Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition

[arguskos]

Originally Posted by Squark

I think you can find a few mods which restore some of the BG1 characters (Xan and Kivan I know have mods to put them into BG 2, and then The Darkest Day adds a couple of the BG1 characters as well, but TDD's party members are less fleshed out than those in dedicated mods. Also, I have no idea if you can get TDD anymore)

I have an English version of TDD that adds the spells and items. No reliable English version of the quests/NPCs exists anymore that I am aware of.

If someone wants the file I've got, that could be arranged. Additionally, if anyone actually knows of an English version of TDD's quest/NPCs, that'd be fantastic.

[Avilan the Grey]

Speaking of Minsc, am I the only person who never liked him? He died way too easily, for one thing (he was better in BGII, where his Berserk rage was useful against mind-controlling enemies). I can't count the numbers of reloads I had to do because his armor class sucked.

[AgentPaper]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Speaking of Minsc, am I the only person who never liked him? He died way too easily, for one thing (he was better in BGII, where his Berserk rage was useful against mind-controlling enemies). I can't count the numbers of reloads I had to do because his armor class sucked.

Who cares about how good he actually is at fighting, he has a miniature giant space hamster!

[Seharvepernfan]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Speaking of Minsc, am I the only person who never liked him? He died way too easily, for one thing (he was better in BGII, where his Berserk rage was useful against mind-controlling enemies). I can't count the numbers of reloads I had to do because his armor class sucked.

No.

I almost laughed when my coworker first mentioned how he hated how often "Minsc got chunked", my friends and I used the same term. Apparently it's a very common problem with BG players.

I don't mind a character being less than optimal, but he's just so annoying. If he were a bit less mandatory, I wouldn't mind so much.

Spoiler

But, naturally, you have to start BG2 with the "good ally" characters that you hate. If I started with Coran, Yeslick, and/or Kivan, I'd be a happy gamer.

[Johnny Blade]

TDD rewrites Irenicus' character in some pretty major ways. That alone is reason enough to stay away from it if you ask me.
Late edit: I just realized that I got The Darkest Day and Tortured Souls confused here, probably because they both have similar silly names and add some BG1 companions.
So, Tortured Souls is the one to stay away from because it rewrites Irenicus (and that's definitely not the only reason).
Although I don't like The Darkest Day either, since it changes the rules (spell progression tables and stuff like that) and just isn't very good in general; a lot of it is just boring filler material.

If you want BG1 NPCs in BG2, I'd make a Baldur's Gate Trilogy installation with the BGT Tweak Pack installed, which has a component that allows you to port all the NPCs that don't appear in BG2 (which means no Safana or Xzar, but you'll get Yeslick, Branwen etc.).

Of course, some companions already have mods made for them, sou you may not even need the simple port option in some cases. You can use this thread over at Spellhold Studios to look that up.
(Obviously, some mods have questionable writing. I'd stay away from the Kivan and Deheriana mod simply because it's done by the same modder that wrote Kivan for the BG1 NPC Project, which was a complete character assassination, amazing when you consider how little character BG1's NPCs have to ruin in the first place.)

And if you want an NPC that you can't port or get a dedicated mod for: making a Baldur's Gate Trilogy installation means all the files for those NPCs can be accessed in Shadows of Amn, so you can always just cheat them in.



Oh, and there's also this mod here, which appears to be in active development.

[arguskos]

Originally Posted by Johnny Blade

Although I don't like The Darkest Day either, since it changes the rules (spell progression tables and stuff like that) and just isn't very good in general; a lot of it is just boring filler material.

And this is why I recommended TDD sin TDD (the mod I have). There is some fun material in the items/spells, but nothing else. *shrug* To each his own though.

[Starbuck_II]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Speaking of Minsc, am I the only person who never liked him? He died way too easily, for one thing (he was better in BGII, where his Berserk rage was useful against mind-controlling enemies). I can't count the numbers of reloads I had to do because his armor class sucked.

Wait, Minsc can wear heavy armor... how did his armor suck? Did you only hive him light armor?
He can wear full plate.

[Triaxx]

Agreed. I'd always give him the free Ankheg Armor from Nashkel. The only time he ever got chunked for me was in the Iron Wood mine when he chased a guard into the accursed Lightning Bolt Trap.

[Avilan the Grey]

Originally Posted by Starbuck_II

Wait, Minsc can wear heavy armor... how did his armor suck? Did you only hive him light armor?
He can wear full plate.

Of course I had him in heavy armor. His DEX is so low that he still gets hit with EVERY BLOW, with heavy armor. His AC is lousy even with heavy armor (part of the problem is that he is an optmized 2H fighter, I admit).

The thing is that the way the game(s) implement the 2.x D&D rules makes DEX the most important stat for a tank. The best tank in the first game is Shar-Teel, the Chaotic Evil female warrior. She has a low CON and a medium STR but a DEX of 18. With a tower shield and heavy armor her AC is amazing!

This is also why I always equipped whichever second frontline tank I have (me, or say Jaheira with Ankheg armor, tower shield and shimitar) with the gloves of DEXTERITY found on the way to the Gnoll fortress (gives you DEX 18).

[Johnny Blade]

Originally Posted by arguskos

And this is why I recommended TDD sin TDD (the mod I have). There is some fun material in the items/spells, but nothing else. *shrug* To each his own though.

It's really only the rules changes that make me recommend against installing TDD (the full TDD that I played a few years back, that is); everything else can after all just be ignored if you don't like it.

[Parra]

Seeing as the release of the Enhanced Edition is just around the corner, is there any online resource that shows what all the different Classes/Kits that are going to be available?
I had a quick look about and nothing jumped out

[Triaxx]

I usually gave those to him. I didn't worry too much about it for me, because I usually play a mage. My fighters tend to be high dex, and Jaheira I played as a Druid rather than a fighter.

[Calemyr]

For me, Minsc simply adds too much to be left out. He's not a perfect tank (though the Gauntlets of Dexterity in the Gnoll Stronghold REALLY help, and you have to go that way eventually with him in your party), but he's an offensive powerhouse and quite utilitarian - he can't cast spells well, but he CAN use scrolls, so he can do a share of the healing when it gets bad. He can also jump to leather armor and serve as a minor scout.

As I've heard it, the "new" subraces and kits are merely the BG2 ones. There was no half-orc option or kits in BG1, so the fact that those are implemented in in the EE now is indeed an enhancement, just not that special of one. The DLC NPC Ilkahn adds the Blackguard kit, but that's the only truly "new" one I know about.

I figure my first run through is going to be myself as a Swashbuckler, Imoen, Minsc and Dynaheir, Rassaad, and Neera. It's a pity I expect the pairs to stay linked, because otherwise I'd probably drop Dynaheir for a cleric (Yeslick or Viconia).

[Avilan the Grey]

Obligatory party members for me on my first run is Viconia. That's it

[mangosta71]

Originally Posted by Calemyr

I figure my first run through is going to be myself as a Swashbuckler, Imoen, Minsc and Dynaheir, Rassaad, and Neera. It's a pity I expect the pairs to stay linked, because otherwise I'd probably drop Dynaheir for a cleric (Yeslick or Viconia).

Rescue Dynaheir, immediately strip her and send her off alone into the biggest group of gnolls you can find while the rest of the party goes the other way. You can be rid of her before you even leave the stronghold without losing Minsc. The thing with killing her off so you don't also lose Minsc is that you can do it at any time. You can keep her around as another caster until, say, she tries to single-handedly protect Viconia from the Flaming Fist and tragically falls while the rest of the party is rushing toward the fray, and our lovely drow vixen is so touched by her sacrifice that she offers to take her place in your group.

[Winthur]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Of course I had him in heavy armor. His DEX is so low that he still gets hit with EVERY BLOW, with heavy armor. His AC is lousy even with heavy armor (part of the problem is that he is an optmized 2H fighter, I admit).

I thought his Dex was 15 which isn't bad, and even if it was, you can very conveniently get Gauntlets of Dexterity in the very Gnoll Stronghold his quest is tied into. Just run a shield and don't send him face-first against people until he gains some levels, duh.

[Johnny Blade]

I always found Minsc to be weaker in BG2 than BG1, due to every other fighter type there having some kind of useful kit (or special abilities/absurd stats) and Strength simply not being that important anymore due to items and spells buffing that stat.

But even in BG1, his big advantage is having a high score in the physical stat you find the most (and best) potions for, while his other stats only give minor bonuses. And this isn't all that great, honestly.

Also, I'm pretty sure Minsc can't actually use scrolls due to low Int.

[Starbuck_II]

Originally Posted by Johnny Blade

I always found Minsc to be weaker in BG2 than BG1, due to every other fighter type there having some kind of useful kit (or special abilities/absurd stats) and Strength simply not being that important anymore due to items and spells buffing that stat.

But even in BG1, his big advantage is having a high score in the physical stat you find the most (and best) potions for, while his other stats only give minor bonuses. And this isn't all that great, honestly.

Also, I'm pretty sure Minsc can't actually use scrolls due to low Int.

True, in BG 2, unfinished business raising his str to 19 helps. Plus, awesomer Boo.

[Azaran]

Like most of the people above said, Minsc's lowish dexterity could be fixed with the "Bracers of dexterity". Those did not even need any backtracking, you just find them on the same map like Dynaheir (at least in BG1 vanilla).
He ended up as my best good aligned warrior for melee and ranged combat.

There were other good aligned fighters with more problems, like Ajantis:
No dexterity bonus for his AC and lowish strength for a dedicated heavy armor + heavy shield melee warrior.
Man, it was a pain how much this poor guy was hit and poisoned by the spiders in the forest.
And lets not even start with Khalid...

[Winthur]

Originally Posted by Azaran

And lets not even start with Khalid...

Khalid is a great fighter whose only real problem is "low" strength.

Solution? Use the fact that he has a * in Bows and turn him into a very viable sharpshooter in a game where ranged weapons are broken.

[Avilan the Grey]

Originally Posted by Winthur

I thought his Dex was 15 which isn't bad, and even if it was, you can very conveniently get Gauntlets of Dexterity in the very Gnoll Stronghold his quest is tied into. Just run a shield and don't send him face-first against people until he gains some levels, duh.

His DEX is 8, I believe. And I find him annoying.
I rather see the gloves of DEX used on someone with skills in shields.

[Azaran]

@Winthur:
I would not say bows are broken, they were only a very good option in BG1.
In the later titles i missed the their punch when enemies did have more HP and some of the magic ammunition like fireball arrows and the ones who could dispel some protective magic. Ah, fun times...

But of course you are right with Khalid. I used him as a sharpshooter myself, but I felt always happier with other warrior guys.
I think i read somewehre that Khalid was originally designed as a fighter/mage type in mind which explains his high intelligence stat 15.

[karpik777]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

His DEX is 8, I believe. And I find him annoying.
I rather see the gloves of DEX used on someone with skills in shields.

Nope, it's 15.

[The Glyphstone]

Am I the only one who thinks Minsc is, even if inadvertently, a weird parody of actual PCs? He's incredibly minmaxed, with dumped mental stats and high physical stats. His Favored Enemy in both games is metagamed to be a monster type that features prominently in the plot (Gnolls/Vampires). He's incredibly chaotic and random, with a 'gimmick' that is the only reason anyone actually remembers him. Sound like any PCs you've seen or played?

[Triaxx]

I always found that Minsc and Khalid did well as a team. Khalid moves up first, and uses his absurdly high AC (Full Plate, plus tower shield) to give them a nearly un hittable target then Minsc runs up and slaps them silly with a two handed sword.

If Khalid goes ranged, his team mate has to be Jaheira for no reason other than the utter awesomeness of entangle. Stops them cold, only affects enemies.

[Avilan the Grey]

Originally Posted by karpik777

Nope, it's 15.

Huh. He still dies all the time and is annoying. So there.

[Winthur]

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Huh. He still dies all the time and is annoying. So there.

He has a miniature giant space hamster. That's even better than a miniature giant SPESS MAHREEN.

If Baldur's Gate was just a little more mainstream, Heavy from TF2 would be a carbon copy of Minsc. (With Medic as Boo; because Minsc would never eat Boo, so it can't be the Sandvich)

[The Glyphstone]

Originally Posted by Winthur

He has a miniature giant space hamster. That's even better than a miniature giant SPESS MAHREEN.

If Baldur's Gate was just a little more mainstream, Heavy from TF2 would be a carbon copy of Minsc. (With Medic as Boo; because Minsc would never eat Boo, so it can't be the Sandvich)

Well, he wouldn't swallow him. Remember in BG2 when Minsc still has Boo, and says it's because "Boo is so squirrelly and there is ever so much of Minsc to search" - I choose to believe this means he stuffed Boo inside his cheek and just didn't talk.

[Cespenar]

Originally Posted by The Glyphstone

Well, he wouldn't swallow him. Remember in BG2 when Minsc still has Boo, and says it's because "Boo is so squirrelly and there is ever so much of Minsc to search" - I choose to believe this means he stuffed Boo inside his cheek and just didn't talk.

Well, that's an... optimistic look at it, I guess.

[Johnny Blade]

Originally Posted by Azaran

There were other good aligned fighters with more problems, like Ajantis:
No dexterity bonus for his AC and lowish strength for a dedicated heavy armor + heavy shield melee warrior.

I am in the process of dragging Ajantis' terrible ass through early BG right now (no Dex gloves yet) and have put him on bow duty while Branwen does the tanking he was originally supposed to do.
Things should start to look up soon, but ugh. That guy. I've got Quayle in the party as well, and he outperforms Ajantis. Quayle!

Originally Posted by Avilan the Grey

Huh. He still dies all the time and is annoying. So there.

Well, the difference between 8 and 15 Dex is one point of AC, so, yeah, it doesn't help much. Minsc's problem really is that 15 Dex doesn't make for a good AC tank, and 15 Con in conjunction with a slow-leveling class doesn't make for a good HP tank, so he keeps chugging those potions.





Also, I have installed Spell Revisions for the first time and, even though I've only seen spells up to level 2 so far, I'm pretty sure it's going to be one of those mods I'll always use from now on. I'm actually switching my spells around quite a lot instead of sticking to my usual routine of "Armor, Sleep, Sleep, Web, Web, go!".