According to another board some people are playing BG2 “solo” using a multi-class thief main character. Apparently they will park the NPCs they are traveling with in a dungeon safe spot (with AI off) and just go back occasionally to be healed and unload loot. In this way you can level your main faster while not missing out on loot (NPC mules). It’s faster and easier to stealth, buff, and retreat in dungeons alone. You would also keep from missing out on NPC triggered events.

I have 3 questions concerning this tactic --
1). Are ex pts still divided evenly amongst the party or does only the main character get experience since he is the only one fighting?
2). If ex pts are not divided do the NPC party members get disgruntled with the main character?
3). If a roaming foe(s) should happen upon the abandoned NPCs (with AI off) wouldn’t they be helpless to defend themselves? [One person wrote that he would invis them, but what if you don’t have access to that spell?]

I hope these are not stupid or inappropriate questions. I’m not actually getting BG2 until tomorrow and I was just curious as to how this tactic would work. Can’t sleep ; )

BTW – Does anyone know if any of the 16 NPCs can cast summon animal or summon monster spells when you initially add them to your party in chapter 1 (or chapter 2)?

Experience points are divided equally no matter who does the fighting. Characters with a higher wisdom get more exp from killing the same monster or finishing the same quest. Your tatic is totally invalid. If you want an accelerated level-up, you will really have to play solo, i.e, remove every npc from your party.

Thank you Shura. That definitely makes sense.
However, I was told on another board that you can disband your party (in a dungeon?) and rejoin later to heal and unload loot. I was given the impression that you could repeat this disband/regroup indefinitely without repercussions. In that way you would be able to get all of the ex pts. I wonder if that’s what people are doing.

I’m also still curious as to whether your NPCs (disbanded or just waiting around with no AI) would be vulnerable to roaming foes in this scenario.

In addition -- Does anyone know about the last NPC “summon spells” question in my original post?


[This message has been edited by Himbald (edited October 05, 2000).]

Why would anyone want to do this is what I'm asking myself.

First of all, asking someone to disband will not have them stand around where they are. They will immediatly go back to the place you found them OR go back to their home and let you know this, then walk away and vanish.

The only place I have come across wandering monsters was in Umar Hills in the Temple Ruins. The Shadows there kept popping in and out of rooms I had already cleared long ago, otherwise everywhere else I've been, a wandering monster or a group of them is unlikely.

Jaheira can cast Summon Animal as well as Call Woodland Being if memory serves me correctly.

In closing, sending your main character out all the time just to aquire experience points without the fun of having a party and the NPCs really, to me anyhow, kills the enjoyment of this game. I am not a power gamer and never will be and it's a shame it has brought these types of people to BG2.

Syl...

Aye, it is a shame, Syl, I agree.

Himbald, if you are the type of player who wants to be the "lone wolf" and do everything on your own, you should definately give it a try. However, the methods you're suggesting are blatant powergaming just to get your levels up at the expense of how the game was meant to be played.

"Parking" your NPCs, just so you can gather loot, then expecting them to heal you up and re-buff you like good little servants seems pretty silly, and I think the NPCs will eventually get upset if you keep dropping and re-adding them to the party, because you aren't being loyal to them.

No offense meant here... it is your game, and you are of course free to play it as you wish...

No offense taken T.W. Judging others is difficult to abstain from sometimes and I am too often quick to do it myself. I wouldn’t consider myself a “powergamer”. I’m more of one of those plodding, overly thorough, perfectionist types who wouldn’t want to miss out on anything. It will probably take me 5 times as long to get through a game like this than most of you. I’m also a bit lazy and not good at multi-tasking and I would simply prefer to have less to keep up with in the heat of battle.

I don’t even have the game yet (hopefully I’ll get it today) and in reading posts for a few days I am trying to determine as many “play style” options as possible. I’m not sure if BG2 will actually be a game that I will enjoy playing. I do prefer single character games like Daggerfall and Thief where it’s just you against all comers. The multi-class scenario is very interesting to me and obviously you are going to level twice as slowly as any single class NPCs in your party. Being able to get all of the experience at times would be a good way to catch up to those faster leveling NPCs. There’s that “perfectionist” thing I told you about . . . God forbid that the party doesn’t level up equally ; )

1. Your NPC's ask you when disbanded if they should wait there, or return to a pickup join like the copper coronet.

So you could leave them as mules and solo, though I'm not sure why you'd do this. Even a maxed out thief/mage is going to get stomped by some of the later battles.

2. Cernd probably has those summon spells when you pick him up. If I didn't think Jaheira was central to the story, I'd have dumped her for Cernd a long time ago.

Thanks Woo-Fu. I appeciate the advice.
BTW - For anyone who needs info on the 16 NPCs . . . I found this last night:

http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG2/Walkthrough/npcs.htm

*I just noticed Sylvus Moonbow's (see earlier response in this thread) affiliation with that site too . . . excellent )

[This message has been edited by Himbald (edited October 05, 2000).]

Nice job with "BG2 Solution" Sylvus.
Your help is appreciated :)

Also - Thanks for your info regarding my topic.

By the way, playing Lone Wolf is pretty hard, wen you get further in the game.. even if you manage to get powerful, some creatures are just to much for one char. I did it with a triple class, fighter/mage/thief... sure I get the first critter with a back stab.. but then, you can get all kind of nasty effect, that without the support of your other npc. I mean, if you get hold, confused, then what? you kibbles and bits.

I'm doing it with a sorcerer and it's not really all that bad. The hard part is when you hit the cap like I did and everyone that joins after that is really high level too. It sort of takes the fun out of the mini quests when everything dies with two or three spells

I just posted this under someone else’s “New Ranger” topic but realized I wouldn’t be notified (didn’t want to start a new topic just for this). Please forgive what may be a stupid question here . . .
When you complete the quest(?) that gives you the "stalker kit" do you retain any "pure ranger" bonus abilities or do you lose tracking, sm, hide, + damage to giant-class, cleric spells, and dual-wield?

PS – If I seem extra special ignorant it has a little something to do with not receiving BG2 yet (STILL) . . . ugh :(

You start WITH KITS, including stalker, when you create a character. The only exceptions, where quests are required, is becoming a specialty priest of Helm, Lathander, or Talos.