Watcher's Keep questions

[Aubreii]

I got AToB a few months ago but have not really had the time to play it till lately.

I have played through SoA a few times as different characters and decided to go all the way through again and then tackle ToB.

So anyway, I am a cavalier this time. I have not gone very far in the SoA story but decided to peek into Watcher's Keep. I managed to clear the first level and start the second.

I am assuming that I am still not powerful enough to clear the entire keep but I was thinking I could grab some exp and items to help me in the rest of the SoA story.

Will, starting and then leaving watcher's keep cause any problems for me?

What level should I actually be in order to clear the keep?

[Sojourner]

You can return to the Keep anytime - just don't lose the Vigil Stone!

[Robnark]

Watchers keep level 2 is alright at low levels as long as you stick to looting the libraries. I finished the keep before the end of SoA and found the items and exp EXTREMELY useful.
Basically, once you can take on the enemies in the library reasonably easily, you are in a position to (carefully) start moving through the keep. If you prefer caution, wait till after chapter 6 then you should be as ready as you need to be to finish the whole keep and get some serious weaponry for Irenicus-nobbling.

[Phantom Lord]

IMHO Level 1 can be done quite easily at level 12-14 (around chapter 2), and you can also continue with level 2 directly after level 1. Level 3 is a completely different matter, there are some very difficult fights where preparation is rather impossible.

The problem with going WK early in the game is that your party will level up very fast, you'll also get lots of money and items and the resulting very strong party renders the BG2 part a little boring.

[kopywrite]

It makes life a lot easier if you grab the potion case and ammo belt early on.

[Phantom Lord]

Yes, they really make the game much more comfortable. Buying the short sword and crossbow outside are worth a consideration too.