Sooooo...
I did it !
You do need some tricks, but if you know how to make a good use of the BG1 spells, some fights are just well.. easy !
In order to "power-up" my char a bit, i played without the Xp cap.
When killing Sarevok, i was lvl 11 with ~700,000 xp, so not THAT high level.
Spells that you will definatly use :
- Mirror Image :
Your best friend.
It protects you from traps, most damaging spells (Fireball, Flame arrow, Melf's acide arrow..) and is even better then "stoneskin" is in BG2, protecting you from both magic and physical damage.
- Summon spells :
A must have.
Always had 1 memmed (unless planning on a very difficult fight)
Especially Summon Monsters III.
Get Ghouls, Haste them, enjoy..
Summon Monsters II is a great spell too (Especially when summoning hobgoblins.. hasted, they do fire a TON of arrows..)
- Greater Malision :
If you fight a TOUGH ennemy, always cast this spell 1rst.
You may think -2 to all saves ain't that much, but trust me, it is !
Especially used in conjonction with disabling spells, like Hold Monster, Confusion ...
- Lightning bolt :
Best BG1 damage spell EVER.
Here's how you kill a big bad monster :
1°)Cast Greater Malision
2°)Cast Hold Monster
3°)Stand in front of him
4°)Cast Lightning bolt, and watch your ennemy take 100's damage from the bouncing bolt of death.
Great when used with Minor Globe of Invulnerability, but the big disavantage is that you can't cast Mirror Image while you have the Globe on.. so you have to be sure you won't need it.
- Confusing Spells :
Omg.. i was such a fool to think they were crap..
Check the "Hard Fights" part of the post to understand why..
- Charm Spells :
Great at the beginning (Charm a bear, kill anything, finish it with a single magic missile when charm wears off).
There are a few monsters that you must "charm on sight".
- Greater invisibility spells :
Improved invisibility and Shadow door..
-4 to Ac, can't be the target of spells.. do i need to say anything else ?
Playing as a solo Mage:
My starting stats:
An Elf with
18 str
19 dex
17 con
18 int
10 wis
10 cha
My Equip when beating Sarevok :
- Cloak of Balduran
- Ring of Protection +2
- Robe of the good archmagi
- Staff +3
- Sling +3, +2 bullets
- Ring of Wizardry
- Amulet of metaspell influence (+1 lvl 2 spell)
- Boots of speed
- Gauntlets of Weapon Skill
- Girdle of Piercing
@ lvl 11, i had 63 hp, -2 AC (-6 with the level 4 spell spirit armor)
Tips :
Believe me when i tell you the beginning is HARD !
Slings are you best friends, just hit and run monsters..
Pick every scroll you come across.
Trust me, you'll need those extra magic missile/Agannazar's Scorcher/Melf's acide arrows spells..
Rest whenever it's possible
Make a good use of wands.
Important :When you're not casting a spell, you're either attacking with your sling, or running.
Always attack with your sling right after casting a spell.
While dongeon crawling, have Mirror Image up at all times to avoid traps..
If you're facing a big bunch of low level monsters, either cast a Fireball, or a Cloudkill spell to avoid them from swarming you.
You have 3 ways to fight casters :
- Swarm them with summons
- Let them deplete their spells on you, recast Mirror image as needed then finish them while they're tring to punch you..
- Disturb their spell casting using magic missile.. you need to time your casting right..
Melee ennemies are much more dangerous.
Usually 4 ways to deal with them :
- Swarm them with summons. Only work if you're only facing one or two ennemies, or a bunch of low level ones..
- Confuse / Paralize them.
Works great ! an ennemy attacked by another confused ennemy WILL fight back...
If an ennemy is paralized, just summon a bunch of creatures to kill them.
It's the only way i managed to kill the most dangerous ennemies...
- Direct damage.
Works great for low/mid level ennemies.
I found that a good use of Lightning bolt was much more damaging than using Fireball.
- Charm them.
That's what i would do when facing 2 powerfull ennemies (like Werewolves..)
Charm one, let him beat on the other, then finish it.
HARD FIGHTS:
- Durlag's tower 1rst floor last fight.
Make sure to separate the 4 midgets, or you'll be in great trouble..
Then, just use the same methods as above.
- Facing the Tanaari after the Durlag's tower :
You'll need to kill all the cult adept before trying to kill the demon.
Best way is to summon a LOT of monsters (Cast 2-3 Summon monster II-III spells), then just Bolt adepts to death (The room is perfect for casting some lightning bolt of death...)
When you run out of spells, just run out, sleep then do it again.
Once all Adepts are dead.. just cast Cloud Kill.. for some weird reasons, the Tanaari directly dies from it (Like a low level ennemy.. weird isn'it ?)
- Balduran's Ship, facing Werwolves
Only one method : CONFUSE THEM !
When they're all together beating on you, you'll hit the ground in a heartbeat.
But if you manage to run amok amongst them, those fight willbe much easier.
The only way i found to kill the "Werewolf boss" was to paralize him then Bolt.
You won't be able to sustain enough damage otherwise..
- The last fight against Sarevok.
Well.. once again..
- cast Greater Malision (before even starting the fight)
- cast 2 or 3 times chaos, hope that sarevok gets confused (Just reload if he isn't .. there is no way you can let him beat on you..) (same as above, before starting the fight, when they don't see you..)
then ..
- cast all the skulltrap spells you've got (he's got no "magic damage" resists..), and all the magic missile spells you've got.
If you're lucky, and his allies do damage him a lot, you should be able to kill him with 2-3 spells left..
That's it
