Good IWD 2 Party

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I've never played IWD 2 so I thought I'd give it a go. But the one problem I have is that I've never had to make a whole party. Any suggestions as to what would make a good party? Class? Stats?

 

I got stumped like you did, so I just got a power playing guide and used that for a template. I think both Sir Rechet and coinenagh have guides here on sorcerer's, though I don't know if they're up to date with the latest insights that occasionally pass by here in this forum.

 

Yeah, going with a guide is a good idea especially for your first playthrough - going with a power playing party means the game will be that much more forgiving when/if you do mess up, and will set you up with a good group to take into HOF mode if you so desire.
Even if you're familiar with the game system from the other infinity engine games, running with a party from a guide might still be advisable , especially since IWD2 runs on a modified 3e ruleset instead of 2nd edition like the other games.

Personally, i prefer Jukka's guide - be sure to get the 2,0 version from sorcerers.net, there's also a version on GameFAQs but that's a very outdated one - the 2.0 version is entirely different, and the best party to run through IWD2 with that I've found to date.

Also, the JUPP2 guide has a section dedicated to explaining how to make your own viable party instead of just going with the recommended ones.
You can grab the guide here : http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/dl.php?s=IWD2&f=IWD2/icewind_dale_ii_jupp.zip

 

Thanks, I appreciate the help. I started to buy IWD2 when it first came out but when I heard I had to make my own party it kind of put me off. I'd played BG 1&2 and did a pretty good job at making one character by reading the manual but I knew there was no way I could do a whole party. But now I've decided to go ahead give it a go. I'm still a little put off by having to my own party but now there are more options to getting help to do so. I'm playing FO2 right now too so if IWD2 starts getting too frustrating I'll just go play it for a while and then come back to IWD2. That's one of the reasons I usually play more than one game at a time. Anyways, any suggestions as to how is the best way to play IWD2? I know it's a true RPG. Not in the sense that there's a strong story it's more of hack and slash like Diablo. Right?

 

My guide was the first guide I ever wrote. I wrote a half dozen more for other games since then. It has since been overhauled with newest insights.

It contains a step-by-step excelsheet for every level, stat, skill and feat to pick. Detailed explanations are in the wordfile, with equipment, spells, tactics and explanations for every major choice.

My only regret, is that I was way too verbose in my explanations, which detracts from the overview. I can't bring myself to remove content, but I have since learned that less is more.

 

I'm currently reading JUPP2 and, I must admit, I feel a bit overwhelmed.

 

Yeah, it's all a bit overwhelming, 3e has that tendency. And still lacking in detail, because in JUPP2 the skill points are still not very detailed.

Plus a lot of JUPP2 is aimed at HoF mode, which is fine, but is not typically something that you might do on your first run (or after your first run).

If I get back in IWD2, I'll have a look at coin's guide, perhaps it is easier to follow.

 

I'm still not sure how to make a party even after reading JUPP2. Like you said it said it seems more aimed at the HoF mode. Any other suggestions?

 

1. You need a "face", somebody invested in diplomacy, intimidate, and bluff skills. Bards and rogues tend to be the best, followed by paladins (high charisma+4 points per level) and wizards (high int = more points).
2. You need somebody to spend points on finding/disarming traps and opening locks. Rogues are the best at this, but taking a rogue can make him "the load" in combat. Multiclassing can help with this, but you lose skill points and the skills become cross-class when taking the "other" level. You can spread these skills around the party, but somebody should specialize in BOTH spot and searching.
   
3. You need an arcane spell caster. Sorcerer or Wizard. Beginners should probably go with wizard until they get a feel for the spells that work best for them. There are several different styles.
4. You need a divine spell caster. Cleric or druid or both. A good-aligned cleric is recommended for beginners because of spontaneous healing. Turn undead can be nice, but unlike IWD1, it is only useful in a few locations. Unlike Baldur's Gate I, druids are just as powerful as a cleric or mage in their own way on the battlefield, but less useful than clerics as healers. Buffing can be extremely important in this game, as you don't have enemies with scripted dispells and true sight like in BG2.
   
5. You need a tank and somebody who can deal some physical damage for the baddies that are magically resistant. You can get away with letting the spellcasters wail on disabled baddies, especially with ranged attacks like crossbows into a "killing field", but you need somebody that can attract the active enemy's attention away from your squishy wizards.

 

On nr. 5: someone who is a tank, is not necessarily someone that does physical damage, or who is good at such.

 

Summons work better than tanks in most cases. AI prioritizes them.
When all else fails, a cleric is best on the frontline due to decent armour and insta-casting Heal. I level my battleclerics up in CON and leave WIS at 18; I devoted an entire chapter on clerics in my guide (which was a bit much)...

 

JUPP guide is aimed at HOF mode since all you really need in Normal mode is a tank and a healer and you're done in terms of required assets for successful completion. They could even be the same character. HOF mode, on the other hand, is much more unforgiving experience.

 

You don't need #1, though it will make the game more interesting. However, there are a ton of big battles in this game, and most of them can't be skipped at all by talking.

#2 isn't important. Walk past the traps and then heal after.

 

You can always pick up a level or two in rogue on a character and then segue that into a mage, you'll get enough skill points to bump up the thieving skills to make them useful without taking too much of a hit in power.

 

Drow for battlecleric. You start with low CON, but can advance CON as you level up. Few cleric spells utilize spell DC, so keeping WIS at 18 works well. Low reflex saves of cleric are assisted with Spell Resistance. Battleclerics are so good, you may consider taking along two of 2 different schools. I like Lathander and Bane (neutral version) for good evocation and enchantment spells, respectively.

Paladin 1 / Sorcerer is 2nd most powerful build. Watch its saving throws go sky high as you increase Charisma. Human levels faster, and multiclassing options also make it the best choice for race.

Svirfneblin Rogue 2 / Illusionist is a good secondary caster + rogue utility. Not to mention an excellent decoy with racial abilities, especially SR.

A druid for some extra healing power and spell variety. Get the most by combining it with a Monk level (only lawful neutral human can do it without penalty), so you can have shapeshift forms that get a WIS-bonus to Armour Class. Unlike battleclerics, the Monk 1 / Druid gets the best benefits from advancing WIS.

Then go for a diplomat. A full bard works well, gets good spell access, and can do lots of auxiliary stuff like singing. It's hard to summarize how useful a bard can be. With my playstyle, it has low STR and stays more in the back than sorcerer or illusionist. Surprisingly, my Jack-of-all-trades takes on more of a full caster role, while the actual full casters see way more combat. The bard's killcount will be very low, but that doesn't reflect how useful it avtually is. I'd go with female Drow, because a level cleric can be beneficial, not to mention SR allows it to run interference/ decoy.

And that's my reccommended party in a nutshell - no need to read my 45-page wordfile unless you want detailed explanations.

 

That's one of the things i didn't like about IWD2 - whereas in the other IE games there was no difference concerning males or females, in IWD2 you sometimes get shoehorned into picking a certain gender/race combo just to avoid an EXP penalty when multiclassing.

 

Computer's been acting up so it took me a bit to get back to this. I'm still working at setting up my party. Not really sure which I'm going to go so I'm playing Fallout 2 right now. I think I'm going to do some more reading to better familiarize myself with how to make a full party before I try to do so. I might be over thinking but I really want to make sure I get my party right. I was thinking fighter,cleric,sorcerer, wizard,druid and bard.

 

Yes, you get shoehorned, but I kind of like it. You get two preferred classes for the same racial benefits. Also, drow are definitely supposed to be different, physically as well.

 

I'll concede that female drow having cleric as a favored class makes the most sense as opposed to males, but as far as i know the fact that only females can become priests of lolth was more of a social thing, not anything physical ?
Also, unless i'm mistaken - male drow could still be priests to other gods, like chaunadar for example.