Most and least favourite NPCs

Remove all ads!

Hate Minsc. Why? He's rather annoying.

Love Keldorn. He's awesome. Yoshimo's pretty funky too.

 

Yay! Go Keldorn! I just picked up Haer'Dalis for the second time, and I am beginning to contemplate using the docks as a disposal route.

 

I hate Anomen I used him once but he was so irritating... I never was able to keep Aerie in my party long enough to complete the romance, she keeps boring me to death with her wings...
I tried Keldorn and I was so relieved to send him back to his wife. Agreed he is powerful and stacked with nice items but what a zealot! The embodiement of what my characters hate: patronizing, bossy and racist! No wonder his plate is stained with blood.

Minsc, Imoen and Jan had been getting on my nerves lately, I have relied on them too much, I used to like them.

Haer'Dalis is annoying, he can't share the limelight! You can't possibly create a better Blade!

Yoshimo, Edwin, Korgan and Mazzy (not with Valygar) are really nice.

My favourite romance is Viconia though I like Jaheira too.

The characters from BG1 that I would have liked to have in my group in BG2 are Tiax and Xzar.
Xzar is certainly my favourite character in the series... Though I really miss Kivan (strong silent rangers are good!)
It comes as no surprise then that I really like Valygar, it's a shame that his story is so short since it has great potential especially for a romance (I can't see how the programers thought of Anomen and not of Valygar!)

 

I really, really depise Anomen, even when he becomes Sir Anomen. At that point he becomes a hald decent cleric... but still has his overly annoying soundset. Also, where's his proficiencies gone?

Minsc's always good for a laugh, which makes me reluctant to kick him out, no mattter how many times I've used the maniac. Jan's mad little stories are also a great laugh, but all too often I prefer to be the party thief so he doesn't get in every time.

As for the others, I've got no strong feelings really. Keldorn and Valygar are cool, Jaheira has a backbone unlike all too many of the party and I have problems being evil. The evil three are awesomely powerful though, but I like to think that's not my main concern. Don't play evil much either.

As for mods, I've only tried Kelsey who seemed alright, and Solaufein whose attempts to chat up my male fighter/thief was disturbed particularly after his abduction...

[Edit: stupid grammatical mistakes in my first post... *sigh*]

[ August 22, 2005, 01:48: Message edited by: Janos Greycloak ]

 

@Janos Greycloak: the notorious Solaufein romance is quite disturbing... if you're playing a male character!

 

I like Jaheira the most, probably. There was also something very special about Nalia de'Arnise. Imoen deserves a mention, though you don't get much of her. Heck, romance is one thing but it's really great a game could reflect the feeling of having a sister.

Of those I've had in my parties for any long time, I don't hate any or I wouldn't keep him. I actually liked Anomen despite my dislike of that kind of speech. The problem is not that it's arrogant, it's arrogant in a vain, silly way. Not like, for example, the arrogance of Bastila from KotOR. Or even Jaheira's.

I don't like any of the evil NPCs. I can't stand them. Of the non-evil ones, I'm probably never going to take Jan Janssen. It's not like I dislike Mazzy but... we aren't compatible, either.

 

What a great topic on which to post my first-ever two cents' worth!

My favourite NPCs are Minsc, Kelsey, Haer'Dalis, and Jan. All four contribute a lot in terms of entertainment value (and let's face it, it's for entertainment that I'm playing BG2; if I wanted sheer hack'n'slash, I'd be playing something else!), and, excepting Haerry (that stuck after Jan, heh), are cornerstones in my current party. (I'm going the bard route myself, so I left Haerry to his own devices.) From what I've seen of his banters posted hither and yon, I have a feeling Edwin will be included in this list when I get around to playing through with an evil character... I respect someone who can get away with being so, er, parenthetical.

Least favourite NPCs are, no surprise, Anomen and Nalia. For good-aligned characters, I found them by turns far too snide, self-righteous, and naive - that last, particularly considering them as people who have been living for at least 18-20 years in a rather dangerous world. Judging by the amount of vitriol directed at Anomen in particular, it's hard to imagine him surviving five minutes in the Copper Coronet without being flattened by someone's well-placed club... or tankard of ale... or even pitched into those big firepits in the centre of the inn! (Which beggars the question: just what *was* Mr. Delryn doing in the CC anyway - slumming, or did he have a more nefarious purpose in mind? But I digress...)

As a sidebar, I must say that I find it interesting and telling that the developers of the game spun the one romance geared towards female PCs (like me) as a complete and utter git. From his comments upon being selected (the "What is it?!?" particularly irritated me) to his disdain for my PC's charitable treatment of beggars, I found him rather deserving of all the scorn heaped upon him by the rest of the NPCs. (An aside - are there any NPCs who actually *do* get along with this one?) Whether he was so scripted for laughs by the designers or with earnest (if poorly executed) intent, when one starts thinking that Noober might make a better b/f, rock bottom has been attained, ladies and gents. (Tongue firmly in cheek, ta.) Thank heaven for the creators of Kelsey, Tsujatha, Solaufein, and company!

Anyway, thanks for the soapbox, and for indulging my somewhat verbose point of view! (I know; 'twas a lot more like a quarter than two cents, but such is the soul of a bard, alas!)

[ August 21, 2005, 00:37: Message edited by: Rhyllian de'Adjerah ]

 

Minsc and Imoen are the only two (SoA) NPCs I actively like. I take them along every time I play. I don't like Anomen but I don't quite hate him either. (I'm still upset that the modding community never saw fit to give us a cleric with as much depth as Kelsey, Keto, or various other projects. Just because there are already three clerics in the game doesn't mean no-one wants a different cleric. Just because it's not an obvious idea doesn't mean that it couldn't be interesting. /rant)

 

I love Imoen, Minsc, Yoshimo, Jan, Viconia, Edwin for the way they are written and their dialogues.
Haer'Dalis and Valygar have a great voice but damn are they annoying.
Keldorn, Anomen, Jaheira are acceptable since they are just so powerful.

I hate Aerie, Nalia, Cernd, Mazzy and Korgan for many reasons I dont even want to think about.

 

My all time favorites are: Jaheira, Minsc, Immy, Nalia.

I somehow like Aerie, and get her if I want to behave like a baby-sitter. (Sssh Aerie it is OK, they can not hurt you now. You are safe with me... )

I am neutral to Keldorn (I am thinking on gettin him now as he is VERY strong vs mages) and Mazzy. Haerdalis comes very close to be annoying but still tolerable I suppose. (As long as he is away from Aerie. OR maybe they suit eachother well hmm?)

I can not like Viccy as she is a Nightcloak of Shar. Edwin is ANNOYING. Korgan is a very fun character, but he is pure evil so no no.

ANYWAY, favourite character: Immy, as she is beloved sister and a little cutie too! Her personality is cool too! She was once a happy naughty lass, now a troubled dear sister in peril! Her psychology is VERY bad too, she is very depressed and only a shadow of her former self. And only I can confort her!

Least FavouriteI still can not hate, all of these NPCs are beautifully crated!) Viccy. (Though I never let her get toasted at the hands of those fanatics. Oh yes I am soo good hearted you know?)

 

I love Imoen and Minsc, because they were with me from BG1, and because they have some great personalities....

Hmm... It's difficult to say who I hate, because I think all the NPC's from BG2 are great... I think Anomen is annoying and snobbish, but still I think he is a great character... If you understand...

The only person who I'd love to torture is Haer'Dalis, because he once stole Aerie from me and one of my friends who played together

 

Fave:

Haer'dalis: blades are awesome, and I like his eloquence and witty retorts. Reminds me of saemon havarian.

Like:

Korgan: who can possibly not like the little runt? Only problem is that he's too powerful and makes the game too easy.

Jaheira: great romance, balanced character (no pun intended).

Dislike:

Nalia and Yoshimo for the sole reason that their voices annoy the crap out of me. Aerie comes very close to making this list.
Annoyman: need I say more?

 

Fave NPC: Since this is purely SoA, I'd say Jaheira. No matter WHAT kind of PC I want to make, Jaheira's always in my team.

Fave romance choice: Aerie if I'm an Evil PC. Otherwise, Jaheira. Anomen will NEVER be an option if I play a female PC (I'd rather pursue a lesbo romance with Jaheira if that's the case...shudders at thought of female half orc/Jaheira pairing).

Fave drow: like there's a choice...

Hated NPC: Anomen and Korgan. WHenever they brag, makes me wanna challange them to the death and torture them with blunt chopsticks. Anomen fell too quickly against my Zerker, while Korgan got a healthy dose of tri Flame strike nuke from Jaheira, Viconia and Aerie while my PC was pummeling him with Crom Fayer.

 

I like Minsc & Jaheira very much mostly because they are wellcrafted BG characters.

I dislike Valygar, he is dull. Haer Dalis to a lesser degree, something to do with Arie

 

Love: Nalia and Edwin(a). Gotta love the mages. So Nalia is a crappy thief, don't use her as a thief, duh. Edwin is better because of his greater abilities, and his unfortunate transformation (hehe)

Hate: Imoen and Aerie. OMG, how can you say Nalia is annoying when you have either of these two? Complain complain complain. I got rid of both as soon as I could.

Never played: Minsc and Jaheria. Never ever used them in BG1, never cared to, never will. Druids suck, even multi druids. Minsc just seems rather wothless with having 2h swords as his main, not a paladin so no holy avenger. Better to make your own fighter then stick with this loser. Plus boo takes up a quick item slot. Bad hamster *stabs*

 

Favorite:
Aerie- She is like the bestest NPC ever. She doesn't whine as much as Nalia and her romance is cool. Oh and she's a Cleric/Mage (very useful)

Hate:
Nalia- SHE WHINES NO MATTER WHAT! SHE'S ANNOYING AND SHE SUCKS! What more is there to say about Nalia?

*EDIT* Imoen complain!?!? Imoen like only complains in that dungoen you begin in! Unless there's this mod you installed that makes her complains.

!!!Aerie is the bestest NPC ever!!!

 

I agree with Cold Hawaiin. Imoen is far whinier than Nalia. Nalia rules.

 

Fave: HaerDalis. Not only because he's a Blade, but because I like his character. As you go along the game and pick up bits and pieces about him you'll learn that there's much more to him than the happy-go-lucky, typical Bardic personality he projects. In a way he is much more developed than several other NPC's - and has probably gone through much worse than the PC itself.
I say this with little bias since if Haer had been a Beastmaster he'd still be my favorite NPC. As a side note, Haer actually makes the Aerie romance much better, once you learn how to deal with him.

I also like Edwin (his lines are immortal), Minsc and Imoen. Towards eveyone else I'm pretty much neutral with the exception of...
Least Fave: Anomen, before he becomes a Paladin, and Korgan, character-wise.

[ September 16, 2005, 03:45: Message edited by: Scythesong Immortal ]

 

Everyone has a slightly different perception of what constitutes "whining", I guess. I can stand Imoen without any trouble but I can't abide Nalia, nor Valygar, Viconia, Aerie, or Korgan for that matter. I guess that's why there are so many NPCs to choose from. In that field we've come a long way since Final Fantasy II, where you really were forced to take the main characters.

 

What a tough topic, because I find it difficult to choose. That said, I don't really hate any of the NPCs, as they can all be useful if properly implemented, and though some are annoying, they are all pretty well developed. But if I had to sort them into groups:

Like:
[snip]
Korgan-- The ultimate SoA badass. Droll, brutal, well-written, and well-acted. Many are turned off because he's evil, but he respects the powerful.
Viconia-- The best romance, IMO, or at least it has the most important character arc in ToB, while the others just seem to fade away into boringness, but with Viccy, you actually feel as if you've accomplished something. A very useful cleric, too, and rather underrated.
Edwin-- Awesome mage, but I usually bring him for the comedic value and the sheer contempt he has for everything but him. But he is rather intelligent like Viconia, and has good dialogue too.
Keldorn-- Another truly awesome fighter (especially with the Carosmyr), Keldorn is sort of the father figure in the group, though it's a shame he doesn't get along with Viconia.
Minsc-- His jokes are either hit or miss (more miss than hit in ToB, where most of the other characters actually get better dialogue), but in SoA he provides much needed comic relief. I usually give him Lilarcor.
Imoen-- I have no idea why some would want to romance her, incest issues aside, she's clearly the "spunky kid" archetype in fiction, and unsuitable for romantic interaction. Still, though, she's an endearing and useful party member, especially in ToB.
Aerie-- Useful, if weak in combat. Excellent as a 'supplimentary' spellcaster and/or healer in the party. I didn't care much for her romance, though, but personality-wise, I think Aerie provides a much-needed angle of idealism to the game.

Neutral:
Valygar-- A mild-mannered and down to earth character. For this reason, he tends to fade into the background and doesn't have too many dialogues with the other NPCs, but I think this is by design. But he's a useful fighter.
Anomen-- Sure, he's an arrogant braggart with an annoying voice, but at least he's a unique individual. His story and romance are actually well done, IMO, and overall he's a useful cleric, though I usually prefer Viconia.
Haer' Dalis-- Never had much use for him, though I like the fact that he's an intellectual.
Jaheria-- Overrated in the extreme, and a liability, IMO, in ToB. Also, her romance is pointlessly convoluted, impossible to get through, and often jut plain boring. I usually just bring her with for story purposes.
Mazzy-- Another useful if overrated character. I like her dialogues with Minsc, Valygar, and Korgan.

Dislike:
Jan-- Useless character, but hilarious dialogue and commentary.
Cernd-- Mostly borin and useless, but occasionally has interesting dialogue in ToB.
Nalia-- Annoying character with a egalitarian streak, even if she is useful, but I prefer Imoen.
Yoshimo-- For obvious reasons. Though the first time through, I felt guilty every time I temporarily kicked him out of the party and eventually brought him with because I liked him too much. That was until he betrayed me. A very well-written occurance in BG2.

[This is the SoA-only forum. Please go read the forum description. No ToB content is allowed here. -Tal]

[ September 20, 2005, 22:44: Message edited by: Taluntain ]