Quick question (NWN2 - MotB)

[Gwendo]

I'm about to get a NWN2 + MotB bundle. I'm not really interested in playing NWN2, I'm only curious about MotB. Can I just jump to MotB, or will I miss something (story)? Will I have an hard time starting by playing a campaign game aimed for high level characters?

 

[NiM82]

There is the option to ask npc's "what happened ?" to find out the core themes of NWN2. You do encounter characters from the OC, and a few things do link back, but nothing too important.

You start off at a high level (and the starting location's bursting with ridiculously high level gear), so you won't be disadvantaged that way. In terms of difficulty I find epic level games are easier than lower level games, you can just spam mega spells and stuff.. so should be fine there too.

 

[aweigh]

You'll prolly enjoy MotB moar if u don't play teh OC.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

The OC is quite good, well worth a playthrough at least once. I've played it through twice so far and loved it each time.

MotB is in a different league, though. It is very, very good.

 

[Shagnak]

The OC is quite good, well worth a playthrough at least once. I've played it through twice so far and loved it each time.

I'm on my second attempt to play it now that I've finished Eschalon.
Ugh. I've heard it gets better after the first act (?).

 

[Catalina]

NWN2 has a pretty simplistic and easy-to-follow plot. (chosen one, burning peasant village, collect a bunch of items to find a superweapon to fight a great evil, yadda yadda). The plot of MotB is set up by the end of the OC, so if you're really not interested in playing the OC, it won't hurt if you just read a summary.

I was only halfway through the OC when I started MotB, and was fine. The only problem I had was understanding how to craft at high levels, since I hadn't bothered at the low ones. Also, I had trouble with the combat until I figured out to spam the large AoE spells. If you're not familiar with D&D combat, I'm not sure I would recommend jumping in right at high levels, though...

 

[themadhatter114]

I think if you look at "completed quests" it will list the entire plot of the original game for you to read.

 

[Serious_Business]

The OC is quite good, well worth a playthrough at least once. I've played it through twice so far and loved it each time.

No

I think if you look at "completed quests" it will list the entire plot of the original game for you to read.

Big big winner

 

[Deleted member 7219]

The OC is quite good, well worth a playthrough at least once. I've played it through twice so far and loved it each time.

No

Yes.

I think if you look at "completed quests" it will list the entire plot of the original game for you to read.

It doesn't, actually. You only get the completed quests if you play it through on a character that has actually done those quests.

 

[Elhoim]

It doesn't, actually. You only get the completed quests if you play it through on a character that has actually done those quests.

Eh... No? I´ve just created a character from scratch just for MoTB and I have a quest in the journal called "The history so far...". So, yeah, you can read a summary there and get on to MoTB. But you should play the OC at least once. It´s not THAT bad.

 

[aboyd]

You know, the NWN 2 OC is pretty decent if you can run through it in one fell swoop. By that I mean, if you are unlike me. I tend to start a game, play a few hours, hate the character build that I made, and restart 2 or 3 times before settling upon a character that I feel will give me an optimal run through the story. With a game like NWN 2, where everything is strictly railroaded (yet built to imply that it is not railroaded), you cannot keep restarting like that. The game plays almost exactly the same every time, and it will just crush your hopes & dreams if you have to slog through it over and over and over.

But my first play through I loved it. I was blissfully fooled by all the open-sounding dialogue options. I thought I was having a perfectly tailored game experience.

First play through: fun. Second play through: not fun unless your first play through was extremely short (Act 1 only). Third play through: miserable hell.

 

[Gwendo]

Thank you for your input. I've decided to skip OC and start with MotB.

I've installed everything and updated the game.

I'm thinking about using a pre-generated character. Or should I use the character editor? The pre-generated PCs are good and balanced or just average?

I'm not particularly excited about making a character and then having to restart the game due to realizing any mistakes further in the game, like aboyd has said.

 

[1eyedking]

The pre-generated PCs are awful; I personally like to take a powergaming approach to D&D games, lest I grow incredibly bored with its combat.

Grab a guide at GameFAQs.com and try to pick a build that also suits your roleyplaying needs.

 

[fastpunk]

They keep saying you don't need to know the NWN2 OC to play MotB but it's better if you do, you'll avoid any blanks or missing details, plus the OC isn't all that bad after you get past act one. And besides, you have to buy NWN2 in order to play MotB. So if you have it, why not try it?

 

[Gwendo]

I was given both the game and the expansion. But I remember playing the beggining of NWN2 a few months ago and not liking it. Too boring and formulaic. That's why I'm not willing to spend hours and hours in somethng I already know I won't like or at least won't be worth my time.

I'm taking a look at gameFAQs faqs.

 

[fastpunk]

I was given both the game and the expansion. But I remember playing the beggining of NWN2 a few months ago and not liking it. Too boring and formulaic. That's why I'm not willing to spend hours and hours in somethng I already know I won't like or at least won't be worth my time.

I'm taking a look at gameFAQs faqs.

I don't know, I found it satisfying to get the full NWN2otB experience all at once. It starts slow and boring, yes, act one is practically one dungeon crawl after another with not much of a story to hold it together. It slowly gets better and the game becomes more dense and a lot of stuff happens etc etc. Then you get a pretty lame ending and you start MotB which is pure gaming bliss. I don't know but the whole experience just satisfied my RPG hunger and I think it will keep it that way for a while. Great experience overall, made me care for my character, he's really been through a lot. :D

 

[Hory]

The pre-generated PCs are awful; I personally like to take a powergaming approach to D&D games, lest I grow incredibly bored with its combat.

Grab a guide at GameFAQs.com and try to pick a build that also suits your roleyplaying needs.

Powergaming makes no sense if the game is not challenging when you're not powergaming (which applies to most D&D games).

 

[1eyedking]

Powergaming makes no sense if the game is not challenging when you're not powergaming (which applies to most D&D games).

True, but it still makes the game's combat more entertaining for us number-crunchers.

 

[Pegultagol]

I agree with other posters to play the game through from the original campaign. The experience seems somewhat fuller, you become more attached to your character, despite how silly it may sound. But I reckon you won't miss anything substantial important for your enjoyment if the original campaign is skipped. First act is atrocious, but given I have played it before all the adjustments or gameplay tweaks have been made, perhaps it won't be as unforgiving in terms of pacing as when I had to slog it through.

 

[Elhoim]

BTW, install Tony K AI mod. It makes the combat much more beareable since you don´t have to babysit your companions around.

 

[Catalina]

plus the OC isn't all that bad after you get past act one.

This seems to be the general Codex consensus, but my personal opinion is that the game starts to go to hell in other parts, as well. The part with meeting Zhjaeve and going to Arvahn was absolutely god-awful.

 

[fastpunk]

plus the OC isn't all that bad after you get past act one.

This seems to be the general Codex consensus, but my personal opinion is that the game starts to go to hell in other parts, as well. The part with meeting Zhjaeve and going to Arvahn was absolutely god-awful.

Arvahn? Oh yeah, the ruins with the statues. I actually liked that part because you could choose a side in that conflict between the orc tribe and the ogre tribe or something like that. It's not often in the OC when you can choose. I loved the gem mines especially, it was an area where the developers were a bit more creative, though I agree that the temple of seasons was quite awful.

 

[Gwendo]

I've been playing and enjoying this game, although I wish it had a better combat system.

How do you setup your NPCs? Do you leave the AI on? Or do you fully control them?

 

[Hory]

How do you setup your NPCs? Do you leave the AI on? Or do you fully control them?

 

[xantrius]

How do you setup your NPCs? Do you leave the AI on? Or do you fully control them?

I have the AI off in battle, else the combat is no fun for me.

I've just got started on the MotB OC a few days ago and is enjoying it so far =)