Party of four in IA, avoiding 4-party burnout Options

[kilolima2]

My last few games of BG2 I have used at most 4 party members (including the PC) with a few "guest npcs" for special sections.

I feel that any number over 4 makes control difficult. I also like to use powerful npcs (like Valen or Solafein) which make other npcs dead weight. In the beginning of the game a small party can make the game very difficult and a tactical challenge. But since they gain more exp per kill (even using multi-class characters), by mid-game my party is way over-powered and the game starts to get boring.

However, the appeal of a < 6 party is the increased exp reward, so I don't want to use a reduced experience mod. Can IA provide a satisfying gameplay experience for a small party from beginning to end? (or will my 4-member party just get their collective butt's kicked?)

I guess this question doesn't really have an answer, but I'd like to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

cheers,

kilolima

[thetruth]

Can IA provide a satisfying gameplay experience for a small party from beginning to end?

Definitely yes.Even when your party reach ToB-levels/HLAs during the SoA part of the game, the game will still be very challenging.

(or will my 4-member party just get their collective butt's kicked?)

Well this depends totally on how experienced you are in BG2.

As you said a 4 members party may have more difficulties from a full party in the beginning of the game but later on things will get easier.
Of course that depends also on the selection of your party members and your PC's class.

In my experience 2 characters that can do extremely well in IA are the F/M and the F/T.Also a R/C (or a F/C) will be very effective since a Cleric can help a lot in some battles.
All of them are multi-classed because, IMHO, good THACO and Fighter's HLAs can really make the difference in IA.

Note also that in IA pure Arcane spell-casters have lost a lot of their power (fortunately), so it's the first mod where I can definitely say that the Wild Mage or the Sorcerer is not the most powerful class.

As for NPCs I don't know if there are any compatibility issues with some of the mod-NPCs and IA.
But from the original game I can recommend:

a)Jaheira
b)Keldorn and
c)Aerie.


PS: In my suggestions I didn't take into consideration the new items introduced by IA sthg that can change the "rating" of some classes and NPCs.