A guide explaining how to survive playing the Legacy of Bhaal difficulty.
How to Survive on Legacy of Bhaal Difficulty
Purpose of This Guide
Legacy of Bhaal difficulty can be very challenging if you’re not prepared. That’s why I prepares this guide to explain the best ways to beat this game.
Key Strategies
Summons
Enemies have additional levels and a substantial thaco bonus, meaning they’ll land their attacks almost every time and hit hard. They also have a large AC bonus and massive amounts of HP, so if you try to tank them with one of your characters they will almost certainly kill you before you kill them. Your summons however have many of the same bonuses that enemies do and will survive much longer against them, making them the best tanks for LoB difficulty.
Disabling Enemies
Using the mage spells Chromatic orb, Web, Slow, Hold, Greater Malison, Mislead; or priest spell Entangle will disable enemies if they don’t make a saving throw, meaning they can’t attack you and every attack will automatically hit them. This makes Free Action very useful since they will enable one character to walk into a Web and attack the disabled enemies without getting caught themselves.
Easy experience
Unlike in BGI in BGII you get experience by learning mage spells, picking locks, and disarming traps. This will allow you to level safely in the early parts of this game. If your character isn’t a thief or mage I recommend recruiting Jan Jansen as your only part member and using him to help you gain experience.
Remember NPCs only become hostile it you open a chest, not if you disarm or unlock it.
Main Character Class
Sorcerer
A strong class because of how many spells per day they can cast and you don’t need to find spell scrolls to teach them new spells. Being a Gnome gives +1 to intelligence.
Mage: Conjurer
A mage who specialises in summoning monsters. Though you do need to find the relevant scrolls to summon the strongest monsters. Being a Gnome gives +1 to intelligence.
Fighter: Berserker
A Berserker specialising in Scimitar and Flail 2 weapon fighting can use the best weapons in the game and do a large amount of damage. Being a Half-Orc gives +1 Strength and Constitution.
Bard: Blade
This Bard kit is like a fighter/mage but not as good as they have a lower THAC0 unless you give them a strength boosting item. Though they lack the temporary weakness caused by dualing a fighter and then having to level up their mage class to regain the fighter’s abilities. They also level up very quickly and gain the Rogue high level ability Use Any Item, which lets they wear any armour and use any weapon.
Duel class
I recommend avoiding duel classing as you will have a very difficult time until you have enough experience to regain the abilities you lost.
If you wish to duel class I recommend the following:
- Kensai/Mage
- Berserker/Mage
- Barbarian/Mage
- Fighter/Mage
Dual at level 9 or 13. All will have a large number of spells and more durability than a normal mage.
Recommended Party
The best option is to create new characters on the start menu that possess all the skills you need. I recommend several sorcerers that can constantly summon an army of monsters. If you wish to use the existing characters here are my recommendations.
Mages
They can summon monsters and monsters benefit from the increased abilities given to every creature in this game.
Edwin Odesseiron: as a pure mage he has more spell slots and access to higher level spells, which lets him summon heavy hitters far earlier than any other companions. Though he can only be recruited after doing a Shadow Guild quest.
Imoen/Nalia de’Arnise: both are thieves that duelled to a mage. Though they are weaker mages than Edwin they can become powerful. The problem is that you need to complete Nalia’s quest to recruit her and Imoen is absent for most of the game so will be underlevelled and know few spells when you acquire her.
Jan Jansen: a multiclass mage/thief. Though he will always be a lower level mage that the other characters due to multiclassing he can easily be recruited in the Government district. He can also unlock chests and disarm traps for bonus experience.
Aerie: a multiclass mage/cleric. Though she will always be a lower level mage than the other characters due to multiclassing she can be fairly easily be recruited in the Circus Tent in the Promenade. She can also heal the party.
Cleric/druid
They can summon some monsters and monsters benefit from the increased abilities given to every creature in this game. They can also heal.
Anomen: a fighter who duelled to a cleric allowing him to have a large range of cleric spells. He can also easily be recrutied in the Copper Coronet (Slums District).
Viconia: a pure cleric who has a large number of cleric spells. She can also easily be recrutied in the Government District (near jail) but doesn’t work well with Keldorn.
Jaheira: a multiclass Fighter/Druid. Though she will always be a lower level cleric than the other characters due to multiclassing she can be fairly easily be recruited in the Circus Tent in Irenicus’s Dungeon who can easily be recruited.
Others
The can deal some damage while the enemies are attacking a monster or otherwise incapacitated. A thief’s backstab is effective at dealing large amounts of damage.
Keldorn: a paladin who starts with armour that gives him free action (can move through web and grease without being affected) and can cast dispell magic. He can easily be recruited by going into the Sewers underneath Temple District.
Minsc: a ranger in Irenicus’s Dungeon who can easily be recruited. Unfortunately he doesn’t work well with Edwin.
Korgan: a dwarf berseker who can also easily be recruited in the Copper Coronet (Slums District). Unfortunately he doesn’t work well with Aerie.
Though there are other characters they are more difficult to recruit, cannot summon monsters, or are less useful than the ones mentioned.
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