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solo playing berserker/mage or kensai/mage

Discussion in 'BG2: Throne of Bhaal (Classic)' started by guguma, Jul 9, 2007.

  1. guguma Gems: 2/31
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    Hello and good days,

    I am considering to replay BGII solo, but serious question troubles me. I will play either as b/mage or a k/mage.

    Actually I want to play as a k/mage I find it more reasonable in sense of RP, what troubles me is the illthids and kangaxx and such folk you cast nasty spells at you and gives you a hell lot of trouble., which being a berserker prevents it.

    I do not have much time to play the game, this time it is solely for the fun of it and I do not want to reload a thousand times for just a battle.

    So what would you suggest will I be tested for my patiance and kill the whole fun of the game being a k/mage. If it will be so I will go for the b/mage.

    And just another thing is that I want to do the most possible quests I can. Especially shangalar and kangax like quests.

    Thanks in advance
     
  2. TrueBlueAussie Gems: 17/31
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    I reckon you could go for the k/mage. Just use spell immunity: abjuration for kangaxx and mordy swords for any illithid.
     
  3. nataben1314 Gems: 10/31
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    You'll have no problem with either of these builds, they are both extremely powerful.

    While rage is nice against kangaxx and mindflayers and such, it is not a necessity.

    You could always just use a prof. from undead scroll against kangaxx and for mind flayers either use summons, or later on you can use imp haste + greater deathblow and kill a whole room of them before they even get a chance to dominate or intelligence drain you.
     
  4. Stu Gems: 20/31
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    I'd suggest against this as he need to talk to you before he turns into a demilich.

    My vote is still in favour of the Kensai-Mage, you're never going to want to use armour (as it will prevent you from using stoneskin etc) and the attack bonuses become pretty good.
     
  5. Drew

    Drew Arrogant, contemptible, and obnoxious Adored Veteran

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    You are better off with the berserker if you are only going to level 9 before you dual. Kensai costs you an item slot (bracers) and gives you a useless AC bonus in return (since AC doesn't matter for wizards). You get almost the same bonus to AC and damage from raging, anyway, and those immunities are really useful.
     
  6. kmonster Gems: 24/31
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    On the long run the berserker/mage is superior since he can wear the gauntlets of extraordinary specialisation.
    But both are playable, even a pure mage can solo the game.
     
  7. guguma Gems: 2/31
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    about the level managemet:

    I am considering k 13/ m 28 for kensai/mage
    for the berserker it is b 9/m 32

    And yes a solo mage (especially wild mage) would be very nice and challenging but it would bring out the thousand loading problem which I do not want at the moment
     
  8. nataben1314 Gems: 10/31
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    No, he still turns into the demilich. I just did this in my game.


    I would really suggest just doing whatever character you feel like doing. In unmodded BG, you can solo any class whatsoever and it will be obscenely easy. So just go with whichever you think is a cooler character concept and do that.
     
  9. Gilden Gems: 5/31
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    A different way of doing a Kensai/Mage is to have a multi-classed one. I am currently running a half-elven Kensai/Mage

    This is not something you can do without messing with the game. I began by creating an ordinary fighter mage. Then, after saving a new game at the start, I opened up the save in Shadowkeeper.

    I went into 'characteristics', and set the 'Kit' box to Kensai. Next I went into 'Innate' and set the Kit to Kensai (6th level) which should add his Kai powers to your innate abilities. I then started a second new game as a pure single class Kensai, and saved that.

    I opened Shadowkeeper again and brought up both games together (yes, you can do that). I deleted everything that was in 'Affects' in my Kensai-Mage save, and pasted everything from the pure Kensai save over, in order (Shadowkeeper has a facilty to do that). It all sounds complicated, but is easier to do than explain. Now you just have to delete the 'pure Kensai' save when you restart the game

    I seem to have succeeded in having a working multi-class Kensai-Mage instead of a dual class. At least, my character has risen to to about levels 11/12 without problem, and additional powers seem to be getting added at the right time.

    [ July 09, 2007, 18:49: Message edited by: Gilden ]
     
  10. Drew

    Drew Arrogant, contemptible, and obnoxious Adored Veteran

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    Ya know, it's a lot easier to just start the game with your fighter/mage, export the character, edit it in SK, and then start a new game with the exported character.

    Or you can just start the game with your fighter/mage, give him his kit and special abilities, and play.
     
  11. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    If you want the fewest reloads, you could look at a mage/thief combo -- preferably multiclass. The cleric/thief is also quite powerful. The two classes work beautifully together.

    As for kits, I would go BH, as the special traps of the bounty hunter can be thrown. But I have found that a plain thief can be quite powerful in combination with spellcasting.
     
  12. saros Gems: 5/31
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    And if you want a no-reload on insane, try Sorcerer or Invoker 22->Cleric(Or Thief). The only hard chapters are 2 and 3 since you have to learn how exactly to distribute your xp and quests in order to reach the xp cap in the end of chapter 3, but it is absolutely doable, especially if you dual to a thief.
    The point of dualling on such high level with a specialist mage is getting four lvl 9 spell slots.

    The xp of the lockpick and disarm trap will be maximum since you have reached 3 million xp with the previous class.

    A Fighter/Mage multiclass is best of all F-M combos, whether dualling or Bards. Since the F/M can have one hell of a lot HLAs - warriors as well as wizards - which cannot be achieved with a Berserker-Mage or Kensai-Mage.
     
  13. guguma Gems: 2/31
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    I have finished the game with the k/mage. I was playing the TDD mod and upgraded items also some G3 tweaks (bonus merchants, conveniances).

    I must say that it was an awesome experiance, feeling self-sufficiant was never better. I did not SK anything and I became too powerful in the end.

    There was a spell "Mind Blank" which is included in TDD which lasts 1 day and protects you from mind effect spells(Lv8) it was most helpful. And also Celestial Fury +5 (overoverpowered?)

    It was rather boring at the beginning taking all those kensai levels and then activating it again but after that you become unstoppable.

    I thought it would be a challange but it was much easier than party playing. I did all the vanilla game tough battles (demogorgy, twisted rune, kangaxx...)

    Anyway these are my remarks, I hope it helps anyone reading this thread.
     
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