I have read through the posts about this theme and have the impression that I should DC my human fighter @ level 7 or so to a mage for best results.
Are there any other inputs on this to give me a guide?
I obviously want to have a strong and capable character for both BG1 and BG2.
Thanks. Muzzien

Link.

One other idea is to dual class right when you start Baldur's Gate 2; this way, your period of weakness comes right at a local difficulty minimum (the beginning of BG2 is relatively easy, and the game does give you 3 companions right away to protect you while you are still weak).

(If you want, of course (and assuming you aren't playing the BGT mod), you could load a save from before the BG1 final boss, dual class then, and get as much XP as the game allows, then export the character from BG2, but this is probaly not necessary.)

Another strategy (which is specific to dual-classing into mage) is to do it as soon as you reach Athkatla in BG2. Dismiss your companions, then spend some time reading scrolls; this will give your main character *all* the XP from them. Then, re-recruit any companions you want to keep.

I personally like to dual at lvl 8 to Mage. That allows you to reach the top Mage level (31) with the 8 million xp cap of Throne of Bhaal (125000 xp Warrior + 7875000 xp Mage). But then, I don't worry about the survivability of my char and am a bit of a powergamer (only in single player CRPGs, not in p&p).

7: 1.5 attacks, and the practical maximum that does not cost any potential Mage levels (7,875,000 XP is needed of the 8M cap to get the top possible Mage level)
8: Theoretical maximum that does not cost any potential Mage levels (but you need to be on 125,000 XP exactly to do this, which is not likely)
9: Final Hit Die for Fighter before fixed HP progression kicks in\
13: 2 attacks
20: Choice of one fighter HLA
21: GWW / Maximum level to regain Mage abilities within the XP cap

Actually, once you dual class, any XP in excess of the amount needed to reach your pre-dual-class level is simply discarded and doesn't count against the cap; therefore, dual-classing at 161,000 XP (an amount that's easy to reach exactly in BG1) will not hurt your potential advancement in BG2.

well you have to figure out why you are taking fighter levels. Usually, its either just to get some extra hitpoints so your mage survives easier, or you want a fighter/mage who can go into battle with dual weapons chopping things up and casting powerful spells.

If you just want health probably level 9 is best, you'll get your max fighter hitpoints and can then go casting, the level or 2 you will miss out at max level won't really give you much magic to worry about you will still be a casting machine. So 7-9 good range.

If you want a fighter mage, then 13 is the magic number to get maximum fighter attacks per round, boosted by your mage spells, specializations, and what ever else you can dump on. This will still let you become a great caster, and be at the maximum of your fighting potential. Dual weapons blazing, contingency triple sunfires to blast off should your health drop enough, and what ever else your fighting/casting character wants to do.

I always go with dual weapon fighters for all characters, melee combat is just to easy with the powerful weapons you can pick up. You still have an arsenal of spells that you can use as any other good mage.

So just decide what you want your mage to be. A mage with good hitpoints, or a mage that is as powerful as other warriors up close and personal. This applies to other classes as well. fighter/clerics for a dual Warhammer thor, a fighter/thief for a dual chop chop threat, you get the idea.