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Easiest solo single-class and another questions

Discussion in 'BG2: Shadows of Amn (Classic)' started by nataben1314, Jul 12, 2004.

  1. nataben1314 Gems: 10/31
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    [​IMG] I realize that the "easiest solo" question has been asked multiple times, and I see that the general consensus is F/M/T or F/T or other multiclass characters. What I'm wondering is, what is the easiest singleclass or kit character to solo? I'm looking for something other then sorcerers, mages, and clerics, because I have played the game with those characters before (in parties, not solo).

    My other question is, what should I do for my first few quests (once I emerge from the opening dungeon)in order to gain some easy experience/ items before I become powerful enough to do the "harder" quests?

    Thanks in advance :)
     
  2. NonSequitur Gems: 19/31
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    I'm a bit biased, but I think the Blade kit is the easiest and best solo choice, given the restrictions you've listed.
     
  3. Shivi Gems: 2/31
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    Paladin Inquisitor would be another good choice. With Trye sight and Dispel Magic, you will have an easy time against mages/liches. Also, it will be worth it to get Fikraag early :)
     
  4. Serpent Gems: 4/31
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    Sorcerer.... need i say more?
     
  5. Hugo Gems: 15/31
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    Serpent - he specifically said NOT sorcerer :doh:
    IMO being a swashbuckler is worth a try, but I recommend against soloing at all - one of the things that make BG2 so great is the fantastic character interaction.
    :borg:
     
  6. Khemsa Gems: 7/31
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    I would tend to agree with NonSequitur that a Blade would be the easiest to solo given your restrictions. A Blade gives good fighting, decent spellcasting and some theiving abilities, thus giving some of the benefits of a FMT all in one package. Also, since a Blade uses the Thief experience table, you will be getting levels fast which will actually make spells such as Skulltrap and Flame Arrow more powerful when you cast them than if cast by a Mage with the same number of experience points.

    As far as quests, my usual sequence is to do the Circus first followed by the Slavers as I consider these the easiest, especially when soloing. The Circus is nice because it is easy and you get the very nice Ring of Human Influence which will boost your CHA to 18 (a stat that probably got minimized during character creation to allow decent STR/DEX/CON). Depending on what class you chose, Trademeet/Shadow Druids can be reasonably done (you do not *have* to go into the Troll Cave) and gives a very nice haul. Again, depending on your class, if you can do the Planar Prison the loot is well worth the effort (the Boots of Speed alone, for a solo character, makes the whole quest worth it).

    Hope that helps some.
     
  7. Faraaz Gems: 26/31
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    Blades are cool. Solo is easy with them.

    Right now, however, I was playing through Baldurs Gate 2 with a halfling Fighter/Thief (I used SK to give him the Bounty Hunter kit) and its soo easy, its not even funny...you might want to try it out.

    You have good melee power, and thieving skills as well, so the locked doors and traps are not a problem, as they are with other solo classes.

    Give it a go, you'll be surprised at how easy it is.
     
  8. Evil Dad Gems: 15/31
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    Blade is very powerful, especially at higher levels which you will reach quickly if you solo.

    The other best character would be Undead Hunter. Paladin bonuses, the best AC, the best weapon in the game and immunity to hold and level drain, the two worst attacks for a solo char. Undead Hunter would be easiest to play, as you can treat it like a fighter.
     
  9. Serpent Gems: 4/31
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    Doh! I should start reading more carefully :bang:

    Anyway, as for other classes/kits, i think that any type of paladin should be quite easy, wizardslayer is a good choice also.
     
  10. Algarion Gems: 3/31
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    I'd say Assassain. With the "cloak-of-non-detection" and a pair of "boots of speed" which booth can be found quite early in the game and your a pure killing machine. At higher levels you get an all most insane back stab multiplier and the poison weapon skill makes up for your poor THACO since it may go through even though your attack is being blocked.

    And did I mention that you gain a level after all most any fight? Hitting the SoA exp-cap is usually done even before Underdark.
     
  11. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Ignoring arcane spell casters (sorcerer is by far the easiest single-class solo), I'd have to say that the rebalanced Shapeshifter is way up there. That greater werewolf shape is ridiculously overpowered and it avoids all that unnecessary Tenser's transformation nonsense that ties up the Blade. The only problem is the big level 14 and 15 hurdles, but, as a solo, that goes pretty quickly.
     
  12. Scythesong Immortal Gems: 19/31
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    I beg to disagree.

    A solo Blade is by far an easier solo than a Sorcerer. :p

    Offensive power is another thing entirely (especially since this is SoA), and the Sorcerer would definitely win out in this respect, but when it comes down to just going through the game without as much as a sweat and going through a single reload, nothing comes close to the Blade(or any Bard), the M/T and the F/M/T .

    A Blade doesn't have to resort to Tenser's Transformation and his buffs to get him through the game. Why would you need to be that strong? Unless you're doing MODS or need to kill something quickly.

    I'd like to clarify that at his own pace, even without all the overpowering tactics and strategies, the Blade is already a very powerful character kit.
    But the beauty of the kit is that unlike most other classes it is a combination of both power and potential. (A Sorcerer has all the power but has too many restrictions, and as such, lacks much potential. In the same respect, the F/M/T has much potential being a triple class, but lacks power or intensity because of his low levels.)
    For as long as I have been in these boards, this (and the fact that the Bard classes are do not deserve the ridiculous reputation of being weak) are what I've been trying to prove to other players as natural to the Bard class.

    So don't think that Bards and Blades are about buffing like crazy, or abusing the fact that they can use a wide variety of items and spells, or that they have fewer restrictions, or that they have higher levels and thus have all the advantages of a single class, or that this is all cheesy.
    Because when that happens and things get a bit out of hand I'll be more than happy to give your "most powerful class" picks a good taste of the -"ohh-a-Bard-he-is-only-strong-because-of-his-buff-or-whatnot" or "-ohh-a-Bard-what-a-weak-class-" treatment.

    PS
    No offense is intended in this post, just restating an idea I must've said over a hundrerd times. (around 80% of my post count, anyway) ;)

    EDIT:pS

    [ July 13, 2004, 05:15: Message edited by: Scythesong Immortal ]
     
  13. Jhonka

    Jhonka This is the face of Justice Veteran

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    Someone suggested an Inquisitor as a soloist earlier, and I liked the idea so I tried it (my first ever solo project!). So far I'm level 10 (or was that 9? I'm pretty sure it's 10 :p ), and just finished the Druid Grove (minus troll mound as I was low on fire arrows). I've also done the Xzar/harper quest, the circus, and the Copper Coronet/stockade slave quests.

    The only trouble I had was the dining-room slavers, since I got horror cast on me. Wasn't too bad and I came out in one piece, however. The traps in the sewers were a bit of trouble, since IIRC one or more of them can kill you. So for that I brought Yoshimo along (kept him out of combat at all times and only used him to disarm traps in the sewers).
    My current gear is: Lilarcor and Composite Longbow +1 for weapons, Full Plate Mail armor, Cloak of protection +1 and the Helm of Balduran.


    Though I forsee trouble with locks and traps in the future, the Inquisitor is a blast to solo so far and I give him a strong recommendation. :)
     
  14. NonSequitur Gems: 19/31
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    Agreed - they have cool special abilities (Defensive Spin + Ring Of Free Action is fantastic as a defence and can easily drop your AC to -12 or lower with no restriction in SoA), can steal *fairly* well and the option of adding in spells like Stoneskin, Tenser's Transformation, Spell Immunity and Skull Trap which, combined with the rapid levelling-up, makes a Blade a truly formidable character.

    [ July 13, 2004, 09:25: Message edited by: NonSequitur ]
     
  15. Tassadar Gems: 23/31
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    Easiest to solo would be inquisitor. Dispel magic, true sight - and that's pretty much all you need to win the game.

    I always solo blades however. The constant changing of strategies as they level up (or encounter different opponents) and sheer overpowered nature of these guys make them a blast to play. I remember getting my blade's AC down to something ridiculous like -26.
     
  16. dmc

    dmc Speak softly and carry a big briefcase Staff Member Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    @SI - No offense taken, as I know you love your blades. To me, when someone asks what the easiest class is to solo, and takes out sorcerers, mages and clerics from the mix, they are looking for a "step up and whack 'em" kind of character. I think that for all of the blade's ultimate use, as a solo, he's basically a F/M with an underpowered fighter side and, for most of SOA, perhaps a slightly overpowered mage side. I discount the lore and stealing part because, as a solo, money isn't an issue, so you can pay for identify and buy what you want (instead of stealing it). As for the song, it's nice, but images and stacking songs really is just another complex spell-type strategy which is what I assume nataben (the original poster) was looking to avoid.

    Thus, if you aren't interested in taking the time to do complex spell strategies (where I still think the sorcerer wins hands down), and you don't use cheese (a la the ridiculous ring of free action removing the defensive spin penalty), then I don't think the blade is your guy.

    Quite frankly, you could solo with a stalker or an inquisitor or anything like that and be fine. I was just pointing out that the rebalanced shapeshifter gives you the ability to be a whacking grunt (as a greater werewolf) with built in magic weapons that can touch all but a couple of foes and regeneration that obviates the need for regenerating items, while, at the same time, giving you access to a whole bunch of neat druid spells like iron skins, the various insect spells, cool summons and nature's beauty.

    I doubt you'll ever convince me that a blade will take out a sorcerer, and that's fine. I won't convince you the other way either. It just seemed that this post was about finding a solo that didn't revolve around spells. I think a blade still does.
     
  17. nataben1314 Gems: 10/31
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    Well I've started to solo a blade (with the help of scythesong's guide) and I am really liking it so far.

    What I like about it is the versatility. I got through Irenicus' dungeon by simply casting mirror image, armor, invisibility... then throwing down a skull trap, then mopping the rest up with offensive spin!

    In the slavers area, I killed the Captain and all those guys easily by casting cloudkill over the main group of ranged weapon guys and the priest, then summoned monsters, then when my summons died I mopped up the rest with fireballs.

    I suppose dmc is correct thus far, I've mainly been using the blade as a caster. What I like about him though, is that he is a very competent fighter at the same time. I beat the circus quest without casting any offensive spells, just mirror image, stoneskin, and offensive spin.

    Another thing I like about him is his super fast leveling! I leveled up at least twice (maybe three times I can't remember) in the opening dungeon alone!

    I fear playing a "strictly fighting" type of character because it seems like they would have a heck of a time against high level casters.
     
  18. Bahir the Red Gems: 18/31
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    Screw my assassin, Im making a Blade TODAY!

    I never use a bard in BG, because I thought they sucked (only use bards in IwD for the extra dialogue options and extra xp from talking)

    Im gonna make a evil, solo blade and kill stuff! yeah!
     
  19. Rastor Gems: 30/31
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    I seem to recall a debate thread between SI and myself to this very question. Nobody won. The blade is more versatile than the sorcerer and would make a better solo character.

    In which case Inquisitor or Undead Hunter is probably the best bet, although a Swashbuckler could do all right as well.
     
  20. NonSequitur Gems: 19/31
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    Completely off-topic: Give him Lilarcor as his main weapon...
    "Now, now! C'mon, kill something now! Yeahhhh!"
     
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