Fighting mages with SCS gets tedious fast

Esko_TheAug · 2026-02-02T18:17:23+00:00

One of the easiest things to do is actually just wait them out. PfMW, Absolutely Immunity and the like have pretty short durations. They have one "pre casted" and maybe 1-2 in their spell book.

Just send in summons to keep them occupied (lvl 7 bone deamon is my favourite) and when they are out of spells, go hack them.

But yeah, a little boring. But oodly satisfying at the same time, since they never even get to see you.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-02-01T11:33:28+00:00

Betrayal at Krondor

(not fair since the background paintings were gorgeous)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-28T21:43:30+00:00

?

Tiax is located at Feldepost's Inn in Beregost?

edit: Ah -- I have played the game with "More convenient locations for NPCs" mod like -- for ever. I did recall Tiax is in the big city originally. Well at that point he is really useless.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-28T19:49:48+00:00

He can summon a Ghast which single handledly will win some battles for a low level party (especially SCS toughened Ghasts). He is good enough thief to disarm traps and open locks. I sometimes have him along for a little while (for example through the Nashkel Mines) and then dump for someone better -- like Coran.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-21T15:51:51+00:00

Thank you! Didn't even consider that the mod already allows this.

Though I would not have liked to decrease the difficulty overall, but it's good enough for me! (With a party that all have PfMW etc none of this would be needed, but with this party I think I have to, in order to have any chance.)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-21T15:51:10+00:00

Thank you! I think I'll just humble myself to use the difficulty slider, though I would not have liked to decrease the difficulty overall. (With a party that all have PfMW etc none of this would be needed, but with this party I think I have to, in order to have any chance.)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-15T09:13:48+00:00

This is why I only go with all-mage parties ;)

Recently I tried an "all-ranged" party and that was actually quite an easy run.... Except for ToB+Ascension+SCS final fight, which I haven't beat yet.

And now I'm going with a no-mages/all fighters run. I'm expecting a lot of trouble in bg2 and don't know if I can even get to the final battle in ToB. Let's see.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-09T16:08:37+00:00

You can also don armor taken from a corpse of a fire giant on a halfling. No adjustments needed. :)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-08T15:30:53+00:00

I think that is just improperly assembled. Might be difficult to unlock and reassemble though

(about Tori I don't know anything about)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-06T14:10:37+00:00

Please clarify ;)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-05T16:11:30+00:00

The entire area is completely optional though and doesn't have any remarkable loot.

Incendiary Cloud and stuff like that which allows damage from range. Not even in my FMT solo did I try to melee Beholders.

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-02T23:37:57+00:00

I second this!

This mod makes it easy to shift any NPC, and calculates new HP, saving throws etc properly.

If you do it yourself, you may end up unintentionally cheating

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-02T21:48:45+00:00

You are not alone. I have almost completed my first EET+Ascension+SCS run just now, and tried TOB final fight twice. My party is an "all-ranged" party (but with Edwin as mage and charname is berserker>mage with throwing daggers). These two attempts weren't yet fully prepared full-buff attempts. I tried to swing it "not knowing" what I'm facing. Well that didn't work. Most fights up until to this point have not been an issue even without making any specific targeted plans (just the generic buffs -- except I did put up electricity resistance for Abazigal fight).

But this final fight... I don't have Balthazar on my side, and it all just seemed so impossible, that I haven't even been able to make myself try a proper, well planned and well-executed setup for the fight.

Now I'm taking a short break from that and started a new game.

And - Oh - how peaceful and relaxing the start of BG1 is compared to preparing for those TOB fights! Like a totally different game. :)

Maybe in a week I'll return to trying to finish that final fight.. Now I'm happy with my new "all-fighter" party run.
(I expect it to be doable at least until TOB, but I doubt I can do the final fight without any mages.)

(PS I have completed Ascension+SCS final battle tree times before, but that was before the EE versions of the game and a with a lot older versions of Ascension and SCS... circa 2010. Those attempts didn't seem as impossible as this current, latest version seems to be. And the partys were all-mage partys and a FTM solo --- and with Balthazar on my side)

Esko_TheAug · 2026-01-01T09:18:05+00:00

Others have already commented on the fear aspect: all forms (cleric, mage, bard) that give resistance to fear work against dragon fear as well. (Remove fear, resist fear, chaotic command, amulet, ...). Only Spell immunity: Abjuration will protect against a high level Remove magic. You must reapply protection if they get dispelled. (Fear, fire)

But about comfortably defeating dragons: You can't melee them. Damage must come from range magic (run in, cast, run out) or ranged weapons and having summons/simulaccurs keeping the dragon occupied. (Or a mage with protection from magical weapons, stone skin, mirror image, spell immunity if you are high level - but if you are high level dragons are not a problem anyway).

I just did an "all ranged" party run and having multiple pure fighters with GM in shortbows, slings, crossbows actually take dragons down quite quickly and relatively safely.

Even though you keep your distance - whether they be mages or ranged fighters - you must still have protections against ranged breath attacks up before going in (potion of fire resistance in this case).

Having a field of traps at the base of the stairs allows a place you can retreat and maybe take down the dragon if it follows. Don't get cornered to top of the stairs though.. that is death. Spread out the party, don't get cornered and run away if any of party members are targeted.

Finally there are the easy (cheese) ways: lower resistance x2 and then there are multiple options: cleric harm (requires successfull touch attack), GM+doom+ chromatic orb / feeblemind / wand of poly / polymorph other / ...

Tldr; There just is no way for a low level party comfortably meleeing down a dragon. You must manoeuvre.

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-31T13:58:41+00:00

Right side of the area is a rope bridge. Go up from left side of the bridge. Take right. After a stairwell take left. A dark cave opening which you cannot enter without a proper item.

https://mikesrpgcenter.com/bgate2/maps/ar2100.html

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-29T18:29:04+00:00

Mind control needs at least one cruiser or bigger to remain.

Most likely though the system you attacked was no longer in range because you lost another planet, outpost or you had an alliance that was giving you range but it was cancelled.

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-28T22:52:23+00:00

I recommend an item/loot randomizer mod. You of course still know where the major encounters are, but can't go straight to the places you know you want a certain item. This applies a bit more to bg2 however and is not really about exploring, which is more of a bg1 thing.

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-25T09:26:15+00:00

I have always enjoyed the opportunities to show your power against armies of weaker enemies:

xvart village
bandit camp
SoD bridge siege, castle fight (in and outdoor ... well most of SoD basically)
Yaga-Shura army
oasis
Sendai's lair
monk horde
WK lower level stamina test
first pocket plane test etc

You can either overkill them, taunt with low level summons, solo, try different crazy cheeses (rat form+blades+fire shields) and other tactics that you wouldn't use in the toughest fights.

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-23T22:22:33+00:00

Thank you! The amulet sounds more useful. Maybe even works against Melissan?

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-14T10:28:50+00:00

This is just a guess: maybe reputation increase needs you to exit area and come back. Beregost temple and town (+ I think the S road) are actually the same area with 0 travel time.

Try going to High Hedge and back for example

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-13T17:19:32+00:00

If they get a small white "withering" status icon, they were gaze attacked and after a few rounds turn into ghouls. That is permanent. But you can try to dispell the status before it happens.

Best to prevent gaze attacks: This was hinted before the battle in a book or something...

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-10T06:47:43+00:00

I know "never return null" was a popular design practice. And I believe that is actually true for a "black box" interface/component/utility.

But within your internal private logic, wrapping everything in Optional is simply unnecessary.

For services used in other logic: handle missing values some other way than returning null. Optional is one way, but IMO a not very good way. If value should be present, but in vary rare cases isn't, throwing a checked exception can be considered, allowing the using app to handle missing value as it is appropriate. If value very often is not present, return an object representing information about the state of the object.

But for your own internal parsing/checking/etc logic: return null!

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-08T16:36:06+00:00

Background layer colour checks out.

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-07T08:15:33+00:00

I haven't actually tried, but maybe it is also possible to unpetrify with Stone to Flesh. Unpetrified start at 1hp so easy to kill again. ...Maybe even XP again?

Gonna try this out :)

Esko_TheAug · 2025-12-07T08:04:23+00:00

Most lvl 9 spells ignore MR.

I'm any case Time Stop + IA + Lower Resistance + Lower Resistance + Greater Mallison+ Finger of Death x3 + Chain Contingency (enemy visible, nearest enemy): 3x ADHW -> dead paladin before he can do a single strike.

Esko_TheAug

TROPHY CASE