alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 15:21:48 GMT
I still find damage values for weapons confusing. A new weapon might look better on paper but you equip it on a character and it ends up being worse than what they've already got (the Attack value and damage numbers on the character sheet suddenly go down) Wyll is still using a couple of early green weapons (one being the hill giant club) as they seem to work out better than later blue stuff. I tried the mace on various characters but it just wasn't any good on anyone except Shadowheart. Yeah, you often need to pay attention to the descriptions. Some weapons only do additional damage when class/race/other conditions are met. If the person wielding it doesn't meet that condition the damage drops. There's also the 'not proficient with this weapon' warning that appears right down towards the bottom of the tooltip. |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 15:24:46 GMT
So a question for you all. Who is your main character and who are your favourite (most useful) companions in battle? For me.... Main = Paladin Lae'zel - she demolishes everything and is a powerhouse. Shadowheart - great support character with some powerful and useful magics Gale - Its a toss up between him and Wyll really. I alternate these two frequently. I've only just unlocked Halsin so cannot comment on his usefulness. Main - berserker barbarian, great at Intimidation Shadowheart - great support spells. I too love glyph of warding Gale - powerful wizard spells Astarion - locks and traps, sneak attacks, high charisma encounters |
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 22, 2023 16:10:19 GMT
Main - Drow Rogue, Thief - Extremely Charismatic and Sexy
Shadowheart - We're in love so she never leaves my party - some of her spells are seriously OP too.
Gale - Powerful wizard spells
Then I alternate between Karlach/Lae'zel (Mainly Karlach) and whoever's quest I'm pursuing.
I respec'd Astarion to a Warlock as otherwise he was completely useless.
But really that original line-up is pretty solid, I just prefer Karlach to Lae'zel by some distance.
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 22, 2023 16:12:39 GMT
I just completed the Pale Elf questline. But I'm not entirely happy about how I did it. May even reload from save and re-do it. Odd in a way - it's only a game. Shows the strength of the story writing I guess. Just finished this quest too, absolutely loved the final location. I think I did it in the 'best' way. I also think I cheesed the boss fight, it seemed very easy. |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 16:35:17 GMT
I reloaded from a save at lunchtime and got about halfway through the fight.
It's not hard if you keep Astarion at the back and initiate the combat yourself rather than running the cut scene.
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Nov 22, 2023 16:42:41 GMT
So a question for you all. Who is your main character and who are your favourite (most useful) companions in battle? For me.... Main = Paladin Lae'zel - she demolishes everything and is a powerhouse. Shadowheart - great support character with some powerful and useful magics Gale - Its a toss up between him and Wyll really. I alternate these two frequently. I've only just unlocked Halsin so cannot comment on his usefulness. Main - Bard, useful with a bow and jack of all trades really Shadowheart - Great support, can deal some damage with spells Karlach - Prefer her to Lae'zel Gale - Recently usurped Astorian. Great range of spells. Astorian is good for exploring as he can lockpick/disarm pretty much anything without trouble. Was decent in combat in act 1, seems far less so in act 2. Kind of like his personality though. I've already made my feelings clear about Wyll on here  |
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Post by richyroo on Nov 22, 2023 16:45:02 GMT
The thing with Astorian, if I need help unlocking a door or chest then I just go back to camp and switch him into my party, unlock the thing, then switch him back out again.
Also I think Lae'zel beats out Karlach for me purely because she also has some basic ranged magic which can come in handy. She is just a little more versatile for my liking.
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Nov 22, 2023 16:46:53 GMT
Yeah I've done that a few times in Act two. Its just a bit of a faff.
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 22, 2023 16:57:51 GMT
It's a major maff. It's my main gripe with the game, having to physically find the person in camp and engage them in conversation, then find the other person. It just seems like you should be able to do it from a menu if you want.
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 22, 2023 17:00:23 GMT
I reloaded from a save at lunchtime and got about halfway through the fight.
It's not hard if you keep Astarion at the back and initiate the combat yourself rather than running the cut scene.
Yeah I think I did that more by accident than design. I guessed it was the boss fight so spammed a ton of AOE spells over the bridge, including daylight - which I figured vampires wouldnt enjoy. |
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Nov 22, 2023 17:10:26 GMT
It's a major maff. It's my main gripe with the game, having to physically find the person in camp and engage them in conversation, then find the other person. It just seems like you should be able to do it from a menu if you want. Yeah this. Finding them in camp is a pain sometimes as well. That and the inventory management are my only real gripes with the game. Oh and the lack of regular autosaves. |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 18:22:52 GMT
I reloaded from a save at lunchtime and got about halfway through the fight.
It's not hard if you keep Astarion at the back and initiate the combat yourself rather than running the cut scene.
Yeah I think I did that more by accident than design. I guessed it was the boss fight so spammed a ton of AOE spells over the bridge, including daylight - which I figured vampires wouldnt enjoy. You know about 'inspecting' the enemy? Move the target over them and press down on the d-pad (don't know the equivalent on PC) and you can see the statuses in effect on them, plus resistances and vulnerabilities. Undead are generally weak to radiant damage. |
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Post by harrypalmer on Nov 22, 2023 19:03:44 GMT
I do, but usually forget to do it.
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Post by dasbooter on Nov 22, 2023 19:19:59 GMT
So a question for you all. Who is your main character and who are your favourite (most useful) companions in battle? For me.... Main = Paladin Lae'zel - she demolishes everything and is a powerhouse. Shadowheart - great support character with some powerful and useful magics Gale - Its a toss up between him and Wyll really. I alternate these two frequently. I've only just unlocked Halsin so cannot comment on his usefulness. Main - Bard, useful with a bow and jack of all trades really Shadowheart - Great support, can deal some damage with spells Karlach - Prefer her to Lae'zel Gale - Recently usurped Astorian. Great range of spells. Astorian is good for exploring as he can lockpick/disarm pretty much anything without trouble. Was decent in combat in act 1, seems far less so in act 2. Kind of like his personality though. I've already made my feelings clear about Wyll on here Main: Bard, Jack of all trades, master of dying clothes, shoot off the odd spell, pick off weaker enemies from afar Astarion - dual daggers, probably don't get the best use out of him as he never seems to have Advantage against anyone, but he's quick, versatile and hard to hit Lae'zel - solid damage dealer, has a really cool Sauron-esque helmet Gale/Karlach/Wyll/Shadowheart - As and when I need more punch or a bit of magic I love them all. It's usually a tough choice who to take as I want to use them all. Scratch and Conrad Vinderblad are useful too, whenever I remember to summon them. Had a fist pump moment last night when Karlach dispatched one Githyanki warg with her hammer then casually shoved the second one off a bridge and into a chasm |
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Tuffty
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Post by Tuffty on Nov 22, 2023 20:22:33 GMT
Main Character: Ranger who loves his crossbow and beast companion to act as the distraction. Also seems to like the benefits of the parasite in his brain a bit too much
Shadowheart: Keeps the party healed
Karlach: Enemies don't like her when she's angry
Gale: The pesky wizard that casts a lot of lightning
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 22:06:51 GMT
Astarion - look for opportunities to get him in the shadows, then use his Cunning Action - Hide. Assuming it works he'll then have advantage on attacks.
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Post by dasbooter on Nov 22, 2023 22:19:21 GMT
Astarion - look for opportunities to get him in the shadows, then use his Cunning Action - Hide. Assuming it works he'll then have advantage on attacks. Cheers |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 22, 2023 22:24:30 GMT
Also, equip him with a decent bow. 😊
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RobEG
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Post by RobEG on Nov 22, 2023 23:26:36 GMT
Astarion - look for opportunities to get him in the shadows, then use his Cunning Action - Hide. Assuming it works he'll then have advantage on attacks. Yeah, I’m probably not using him right and, honestly, my tactics are not really that advanced. It’s usually just identify the most dangerous enemy and try to kill it as quickly as possible. Then deal with everyone else. |
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Post by salaman on Nov 23, 2023 0:03:46 GMT
Astarion - look for opportunities to get him in the shadows, then use his Cunning Action - Hide. Assuming it works he'll then have advantage on attacks. Cheers Or have a melee character near the enemy. I think he gets advantage then also. I think he (or at least mine) has quite high initiative, so he usually goes first and there's no melee character near the enemies yet. I hardly ever get to attack with advantage. Someone posted a rogue/fighter build on here a few weeks back and I visited withers to redo Astarion. He's a lot more useful as a rogue/Fighter. You get this 'if you hit an enemy, you get to hit them again' mechanic + action surge once per long rest + I have him dual wielding which lets you make an off-hand attack as a bonus action. That means you can let him attack 3 or 4 times, 5 with action surge and then 2 bonus off hand attacks. That's pretty good going. My party is made up of: Main = Wyll Astarion for the 4/5/6 hits + lockpicking Lae'zel to hit shoot things multiple times Gale or Shadowheart depending in the need. It's been Gale for all of Act 3 so far because I can't be bothered to swap them out but there's a Shadowheart related quest to do soon, so I'll have to trade them again. |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 23, 2023 9:42:03 GMT
I just completed the Pale Elf questline. But I'm not entirely happy about how I did it. May even reload from save and re-do it. Odd in a way - it's only a game. Shows the strength of the story writing I guess. I've now completed it in what feels like the right way. Now to confront Gortash. Party are all 12th level, kind of feel like I might make a bit of a push on the main story arc...
Gortash
Stone Lord
Possibly the Nightsong
Orin
I might leave some of the other small side quests for another playthrough |
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 23, 2023 9:43:57 GMT
Or have a melee character near the enemy. I think he gets advantage then also. If another party member is near by he can get a sneak attack, but he doesn't have advantage on the attack. I think it's indicated in the game by the target having the 'Threatened' condition. |
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Post by salaman on Nov 23, 2023 20:53:08 GMT
Ah. I thought you could only do the sneak attack if you had advantage. See how much I know. ;-)
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Post by Mark1412 on Nov 24, 2023 6:46:36 GMT
Little late to the party but I'm a bow-wielding ranger + Shadowheart + Laezel + one dependant on situation.
I've got my characters up to level 11 and like Laezel's ability to make seven attacks on her first go with action surge very much indeed. Tends to tip the balance early on. I've never really used Gale outside of early act 1 because he's such a whiney thing but sounds like I need to give him a go. Asatarion in the shadows is good fun.
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 24, 2023 8:26:09 GMT
Ah. I thought you could only do the sneak attack if you had advantage. See how much I know. ;-) If you have advantage, or if the target has another enemy within 5feet and you don't have disadvantage. 😊 |
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Post by jeepers on Nov 24, 2023 9:11:36 GMT
We need Al to host a BG3 AMA. II have so many questions.
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alastair
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Post by alastair on Nov 24, 2023 10:33:47 GMT
I guess next up is describing all the ways you can get advantage on your attack!!
There are too many!
But some are - putting the target under the effect of a spell like Hold Person, Blindness etc*, attacking from hidden, making a melee attack against a prone target...
*in fact inflicting a condition like 'restrained' or 'blinded' so they can't, in effect, avoid your attack so easily.
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MolarAm🔵
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Post by MolarAm🔵 on Nov 24, 2023 10:42:09 GMT
There's also some equipment/effects and things that give you advantage against (for example) enemies that are bleeding.
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Post by docrob on Nov 25, 2023 23:32:46 GMT
Or have a melee character near the enemy. I think he gets advantage then also. I think he (or at least mine) has quite high initiative, so he usually goes first and there's no melee character near the enemies yet. I hardly ever get to attack with advantage. Someone posted a rogue/fighter build on here a few weeks back and I visited withers to redo Astarion. He's a lot more useful as a rogue/Fighter. You get this 'if you hit an enemy, you get to hit them again' mechanic + action surge once per long rest + I have him dual wielding which lets you make an off-hand attack as a bonus action. That means you can let him attack 3 or 4 times, 5 with action surge and then 2 bonus off hand attacks. That's pretty good going. My party is made up of: Main = Wyll Astarion for the 4/5/6 hits + lockpicking Lae'zel to hit shoot things multiple times Gale or Shadowheart depending in the need. It's been Gale for all of Act 3 so far because I can't be bothered to swap them out but there's a Shadowheart related quest to do soon, so I'll have to trade them again. I made Astarion an Assassin Rogue, which means he can sneak attack an enemy if they haven’t had a turn yet. Which takes that ‘can’t sneak attack because no other players near the enemy’ and turns it on its head! I’m having the same problem I always do in RPGs, which is that I want to spend time with every character. My main is a Bard. My party has one melee character (Lae’zel or Karlach), one healer (Shadowheart or Halsin) and one other (usually Gale or Astarion). I respecced Wyll as a Paladin/Warlock as he wasn’t really working for me. Have also respecced Jaheira as a Monk/Rogue (3 levels in Rogue to get an extra bonus action, which as a Monk she can use for attacks). |
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Gruf
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Post by Gruf on Nov 26, 2023 9:14:03 GMT
Heh, 90 hours and just got to Baldurs gate (well, outskirts anyway) where I murdered Mr Mooooo, snarky git, that'll learn him
What a game.
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