I just finished Planescape Torment with Morte (fighter) and Nameless One (thief/fighter). It was not too bad as I gained extra experience from wisdom and low party numbers. I had a fun time and I was wondering if the same type of setup can be worked in this game. Ive already beaten this game once as a fighter/thief who mostly used cheap tactics. This time I was wondering if something like that setup can work.

However, Baldurs Gate 1 is a much harder game than PS:T, so will last boss fight prove too tough if I use my diversion tactics? I usually like to take a tank (morte for this example) and deck him out with protections/armor boosting and other stuff, let him engage the main group of enemies and have my character fight next to morte while he is getting hit. Its worked all the time and positioning the right way can cause my character to land higher damaging blows while morte is landing smaller ones and taking less damage.

Would that possible character scenario work in this game. Ive heard that summoning creatures helps with smaller parties. Thanks for any help.

I have role played BG1 all the way through with just <CHARNAME> and Imoen, on more than one occasion. Remember that the smaller the party, the higher you will level -- level cap notwithstanding (I use the tweak mod to remove the cap). I do not see how a character suddenly stops learning and progressing, it just doesn't make sense. You can also supplement your experience potential by using extra quest mods.

The key is getting every bit of experience you can, to level up further than you normally would -- go everywhere, do everything, go back to areas that re-spawn critters, etc.

So yes, it is absolutely possible.

It's perfectly possible to play BG 1 & 2 solo (though admittedly it's much harder with some classes than others), so a duo should be fine.
Just remember that you'll be weaker at the very start of the game and at the end when the cap comes into play (unless you remove it with a mod), while the middle should be a breeze, since you'll be very much above level for the content.

So make sure to stockpile potions, wands and scrolls for the end, and play cautiously during the times when you're weaker than a full party.

The main difference between BG and PS:T in combat is that you have a lot more fights against spellcaster, especially in 2. To tank, it's almost more important in many fights to have protection against magic than high AC. Therefore the best tanks are actually wizards (and especially wizard multiclasses and dual-classes for the higher hp) since they have lots of great self-only protection spells.

I think I'm gonna avoid this idea this time as it will save me loads of aggravation. I remember the last time I had a 4 person party, I couldn't get past mid/early game. Even though I have Enhanced Edition, these games are way too fucking hard. I think Im gonna play something more simple that I can understand and actually have a chance of beating.

Ill avoid ice wind dale series as they are too hard as well. At least Torment I can beat with relatively low frustration.

Baldur'S Gate can be quite easy if you use stealth properly. sneak-backstab-run

In a spanish forum, I saw a guy finish the game with a sorcerer alone with all the stats at minimum and without using any object (ANY).
So it is possible.
Anyways, if you have never played it before, I encourage you to create an archer and get familiar with the game first, because it requires some experience and knowledge of the rules. Once you know the basics, it's not as hard.

Baldur's Gate rewards exploration, so get out there and explore (killing and looting along the way). Just be careful, and know when you are outmatched. You don't need to actively farm experience and treasure, but if you simply stick to the path of apparent least resistance, you are likely to be unprepared for many encounters.

I've completed the whole series (core rules difficulty) with a single dual-class fighter/mage, from the beginning of Candlekeep, through all the extra content in ToB, including nearly every optional encounter and side quests along the way (about 250-300 hours). While there was the occasional frustrating moment (the fight in Watcher's Keep before opening the lowest level, for example), it was more fun and challenging than tedious.

Playing with just a fighter and a fighter/thief is possible, but will be vastly more difficult than if you have spell casters. The diversionary tactics you mentions will work well in some battles, but not in others. There are occasionally melee combatants that will outclass almost any fighter you could make, and they will frequently have heavy backup. The difficult fights are usually very magic intensive, and you better have magic of your own to counter it.

Again, almost any character or party concept can work, but if frustration isn't your idea of fun, you are going to want a balanced group, or a spell caster. Preparation is key. Have long duration buffs, traps (both magical and mundane), and summoning spells at the ready.

Did a 4 man with a dwarf fighter/cleric, Korgan, Mazzy and Jan once, super fun. I can see how it might be a problem in BG1 though.
If I was doing a 2 man it'd be a Fighter/Mage/Thief and a Ranger/Cleric. Maybe both half-elf...maybe make the F/M/T elf for the extra DEX, thieving skills pints and thac0 with bows and swords...

Actually, Fighter/Cleric, Thief/Wizard would be a smarter run than to multi-class a Fighter into a mage, due to the loss of the Fighters natural armor aptitude, since spells fail under heavy/medium armor.

I've completed the first game with just a Cleric and only two reloads. There are people who have soloed the game trying to pick up as little XP as possible. If you know what's coming it's very easy to metagame away from anything your character can't handle, and strategic use of potions, gear, and spells can help with the confrontations one can't avoid. I personally think the exploratory aspects of the BG games make having a more complete party a more rewarding experience, but reduced parties can offer a fun/interesting challenge.

I could see a Mage/Thief, maybe an Illusionist/Thief. You are overlooking that a F/M/T does get helms, shields, better HP, better Thac0 and greater proficiency with weapons than Mage/Thief. Plus fighter HLA's. I figure if all that XP is being split between only 2 people it wont hurt to smack in another class. Can't see any reason to go Fighter/Cleric over Ranger/Cleric though, unless you're going dwarf for the saving throws.

The thing about a F/M/T is that you have to worry about the Arcane Failure Chance. :-/ which is why I suggested what I did.


Of course, you could do a Caster(Mage/Cleric) and a Combat Expert(Fighter/Thief)

I've completed the games over 20 times as solo characters and fighter/mage/cleric was by far the easiest. You have access to so many buffs and utility spells that you can make yourself ready for any particular encounter.

With a little ingenuity especially, you can really embarass many of the monsters.

I don't believe Arcane Failure was implemented in the series. Shields are fine and armor just full on disables spell casting. I do like the idea of a 2 man caster/combat expert combo. Maybe a gnome Illusionist/Cleric and an dwarf Fighter/Thief? Hmmm...

Not really. Arcane Failure isn't implemented in BG 1 or 2 to begin with (equipping any armor just disables arcane spellcasting) but more importantly, in most fights you either don't need armor (against spellcasters) or you don't need to cast spells in the middle of a fight.

The concept behind a fighter/wizard multiclass isn't just to have an arcane spellcaster with higher hp and ac, it's that lots of arcane spells are self-only buffs that greatly improve your survivability (mirror image, stoneskin, protection from magic weapon, spell turning, etc..).

In other words, in many fights you should mostly play your fighter/wizard as a fighter that self-buffs before big fights to become pretty much invincible. A fighter/wizard is a far better tank in BG than a pure fighter, or any other class combination.
Later on, when wizard spells become better offensively, you can just sacrifice some AC (just buy the AC 3 bracers or something) for spellcasting, AC is not important if you kill everyone quickly and/or you can just make yourself immune to physical attacks.