Is it even worth it to stay a fighter class rather than dual classing?

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I don't think that I ever did a triple multi, but the first character that I finished BG2 and ToB with was a R/C multi (soloing), so I always just assumed that everyone knew that you got HLAs at 3mln total (except for dual classed characters) (and really it's above 2.95 mln).

 

i blame the whole meta/powergaming thing, most places you go dual-classed characters like kensai/mages and wizard slayer/thief are praised to high heavens, so i can imagine people not having tried multiclass characters before in a (mistaken) belief that they are somehow inferior.

 

Yeah, i'm talking more in general, i've seen plenty of posts on gamefaqs and the like where a ton of people advice to go kenssai/mage if you want "the most powerful character" for example.
I've allways liked multiclass characters, the very first PC i played both games with was a fighter/mage multi.

 

It's just one of those things with the infinity engine games. You don't expect people to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every item/ability/event/quest in the game, and with so many ways to beat the game in the first place you understand why people just go with whatever seems most appealing.
One doesn't have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy BG2 so meh.

Spellslinging sword saint vs traditional fighter/mage. You gotta admit, the former sounds nicer.

 

Some dual-class combos are in the top tier of powergaming options. Kensai/mage dual is superior in almost every respect to fighter/mage multi. That's not to say some multiclass combos don't stand on equal footing though. Cleric/ranger for instance is definitely a top contender.

 

The traditional Kensai 9 or 13/mage x dual?
The Kensai/mage is basically just a mage with combat skills. They only get 10 HLAs or so total, while fighter/mages get 18 or so total. Kensai/mages get level 9 spell slots faster, but there's really nothing preventing either class from using the Project Image + Timestop scrolls loophole to get around that. The difference is that once they first get HLAs Kensai/mages will be spamming spells (Alacrity), while the fighter/mage will be spamming whirlwinds.

At max levels the fighter/mage will have better HP, saves, THAC0 and physical damage output (fighter HLAs). The Kensai/mage will have like 2 more level 8 and 9 spell slots.
"Superior in almost every respect" hardly seems to apply.

 

Truthfully, I honestly can't remember what the state at maxed out levels is. The optimizations were originally based around the SoA XP cap, so if the F/M can reach max level in both classes, they obviously have an unfair advantage after the single and dual-classed characters hit the cap. But once HLAs come into play, all comparisons are pointless anyway since the numbers are just for show.

Edit: Having checked, at 24/20, F/M does seem to have a marginal advantage.

 

The main reason why I prefer to dual mages or clerics is exactly because of these few extra high level spells. F/T multi could be considered strictly better. Though skill points may be spread a bit thin until the ToB end game if you like good HiS and MS.

But the best part about dualling (if you dual early) is that effectively you get a pure class mage/cleric/thief/druid, but with some extra hp and with more than just that one, single attack per round. The latter alone is worth putting a few levels of fighter in any of those classes. In my opinion.

 

The extra high level spells are nice, but IMO having a character with as close to single class mage spell progression as possible (plus good combat abilities) is the main reason I'd pick a dual class F/M.

Both dual/multi F/Ms can use scribe scroll XP to gain levels quickly. Dual classed F/Ms can get their fighter levels back ASAP, multis reach their mid-late game status significantly earlier (well before ToB). It's a loophole that works for well for both.

 

Well, yeah. A single class kensai has no waiting time, power lag, or micromanagement. From it's creation it holds the ''striker'' position down. It is the paper tiger, the glass cannon, and like Wolverine, is the best at what it does.

Wizard slayers also benefit from staying pure. An under-rated fun character, that one. Ascension TOB was a cakewalk with him and Keldorn in tandem.

 

I would imagine that if you were to go through the threads for BG2 it would highly depnd on the experience of the user and whether they have the expansion or not.

If you only have SoA then dual class looks a LOT better.

Multiclass really comes into its own if you use ToB AND realize that they get most/all the HLAs and that dual does not (unless you get both high enough) while finding the synergy for them. That takes time and experimentation. For instance assassination is much more powerful for a multiclass (often even over an assassin unless they really REALLY try) because a fighter/thief can get more attacks per round which means more back stabs.


Personally my experience has been regardless of the power you think each has multi tends to be the better option to me since you never have to wait to be what you want like a dual class character does. Now if only I did not have to use keeper to give multiclass characters kits then that would be nice (don't look at me like that that was legal in PnP for most kits outside the thief and fighter handbooks).