Now normally I like a bit of cheese.
But the Shield of Balduran/Cloak of Mirroring methods of puncturing the blimps is too boring.

This time round I had my solo F/T
hide, shoot, retreat, hide, repeat.
using arrows of bitting to bring the gas bags down in a reasonably short time.

What I'm wondering is how to take them down with classes that can't hide? Or more and better ways to kill 'em with those that can?

Oh and does blinding them (the Beholders) stop them doing their magical Gatling gun thing?

I used hide, followed by fireball and holy smite but as that tactic also uses hiding I'm probably not answering your question. If I try and attack a beholder without hiding first, I get zapped in seconds.

I've tried just charging in with boots of speed and charging out when hit points get down to around 50. In this case you really have to be satisfied when an uninjured beholder goes down to barely injured.

I just use my tank with the most magic resistance and magical protections to charge them and start hacking away with the biggest, most damaging weapon I have. Then I send a cleric in right behind them to cast healing spells when needed.

But when you stumble on to a group of Elder Orbs, 2-3 Beholders, and 2-3 Gauths, then Shield of Balduran/Cloak of Mirroring is all you have! :rolling:

Last time round I had my monk do most of the Beholder squishing. That class get an obscene amount of magic resistance and with a few items you are pretty soon up to 100%.

Yeah, Viconia and Solaufein both do the same thing. Biting becomes an issue, though (or is that just Tactics?).

No, the biting occurs in regular game play once all or at least most of the beholders' spells are used.

Not really that great of an attack, compared to most.

It is indeed Tactics. The modders started off with a simple bite whenever the Beholders noticed that their spell-like abilities weren't working. But ... a powerful enough fighter could simply wear the cloak or shield and waste them anyway.

The poison bite is the latest attempt to put some 'fang' into the Beholders.

Thanks all.

I think that the next time I've got a high level full party I'll buff up the tanks, then have them charge while my principle mage starts casting time stop.

About the tactical poison bite thing, wouldn't it have been better to nerf the cloak and shield rather than give extra abilities to the beholders?

In my solo-sorcerer game...

Impr. Invis.
Time stop
2x Abi Dalzim's
Chain Lightning

Then watch them al die...

Mislead is all you need. No challenge at all!

Mislead is all you need. No challenge at all!There's an easier way: Balduran's Shield.

lol.. the whole point of the thread is to develop ways of killing beholders without using the Shield of the Baldurian.

Yes, mislead and lots of fireballs and cloud kills.

But my F/M/T likes just discovering the area hiden, than go out of the sight range, and fire a cloud kill into the fog. While the cloud is approaching the targeted area I can hide again... To make the aiming more simple just leave someting on the floor as a target... While the cloud of kill is doing the dirty work you can attack another bunch of beholders.

Wizard slayer. High MR makes their spells worthless, and the spell failure can kick in to protect a party. Not even a challenge.

Wizard slayers don't have as high a magic resistance as monks, or even paladins with the Holy Avenger.

Wiz Slayer dualled to thief w/ UAI, weilding Carsomyr.

Happy now? :p ;)

I usually wait until I get Skeletal warriors before doing the unseeing eye. If you don't use the shield or cloak, it is the hardest fight in Athkatla. I think It is much harder than even Kangexx or the Twisted Rune.

Haha Klorox! :p Too bad that, if you've got enough xp for UAI, you could probably squish the beholders anyways.

@ Klorox: After you hit ToB levels (ie: you're probably soloing) the Wizard Slayer's MR skyrockets.

@ Deathbringer: I still think that ****er Alhoon in the sewers is a colossal pain in the backside. I'll take Gauths and Beholders over Ulitharids any day of the week.

I'm guessing that it matters when you start the Unseeing Eye quest - if you do it early, like I do, you face only single Gauths and Beholders. Improved Invisibility is your friend in such a case.

On the other hand, I've given up trying to take out the entire "Eye Tyrant" city in the Underdark, even if I have both the Shield and the Cloak. I haven't worked out a way to prevent an Elder Orb from casting Imprisonment on one of the two characters I send in. There are so many animations going off at once, that trying to get to the Elder to stop it amidst all that chaos is really hard.

Take a cleric, cast Sanctuary and possition it next to the Eye Tyrant, then cast blade barrior. When sanctuary is about to run out, recast it, then recast blade barrior. Ive noticed that when one of them is hit they all huddle together, which makes blade barrior really effective. Repeat till its dead.

I haven't worked out a way to prevent an Elder Orb from casting Imprisonment on one of the two characters I send in.SI: Abjuration, or use the Berserk ability on Korgan/PC Berserker. Not much else you can do except kill it as fast as possible, Truper. Korgan, if you have him, makes the ultimate Beholder-basher with the Cloak or the Shield.

Minsc's berserk will also protect him from imprisonment.

Or summon some fodder near him quickly (spider figurine or the fighter horn work well) but watch out for death rays killing them on the spot.

Yeah your right. It depends on your level. I have been down there to the bridge and seen 2 gauths but most of the time I see 2 gauths and 3 beholders at that bridge. I think beholders and even gauths are harder than Ulitharids unless you use cheesy methods like the cloak, shield or sissyful of all, cast area effect and run. I resorted to arrea effect spells and running my first game cause it was all I knew would hurt them. At least Ulitharid can't hurt you much. The only time they damage me at all is when I solo and get stunned. That's when I hit the quickload before the brain sucking begins. The only time they get me anymore is when then spawn around me in hallways.

Rastor: Minsc's berserk will also protect him from imprisonment. Are you sure? I'm almost positive Minsc's rage will not protect him from imprisonment.