Infinity Engine RPGs

[darrelljs]

Deceptus hit all the juicy ones...my favorite weapon is in the Guarded Compound.

With regards to the Silver Sword there is unfortunately a save. The ultimate vorpal weapon is The Ravager +6 since there is no save, however it's a) only available pretty late in ToB, and b) ineffective against most toughest bosses.

It's been so long since I played BG2 as an RPG instead of a CDG, I'm really enjoying the tale .

Darrell

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Deceptus hit all the juicy ones...my favorite weapon is in the Guarded Compound.

With regards to the Silver Sword there is unfortunately a save.  The ultimate vorpal weapon is The Ravager +6 since there is no save, however it's a) only available pretty late in ToB, and b) ineffective against most toughest bosses.

It's been so long since I played BG2 as an RPG instead of a CDG, I'm really enjoying the tale .

Darrell

What's a CDG?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief Part 20:  What Do You Know About Druids?


MARY WORTH was a busybody like her comic strip namesake and wouldn't let a locked door and a trap on an unmarked door in the Docks district keep her from snooping around.  With buffs, she cut down 3 Minotaurs and talked to a Golden Skull trapped in a sarcophagus.  This was Kangaxx, which sounded to me like the name of a villain Conan the Barbarian would fight.  He asked MARY WORTH to bring him back his arms, legs, and torso, which were hidden in Athkatla.


Of course, I looked up their locations on a wiki to save time since it was near the end of the game.  The problem was that one of them was behind a locked door in the sewers, and I couldn't get the key due to how MARY WORTH "resolved" the Cult of the Unseeing Eye quest.  Maybe she was supposed to spy on them BEFORE murdering them all?


I hadn't gone to the City Gates "district" often if at all.  It barely deserved to have its own map location.  Flydian was seeking out adventurers to assist Lord Logan Coprith, the mayor of Trademeet.  The city was suffering from "forest animal" attacks, and everyone suspected the local druids.  Trademeet was placed upon the world map after that conversation.  One difference between Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 is that in the sequel, an NPC has to tell you about an area before you can find it.  Much of Baldur's Gate 1's setting can be explored simply by traveling to the edges of other regions.


The Crooked Crane inn was the only notable building in City Gates.  As soon as MARY WORTH walked in, she learned about the forbidden romance between Aulava and Tiiro.  But something intrigued her more than another Romeo and Juliet story:  a hidden passage.  This led to a Lich, who immediately set up Improved Mantle, Mirror Image, Fire Shield (Red), and Stoneskin.  MARY WORTH "mulched" it in Bobchillingworth fashion with Greater Whirlwind Attack. 


She wasn't impressed with the Lich's loot.  Rod of Terror carried potential permanent Charisma loss in exchange for a Panic ability that would have made her look like "a flesh-eating demon from the Abyss".  MARY WORTH already had Invisibility spells thanks to being part Mage, so the Sandthief's Ring was useless.  Daystar +2 looked more promising as a one-handed Longsword, but she might have liked it more had she found it before Carsomyr.


On the top floor, MARY WORTH found Aulava and Tiiro despite the innkeeper's denial.  This storyline played exactly as it would have in the Mary Worth comic strip:


"I'm MARY WORTH.  I heard about your families trying to split you two up".

"It doesn't matter.  Don't listen to them.  Love is all that matters in the end".

"What did I just say about love?!  It's all that matters!  Live the dream!  Love!"


Aulava's response "Yeah.  Yeah.  The complete and total stranger is right!" was also accurate to the comic strip, if too self-aware.  All that was missing was a 2-week victory lap where my character would have been praised by everyone for her minor meddling.


EDIT:  Sunday's Mary Worth strip has similar advice to what MARY WORTH the Fighter/Mage/Thief gave to Aulava and Tiiro:  "Love yourself and maintain your life.  Don't give up on yourself or on love.  The rest will fall into place".



On the way to Trademeet, MARY WORTH stopped at de'Arnise Hold to collect taxes.  A priest of Tempus named Bolumir offered to preach in the estate, although he was under suspicion because he had been kicked out of his previous parish.  MARY WORTH accepted him anyway and got some experience.


Immediately after entering Trademeet, MARY WORTH had an encounter with a Wild Tiger.  The mayor Logan Coprith said that there was an innocent druid in the dungeon of his mansion, who wanted to investigate the druid assaults on Trademeet.  MARY WORTH declined Cernd's offer to join the party since she was a strict soloist, but appreciated when he marked Druid Grove on her map.


Druid Grove was full of troll type enemies, so MARY WORTH reused acid arrows and Burning Hands to finish them off.  A Shadow Druid party greater her with "Your careless meanderings across the great Mother Earth will not go unpunished".  They would have fit in well in Chrono Cross's Terra Tower, which had similar environmental rantings.  At least one of them cast Protection from Evil, a useless spell against a much more dangerous opponent:  a Chaotic Neutral murder hobo.  The Shadow Druids gave up and walked away slowly:  "Now we surrender, to return to the woods and to restore the balance".


MARY WORTH didn't fight Faldorn the Shadow Druid leader.  Cernd did, in a low-budget cutscene duel that was combat log scrolling messages.  Faldorn applied Resist Cold, Resist Fire, and Regenerating buffs, but these were pointless against 26 slashing damage per strike.  Faldorn died, and the Shadow Druids no longer attacked Trademeet.  But the city had other supernatural woes:  "A group of Dao genies from Calimshan arrived while we were enmeshed in the druid business.  They and their gold were welcome enough at first. . ."


"What do you know about druids?" is one of the best Midsomer Murder lines if taken out of context.  How many people begin conversations that way?  But it would have been relevant for this adventure.


Before MARY WORTH left Druid Grove, she culled the local troll population at Troll Mound by drawing them outside and picking them off with melee, arrows, and Mordenkainen's Sword summons.  The Dale's Protector would have been great earlier in the game since it has a 2 THAC0 bonus for missile attacks.  Spear of the Unicorn +2 was the other treasure.


Fighter Level 15
Mage Level 14
Thief Level 18


Open Locks:  100
Find Traps:  100
Pick Pockets:  80
Move Silently:  100
Hide in Shadows:  30
Detect Illusion:  100
Set Traps:  100
Backstab Damage:  5


Carsomyr +5/Composite Longbow +1
Helm of Balduran
Robe of Vecna
Xarnous's Second Sword Arm
Amulet of Power
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
Cloak of the Sewers
The Paws of the Cheetah
The Guard's Ring +2
Batalista's Passport

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief Part 21:  Wild Rakshasa Chase


Guildmistress Rusya in Trademeet offered a reward to MARY WORTH if she were willing to remove the Dao genies preventing merchants from operating in the city. 


While strolling through town, MARY WORTH witnessed 2 Philosophers debating over whether peace or struggle was the best way to live.  The one who supported "struggle" won the argument by sending Huntley to kill his opponent, and followed up with a "dead right" pun.  Maybe he'd make a good spy movie protagonist.


The dissonance between the voice acting and the written dialogue reached levels of self-parody in the tavern.  A Tavern Patron shouted "Stand where you're at, peasant" and said "You are one of the adventurers that dealt with the druids, yes?  I am thankful, then.  Perhaps the streets will be safer now when I return to my home".  Viekang was frightened of MARY WORTH because he knew she was a Bhaalspawn, and promptly screamed and took 78 damage from an unknown source.


Rassad, a rejected potential companion from Baldur's Gate 1, showed up here to speak about a heresy in the Selune religion.  MARY WORTH didn't pursue this quest since it probably meant he would join her and violate the solo challenge.


MARY WORTH attempted to look for the rakshasa that the genies hated, but couldn't find one anywhere in Small Teeth Pass, North Forest, or Forest of Tethir.  These were closest to Trademeet and seemed the most plausible locations. 


A high level of variance in combat continued here.  A no-name Mage had Time Stop for some reason, and MARY WORTH had to use her full array of buffs, some melee Abilities, and Mordenkainen's Sword summons to get through the tougher battles.  Dungeons and Dragons combat is different from most Japanese RPGs in that most fights are over quickly, even with bosses.  Besides the dangerous opponents, there were some suspiciously weak ones for a high level campaign like Goblins and Orc Archers.


I forgot about Coran in Baldur's Gate 1, so I had no idea why he was talking as if I knew him.  He was worried about Safana, who was kidnapped by werewolves.  Before MARY WORTH followed him, she entered a cabin and chopped up Wandering Horrors, while making sure to drink Greater Potions of Healing outside when necessary.  MARY WORTH gained an mediocre Mage level that only gave her slots for tiers 4 and 5 spells.  You'd expect 7 or 8 by the endgame, but no.  She added one more Greater Whirlwind Attack to her Abilities list.


Lanfear killed Safana and attacked MARY WORTH when she approached the werewolves' hideout.  She hadn't prepared with buffs for Take 1 since I thought the hideout was separate from the main forest (i.e. like going through a door).  On Take 2, MARY WORTH set up her spells and Mordenkainen's Sword, though I think Greater Whirlwind Attack was what killed Lanfear. 


An anonymous Cave contained a Mana Bow +4 that had Magic Resistance boosts, but it was so weak that my boring Composite Longbow +1 was seemingly better. 


If I remember correctly, Dao genies attacked MARY WORTH in one of these zones.  So she exacted revenge by setting up her spells and destroying Khan Zahraa with Greater Whirlwind Attack.  Faafirah vanished for reasons I have never understood.  Either way, the genie quest was complete.  Killing Khan Zahraa may have even been the "Good" ending because she gained 1 Reputation point during the celebration.  Lady Lilith Lurrasol had voice acting trying too hard to be sexy, and was therefore an obvious villain by fantasy story conventions.  Lord Skarmaen Alibakkar claimed she was a liar, and that his family was the true founder of Trademeet.



Looks like this is the beginning of a Montague and Capulet feud.  The Alibakkar Guards were slightly more competent fighters than the Lurraxol Guards as seen in a bar brawl.  Either way, victory is dependent on whom MARY WORTH chooses to murder for their loot.  Who's going to argue with the "hero" who has statues by the fountain for ridding Trademeet of druids and genies?



Fighter Level 15
Mage Level 15
Thief Level 18


Open Locks:  100
Find Traps:  100
Pick Pockets:  80
Move Silently:  100
Hide in Shadows:  30
Detect Illusion:  100
Set Traps:  100
Backstab Damage:  5


Carsomyr +5/Composite Longbow +1
Helm of Balduran
Robe of Vecna
Xarnous's Second Sword Arm
Amulet of Power
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
Cloak of the Sewers
The Paws of the Cheetah
The Guard's Ring +2
Batalista's Passport

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief Part 22:  Pleasing No One


MARY WORTH visited Lady Lility Lurraxol in her mansion.  She gave me a key to open the Trademeet crypt, and wanted me to retrieve the Mantle of Waukeen, which would presumably prove her family's claim to the town.  It made me think of the Jagged Crown quest from Skyrim.  Not much resistance awaited MARY WORTH, only a few Skeletons and Skeleton Warriors.  Trademeet's quests so far have been beneath the Fighter/Mage/Thief's dignity.  Probably because I should have gone there in Chapter 3 or something.


MARY WORTH delivered the Mantle of Waukeen to Logan Coprith, ensuring the feud would endure forever instead of resolving it in the way the game's writers seemed to think.  At least she got 8000 experience, 1 Reputation, and 250 gold.  


Tiris told the story of how he had to flee from a "skin dancer" and leave his girlfriend Raissa behind.  Rejiek a participant in the "skinner" murders in Athkatla's Bridge district, was connected.  Rejiek apparently disguised himself as Raissa and attacked MARY WORTH in the eastern pavilion once he believed he had her trapped.  But he hadn't counted on her being pre-buffed and swirling in a Greater Whirlwind Attack!


MARY WORTH wasn't a Cleric, so she had no hope of casting the healing spell needed to restore the real Raissa.  Tiris and Raissa both left town, and the quest ended anticlimactically.  Not much more left to go before the endgame, so I might as well buy whatever potions I need and rush to Irenicus. . .


Fighter Level 15
Mage Level 15
Thief Level 18


Open Locks:  100
Find Traps:  100
Pick Pockets:  80
Move Silently:  100
Hide in Shadows:  30
Detect Illusion:  100
Set Traps:  100
Backstab Damage:  5


Carsomyr +5/Composite Longbow +1
Helm of Balduran
Robe of Vecna
Xarnous's Second Sword Arm
Amulet of Power
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
Cloak of the Sewers
The Paws of the Cheetah
The Guard's Ring +2
Batalista's Passport

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief Part 23:  Villain Motivation Exposition


MARY WORTH stopped by Athkatla to purchase potions, Arrows of Dispelling, and the Heartseeker +3 bow.  She charged off to Suldanessellar and began Chapter 7 by battling Rakshasas, Golems up to Adamantite, Rajahs, and Maharajahs.  Whoever designed Dungeons and Dragons monsters must not have been fond of Indian royalty.


Adamantite Golems in particular required multiple Abilities like Greater Whirlwind Attack to penetrate their massive physical resistance.  Maharajahs seemed to sit there most of the time.  Is that an Enhanced Edition glitch, or do they have passive AI? 


MARY WORTH picked the lock protecting the gate to the palace, but couldn't get inside as "nothing short of the power of a god can open it now".  To get past Irenicus's barrier, MARY WORTH needed to place 3 artifacts on the altar of Rillifane's temple and summon the elf god's avatar.  MARY WORTH gained levels in Fighter and Thief, which had negligible effects on stats other than a 1 THAC0 bonus.  She maxed out Pickpocket, which was probably worthless at this point, and put the remaining Skills into Hide in Shadows.  Greater Whirlwind Attack and Critical Strike received extra charges with Ability points.


Suneer insisted "Irenicus must not be disturbed during his ritual", but was "mulched" with Greater Whirlwind Attack shortly afterwards.  Melf's Minute Meteors saw an appearance vs a Clay Golem since not even Carsomyr could cut it.  MARY WORTH solved a puzzle box purely with trial and error and took acid damage in the process.  Nothing that a Greater Potion of Healing couldn't solve.


Priestess Demin revealed Irenicus and Bodhi's backstory.  They were once residents of Suldanessellar, but their high social position and paradise weren't enough.  They attempted to become immortal with the Tree of Life, but defiling it failed to work.  Irenicus and Bodhi were cursed with human lifespans and were barred from elf heaven, so they of course plotted revenge in exile.


The black dragon Nizidramanii'yt (Put THAT on the Scripps Spelling Bee!) offered the choice of either a fight or surrendering all my gold to him.  As a solo character aspiring to godhood, MARY WORTH had a reputation to keep.  The dragon set up Stoneskin and Haste, and made his foe flee with Dragon Fear.  It also had a tendency to dispel some of MARY WORTH's buffs.  The only chance she had was to prepare with Mordenkainen's Sword and Animate Dead, shoot Arrows of Dispelling, then throw it into a Greater Whirlwind Attack wood chipper.  Plant Growth trapped the summons in place, but they were at least effective distractions for the dragon.


One elf needlessly killed himself using the Moonblade, but MARY WORTH could have saved him from the mediocre demon herself.  Oh well, she got the final artifact without a fight.  Avatar of Rillifane spoke in ALL CAPS as if he were ZOAH from Chrono Cross.  The guardians were summoned to open the palace, and MARY WORTH got a pointless Staff of the Woodlands +4.  Avatar of Rillifane wouldn't save the town by himself:  "I CAN DO NO MORE".


Must be getting close to the end of Shadows of Amn. . .



Fighter Level 16
Mage Level 15
Thief Level 19


Open Locks:  100
Find Traps:  100
Pick Pockets:  100
Move Silently:  100
Hide in Shadows:  35
Detect Illusion:  100
Set Traps:  100
Backstab Damage:  5


Carsomyr +5/Heartseeker +3
Helm of Balduran
Robe of Vecna
Xarnous's Second Sword Arm
Amulet of Power
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
Cloak of the Sewers
The Paws of the Cheetah
The Guard's Ring +2
Batalista's Passport

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief VICTORY


Irenicus was too busy draining energy from the Tree of Life to focus on MARY WORTH until she had killed his 3 parasites.  Nuts from the garden tree extended branches so she could reach them.  The parasites themselves didn't attack and preferred to summon elementals which were pathetic for an endgame character.


As soon as the 3rd parasite died, MARY WORTH immediately teleported to Irenicus.  Ellesime had a conversation with him about their loving relationship in the past.  Irenicus said he felt nothing about it after the curse that stripped him of his elf powers.


Remember that conversation you all had about Fighter vs. Mage?  And how it all depended on whether the Mage could cast Time Stop first?  Well, that's exactly how Irenicus was designed.  On the 1st attempt, he began with Time Stop and summoned a Simulacrum copy, then launched a Spell Sequencer with Spellstrike, Power Word:  Kill, Ice Storm, a 2nd Time Stop, Absolute Immunity to block weapons, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, and another Power Word:  Kill.  Be sure to mention this to anyone considering a no reload playthrough and save them the trouble.



Summoned Skeleton Warriors managed to kill Irenicus once. . .only for the cutscene needed to advance the plot to fail.  MARY WORTH wandered around Suldanessellar as if nothing had changed since before the battle.  This incident along with the event flag error that sent me to a nonexistent Chapter 8 in Baldur's Gate 1 made me wonder if some of my RPG playthroughs were cursed.  ALWAYS KEEP EXTRA SAVE SLOTS WHEN PLAYING BALDUR'S GATE GAMES ON SWITCH.


Speaking of "unwinnable states caused by glitches", I'll tell you my Tales of the Abyss story.  In the final phase of the last boss, my party must have hit Vandesdelca just before the ending was supposed to play.  This made everyone immortal and sent them into a limbo.  Vandesdelca couldn't kill Luke and friends, and they couldn't kill him.  I consider it the true ending of the game. 



Another victory against Irenicus occurred when MARY WORTH wandered away after a few "Weapon Ineffective" messages, with no summons active.  Perhaps there's a delay between 0 HP and boss death?


MARY WORTH descended to Hell with Irenicus and had to acquire Tears of Bhaal to open the final door.  Sarevok's ghost was on one floor, and put up a good fight in melee.  MARY WORTH only survived with 1 HP, even.  In the Greed room, MARY WORTH gave Blackrazor to the Enslaved Genie to free him.  She took the wrong door in the Selfishness room and condemned an anonymous Peasant to death.  This wasn't intentional, but was probably the reason MARY WORTH's alignment became Chaotic Evil when she placed one of the Tears of Bhaal in the door.


Fear was the hardest room in Hell.  MARY WORTH had to stare down Beholder type enemies, including a Gauth and Elder Eye.  Ironically, the way she won was to hide like a coward and send Skeleton Warriors and a Magical Sword to fight for her.  To get past the automatic Panic chest, MARY WORTH equipped Peridan +2 long enough to open it.  Some Tears of Bhaal gave bonuses, like 2 to Armor Class, 2 to Saving Throw, 1 to Wisdom and Charisma.


Pride was the easiest of all.  MARY WORTH chose the "humble" conversation options and made the Dragon disappear without a battle.  The last Tear of Bhaal provided 20% resistances to Fire, Cold, and Electricity and summoned Irenicus in Slayer form.  Irenicus summoned a few demons like Balor and Glabrezu and started the final battle!


On the 1st "real" attempt and any future ones, MARY WORTH set up her usual buffs, Animated Dead, and placed 6 Spike Traps + 1 Time Trap.  These traps disintegrated as soon as Irenicus warped into the arena, but perhaps the Spike Traps may have worked.  Maybe someone in the comments can explain.


Irenicus specialized in "instant death" spells like Wail of the Banshee and Disintegrate.  Maze was more dangerous and ended at least one attempt.  Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting destroyed another.  Critical Strike was the final Ability that won the game, though there were a few regular slashes before "Curse you, MARY WORTH!  I shall not be defeated by you!" played.  No summons remained, and I'm sure MARY WORTH drank a couple of Greater Potions of Healing.


Ellesime thanked MARY WORTH on behalf of the elves after she was resurrected from Hell, while cartoon red devils chased Irenicus into a lake of magma.  A secret society of cloaked figures were concerned about "Gorion's ward" becoming too powerful for their liking.  This must be the setup to Throne of Bhaal.  Like Baldur's Gate 1 to Siege of Dragonspear, your Baldur's Gate 2 save file automatically transfers to Throne of Bhaal in the Switch version.  It was hard to take the new villains seriously when I thought of "La Logia" (The Lodge) from the Argentine telenovela "Rebelde Way", a "black cloak society" in the Elite Way School that hazes scholarship kids ("los becados"). 



Baldur's Gate 2 has a varied world to explore compared to the previous game's generic mines and woods.  Underwater cities, Hell, troll-infested castles, Egyptian vampire tombs, and the Underdark are much more excitin  Athkatla can supply an entire smaller RPG with quests.  BG1 feels like a prologue in comparison.  Combat still has some issues with unexpected deaths, but in a different way.  In BG1, it's because you have low HP and armor is evasion instead of defense.  In BG2, you'll lie prone due to many instant death spells.   


Throne of Bhaal probably won't come today or tomorrow, but I'd like to see how MARY WORTH's story ends.




Fighter Level 16
Mage Level 15
Thief Level 20


Open Locks:  100
Find Traps:  100
Pick Pockets:  100
Move Silently:  100
Hide in Shadows:  60
Detect Illusion:  100
Set Traps:  100
Backstab Damage:  5


Carsomyr +5/Heartseeker +3
Helm of Balduran
Robe of Vecna
Xarnous's Second Sword Arm
Amulet of Power
Girdle of Frost Giant Strength
Cloak of the Sewers
The Paws of the Cheetah
The Guard's Ring +2
Batalista's Passport



The last Thief level came during the final battle after Irenicus's summoned demons died.  That class levels faster than Fighter and especially Mage.  All Thief levels are good for at this point are more Ability charges.  MARY WORTH was never able to cast tier 8 spells in Baldur's Gate 2, so there was no reason for her to take an extra charge for that.


EDIT:  Please tell me that items in the Bridge district barrel don't disappear in Throne of Bhaal.  That's where the stuff needed to get into Watcher's Keep is located. . .

[Deceptus]

Remember that conversation you all had about Fighter vs. Mage?  And how it all depended on whether the Mage could cast Time Stop first?  Well, that's exactly how Irenicus was designed.  On the 1st attempt, he began with Time Stop and summoned a Simulacrum copy, then launched a Spell Sequencer with Spellstrike, Power Word:  Kill, Ice Storm, a 2nd Time Stop, Absolute Immunity to block weapons, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, and another Power Word:  Kill.  Be sure to mention this to anyone considering a no reload playthrough and save them the trouble.

Spellstrike and Power Word Kill can't target you if you have Improved Invisibility (as you're invisible), and that spell, in turn, can't be removed by True Seeing if Spell Immunity: Divination is on. You can also have a Spell Trap on you (the one from Staff of the Magi, which you missed, lasts 8 hours) or the humble Spell Shield to avoid getting Spellstruck. Power Word Kill is worthless in this setup as you shouldn't be below 60 HP during the fight's opener. Ice Storm is a mediocre AoE spell whose one saving grace is rare immunity type. Absolute Immunity can be simply waited out, and besides it doesn't protect against Carsomyr in your install, as the absolute immunity isn't actually absolute. well scratch that, apparently the Enhanced Edition updates the spell to work against +5 weapons, but not against +6 ones. But I can't test it out right now; anyway, AI can also be simply dispelled. Horrid Wilting is horrid (heh), but there are multiple abjurations to protect against the damage that, again, the first sequencer wouldn't do anything to if you were invisible. Multiple no-reloaders have beaten this fight, including soloists with no access to arcane magic. And also, you can set up contingencies to save yourself from getting wrecked. And if nothing else, there are green scrolls of Protection from Magic.

Dealing with wizards is often generally the case of playing a game of dispel / abjuration chess with them, and every potentially run-ending effect has a counter.

In BG1, it's because you have low HP and armor is evasion instead of defense.  In BG2, you'll lie prone due to many instant death spells.

I don't know a whole lot of games where it's advisable to go for a no-reload run without a hefty dose of metagaming, but there generally is a way to beat each game in the saga while minimizing RNG to the point where human error has more bearing on the game rather than luck.

EDIT:  Please tell me that items in the Bridge district barrel don't disappear in Throne of Bhaal.  That's where the stuff needed to get into Watcher's Keep is located. . .

Can't return to Athkatla once ToB starts. If you're willing to redo the fights, you can go back to all your stuff and shove them to Watcher's Keep's first level. The items don't disappear (you can access the area on the PC version with a MoveToArea command and they should still be there), you're just locked out of that area.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Spellstrike and Power Word Kill can't target you if you have Improved Invisibility (as you're invisible), and that spell, in turn, can't be removed by True Seeing if Spell Immunity: Divination is on. You can also have a Spell Trap on you (the one from Staff of the Magi, which you missed, lasts 8 hours) or the humble Spell Shield to avoid getting Spellstruck. Power Word Kill is worthless in this setup as you shouldn't be below 60 HP during the fight's opener. Ice Storm is a mediocre AoE spell whose one saving grace is rare immunity type. Absolute Immunity can be simply waited out, and besides it doesn't protect against Carsomyr in your install, as the absolute immunity isn't actually absolute. well scratch that, apparently the Enhanced Edition updates the spell to work against +5 weapons, but not against +6 ones. But I can't test it out right now; anyway, AI can also be simply dispelled. Horrid Wilting is horrid (heh), but there are multiple abjurations to protect against the damage that, again, the first sequencer wouldn't do anything to if you were invisible. Multiple no-reloaders have beaten this fight, including soloists with no access to arcane magic. And also, you can set up contingencies to save yourself from getting wrecked. And if nothing else, there are green scrolls of Protection from Magic.

Dealing with wizards is often generally the case of playing a game of dispel / abjuration chess with them, and every potentially run-ending effect has a counter.

I don't know a whole lot of games where it's advisable to go for a no-reload run without a hefty dose of metagaming, but there generally is a way to beat each game in the saga while minimizing RNG to the point where human error has more bearing on the game rather than luck.


Can't return to Athkatla once ToB starts. If you're willing to redo the fights, you can go back to all your stuff and shove them to Watcher's Keep's first level. The items don't disappear (you can access the area on the PC version with a MoveToArea command and they should still be there), you're just locked out of that area.

Thanks for the tip on Watcher's Keep.  I should have a save just before Irenicus at the Tree of Life.  MARY WORTH did survive most of the "blockable" instant death spells as she had Improved Invisibility as one of her standard buffs.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Baldur's Gate 2 Solo Fighter/Mage/Thief BONUS


Irenicus at Tree of Life was defeated more easily this time by sending Hasted Skeleton Warrior and Magical Sword summons at him.  MARY WORTH previously had sold some of her excess items to Adventurer Mart, knowing she would never return to Athkatla.  She kept the Vigil Stone and Ritual Scroll on her person to avoid being locked out of Watcher's Keep, one of the main attractions of Throne of Bhaal.


Taking the "Good" path in the Selfishness trial in Hell cost MARY WORTH 2 max HP, 1 Dexterity, and some experience points permanently.  And Baldur's Gate doesn't have an Intense Training perk to restore those.  At least MARY WORTH could maintain the pretense of being Chaotic Neutral.  


One Tear of Bhaal granted MARY WORTH immunity to "+1 weapons and less", which seemed a dubious benefit at best for a high level campaign.  I don't think she got this in the previous VICTORY post either.  Maybe the bonuses depend on the alignment of your choices in Hell?


Better placement of Time Traps before placing the last Tear of Bhaal helped with Irenicus's Slayer form.   Skeleton Warriors and Magical Swords were not much use at all.  Especially the latter:  Magical Swords disappeared with a "Death" message, but MARY WORTH had "Magical Resistance" to protect against whatever killed them.  By the end of the fight, Irenicus's spell charges were exhausted, and it came down to melee.  Overall a safer fight than last time.


Now MARY WORTH can participate in her final campaign without having to worry about missing out on a dungeon.  Thanks, Deceptus!