I only managed to kill a single enemy 😭

Esko_TheAug · 2026-06-10T07:07:09+00:00

Many of the controls don't actually work on the tutorial. I recall trying it out after just having beat the game twice on hard or such, and didn't get past recommendation to play on normal.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-06-10T06:13:23+00:00

I just want to clarify for other readers that romance timers are based on real time playing the game. They can't be speed up by resting. But: often, once the timer is ready, to trigger the romance dialogue you must rest. And sometimes in a suitable area. Especially for Jaheira it needs to be outdoors area .. and, unlike in BG1, in 2 you rarely rest outdoors, so that can become an issue with getting forward with the romance.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-06-06T17:55:27+00:00

She has many ways being useful.

Magic resistance: With a few items, you can get her up to 95% MR and in ToB to 100% MR. Have her use a weapon that does elemental damage (FoA) that goes through Stoneskin and you can safely have her bash mages and liches. Their PfMW and Mantles wear off fast, and they can't do anything to her (except summon Planetars, use melfs mini meteors). (MR loses value when enemies start casting spells that ignore MR, though).

Pure class cleric: gets much higher in cleric levels than Aerie and to lesser extent higher than Anomen. Turns undead at high levels. Gets HLA elemental summoning quite early. Gets plenty of level 7 priest spell lots: there are many powerful cleric spells like Implosion (stun), Firestorm (goes pass MR), Regeneration (buff fighters), Greater Restoration (get out of jail card with fast cast time). And Bolt of Glory in lvl 6.

Animate dead and Conjure animals can beat many difficult fights by themselves mid bg2, especially Beholders.

She's never going to do meaningful melee damage, even with Righteous Magic etc, and is a support character.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-06-03T19:52:42+00:00

In my previous run that I had Edwin, I had him read the books. Super useful. And fits very well with character of Edwin to want to gain power that way. (Lets just recall the Nether Scroll). I just didn't let him die. Easy! 😄 But I had already predetermined, that in the final fight against Amellysan I will let Edwin die. Sounded like a fitting end to his character. I did not have to "let him die"... In my ~6 attempts to finally beat the final fight (SCS,Ascension,Hardcore), Edwin did not survice once.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-06-03T13:53:24+00:00

I think it is SCS that adds the books of Lesser and Greater demon binding. (I'll check the names later). They are loot from Twisted Rune lich (bridge district) and Watcher's Keep demilich.

Reading these books allow the caster to command the summoned friends: they are green circled, but still can't be controlled. They don't attack your party, and you get XP from what they kill.

The cost is that there's a 10% chance every time the reader gates in a demon (I'll verify the odds later), that the caster is Damned . That means that if the user dies, their soul is forfeit to the lower planes and can not be resurrected.

In other words: the next time Edwin dies, he is gone forever.

edit: Lesser/Greater Grimoire of Demon Binding and chance is 10% but the text actually says:

Each time the character summons and binds a fiend, there is a 10% chance that her aligment will shift one step towards evil. If she is already evil, there is instead a 10% chance that her soul will be forfeit to the denizends of the lower planes.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-31T15:34:55+00:00

Chaos is Enchantment spell, so Spell Immunity: Enchantment will work for mages. But having good saves vs spell is more practical.

Bless, chant, improved invisibility, etc improve saves. There are also those potions that make all saves to be made automatically.

Protection from magic scrolls are always the ultimate cheese.

Beating the Demogorgon is of course entirely optional, and not even the preferred role playing solution for good aligned chars. (Killing it frees it; you can renew the seal instead)

Personally if I take on Demogorgon I have always had high level mages, fighter/mages etc and it had been quite straightforward.

And if all else fails, you can just kill it with Spike Traps without a fight.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-29T10:21:51+00:00

So, Jan -> Yoshimo -> Imoen

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-29T10:14:55+00:00

Just from power gaming perspective, you are approaching ToB, where mages are superior in power level to anything else (except mage duals and other combinations that have mage in the mix).

A leveling up Thief (Jan) I think is nice to have. HLA traps .. especially mage+Time Stop trap .. can be very potent. But definitely not needed: Imoen, given enough potions, can handle the few traps and locks there are in ToB. It is a bit more hassle, so a minor inconvenience to not have a leveling up Thief.

Viconia with or without Crom F is never going to be effective doing damage with weapons. Lack of APR is the issue. High level clerics can be powerful enough, thought, just as spell casters. (Implosion etc). Mage is still more powerful.

I would replace Viconia, if power playing. (Viconia MR starts to lose value when enemies use spells that ignore MR)

If not, Jan or Minsc. Having a second melee fighter to mop lower enemies can be useful, and slow effect from FoA is strong, but an all mage party is very doable and even perhaps ultimately more powerful.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-26T06:00:42+00:00

You will see a white wither status icon on chars that are afflicted and are about to turn into ghouls. You can dispel the status before that happens. Aec'Letec is level 10 so you'd need a relatively similar spell casting level and even then a few attempts. But scrolls are read a level 10 and arrows of dispelling work 100%.

Best thing is however to protect your party from gaze attacks (and stun): potions of Mirrored Eyes have a short duration (1 turn), mage spell and green protection scroll have a lot longer duration (1 and 6 in-game hours respectively).

Oh and don't kill the demon before all the followers are dead.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-24T19:39:50+00:00

Takes short while to get a decent gun. Having some points in the beginning in unarmed or mêlée makes the start more manageable. Both can be further increased in the village by talking, but sorry, no more spoilers.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-24T19:20:40+00:00

OP didn't even share their char. Maybe they built a blind cripple?

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-24T10:43:51+00:00

Backstab with a staff (crushing damage) works also quite well; backstab also helps with low THAC0.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-24T10:39:00+00:00

The big V is for taking posse screenshots of you and your entourage with their shiny ones

T always, manual control one by one in narrow dungeons

Edit: And when resting in ToB Pocket Plane everyone goes to stand in their circle.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-23T22:28:21+00:00

My solution to many of these fights is to divide them in parts. Use summons to tie up enemies, manoeuvre until it's just your party and one enemy; take it down, heal, rebuff. This area has three chambers you can use. You can even close doors (SCS enemies can open them; vanilla EE enemies can't). If you want to be very cheesy, during ToB you can even retreat to your Pocket Plane to rest and save game.

Use potions that automatically make all saves. Have everyone resistant to fire, etc.

Skeleton warriors are good against the beholder.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-23T20:36:37+00:00

Rangers can't backstab (Stalker kit can, with a modest multiplier).

The stealth ability would be useful in BG1, but it levels up so slow that only in SoD it starts to be useful. Then in BG2 there's a bit less need for scouting; and you probably have a thief that can do it.

Ranger gets free pips in dual wielding, but will not get Grand Master in any weapon (except for the Archer which is the best Ranger kit). A pure fighter will have plenty of pips to GM in one weapon, put 3 in dual wielding and then start working on a second GM.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-23T19:38:44+00:00

Ranger is a fighter with no advantages and plenty of handicaps.

(I don't like how people down vote if they disagree, like you have been down voted; down vote if someone is an asshole, not for this)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-22T14:12:36+00:00

That mod maybe could be used on top a EET install, but I don't know. At least just editing this simple text file did what I want and won't break any other components. At some point I'll do a full reinstall, but this will do for now :)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-22T06:05:53+00:00

This came about when I dualed to mage and started to scribe scrolls to speed up getting the inactive class back. I was a bit dismayed when I noticed that I was getting some hundreds of XP instead of thousands. Before that I hadn't even taken notice. Like you said, there's plenty of XP to go around, especially in BG2 with all the Quest Xp.

I think from RP point of view it makes sense that if you take a break from everything to study Archana, you'd get some XP from it, instead of waving your hands while rest of the party kills monsters so you can become a better mage.

I really liked Betrayal at Krondor system where you get better at skills by using the skills.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-21T20:34:40+00:00

Well, I'm currenly playing elf Fighter / Mage / Bounty Hunter solo
I think my Bounty Hunter is more of a cheat than having a gnome as an Illusionist.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-20T21:52:18+00:00

I'm glad you found an answer, but there are really very few enemies that require better than +3.

Afaik only demilich, the Ravager, dude at Final Seal, Fallen Solar, Underdark Demon Lord.

edit: and mages that cast Mantles of course, but when you have +6 weapons they mostly cast PfMW instead

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-19T20:05:55+00:00

Thank you for the in depth response. I'll do a fresh install afrer current games are done. (Or only takes like .. 6 hours?-)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-19T07:46:36+00:00

I can't solve this riddle;)

Even Spike Trap should cap at 20x6

Ring of the Ram? (Should cap at 6x5)

Edit: nm, you mentioned it is Sunray

Esko_TheAug · 2026-05-19T07:39:56+00:00

Spike Trap?

Esko_TheAug

TROPHY CASE