More questions about soloing!

Remove all ads!

Due to the amazing read that is Windrunner's thread, I'm once again tempted to do that which I'v never thought to do before: Solo!

So I tried it last night. I spend maybe two hours playing areound in Targos with a character.

Human Fighter 2/Rogue 2
Str 14
Dex 17
Con 16
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 3

So far he's doing just fine. But is this a good build? Sould I go with a different combo of classes? What say you, oh fellow gurus?

 

Interesting choice to take 16 Intelligence. As you have gained no mage levels, I assume it is for more skill points? Not that there are all that many that you really need- the traps and locks in this game aren't all that bad, especially in comparison to BGII.

I'd have thought arcane spell-casting would have benefited a solo character more than rogue skills. I cannot be sure of this though- I've never soloed IWDII.

3 Charisma? Bah!

 

Not a powergaming character, but an interesting one.
With this stats you could take the next 20 levels as mage levels and have a pretty easy time through the game as a mage with a few other levels. Your character won't be very different from windrunner's.
But playing without mage spells like mirror image is surely the bigger challenge.
You might consider taking barbarian levels for the heroic inspiration feat and the faster movement which is really beneficial when soloing.
A barbarian3/fighter4/rogue x sounds interesting. Maybe with 4 more strength and 4 less int.

Spellcasting makes the game far easier, playing without spellcaster levels might lead to frustration if you just want to play an easy run.
And I don't know if beating HoF mode as fighter/thief character is even possible.
But you can try to get as far as possible with this character. You don't have to finish the game in order to have fun.

 

I would have thought one of the biggest problems with that character was the charisma of 3. That will sure make many conversations troublesome, as well as ensuring you get shafted in all dealings with stores.

But, having said that, just about any character can successfully solo, if you use the right tactics.

I have also been inspired to attempt another solo run (or at least I will wait as long as possible before adding the next character).

My character has just finished the Prologue and is currently Fighter 3 / Rogue 1 / Barbarian 1 / Lorekeeper of Oghma 1 with the following stats:

Str 17
Dex 15
Con 18
Int 8
Wis 11
Cha 8

I'm aiming for a mainly melee based character with loads of hit points and specialising in axes. The Lorekeeper level is concession to playability because that gives me access to Identify and Eagle's Splendour so that I can actually sell magic items properly.

My character is also NE which means this is the first time I have ever experienced the evil and sub-par intelligence dialogue options which is pretty interesting.

 

I agree that taking mage levels would make things a lot easier. Casters are where it's at, especially when it comes to soloing. In fact, I think the fighter/mage I'm using is one of the easiest soloing possibilities (along with Paladin/Sorcerors and Clerics) out there, but I chose this because I planned on (and am) doing Heart of Fury mode, which of course can get quite insane, especially if you restrict yourself to no summoning.

That said, I'm pretty sure any class can solo normal mode; just make sure to use all the items that are available to help you, especially those with spell powers!

If you want to be really macho and not take any caster levels at all, more power to you! I assume you'd have to be taking full advantage of stealth and sneak attacks, and you can probably avoid those tough battles that are not crucial for gaining key items or XP. For the final battle, it'll probably be extremely tough without spell resistance and various buffs, but perhaps Use Magic Device + scrolls of summoning will help out.

I'd be very interested to hear how your adventure pans out!

 

Yes, the key is to make use of all those items that you never bother with when playing with a party, such as all those potions, plus those magic items that allow casting of certain spells like Stoneskin or Fireball or Protection from Evil. I never bother with those when I have spellcasters, but they're gold when you don't have any. Also, there are NPCs who can be of great help, such as Zack Boosenbury who can cast Fire Shield Red or Blue on you before you go to battle Sherincal. Playing solo or with restricted parties makes things much more interesting and adds a new dimension to things.

My character is now battling Shaengarne Orcs and is Fighter 4 / Barb 1 / Rogue 1 / Lorekeeper 1.

 

Well, interesting is just what this guy is.

I'm currently traveling through the Goblin Warrens at the end of Chapter 1. Currently a Rogue 5/Fighter 6/Wizard 1. I was planning on taking about 10 to 12 levels of non-caster then finish off the game with a caster.

Most of the time I'm stealthing into rooms full of unaware prey, line up a spell from my gear, blasting off the spell, then activating Expertise to max (current 5 for AC 29) and hacking away.

All the fights before the Goblin Warrens were too easy to believe. Only getting hit with crits and never for much damage. I have 120 HP so I can take it!!!

But fights would be a million times easier with spells! God how I wish I took Wizard levels rather than more levels of Rogue and Fighter!

As for dealing with merchants, no problems really. I've found more than enough loot to buy the best gear I can and still have about 100,000 gold left over. Granted, I am a pack rat and I sell EVERYTHING I FIND!

Talking with NPC's isn't even a problem. Intimidate skill at 7 does all the work for me so far.

I am thinking about copying Windrunner, though with another human, or perhaps his drow idea. Probably human due to the +2 level character.

How does this sound to start off?

Str 18
Dex 15
Con 14
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 3

First level, fighter. Second, wizard. Third, fighter. Forth and fifth, wizard. So on and so on.

 

Hang on. Wouldn't you character have a terrible XP penalty for having the Rogue and Wizard levels 4 levels apart? What a nightmare.

My character is about to take on the Malarites in Shaengarne and is Fighter 4 / Barbarian 2 / Lorekeeper 2 / Rogue 1. So far, soloing is often easier than using a party because one level 9 character seems to be much more powerful than, say, 4 level 5 characters.

I discovered another cool item called the Axe of Displacement. Never noticed it before, but I would have previously ignored it,, Now it's great, because it allows me to cast Blur, which is invaluable for surviving the opening rounds of big fights.

 

Yes, he does have a huge penality for his levels being so far apart, which is why I'm thinking of starting again. By my guess, he could go a long ways before simply not being able to survive. The groups are getting bigger and minor damage is beginning to catch up. Not being able to heal himself is getting to be a problem.

 

Healing is not a huge problem, as you can always just rest when you need to after fights and use Potions of Extra Healing during fights. The Boots of Speed are invaluable here for a non-caster, as you can run and gulp to your heart's content before re-engaging.

You don't need to be a caster to solo normal mode, and I'm pretty sure your Fighter/Rogue can do it, but you'll probably need a fair bit of items and potions for buffs and spell effects, and you'll probably reload a lot. If you want the challenge, go for it!

@Harbourboy, are you planning on staying non-caster for the most part?

 

It would be nice to stay mostly non-caster, just because that's the sort of character he is, but also to show that you don't have to be caster. The only problem I can foresee with this is that it might become tactically boring after a while without the variety that comes with spellcasting.

Most likely scenario is that I will get bored eventually and add a have a new spellcasting character join him at some point.

At the moment though, just managed to save Shaengharne Bridge (although those malarites were a nightmare - a solo character with low will saves is a sitting duck to Hold Person).

He's now Fighter 4 / Barbarian 2 / Lorekeeper 2 / Rogue 2.

 

Oh, so you're not a spell-resistance race? Man that'll make some of these encounters really tricky, I bet.

 

A fighter type in HoF would be like taking on Isair and Madae in the final battle with a 1st level character ... You would get absolutely slaughtered

Magic is king in IWDII and without it in HoF would be hard enough, let alone soloing ...

 

Yeah, but a non spellcaster just has to make better use of potions and magic items. So far, clearing the outside of the Horde Fortress has been a nightmare (as it always seems to be for me).

 

You could maybe do HoF solo with no spellcasting but some bard levels to be able to use the items and songs (with lingering song)? THAT would be an interesting challenge!

 

If I were to make a character with levels in fighter/paladin, barbarian, cleric and wizard/sorcerer, what levels should they be on to incur a minimal xp penalty?

 

The possibilities are endless. You could have a Human Fighter 1 / Barbarian 1 / Cleric 1 / Sorcerer 15, with zero XP penalties, but it would be an odd character. Plus you couldn't have someone who was a Paladin and a Barbarian because of alignment clashes.

 

What if I use Dalekeeper 2 to change the alignment?

 

Searching for and downloading the mod which removes alignment restrictions to your classes is probably easier than hacking your game and changing the alignment each time you want to add another class.
Don't exspect a heavily multiclassed character to be powerful. A pure level 18 sorcerer is far more powerful than a level 18 character who added other classes to his sorcerer levels.

 

Even if you were to change the alignment then the other class would be restricted ye? Just download the mod

Kmonster, that depends I guess. Check the Jupp guide here on SP for some crazyyyy class combinations Extreme powergaming mind you