First time playing Baldurs Gate... help

[Tavernking]

I've been bored out of my mind lately so I figured I'ld give Baldurs Gate a shot. I'm used to playing games 2005 and newer, the only 90s game I've ever enjoyed was Chrono Trigger and Age of Empires 1 & 2.

First of all, I have no idea how to cast spells. I tried the tutorial, the elven mage told me to cast any of his skills but I just accidently killed myself first. Failing the tutorial so I'm off to a good start :/

Next I managed to play through to the Nashkel Mines, my party members were doing good against the Kobolds at first but suddenly they got one-shotted out of nowhere? Khalid and Imoen are dead, I know Imoen is important in the sequel so should I savescum and reload to an earlier save? It feels unfair for her to die out of nowhere, to mere Kobolds and so early in the series :/

The game has been entirely hit and miss, and I don't know what to do most of the time

 

[c2007]

Sounds like an old school RPG.

I'm sure there are walkthroughs somewhere, but this can be seen as an opportunity. You can figure the game out. Take notes. Roll new characters.

Isn't this why you started playing? Boredom?

 

[DraQ]

You can figure the game out.

Not if he can't even figure the GUI alone.

 

[Pariah Dog]

I've been bored out of my mind lately so I figured I'ld give Baldurs Gate a shot. I'm used to playing games 2005 and newer, the only 90s game I've ever enjoyed was Chrono Trigger and Age of Empires 1 & 2.

This does not bode well, but let's continue.

First of all, I have no idea how to cast spells. I tried the tutorial, the elven mage told me to cast any of his skills but I just accidently killed myself first. Failing the tutorial so I'm off to a good start :/

Are you a mage or are you a cleric/druid? Do you have spells memorized? Elven mage? I don't remember an elven mage in Candlekeep.

Next I managed to play through to the Nashkel Mines, my party members were doing good against the Kobolds at first but suddenly they got one-shotted out of nowhere? Khalid and Imoen are dead, I know Imoen is important in the sequel so should I savescum and reload to an earlier save? It feels unfair for her to die out of nowhere, to mere Kobolds and so early in the series :/

Kobolds can be surprisingly nasty with a lucky roll. Always try to keep Imoen in back, I know that sometimes you need to have her up front for traps but the moment she sees enemies she needs to flee to the back, post-fucking-haste. Khalid's kind of wimpy for a fighter, but that's kind of surprising. Kobold commandos are PRIORITY targets because of their fire arrows, kill them first and fast. What's your party makeup? Guessing Khalid and Jaheira both, and Imoen obviously. Who else? Anyone?

The game has been entirely hit and miss, and I don't know what to do most of the time

Baldur's Gate is not an EASY game, to be sure, but with a bit of practice and common sense it's very doable. Strongly recommend you roll a Dwarf Fighter as your first character to kind of learn the basics. Clerics are doable for beginners, but mages are a no-no for newbies. Don't play a thief.

 

[Dux]

One initial tip to make your life a little easier is to give a ranged weapon to every character, preferably a weapon they're skilled in. It's very effective early on and should give you momentum. Save often and in different slots.

 

[Lacrymas]

Mmm, we are popping a cherry here. Without giving too much away - you cast spells by memorizing them in your spellbook and then clicking the "moon and stars" icon on the GUI. You are probably too low level for Nashkel as a first time through the game or you rush into the kobolds, allowing them to rain you with arrows. Party members can be resurrected except when they are chunked (you'll know what that means when it happens), there are 25 companions in the game, so that's not really a problem. Imoen being "important" in the sequel is a post-factum thing and it doesn't really matter in BG1. She's fine in BG2 even if chunked in BG1. Khalid is better suited for another role, not melee/tank, but he is one the untermenschen companions, at least compared to others.

 

[Pariah Dog]

Mmm, we are popping a cherry here. Without giving too much away - you cast spells by memorizing them in your spellbook and then clicking the "moon and stars" icon on the GUI. You are probably too low level for Nashkel as a first time through the game or you rush into the kobolds, allowing them to rain you with arrows. Party members can be resurrected except when they are chunked, there are 25 companions in the game, so that's not really a problem. Imoen being "important" in the sequel is a post-factum thing and it doesn't really matter in BG1. She's fine in BG2 even if chunked in. Khalid is better suited for another role, not melee/tank.

Honestly, there really aren't many great tanks for a while. Kagain is a very good tank but if you're not a neutral or evil MC/party you're going to have issues eventually. Minsc is a fantastic fighter but he pales in tankdom compared to a good MC or Kagain, and he comes bundled with a so-so mage (Dynaheir). Dynaheir's workable, honestly, because you can go throughout the ENTIRE FUCKING GAME without a mage anyway, but Edwin beats her any day and twice on Sunday.

 

[buru5]

Don't forget to rest after you set spells in your spellbook.

 

[Lacrymas]

Honestly, there really aren't many great tanks for a while. Kagain is a very good tank but if you're not a neutral or evil MC/party you're going to have issues eventually. Minsc is a fantastic fighter but he pales in tankdom compared to a good MC or Kagain, and he comes bundled with a so-so mage (Dynaheir). Dynaheir's workable, honestly, because you can go throughout the ENTIRE FUCKING GAME without a mage anyway, but Edwin beats her any day and twice on Sunday.

Good parties aren't the best parties in this game. You don't really need a tank anyway. Kagain also isn't a very good tank unless you know exactly what to do with him, but I think he's the better choice over Khalid, as a tank that is, even if it comes with a huge asterisk.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

If we are being honest, BG1 was my first real RPG, and I remember the first time I tried it, it overwhelmed me with all its stuff. WTH is AC, THAC0, saving throws? If you come into it from a non PnP background, it can definitely be confusing. But if you stick with it and read the manual, it should make things a lot easier.

 

[Pariah Dog]

Honestly, there really aren't many great tanks for a while. Kagain is a very good tank but if you're not a neutral or evil MC/party you're going to have issues eventually. Minsc is a fantastic fighter but he pales in tankdom compared to a good MC or Kagain, and he comes bundled with a so-so mage (Dynaheir). Dynaheir's workable, honestly, because you can go throughout the ENTIRE FUCKING GAME without a mage anyway, but Edwin beats her any day and twice on Sunday.

Good parties aren't the best parties in this game. You don't really need a tank anyway. Kagain also isn't a very good tank unless you know exactly what to do with him, but I think he's the better choice over Khalid, as a tank that is, even if it comes with a huge asterisk.

It's true that you don't necessarily need a tank, but any frontliner should be reasonably sturdy. (Honestly, the best/cheesiest way to dominate in BG is ranged. Ranged, ranged, ranged.)

As for the best parties not being good parties, agreed, though certain party members are both crap and not entertaining/interesting enough to bother keeping around for camaraderie's sake. Safana's tits on a fucking bull useless and a cunt, Shar-Teel is a terrible frontliner with no pips in ranged IIRC so she can't even be made useful in the back and she's got a horrid personality, and Quayle's the worst character in the game hands-down all around no questions.

 

[Lacrymas]

Nobody said anything about Safana (who can be dualed to Mage and she's good, not as good a Imoen, but very close), Shar-Teel (who can be dualed to Thief and she rocks) or Quayle (who really is worthless). :p

 

[Baardhaas]

Take your time, do some quests in Beregost and explore the countryside before pushing ahead with the main quest. The cutscenes may give you a sense of urgency, but there really is no time limit on the main quest. Get some xp under your belt, try some different weapons, watch the position of your characters during battle, and don't be afraid to use potions and other buffs. I'm a hoarder and I always end up with tons of goodies that I saved for that one difficult encounter, but in the end never use. Trust me, just buff the hell out of your party if you're having trouble, you'll find plenty of stuff as you play along.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

I tried the tutorial, the elven mage told me to cast any of his skills but I just accidently killed myself first... I don't know what to do most of the time

Make a "Let's play" video.

 

[Pariah Dog]

Nobody said anything about Safana (who can be dualed to Mage and she's good, not as good a Imoen, but very close), Shar-Teel (who can be dualed to Thief and she rocks) or Quayle (who really is worthless). :p

Re: Safana - if you're a good/neutral-leaning-good MC you've got Imoen. If you're evil/neutral-leaning-evil, perhaps, but why dual her to mage when you can get Edwin, the best mage in the game? That, and as long as you're not going full-on murderhobo baby-eater Imoen will stick with you for a while anyway. Montaron's a passable evil thief, the halfling bonuses he gets are nice. He comes bundled with Xzar who's got an OK specialization but is squishy as hell.
Re: Shar-Teel - you might as well just have Safana if you need a morally-ambiguous thief, or Montaron. Safana's less of a horrid cunt than Shar-Teel, as a bonus.
If you wanted to be weird and evil, you could just get Tiax later, who's not particularly good at either of his jobs but is funny as fuck. Maybe Skie and Eldoth, though Eldoth can be grating at times he has a BALLER special ability.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

Say it with me now: "Read the....

http://www.beamdog.com/files/bgee/BGManual1.pdf

 

[Pariah Dog]

Say it with me now: "Read the....

http://www.beamdog.com/files/bgee/BGManual1.pdf

>Beamdog

 

[Barnabas]

I recommmend going with paladin your first time that is immune to poisens. Try to give every character a ranged weapon. No shame in playing easy mode.. the beginning of the game is hardest at lower levels bc you don't have many hit points. Keep tanks up front and spell casters in the back.

 

[Pariah Dog]

I recommmend going with paladin your first time that is immune to poisens. Try to give every character a ranged weapon. No shame in playing easy mode..

BG Paladin doesn't have poison immunity IIRC (unless you're using Tutu and you pick the Cavalier kit, Cavs feel OP as shit in BG1)

 

[Barnabas]

I recommmend going with paladin your first time that is immune to poisens. Try to give every character a ranged weapon. No shame in playing easy mode..

BG Paladin doesn't have poison immunity IIRC (unless you're using Tutu and you pick the Cavalier kit, Cavs feel OP as shit in BG1)

Yeah in enhanced edition there is a cavelier kit

 

[Pariah Dog]

I recommmend going with paladin your first time that is immune to poisens. Try to give every character a ranged weapon. No shame in playing easy mode..

BG Paladin doesn't have poison immunity IIRC (unless you're using Tutu and you pick the Cavalier kit, Cavs feel OP as shit in BG1)

Yeah in enhanced edition there is a cavelier kit

Jesus Christ they put BG2 kits into BGEE? That's just stupid.

OP, if you're using EE, yes, roll Cav as a training wheels character.

 

[555]

Did you rush to Nashkel Mines because Jaheira and Khalid told you to do so? You don't have to actually go to the mines for that, just speak to the mayor of Nashkel and the timer for that quest stops. Then you can just level up in wilderness for a while. It should help for your first time in that mines

Also do you play Enhanced Edition, BGT etc or vanilla BG?

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

I've been bored out of my mind lately so I figured I'ld give Baldurs Gate a shot. I'm used to playing games 2005 and newer, the only 90s game I've ever enjoyed was Chrono Trigger and Age of Empires 1 & 2.

Why BG and not say... Fallout, Arcanum or PST first?

 

[Projas]

I recommmend going with paladin your first time that is immune to poisens. Try to give every character a ranged weapon. No shame in playing easy mode..

BG Paladin doesn't have poison immunity IIRC (unless you're using Tutu and you pick the Cavalier kit, Cavs feel OP as shit in BG1)

Yeah in enhanced edition there is a cavelier kit

Jesus Christ they put BG2 kits into BGEE? That's just stupid.

OP, if you're using EE, yes, roll Cav as a training wheels character.

Yeah, they did. If you want really ez times in EE you should roll Archer.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

Say it with me now: "Read the....

http://www.beamdog.com/files/bgee/BGManual1.pdf

>Beamdog

you do the best you can