IWD - Tactics 101 - Page 3

Sojourner · #31 (**permalink**) 08-15-2001, 09:15 PM

In response to the HoW changes to monster AI, I've had to develop ambush tatics. I have my thief scout out enemy locations, then I try to choose an area where the enemy will be forced into a bottleneck, then I'll have my thief backstab someone and immediately go invisible. The monsters swarm my main party, and I nail them with missile weapons and spells. In area with lots of Undead, like the Burial Isle, I set up an Undead Ward and/or Wall of Moonlight beforehand. This works pretty well for most areas.

Gruntboy · #32 (**permalink**) 08-16-2001, 02:01 AM

I agree Sojourner. I have resorted to bushwhacking my enemies, using the terrain and defending.

My bard constantly sings the war chant of sith or the one that protects from sound attacks and my cleric (on the burial isle) turns undead. I effectively fight with 4 characters.

Gruntboy · #33 (**permalink**) 08-21-2001, 06:58 AM

Poquelin: In Lower Dorn's, I found this an easy fight. If you are protected from fire it helps. Bronze Guardians add to the toughness. But Poquelin is easy to beat first time around.

Easthaven: Cyclopses, not a problem. Pomab is nor more difficult.

Belhifet - haven't done this yet.

HoW - more spoilers!
First thing, when to go to HoW? If you defeat Belhifet first you can pick up the Restored blade of Aihonen and have Tiernon upgrade it later. But if you go to Isacaracht first you can face Belhifet with higher level characters...?

Lonely wood is interesting and there are a few sub quests.

Burial Isle
The Wights and Drowned dead are tough - only constant damage will bring them down as they are fairly resistant to all forms of attack.

Sneak to draw out only as many as you have to - the call to arms will mean you cannot face 1 at a time. So prepare your defences (all those potions you never used in IWD). Weapons and armour should be +3 by now. Try defensive spells that lower your AC or enemy chances to hit (curse, prayer). Sirens - the only way to prevent them really messing you up is with a bard (at this stage a bard means you can also concentrate on defensive as opposed to healing cleric spells). I found my mage really sidelinded. Even turn undead has only a small chance of working.

Gloomfrost
This has to be the most unimaginative level I have ever come acros. Once past the fodder you simply face a level of Rhemoraz and a level of Ice Golems. This is purely to get your characters up levels by 10 or 14K a kill. I mean, sheesh, The lich was 10K!

Magic is ineffectice so its hack & slash time. If you are in dire straits you can really only do things that reduce hits (protection spells) or speed up the hack and slash (haste). Boring. You have to watch out for the Rhemoraz. They do massive damage when they hit and a % chance of doing huge fire damage (they burn thru the ice). I got hit *once* for something like 80+ dmg, 40 odd physical and 40 odd fire damage - both reduced by 30-60% because of resistances!!! At this point I didn't even bother experimenting with magic - each spell is wasted time hacking at the golems/rhemoraz. Ho hum. There are a few nasty occasions where you have to take on 3/4 at a time. Haste (even if already tired) and hack 'em up.

The Barbarian camp is a walk over.

Isacaracht
More boring levels. You need lots of fire/acid for trolls. Protection from cold is handy too - the Vexed Armour is a bonus against the frozen undead. At this point I am tossing +1/2 weapons aside because I just can't be bothered to take them and sell them. Oh dear.

The Sahaguin actually offer a challenge. At one point they come at you in two huge waves (can take them on 1 wave at a time). Kill, retreat to a room and prepare, then kill again. Repeat.

Haven't done big I yet. Then on to TotLM.

Reflection on HoW -

More awesome weapons, items, spells and enemies. But boring. Its like they're dragging you through blood because only level advancement will satisfy.

Too quick. Enemies are powerful and not clever, despite call to arms. In fact, the smaller enemies who swamp you are more difficult (Elves in severed hand for e.g. or Sahaguin).

My mage is weak (considering there are no protection/piercing duels like in BG2). Fighters do stacks more damage. Clerics are useful for the defensive spells but can drop the healing spells if you have a bard. You cannot justify a thief beyond level 9 or 10.

I dare say Isacaracht will be a tough cookie but I know even TotLM will not keep me going. But I've had fun.

[ 08-21-2001: Message edited by: Gruntboy ]

Sojourner · #34 (**permalink**) 08-21-2001, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gruntboy:
<STRONG>Gloomfrost
This has to be the most unimaginative level I have ever come acros. Once past the fodder you simply face a level of Rhemoraz and a level of Ice Golems. This is purely to get your characters up levels by 10 or 14K a kill. I mean, sheesh, The lich was 10K!</STRONG>

This area was tough! Once I dealt with the monsters already present, I then had to watch out for Rhemoraz ambushing from behind whenever my party crossed a trigger line!

Gruntboy · #35 (**permalink**) 11-20-2001, 05:46 AM

*Bermp*

***Spoiler warning still stands***

In Addition

Final areas of HoW:

Barbarian camp - easy if you don't hurt friendlies by mistake (Hjolder turns red).

Lonelywood - fairly tough fight with cowled wizards but its not a problem this late in the game.

Icasaracht's isle - trolls aplenty so fire/acid is needed. Frozen undead are nasty but all the cold protection items you've been saving help you through.

Sahaguin - I decimated these fishy fellas using magic. Chain lightining works wonders. Any area effect spell works.

Icasracht - tough needless to say but the only time I've never had to restart with a final battle! Using a tank with the vexed armour I cast area spells either side of the dragon - death fog, smite evil and suchlike. Everyone else piled on the missile weapons, switching places 1 at a time with the tank if wounds necessitated. When I got her down to "near death" a few of my gals (female paladins) we're beat up themselves, so I retreated. My mage stood her ground and (having hit the big I with "lower resistance" at the start) unleashed "Malavon's Rage". Score 1 Undead White Dragon to my weakest party member, the Thief/Mage!

LOL!

Gruntboy · #36 (**permalink**) 11-20-2001, 06:01 AM

TotLM

I was surprised at the time it took me to complete this, for a 70mb download!

My Bard showed her worth again - defeating harpy sound attacks. But whilst there were some tough fights (the WereJackals, Spectral Guards and other adventurers), there was nothing that you shuoldn't be able to get through by this stage. The jelly trap had me going for a while

*****SPOILER****(highlight) until I discovered acid damage kills them and you don't have to escape the trap!!! LOL.

Final thoughts

I am a fan of IWD and have enjoyed all of the add-ons. Sure, you're too powerful at the end but then the game is almost over so that's fair but it makes the add-ons exercises in building XP. It was fun hunting for anything better than plate mail when you were still level 6 or 7!

The mass battles are something BG misses out on. Hordes of shadow elves/goblins, trolls, minotaurs, sahaguin, frost giants. Awesome.

It came down to 2 things. Choosing your party and your tactics (and your party composition can dictate your tactics).

I still think mages are weak in IWD - any more than 1 and you run the risk of being swamped. But they are extremely valuable support. In that respect a bard is just as good, or an excellent way of sneaking in a "second" mage. Bardsong rocks. After level 12 or so, I didn't need healing spells.

A thief is not essential. I tend to dual a thief and often this removes thieving skills at the most crucial point in the game! But I survived.

After that I feel that choices are moot. Clerics, druids and fighers are all needed to hold their own in combat.

Having said this, I am trying a part of elves with 3 magic users so I'll see how it goes.

Minerva · #37 (**permalink**) 05-10-2002, 07:00 PM

@Gruntboy: This thread is very helpful, and I wonder if you could make this sticky.

Also, if you can find another thread regarding tactics and make it sticky (or add to this one, so that there'll be no "too many sticky" complain

), I'll very much appreciate.

The Z · #38 (**permalink**) 05-14-2002, 08:01 PM

Maybe a little off topic, but just to interject...I found that an Elven ranger equipped with a bow was the ultimate scout, especially if he's hasted, because he can lure the enemies one by one and take out entire bands of enemies by just picking them off, or use oils of fiery burning/poitions of explosions (fireballs), especially when you have the boots of speed (you can run out of the line of sight and hide in shadows again)....also an invisible (potions) thief can detect/disarm traps without being seen....so if you have a ranger and a thief you can cut away a little bit of the cream in a dungeon.

And I'll be the latest one to congratulate Gruntboy on an awesome thread....

Mr Sleep · #39 (**permalink**) 05-15-2002, 04:50 AM

@Icasracht, i did play this fight once with just my mage and no one else. The rest of my party got slaughtered in the previous room (due to some tactical blunders on my part) and i just sent my mage through alone for a laugh, with a combination of spells i got the Wrym down to Badly Injured, i couldn't believe it, of course then her minions came along and iced me

I think magic is very useful against her and it is one of the easiest fights in the game in my opinion.

Gruntboy · #40 (**permalink**) 05-16-2002, 02:48 AM

Keep the tactics coming guys and gals

Kayless · #41 (**permalink**) 06-01-2002, 02:49 PM

I have a lot of multi-classing tips, but unfortunately they only apply to 3E (i.e. IWDII). http://www.highwaygames.com/forum/im...es/redface.gif My old "mage-bombing" tricks are recorded here. http://www.highwaygames.com/forum/im...ilies/wink.gif

Promil · #42 (**permalink**) 10-01-2003, 09:11 AM

I have team good in melee/ranged and magic:
1.Paladin-human (to get Justice Blade, he can cast for ex. Divine power that increase his abilities <dmg>)
2.Dwarf-fighter
3.Human lvl3fighter/mage-transmutation to cast spells and hit with crossbow< or fight with sword when tenser transformed>
4.human lvl3 fighter/cleric -to heal and fight
5.halfling thief- sneak attack is great!!!!!
6.half-elf bard -sith song is the best for healing many of party members

With this team I easily ended IWD, HoW and trials of Luremaster( that last adventure was the hardest one, I think)

corsair · #43 (**permalink**) 11-07-2003, 04:14 PM

I have a party of a lvl 7 FIghter, lvl 5/5 fighter/thief and a lvl 4/5 fighter/cleric. I am currently on the first level of dragon's eye and I am hoping to complete the game with just these three characters. Do you think I will be able to do it?

Promil · #44 (**permalink**) 11-16-2003, 07:35 AM

Hmmm???
You have good team but no excellent!!
You have no mage and this is first weakness of your team>
Your team members are often multiclass and that means your fighter could be lvl 26 on HOW and the rest of your team will be only 18/17 or something!!!!
Better fast modify your team and give them min one mage!!!!
Fighter/cleric is not very good combination.
Better is cleric/ranger so next time choose wisely your characters
;-)

corsair · #45 (**permalink**) 11-18-2003, 02:55 PM

I put a mage in and hes lvling like crazy. Im on the 3rd lvl of dragons eye now and I just hate undead and his fireball is makin it easier to clear out the wights. Thanx for the advice, but Ill keep my other chars.