I've been a fan of the Baldur's Gate series since 2002...in that time, I've replayed the game countless times over and over, trying a whole range of different builds and difficulties as a means to challenge myself - my greatest accomplishment was beating BG2 solo on Insane (That includes Demogorgon!). I can't remember if I had the XP cap removed or not (I don't think so, but that was a few years ago). But I need a greater challenge - something that will *really* test my knowledge and skill at Baldur's Gate, and the challenge that comes to mind is to beat the entire trilogy without dying! So in light of the delayed release of BG:EE I've set up this challenge for myself to complete before Nov 30.
Now to clarify on my parameters regarding the challenge:
-No mods or cheats of any kind installed. I uninstalled and re-installed BG2 to get rid of TDD mod and the XP cap remover I had installed, and I re-installed BG1 to get rid of the XP cap-remover I had also installed. This is going to be done completely legit. That means TuTu isn't installed either, nor are any bug fixes. The most I will allow is a change in my character's appearence via ShadowKeeper, since it is a purely cosmetic change that does not affect my character in any way.
-When I complete a game in the trilogy, I don't replay it if I die in a later game (i.e if I make it through BG1 and die somewhere in BG2, I re-start at the beginning of BG2, not BG1). This also means that I don't export a character and re-import it at the beginning (ex: if I die in BG1 at level 3, I can't re-import him at level, he must begin anew at level 1).
-Reloads are okay. I want to clarify that this no-death challenge is NOT the same as a no-reload challenge - primarily since this is being done solo, I need a bit of leniency in that regard - I'm not playing it THAT hardcore, haha.
-Stick to the Core Rules difficulty. (this one was edited in later just to serve as clarification on that front).
-Charms, mazes, etc do count as deaths, if you get a game over screen. So in BG1, if you get charmed but there is no death screen you are fine (which is the case, thank god). Be sure to have protection against these spells, especially in BG2...
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The character
These are the stats rolled for my character. I chose a Fighter/Mage/Cleric because being that this is a solo run, I need access to as many classes as possible. Furthermore, Clerics gain a whole slew of useful and beneficial spells that can help prevent death and various status afflictions (aside from the obvious healing of course). In regards to the offensive aspect of spellcasting, that is why I'm also using a Mage. That and the fact that I almost always play a Mage combination of some sort. My character is brand-new when starting a new run: no items, extra spells or levels are afforded. However, I don't re-roll a new character every time I die: that just seems kind of dumb. I simply begin the same build (seen below) anew each time I perish.
I rolled some pretty sweet stats on this character (95 points, after about a half hour of rolling):
![image]()
I didn't see the point of trying to go above 95 - I don't give a damn about charisma, maxing everything else is what really mattered. The strength is also not an issue - I will be acquiring a tome that will push it to 19 anyways (and in BG2 I get a second increase to 20).
Fact: Logan is my IRL name. I'm not doing any RP'ing for this quest - this is purely a technical challenge and I do not intend to arbitrarily limit my character for the sake of RP (i.e avoiding things my character might not have known, or limiting myself to certain quests and actions based on alignment). I choose Chaotic Good by default, but that in no way constrains what I will do in-game.
I understand that in BG1 my character will not be able to obtain level 4 spells, and in BG2 I cannot reach level 9 mage spells...I am perfectly willing to accept that. The cleric's defensive capabilities are the sticking point for me - hell, Death Ward and Chaotic Commands alone will stave off a whole lot of deaths/game overs in BG2. For BG1, I am not in particular need to have level 4 spells - the spells I personally find most useful are Mirror Image, Animate Dead (to summon a bunch of minions to take damage and distract my foes), Fireball (with Resistance to Fire cast beforehand, of course), Haste, Vampiric Touch, Magic Missile, Hold Person, DUHM, Aid, Dispel Magic, Knock and Melf's Acid Arrow (off the top of my head - it's been some time since I played BG1). All level 3 and below.
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The run
For the most part, it's going to be fairly bare-bones. I'm not completing any of the TotSC missions - they are not worth the extreme risk involved in getting a few marginally better items (some of which I can't even use anyways), in particular as I cannot disarm traps. I will be getting all of the tomes on this run - the more I can build up my character in BG1, the better off he will be in BG2 (I intend to use the same character up into ToB). Most side-missions and encounters will not be completed, unless they provide me with a useful item that will aid my conquest. I will also avoid any and all contact with any joinable NPCs, as this is a solo run. Imoen doesn't count, she forces herself into the party at the start of each game. :P But I do ditch her as soon as she joins.
I also try and avoid using cheese, for the most part. I reload like mad to try and get as much HP as I can leveling up (the math with a tri-class character is tricky to figure out though, since there are a bunch of fractions involved). I've been aware of the glitch involving spellcasters getting interrupted when you pause since I first began playing...I am actually trying to avoid doing this, for the most part. Magic Missiles usually take care of that, though since I automatically pause on instinct every time I see a group of enemies it ends up happening anyways.
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Again, as I stated before my memory of the game isn't completely intact, so any pointers and reminders of anything I've missed would be beneficial and appreciated! I'll be sure to keep this post updated as I progress throughout the Baldur's Gate series - if I die (and I have several times before making this post), my next post will be a bit delayed as I spend the next few hours (or more, depending on how far I was) getting back to where I was...If that happens I'll be sure to post it. Feedback and comments as well are encouraged! I figure that you all here would appreciate better than anybody a challenge of this magnitude. :)
Now to clarify on my parameters regarding the challenge:
-No mods or cheats of any kind installed. I uninstalled and re-installed BG2 to get rid of TDD mod and the XP cap remover I had installed, and I re-installed BG1 to get rid of the XP cap-remover I had also installed. This is going to be done completely legit. That means TuTu isn't installed either, nor are any bug fixes. The most I will allow is a change in my character's appearence via ShadowKeeper, since it is a purely cosmetic change that does not affect my character in any way.
-When I complete a game in the trilogy, I don't replay it if I die in a later game (i.e if I make it through BG1 and die somewhere in BG2, I re-start at the beginning of BG2, not BG1). This also means that I don't export a character and re-import it at the beginning (ex: if I die in BG1 at level 3, I can't re-import him at level, he must begin anew at level 1).
-Reloads are okay. I want to clarify that this no-death challenge is NOT the same as a no-reload challenge - primarily since this is being done solo, I need a bit of leniency in that regard - I'm not playing it THAT hardcore, haha.
-Stick to the Core Rules difficulty. (this one was edited in later just to serve as clarification on that front).
-Charms, mazes, etc do count as deaths, if you get a game over screen. So in BG1, if you get charmed but there is no death screen you are fine (which is the case, thank god). Be sure to have protection against these spells, especially in BG2...
--------------------
The character
These are the stats rolled for my character. I chose a Fighter/Mage/Cleric because being that this is a solo run, I need access to as many classes as possible. Furthermore, Clerics gain a whole slew of useful and beneficial spells that can help prevent death and various status afflictions (aside from the obvious healing of course). In regards to the offensive aspect of spellcasting, that is why I'm also using a Mage. That and the fact that I almost always play a Mage combination of some sort. My character is brand-new when starting a new run: no items, extra spells or levels are afforded. However, I don't re-roll a new character every time I die: that just seems kind of dumb. I simply begin the same build (seen below) anew each time I perish.
I rolled some pretty sweet stats on this character (95 points, after about a half hour of rolling):
I didn't see the point of trying to go above 95 - I don't give a damn about charisma, maxing everything else is what really mattered. The strength is also not an issue - I will be acquiring a tome that will push it to 19 anyways (and in BG2 I get a second increase to 20).
Fact: Logan is my IRL name. I'm not doing any RP'ing for this quest - this is purely a technical challenge and I do not intend to arbitrarily limit my character for the sake of RP (i.e avoiding things my character might not have known, or limiting myself to certain quests and actions based on alignment). I choose Chaotic Good by default, but that in no way constrains what I will do in-game.
I understand that in BG1 my character will not be able to obtain level 4 spells, and in BG2 I cannot reach level 9 mage spells...I am perfectly willing to accept that. The cleric's defensive capabilities are the sticking point for me - hell, Death Ward and Chaotic Commands alone will stave off a whole lot of deaths/game overs in BG2. For BG1, I am not in particular need to have level 4 spells - the spells I personally find most useful are Mirror Image, Animate Dead (to summon a bunch of minions to take damage and distract my foes), Fireball (with Resistance to Fire cast beforehand, of course), Haste, Vampiric Touch, Magic Missile, Hold Person, DUHM, Aid, Dispel Magic, Knock and Melf's Acid Arrow (off the top of my head - it's been some time since I played BG1). All level 3 and below.
-------------------
The run
For the most part, it's going to be fairly bare-bones. I'm not completing any of the TotSC missions - they are not worth the extreme risk involved in getting a few marginally better items (some of which I can't even use anyways), in particular as I cannot disarm traps. I will be getting all of the tomes on this run - the more I can build up my character in BG1, the better off he will be in BG2 (I intend to use the same character up into ToB). Most side-missions and encounters will not be completed, unless they provide me with a useful item that will aid my conquest. I will also avoid any and all contact with any joinable NPCs, as this is a solo run. Imoen doesn't count, she forces herself into the party at the start of each game. :P But I do ditch her as soon as she joins.
I also try and avoid using cheese, for the most part. I reload like mad to try and get as much HP as I can leveling up (the math with a tri-class character is tricky to figure out though, since there are a bunch of fractions involved). I've been aware of the glitch involving spellcasters getting interrupted when you pause since I first began playing...I am actually trying to avoid doing this, for the most part. Magic Missiles usually take care of that, though since I automatically pause on instinct every time I see a group of enemies it ends up happening anyways.
-------------------
Again, as I stated before my memory of the game isn't completely intact, so any pointers and reminders of anything I've missed would be beneficial and appreciated! I'll be sure to keep this post updated as I progress throughout the Baldur's Gate series - if I die (and I have several times before making this post), my next post will be a bit delayed as I spend the next few hours (or more, depending on how far I was) getting back to where I was...If that happens I'll be sure to post it. Feedback and comments as well are encouraged! I figure that you all here would appreciate better than anybody a challenge of this magnitude. :)