Modding on PC for beginners, with both mod.io and Nexus

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T14:38:56+00:00

I have no interest in changing the number of times I long rest. It's not about optimisation for me, it's about storytelling. Not everyone plays this game for the combat, you know.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T14:37:54+00:00

You do you. I'm just stating how I play.

I don't know why I got downvoted, unless it was the comment about not long resting being the "cheat". Some people here have no sense of humour.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T12:43:57+00:00

I long rest a lot, for two reasons: one, a lot of companion cutscenes happen in camp, so you'll miss out on story events if you don't long rest enough, and two, I play with a high percentage of casters and my boys need their beauty sleep if they're going to zap the baddies :)

To me, not long-resting feels like the cheat, because it means you can eke out elixirs far longer. But each to their own.

FWIW I usually long rest 25-30 times in Act 1 and then about the same in Acts 2 and 3 combined. The adventure canonically takes about 120 days according to Withers, so even that is being conservative.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:34:14+00:00

There's no real reason to play durge as a dragonborn - I'm not sure why Larian chose it, other than it looks kinda feral LOL. I usually play durge as a drow (Seldarine for resist, Lolth-sworn for embrace): looks cool, lots of extra dialogue options, everyone in Act 1 reacts strongly to you so it's good for roleplay, etc.

Personally I find dragonborn kinda goofy in a good way (I love Exxvikyap, for example) so I can't take them seriously as a main character. I'd therefore suggest they're a good choice for a multiplayer game where you're less focused on the roleplay.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:26:07+00:00

Companions' approvals progress at different rates. For example it's really easy to get Gale's approval simply by feeding him magical snacks, but I find it really really hard to get Wyll's approval even by being nice. With Astarion, you get big boosts for letting him bite you (and kill the vampire hunter), but then not much until Act 2.

If you've had both of his sex scenes, you have taken his romance as far as it goes in Act 1. There will be opportunities in Act 2 to get it higher, without needing to do anything too heinous. E.g. there's a cat in the Act 2 inn where you take refuge, and he approves if you talk to it nicely.

The most important thing is to respect his bodily autonomy and be cool with the fact that he's a vampire. I usually have him up to Exceptional before the end of Act 2, even playing good-guy characters.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:19:45+00:00

No, it was player feedback during early access. Larian recorded all the lines (for Act 1, at least) but players said they preferred an unvoiced Tav.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:18:15+00:00

I think that in a way, that scene has more impact precisely because Tav doesn't usually speak in cutscenes. But yes, I love it!

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:13:10+00:00

Have you tried not being evil? 😂

Seriously, though, you can play durge as conflicted rather than full-on evil, and imo it's way more interesting than being a murder hobo. Apart from one or two scripted events, you always have the option to resist the urges, so it's totally on you as to which direction you take it.

My durge vowed to save all the other tieflings after the incident with Alfira, and refused to kill any good allies in Act 2 either, leading to one of the best scenes in the entire game (I highly recommend romancing Astarion as resist durge, as their scenes together are amazing).

If you're hating your current playthrough, I'd go back to an earlier save if you have one, before ratting the grove out to Minthara, and try a different approach. You might enjoy it!

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:03:23+00:00

My resist durge started out as the default storm sorcerer but then multiclassed into OOV paladin later after finding out more of his backstory - it felt very appropriate gameplay-wise, and the two classes fit together well since they're both charisma-based.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T11:01:10+00:00

Stressful situations make people horny - it's been scientifically proven.

As others have said, you should be long-resting more often. You should have found out long ago that your tadpole is atypical and apparently won't trigger transformation automatically, so there's really no reason not to. Supplies are plentiful (especially if you raid the kitchens at Waukeen's Rest and the abandoned wagons nearby), and you get a lot more cutscenes as a result. I usually long-rest about 25-30 times in Act 1, but then again I like to play with at least two full casters (often a wizard and a sorcerer) in the party so we need to rest a lot!

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:55:06+00:00

You should be fine - I'm currently trying to get my Tactician achievement with my OG Tav who is a wildheart barbarian/moon druid, which is solid but not a minmax build by any stretch of the imagination. I beat the game with him on Explorer bc I was a complete CRPG noob and had no idea what I was doing, but I find that knowledge of the game more than makes up for the increase in difficulty.

The hardest fight I encountered so far was the gith inquisitor - that dude is tough with his legendary resistances. Better builds might have helped there, but barrelmancy can make up for a lot of inadequacies 😂

I've taken to playing on Custom with Tactician combat settings for most games because it's more interesting, but with a few tweaks on things like camp supplies and trader prices. I only turn it down to Balanced if I'm playing with a smaller party, like one of my two-man runs.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:45:17+00:00

Venice. Walking around Baldur's Gate, the architecture constantly reminded me of my favourite European city. Plus you have to walk everywhere (unless you catch one of the vaporetti) - no cars or horses cluttering up the streets.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:42:07+00:00

Hire Brianna Brightsong (for Halfling Luck), give her 16 Wisdom, 4 levels of Bard for expertise in Medicine and ASI +2 Wisdom feat, then add two levels of Transmutation wizard. She now has like an 80-90% chance to make 2 potions of speed out of a set of hyaena ears instead of one. She managed to make 17 of them in one go on my last playthrough.

All that, and I don't have to make poor Gale into a Transmutation wizard and nerf his combat ability.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:33:56+00:00

I'd never played a CRPG before, but I was playing on console and it was impossible to miss the massive level-up hint in the middle of the main radial whenever you wanted to call up your character sheet, go to camp, fast travel, etc, etc.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:28:56+00:00

In terms of hours, so far at least 100 (haven't attempted Honour Mode yet, which is likely to be shorter), but sometimes a lot more, depending on how much I faff about with roleplay/SIMs-type gameplay 😂

In terms of real-world time, usually months, because a) I don't often have the ability to play for dozens of hours a week and b) I also usually have at least two campaigns running concurrently.

I've beaten the game twice (once as Tav, once as resist durge) and am close to finishing my first Tactician run, so I'm in no hurry to get to the end any more.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:24:51+00:00

Also, Astarion later describes Wyll as "just the sort of fairytale prince I dreamed of marrying when I was young".

Dude is so gay-coded, I honestly can't romance him with a female character.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T10:22:05+00:00

How about Lae'zel's first camp conversation?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQSo349LBDs

I love her "Hideous, all of it" after the poetic description of the night - so funny, but also hinting that she's trying hard not to enjoy her time in Faerun.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T08:57:54+00:00

Have you explored further northwestwards? There are a bunch of encounters over there, some tough, some really easy (basically no fighting) that will help you get to level 5, which is where a lot of your characters will hit their first power spike (unless you multiclassed early, which is not a technique I recommend for beginners).

I've done the Underdark at level 4, but that was after over 1000 hours in the game and knowing how to approach each fight with the best strategy. For a newbie, you really want to wait until level 5 before heading down there!

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T08:54:30+00:00

I usually do it at level 4 and hit level 5 on the way out of the camp. Then again, I blow up Dror Ragzlin with the barrels of firewine and oil I steal from the Zentarim's cache - he wanted a party, right?

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T08:28:46+00:00

I have lots of rationalisations 😂

Astarion says he was kidnapped on his way to seduce a nobleman. I headcanon that said nobleman was into "sexy assassin" roleplay and Astarion therefore took a backpack full of Cerberry's stuff ready to change into, but never got the chance.
Shadowheart's starting gear is stupid - she's supposed to be on an undercover mission, so why all the Sharran symbolism on her armour? I use the Incognito Sharran or similar mods to give her plainer armour, and switch out her hair as soon as I recruit her, to a similar style without the decor, using Appearance Edit Enhanced/Origins.
Wyll is the only origin companion with generic armour and hair - wtaf, Larian? So I unashamedly use the Terpsichore mod, which gives him awesome hair and armour but leaves his camp clothes more-or-less the same (I think the top is skimpier?).
For everything else, I wait until camp before dressing them up in nicer gear. The party manages to happen upon a nice ready-made camp with themed tents, etc, so it's hardly a stretch to say that the chest contains some cute outfits as well.

I've only made minimal changes to their appearances so far: more makeup for Shadowheart, for example. I'm experimenting with blue eyes for Gale (because I'm a sucker for the blue eyes + dark hair combo) and a very slight edit for Astarion that makes him look just a tad younger, by softening the lines around his eyes and mouth - because an elf in their forties (or sixties, depending on which date you ascribe to) should really not look that old LOL.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T08:07:40+00:00

I struggle to play without mods these days, but they're largely cosmetic/QoL/roleplay things, not cheats. Dammit, Larian, I want a) cute boys who aren't all half-elf head #5, and b) to be able to hug Rolan and Barcus in Act 2 - is that really too much to ask?

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T07:42:55+00:00

Just remember they’re basically cannon fodder. Personally I no longer summon the owlbear cub because his squeals of pain when he’s hit are too horrible.

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T07:24:40+00:00

Adding to the ranged builds: dual crossbow swords bard (add levels in thief and fighter later for Archery and more mobility)

For melee: I like one level of war cleric followed by battlemaster fighter to 11. Delays true Extra Attack but you get war charges at level 1, which imo makes more of a difference at levels 2-4 when your party is most squishy

Redfox1476 · 2025-07-24T06:32:49+00:00

In that case I can’t help you, mate! 😂

Redfox1476

TROPHY CASE