Icewind Dale

[WiseGrimwald]

The new party

 

[JustKneller]

I'm wondering if the scrolls that you find are random or the same in every game: and what about drops of equipment?

A lot of the equipment drops are random, some of the spell drops are as well. Here is a guide, if you want spoilers. I would stick with sword and board for the paladin. They have to hold the line. I would also aim for at least 15 dex. With Cat's Grace, that's a good armor boost. Plus

Spoiler: spoiler alert

there's a really good one handed sword for the paladin late in the game.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

A lot of the equipment drops are random, some of the spell drops are as well. Here is a guide, if you want spoilers. I would stick with sword and board for the paladin. They have to hold the line. I would also aim for at least 15 dex. With Cat's Grace, that's a good armor boost. Plus

Spoiler: spoiler alert

there's a really good one handed sword for the paladin late in the game.

That accounts for the goblin not having the high quality morning star that he had in the first game. Not a game-changer.
Is the sword that you mentioned large or great?
There is a half-decent large sword (plus two) Erevain's Broad Sword available right at the beginning, but I'm not sure that you can continue the game if you get it as everyone becomes hostile! Apparently it will become available later.

 

[JustKneller]

The paladin sword comes a little late, but it's a long sword. And, yeah, it's not worth killing any friendlies in the game. There's some decent pickpocketing in Kuldahar, but aside from that, stealing isn't even worth it.

There are some things you can depend on in the game, but the random drops keep it interesting. You could always savescum for what you want, if that's your thing. But, are you doing no-reload runs? It seems like it.

In any event, long swords are dependable weapons, but flails/morningstars actually can come out ahead because crushing damage is an all around winner. I've played cleric-heavy parties that could really clean house. Halfling clerics are my fav (I almost always take one) because they get shorty saves and a great helm in Kuldahar. I might even recommend setting up your current cleric as single classed. In a small party, Turn Undead will eventually become an easy button. With a party of three, that could be as early as Presio's level in Dragon's Eye. You just have your I/T go invisible to clear the level's traps, return to the start, have the cleric pop on turn undead, the I/T turns the cleric invisible, and the cleric just walks the level. Just set it and forget it and the undead will go poof.

Actually, here's a good party. A max Str/Con dwarf fighter with axes, a high Dex/Con and at least 13 Str halfling cleric with all the blunts, and a gnome illusionist/thief. The dwarf is your striker, the halfling your tank, and the gnome stays in the back. Everyone gets shorty saves and the dwarf can eventually regenerate (there's two +Con axes). Talk about a small party, huh?

But, back to weapons. Aside from longswords and flails, there are some decent maces and axes in the game as well. Even with RNG, you should be well set.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

The paladin sword comes a little late, but it's a long sword. And, yeah, it's not worth killing any friendlies in the game. There's some decent pickpocketing in Kuldahar, but aside from that, stealing isn't even worth it.

There are some things you can depend on in the game, but the random drops keep it interesting. You could always savescum for what you want, if that's your thing. But, are you doing no-reload runs? It seems like it.

In any event, long swords are dependable weapons, but flails/morningstars actually can come out ahead because crushing damage is an all around winner. I've played cleric-heavy parties that could really clean house. Halfling clerics are my fav (I almost always take one) because they get shorty saves and a great helm in Kuldahar. I might even recommend setting up your current cleric as single classed. In a small party, Turn Undead will eventually become an easy button. With a party of three, that could be as early as Presio's level in Dragon's Eye. You just have your I/T go invisible to clear the level's traps, return to the start, have the cleric pop on turn undead, the I/T turns the cleric invisible, and the cleric just walks the level. Just set it and forget it and the undead will go poof.

Actually, here's a good party. A max Str/Con dwarf fighter with axes, a high Dex/Con and at least 13 Str halfling cleric with all the blunts, and a gnome illusionist/thief. The dwarf is your striker, the halfling your tank, and the gnome stays in the back. Everyone gets shorty saves and the dwarf can eventually regenerate (there's two +Con axes). Talk about a small party, huh?

But, back to weapons. Aside from longswords and flails, there are some decent maces and axes in the game as well. Even with RNG, you should be well set.

Thanks. Some useful info there. I have found that although IWD and Baldur's Gate are similar, I have had to develop a different fighting style. The battle that I found difficult against the ogre and orcs in my first game became remarkably easy if I used sleep first and then retreated so I only had a few to fight at the same time. When the ogre is on it's own ranged weapons make it an easy battle. I am finding that retreating is an effective strategy, one that I rarely used in BG.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

After our party was ambushed and an avalanche wiped out most of our party we fought against some minor parties of goblins. When our spells ran out, we tried resting in order to re-memorise them. Every time we tried to rest we were awoken by parties of Goblin Archer Marshalls, some of the parties being quite large. Eventually Finnan, our cleric was slain, so we decided to flee to Kuldahar, avoiding all conflict on the way. We were going to go straight to the temple to raise Finnan but were pursued by yetis. We hid in the temple and whilst there had Finnan raised and healed. We still hadn't been able to rest! Upon leaving the temple, we were pursued by the yetis and fled to Fiddlebender's Air Ship. We exited by the rear entranceand from there were able to kill the yetis using ranged weapons. We then stored their pelts in a chest. We sold our gems and all the small bows hat we had accumulated. That just enabled us to buy a Bastard Sword +1 with no gold left whatsoever. Let us hope that we have no further mishaps. We had to sell our ordinary Bastard Sword to pay for our stay at the inn. We hunted yetis and returned Marek's family heirloom.

 

[JustKneller]

We exited by the rear entrance

TIL

There's a rear entrance?

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Yup. If you go to the right of the shop you can exit through some steps. When you are outside you can't go anywhere so you are perfectly safe from the yetis and can pick them or any other enemies off at your leisure. Of course orcs with bows can fire back but it is quite a useful tactic for when you are weak.

The first time that I used that exit (not in the current game), I had no enemies, but realised that it could be useful for combat.

As you can see, it keeps Fiddlebender's cow safe too which could be the reason that Fiddlebender made the exit.

 

[JustKneller]

Well, I believe Kuldahar is attacked later by a large band of some kind of Orc or something. I usually take some heavy hits clearing the town, but drawing them to Fiddlebenders and using that trick would be safer.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Well, I believe Kuldahar is attacked later by a large band of some kind of Orc or something. I usually take some heavy hits clearing the town, but drawing them to Fiddlebenders and using that trick would be safer.

Even if the orcs do have bows, you can pop inside the ship and get healing at your leisure, rebuff the party etc.

 

[JustKneller]

No, I think they're just orogs or something with two handed swords. No ranged attackers, if I remember correctly.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

No, I think they're just orogs or something with two handed swords. No ranged attackers, if I remember correctly.

That will make it straightorward then.

The party used slowly, slowly, catchee monkey tactics to reach Kresselak. I think that I will deal with the goblins before Auril. EDIT

I didn't bother with all the goblins, talked to Gherek and got a useful cloak inside the mill. Killing the priest of Auril was no problem. Picky used fire spells against her. Now back at Kuldahar.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Apparently we now have to go to the Dragon's Eye. The temple of the forgotten God was easy enough due to sending buffed undead ahead of the party.

I was a bit over-cautious, but it's better to err on the side of caution.

 

[JustKneller]

The temple of the forgotten God was easy enough due to sending buffed undead ahead of the party.

Really? Skeletons stood up against the verbeegs? Those guys hit super hard.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Really? Skeletons stood up against the verbeegs? Those guys hit super hard.

I buffed the whole party with bless and haste; the paladin with cat's grace and protection from evil, the cleric with protection from evil and draw upon holy might, the illusionist priest with armour and mirror image. The skeletons/zombies held the verbeegs off long enough for the party to kill at least two. With the numbers reduced to manageable proportions it was then just a matter of keeping my distance. If things got difficult I would retreat out of sight and return to take them on one at a time or rest and get more skeletons.

If I had retreated when I should have, the lizard king would have been easier. As it was Grace got killed. That cost 1600gp

At least there was somewhere to put Grace's equipment whilst we went to raise her.

Getting held is a real problem. It happened in both of the above battles. My cleric still can't cast freedom of action.

 

[JustKneller]

For the temple of the forgotten god, I usually clear (most of) the first level with my thief. It takes a while, but nobody takes any damage. After dealing with the entrance, I use an invisible to scout and clear any traps. Then, back at the entrance, I take out the first verbeeg on the right. After that, I have a nice long stretch of level with twists and turns where I can backstab, run, stealth, and repeat. I can do something similar on the lower floor, but I usually have to open with a backstab, then lead the verbeeg back to the entrance to be finished off by the party, or backstab a cultist then bring in the party from outside the fog of war to pelt it with ranged weapons so it can't cast a spell.

 

[WiseGrimwald]

Things going well at the Dragon's Eye. We've rescued some villagers and levelled up as well.

Things weren't going well against a sword spider until I thought of "Command!"

 

[Aerakar]

Great photos @WiseGrimwald ! I'm enjoying your IWD run and it is reminding me of past adventures. I have not played IWD in many, many years and think it may be time to give it a go. I always liked the reduced magic and combat of the game. It felt more like my pen and paper D&D games of my youth than BG.

Is HoW also included in the IWDEE version? I remember it being a separate game back in the day.

 

[JustKneller]

Is HoW also included in the IWDEE version? I remember it being a separate game back in the day.

It doesn't look like he's playing the EE, based on the interface, but I'm pretty sure the EE comes with HoW and TotL. You might be able to get a serial key with the EE to get the original, as well (which I would recommend).

 

[WiseGrimwald]

HoW is included in my game. I have EE but this isn't. Bought it on GoG. (Somewhere I have the discs as well)

We have now started coming up against trolls. The Bastard Sword +1 tht does flame damage is useful there and Picky used fire arrows when they are near death. I only have a few of them so I use the arrows sparingly.

I was beginning to run out of ammo so returned to Kuldahar. Sadly no fire ammo for sale. That could be a problem. We have 5 acid arrows but no fire arrows!

Just as well that Picky has some fire spells memorised!