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Baldur's Gate & Baldur's Gate II Mod Thread
- Thread starter Father Walker
- Start date
Not the Coak of Displacement?
hell bovine
Arcane
Cloak of the sewers, for cheesy rat-tanking (threads on the codex, when they go down the drain).
~CDTWEAKS/SETUP-CDTWEAKS.TP2~ #0 #1050 // Gradual Drow Item Disintegration: v3
makes using Drow Armour too hazardous as it's likely to scatter at the first attack or spell landing on it.
So not a component I'll use next time.
Would have been cool if you could make the weapons and armour of a whole Drow war party disintegrate if you cast the Sunray spell.
makes using Drow Armour too hazardous as it's likely to scatter at the first attack or spell landing on it.
So not a component I'll use next time.
Would have been cool if you could make the weapons and armour of a whole Drow war party disintegrate if you cast the Sunray spell.
BGT includes BG 2.
Now I haven't played BG 2 EE, but I did play BG 1 EE (did most of the Beregost and Temple area before calling it quits), and I find BGT superior in most respects. And as long as you're gonna mod the game you may as well play BGT.
After all the whole selling point of EE was that it's so convenient and you don't have to know how to install mods, right?
Now I haven't played BG 2 EE, but I did play BG 1 EE (did most of the Beregost and Temple area before calling it quits), and I find BGT superior in most respects. And as long as you're gonna mod the game you may as well play BGT.
After all the whole selling point of EE was that it's so convenient and you don't have to know how to install mods, right?
Jason Liang
Arcane
BG2: EE is BG2 + ToB dlc + 4 new companions dlc
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2015
- Messages
- 519
I used the Big World setup, which is essentially just a mega-mod installer that downloads and installs just about any mods available for you.
https://bitbucket.org/BigWorldSetup/bigworldsetup
I do Unfinished Business, Dingos quest pack, Ascension (improves TOB ending and makes bosses more interesting) Pretty much anything that adds more quests and content thats isn't romances. Many here poo-poo these because many of the user-created quests are irrelevant to the rest of the plot or have inferior writing, but since I've played BG2 before I like anything that adds more content and detail to the world that I haven't seen before.
I don't get the hatred for Enhanced Edition, there's nothing *wrong* with it, per se. People don't like the new companions, but no one is forcing you to play with them and you are going to create your own party anyway. I see little difference in the graphics, original BG doesn't look *sharper* to me than EE, and I like the character sprite outlines (that are optional in the settings menu) as it makes them stand out more clearly and look sort of like U7-style sprites.
https://bitbucket.org/BigWorldSetup/bigworldsetup
I do Unfinished Business, Dingos quest pack, Ascension (improves TOB ending and makes bosses more interesting) Pretty much anything that adds more quests and content thats isn't romances. Many here poo-poo these because many of the user-created quests are irrelevant to the rest of the plot or have inferior writing, but since I've played BG2 before I like anything that adds more content and detail to the world that I haven't seen before.
I don't get the hatred for Enhanced Edition, there's nothing *wrong* with it, per se. People don't like the new companions, but no one is forcing you to play with them and you are going to create your own party anyway. I see little difference in the graphics, original BG doesn't look *sharper* to me than EE, and I like the character sprite outlines (that are optional in the settings menu) as it makes them stand out more clearly and look sort of like U7-style sprites.
SCO
Arcane
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2009
- Messages
- 16,320
I wouldn't add major quests mods. They're mostly shit, and / or full of imbalanced items. Or worse, items that the item overhaul mods don't work with. Smaller mods like that Sirene's call thing are ok (that's bg1 though).
Companions are even worse ofc. I limit myself to SCS, the games combination mods, rules mods (wish a mod had made a F/M/T/C, general item and spells overhauls etc), non-romance banters, and utility mods (chose class of npcs, item randomizer and 'go wait at inn' mod, for example).
Basically don't install BG area mods unless you want:
1) non-matching items that fill even more of your bags, because apparently the series didn't have enough magical crap, or useless items that may, or may not, have a quest use but you carry anyway.
2) areas copy pasted from IWD 1 and 2 and ToEE. If you install one of the mods that adds IWD in BG, you get to see them twice, isn't that nice.
3) badly photoshopped areas with visible seams between copypastes of the above, and missing / wrong lighting.
My recommendation (and certainly if you're going to try something like Enhanced Edition Trilogy) is to chose the bare minimal install and add just what you want. If you're a jaded BG series player, you probably want Item Randomizer after thinking carefully of the options.
I can't specify enough to be careful with item mods and the item (and spells) overhaul mods (forgot the name). It makes for a more consistent experience by itself, but if some 'procedural' other mod is adding random crap to random items, or is not counted because it's a mod item, they're either going to have inconsistent or mismatching style and missing information on the descriptions. It's also no fun to have most items be judiciously balanced for the stage of the game they're in (mostly nerfed) and some rampaging mod to swing the pendulum the other way for *special snowflake mod item #235* that kills vampires 3 times a day with sunfire.
Companions are even worse ofc. I limit myself to SCS, the games combination mods, rules mods (wish a mod had made a F/M/T/C, general item and spells overhauls etc), non-romance banters, and utility mods (chose class of npcs, item randomizer and 'go wait at inn' mod, for example).
Basically don't install BG area mods unless you want:
1) non-matching items that fill even more of your bags, because apparently the series didn't have enough magical crap, or useless items that may, or may not, have a quest use but you carry anyway.
2) areas copy pasted from IWD 1 and 2 and ToEE. If you install one of the mods that adds IWD in BG, you get to see them twice, isn't that nice.
3) badly photoshopped areas with visible seams between copypastes of the above, and missing / wrong lighting.
My recommendation (and certainly if you're going to try something like Enhanced Edition Trilogy) is to chose the bare minimal install and add just what you want. If you're a jaded BG series player, you probably want Item Randomizer after thinking carefully of the options.
I can't specify enough to be careful with item mods and the item (and spells) overhaul mods (forgot the name). It makes for a more consistent experience by itself, but if some 'procedural' other mod is adding random crap to random items, or is not counted because it's a mod item, they're either going to have inconsistent or mismatching style and missing information on the descriptions. It's also no fun to have most items be judiciously balanced for the stage of the game they're in (mostly nerfed) and some rampaging mod to swing the pendulum the other way for *special snowflake mod item #235* that kills vampires 3 times a day with sunfire.
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Damned, shit just got real when I faced the lich Deirex. The motherfucker summons two Planetars, each hitting like 10 times a round for 25 damage. So open fight is pretty much impossible.
Fortunately Liches don't see Invisible, so I tried a cunning plan instead. My party ran past him while invisible. Then Anomen used a Scroll of Prot Undead and waited for Deirex's PfMW to expires. Deirex than cast Shadow Door and he was already protected by Immunity: Divination, so I had Imoen try to Dispel his Illusions, while Anomen prepped with Holy Might and Improved Haste, which turned out to be overkill. Imoen sighted him while he was conjuring a Planetar, but Anomen got lucky and Destroyed Undead on his first hit with the Mace of Disruption.
Anyone able to take on Deirex and his two Planetars in a fair fight without using Scroll of Prot Undead?
Fortunately Liches don't see Invisible, so I tried a cunning plan instead. My party ran past him while invisible. Then Anomen used a Scroll of Prot Undead and waited for Deirex's PfMW to expires. Deirex than cast Shadow Door and he was already protected by Immunity: Divination, so I had Imoen try to Dispel his Illusions, while Anomen prepped with Holy Might and Improved Haste, which turned out to be overkill. Imoen sighted him while he was conjuring a Planetar, but Anomen got lucky and Destroyed Undead on his first hit with the Mace of Disruption.
Anyone able to take on Deirex and his two Planetars in a fair fight without using Scroll of Prot Undead?
Somberlain
Arcane
I never use Protection from Undead, I don't even remember how it functions exactly.
I usually have my mage with all the spell protections possible (with some extras memorized) engage Deirex one-on-one while the rest of my party tries to lure the planetars or whatever other summons away to fight them separately. Then my thief, with Boots of Speed + haste, goes back and forth to fight the summons and dispel illusions when needed. Tricky part is when Deirex (like other high level mages) uses Dimension Door to teleport in middle of your other characters who don't have any spell protections, and starts casting all kinds of nasty spells HLAs and dispellers.
Dimension Door comes from aTweaks, I believe, but it works perfectly with SCS AI.
I usually have my mage with all the spell protections possible (with some extras memorized) engage Deirex one-on-one while the rest of my party tries to lure the planetars or whatever other summons away to fight them separately. Then my thief, with Boots of Speed + haste, goes back and forth to fight the summons and dispel illusions when needed. Tricky part is when Deirex (like other high level mages) uses Dimension Door to teleport in middle of your other characters who don't have any spell protections, and starts casting all kinds of nasty spells HLAs and dispellers.
Dimension Door comes from aTweaks, I believe, but it works perfectly with SCS AI.
Jason Liang
Arcane
I have my recommended mods as well as step by step guide to BWS listed here.
Take some time reviewing each SCS component and decide for yourself... perhaps Octavius could summarize which ones to avoid?
idk if I'd recommend SCS for a BG2:EE first playthrough. It's mandatory to enjoy BG1:EE but BG2:EE is satisfying enough outside of combat, I think. The fights in unmodded BG2 are interesting enough to hold up on their own. Ascension is definitely a mandatory mod for the ToB dlc though.
If you've never played BG2:EE before I strongly recommend using the game's companions. It might seem we complain about them but actually we love them very much. Most of them.
If you only plan on playing BG2:EE once and never again, you might as well install some of the more infamous NPC mods like Saerileth, Valen and Kiara/Zaiya. Not sure if Valen and Kiara/ Zaiya have been updated for EE though.
Take some time reviewing each SCS component and decide for yourself... perhaps Octavius could summarize which ones to avoid?
idk if I'd recommend SCS for a BG2:EE first playthrough. It's mandatory to enjoy BG1:EE but BG2:EE is satisfying enough outside of combat, I think. The fights in unmodded BG2 are interesting enough to hold up on their own. Ascension is definitely a mandatory mod for the ToB dlc though.
If you've never played BG2:EE before I strongly recommend using the game's companions. It might seem we complain about them but actually we love them very much. Most of them.
If you only plan on playing BG2:EE once and never again, you might as well install some of the more infamous NPC mods like Saerileth, Valen and Kiara/Zaiya. Not sure if Valen and Kiara/ Zaiya have been updated for EE though.
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The Planetars are especially nasty since they can see invisible and their attacks dispel buffs. So things like backstabbing or Iron Skin + Improved Haste won't be very effective. Tried my best melee character one on one against a Planetar, and even with an initial 8 APR it was hopeless. I didn't even bother trying spells, since I'll be very surprised if they don't have high magic resistance or even immunity.
There's always ways to protect against magic attacks, but not so easy to defend against melee killing machines like Karkh, Sarevok, Slayer Irenicus and Planetars.
Anyway the Scroll had little effect in this battle, since Deirex kept casting spells anyway.
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Somberlain
Arcane
IIRC the Planetars' deadliest melee weapon is their Globe of Blades ability which can deal ridiculous damage to all surrounding characters. Best way to deal with them is to have multiple fully buffed characters attack them at once and hope you kill them before they use Heal. If Globe of Blades proves too damaging, you can always move your characters away every few seconds after the ability activates, since it only does so once per round IIRC. It's quite a lot of micromanagement, but can save your ass in the toughest fights.
Of course, once you reach HLA levels, you can counter their Planetars with your own.
Of course, once you reach HLA levels, you can counter their Planetars with your own.
I tried a couple of Fiends against Deirex and they actually won. Turns out the Planetars are more vulnerable to magic than I thought, so they were Held and Panicked by a Pit Fiend. Ultroloth animating lots of Skeletal Warriors also helped, and one of them landed the killing blow on Deirex.
Always fun to try those Fiends and see what they can do. Not very effective against Magic Swords, though.
In an open fight I reckon Kuo Toa bolts and the Spook and Chromatic Orb spells should be effective against the Planetars.
Always fun to try those Fiends and see what they can do. Not very effective against Magic Swords, though.
In an open fight I reckon Kuo Toa bolts and the Spook and Chromatic Orb spells should be effective against the Planetars.
Somberlain
Arcane
Balors are also effective if you have aTweaks installed, since their Vorpal Swords can instantly kill, though the chance isn't extremely high.
I started it tonight, almost done with Irenicus's dungeon. It is a lot of fun for me, I completed the game sometime in the early 00s so playing it again is very fresh. I went with EE and no mods cuz nothing seemed to do anything I wanted. I am really impressed with the EE! I looked at it when it was first released and it looked like a waste of money, but they have done a lot with it since then. The graphics look like an HD remake somehow, I can zoom in and out with mouse wheel, better UI, it fits my weird 21:9 resolution with no problems, better keyboard controls, better menus, and many other minor tweaks (color coded character circles etc). It feels almost like playing a more modern game, a lot better than the last time I played. A couple of minor issues though, there is a multiplayer chat box that is quite big and wont go away, because I am playing with my own party. No biggie, I'd just rather it wasn't using up some screen space. Also there are some occasional graphics glitches when I am in a conversation with someone, there is flashing and stuff in the unexplored darkness in nearby areas. But besides that, would highly recommend this EE.
Forgot how much I loved this game. The characters and dialogue are quirky without being dumb. I like the big intimidating prison golem who can't stop you escaping and just keeps telling me to get back to my cell like a naughty boy. I liked the creature that was being kept alive and wanted me to kill it, the Dryads who could escape but would die if they left their trees, the blind golem who you can give instructions to by pretending to be his master etc. All this just at the beginning too. It doesn't storyfag me to death like PoE does, but there is enough to give some context to everything and it is well written.
But I play it mostly for the combat and I really like it. So many spells, decent amount of depth to how it all works. Wish it was turn based but I can live with rtwp. I prefer my party this time too. Last time I went with something like all spell casters apart from 1 tank. It was ok but hard work. My party this time I think will be tougher. I went with 2 tanks in the front (warrior and paladin), a cleric to heal, a rogue to spot traps and shit, and 2 mages. One mage purely offensive with fireballs and stuff, and the other one purely utility with all the spell resistance removal stuff, invisibility, haste, etc.
It is amazing how we went from games like this being the top RPG, to shit like Skyrim, in such a short space of time.
Forgot how much I loved this game. The characters and dialogue are quirky without being dumb. I like the big intimidating prison golem who can't stop you escaping and just keeps telling me to get back to my cell like a naughty boy. I liked the creature that was being kept alive and wanted me to kill it, the Dryads who could escape but would die if they left their trees, the blind golem who you can give instructions to by pretending to be his master etc. All this just at the beginning too. It doesn't storyfag me to death like PoE does, but there is enough to give some context to everything and it is well written.
But I play it mostly for the combat and I really like it. So many spells, decent amount of depth to how it all works. Wish it was turn based but I can live with rtwp. I prefer my party this time too. Last time I went with something like all spell casters apart from 1 tank. It was ok but hard work. My party this time I think will be tougher. I went with 2 tanks in the front (warrior and paladin), a cleric to heal, a rogue to spot traps and shit, and 2 mages. One mage purely offensive with fireballs and stuff, and the other one purely utility with all the spell resistance removal stuff, invisibility, haste, etc.
It is amazing how we went from games like this being the top RPG, to shit like Skyrim, in such a short space of time.
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MilesBeyond
Cipher
- Joined
- May 15, 2015
- Messages
- 716
I think I one-shotted him with Sunray. Liches are funny like that. Especially in SCS, where the protections a lich can get up is semi-random. Sometimes Sunray will work, sometimes it won't. Incidentally, it seems to almost always work against Kangaxx and that other demilich.
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