Baldur's Gate 2 Legacy of Bhaal Difficulty Guide Part 2 - Gather Your Party

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PhilosophusRex

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Published on November 30, 2022 5:30:48 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK4230Rufe0

Game:

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000)

Duration: 5:52

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24

Now that we've escaped from Irenicus's Dungeon, it's time to gather our party before we venture forth into Baldur's Gate 2. In Legacy of Bhaal difficulty, enemies have such high AC that the burst damage from spells is not enough to take out most enemies, so the goal of this party is to have as much physical DPS as possible. Because of that, we want to fill our party with many warriors who have increased Thac0 and Attacks per round. We need Thac0 to hit the increased Armor Class of LoB enemies and adding APR is the best way to increase damage. This will be especially helpful as the game progresses and we secure powerful weaponry with on-hit abilities. Because combat lasts so long on this difficulty, having weapons with on-hit effects which disable or weaken the enemy will be invaluable throughout the remainder of the saga. Let's take a detailed look at each member of our team:

Darksbane: Darksbane is currently a Cleric with his Berserker levels inactive, essentially just a Cleric with extra hit points. This provides access to the powerful support spells in the Cleric spell list and once he regains his Berserker levels he will have grandmastery in flails and access to divine spells, making him a capable warrior and spellcaster. Flails are some of the best weapons in this game so he will grow to become a powerful damage dealer as the game progresses.

Jaheira: Jaheira has been with us for all of Baldur's Gate 1 and Seige of Dragonspear, and remains a valued member of the team. As a Fighter/Druid, she is a warrior while also providing access to Druid spells. Druid spells such as Insect Plague can be great for disrupting enemy mages and her summons are even more powerful on Legacy of Bhaal difficulty. She also gets access to Iron Skins and Armor of the Faith which makes her well-suited for the front lines. While her Druid class restricts her weapons somewhat, she can still use Daggers and Scimitars, which allow her to contribute to DPS.

Nalia: Nalia is our only non-warrior member of the party, but while she may not be a great contributor to our damage, she is a necessary member of the team. Nalia fulfills two necessary roles: our arcane caster as well as our thief. While as a level 4 thief, her skills are low we can rely on Potions of Perception and Potions of Master Thievery to buff her when needed. This will allow us to use her thief abilities when necessary without hampering her arcane spellcasting. Nalia also has a unique ring that provides AC, a bonus to saving throws, as well as Fire Elemental Resistance. Fire is the most common type of elemental damage in this game so this makes Nalia well-suited to be our arcane caster. Her primary role in combat will be to disable enemies, allowing the rest of the party to perform their roles more effectively.

Valygar: Valygar is a Stalker, a specialized type of Ranger. As a Ranger, he starts out with points in two-weapon fighting, which is the most effective weapon style for damage, and will have access to Armor of Faith, making him well-suited for front-line combat. As a Stalker, he gets the ability to perform backstabs like a thief. Valygars' role is often to initiate combat with powerful backstabs, potentially taking out a threatening target before repositioning himself with the rest of the party. Valygar requires some micromanagement but his damage output can be exceptional.

Mazzy: Mazzy is our primary source of ranged DPS. As a pure fighter, she gets access to Grandmastery, and she starts out with this in Short Bows. Grandmastery provides additional Attacks per round which can be coupled with her ability to apply Haste to herself to further boost her APR. She also gets the ability to apply a Strength bonus to herself which applies a Thac0 bonus to her ranged attacks. Defensively, Mazzy gets shorty saving throw bonuses for being a halfling and the ability to heal herself if she ever finds herself taking damage, but mostly she'll be in the back lines shooting. Mazzy can do consistent damage without the need for micromanagement.

Keldorn: Our final party member is an Inquisitor, a type of Paladin that sacrifices the ability to cast Divine spells but gains powerful abilities to counter magic. Keldorn won't be able to put out as much damage as Darksbane, Valygar, and Mazzy, but he will be invaluable against enemy mages. As a Paladin, he gets a bonus to saving throws and the ability to cast Protection vs. Evil as well as the ability to use powerful Paladin-exclusive Weapons. As an Inquisitor, he gains immunity to Charm and Hold, and the ability to cast True Sight, which will dispel any hostile illusion. His real asset however is his Dispel Magic ability, which casts quickly and acts at double Keldorns level, which essentially means it will always work. This will be essential when facing enemies with magic protection.

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