Completed Let's solo Baldur's Gate 2 on Insane (feat. The Codex)

[Abelian]

Next time: Brynnlaw shall sink itself in the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is The Codex.

I might be forgetting, but did you actually summon your familiar at some point? It gives you a bit of HP.

The Codex' cat is in the bag.

Fixed and fixed

 

[Erebus]

Nice update ! There was a lot of stuff I didn't know about.

The Wish quest is nowhere as original as you'd expect it to be, really. Fetch quests that keep redirecting you are more annoying than funny.

I'd heard about Arkanis insta-killing your PC but never gave it a try. Is there something like him if you work for Bodhi ?

I had no idea you could teach the Cowled Mages to not mess with you. That's pretty satisfying !

BG2 has a few weirdly unexplained elements and the Kalah subplot is one of them : when you kill Kalah, you're left with the impression that he was manipulated by someone else, but you never discover who or why. The genie's flask quest at least provides the player with an explanation and I think it should have been left in the game.


Our hero seems to have quite a lot of spells at his disposal ! I'd suggest giving Animate Dead a try (to replace Conjure Lesser Elemental) : Skeleton Warriors are pretty tough, almost immune to magic, automatically obedient and they remain with you for eight freaking hours.

 

[MicoSelva]

Our hero seems to have quite a lot of spells at his disposal ! I'd suggest giving Animate Dead a try (to replace Conjure Lesser Elemental) : Skeleton Warriors are pretty tough, almost immune to magic, automatically obedient and they remain with you for eight freaking hours.

Sold!

 

[Storyfag]

Our hero seems to have quite a lot of spells at his disposal ! I'd suggest giving Animate Dead a try (to replace Conjure Lesser Elemental) : Skeleton Warriors are pretty tough, almost immune to magic, automatically obedient and they remain with you for eight freaking hours.

Sold!

 

[Abelian]

The Wish quest is nowhere as original as you'd expect it to be, really. Fetch quests that keep redirecting you are more annoying than funny.

I never completed the Wish Quest either, and I was hoping it would be funnier/longer. As it is, it just feels anti-climactic (which may well be the point).

I had no idea you could teach the Cowled Mages to not mess with you. That's pretty satisfying !

I always bought the magic license as well. In the future, I won't let the XP go waste, hehe.

 

[MicoSelva]

Last time on Let's Insane Solo Baldur's Gate 2:

But enough dicking around, time to move on with The Plot(TM).

------

Update #47: Pirates And Whores

Update #47

Fuck you, lady.

At least we have an official confirmation that elf = tranny, in case anyone had doubts.

character sheet update

I've decided to go, because I don't have anything else to do. I mean, I literally have nothing else to do here anymore.

Time for a cutscene.

cutscene

Who are these people?

Seriously?

Nah, I'm just fucking with you. I know who they are. I just don't know why they are being shown here.

You are supposed to care about this. Theoretically.

Would you stop whining already, Imoen? This got old quite a while ago.

Hopefully.

Someone's fucked here.

David Gaider explaining his plot via Irenicus proxy.

Owned.

Pwned.

GG.

Ooh, that got to hurt.

I've run out of quips.

Seriously, enough.

Ok, let's assume I am mildly interested in what just happened. What is Irenicus doing here exactly? Is he some kind of a pimp for the mentally demented, who like their virgins broken?

I cannot say because of spoilers.

Fine. Let's get on with it, then!

This is our first meeting with the annoying tit loveable rogue Saemon Havarian.

Can I kill him?

Sadly, no.

But I will be able to, in the future?

Do not get your hopes up.

they keep talking and talking

This Havarian guy seems completely trustworthy. Like a snake with a switch knife behind its back.

That metaphor makes no sense, but is surprisingly accurate.

tl;dr: Saemon Havarian will transport our hero to Brynnlaw. Also, as Aran Linvail cannot afford to lose face by being allied with a virgin, he has also provided The Codex with a cabin whore named Sime.

Sweet. Although, at 15000 gold she might be the most expensive one ever.

The journey is long and uneventful.

Not completely uneventful, if you catch my drift.

I don't seem to be needed in this conversation.

Nope.

kthxbye

'Be on your guard'? What kind of an advice is that? You might as well tell me to 'stay safe'.

So... Would you like to know the details of...

No.

Fine. To the asylum, then?

It is not that simple. You cannot just walk into the asylum. There are protective wards there. You need...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. Plot block. Let's go.

The Codex only manages to make three steps on solid ground before being betrayed by Saemon Havarian.

Wow. Good thing Sime advised me to be on my guard, or I don't know what could have happened.

Oh no, vampires! Such an ambush!

Seriously, he teleported away? He's some lousy pirate, no way he can know high-level magic. Did I miss that 1st level Teleport Away spell scroll, or is it just always out of stock?

Oh yeah, vampires.

Two more. It is an attack of female vampire trio.

I would watch a movie titled like that.

Useless fact: Valen is the vampire who initially contacts you as an envoy from Bodhi.

Back to the kitchen!

And what will you be doing?

I don't fucking believe it.

while roaming the streets we encounter

Should I know him?

No idea. Have we even been to Ulgoth's Beard?

Don't expect me to remember, if you don't.

Should I ask who Mistress Mallory is?

Please no.

Yeah, it was great, uh, catching up with you. See you around... And stay safe!

If I were you, I wouldn't attack a random guy wielding a nasty-looking two-handed sword...

...but I guess everyone has a hobby.

Right.

Look, I'm trespassing on the pirate lord's ship! I am actually on board? Do you want to stop me? Didn't think so.

You can be so petty sometimes.

The Codex tries to pick up a random whore, but she turns out to be a quest hook.

Ah, fuck! Should have known better!

the quest

Look, it's nothing personal. I didn't even want this quest.

Blame the writers for not providing a non-violent solution.

Loot!

This could be useful.

I am NOT wearing an earring. Forget it.

FFS.

Great, whatever will get this done asap.

Fine, I'll pay! Just take care of it already!

I get more XP from disarming random traps. What a waste of time.

Fare-fucking-well.

Remind me never to talk to any girls again... Wait. That came out wrong.

Seriously?

I hope you weren't planning to retire tomorrow.

while roaming the streets we encounter

Why would I even want to enter?

You do not want to enter?

Of course I do! But that's hardly the point. They have not yet given me a reason to enter.

I do not follow. You never need a reason.

But they don't know that!

I could pay, but I am sure there is some alternate way to get in, that involves killing people, so forget it.

Do I know you?

That's pretty vague.

Oh, you're a loony! And there I thought it's just bad writing.

You're not going to be convinced, are you?

So I thought.

That's some serious buffing going on here.

Good thing I have dispel magic on my sword.

Still, it was nice to see some challenge, for a change.

Greyhand encounter is another one of those restored in Unfinished Business mod, btw.

Well, this ALMOST solves our AC problems.

Wow, you are so useless outside of bed. Teach me the teleport spell at least!

Where do these guys come from?

Ok, we have wasted enough time. Let us go to the Vulgar Monkey and meet Sanik.

Can we get to the point?

I'm not seeing anyone.

Oh, wait.

How is it possible that even this guy knows the teleport spell. Seriously, I would like to know.

Maybe you should step back and let me talk to the assassin?

And you using this fucking teleport makes you my enemy, because I hereby vow to kill everyone who does that!

And I take my vows seriously.

Until you forget about them.

Well, yes, until then.

the plot

tl;dr: Sanik's GF might know a way to get to the asylum. We need to infiltrate Galvena's whorehouse to get to her.

Infilitrate a whorehouse, eh?

It sounds more fun than it is.

Maybe you should have worn the earring after all, instead of flashing it in hand, with a piece of Chremy's ear still attached?

Maybe I should have worn ring of human influence instead?

Oh, yeah, maybe that would help... No idea, to be honest.

Fuck that, I'll just kill everyone.

Your guards have disappeared.

I hope you weren't attached to that arm.

Good thing violence can always solve my problems.

The key to success. Now to find the relevant door...

Ah, there it is.

Bingo.

Why exactly this establishment is hidden that well is beyond me.

Maybe I should have tried sneaking through.

On the other hand, they are all bad guys anyway.

These guards explode like blood sausages.

Damn, I will have to spend hours clearing my outfit of guard guts.

Is it good? is it good?

Lol, nope.

The guards won't come. Trust me on this one.

It is kind of disappointing that the only notable loot in this plece is yet another key.

My vast intellect tells me that prison area is our next stop.

Yup.

Oh, good, it looks pretty small. I was expecting another planar prison.

I hope I'm interrupting?

Look, I'm giving you this one chance to get out of this alive. I'm not even kidding.

Fucking idiots.

Casting Mislead was smart on Vadek's part, as it switched our priority target from him to Galvena.

Meaning she died first.

Although it only postponed Vadek's death by a few seconds.

generic loot

Oh, great, another prettyface to deal with. Let me guess: I will need to grant her safe passage off the island.

How did you guess?

More plot and saving the girl

tl;dr: Captain Golin will help Claire leave the island. Also The Codex can say he was sent by Golin to visit pirate lord Desharik, who has the power to send our hero to the asylum.

But first let us explore the alternate way of getting there, by killing someone.

Wow, is everyone on this island either a pirate, a whore or a madman?

Everyone notable, yeah.

Test of limits?

The Codex has no limits!

Finally, some promising loot!

This wardstone allows us to enter the asylum.

I almost though I've found The Codex of Infinite Wisdom.

Wrong game.

Pretty sweet item, by the way.

The only other notable thing here is this trap. Not so much the chest contents.

Name-dropping captain Golin allows us to enter pirate lord Desharik's place.

Time to convince Desharik that The Codex needs to be confined. Shouldn't be too hard.

Because I have the ring of human influence?

Because you are a raving madman AND have the ring of human influence.

Nice place, let's loot it first.

Desharik trusts no one.

We barely use potions any more, but it is better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them.

And yes, you do need a lot of charisma for the upcoming conversation, otherwise Desharik will call your bluff. This is one of the very, very few spots in the game where a stat check actually matters.

Or it would, if we did not have the wardstone already. You get the idea.

conversation with Desharik

tl;dr: LOL, U MAD.

And that is it - we have arrived at the asylum (arriving there means immediate start of another conversation, so it will be covered in the next update).

Kind of anti-climactic...

---

Next time: we will pretend we are playing Sanitarium. Kind of.

 

[t]

Updates are so frequent lately

 

[MicoSelva]

You shouldn't get used to that.

Next update should be around 7th of May, but it might the only one in that month, as far as I am able to predict.

 

[Abelian]

I like how The Codex used the same exact dialogue option twice in a row when she didn't pick up the hint regarding Asylum access

Spoiler

The Codex sells his self-respect for 22 gold? A good price, all things considered.

Spoiler

 

[MicoSelva]

I like how The Codex used the same exact dialogue option twice in a row when she didn't pick up the hint regarding Asylum access

Spoiler

LoL. I wish I had noticed it, so I could make fun of it in the LP. But maybe it is funnier without commentary.

The Codex sells his self-respect for 22 gold? A good price, all things considered.

Well, duh.

 

[Erebus]

Even on Insane, our hero's clearly too powerful for the challenges of Brynnlaw. I wonder who/what will be able to cause his next death ?

It's actually possible to kill Saemon (though not for good) if you act quickly enough at the right moment, later in the game.

I hardly ever used the Book of Infinite Spells for something other than True Sight. The other 6th-level spell it can cast is Wyvern Call... but it's simply not a very good spell.

I seem to remember there's some sort of quest involving the local temple of Umberlee. Pretty short and not extremely interesting, I believe.

There's a pretty fun Valen mod that allows her to join your party if you side with Bodhi. It makes being evil much more entertaining than it normally is in BG2. The main problem is that, as a vampire, Valen is horribly overpowered against most opponents.

 

[Aeschylus]

Even on Insane, our hero's clearly too powerful for the challenges of Brynnlaw. I wonder who/what will be able to cause his next death ?

Probably nothing until the Underdark.

I seem to remember there's some sort of quest involving the local temple of Umberlee. Pretty short and not extremely interesting, I believe.

There's a temple, but no quest that I recall, unless it got added by a mod or something.

 

[Erebus]

I seem to remember there's some sort of quest involving the local temple of Umberlee. Pretty short and not extremely interesting, I believe.

There's a temple, but no quest that I recall, unless it got added by a mod or something.

My mistake, I was thinking of something that happens in BG1.

 

[MicoSelva]

Even on Insane, our hero's clearly too powerful for the challenges of Brynnlaw. I wonder who/what will be able to cause his next death ?

I'm betting on Irenicus but we shall see.

It's actually possible to kill Saemon (though not for good) if you act quickly enough at the right moment, later in the game.

I remember trying to do that, but I'm not sure if I ever succeded.

I hardly ever used the Book of Infinite Spells for something other than True Sight. The other 6th-level spell it can cast is Wyvern Call... but it's simply not a very good spell.

I'm not sure if the order of the spells is random or predetermined, but in case of the former we will can only cast each spell once (except the last one in the book).

There's a pretty fun Valen mod that allows her to join your party if you side with Bodhi. It makes being evil much more entertaining than it normally is in BG2. The main problem is that, as a vampire, Valen is horribly overpowered against most opponents.

Why is that a problem?

 

[Erebus]

It's actually possible to kill Saemon (though not for good) if you act quickly enough at the right moment, later in the game.

I remember trying to do that, but I'm not sure if I ever succeded.

When the gith board the ship, there's a window of opportunity between the moment when you regain the control of your actions and the moment Saemon teleports away. If you focus on him, it's not that difficult.

The game is a bit schizo on the matter afterwards. The very next cutscene will ignore what you did and tell you Saemon got away. But when you see Aran Linvail again, you can tell him you killed Saemon.

Of course, he doesn't stay dead, but it's still pretty satisfying to butcher the annoying git.

I hardly ever used the Book of Infinite Spells for something other than True Sight. The other 6th-level spell it can cast is Wyvern Call... but it's simply not a very good spell.

I'm not sure if the order of the spells is random or predetermined, but in case of the former we will can only cast each spell once (except the last one in the book).

The order is random. Sometimes you only get 2-3 spells before reaching the last one, sometimes you get many more (I think it's even possible to get the same one several time).

 

[garren]

Can't wait for spellhold dungeon

 

[MicoSelva]

Bros, let's bump this fucker to the next page so I can update.

 

[Sodafish]

Brobump.

 

[Erebus]

Power Word : Bump

 

[Zdzisiu]

Great, we are on the next page. Update may commence!

 

[MicoSelva]

Last time on Let's Insane Solo Baldur's Gate 2:

Any of you fuckin' pricks teleport again and I'll execute every motherfucking last one of you!

------

Update #48: This Is Madness

Update #48

This update is not very long, and it would be extremely short if I skipped/spoilered dialogues and cutscenes, as I usually do, so we won't be skipping them this time. Enjoy quality Bioware writing!

Well, I kind of agree, I must be out of my mind to have agreed to come here in the first place.

I mean, I could live comfortably for the rest of my life for the gold I acquired so far.

Oh, good, I wouldn't want her to go all whiny on me because I did not rush to her rescue immediately.

Imoen almost killed someone? Were they wet-tissue-paper-people, or what?

I will hold you to that cookie promise. Don't think I won't.

character sheet update

Firkraag is king.

That makes sense. Except it doesn't.

I have to go now. Do some stuff, you know.

You stay away from my face, little girl.

Sure you are.

Well, it's hard to comment on something like this, so I will just go down the corridor instead.

Finally some gameplay, I mean stuff to do.

I know how you feel. Shiny things truly ARE very distracting. Shiny...

Cowled wizards retirement package is not the hottest thing ever.

Ok.

Well, this still makes more sense than Gaider's current writing.

Loot! So, it wasn't ENTIRELY pointless to come here.

I don't care if you're crazy. Keep talking like this to me and I will kill you.

I hate plot doors.

Oh, you're one of those people I am supposed to know and/or remember. Well, I don't.

You are the craziest person here so far. How can you think of world domination, when clearly it is ME who is going to achieve it. Completely bonkers.

Yeah, move over, I was going to talk to that chick there.

But we are not destined to do that, because SUDDENLY...

Did you just teleport in? Tell me you didn't. Because if you did, well, The Codex will have to choke a bitch.

Dude, you are so dead that even a Project Genesis torpedo shot directly up your ass wouldn't help you now.

Fuck.

Cutscene bullsh...

All this seems a bit too contrived to be true, but whatever.

Maybe you should not have threatened to kill him him AFTER he releases you.

Fuck off.

THIS IS MADNESS!

You are really starting to piss me off.

If a few deaths could force my 'divine soul' out of me, it would have been rampaging on its own for a while now.

Are you even listening?

Oh, this bullshit again.

No worries, thiefbros, you will be avenged.

Eventually.

Although you're probably pretty bad people yourselves.

No hard feelings, I hope?

'Rapture of the father'? Can I learn his spell?

Sorry, no. Gameplay and story segregation.

One more reason to kill this fucker.

So... many... ellipses...

Well, this look a bit like Candlekeep. After a nuclear apocalypse.

A suitable representation of your mind, I think.

Oh, great. Can I kill it by using cure light wounds on it?

I do not think so.

I'll give you my stat points when you pry them from my cold, dead hands!

Fuck off, I don't even want to enter the depths of my soul. Who knows what I would find there. Actually, it's kind of scary.

Let us explore your mind around a bit, then.

Like hell I will... And just between you and me, if you wanted to use your children to return some day, maybe you should have trained some fanatical priestess to gather up all your divine essence in one place and resurrect you this way. Just saying.

Well, this is awkward.

Our hero proves unable to overcome his daddy issues.

Fuck your shit.

I need to... regroup.

Go away!

Whew... That was too fucking weird, by far.

You are hiding in some obscure corner of your mind? Not the safest place, if you ask me.

Let's see what you say to this...

How the fuck are you still alive? This is Arkanis Gath bullshit all over again!

I'm not giving up! You will fall!

DIE ALREADY!

One part of The Codex' mind destroyed the other. This is exactly like in GD!

Death Count: 212

Loading.

Fine, fine, what's the gimmick here?

Sacrificing a stat point.

I hate the plot.

I need to get in. Like, right now.

Yeah, yeah, take the wisdom, it's not like I'm using it anyway.

Such profound truth.

WIS 13 -> 12. This change should have exactly zero impact on our hero.

Other choices were giving up CON (no), INT (yeah, no) or DEX (hell, no). I would bet that the majority of the players go with WIS here, because it is the least useful stat for most characters.

I'm inside, what now?

Find some help, maybe?

Hey, it's Imoen Ellipses Edition.

I would say the beast is pretty much already lead here.

How exactly can I cast spells inside my mind? Doesn't make much sense.

Just roll with it.

By all means...

Alright, 'dad'. Let's talk about that allowance raise.

Anything to say? At all? Are you sure?

I stopped following what is going on. Or caring, for that matter.

WHAAAAAT!? My Bhaal powers! I was barely using them! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE TENFOLD!

Of course they did.

What else is new? As long as the other guy can reload, I don't see the problem.

I have a gut feeling that you may be wrong there.

Wow. Some of the girls on the streets of Brynnlaw were more subtle when trying to come on to me. Not interested, btw.

I really don't.

A sanity test? Well, this should be easy to...

...

Well, crap.

Is this one of those fake time limits? Because those are really lame.

You're boring me, Imoen.

Still boring.

So, you did not actually help? That's really fortunate, because it means I have no debt towards you...

Well, sucks to be you.

I'm not sure how you know Copper Coronet, but sure, whatever. Ask Hendak to give a job in the back rooms.

Ah, good, for whatever reason, the bad guys allowed me to keep all my high-end magical gear. This should make things easier.

Wherever the fuck I am...

---

Next time: Dungeon crawling, fools.

 

[Azira]

Oh boy. What a load of broken images. Did we go over your bandwith limit or something?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Oh boy. What a load of broken images. Did we go over your bandwith limit or something?

no b0rks here

 

[MicoSelva]

Oh boy. What a load of broken images. Did we go over your bandwith limit or something?

Everything looks fine to me. Make a screenshot and post it here / send me via PM.

 

[Azira]

It was blocked by my antivirus program...