Finally playing this, almost 4 years after I bought it

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Wow. I knew I had bought this game a long time ago, but I didn't realise it was December 2006! Actually, I remember that I bought my "new" PC at the time specifically so it would have the right specs for NWN 2.

Unfortunately for this game, I got it at the same time as Civilization IV. Civ IV was clearly excellent value for money because I have been playing it ever since, but I have finally decided to have a go at a different game.

So here I am playing Neverwinter Nights 2 at last. I don't even know if anyone else still plays it. There doesn't seem to be much action on the NWN 2 boards, so maybe it hasn't turned out to be a popular game. I remember there was lots of hype about it when it came out 4 years ago.

I am playing with my standard Rogue / Fighter character that I so often default to - probably with a view to becoming a Duellist at some point. I am still getting used to all the controls, but I am enjoying it so far, having just finished the Prologue and now heading for Fort Locke. It seems pretty linear so far - I don't think I've encountered a single important decision or optional fork in the road yet.

It is nice to be playing a game like this again though.

 

I felt the same way you did at first Harbs. But once you get to the last act you can see the game was rushed and the last areas are just awful. It is very linear - you're dragged from one area to the other in a pretty strict order. You might get a little deviation at a couple of points but that's about it. I would really recommend you grab both expansions, as they're much better than the base game (though in very different ways).

 

Sounds like good advice. Is there anything to be gained from saving and exporting a character from this game? I know nothing about the expansions or other modules.

 

The first expansion, Mask of the Betrayer, continues the story from the NWN2 OC. None of your choices will be saved (you get to "make them again" in dialogue in MotB) but you get to keep your character intact, as well as all the non-weapon items you are wearing at the end of the OC. MotB starts at level 18 but your imported character will be level 20, and some of the items you can keep are sweet, so there's a definite advantage.

The Storm of Zehir expansion is completely unrelated to the OC and MotB (except for some NPC cameos and references) and you create a fresh party from start. Yep you heard that right, creating a party of 4 at startup! I've been waiting for this since IWD2

There's one more module (similar to the NWN1 premium modules) called Myseries of Westgate. I've read good things about it (I think Beren here gave it a good review) and have been thinking of getting it once I have more time for gaming.

 

Is there any point in worrying about crafting in the OC? It looks complicated and I'm going to bother if it's worthwhile and you can make stuff that's better than what you can find or buy.

 

Concerning Mysteries of Westgate: I would say it's worth the money. It's not a breathtaking adventure by any means (I honestly found Darkness over Daggerford (made by the same chaps) for NWN1 to be superior in most ways), but it's quite enjoyable.

There are still a few (free) community-made modules that I would recommend over MoW though. Off the top of my head, the most popular are Night Howls in Nestlehaven, Harp & Chrysanthemum, Asphyxia and Fate of a City. They're all at nwvault.ign.com.

 

If you have a list of what you need and the cheat codes to give yourself the materials, it's worth it, otherwise you'll have to get lucky in finding what you need to craft/enchant armors. It's pretty lame. In SoZ crafting is actually reasonable.

 

I thought it was worthwhile to craft in the OC? Is it not? I was putting some effort into getting the materials. I must say that the good items in the shops seem to be very expensive. I'm up to the bit where you have to choose between the City Watch and the Thieves. Sounds a bit familiar............

 

It's a matter of taste. You can definately finish the game without crafting at all, and there is pretty powerful items to buy.

But personally I think it's worthwhile, and I have done a lot of crafting without lacking materials. You won't be able to equip all companions you meet with optimal crafted gear, but your char is the most important anyway, and the rest of your party can get some really good items by crafting.

Some of the recipes is a must IMHO if you go crafting, like I.E. Fortified Armor which makes you immune to Crifical Hits and Sneak Attacks. Or Holy Weapons which gives +2d6 damage to Evil creatures. Or the Disruption recipe or...Well, I could go on.

As for money, don't worry. You will get more than enough to buy the really expensive gear.

I've played the OC 7 times, MotB 3 times and SoZ 2 times, and I believe that reflects my opinion of the different campaigns. While I will play the 2 others again, I believe I've played SoZ for the first and last time.

I can't see it mentioned here, but you have to manually export your char to use it in MotB. So when you confront the final boss, it's time to use the Export option in the menu.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Hmm, just realised I don't have anyone with the Craft Magic Arms and Armour feat. So I'll have to wait another level before trying to make a magic Rapier.

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Realistically, the most fun part of a game like this is the character development and set up, which includes levelling up and optimising equipment to get the best out of the character. So I hope that some effort devoted to crafting will be of benefit.

My character is a Rogue / Fighter / Duellist so I really need to get hold of some Finessable and Light weapons for each hand, as well as some non-armour AC boosting items. So something like a super Rapier in the main hand and something like a light hammer, dagger, or kukri in the off-hand. Any thoughts?

So far, Neeshka is the most interesting NPC encountered so far, but unfortunately she is the worst fit for the team. I'd probably be better off with Khelgar, Elanna, and Qara at this point but I don't want to dump Neeshka just yet.

 

Don't worry, you will meet a couple of NPC's that are almost perfectly suited for crafting. Also bear in mind that some of the recipes requires divine magic spells.

IMHO you will never go wrong with a couple of Short Swords, if you go the Two-Weapon Fighting, Finessable route.

Short Sword does the same damage as Rapier, 1d6. While Rapiers Crit Threat is better, you can't use that for much, since you will meet a lot of creatures immmune to crits and sneak attacks.

Plus if you have the same type of weapon in each hand, you can go for Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization, thereby improving your attack rolls and damage.

And raw damage is a good idea to bet on.

Besides, there is some pretty good Short Swords to buy or get as loot, so you should be covered even if you don't do crafting.

 

Don't you need a light weapon in the off hand to get the maximum Two Weapon fighting bonus?

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Hmm, I am now doing the Fedex-style quests for the City Watch. So many thugs. It's just a thug-a-thon. There are more thugs than citizens in this crazy city. At least I'm starting to find some valuable loot at last. Hopefully I will be able to craft my first magic weapon at my next level up.

 

Yes. Short Swords are considered light weapons for normal sized races and beyond.

 

But a Rapier isn't, right? So no Rapiers in the off-hand?

 

Correct.

Rapier is not a light weapon, except for big sized races. But it is one of the few medium sized weapons that are Finessable.

Hence why I recommended Short Swords in both hands.

 

What happened to trolls? In other games, when you first encounter trolls, they are almost unstoppable, with their regeneration and power. But in NWN 2, when you first encounter trolls, they're even easier than "Thugs" (who were annoyingly time consuming to take down). A couple of hits, then a flame arrow or acid arrow and they're done. Lame!

 

I agree. I find that ogres actually gives more of a fight than trolls in the OC.

 

I need to find or make some better weapons and armour. I feel under-equipped.

Plus I've now found that Bard. His abilities are somewhat useful, but Qara is a revelation. What did I do before Fireball and Stoneskin?

 

That's why I always play these games as a Sorcerer

The OC suddenly shifted to "easy" when I got Fireball and to "cakewalk" when I got Stoneskin. The higher level spells don't make it any harder either