Party Builds

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It all depends on what angles you want to cover really.
Take at least 1 good single class cleric as a healing battery/buffer, taking a fighter cleric and a Half elf ranger/cleric as a second cleric that gets access to druid spells as well isn't a bad idea either.

You'd probably get more mileage of a fighter/thief and fighter/mage, mage or sorcerer separately, though you can also run a bard or mage/thief if you'd like to keep your 4th slot open for say, a paladin to rock (arguably) the best 2hander in the game - pale justice.

personally, i feel like multi/dual class characters are better then single class ones.

This would be my 4-man party :

1 Dwarf Fighter/cleric, using a shield + warhammer. (endgame the +3 one of phasing) mainly to tank
1 Halfling Fighter/Thief (halfling because they get a race exclusive helmet which is the best in the game - fighter/thief because we can't use it on a pure/kitted thief) don't put too much into strength, pump dex and con, grab the gauntlets of elven might later on in dorn't deep.
1 Half elf Cleric/Ranger - dual wielding morning stars, you can pick up 2x morning star : defender, they give +2 ac, 20%pierce resist, 20%slash resist and 15% magic resist each.
1 Human Paladin - 2handed swords (shoot for pale justice) i really like paladins and getting my hands on that tasty, tasty sword. also acts as the parties front line damager/tank.

 

Thanks!
If I had to build a full party of 6, without too much multi and dual classing, how would you build it?
I am also interested in the best weapon proficiencies to take in this game...
Is a pureclass cleric at least a decent tank/damage dealer?

What are the best spells to learn with my sorcerer?

Is it possible to beat the game on HoF if I start HoF from level 1?

 

Bonus points if you can create a good party without any fighter-classes (Fighters,Paladins,Rangers etc.)

Do I really need a thief or does it go well without one?

 

The only skill that you are really going to miss is the disarm trap
skill, which only a thief can do.
Whenever you run into a trap (you can at least detect them with the detect traps spell) one of your party members has to sacrifice themselves to activate the trap so the rest of the party can cross safely.
Your best bet there is probably a mage with stoneskin & mirror image so you mitigate most if not all damage.
to open locked doors/chests you can't bash open there's the knock spell, you'll probably want to memorize a few of them to avoid having to rest at each locked chest.
With the enhanced edition, you also get access to monks, who can also put points in detect traps, stealth and in case of the dark soul monks detect illusion skills.

 

Which are the most important stats for a bard(or any kit of it) and a sorcerer?

Which do you think are the best kits for bards, clerics and druids?

Is the backstab any good in this game?

What weapon type is the paladin-sword?

What level should my party be when I start HoF?

Would you prefer a bard or a F/M/T?

 

For bards, INT - effects the size of your spell book and your ability to scribe spells.
For Sorcerers, Charisma is their main stat - however, iirc Charisma isn't implemented in any way that affects spells, and since sorcerers don't use a spellbook like the mage/bard, they don't benefit from intelligence either.

Blade is often hailed as the kit for bards, because of its high damage output, skald is probably the best pick if you want your bard to be a support to the rest of your party.
Druid kits arn't all that impressive - Totemic Druid is probably the best one to pick. you lose the ability to shapeshift, but the summons you get in return are pretty great.
Cleric wise, good alignment is best, so go for Priest of Lathander, Tyr or Tempus. i prefer Lathander personally(the other 2 are new additions to the EE) - the hold undead spell is usefull since IWD is bursting to the seams with them, and boon of lathander gives some pretty good bonuses as well.

You can use it to good effect, sure - i personally never bother because it does require some micromanaging, and you'll often find your thief being the target of a group of mobs after he pops out of stealth after a backstab.

It's a Long sword.

Whatever you reach with a playthrough on normal mode, i guess.
my 6man party reached allmost 3million exp per char on the regular playthrough, amounting to roughly ~lvl 20 for single class, 11/12/12 for triple class, and 13/14 for double classed characters.
With a 3-man party, you could hit close to the level cap on all 3 of them with a normal playthrough.

I'll take F/T any day. F/M/T if you really want to/dont have much else in the form of arcane spellcasters in your party.

 

In this game it might be worth it not to take a bard kit at all. All of the bard kits lose out on the extra songs plain bards get, and some of them are quite powerful. But if you are, blade is always a solid choice.

I'm gonna have to disagree with the post above me and say that totemic druid is the LEAST useful of all the druid kits. "Underwhelming" is the word I would use for the summons, and they stop growing at level 10 I do believe.

Instead, go for shapeshifter if you want fighting abilities on top of the powerful spells of the druid class in this game, or Avenger if you want to upgrade your damage spells even more.

Backstab can be highly useful- I usually have at least one backstab specialist. Oftentimes you will one-hit kill your enemy so it's best to use it against spellcasters or powerful fighters if none are available.

By the way...

Spoiler

Backstab is bugged in Enhanced Edition unless it has been patched. Most undead are not immune to it.

As for cleric kits, I strongly advise a multiclass cleric. Single class druids are useful due to their mainly-offensive spellset but cleric spells focus more on buffing and melee. As such you probably want a ranger/fighter multiclass.

F/M/T when used to their full potential can be one-man armies. But they will level very slow so keep that in mind.

 

Thanks alot for the insight!

So is a 4 man party the strongest?

If so which 4 builds would you take?

Or are 6 people even better?

Which would you take then?

Is a 19 strenght, halforc cleric good enough in melee to serve as a tank?
Is a pure bard better than a skald?Why?
Which is the best melee fighter of ALL the classes?I would love to take a kensai but think the AC would suck...
Does a pure druid have enough blasting power or should I forget about him and rather take a multiclass?Or what kit?
Which classes do actually benefit from a constitution above 16?
I dont want a fulltime thief. Which multiclass should I take for a substitution of a thief?
Is a sorcerer really as strong as in baldurs gate 2 or can I take a mage-specialist?
How much difference does weapon-grandmastery do?
What makes the blade a good kit? I mean he loses all of the bard-songs which make the bard such a good class...

 

A halforc cleric would be a passable tank, but there is better. Not taking a melee class leaves out a chunk of hp and limits you to one attack but you get access to your spells faster that way.

Pure bard has better defensive songs whereas Skald has better offensive ones and is a bit better at fighting. I suppose it depends on what you want your bard to be supporting in the party.

Pure druids definitely have enough blasting power to be effective as most of their spells are damage-oriented and you will get them faster as well as have them be more powerful with a pure-class. But on the other hand you lose a lot of fighting ability and some weapons you can summon with a druid will be less effective.

Shape-shifters get the best of both worlds as they advance quickly in their spells while also having a strong fighting option to fall back on.

A good substitution for a thief would probably be Stalker- they can still backstab and get extra Ranger spells- can only use light armor though.

Grandmastery adds an extra attack as well as some damage increases. Definitely worth getting if using a fighter.

What makes the Blade a good kit is the fact that it performs much better both defensively and offensively due to their spin abilities and extra skill in two-weapon fighting. It can get one of the very highest AC's in the game.

 

Thanks!
But now can you suggest me your perfect party?

I am still wondering what is the best combination...
Anywhere from 3 to 6 member-parties would be nice...

If I want my druid ONLY for casting, which kit would be best?

Which would be the strongest cleric character ever?

What are the biggest downsides of a kensai? If I have a druid in the party, I can use barkskin, which nulifiess the needs for an armor I guess?

 

If only casting, definitely go Avenger. They gain useful extra wizard spells at most spell levels.

It's hard for me to say what the perfect 4 person party would be. You should always cover your bases (good fighting, casting, and healing) but other than that it's more about tailoring it to your playstyle.

My personal recommendation:

Dwarven Defender or Barbarian: Depends on if you want extra defense or extra destruction for your meat shield.

Fighter/Mage multi or dual: There aren't enough scrolls to justify pure mage unless sorcerer, and the melee heaviness of this game demands an extra blade.

Shadowdancer/cleric dual: Do not underestimate this character. At the start it will be your primary scout and a wonderful decoy, by mid-game it will be a deadly assassin and support character.

Shapeshifter druid or Fighter/Druid: The combination of healing and damage spells make them a personal favorite of mine for the IWD series. There are a few spells that make them simply indispensable IMO.


The only downside to a kensai is no armor. yes, this can be somewhat offset by defensive spells, but your best bet is to dual it to a class that has better defenses (druid, mage).

 

If only casting, definitely go Avenger. They gain useful extra wizard spells at most spell levels.

It's hard for me to say what the perfect 4 person party would be. You should always cover your bases (good fighting, casting, and healing) but other than that it's more about tailoring it to your playstyle.

My personal recommendation:

Dwarven Defender or Barbarian: Depends on if you want extra defense or extra destruction for your meat shield.

Fighter/Mage multi or dual: There aren't enough scrolls to justify pure mage unless sorcerer, and the melee heaviness of this game demands an extra blade.

Shadowdancer/cleric dual: Do not underestimate this character. At the start it will be your primary scout and a wonderful decoy, by mid-game it will be a deadly assassin and support character.

Shapeshifter druid or Fighter/Druid: The combination of healing and damage spells make them a personal favorite of mine for the IWD series. There are a few spells that make them simply indispensable IMO.


The only downside to a kensai is no armor. yes, this can be somewhat offset by defensive spells, but your best bet is to dual it to a class that has better defenses (druid, mage).

Okay, so its gonna be an avenger then...

Okay, so I rethink about if it will be a dd or a barb...
but perhaps a kensai is even better...

I really want to have a sorcerer because he/she has so many spells.Can you prove me wrong?

Shadowdancer/cleric dual: I dont think he is very good on that low thief levels... he doesnt get enough skill points to justify all the thieving needs...
I would rather take a pure cleric and a fighter/thief then...

For the druid, I will definitally take an Avenger. It looks very promising or am I wrong?

Do you have any reccomendations on a sorcerer spell list?

Which is the best tank of all the listet classes?

How can an archer fit into the party listet above?

Theoretically, which would be the best paladin build to fit in this party?

In the end, are 4 people stronger or a party of six?

 

You'll want at least two (preferably tough) melees and a ranged character. Sorcerers, as previously mentioned, are a solid choice and so is Wild Mage. Since these classes rely a lot on resting though you'll need to tailor your party around trying to cover that particular vulnerability, which is why I suggest having two (preferably tough) melee characters. Your ranged character can be a fighter/thief or bard, if you cant fit the thief class somewhere else. In any case you'll definitely want a good scout.

Ranged combat is stronger in IWD than the BG series, primarily thanks to bows like Messenger of Sseth and the Hammer. It's one of the main reasons thief/x classes and bards are so powerful in IWD. This in mind, fighter/thief seems ideal for your party.

I don't think using a druid purely for casting is a good idea. Even your Avenger/Totemic Druid will need to fight in melee if you only have four people in your party, so you should plan for the inevitable. IWD is a lot more hack-and-slash than the BG series, and you'll get frustrated very quickly if you design a party that relies on resting a lot.

In the end a party of six is definitely stronger. A party of four is just potentially stronger early-mid game. Note that you can add a fifth or sixth member anytime though.

 

Sorcerer is a great choice, so go for it.

Dwarven Defender is absolutely the best tank. It has resistances out the wazoo and an increased hp table to boot. Not to mention it can use the best helmet in the game which even further increases defenses.

The shadowdancer/cleric build does indeed take time to come into it's own, if you wanted an archer it would probably be best to replace that one. Archers get crazy attacks per round and never have to be in danger to use them. A big favorite, that one.

Undead Hunter or Inquisitor would probably be best for this game. You will meet a substantial amount of undead right from the outset and the dispelling ability can save your party members from debilitating effects.

 

So what do you think about this one:

Dwarven Defender

Fighter/Thief or pure Kensai (which one fits the party better???)

Halforc Cleric(not sure which kit yet, please give me suggestions!!!)

Elven Avenger

(Not sure which race yet) Skald

(Not sure which race yet) Sorcerer

So this would be my sixpack. Is it any good or would you suggest me any better races/classes or kits?

Could you also suggest me the best stats for each of those characters?

 

You'll definitely want a scout, so go with fighter/thief or some thief/x combination.
I also think you'll want a dualed or multiclassed human or half-orc fighter/cleric instead of a pure cleric (paladin works fine btw), especially since you'll be getting a skald (bonuses to attack and damage, so you'll want at least 3 dedicated hitters - dwarven defender, fighter/cleric or paladin, fighter/thief). Your Sorcerer and Avenger can help by summoning powerful monsters/elementals/constructs. The skald himself can join the fun once he gets Mislead, just give him a good bow.

You could start with a group of 4 and then add the rest as your core members reach around level 5+. That's usually when caster classes get their signature spells.

 

You could possibly have the best of both worlds and go with kensai/thief. This build was renowned in other IE games for it's ability to do insane amounts of damage. Your cleric can replace scouting abilities with the sanctuary spell until he is ready to dual class.

That party looks solid. You shouldn't have any problems with it.

 

At which level would you dual over the Kensai then?

Which proficiencies would you give the guys from my party above?

---------- Added 21 hours, 27 minutes and 3 seconds later... ----------

Okay so:

Elven Avenger

(Not sure which race yet) Skald

(Not sure which race yet) Sorcerer

Are set in stone.

Which classes/race/kits combination would you add to make this party the most powerful?

What do you think about adding a 2nd Sorcerer?

 

A second sorcerer would probably be overkill, but oh so much fun if the obliteration of all that lies before you is your thing.

I believe 7 and 13 are the recommended levels for dualing, due to the extra attack gained. I would say 7 because 13 would take a very long time.

 

Thanks!
Which stats are required to succesfully dual over to a thief?
Which weapon profs would you give the Kensai then in the beginning?