Archived from groups: alt.games.baldurs-gate (
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"John Salerno" <johnjsalNOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:407c4366$0$2748$61fed72c@news.rcn.com...
> Jonathan Ellis wrote:
>
> > You can do that "lot of the game" in chapter 6. Anyway there's
more
> > than enough XP in the game to put Imoen all the way up to the
BG2-SoA
> > XP cap (and beyond, if you have Throne of Bhaal), no matter *how*
low
> > level she is when you regain her.
>
> I'm glad you say that, because I don't want to rush through the
first
> few chapters, even if I can do them again in chapter 6. I figure it
> isn't that hard to get her back up to the level of the rest of the
group
> later.
Actually, the trouble with THAT is, that as Imoen levels up, the rest
of the group levels up at the same pace... so if Imoen is behind,
she'll always be behind. However, the point is that she won't be so
far behind that she's useless: at least, not if you don't do *all* of
the quests that are available in Chapters 2-3 actually in those
chapters. Generally I split them about half and half - do the most
urgent-sounding ones "now" and the rest "when I get back". There are
half a dozen major-looking quests - some in Athkatla alone, some in
other places, some split across several places.
Generally I try to collect the gold up and go on to Chapter 3 (in
which you stay in Athkatla and surrounding areas) as soon as possible,
then stay around questing until I go on to Chapter 4 when I have about
800k XP for my main character - do enough quests to get you to about
750K, then clear out the headquarters of whichever group you *didn't*
side with, then you'll be prompted with a move on to Chapter 4.
Oh, and by the way... Near the end of Chapter 4, when offered the
chance to take a portal directly pursuing your foe, or travel with
somebody who has already betrayed you once, go with the betrayer - you
will end up in a part of the game you can never reach otherwise, and
find some items that you can never find otherwise. And you'll still
end up in the same place at the real end of the chapter, in time for
chapter 5...
After that, the game's pretty linear, except that in chapter 6 you can
take time off to finally get to finish off all the stuff you couldn't
or didn't do in chapters 2 or 3. Chapter 7 will wait - at least until
you've finished all you want to finish outside of the location where
Chapter 7 is set.
If you have the Throne of Bhaal expansion: DO NOT EVEN THINK OF
ENTERING WATCHER'S KEEP BEFORE CHAPTER 6. Visit the outer grounds if
you want - buy equipment if you want (there is a merchant there, and
she sells the only Potion Case that is available before chapter 8,
which is the beginning of the expansion-set plot, so it can be a good
idea to visit the place early to buy the potion case purely for
convenience) but do not enter the castle - you will get killed. In
fact I generally do not enter the castle at all until chapter 8.
Also, if you have Throne of Bhaal: Once you have gotten past a certain
point in chapter 7 (just before starting off the FIRST "final fight"
with your main foe - you always have to fight the final boss at least
twice, as any good RPG veteran knows - you CANNOT return. Ever. To any
area except Watcher's Keep, and even that only becomes accessible
again halfway through chapter 8 in the expansion. So, don't leave
behind any item that you want to keep, you have to CARRY it with you.
(There is a Bag of Holding - not infinite, but can hold a lot of stuff
in it - available in Chapter 4, and it's in an area that everybody
visits - not the "bonus" area for joining with the person who betrayed
you earlier. There is also another one available early on in chapter 8
at the beginning of the expansion.)
Jonathan.
.
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