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

[Baron Dupek]

these monks are better than my own in ToEE latest playthrough, I feel envy...

 

[Storyfag]

I think the Codex is shaping up for a true spiritual successor to Bhaal. The Lord of MWAHAHAHAHA SLAUGHTER! may not be exactly the same as The Lord of Murder, but close enough.

 

[MicoSelva]

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

Codex killing its own evil good counterpart with a vorpal hit. Seems strangely appropriate.

Update #100: The Orange Room

Update #100

Character sheet update

We could use those two points in Halberd instead of Long Sword now, but we will manage.

Fuck you, Bodhi. Seriously, GTFO!

My new best toy.

This does not look like your typical undead-filled dungeon.

Whoa!

And he seemed so trustworthy too. Dying daughter and shit.

I am getting Twardowsky vibes from Marlowe.

Good question.

Can I forge her soul into a sword or something?

Wrong game.

But before I leave, I wanna check out these weird tables.

Uh, what traps?

Good thing I brought a fire weapon along.

There is no type of weapon we have not brought along.

Ok, done.

Ah!

Oh, you're gonna pay... Crap... My ribs.

Time out!

Fuck off!

And you!

Shock, huh?

Are you sure you do not want to rest a bit first? Regenerate, maybe?

Nah, I have stone skin.

Ah, shit.

Let me just slip into something more comfortable.

I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow you away.

Another stone skin gone? Seems like I should take you guys more seriously...

I wish you died earlier. 'nah, I have stone skin' would have made for better last words.

Death Count: 384

Load.

Staff of the air has failed me yet again.

Are you sure it was not disregard for common sense that failed you?

Nah, I'm sure.

I'll kill them swiftly and easily.

With maybe just one tactical retreat during the fight...

Crap, crap, crap...

Alright, alright.

I get it.

You're tough.

But I'm tougher.

I sense fire elementals.

Vongethe's Not-Giving-A-Shit levels are through the roof.

You were expected.

Insta-kills are preferable, but multiple critical hits do the trick as well.

That's two.

Three.

And four. The air ones gave me significantly more trouble.

Admitting you've done wrong is a very important step.

Sure.

I am kind of impressed he wants to give himself up now.

Let's not mention the fact that I am chaotic and prone to lying.

I also have a personal dislike for anyone trying to steal another's soul.

I can see that the lich was somewhat prepared for this turn of events.

He knows the living cannot be trusted.

I, on the other hand, are going to make it as I go.

Check out this cool mace I have.

Banshee: the undead that do not do anything.

They can cast wail of the banshee, I think.

So, Like I said...

That was easy.

Oh, wait, that was the simulacrum.

Let me rethink... HEY!

Get away from him, you bitch!

Ok, back.

Seriously, you want to try to melee me?

I'm a bit better at this, I believe.

Will you stop with the shadow door shit?

There you are.

Fucking suicide bomber.

Your King Leoric shtick would be more menacing if these skeletons could actually hurt me.

And stop hiding already!

A bit too crowded in here.

Maybe casting death fog on yourself is not the most brilliant of ideas.

Death Count: 385

Loading.

I hoped they would instantly be destroyed, as summoned creatures should be with death fog. Oh well.

Sure, sure.

You, fuck off my questgiver.

Looks like I've aggroed your friends too.

That's good.

And now, since I am not standing standing in the center of that fuckzone.

Because you guys don't deserve wasting a stone skin.

I probably should be using Carsomyr, instead of the staff, but whatever.

Let's finish this.

STOP DOING THAT!

I think I've passed a spot check.

Ouch. Fuck. I hate this guy.

AAARRRRGGGHH!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

I should have used the mace from the start.

I am just about done with skeletons. Can we never fight them again?

Hopefully.

I would keep it, if it was better than Helm of Balduran, but it's not. NOTHING IS.

Ugh. Since when has looting started to feel like a chore...?

These guys up here would feel like cheap trick if I wasn't immune to their attacks.

I think that was the last one.

This must be the lich's... uh... corpse?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Hey, now you can have double poison immunity if you wear it along with Ring of Gaxx.

This whole quest was a waste of time.

Next time: We shall boldly move on with the plot. Probably.

 

[Azira]

You should renumber this update to "404"..
Much better!

 

[MicoSelva]

Now, let's talk.

Shouting "fire" command to archers is an anachronism, you ass.

So that's how time trap works.

From their perspective, their captain just died right after ordering to kill me.

No impact on morale, though. They must be elite troops.

Not elite enough.

Bonus umber hulk!

Clear.

A purple bow?

Oh, wow, 5% resistance bonus! I'm so fucking sold! Oh wait, no, actually it's shit.

Update #101: Dark Side of Drow, part I - Prancing In The Woods

Update #101

Character sheet update

Two level-ups incoming.

Oh no, my reputation is ruined!

When I'm finished with this quest, it won't be an 'enclave' any more.

Hey, look, a totally unremarkable elven woodcutter wielding dual axes and dressed in a magical chain mail.

None of Your Business, huh? Something like Solaire of Astora?

It's a stickup! I always wanted to try that.

The fuck?

Intimidation check: critical failure.

I guess I'll console myself by robbing his house clean.

'Poor woodcutter', huh? I should kill him on the spot.

A nice, if unexpected, find.

Aha! We'll see what None has to say about that!

It is cute how they tried to implement a thread of investigative work in this quest.

What, that's it? Your cover story was that shallow, Mr. of Your Business?

And the game keeps referring to this guy as the 'woodcutter'. Cut the bullshit already, please.

The fuck did these guy come from?

Quick save!

Not a literal quick save, mind you, just a quick reaction that results in saving something.

Oh shit, this has taken too long. My spell's expired.

Stop seeing me!

This should buy me some time.

Unless they all pass their magic resistance check...

...which they did.

We've been cut down.

Death Count: 386

Load.

Fucking drow. What have I ever done to them.

Uhm. There was this:

Oh yeah, I remember now. That was fun.

I'll be right there with you.

Just one moment...

Ok, ready.

I bet I can kill you before your buddies close in.

Fuck yeah! :fuyeah:

And this one exploded.

Witness the power of my SFX!

Invisibility potions won't save you.

I can see through your illusions!

Off with your head!

Meet my dispelling stick.

Oh, come on, you're just being annoying now.

Stop delaying the inevitable.

I hate when they are wasting my time like that.

My eyesight is better than even I thought.

How many lifetimes ago would I consider this loot useful?

Uhm...

Death Count: 386

Very funny.

I was wrong! His chainmail was not magical.

Late to the party, huh?

No worries, you'll still get all the treats.

I wonder if the vorpal hit was even necessary here.

I hope you weren't waiting for me too long.

Ugh.

What is with that stunning shit? I hope it doesn't occur in a critical moment when it might actually matter.

FFS.

Heh, that was unexpected.

I really like this halberd.

These woods are crawling with drow. Exclusively. I guess they must have eaten everything else.

It's always painful when my stone skin expires.

Hey, a lone wizard.

Wow, he went for a lot of trouble for just my sake.

I'm obviously worth it, but still.

Oh, crap.

This must be the place where the fake woodcutter kept sending us to.

I'll check it out in a moment. First, let me try out my new regeneration ability.

It seems to be working.

Fuck yeah. Logan can suck my dick now.

Let's turn up the heat.

Remember, kids: only you can prevent forest fires.

And once again.

That seems to have caught their attention.

Fucking overgrown bugs.

Wait, these are... uh, WERE stronger versions, right? I wonder what the difference is.

The Brood!

Wow, it has been a while.

I guess the rest needs a little bit more of an incentive to start giving a fuck.

That is probably because their AI made them oblivious to fireballs, which dealt them no damage due to magic resistance.

Well, this is the first time I am baiting drow with dogs. I'm surprised it actuall works!

Apparently these drow are extremely bloodthirsty and cannot stand the sight of something alive.

Also, them having killed my dogs is a pretty good excuse for revenge.

Do you really need an excuse?

No, but it makes for a better narrative.

I guess the fact that high-level abilities like whirlwind can be used more frequently than a 5th level spell like stoneskin makes this game unbalanced, but that is one of the things I like about it.

And these two won't come any closer because they prefer to shoot me from afar.

The first flaw in their plan is that I am immune to their arrows.

The second one: I also have a bow.

And now that you are all alone, my multi-pupiled friend, we can measure our worth in a contest of might and determination.

HAHA! That actually hurt!

But I'm not dead yet!

Time for round two!

Fucking A.

We are about done here.

Good. Time to move on to why we've really come here.

Knock-knock.

Next time:

The drow will regret fucking with me. Because I know where they live now.

Next update will be either on Friday (optimistic version) or around 16th (realistic version) or in April (pessimistic version).

 

[Azira]

Short, but tasty. More, please?

 

[Storyfag]

I once considered replaying ToB. But the quests are horribly written. Is it worth a shot for the mechanics alone?

 

[MicoSelva]

I once considered replaying ToB. But the quests are horribly written. Is it worth a shot for the mechanics alone?

That depends whether you enjoy throwing a bunch of game-breaking mechanics together and watching which of them collide and explode in the prettiest ways. Build-wise Shadows of Amn is all about chasing the rabbit, while Throne oh Bhaal is more about tasting the resulting rabbit stew - it is a place for all the Carsomyrs, Crom Faeyrs, Waves etc. to finally shine. But I do not recommend soloing it. It is much more fun with a varied party.

 

[MicoSelva]

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

Why exactly was this guy tied to the illusion? That seems pretty strange.

If by 'strange' you mean 'idiotic and contrived', then yes.

Update #102: Dark Side of Drow, part II - Basement Dwellers

Update #102

character sheet update

Just kidding, but I forgot to level up last time.

Woohoo, more spells.

I wonder how effectively we can postpone resting by quickly levelling up and replenishing these abilities that way.

Well, this is kind of disappointing as a main entrance.

Actually, since they live underground, and this level is closest to the surface, this is probably like entering someone's house through the basement back door.

I think you may be right. They even have fungal infestation here.

This is embarrassing. I am being punched by a mushroom.

Be glad we are not playing Dark Souls.

Ok, done.

Shit, there's more of them.

And that's the wrong weapon.

This blue guy looks like he should be taken a bit more seriously.

I'll indulge him.

I overestimated him.

It is hard to underestimate anyone when you have an insta-kill weapon and can swing it every 0.6 seconds.

He slimed me!

Oh no.

Psst, I think I'm being followed.

Please, do not die. Please.

My jesteśmy krasnoludki, hopsa-sa, hopsa-sa!

Now we have officially reached the bottom.

Step right up, step right up, everyone's a winner, bargains galore!

Dooey, did you just grab my ass?

What just happened? I remember nothing.

Well, you...

Wait, I prefer not to know...

...and remove all witnesses, just in case.

Just for the record: I remember nothing too.

Smart.

'So, how did you remove fungus from your house?' 'Oh, I just shot it with arrows until it went away.'.

I clearly have not been shooting fast enough.

I'm pretty tired of cleaning up shit in other people's homes.

Well, you have your own home too now.

Yes, but it is literally in hell, and features annoying imps. Well, one imp, but he is super annoying.

At least there are no mushrooms there.

True, although I can see some value in mushrooms, which attack intruders on sight.

Oh, for fuck's sake, bugs too?

And a lot of them.

WTF is that small thing there?

Looks like a mutated spider.

Well, this was a bad moment for my stone skin to expire. But let's face it: there rarely is a good moment for that.

Good thing I am immune to poison.

I am mostly out of good spells too.

That only makes the situation more interesting.

That was one nasty surprise for these gnolls.

Let's see how elite they are.

Hey, they are actually doing some damage.

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Come on, spidey, show me what you got.

Fuck.

Let me think.

Ah, this should do.

I wonder how many layers does this stone skin have.

Wanna play squash? I win!

Well, that was very few layers.

Just one more to go...

I'M NOT HERE!

I was hoping to avoid using this right now, but fuck, I have no patience any more.

DIE!

How many of you are here!?

I hate this place.

Let's do this the smart way.

Aaaaaim... Release!

Good, good.

You have just lost some XP there.

Fuck that.

Alright.

I feel much more confident with my loyal bunch of hobgoblin elites around.

Crap.

I don't fucking believe this.

Lightning bolt!

You are using the wrong weapon again.

No, I actually prefer the staff for... uhm... its +2 AC modifier. Yes.

And not for the ability to immediately turn invisible in case some shit happens.

You were saying?

Fine, it was invisibility. I'll switch to the halberd, now.

So much of this crap here.

There! I think I'm done, finally.

Let's make this a bit more difficult for them.

Nothing special going on here, but that is a lot of critical hits and misses.

Let me tell you, I've earned this level up.

Although level-ups ain't what they used to be.

Good thing we have these at least.

Oh?

This way then, I guess.

Note: The Codex has entered hidden in shadows.

That's a welcoming committee if I ever saw one.

Backstab critical miss. Typical.

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ok.

Not pictured: two previous attempts of casting stoneskin, resulting in casting failures due to received damage.

And now for my disappearing drows act.

TAH-DAH!

Let's not move from this spot needlessly, as there are more of them hidden in the fog of war.

Like this boss-looking guy.

I guess appearance can be deceiving.

I know I am out of sight range of the others, but is their dying comrade out of their sight range too?

Maybe he has a tendency to spontaneously faint, so they just usually ignore him falling to the floor?

Or maybe their AI just sucks.

Woohoo! 90 damage backstab! New record!

Yeah, I think it is. I will leave it to our readers to prove us wrong.

I forgot how cool this sword is. I wish I could fuse it with the halberd. Or dual-wield them.

I think I am going to need more potion storage.

Let's see what the faux-boss dropped.

*yawn*

Ah, right, I've been searching for this.

Upon leaving the room, we are subjected to a cutscene:

Fascinating.

An expression of annoyance and tiredness appears on Sendai's face as she sees her servant entering hastily, right after Master Brennon has teleported away.

Now you'll surely get that Larian job you wanted so much. Not.

I'm actually impressed that they noticed I am a single intruder, not a whole party of them.

I wonder what her pets are, though. Something fluffy, I hope.

Next time: The Codex shall dig deeper into Sendai's enclave.

That sounded dirty.

 

[Azira]

 

[Storyfag]

I wonder if kicking the thread to page 74 would be a good idea.

 

[Storyfag]

Whaddya think guys?

 

[Storyfag]

What? Nobody?

 

[Storyfag]

Oh come on guys.

 

[Storyfag]

Just a few more posts.

 

[Storyfag]

And only poor old me to bump the thread.

 

[Storyfag]

Remember the time when the Playground's post per page count was 20?

 

[Storyfag]

Those were the GOOD times. Before the darkness came. Before XenForo.

 

[Tigranes]

what ho, traveler

 

[Tigranes]

I once considered replaying ToB. But the quests are horribly written. Is it worth a shot for the mechanics alone?

That depends whether you enjoy throwing a bunch of game-breaking mechanics together and watching which of them collide and explode in the prettiest ways. Build-wise Shadows of Amn is all about chasing the rabbit, while Throne oh Bhaal is more about tasting the resulting rabbit stew - it is a place for all the Carsomyrs, Crom Faeyrs, Waves etc. to finally shine. But I do not recommend soloing it. It is much more fun with a varied party.

So I've been FMT Insane soloing.... on BGT with SCS. Because that's the installation on my PC. Had to cheese through a few places and eventually knock it down to Core Rules, because holy shit SCS Bodhi. Now I'm getting to TOB and I'm wondering, is it actually fun playing TOB solo? I'm getting to a point where time stop traps & greater whirlwind can destroy a lot of things, but it doesn't feel super fulfilling to time stop + greater whirlwind and chop down Improved Illasera before she's moved a muscle - and when I tried letting her move a muscle, she can puncture Mantle and knock me prone firing ~3 shots a round. (Somehow I don't have 9th level spells yet.) I wanted to try it solo after so many runs with parties, but I'm wondering now whether to pick up 1 or 2 more guys.

 

[MicoSelva]

So... Five years.

Yup.

Would you have even started this thing if you had known how long it would take you to finish it?

Nope.

Uh... Let's move on then?

Indeed.

Update #103: Dark Side of Drow, part III - Why Not Both?

Update #103

So, which of these doors should I choose? This might make a huge impact on my immediate future.

I guess the sex slave rave party was through the other door.

Don't tell me. It's going be to spiders, more spiders, and even more spiders.

Let's check.

Yep.

Not that I want to depreciate spiders as enemies, but my immunity to poison makes this part a bit non-challenging.

Let us try to get through this part quickly, then. And maybe count spiders along the way?

Ok. That's three.

Four.

Five.

And six.

Seven.

Eight...

...and nine.

Look, a trap!

Five gold says that it is web.

No bet.

Ten.

Eleven.

Oh wow.

Such variety.

Twelve, thrirteen, fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

I suddenly miss bugbears.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

Almost walked into this one, I'll give them that.

Nineteen...

Twen- Oh, wait, that's a mini-boss.

Too bad it does not have a +2 weapon.

Whoa, spider paratroopers!

That's twenty.

Twenty-one, two, three and four.

I wonder how many will there be.

Well, there were a hundred monsters in Magus' castle.

But they - twenty-five - had a tad more variety.

Hey, a level-up.

Huh? WTF?

I am not even sure what item we have lost, if any.

I may be level 40+, but Saemon Havarian is still the better thief, by way of scripting and plot stupidity.

At this level-up rate, can we beat Sendai without resting? The possibility is real!

Twenty-six.

Twenty-seven.

We should be counting traps too.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine...

...and thirty.

Can we reach fourty?

Oh shit, thirty-first actually bit me!

That is because your stoneskin has been depleted.

Oh yeah. Maybe they will pose a shadow of a challenge now.

Thirty-two.

And thirty-three.

Didn't I already disarm this one?

Thirty-four.

And we're done.

Not a moment too soon. Let us check the other door now.

Well, we can, but I was only joking about those sex slaves.

What are derro?

According to the internet, some kind of degenerate dwarves.

But...

Aren't all dwarves degenerate?

So, they are slaves, and gimps, at the same time...

Sendai's desires must be... unconventional.

They are delusional if they think that a handful of slaves can stop me.

Okay, they are delusional if they think that a BUNCH of slaves can stop me.

Okay, what the fuck?

I guess I need to kill them faster.

This place is getting too crowded with sweaty and smelly dwarves for my taste.

I'm going to speak with the manager.

Your worthless slaves are not dead because... Wait, I'm not taking orders from you!

I think he is talking to the slaves.

...

Are you sure? The phrasing is a bit ambiguous.

Coming through, make way.

I'm still not sure if he is talking to me or not.

Now I know how female dwarves must feel like.

Alright, I am going to assume he means killing me, even though he uses plural form.

Today's whether: windy and whirly.

Shit, he is actually a competent fighter. Not expected.

Five gold pieces say, this ends the fight.

Okay, so maaaaaaybe it didn't end the fight and maaaaaaaybe I had to turn invisible to catch a break.

But this is bound to be epic.

That's a lot less death than I expected.

Derros must be too high level to be affected by the death spell.

Let me try something more traditional then.

Oh yeah.

This should make things a bit more manageable.

Although saving throws are strong in these ones too.

Time to reach inside my endless supply of magical items.



Nothing like using and anti-war song as a background for imaginary violence.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom.

Boom...

Yeah, yeah, boom.

Time to clean up.

These derros' dedication rivals that of all the minimum-wage worker-fighters from Chocolate.

Seriously, if I was in their place, I would get the fuck out of here, and fast.

Hey, a level up.

You literally CANNOT hurt me with these weapons. Why are you still fighting?

I guess a vorpal hit is something you can only experience once in your life.

Unless you get resurrected, and are extremely unlucky.

If I was this umber hulk, I would already get discouraged.

Let me tell you something. Even watching dwarven slaves explode gets boring after a while.

I am hereby announcing a reward of Steam or GOG gift worth up to $6 for the first person, who counts (and links to) all screenshots in this LP which depict critical hits made by our hero, up to this point.

Spoiler

Have fun.

Hey, that was an elder Umber Hulk. I should have taken it more seriously, I guess.

No, there will not be a similar contest regarding vorpal hits.

Booo-riiiing.

This one must have been burnt a bit less than the others, he only died on the second hit.

And we're done. I hope.

Are we done NOW?

FFS.

Alright. Time for the... fun... part?

Crap.

Even the slavemaster disappoints.

At least I got a level up out of this.

Or rather two.

I hope this place gets more interesting from this point onwards.

That, I can guarantee.

Next time: It gets more interesting.

Spoiler

Expect next update to appear next week.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Steam key for Puzzle Agent: J9BV6-Q39HH-5ZJ2C

 

[Elwro]

No time to read now. But !

 

[Azira]

Not going to count and link to critical hits though, so someone else will get to collect that majestic prize.

 

[ALchymist]

Sweet. I was getting worried.

And so close to the end too. Only about another fifty or so updates to go, I reckon.

 

[Baardhaas]

One of my gripes with high-level D&D has always been challenge vs. a realistic game world (within its own rules of course).


I mean, having the whole world consist of high level monsters, level 30 wizards and peasants wielding +3 weapons is some Oblivionesque type of level-scaling (Like the Highwayman clad in a full suit of glass demanding 100 gold). On the other hand, endless trashmobs are no fun and sword-spiders ended being relevant after BG1.


Still, these levels are just badly designed. They didn’t put the least bit of effort in them to mask that it’s just filler-content.