Larian Banner: Baldur's Gate Patch 9
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Jul 2011
V
VFN Offline OP
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
V
Joined: Jul 2011
Many tips for mage/battlemage builds instruct putting points in only three attributes. Warriors closer to two. But doesn't that leave you vulnerable to attacks that aren't of your strength, especially given that your Vit is low and you may not be able to equip, charm or enchant to compensate? One of the tips during the loading screen warns that great offensive power is useless if you're dead.

In this regard, are skills and weapon damage that dependent on attribute points? These builds suggest that overwhelming offense is necessary and that only through a high attribute can a skill or weapon perform as required. However, it seems that a weapon and skill's level is vastly more important than its correlating attribute. As such, isn't one better served with a balanced character?

I also wonder about Magic Missile. It's got a quick cooldown, and appaently does a lot of damage at high levels, but it's slow in execution and leaves you open to a variety of attacks when overrun. Given that fireball and magic blast need a longish cooldown, is a pure mage really viable?

Thanks, and thanks for this forum.



Joined: Jan 2009
veteran
Offline
veteran
Joined: Jan 2009
A Pure Mage is viable. Magic Missile is the mage's primary spell. It does leave the caster somewhat vulnerable to tough attackers in melee range, but that's what jumping and rolling are for - to stay out of melee range. And if you're worried about tough attackers in melee, the mage has a spell for that too - Firewall.

As for Attributes, a mage needs to really worry about Intelligence more than anything else. Spirit is not that important, because you get 7 more mana each time you level up, you can reduce the cost with Mana Efficiency, and Intelligence increases your mana regeneration rate.

Intelligence also increases Magic Damage, so your spells will be more powerful as well.

Spirit and Vitality are useful, of course, but don't over-invest. A pool of 800 mana doesn't really matter if your mana regenerates so fast that you effectively only ever deplete 200 of it at once. My mage didn't really bother much with either of those and turned out fine.

Don't get Strength and Dexterity up to more than 15 or 20, and even that might not be needed.

Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada
Support
Offline
Support
Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada

You can get good damage without maxing the associated stat to the point of neglecting others, so successful character builds can use balanced stats. You can also get away with neglecting stats, and using enchantments, charms or potions to compensate. My ranger with no stat points invested in intelligence or spirit has done fine with mana requirements (enchantments and Mana Efficiency), and has only been in a couple situations where the low intelligence has been a problem (with Stun Arrows). My warrior in D2:ED concentrated on strength, but got intelligence and dexterity up to 25 (5 of the intelligence from a potion) and vitality about 30.


Welcome to the forum. wave

Joined: Jul 2011
V
VFN Offline OP
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
V
Joined: Jul 2011
Thanks for your responses and reception.

What's the most effective way to heal/stay alive? Do you rely on potions in tough situations or is your skill/attribute/equipment build good enough? Can you find youself lacking compensatory equips at certain stages in this game?

I hate dying and retrying, don't like to use potions (will though if it's a must here) and dodging isn't always an easy option--at least for me.

Thanks.

Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada
Support
Offline
Support
Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada

Early in the game I boosted strength a bit (in part for the regeneration bonus), and mostly relied on food after fights in order to speed up healing. After you go up a few levels you should start coming across jewellery with regeneration bonuses and later healing aura enchantments.

I think potions are pretty much required for tougher fights, though you should find plenty of potions, as well as the ingredients to make your own (after you have the battle tower you effectively have access to unlimited potions, with a little bit of time sending your runners out for ingredients). There were large sections of the game where I didn't need potions, though.

For skills I put 1 point in Healing and Regenerate (after level 15). Additional levels of either skill don't give as much of a benefit per skill point, but I may eventually boost them more when I have a bunch of skill points I don't know what to do with (my ranger is currently level 37, at the start of FoV). One level of the Evade skill is also quite handy, to give a chance of avoiding melee attacks (higher levels giving a lower return on investment).
If you are going to fall back on melee combat (ie duel wield magical one handed weapons, with Increased Magical Damage enchantment bonuses, when available), a level of Life Leech would also help.

With enchantments I eventually put Life Line on all my armour as a first choice, followed by Increased Mana (or in one case Magic Protection). Before you get the battle tower you will not have the ingredients to upgrade all your armour each time you find a higher level enchantment formula, but most of the time you should be able to put the highest level you have on each new piece of equipment you upgrade to (at least if you switch equipment about the same amount I did). The first enchanter is available about level 12, or so, depending on how you explore Broken Valley.

I tried dodging a bit early in the game, but found jumping or running past or away from an opponents was much easier. Once I got to a high enough level to put a few points into Splitting Arrows, I didn't need to avoid as many opponents, as it could take out most generic enemy at close range in one hit; Stun Arrows also came in very handy at the start of the game. Firewall should help with opponents that get too close to a mage character, and Confusion should help keep a few of them from getting close.

I am playing on nightmare difficulty. You should have an easier time in terms of combat and healing if you play on a lower difficulty level.

Joined: Jul 2011
V
VFN Offline OP
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
V
Joined: Jul 2011
What's the scale between attribute points, spells and weapon damage including spell level? Would like to understand the effects.

Thanks.

Joined: Apr 2005
veteran
Offline
veteran
Joined: Apr 2005
Originally Posted by VFN
Thanks for your responses and reception.

What's the most effective way to heal/stay alive? Do you rely on potions in tough situations or is your skill/attribute/equipment build good enough? Can you find youself lacking compensatory equips at certain stages in this game?

I hate dying and retrying, don't like to use potions (will though if it's a must here) and dodging isn't always an easy option--at least for me.

Thanks.


If you're in the begining of the game (a lower Level than 15) you can invest in "Summon Ghost" !
this summoned ghost Heals you in battle + using Fireball at your enemies too !
It's also important that you attack those enemies that are attacking your summoned ghost, so protect your ghost and upgrade him if you can.

When you put only 1 point in Summon Ghost but your're already fighting enemies of higher levels then your summoned ghost is too fast killed.

I've now my Summon Ghost skill at a range of 8/10 and my hero's level is almost 29.


On 7th of february 2015 : I start a new adventure in the Divinity world of Original Sin,
it's a Fantastic Freaking Fabulous Funny ... it's my All Time Favorite One !
Joined: Jul 2011
V
VFN Offline OP
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
V
Joined: Jul 2011
I found a faqs that says one point of Str adds 0.05% to melee, one point in Int adds 1% to both spells and magic melee and one point in Dex adds 0.5% to range. All add 0.4% to their related resistance. Interesting that Int gives double power.

Thanks for all the help and more suggestions are welcome.

Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada
Support
Offline
Support
Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada

In the original release of D2:ED intelligence gave twice as much damage per stat point as strength and dexterity, but in DKS all give +0.5%.
The added perk in DKS of applying magic damage bonuses/enchantments from weapons to spells more than makes up for the drop in the intelligence damage bonus, though.

Strength / dexterity / intelligence each give an average of 0.35 armour ratting per point, starting off higher and slowly giving less of an increase as the stat is maxed. The HP regeneration bonus from strength also starts off higher and slowly drops as the stat is raised.

Joined: Jul 2011
V
VFN Offline OP
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
V
Joined: Jul 2011
Okay, so based on the total amount of attribute points you receive for the entire game (level 35 I've read) isn't your ability to withstand damage better served by placing points into vitality rather than balancing? For instance, 30 points into magic adds about 10% resistance. A 100 pt. magic attack would thus do 90 damage. Putting those 30 points into vitality instead would give you 210 HP so you would fare much better. If this is true, I understand the lopsided builds that are suggested, though I wonder why these builds seem to neglect vitality somewhat. Does the greater damage outweigh the greater HPs? I watched a little of the walkthru video linked here (the fight leading into Maxos Temple) and I believe that character's stats were 3:2 Vit to Str. I take it then that some think a high Vit is a better build. Thoughts?

Thanks again.

Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada
Support
Offline
Support
Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Canada

The D2:ED section of the game will get you up to about level 35 (I finished it on level 37); completing FoV will get you to about level 45.

You can certainly create a viable build with a high vitality (that helps with your healing rate, since regeneration is percentage based, as well as your maximum hit points).

Playing a ranger, once I got my vitality up to 14 (excluding equipment bonuses) I had enough hit points that I didn't need to heal very much, except in tougher fights. I could have boosted it more, but didn't have to (equipment bonuses and enchantments kept improving my hit points as I progressed). For a warrior build I'd probably want a bit more vitality; in the original release of D2:ED I got it up to 20 and quit boosting it for awhile, then for a tough fight (trying to take out opponents a few levels higher, in a location that was suppose to be done much later) put another 10 points in.

As you level, just distribute stat points based on what you need the most. Once you're not sure where you should put all your points, maybe start keeping a few in reserve (so you can adjust your build to changing situations, or compensate for changing equipment and loosing certain bonuses, etc).


Moderated by  ForkTong, Larian_QA, Lar_q, Lynn, Macbeth, Raze 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5