Oh, thank God. That would've necessitated an immediate restart.
My big rec to folks is you don't need to hang onto to notes and books that aren't quest items. Even if they move the journal forward on some quests, you can send those to camp afterwards. There's no big court case where you must present all the evidence. Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
Pred, re that vine battle, read ahead for how I beat it:
There are little guys that, if you kill them, explode on death. The intention is to trigger their explosions away from your team. That requires you to lay down movement impeding spells (think grease, web, or the Ranger thorns spell which has a HUGE AOE cover). Then you pick them off at range and let them blow each other up.
Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
I gave Lae'zel all the stuffed animals.
TheHarpoMarxist wrote:Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
I gave Lae'zel all the stuffed animals.
You better not have given her Clive.
Pred, re that vine battle, read ahead for how I beat it:
Ooooh, I'll try that tonight.
TheHarpoMarxist wrote:Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
I gave Lae'zel all the stuffed animals.
This sounds like in Skyrim when I had an extensive Baked Potatoes collection. There are normal Potatoes too but I was RP'ing Baked ones as the Uncommon version
RE: Karlach's romance
I hadn't borked it. Oh my God, she is the most adorable large red demonic goober I've ever seen.
Bfgp wrote:Pred, re that vine battle, read ahead for how I beat it:
Ooooh, I'll try that tonight.
Ice storm! It worked!
Now that f*ckING Meazel fight. CHRIST. I beat it, but GOOD GOD.
EDIT:
I have discovered a new issue.
You see, I broke things off with Lae'zel, but then I had my little dance scene with Wyll. I kissed him, but left things at that and then went and slept with Karlach.
The problem now, is that whenever I'm in camp, if I try to talk to Wyll, the game essentially freezes and I can't move or talk to anyone else. It's like it's stuck loading a new conversation, but it's that way for ages.
I feel like this is an issue a patch will address? Because until this gets fixed, I'm literally down a companion (Not that it matters that much, I'm a Sorceror so Wyll and Gale were already optional extras).
Question about collecting an Act 2 companion...
Jahira was with me at the beginning of the invasion of Moonrise Tower. The first fight went poorly (though successfully) and I needed to go out and full rest. Went back in and she was no longer in my party. Fought my way up to Ketric Thorm and now I wonder if I have lost the chance to recruit her.
Can I still recruit her, or am I sol? I really don't want to redo the fight at the entrance of the tower... so much Hunger of Hadar.
Bleh, I had Astarion with me when I met Raphael at the Thorm Mausoleum.
Obviously, we've been sent to kill Yurgir the orthon, but I pretty much figured that Raphael had f*cked that dude over because I mean, it's Raphael. But now Astarion reaaaalllyy wants to do it, and I don't want to piss him off. Siiiiigh.
Spoiler:Bleh, I had Astarion with me when I met Raphael at the Thorm Mausoleum.
Obviously, we've been sent to kill Yurgir the orthon, but I pretty much figured that Raphael had f*cked that dude over because I mean, it's Raphael. But now Astarion reaaaalllyy wants to do it, and I don't want to piss him off. Siiiiigh.
That was the fight I had so much trouble with. You know, the one I...
Just thought was a group of randos and not a boss fight, so I started sniping them.
Question about collecting an Act 2 companion...
Spoiler:Jahira was with me at the beginning of the invasion of Moonrise Tower. The first fight went poorly (though successfully) and I needed to go out and full rest. Went back in and she was no longer in my party. Fought my way up to Ketric Thorm and now I wonder if I have lost the chance to recruit her.
Can I still recruit her, or am I sol? I really don't want to redo the fight at the entrance of the tower... so much Hunger of Hadar.
If I remember right...
After you've defeated Thorm and are basically wrapping things up at the Inn, Jaheira joins you
UpToIsomorphism wrote:Question about collecting an Act 2 companion...
Spoiler:Jahira was with me at the beginning of the invasion of Moonrise Tower. The first fight went poorly (though successfully) and I needed to go out and full rest. Went back in and she was no longer in my party. Fought my way up to Ketric Thorm and now I wonder if I have lost the chance to recruit her.
Can I still recruit her, or am I sol? I really don't want to redo the fight at the entrance of the tower... so much Hunger of Hadar.
If I remember right...
Spoiler:After you've defeated Thorm and are basically wrapping things up at the Inn, Jaheira joins you
You do have to let her come to the roof with you to confront Thorm I think
Spoiler:
She is in my party!!! Now to give her cool stuff and never use her. Like Will, Halsin, and Asterian unless I need a lock picked.
I was talking with a buddy of mine about Jahiera in BG3, and while I completely understand why they did it, it's very funny that by the end of BG2, Jahiera has literally fought and defeated God and is like Level 700.
And then you encounter her in 3 and suddenly she's like Level 7.
Again, I get why! It's just funny.
Maybe BG3 needs a spoiler topic...
My big rec to folks is you don't need to hang onto to notes and books that aren't quest items. Even if they move the journal forward on some quests, you can send those to camp afterwards. There's no big court case where you must present all the evidence. Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
This is the case with every RPG and yet the lawyer in me keeps hoarding them … the first RPG to actually feature a grand trial at the end will blow my socks off and vindicate 30plus years of document storage
TheHarpoMarxist wrote:My big rec to folks is you don't need to hang onto to notes and books that aren't quest items. Even if they move the journal forward on some quests, you can send those to camp afterwards. There's no big court case where you must present all the evidence. Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
This is the case with every RPG and yet the lawyer in me keeps hoarding them … the first RPG to actually feature a grand trial at the end will blow my socks off and vindicate 30plus years of document storage
They have so much stuff at the campsite anyway, why not add some filing cabinets and index cards?
Felix Threepaper wrote:TheHarpoMarxist wrote:My big rec to folks is you don't need to hang onto to notes and books that aren't quest items. Even if they move the journal forward on some quests, you can send those to camp afterwards. There's no big court case where you must present all the evidence. Keep a library trunk at camp, but don't carry it with you unless its an RP thing like the way Lae'zel carries around a 40 lbs egg all the time and Shadowheart just can't let go of all the skulls because she's a goth.
This is the case with every RPG and yet the lawyer in me keeps hoarding them … the first RPG to actually feature a grand trial at the end will blow my socks off and vindicate 30plus years of document storage
They have so much stuff at the campsite anyway, why not add some filing cabinets and index cards?
Haha and hire some paralegals for 50 gold to highlight and tab it for you
I think there's a trial of sorts if you bring Minthara to near the end of Act 2. I only know it for the youtube videos of players taking her there as a polymorphed sheep 
Act II is all but done, save for clicking on the Road to Baldur's Gate.
I've been making surprisingly good time in this playthrough, I gotta say.
Act II is all but done, save for clicking on the Road to Baldur's Gate.
I've been making surprisingly good time in this playthrough, I gotta say.
Me too!
My dream girl is calamari. :(
Finally! There is a fight in Act III that was kicking my butt repeatedly (Lvl 9). Took an extended time off from the game and came back to it today. The battle took an hour and a half. Success!!!
Emperor's Hideout- The pack of Githyanki
To my genuine surprise, the final fights in Act II weren't particularly hard. Call Lightning is less of a spell and more of a legal cheat code. (I am playing on Normal difficulty, FWIW.)
Balthazar took a reload, but then Shadowheart just hit him with Silence and then Karlach and Lae'zel literally beat him to death.
And fighting Ketheric, both times, genuinely wasn't that hard. On the rooftop, again, we just drilled him with Call Lightning and won, and then in the Mind Flayer Colony, I made sure Wyll freed the Angel ASAP (thank you scroll of Haste), and with her running around doing extra damage, we once again just fried the f*cking shit out of him.
I actually had a WAY harder time with the fight in the Necrotic Laboratory, which was down to an old D&D rule I learned as a DM: Being outnumbered is broadly more dangerous than facing one superior enemy.
Oh, and I did the Adamantine Forge before I finished, and while I know it's impossible, I was so wishing there was more contextual battle dialogue because I should've been able to hearing Astarion screaming like a ninny as the Guardian chased him, with Gale yelling "Don't bring it over here, I'm working the lever!"
I'm excited for Act 3, despite discussions I've had with some friends who've played through before me and say it's a bit bloated and unfocused. I'm still curious to see how Larian does/doesn't wrap up these plot threads because there is a LOT of stuff to try and get to in that final act now.
Have I scheduled my entire Thanksgiving long weekend around getting in as much BG3 as humanly possible while still observing social expectations?
.......not no.
Finally! There is a fight in Act III that was kicking my butt repeatedly (Lvl 9). Took an extended time off from the game and came back to it today. The battle took an hour and a half. Success!!!
Spoiler:Emperor's Hideout- The pack of Githyanki
For that particular fight
Positioning is everything. Divide in two and sneak your party in two positions to flank the casters who maintain the portals.
Rush in and gank the casters, then finish off the melee units.
To my genuine surprise, the final fights in Act II weren't particularly hard. Call Lightning is less of a spell and more of a legal cheat code. (I am playing on Normal difficulty, FWIW.)
See, this is what I get for bragging, because the Githyanki fight to begin Act 3 kicked my ASS.
First two times around, I didn't even get to the portal in time. Then, when I did, we were so beaten up that Orpheus's honor guard stomped the shit out of us.
It took Dimension Door/Misty Stepping our way to the first portal, then I may have save scummed until my Hold Person spell worked on the most badass of the Honor Guard.
We did win after that though.
I had the same experience with that fight, JC and Prederick. My solution to the puzzle was to
Misty Step a character to each platform with a portal, and then Wall of Fire the portal, the caster and the guard there.
But it took many attempts.
What I'm finding interesting about the combat in Act 3:
(1) is how explicitly puzzle-y much of it is, and;
(2) as a result, how rare it is to 'luck' into a successful solution first or second time around. Like you, JC, I'm frequently spending an hour and a half on a single fight.
This is one of my issues about the late game. I spend most of my time now repeating big fights, rather than exploring new content. My party is now often outnumbered by strong enemies, which means that losing a party member has a much bigger impact in any given encounter.
On the fight we're discussing, a successful Hold Person on my Tav pretty much guaranteed a loss.
My act 3 hot take is that its great, actually.
My act 3 hot take is that its great, actually.
Oh, don't get me wrong. Act 3 is delivering some fantastic pay-offs to storylines set up in Act 1. For example, I love
the way that Mayrina's and Conor's story resolves... if you made decisions earlier that 'send' them to Baldur's Gate
.
And I feel the same about the ending to Shadowheart's personal quest.
But that doesn't change the fact that what I - the player - am actually spending most of my time doing is repeating difficult fights.
As I said, those fights are great puzzles that test the player's strategic and tactical abilities. If you're has been doing the equivalent of 'button-mashing' ones way through combat, then you're going to come unstuck in Act 3. You can't simply spam offensive actions.
However, one is still subject to the vicissitudes of the Random Number Generator, and that can lead to a lot of losses and therefore restarts.
Once again, and I'm trying not to harp on this, but goodness, BG3 understands something that Pathfinder doesn't.
Players enjoy hitting regularly, even if for not nearly enough damage far, far more than missing constantly (or really, not having a shot in hell of hitting).
Also, I just triggered the "Avenge the Ironhands" mission, and I don't even think reading ahead and finding out the Gondians are being held against their will counts as a spoiler. Just talking to Wulbren, and your experience in the game prior makes that obviously clear.
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