Wow. Just wow. Questions from a new player, The game is beating the crap out of me, but I'm starting to like i Options

[ksshan]

What a week it has been. Bumped into a friend whom I have not contacted for a decade. We were gaming buddies, and those were the days of counter-strike, diablo 2, and BG2 (has it really been 10 years? Kinda scary thinking about it. Seems like yesterday). Anyway, this dude is still playing BG2 with IA5, and he could'nt stop raving about it, so I decided to fire up my old BG2 discs (very scratched, but surprisingly still playable).

Well, I started off thinking, how hard could it be? After all, I did play tactics. All those guys complaining about difficulty must be 12-16 yr olds who have never played contra or ninja gaiden etc etc. Buncha wimps. So imagine my pleasant surprise when the suna seni encounter, ordinarily a walk over, decimated my entire party. Thats when I started browsing SP and BWL forums for more info, and boy have I learned alot, but still, I fear, not enough.

Well, armed with my meager new knowledge, I'm starting a new game that will hopefully make the game easier, and this time I'm sticking like glue to the suggested quest order. My usual play style is melee heavy, which seems to fit well with the play style of IA5 from what I've read, so thats cool.

So, what party would you guys recommand for the easiest time for a first time IA player? It doesnt have to be bioware NPCs since the dialogue has gotten old years ago. And since weapons have been revamped, and many weapons made inaccessible early game (I'm gonna miss celestial fury), who should use what weapons?

Thanks a million for whatever help you guys can give. This is the hardest game I've played since Godhand, though its a action game

[ksshan]

Spent quite some time today reading through SP, G3 and BWL forums today. I just have to say this, if the fights in IA are half as interesting as the fights OVER IA, then this is one heck of a mod indeed.

I also read most of the online journels, and also used SK to browse through the many new items. Here are some of my thoughts. Funny eh, considering that I've only played the game for just over an hour?

Firstly, yeah, Sikret likes rangers. He likes valygar, and I bet his favourite character in LOTR is Aragorn. He makes a few nifty items usuable only by rangers (Flail of defending and wounding/boots of improved haste), and suddenly many people are up in arms. Why is that? I didnt see that kind of outrage against Valen, who is even more powerful since her bonuses are innate. In fact, I daresay a well-played f/m is still more powerful. Its just that the gap has been closed since this is sikret's mod and he like rangers. Ultimately, its the player's choice. I don't like rangers, so I'm not using a vagrant. Simple as that.

Same goes for some other items. +3 spells/level a day from a robe? A 2d8 dmg longsword with more bonuses then a dog has fleas? I don't like it, so I'm not going to forge them. It seems many players are upset because they want their favourite characters, be it thief or f/m or blade whatever, to be able to use those items but are not allowed to, so they get all flustered. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure the game is perfectly playable even with vanilla weapons. Sure it will be more difficult, but weren't you looking for a difficulty enhancing mod when you installed IA?

With all that said, this is my planned party

F/M (flails/belm)
Sorc
thief7/mage
ranger/clerc (multi) (flail and club)
berserker7/cleric (hammer/club with shield)
berserker (staff and halberd)

That way, I have plenty of arcane power, 1 1/2 divine casters, and 4 melee capable characters. No idea who should be the protagonist though. Any idea?

[matti]

Spent quite some time today reading through SP, G3 and BWL forums today. I just have to say this, if the fights in IA are half as interesting as the fights OVER IA, then this is one heck of a mod indeed.

I also read most of the online journels, and also used SK to browse through the many new items. Here are some of my thoughts. Funny eh, considering that I've only played the game for just over an hour?

Firstly, yeah, Sikret likes rangers. He likes valygar, and I bet his favourite character in LOTR is Aragorn. He makes a few nifty items usuable only by rangers (Flail of defending and wounding/boots of improved haste), and suddenly many people are up in arms. Why is that? I didnt see that kind of outrage against Valen, who is even more powerful since her bonuses are innate. In fact, I daresay a well-played f/m is still more powerful. Its just that the gap has been closed since this is sikret's mod and he like rangers. Ultimately, its the player's choice. I don't like rangers, so I'm not using a vagrant. Simple as that.

Same goes for some other items. +3 spells/level a day from a robe? A 2d8 dmg longsword with more bonuses then a dog has fleas? I don't like it, so I'm not going to forge them. It seems many players are upset because they want their favourite characters, be it thief or f/m or blade whatever, to be able to use those items but are not allowed to, so they get all flustered. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure the game is perfectly playable even with vanilla weapons. Sure it will be more difficult, but weren't you looking for a difficulty enhancing mod when you installed IA?

With all that said, this is my planned party

F/M (flails/belm)
Sorc
thief7/mage
ranger/clerc (multi) (flail and club)
berserker7/cleric (hammer/club with shield)
berserker (staff and halberd)

That way, I have plenty of arcane power, 1 1/2 divine casters, and 4 melee capable characters. No idea who should be the protagonist though. Any idea?

Vanilla weapons are randomized in IA. But they're also nerfed so when you finally find one it is usually a pile of useless junk. ;] "Wow! I found Mana Bow +4 after challenging fight! Kewl, gonna shoot some groundhogs in Umar Hills. And then I will smack the undead groundhogs with my mace of disruption, hope it will work on them. (crossed fingers)" But they're always good for extra cash.

Vagrant should be your prot. for your first IA runthrough. I know that you don't like rangers but you better start to like them, coz vagrant has two very good quests in IA, not only tactic-wise but also role-playing wise and the final battle in one of this quests is just too cool for words.


And a... here's a little spoiler:

SPOILER!

Do you have trouble with a lich? Summon swanmay.
Do you have trouble witha a grave lich? Summon two greater swanmays.
Do you have trouble with four grave liches? Summon two swanmays, two greater swanmays and swanmay queen.
Eventually, let your sorc cast wish and summon another five.
Problem solved.

Fights in IA are much more interesting than fights over IA. But I must say, as a simple forum member, that for example this temujin dude from G3 "what do you think about the mod you don't even play" stupidity was even harder than Elite Nishuruu.

[Sikret]

vagrant has two very good quests in IA, not only tactic-wise but also role-playing wise and the final battle in one of this quests is just too cool for words.

This is true. Improved Anvil adds as much new content to the game role-playing-wise as it does tactics-wise.

In v5, vagrant rangers have access to the maximum number of new quests compared to other classes, single class mages stand second.

In v6, vagrants have access to one more new big quest, but necromancers and druids will also have access to a lot more new quests. There is also one new big quest in v6 which is available to all three classes (single class mages, single class druids and single class rangers). These are all listed in the first post of the progress report for IA v6 topic.

So, yes, matti is right; if you are looking for more new quests, vagrant is the best choise for your first IA v5 run-through. In v6, it will be harder to say which one will be the best to try first, because all three (vagrant, necromancer and druid) will have access to a lot of new content.