Solo Blade

Remove all ads!

Would it really be that impossible?

• Bards level up much faster than wizards.. meaning that spells like Magic Missile, Skull Trap, etc will be more potent.
• Offensive Spin & Defensive Spin are both great abilities.. potential lifesavers. Offensive Spin lets me tank, and Defensive Spin lets me get off spells with consistency.
• Decent spell repertoire, with the basics. MM, Skull Trap, Knock, LowerResist, Breach, Pierce Magic, and some summons.
• A familiar, which is a good asset in the early game.
• Single Weapon Style.. Elven Chain armor.. helms.. you can have a decent AC by game's end.

I'm just throwing this out there because I am truly interested in playing a solo Blade through BG2 (an import from BG1 w/ beefed stats). I'm thinking of him as like a Fighter/Mage.. Elven Chain, Dakkon's Zerth Blade, etc..

It will be probably be hard, but not impossible. Need some opinions though.

 

It would be very possibly. You can solo with any character and a bard is very versatile and can do many different things. It is one of the classes I would choose from if would solo through the game.

 

Don't try to play him like a Fighter/mage. Fighter/Mages have a ton more hitpoints, can cast more protections, are better fighters, ect.

I suggest always using evasion, don't just charge in. Try to lure a few enemies at a time, and take them out individualy.

Set your entire spell book to defensive spells, and change it around depending on the sitution, like if you're going to be fighting a mage, get spell protections and dispellers, if you're going to be fighting a warrior get pysical defense spell.

You're probably going to have to rest quite a bit as well.

Try this:

Cast offensive spin, and one guy out, then when you're ready to fight him cast defensive spin.

Traps and such things are going to be a problem though.

You can find some really good Elven Chain only usable by bards in the Astral Prison. It's AC is 3 I think. Are you going to use a bow, or dual wield? I suggest putting a point in scimitars for Belm +2, since it gives you a much needed extra attack. My fighter/mage always uses it in his offhand, giving him a very nice 4 attacks per round unhasted. When he uses the Ring of Gaxx to improve haste himself, he's a madman. I *highly* suggest this sword. You can find it in the Druid Grove, in the building named "The Ogre's Tower". It requires no combat to get.

Stock up on breach and pierce magic/secret word/warding whip scrolls as well, since you won't be able to cast these nessesarry scrolls until high levels. Also stock up on regeneration potions so you can last a lot longer in battles without wasting tons of potions. Be sure to pickpocket Ribald, and get that ring.

 

Possible ? Of course! My suggestion would be dual wielding.

Defensive spin, sunfire is a good combo. Then pick the remains with an offensive spin which gives you 3 attacks per round. If you wield belm in off hand, that means 4 attacks per round.

Blades are easy to turn into machines of destruction. The problem would be traps and locks of course.

 

Well, I doubt locks would be a problem, since he can cast knock.

Fill us in on how you're doing, this is interesting.

[This message has been edited by Lord Sarevok (edited December 30, 2001).]

 

Lord Sarevok, specifically:

My Blade has just reached 11th lvl I believe, and is about to defeat the beastmaster. The toughest battle so far has been the two heavily armored thugs outside the CC.

• Dualwielding Long Sword +1 and Short Sword +1
• * Long Sword, * Short Sword, ** Two Weapon
• Uses Mail of the Dead in melee, RoP +1 and other trinkets for spellcasting. ACs -1/3, respectively.
• Good fighter with offensive spin.
• Good spellcaster with defensive spin/stoneskin.
• High lore and pickpocketing save money.

Umm... anything else. I plan to dual-wield Daystar and the Blade of Roses.

{EDIT}

Finished Beastmaster.. Tuigan Bow is an awesome weapon!

Couldn't pickpocket the Blade of Roses off of Bernard, not yet, at least. And I didn't level up, either. *sigh*

What quest should I do next? I was thinking maybe the second portion of the slavers quest, or the Fallen Paladins.



[This message has been edited by Black Rose (edited December 30, 2001).]

 

Well, I usually finish up the slaver quest first, via the sewers. Remember to do the Licolar quest, it gives you some good experience and dosen't require much. Then I suggest heading to Trademeet, and doing those quests. Big payoff for very little fighting. Remember to pick up Belm +2 from the Orge's Tower.

Instead of dual wielding Daystar and the Blade of Roses, put those two in the quickslots and put Belm in the offhand, that way you'll always get an extra attack and can switch to Daystar when fighting evil or undead.

Take Cernd in your group before fighting Faldorn, so you get the Staff of Thunder and Lighting. Boot him as soon as you're done.

You get a ton of cash for doing this quest, and you can now buy some of those awsome weapons from the merchants. Be sure to pick up the Belt of Internal Barrier, which gives 50% resistance to magic damage and 25% resistance to missle weapons, as well as +6 bonus vs breath weapons. Very useful for fighting Beholders and Mages, since you're going to be taking all of the offensive spells.

Once you're done there, go to the De'Arnise hold.

Oh and a little tip vs mages with loads of protections on: simply run down the stairs or into another room, 75% of the time, they don't follow you. Then just go make a snack and come back after maybe 10 minutes. All of their protections expept maybe stoneskin will have worn off, and as long as you didn't rest, they usually only have one Contigency/Spell Trigger with protection spells. As long as you keep inturrupting them, they don't have a chance. Tugian Bow works great for inturpting them and tearing through those stoneskins.

Remember to buy Tasherons bow in Trademeet, it's a great weapon against golems(the huge ones that can't fit through doors) if you can't afford it, just use Melfs Minute Meteors, they work just as well.

 

I'm currently soloing with blade. A great spell to get is spirit armor, it lasts a long time and you get a very good AC. With spirit armor cast i get -7 AC, and -17 in defensive spin.... not bad. add in mirror image, stoneskin and some spells vs them nasty mages and you're set to go

 

This 'early stage' of the game has been kinda challenging.. but not REALLY tough. If you guys aren't averse to checking out other boards, there is a post on the GameBanshee forums by 'two' that explains soloing BG2-ToB with a Skald.. That's right, a Skald.

Well, miscellaneous tips and notes on soloing a Blade: (just hit lvl.13)


[*] Offensive spin makes you a fighter and hastes you.. use it often, rest if you run out. It boosts your THAC0 and damage making it useful for a dual-wielder.
[*] Defensive spin + Stoneskin makes you nigh-invulnerable.. use it to set up spell combos like Sunfire.
[*] Skull Trap, Chromatic Orb are deadly weapons. Since you level up fast, the Orb will hit insta-death status soon. And Skull Trap's multipliers keep going and going.
[*] Pickpocket people for trinkets and gold.. good way to earn a couple thousand.

About to clear out the 2nd slavers quest. This is so much fun!



[This message has been edited by Black Rose (edited January 07, 2002).]

 

Wow, I think I'll try it myself. By the way....what race is he? Also if you're a human bard and put on chainmail what does your apperance change to?

 

Half-elven. Not sure what you mean by 'look'.

If you are going to solo a Bard, Sarevok, please don't solo a Blade, for sheer variety. Maybe a Jester or Skald.. or do what you want A solo blade has so far been very fun.

 

Well, like when you put it on does it look like a fighter with chainmail on or like when Aerie puts on armor, it just changes a few base colors.

Edit:

I tried it out, and a bard in chainmail looks exactly like a fighter in chainmail. In BG1 Bards had the apperance of theives, regardless of whether they were wearing armor or not. In BG2 all males of the same race look exactly the same without any armor on.

Oops, I should have seen what they look like in leather too, since if they don't look like theives do in it, it'll mean Garrick isn't a real bard, only a theif!

[This message has been edited by Lord Sarevok (edited January 08, 2002).]

 

[THIS POST NOW CONTAINS TOB SPOILERS!]
[MODERATORS PLEASE MOVE TO TOB FORUM!]

He's a level 14 Blade now... 1st level of Watcher's Keep cleared out, except for the guardian statues.

Significant stuff:

Daystar/Arbane, dual-wield
Tuigan Bow plus Quiver of Plenty +1, archery
Girdle of Hill Giant Strength [19 str]
Bracers of defense AC3

Spellbook:

1st: 3 magic missiles
2nd: 1 invisibility, 3 knock (I think)
3rd: 3 skull traps
4th: 3 stoneskins
5th: 1 cone of cold

Working on temple sewers now.