Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition Solo-ing Question

[ATHATH]

I'm planning on trying Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition again in a solo run (from level 1 (of course), NOT Heart of Fury, Insane difficulty's extra enemies but not its other changes) and I'm trying to plan out a build for it.

Will I be able to see any use out of a single-classed Cleric's Turn Undead ability? A multi-classed Cleric's Turn Undead ability? A triple-classed Cleric's Turn Undead ability? I'm asking because I'm debating whether to go Evil for the undead control or Good for the many perks of being Good-aligned in Icewind Dale: EE. If even a single-classed Evil Cleric won't be able to control undead (and instead would only be able to make them flee), then I might as well go with a Good triple-classed Cleric, no? I suppose that means that by "use out of", I mean "meeting of the control/destroy threshold for undead in new/relevant areas with", but I'd still like to know if I'd be able to make undead flee with a triple-class Cleric.

I found this Turn Undead table, if you need to consult it: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussio...-undead-tables

[Kyutaru]

You certainly will get use from it. They have some pretty terrifying battles in that game that spam large numbers of creatures at you. With snowball swarm being ideal, and undead not bothered, it'll be an issue without turn but turn mainly just fears them due to levels.

[LibraryOgre]

I have solo'd IWD twice... once as a Bard (I used the HoW work-around to start at a higher level), and as a Paladin.

My paladin, as he leveled up, would just EXPLODE undead. I could just wander through some undead areas.

[Keltest]

I would also add that the potency of turn undead in part depends on whether cleric is your starting class or if you come into it later. If you can, I would recommend you look up the areas that undead appear in numbers and do your best to figure out about how many cleric levels you would have with your desired class splits in those areas.

[ATHATH]

My paladin, as he leveled up, would just EXPLODE undead. I could just wander through some undead areas.

Well, if a Paladin can be of a high enough level to successfully destroy undead in relevant areas with Turn Undead, I think that a triple-classed Cleric might as well (a Paladin's Turn Undead ability functions as that of a Cleric 2 levels lower than their Paladin level). Those undead WERE in level-relevant areas, right? You weren't just passing by Kresselack's Tomb again?

[ATHATH]

If you can, I would recommend you look up the areas that undead appear in numbers and do your best to figure out about how many cleric levels you would have with your desired class splits in those areas.

But that requires eeeeeefffoooorrrrrtttt, especially since there seems to be just one well-made/major walkthrough for Icewind Dale and the maker of that walkthrough doesn't seem to list what XP totals your party should be at in/by each area.

[Cheesegear]

the maker of that walkthrough doesn't seem to list what XP totals your party should be at in/by each area.

I have a few educated guesses.

The Prologue has around 20K XP in it. That's including the non-violent solution with the Ogre, and +2400 XP for having a Bard. So there's easily 17.5K XP.
So you should hit Kresselack's Tomb with close to 25-30K XP. So however you can deal with Undead at that Level.

A a Bard hits Level 11 sometime after The Hand. So, in a 6-person party, that's 1,320,000 XP. I know this because it's the threshold to get War Chant of Sith, and it's the instant that the game becomes ****-easy because your party now regens 2 HPs per round permanently.

...After that you're in Dorn's Deep dealing with the Lich with around 1.5mil XP.

A Thief hits Level 12 sometime in the Frost Giant cave, for 2,640,000 XP. I know that because that's when your Thief Skills hit over 100 and levelling them becomes irrelavent, which makes it time to Dual your single-Classed Thief.

After that there's no real milestones. So I don't really remember.

[LibraryOgre]

Well, if a Paladin can be of a high enough level to successfully destroy undead in relevant areas with Turn Undead, I think that a triple-classed Cleric might as well (a Paladin's Turn Undead ability functions as that of a Cleric 2 levels lower than their Paladin level). Those undead WERE in level-relevant areas, right? You weren't just passing by Kresselack's Tomb again?

I wasn't chunking things in Kresselacks, no. But by the time I got to Burial Island in HoW, I was surrounded by the exploded corpses of zombies.

Remember, too, this is 2e... if you dual-class your fighter or thief TO cleric, you can power-level cleric pretty quickly. A level 10 swashbuckler to cleric, with judicious choices of proficiencies (Club, TWF, TWF @ 4, TWF @ 8) and skills (265 points between 7 skills, plus your base for race and dex), will be short a few HP from a cleric (9*8 = 72 v. 10*6=60), but you will have, upon hitting 11th level cleric, +3 to AC, +2 to hit and damage, and be able to use all the thief abilities you need. If you dump Move Silently and Hide in Shadows (since you'll be wearing heavier armor), you can wind up at 255-285 points spread across 5 skills, base in the other 2, making you fairly competent at your main skills.

So, if I were doing this build, here's what I'd do.

Obviously, I want a 15+ Dex and a 17+ Wisdom. I'll assume I'm bored enough to get 90 points.

Str 18
Dex 18
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 18
Cha 10

Personally, I'd want a higher Charisma, but I am loathe to dump intelligence, and the build works well this way. With an 18 Wisdom, I'll top out at 40 Lore from thief... lower than I like, but I'm a bard player at heart.

I'm going to give about equal weight to Pick Pocket, Open Lock, FART and Detect Illusion, with dregs going to Set Trap... I'm not going to get the high levels necessary for the really COOL traps, but the "dispel invisibility" aspect of Detect Illusion is useful, and Pick Pocket can help you get some really nice bonus items (like a Ring of Freedom). Open Lock and FART not only help me with XP acquisition, but also help me progress through the game and save healing potions. WP are Club and TWF, of course, though I'll likely use a buckler for the first few levels. Single class thief will go quickly through levels. Good Dex, Strength, and Con will help me hit pretty hard. I won't have Backstab, but I might be able to use MS/HS to get some advantageous positioning, though I shouldn't count on it.

Once I switch to cleric (assuming I didn't HoW cheat my way through the early levels of thief), I still have thief HP to fall back on, but I can start using a single-class cleric approach to my problems.

[ATHATH]

I wasn't chunking things in Kresselacks, no. But by the time I got to Burial Island in HoW, I was surrounded by the exploded corpses of zombies.

Remember, too, this is 2e... if you dual-class your fighter or thief TO cleric, you can power-level cleric pretty quickly. A level 10 swashbuckler to cleric, with judicious choices of proficiencies (Club, TWF, TWF @ 4, TWF @ 8) and skills (265 points between 7 skills, plus your base for race and dex), will be short a few HP from a cleric (9*8 = 72 v. 10*6=60), but you will have, upon hitting 11th level cleric, +3 to AC, +2 to hit and damage, and be able to use all the thief abilities you need. If you dump Move Silently and Hide in Shadows (since you'll be wearing heavier armor), you can wind up at 255-285 points spread across 5 skills, base in the other 2, making you fairly competent at your main skills.

So, if I were doing this build, here's what I'd do.

Obviously, I want a 15+ Dex and a 17+ Wisdom. I'll assume I'm bored enough to get 90 points.

Str 18
Dex 18
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 18
Cha 10

Personally, I'd want a higher Charisma, but I am loathe to dump intelligence, and the build works well this way. With an 18 Wisdom, I'll top out at 40 Lore from thief... lower than I like, but I'm a bard player at heart.

I'm going to give about equal weight to Pick Pocket, Open Lock, FART and Detect Illusion, with dregs going to Set Trap... I'm not going to get the high levels necessary for the really COOL traps, but the "dispel invisibility" aspect of Detect Illusion is useful, and Pick Pocket can help you get some really nice bonus items (like a Ring of Freedom). Open Lock and FART not only help me with XP acquisition, but also help me progress through the game and save healing potions. WP are Club and TWF, of course, though I'll likely use a buckler for the first few levels. Single class thief will go quickly through levels. Good Dex, Strength, and Con will help me hit pretty hard. I won't have Backstab, but I might be able to use MS/HS to get some advantageous positioning, though I shouldn't count on it.

Once I switch to cleric (assuming I didn't HoW cheat my way through the early levels of thief), I still have thief HP to fall back on, but I can start using a single-class cleric approach to my problems.

Wouldn't it be better to go Fighter 2/Cleric X for Weapon Mastery? Or just go Illusionist/Cleric or Fighter/Mage/Cleric, since Mage spells and items seem pretty darn useful.

[ATHATH]

I have a few educated guesses.

The Prologue has around 20K XP in it. That's including the non-violent solution with the Ogre, and +2400 XP for having a Bard. So there's easily 17.5K XP.
So you should hit Kresselack's Tomb with close to 25-30K XP. So however you can deal with Undead at that Level.

A a Bard hits Level 11 sometime after The Hand. So, in a 6-person party, that's 1,320,000 XP. I know this because it's the threshold to get War Chant of Sith, and it's the instant that the game becomes ****-easy because your party now regens 2 HPs per round permanently.

...After that you're in Dorn's Deep dealing with the Lich with around 1.5mil XP.

A Thief hits Level 12 sometime in the Frost Giant cave, for 2,640,000 XP. I know that because that's when your Thief Skills hit over 100 and levelling them becomes irrelavent, which makes it time to Dual your single-Classed Thief.

After that there's no real milestones. So I don't really remember.

I won't be able to use a bard for the Ogre EXP, but this does help a lot. Thanks.

What about any EXP that I might be able to cheese out of the beginning of the Heart of Winter expansion?

Hm, it looks like a multi-classed Cleric won't be able to control relevant undead... So now the question is whether undead control is worth losing the ability to open many locked chests (without bashing them open) due to not having any Thief or Mage levels (the defense spells from Mage levels and shorty bonuses from being a gnome are also very nice, of course)...

In other words, it's come down to:
Human Berserker 2->Cleric X
or
Human Swashbuckler 10->Cleric X (but how will I be able to survive for that long without Cleric levels while still gaining EXP from killing stuff?)
or
Gnome Illusionist/Cleric
or
Half-Elf Fighter/Mage/Cleric

Hm.

[LibraryOgre]

Wouldn't it be better to go Fighter 2/Cleric X for Weapon Mastery? Or just go Illusionist/Cleric or Fighter/Mage/Cleric, since Mage spells and items seem pretty darn useful.

Depends on your goal.

From what I understand, you cannot triple-class with dual classing... you can't got Fighter/Mage/Cleric with a human.

Fighter/Cleric is a good option, which, depending on your choices, has a few break points and suggested classes... a Berserker/Cleric is pretty standard an option, and is suggested for Druids, since they can only have a Fighter in their dual-class (which is a shame, since I love Druid/Mages and would play them exclusively if I could). In that case, you maximize your fighter benefits with different break points. 2 is good if you just want specialization and possible fighter attribute bonuses. 3 allows a 3rd dot in a weapon. 6 a 4th dot, 7 a bonus half attack, 9 is a fifth dot and last HD, 13 is another half attack.

This Swashbuckler/Cleric is a specific build, aimed at improving your versatility. With several levels of thief under your belt, you can have 100 OL and 100 FART, with DI and PP getting the rest for their various useful tricks (you might even get 3 to 100, then rely on potions for the few times PP is worth it). Swashbuckler removes the backstab option, but makes your basic combat more potent, first with AC, attack, and damage bonuses, then with two-weapon fighting. Combining this with cleric gives you self-healing and defensive spells, with Turn Undead and some useful attack spells. You won't get to take advantage of a Swashbuckler's specialization (you don't have enough WP slots to go around if you also want 3 dots in TWF), but it's a less impressive benefit than what you'll get from swashbuckler levels.

It's not the only good build, by any means. But it's a solid one.

What about any EXP that I might be able to cheese out of the beginning of the Heart of Winter expansion?

Basically, you can get several tens of thousands of XP before you run into combat... the first combat you are likely to have is after you've spoken with Wylfdene, and you've already gotten a ton of XP in town before that. If you're up for the tedium, you can then export, and do it again. In these dual-class situations, I've started as a level 1 whatever, with X levels of what-I-once-was behind me. Level 10 Kensai who is now a 1st level wizard? Level 10 thief who is now a level 1 cleric? All options.

[Cheesegear]

I won't be able to use a bard for the Ogre EXP, but this does help a lot. Thanks.

The Sirine (Bard) and Ogre (Druid) are two seperate encounters. However the Ogre can also be solved by talking to the Archdruid, and then backtracking for 1200 XP.

What about any EXP that I might be able to cheese out of the beginning of the Heart of Winter expansion?

I've never done that. So I don't know.

So now the question is whether undead control is worth losing the ability to open many locked chests

I don't know that there are that many Locked Chests in the game - certainly not ones worth worrying about. Maybe Open Locks gets you a few more potions, gems and gold than you normally would. Almost all of the 'good' Chests are unlocked.

The real kicker is Traps. Traps can and will kill you if you don't know where they are.

If I was to solo IWD (Ew, gross. The least I've ever done is 3), it'd be with a Fighter/Mage/Cleric. Being a Fighter and Cleric also opens up a few extra dialogue choices in the early game. ...But you wouldn't be able to Pickpocket the extremely useful Necklace of Fireballs. Which dramatically increases the chances of survival in lower-member parties.
Cleric picks up Find Traps, Mage picks up Knock.

Fighter/Mage/Thief would be extremely good, have the Thief put every single point into Traps, whilst the Mage picks up Scrolls of Knock for the early game. Pick up a few Potions to help you Pickpocket, and you can snag the Necklace of Fireballs to make a joke out of particularly difficult encounters.

[ATHATH]

Would Sorcerer be a decent option? I've noticed that it seems to be a popular choice for HoF solo runs, but I think that might just be because they won't have to use spell scrolls to learn higher level spells. Are they viable in normal solo runs?

Are Dragon Disciples less bad (in comparison to a normal Sorcerer) in Icewind Dale than they are in Baldur's Gate? Does Icewind Dale provide less +fire resistance items than Baldur's Gate 1&2 do?

[Winthur]

Would Sorcerer be a decent option? I've noticed that it seems to be a popular choice for HoF solo runs, but I think that might just be because they won't have to use spell scrolls to learn higher level spells. Are they viable in normal solo runs?

They should be; solo means that all the XP goes to one character. In case of Sorcerer, that means you will likely get spells faster than spell scrolls can give you. Considering that a savvy player in any IE game probably has a repertoire of spells they keep coming back to and that situational spells can be substituted with one-off scrolls, Sorcerers, in their poorly ported form (they weren't there in original IWD1, and their AD&D version is some freaky backport from 3e) are likely superior to any single-classed Mage, just as they decidedly were in BG2.

The main reason a solo spellcaster might give you problems in HoF is that enemies have more levels and more HP, and the resulting HP bloat means that you might prefer having some form of brute force to simply make encounters go faster. However, I imagine this sort of run to be mostly time-consuming (enjoy CCing those early mobs and then killing them with a Sling one by one...).

Are Dragon Disciples less bad (in comparison to a normal Sorcerer) in Icewind Dale than they are in Baldur's Gate? Does Icewind Dale provide less +fire resistance items than Baldur's Gate 1&2 do?

Cheesegear is the specialist in terms of IWD gear (and would likely simply recommend you that you be a Fighter/Mage), but the difference between DDs and Sorcerers is fairly miniscule in the grand scheme of things; even if DDs are weaker than Sorcerers overall, the difference is slight and Sorcerers are already a high-tier class.

[Cheesegear]

Does Icewind Dale provide less +fire resistance items than Baldur's Gate 1&2 do?

I don't think Fire is a problem in IWD. The one you really have to worry about is Cold resistance, since Wyrm's Tooth can be a nightmare if you don't have it...Or your entire party regen'ing 2HPs/round.

Mantle of the Coming Storm is in a fixed location, and you get after Kresselack's. Gives +25% (?) vs. Fire & Cold. It's pretty good, and since it's in your Cloak slot, you'll probably use it for the entire game unless you get something that conflicts with the +1 AC...But I'm pretty sure EE doesn't do that. So whatever.
The Robe of the Hand gives a massive increase in all resistances (40 or 50?), but it gives you -2 DEX and is therefore total garbage...Not to mention it's only AC 9. So you'll be spamming Armour and Shield forever if you put it on.

There are a number of Flaming Long Swords +2 found in the game, giving +10%.

Then finally towards the end of the game you can pick up Alamion from the Fire Giants, and finally Aihonen (if you did the Sirine quest in the Prologue). If you're running EE, you could probably dual-wield them - they're both Long Swords.

However, if you're going to be running a solo character, you should be selling almost everything you pick up, which will afford you enough gold to buy whatever Fire Res. Potions and Scrolls you want.

Then of course, if you're really desperate and you hate yourself, you can always put on one of the Mage Robes of Fire Resistance found on various Wizards throughout the game.

[ATHATH]

A a Bard hits Level 11 sometime after The Hand. So, in a 6-person party, that's 1,320,000 XP. I know this because it's the threshold to get War Chant of Sith, and it's the instant that the game becomes ****-easy because your party now regens 2 HPs per round permanently.

Wait, I just realized that these were the XP totals of individual members of a 6 person party, not the sole member of a solo run.

Hoooooo boy. Looks like Turn Undead is back on the menu, boys.

Ah, but wait a minute, aren't I gonna get a penalty to EXP gain for outleveling my enemies?

Still, it looks like F/M/T is the way to go. Is it easier just to go NG and instantly destroy undead or NE and control them? I seem to vaguely remember wrangling controlled undead being a bit of a ballache, but it might be worth it.

Will most of the undead that I encounter be NE or CE (I don't wanna be LE because that'll give me an imp familiar, which has less health than the others)? I wanna sync our alignments up for Righteous Wrath of the Faithful's boosts.

Oh, and I should mention that "but not its other changes" includes Insane difficulty's EXP boost (but not the increased EXP available due to the increased number of enemies).

[LibraryOgre]

Wait, I just realized that these were the XP totals of individual members of a 6 person party, not the sole member of a solo run.

Hoooooo boy. Looks like Turn Undead is back on the menu, boys.

Ah, but wait a minute, aren't I gonna get a penalty to EXP gain for outleveling my enemies?

Not in 2e. Enemies are worth a set amount of XP (in theory, there should reach a point where you receive 0 xp because you outpower them so vastly, but that is not implemented in the rules). IWD2 will gimp you that way, which made solo runs a lot harder.

[ATHATH]

Not in 2e. Enemies are worth a set amount of XP (in theory, there should reach a point where you receive 0 xp because you outpower them so vastly, but that is not implemented in the rules). IWD2 will gimp you that way, which made solo runs a lot harder.

Ah, I must have been reading a thread about the wrong game.

Well, I think that a CE (for the quasit) Half-Elven Fighter/Mage/Cleric might be the way to go. Thanks, guys.

Actually, before I start, any advice on weapon proficiencies? Are flails still the best weapon to go with, even though I can't use the Three White Doves? Should I invest in dual-wielding or use a shield?

[Winthur]

Should I invest in dual-wielding or use a shield?

Invest into dual-wielding style because it's by far the best and makes BG1EE and IWDEE a much easier game compared to vanilla (where dual-wielding wasn't possible at all unless you were specifically a Ranger in IWD1) due to how strong it is, but feel free to keep a shield around either for useful intrinsics (if you find a good magical one or just the occasional need for -2 AC). Whatever you do, do not invest into the Sword 'n' Shield style because it's badly designed; a Fighter with no Dex bonuses whatsoever can just get a Splint Mail and a Large Shield and achieve 0 AC against any missile attacks (bearing in mind that the most dangerous archers are the early game ones who generally have bad THAC0 values, and they're mostly counting on one-shotting someone's initial low HP value), and with Dexterity bonuses and other possibilities this dips even lower; considering how missile attacks are just a small chunk of attacks hitting your character and how you can be well-protected against them from the start without the specialization, it's just an overall waste of proficiency points. And if you were playing on a mode that heavily increases received damage in combat, you're not relying on avoidance to not die, you rely on range, crowd control, and not getting hit at all anyway.

[LibraryOgre]

Ah, I must have been reading a thread about the wrong game.

Well, I think that a CE (for the quasit) Half-Elven Fighter/Mage/Cleric might be the way to go. Thanks, guys.

Actually, before I start, any advice on weapon proficiencies? Are flails still the best weapon to go with, even though I can't use the Three White Doves? Should I invest in dual-wielding or use a shield?

Also consider that, as a F/M/C, you're going to be capped at 2 for everything but TWF, but going to have a fair number of weapon proficiencies to go around.

I think starting with specialization in Maces is a good option, then 1 point in Hammers and Flails. As you level, put 3, 6, and 9 in TWF. At 12+, specialize in Hammers and Flails. This puts you as using sword-and-board early on (well, since you're blunt, it's really board-and-board, I suppose), but able to use Hammers and Flails competently if they come up. When you hit level 9 fighter, you'll be able to freely mix TWF, and will have a better idea if you want to specialize in Hammers or Flails first.

The other option is to start at 3 in TWF, and pick one from hammers, flails, and maces, and then specialize as you choose. I don't like this as much, since I feel that early on, the bonuses from specialization outweigh the bonuses from TWF... I'm probably wrong on the math, but it is what it is.

[Cheesegear]

So, in case it ever comes up again, I've got around to compiling a list of Important Loot.

'Important', in this case, means
- Found in a fixed location. That is, you have a reliable means of getting it, every game.
- By the end of Chapter 2, you need +2 weapons. +2 weapons found after Chapter 2, are meaningless.
- You must have +3 or better weapons by the end of the game.

This is not a list of the best weapons in the game (however, some of them are). This is a list of where you should put your Proficiency stars if you haven't already picked up a better weapon for your Class.

The List contains very minor spoilers.
Purple items can be bought from Conlan - the Kuldahar Blacksmith - any time after Chapter 1 starts, until the end of Chapter 6... If you've got the gold.

Spoiler: Character Generation

Show

There are a number of creatures in Kresselack's Tomb that can only be hurt by magic or Magic weapons. Unfortunately, unless you've bought some from Kuldahar, that might be problematic. In case you don't want to blow a whole bunch of gold before the first major area, you should have a Character proficient in Maces, and/or another character in Daggers. You might find one or two more magical weapons fighting Yetis. But you will find a magical Mace before you step into Kresselack's Tomb...Which is also helpful because Maces will also help you walk through Skeletons...Unless your character is Neutral and can pick up The Giving Star.

Unfortunately, while there are many fantastic Maces in Icewind Dale, you're not guaranteed to find any of them. So their reliability kind of drops off the instant you finish Chapter 1.

Spoiler: Before End of Chapter 2

Show

While you may find Random Loot in Dragon's Eye that will fit any Proficiency, you might also...Not. It is strongly advised that your characters are generated with Proficiencies in at least one of the following groups, just in case you don't find anything good:
Note: For Bards, don't bother putting any Proficiencies in Two-Handed weapons - that includes Bows and Crossbows.

Axes
Faith Killer (+2, 5% magic res., On Hit: 5% Dispel Magic)
Battle Axe +2: Defender (+2 AC, 10% Missile res.)
Throwing Axe +2 (Returns to User)

Bastard Sword
Erevain's Broad Sword (+2, +2 vs. Wands, 10% Acid res.)

Bows
You will reliably find Arrows +2 before the end of Chapter 2. Bolts and Bullets +2, however, are random loot.

Dagger
Presio's Dagger (+2, On Hit: Save vs. Death or Poisoned)

Flail
Hammer Flail +2 (On Hit: 15% to Stun)

Long Swords
Long Sword of Confusion +2 (On Hit: 25% to Confuse)
Flaming Long Sword +2 (+d3 Fire damage, 10% Fire res.) Minor Spoiler; In order to get this, you must kill the group of adventurers you find in Dragon's Eye.

Warhammer
Conlan's Hammer (+1*, +5 vs. Iron Golems, *Can Hit and Damage any creature, regardless of Resistance) Minor Spoiler; Technically, you can backtrack out of Dragon's Eye before the end of Chapter 2, pick this up, and then go back in...But will you?

Spoiler: Endgame

Show

Once again, this list isn't saying you wont find weapons better or other than this (Any Hammer you pick up is better than Conlan's...However, how do you know if/when you're going to pick up a Hammer?). This list is saying what you definitely will find, so it is safe to put max proficiency points into one of these groups because you know you will pick up something useful. So, it is unwise to put any proficiency points into say, Clubs, unless you've already picked up a +3 Club (e.g; Peacekeeper).

Axes
Lonesome Road (+3, Two-Handed, +1 CON)
Axe of Caged Souls (+3, +5 vs. Cadaverous Undead)
The Celebrant's Blade (+4)
Joril's Axe (+3, Two-Handed, -1 DEX, +1 CON)

Daggers
Breath of Auril (+3, +1 INT, -1CHA, Cursed)
Salamander's Tongue (+3, On Hit: 20% +d4 Fire damage)
Fire Kiss (+3, On Hit: 5% Shroud of Flame)

Flails
Misery's Herald (+3, +4 vs. Elves, Cold Iron, On Hit: 10% Horror)

Long Swords
Pale Justice (...It's the best weapon in the game. Paladins only.)
Alamion (+3, +5 vs. Salamanders, +10% Fire res., -5% Cold res.)
Restored Blade of Aihonen (+5, 25% Cold and Fire res., +5 HPs) Minor Spoiler; To get this you must have done a quest in the Prologue...And then if you do, right before the final boss fight of the game, you get this.

The two best weapons in the game are both in fixed locations, and they're both Long Swords.
...If you're playing the Enhanced Edition, Dual-Wielding Paladins walk through the final boss, solo.
...For true Easy Mode, be a Cavalier, as well.

Mace / Morning Star
The Giving Star (+3, On Hit: 10% Cure Light Wounds, On Hit, 10% +1 Strength/5 Rounds. Not Good.)

Neutral Clerics are generally the best pick 'cause they get to Cure Wounds instead of Inflict, they get to Turn Undead, and they can use The Giving Star.

Scimitar
Scimitar +3, Frostbrand (50% Fire res. Drizzt was here.)

Spears
Spear of Kerish (+3, 10% fire res., On Hit: 5% +d6 cold damage)
Slayer (+5; This would be really good, if it did something else, and didn't take your TWF/Shield slot...)

Two Handed Swords
Cairn Blade (+4; Once again...Is that it? And it takes your TWF/Shield slot?)

Warhammer
Conlan's Hammer (+1*, +5 vs. Iron Golems, *Can Hit and Damage any creature, regardless of Resistance)

...So, just in case Icewind Dale ever comes up again. Feel free to link back to this post.