I have decided to play this classic again and have a question. What should a good party be comprised of;ie melee, range,thief, etc?

The "classic" part would consist of three fighters (may be fighters, rangers and paladins), one cleric, one thief and one mage. That is six characters in all, and the limit. It works for most situations, though it can be pretty fun to experiment with party compositions. Playing solo can also be a blast.

My current party of four has been a total blast:

Montaron -- fighter/thief -- traded for Coran when Coran becomes available in Cloakwood

PC -- Fighter/cleric

Imoen - dual-classed to mage right at the start of the game

Kivan -- Ranger

Thanks everyone, I will start out with 4. Now I have a few questions--1. After I install the game, do I need updates to make it current? I suppose that I won'r be able to find the expansion Tales of the Sword Coast and will play without it. 2. If the PC is a fighter, how do I get him to be a cleric also? 3. What does Imoen start out as and how do I get her to be a mage also? 4. Where do I pick up Kivan to use him as a ranger? I will go to Bioware and see if they have any updates to this game and get back here when I have the game ready to play.

Hi Grandpa
I asked you about those playstation games a few days ago for Barrow Hill and I haven't heard back from you. Are you still interested in trading. An answer either way would be appreciated. Thanks
Cathy

granda ---

here's walkthru

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/196688.html

(the one by Dan Simpson) which is very good.

There are other walkthrus mentioned at this site.

A somewhat better strategy guide can be found
here:

http://www.planetbaldursgate.com
(just select Baldur's Gate in the menu to the left

You can also go to http:://www.the-spoiler.com
and select Baldur's Gate. There plenty of walkthroughs to peruse.

I can't remember if Imoen is an elf? or human.
I think only humans can dualclass, but any
NPC can multi-class. If you want to either dual or multiclass a NPC, then you bring up the character portrait and click on the button
'dual-class' or 'multiclass'. (amybe this isn't quite right ??).

And yes, bioware do have updates for this game. Be sure to check in games>support->patches for this.

Also, I think there is a patch you need to download if you want to play Baldur's Gate on XP.
(I know I did something to be able to play BG1
on XP, but I can't remember exactly what I did to be able to do this).

I always play with 6 characters, myself, Imoen,
a druid or cleric, Minsc and Dynaheir, and the odd character, maybe Kivan, maybe Ajantis, or maybe a Bard.

As for the Tales of the Sword Coast, I know that
in Europe there is released a UK version of Baldur's Gate, which have both BG1+BG2 + expansions in them. (I think they're selling for like 10

Hi Grandpa68!
I'm in chapter 2 at the moment and did some research into what is available as far as the game goes. The common edition easily found out there is a combo of BG1 and TotSC on 3 cds which should not need any patches according to Bioware's site.
There is a terriffic site for BG walkthroughs I found with excellent maps and explanations at http://www.dudleyville.com/index.html
I got the entire 4 game compilation from Amazon UK on DVD with the help of one of our UK members (with deepest thanks). It's not available in the US. And even with the DVDs you still have to keep switching out the DVD.
Good luck and enjoy!
Andrea

Edit: The unpatched version plays just great on XP for me.

Hello everyone, I have just started Chapter 2 and have some questions again. At what level should my PC be before dual classing him to a Cleric? Imoen is a thief and at what point should I dual class her to be a Mage? When I pick up Montaron and Xzar at the crossroads, how do I dump Xzar and keep Montaron as a fighter/Thief? My proposed party will be: PC-fighter/Cleric, Imoen-Thief/Mage, Montaron-fighter/thief and Kivan(when I find him)-Ranger. As for my combat skills, I am a beginner in this. How should I set up my party? For example, when I find the Ogre to kill, who should be in front and who in back? I don't enjoy being killed at all and in other RPG games I use a cheat to become invincible for the boss fights. Is there a cheat here that I could use in BG?? Any help will be appreciated very much.

Generally people dual class Imoen at level 6 or seven, because by that point her thieving skills are good enough for the rest of the game. If I plan on dualling Imoen at that level, I have put most of her skill points into lockpicking and finding traps, with a small amount of skill also put into stealth (there are boots available in the game that will increase stealth greatly). She is not really able to pickpocket.

If you want to dual class your human fighter to a cleric, concentrate mainly on one type of melee weapon, start out by giving yourself two skill points in a specific melee weapon; give yourself a ranged weapon skill as well. I usually dual class a fighter after the first level up in which I get an additional weapon skill. That way I end up with a thief or mage or cleric who can also fight well and has a reasonable THACO.

If you want to keep one of a pair of characters such as Monty and Xzar, you can send the one you don't want into battle by themselves (evil way); or, have your PC take that one character into a house or tavern you plan on never visiting again, and reform your party to get rid of them. When you come out of the building the other one won't know what you've done.

When you see a high level enemey, all characters should immediately start using ranged weapons and spells on it. When it gets closer, your fighters and rangers should switch to melee weapons and front the attack, leaving the weaker characters to use ranged weapons or spells.

Use the pause feature at the start of combat to tell your party members what to do, and use pause throughout the battle to plan your strategy. Usually it helps to have all party members concentrate on one enemy at a time.

I urge you not to use cheats. Combat in these games requires strategy, and if you cheat your way through you will rob yourself. There is no boss battle that can't be won with the right stratagey. I have found battles that are too much for the entire party of six using weapons, but a bard with a couple of well-placed Grease and Fireball spells can win it by himself.

I think that during your encounter in the Forgotten Realm's Sword Coast, you will find
some very nice things like different wands.

Some of these wans are used to summon animals.
I usually do summon the animals, then let the summoned animals act as sort of buffer, while
I (and my joined NPCs) start pummeling the boss with ranged attacks like hagatha had adviced you to do.

The one thing to remember is:
Keep your mage in the back, your thief sort of
midway, and the ranger and yourself in the front.
I would strongly urge you to pick up Jaheria and Khalid. You get a so so fighter in Khalid, but a very good healer in Jaheira. It can be difficult to be both healer and figther if you're the only one with the healing abilities if you're dual classing your fighter to a cleric, too.

As for dual-classing, I think it is wisest to do around level 6 or 7, just as hagatha has adviced you to do.

As for dumping Montaron and Xzar, I just sort of them led them die in an epic battle involving spiders.

As for defeating the Ogre (very nasty thing...)
well, the battles in Baldur's Gate requires a bit of strategy. You can use Imoen's Hide in Shadows feauture to have her --- erm --- hide in the shadows -- and then use her to scout ahead to see any enemies head.

Then you advance a bit, and when you see the Ogre, you can a) send Imoen to backstab the Ogre, or b) start pummeling the Ogre with ranged attack.

Then send your fighter in melee with the Ogre, then use Montaron's ability to cast spells (I think it is Montaron which is the wizard?) like
chromatic orb, sleep, magic missiles, grease and such low level spells. Imoen should fire arrows away at the Ogre using her bow.

Please also note that you have a formation bottom which let you change formations. This means that you can have a triangle formation or a double line formation or or kind of circular formation. Be sure to learn how to this feature, since it do come in handy --- at some point in the game.

Also, in this game, BG1, there is no shame in admitting that you're way in over your head --- and run away. When you have grown stronger --- well then just revist the area(s) again --- and get your ---- justification (or revenge ).

I came to Bergost(spelling) to buy supplies rather than heading towards the Friendly Arms Inn like the walkthru suggested. After reading the above posts I have some more questins to ask. Hagatha mentioned dualclassing after the first levelup. Does this mean that the PC is at level 2 and then goes to Cleric? How many levels should the cleric have before returning to the fighter level? I have started with the PC using the Long Sword. Should I keep him at that or is there a better weapon to use? Will not having the TOSC expansion hinder my progress in the game, such as different items to find or places to visit? Someone mentioned picking up Jaheria and Khalid for the party and use Jaheria as a healer. If this is so, then my PC won't need to be a Cleric and I should keep him as a fighter??? Well, I guess that this is enough questions for this session. Please get back to me when you can.

If you dual-class a character, the second class has to reach one level more than the first class before you can use the first class again. So If you dual class Imoen at level six, she must reach level seven as a mage before she can use her thief abilities again.

Bear in mind that the character will not be able to increase in the first class any more. It will always remain where it was when you dual-classed the character. Imoen can reach level 7 or 8 as a mage, but will always be a level 6 thief.

If this is your first game of BG, then you might want just want to keep your fighter as a fighter, although there are a few good fighters in the game.

For dual-classing make sure it's what you really want. I would not dual-class a fighter until he or she has already become a useful fighter -- in other words, at least two levels in a melee weapon and two in a ranged weapon, and good THACO -- possibly at around level 4 or 5.

I dual class Imoen right away sometimes just for a change. There are other good thieves in the game, so you don't need to have her be a thief. For another neutral-aligned thief you can pick up Safana, in the southern part of the coastline (near a lighthouse). Montaron is evil, so you could end up with alignment problems later in the game, but you can use him for a long time before that becomes a problem -- plenty of time to pick up Safana if you want. And in chapter 4 there is Coran, who is a fighter/thief. So you can dual-class Imoen any time, really, as long as you have another thief.

THE TOSC expansion has some great areas, and yes, there are some good things you can pick up in those areas. But if you do all of the quests your character will still probably reach the experience cap, at around level 7 or 8, depending on character class, and ther's lots of great stuff to find.

Jaheira and Khalid are good companions for a first run through the game. In addition to being a decent healr and having some good druid spells, Jaheira can fight, but I wouldn't put her on the front line. Khalid is a good fighter, though.

One little trick. Each character gains health points when they level up. You don't always get the maximum number of points, so save before you level up, see how many points you get, and if it's not a lot, reload and try again. Fighters can get up to ten points, I think; mages, thieves and bards get fewer.

The TOSC expansion is really an add-in in the game, meaning that you can go to Durlag's Tower anytime you want as well as go to the main area in TSOC.

However, I wouldn't recommened going to this area
(Ulgoth's Beard) before you're at least level 5 or 6. [I once traveled there when I was level 3 or so, and I got beaten very easily ---- ouch].

You are free to go anywhere you want, so if you want to go to Beregost, that's OK. Just be aware that sometimes there could be someone out to get you...And that if you want Khalid and Jaheira to be in your party, you really do need to go to The Friendly Arm Inn. (here you can also get the quest involving the spiders I was talking about
earlier).

And yes, if you pick up Khalid and Jaheira, Jaheira would do a decent job as a healer. However, you could still dual class your fighter since having two healers in a party really is a help sometimes. Just remember then to use Khalid
as the front man along with Kivan.

Another trick, apart from the ones, hagatha has told you about, is to remember to save before you have your mage try to read a scroll so that she (or he) can write magic in order for the spell to make it into his or her spellbook.

In dungeons, it is good advice to have Imoen (or another thief) scouting for traps.

Yes, having a thief scout ahead is essential in some areas of the game. As well as looking for traps in dungeons, your thief can scout ahead when travelling outdoors, to find groups of enemies without them seeing your party. When you spot a group of enemies you can plan your battle strategy ahead of time, or go another way, if you don't think you can handle the battle.

And a high-level thief with a good stealth ability can do serious damage with a backstab.

Yes, this is the first time that I am playing BG and why does it take soo long to get experience points? I wandered around the area between FAI and Bergost but only found a few enemies and an ogre to kill. My PC only has about 250 exp at level 1. I have read the above posts and will keep my pc as fighter until he at least has 2 levels in melee weapon/ranged weapon. Someone mentioned THACO. What is this and how does it fit with my main character?
I got rid of Xzar by traveling north from FAI and fighting some hobgoblins. He died and I returned to the Temple of Wisdom and brought him back. Left him inside and went out and reformed my party. I don't know if this was the right place to do this or not. Now I have to fight the assassin on the steps to get inside FAI. I sure need some help in getting a bunch of exp points early on.

There aren't really any short cuts. Gaining levels in Baldur's Gate is a lengthy and painful process. If you feel up to it, you may go and take on an ogre which is south east of the Friendly Arm somewhere (ogres gives you 650XP each if I recall correctly)...there are also certain areas where tough opponents will spawn a lot, and you can simply rest, and wait for them to appear, then dispose of them and cash in the experience point. This is very difficult to do at early levels, though.
Just hang in there. It is not a game to be rushed.

THACO affects how well your character fights. The lower THACO you have, the better he/she is. I don't remember the exact system for it, but it is an abbrevation for To Hit Armour Class 0. So the lower, the better. This will increase much if you level up in a fighting class.

The fight at the Friendly Arms in can be difficult. If you have a Speed potion, use it on your PC before he goes up the stairs, and have everyone else use ranged weapons or spells if they have them.

I usually wait until there are a few guards near the stairs, because they will help you in this fight.

When I first started playing Baldur's Gate a long time ago (about 8 years ago or so), I noticed some blackened areas. I didn'tgo out in these, until one of my friends told me that it
was just darkened since I haven't discovered it yet.

After that I ventured out into the darkness, and the darkness was lifted, and I got a lot more
xp points this way.

Maybe you already know this. If you do, then I'm sorry for telling you, but if you didn't....

If you travel on the roads there usually are some bandits or hobgoblins to be killed or some pesky Xivilais to be killed.

You could have gotten rid of Xzar just by killing him. That's why I normally do.
Xzar will stay dead...

I think (but this is just me) that it probably would have been better to leave Xzar in a empty building. You may need to go to the Temple of Wisdom later in the game...

As Drizzt say, leveling in Baldur's Gate 1 is a very slow process, but you'll get there. Also, I remember fighting some bandits (hobgoblins) on the way from Candlekeep to the Friendly Arm in.

When you get into the Friendly Arm, there are one or two (or more) people who have quests for you to do. And these do give some xp points.

NB:
For the spider's quest, remember to bring
anti-dote potions.

Along with the guards on the steps to FAI, I managed to kill the bad guy. Went inside and recruited Jaheira and Khalid and then went solo up stairs and got the quest for the spiders. Now I guesss that it is time for me to return to Bergost again but will buy antidote potions before I enter the house. I picked up a Wand of Missiles from Imoen. Now who should I give it to if my pc is busy fighting? Are there spells that I can get for Jaheira to use and if so, where can I find them?

Your Mage can use most wands, although some of them can only be used by a cleric or druid.

Jaheira's spells don't have to be learned. She will get more spells when she levels up. She does have to memorize spells before sleeping, just like a mage. This is true for clerics, as well. They have 'innate' magical abilities.

There are also cleric/druid spell scrolls throughout the game. These are one-time use spells only, good for emergencies.

Well I finally got Imoen to level 2. This was by going north from fai and finding the fishermen. Then went north to find Tenya for her quest. Boy, those Ankegs are mean and I had to reload several times to keep away from them. What level should I be before I attempt to fight them? I got Jaheira to level 2 also but I forgot to see if she has any more spells that I can use. I noticed on the map a place called Peldvale. What can I do there and when? My party is now back at Bergost. I noticed in the walkthru that there are quests that I can do. Should I do them now or continue on to Naskel and return later on?

Ankhegs are dangerous until you have a party of about level 4 or greater. The best way to tak them out is wih ranged weapons. They cast nasty spells, so you need to take them down FAST.

It sounds as though you need to head south. Jaheira and Khalid will expect you to take them to Nashkel, and Jaheira will start complaining if you don't. There are lots of enemies along the road and in the countryside bordering the road, so the journey to Nashkel will gain you some experience as well.

The storyline actually wants you to go to Nashkel, although you can stop in Beregost for some mini-adventures. In Nashekl you will be given a quest relating to the Nashkel Mines.

In Beregost you will meet Garrick. He is a bard and can cast spells as well as pickpocket and sing battle songs. He uses a crossbow, I think. He is very useful for pickpocketing. And for pickpocketing two people in particular, one of whom has a very nice cloak; the other has a very, very nice sword.

In the carnival area next to Nashkel (east) there is a quest to save a woman who has been turned to stone. If you need a really good cleric, this is a good quest.

In Nashkel you will meet Minsc, who wants you to save someone. This is worth doing, and you can end up with two of the best compansions in the game, but I sugggest avoiding Minsc for the time being.

Do the Nashel Mine first. Minsc's quest is timed, and MUST be done within a certain time period, so you have to make sure you're ready and have lots of arrows and bullets, etc.

I would advice you to fo to Peldvale and do the Quest. Mainly because certain events will happen in Nashkell which are very nasty for low level characters.

As for Jaheira, just open her spellbook and select the spell, you want. (btw, the moon icon at the bottom of her inventory screen can be accessed at any time to get her to cast her equipped spells).

It is generally a good idea to explore all of the areas around Candlekeep, Friendly Arm Inn and Beregost fully, and any and all quests in these areas as well.

And yes, the ankhegs can be tough. I usually wait until I have a mage or so which can cast
web. Then I cast web or chromatic orb on them.
And blast them with fireball spells. My advice to you is to wait until your mage has gotten a fireball spell.

Jaheria has a nice little level 1 spell called entangle which comes in rather handy as well..

I have been trying to get to Nashkel but the baddies are nasty along the road. First it was the hobgoblins and then further on Jaheira got killed by knolls. I have her equipped with a spear but maybe I should have her use a sling, bullets and a shield. Will this help me? I have picked up Kivan when I went to High Hedge for a bit so my party now consists of the following: pc/fighter, Imoen/thief, Khalid/fighter, Jaheira/druid and Kivan/range. I did some experimenting with setting the current XP and found that it takes me to get to level 6 with my pc before I can have 2 melee skill points and 2 ranged skill points. Almost the same with Imoen to get her to level 6 to almost max out her open lock skill and her find trap skill. I will reload to an earlier save when I continue with the game and see how many hours,days or weeks it will take me to get them to that level.
Karsten-Will my party survive the quest at Peldvale with my level 2 people? This game is so frustrating to me compared with playing the dungeon siege series that I have been playing for a long time. I hope that I can get used to BG before I attempt to try BG2.

Yes, I think having Jaheira using a sling will be a good idea. That way she can stay a bit out of the fight, which really should be left to frontline people like Khalid and yourself.

Note that Jaheira also is able to use a short sword (since she ia a fighter too). She can also use throwing weapons such as darts, trowing knives and such.

BTW, what did you you do with Montaron?? A mage, even at low level is a great help for any party as mages can cast spells like magic missiles or chromatic orbs.

Your fighters can use any weapons, this means they can use throwing axes as well as bow and crossbows.

The combat in Baldur's Gate is a bit strategic and tactical. What I normally do is having Imoen scout ahead while in stealth mode (hide in shadows). Then have her fire an arrow on the monsters or enemies. Then run her back to the party, and have Kivan shoot arrows at them, too.
Then have Jaheira cast entangle, and bless on the party. Remember to stay close together.

If you

The level cap in BG1 is about level 7 or 8, I think. This means that to get to level 6 will take you a great deal of time. I think I usually am level 5 or 6 about chapter 4 (or maybe 5) or so.

Alsom you need to take the armour, and weapons and such from your enemies or the monsters you kill. This can give you better armor that you have, while it re-stocks your weapon supplies as well. (and if you kill a wolf, remember to take its pelt, as these pelts can be sold in Nashkell).

As for Imoen, along the road somewhere, you will find a shadowy hide whic will boost your stealth as well as your find traps abilities. I'll always spend points in find traps and stealth early on as this way Imoen can be most useful to the party early on in the game.

Baldur's Gate 1 needs a lot you thinking ahead, and you actively managing the party's inventories.

You also need to think like this: What is the fighter's strenght: OK, it is to fight. Then they need to go in the front line. The Ranger and Thief --- not so much, but they can shoot arrows from afar at enemies/monsters. Druids are great at healing, and to cast spells like bless on the enemies as well as casting entangle on the enemies as well.

You change the way you party moves on the road by simply clicking the portrais up and down.
The characters with the most HitPoints need to go first, while the character with the least hit point need to go last. (usually, this means that your mage goes last).

Also, remember it is far better than to max out
your weapon's skill. If you have 5 starts in say Long Sword, then this will give you much more than having two stars in Long Sword and Long Bow.

It has been a while since I've played Baldur's Gate, so it hard for me to say what you should be doing. BUtr having looked at the walkthru at dudleyville.com, I would say that you should wait.

However, you could try to go to Temple (east of the road ) and pick up a quest where you go to
Red Canyons.

Or you could just stay on the main road, still going strong, keeping an eye on your goal for the present time being: Go to Nashkell.

I think that this is what I would be doing right now. (I think if you wait to long to go there, that eventually Khalid and Jaheira may leave).

That is the safest move right now: Just stay close to the road, and press on to Nashkell.

This game, Baldur's Gate 1, will not punish you in either way, if you leave a difficult area, and come back some time later to --- well ----
do some damage.

Even with a walkthru, this game requires some panning. You need to plan ahead that if I go to say Beregost, this means I can do that quest, and if I go to Temple this means I can do that quest. And it is the quest which in the first part of the game, irrc, gives you more XP points than combat.