be GOOD or EVIL? If you're going to be evil, don't play a Conjurer. There's already a great one waiting for you. If you're going to be good, consider playing one. They're very powerful.

If you're new to magic, consider playing an elven or half-elven Fighter/Mage. You'll be able to take decent damage (as a Sorcerer or Conjurer could not) and, should your arsenal of spells run out, you'll be able to jump into the fray, blade(s) flashing. Having a fighter equipt with Stoneskins, Protection from (Normal/Magical) Weapons and Normal Missiles, etc. is quite fun. I recommend taking proficiencies in one-handed weapons, for you will be unable to wear armour and therefore a shield is doubly important. Long Swords and Flails spring to mind as useful.

Hope this helps,

-- Nifft