Advice needed for dualing

[reichart01]

This is my first time playing Icewind Dale after I have completed BG 2. So I am unfamiliar with the experience cap and as a result I am not sure when to dual.

My party consists of an elven Ranger. elven thief-fighter and 2 human fighters I plan to dual into a mage and cleric respectively. Could anybody then give me advice on what level my fighters should dual class bearing in mind of the exp cap in Icewind Dale? I do not have any expansion installed.

Thanks in advance to any who helps.

[Sojourner]

It depends on what class you start playing, what class you want to dual to, and how fast you want to recover the first class. The very latest you would want to dual your fighters is level 7, but your PC's won't recover their first class until the late game. You might want to wait that long for your fighter-mage to give him the benefit of more hit points, but I'd say dual the other fighter to cleric at level 5.

I'd recommend getting the How expansion, as it fixes some bugs, raises the XP cap, gives each class new abilities, and adds in potion bags, scroll cases and gem bags.

[reichart01]

Thanks for the prompt reply Sojourner.

I hear there are respawnable monsters in IWD so shouldn't staying in 1 area and blindly killing over and over be the solution to the late game problem? Correct me if I am wrong.

Incidentally, where is a good place to level?
And what is the exp cap in IWD. Like whats the maximum level for a mage?

In BG2 the max level for a mage is lvl 18 if memory serves me well without the expansion. Is IWD without expansions similiar?

[Sojourner]

The XP cap in IWD without the expansion is 1,801,000, which allows your mage to reach level 14. Without spoiling too much, resting in any outdoor or dungeon area will usually spawn monsters for you to fight - though the game occasionally lets your party rest.

*Highlight the following for spoilers*


Good Places to level

• Vale of Shadows - Sleep outside to fight monsters, good XP for low-level parties
• Dragon's Eye - Sleep on level where you encounter Undead, monster spawns here worth a lot of XP
• Dorn's Deep - Continually exiting, resting, and re-entering re-spawns monsters worth a ton of XP
• Wyrm's Tooth - kill everything, after doing all the quests

*End spoilers*