================================================================================ Baldur's Gate 2: Equipment Guide by Ken J. Egervari ken@extremephp.org Game.........................Baldur's Gate 2 Guide...........................In-Depth FAQ Platform..................................PC Version.................................1.11 First Published.............Febuary 16, 2003 Last Updated................Febuary 17, 2003 ================================================================================ Table of Contents ================================================================================ 1. Introduction 1.1 - About This FAQ 1.2 - Credits/Thanks 2. Single-Handed Weapons 3. Shields 4. Two-Handed Weapons 5. Ranged Weapons 6. NPC Equipment Guide 6.1 - Aerie, Elven Cleric/Mage 6.2 - Anomen Delryn, Human Fighter/Cleric 6.3 - Cernd, Human Shapeshifter Druid 6.4 - Edwin Odesseiron, Human Conjurer 6.5 - Haer'Dalis, Tiefling Chaotic Neutral 6.6 - Imoen, Human Mage/Thief 6.7 - Jaheira, Half-Elf Fighter/Druid 6.8 - Jan Jansen, Gnome Thief/Illusionist 6.9 - Keldorn Firecam, Human Inquistor 6.10 - Korgan, Dwarf Berserker 6.11 - Mazzy Fentan, Halfing Fighter 6.12 - Minsc, Human Ranger 6.13 - Nalia, Human Mage/Thief 6.14 - Sarevok, Human Fighter 6.15 - Valygar, Human Stalker 6.16 - Viconia, Drow Cleric 7. A Custom 6-Character Party 8. Cespenar Upgrades 9. Last Words 9.1 - Contact Info 9.2 - Copyright Info ================================================================================ 1. Introduction ================================================================================ First, I'd like to say thank you for reading my FAQ and I hope that it aids you in selecting the best weapons and equipment for your premade and npc-based parties for both SoA and ToB. Next, I'd like to talk about myself a bit so you can learn a bit about my credentials. I've written several other FAQs for Icewind Dale 2, Might & Magic 7 & 8 and Diablo 2, Starcraft and Warcraft III. I might have written others in the past, but they don't come to mind. I'm also a veteran IE gamer, playing all 5 IE games to date. I'm also a big RPG and Strategy gamer fan as well. In terms of my career, I'm a software architect who developers in J2EE and .NET mostly although I've been doing programming for several years in other platforms prior. I'm also a co-author on three published books: * Professional PHP4 Programming * Professional PHP4 XML * Professional PHP Web Services I can't help but give me a shameless plug: Please purchase these books if you find these topics interesting. I, as well as the other authors, would really appreciate it. These books are some of the best on PHP after all. Be sure to check your local stores and amazon.com! Anyway, needless to say, I'm an accomplished writer and a logical thinker - two things that I believe are important to writing FAQs =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1 - About This FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main reason I wrote this FAQ was to create a resource for choosing the best equipment for your pre-made or NPC-based characters. The guide mainly covers the weapons since these have the greatest impact on the game. Their aren't that many armors in the game either and they don't vary in power, so you really can't go wrong if it's -1 or -2. I've discussed several cool dual-wielding strategies and the use of two-handed weapons. I took the equipment idea a little further and started to derive the best sets of equipment for every NPC you can use in the game, including the really crappy ones =) This guide won't tell you which characters go well together and what not, as that is better left up to existing guides (like Dan Simpson's "Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn & Throne of Bhaal FAQ/Walkthrough"). I also added a section on what the weapon possibilities could be for a pre-made party consisting of six-characters. I'll admit the game isn't fun with this party, but it can spark some ideas. Lastly, I added the Cespenar upgrades in the order that you can make them in ToB. This is helpful since many other FAQs or websites use non-sensical orderings that make the list hard to digest and utilize. You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ This FAQ looks best in a fixed-width font, such as Courier New. I personally like to use Lucida Console since it isn't so dark and I have terrible eye sight. I would also TURN OFF WORD-WRAPPING, since some of the charts will look terrible if you have it turned on. The rest of the FAQ should look fine though. I would use a browser such as Internet Explorer to read the FAQ. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2 - Credits/Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wrote this small guide because I was mainly bored and needed something to think about. Of course, not all this information is mine, so here are a list of people that were equally as bored as me (most likely) and have contributed to the FAQ in some way. - PhroXenGold for several cool dual-wielding combinations (using Foebane, Kundane and Hindo's Doom - Dan Simpson, since I copy/pasted his Cespenar's upgrade text. He actually wrote all that stuff out, so it's mainly his doing. I just re-ordered it so that it makes sense and put it into this guide so you could reference this content within this document rather than another document. - BlueWolf the Druid for some valuable advice to improving the guide as a whole (fixing minor things, adding a shield section, some quality information on two-handed swords, etc.) - Majestic for his information on spears, slings and other minor suggestions ================================================================================ 2. Single-Handed Weapons ================================================================================ Here is a little chart I made that can help you out when deciding which weapon proficencies to take for your characters. I indicated if the weapon is suitable for the main-hand or off-hand, so it's pretty easy to mix and match weapon proficiencies to maximize your characters' effectiveness. What I didn't do was say, "This weapon is useless". I'll leave that up to you, but some of these are pretty crappy and are only suited for specific NPCs or character builds. This little chart keeps ToB in mind, so some of these weapons might be great main-hand weapons in the original game, but are fairly junky in the expansion. Use your best judgement as you play. I've indicated a power ranking for each weapon, but this is only my opinion. Also keep in mind that if a ranking is *** but it says "No" for the main hand, that means it's probably not a 3-star weapon when using it for main-hand usage. This is somewhat obvious, but I thought I would point it out nonetheless. Generally anything with 2 stars or greater is considered to be a weapon worth using in ToB. I also seperated the cleric-usable weapons into a big block, so it makes it easier to decide which weapons to pick for Fighter/Clerics or Ranger/Clerics. From the chart, you can also see if a weapon proficiency is even worth putting 5 stars in for example (like Warhammers & Daggers). I hope people find it useful. Item Name Type Power Main Hand? Off-Hand? --------- ---- ----- ---------- --------- Battle Axe +3, Stonefire Axe No No, Frostreaver is better Battle Axe +3, Frostreaver Axe * No Maybe for acid damage, unlikely in ToB Axe of the Unyielding +5 Axe **** Yes Yes, preferred for Non-axe users Foebane +5 Bastard Sword *** Yes No Purifier +5 Bastard Sword ** No Yes, benefits are not damage-based Hindo's Doom +4 Katana *** F/T Only Yes Celestial Fury +3 Katana ** Yes Maybe * Dak'kon's Zerth Blade +2 Katana * No Yes, for Fighter/Mages or Bards Angurvadal +5 Long Sword ** Maybe Yes, although you might prefer a belt The Answerer +4 Long Sword *** Yes Maybe Blackrazor +3 Long Sword ** Yes Maybe The Equalizer Long Sword * No Maybe Blade of Roses +3 Long Sword No Maybe * Sword of Balduran +2 Long Sword No Maybe, but pretty crappy Spectral Brand +5 Scimitar *** Yes Yes Usuno's Blade +4 Scimitar * Yes No Yamato +4 Scimitar * No Yes, but not better than Belm * Scarlet Ninja-To +3 Scimitar ** No Yes, usable by high-level rogues Belm +2 Scimitar ** No Yes, makes main-hand weapon better Short Sword of Mask +5 Short Sword ** Yes No Cutthroat +4 Short Sword No Depends Kundane +2 Short Sword ** No Yes, 0 speed factor, extra attack Dagger of the Star +5 Dagger ** Yes No Stiletto of Demarchess +2 Dagger * No Yes Flail of Ages +5 Flail *** Yes No Ice Star +4 Flail * No Maybe, not that great Storm Star +5 Mace *** Yes No Mace of Disruption +2 Mace ** Yes vs UD Yes, specialty weapon though Runehammer +5 Warhammer ** Yes vs UD No Crom Faeyr Warhammer *** No Yes Club of Detonation +5 Club ** Yes, F/D No Blackblood +3 Club * Yes, F/D No Note: If you don't know what any of these weapons do, take a look at Game Banshee's equipment pages. It might be a lot of info to sink in, so don't worry if you forget what the weapons do - just learn them as you go and perhaps trust my judgement =) Here is the link to the Game Banshee website: http://gamebanshee.com/baldursgateii/equipment.php Multi/Dual-Classed Clerics -------------------------- You can use Flail of the Ages +5 and Crom Faeyr, or perhaps Storm Star +5 and Crom Faeyr. This warhammer is a great off-hand weapon because it provides your character with 25 strength (although the actual damage done by this weapon is not very high compared to other choices). Because of this fact, Crom Faeyr could be used as an off-hand weapon when you do not even have any pips in Warhammers at all since it doesn't matter if you hit with it or not during your extra attack. The important thing is that it will improve your fighting capabilities greatly and your overall effectiveness of your main-hand weapon. Fighter/Mages ------------- You can use Dak'kon's Zerth Blade +2 as an off-hand weapon to decrease your somewhat high AC (since you will probably be wearing the Robe of Veccna or some Elven Chain Mail). The extra spells are always a plus too. Since your character will have lower hps than a typical fighter, Foebane +5 will componsate for this nicely and do a considerable amount of damage. Evil Fighters ------------- You can combine Blackrazor +3 and Belm +2/Kundane +2 to drain levels very quickly from your enemies. This works great for enemies/some bosses that have many hps, or even enemy spellcasters. The only problem with this combination is that if the enemy requires a +4 weapon or greater, it won't work at all. In these cases, you should switch the Blackrazor +3 to another quality main-hand weapon of your choice. Paladins -------- If you aren't using Carsomyr +6, you might want to try The Answerer +4 and Purifier +5, which will roughly provide you with the same advantages (but slightly underpowered) as Carsomyr +6, but you will be able to lower your enemies AC and spell resistence with each attack. This is obviously a more 'offensive' Paladin while still possessing the dispel magic effects and gaining the magic resistence extra Dispel Magic spells from the Purifier. Fighter/Thief Dual or Multi-Class Characters -------------------------------------------- These characters may want to use Hindo's Doom +4 and Belm +2. Hindo's Doom is the most powerful onc-handed backstabbing weapon (d10+4 is the greatest base damage for any one-hander). Belm adds an extra attck. Assasination combines these two effects into something sickeningly powerful. Note: When a Thief obtains the high-level ability "Use Any Item", he can then use the Scarlet Ninja-To +3 as an off-hand weapon, which is much better than Belm +2 or Kundane +2 since provides poison damage in addition to the extra attack. Axes ---- Axe of the Unyielding +5 is one of the best weapons in the game and is probably the best single-handed weapon (since it can be used effectively in the main hand, off-hand or with a high quality shield like Darksteel Shield +4). Firstly, it provides you the best regeneration rating out of all the regeneration equipment in the game at 3/hp a round. This rate is even faster than equiping the Ring of Gaxx. Even further, it gives your fighter an additional -1 to your AC, increases your Constitution score by 1 and 10% of the time your opponent will simply die (unless it's a boss of course). This axe will go very well with either Crom Fayer or Belm +2. The only disadvantage is that the enemy can save against it's decapitation attack at -4 (unlike Ravager +6), so you won't get the vorpal effect all the time, however it does happen often enough and putting it in your main hand increases the probability of its occurence. Flail Usage ----------- Flails are an interesting category since their aren't many high quality ones, but it's possible to get Flail of the Ages +3 very early in the game. When in ToB, this becomes a problem since +3 weapons aren't as effective as +4, so you'll really want to aquire the Poison head in Watcher's Keep at your earliest convenience. Ice Star +4 does roughly the same amount of Damage as Flail of the Ages +4, but you trade that stun effect for 20% fire resistence. For me, this isn't a fair swap so I'd just sell it. It's a shame that there is only a single good flail in the entire game, but for most parties, that is all you will ever need. Mace of Disruption +2 vs. Runehammer +5 (By Majestic) ----------------------------------------------------- The Mace of Disruption +2 is actually a +5 enchanted weapon (just like Runehammer +5, but it does not have the same damage and thac0 bonus, but that is clearly not needed. Thus, the mace can hit every undead in the game, and more importantly, blast over the improved mantle most liches use. This makes most lich battles very easy since you can aquire the weapon very early in the game (as opposed to Runehammer +5, where you get it when you don't have much use for it, sadly). Generic Warrior Combo --------------------- Any warrior could use Foebane +5 and Belm +2. You can gain a great number of hit points using this combination (even better with Greater Whirlwind or Improved Haste paired with the Gauntlets of Extrodinary Specialisation). You can potentially receive "4d4" hit points per round (4-16 hp), which can also exceed your max health by the way. So as long as you are hitting something, you'll gain up to 3 times more hp than someone wielding "Axe of the Unyielding +5" and 9 times more hp than something weirding the Ring of Gaxx. This is a very powerful combination and it's a welcome change that Bastard Swords (of all the unpopular weapon types) manages to be a real winner. General Tip: ------------ Another general tip that you can draw from all these combinations is to try and take advantage of weapons that say, "x% of successful hits will do effect y". You can do this by casting Improve Haste (Sorcerors, Mages, Bards and several items can give you this effect), using Greater Whirlwind or using an off-hand weapon like Belm +2 or Kundane +2 to increase your number of attacks, thus the probability of 'y' occuring is essentially doubled in addition to all the extra damage and movement speed that you get (in the case of Improved Haste). Notes: ------ * Skullcrusher +3, Flame Tongue, Daystar and Dragonslayer are all specialty weapons. Didn't include them. * Didn't bother to include Drizzt's weapons since they get taken back anyway * I didn't add the collector's edition items from Copper Coronet since I never had a chance to buy them ================================================================================ 3. Shields ================================================================================ Now, I know I focused a lot on single-handed weapons and the possible dual- wielding combinations with these weapons, but in some instances you might want to use a shield (as these bonuses could out-weigh the benefits of an off-hand weapon). There are two cases in which you may want to use a shield over an off-hand weapon. 1. Your character is not front-line material, such as a cleric, etc. and you are more likely to benefit from an improved AC, better saving throws or other resistences 2. You are weak in a given weapon proficiency of the off-hand weapon or do not possess 3 stars in Two Weapon Style Let's take a look at some of the best shields in the game. Unfortunately, there aren't as many quality shields as there are weapons, but there should be enough good shields that are worth using for 2-3 characters in your party. Item Rating AC Bonus Abilities ---- ------ -------- --------- Darksteel Shield +4 *** +5 +10% resistence to fire, cold, acid and poison Shield of the Order +4 *** +5 +1 to all saving throws, Only requires 9 Strength instead of 12 Shield of Harmony +2 **1/2 +3 Immunity to charm, confusion, domination and hold person, Only requires 4 Strength instead of 12 Dragon Scale Shield +2 **1/2 +3 +25% resistance to fire, cold and electricity Sentinel +4 ** +5 Low Weight (3) Shield of Balduran +3 ** +4 Reflects Beholder Rays, -1 Strength Shield of the Lost +2 *1/2 +3 +5 Magical Resistence Fortress Shield +3 * +4 +7 AC vs. missle weapons From the chart, it should be fairly easy to see that some shields probably don't provide equal benefits as some of the off-hand weapons do, however "Darksteel Shield +4" and "Shield of the Order +4" are definately worth equipping if you can't find a suitable off-hand weapon. A +5 bonus to your armor class is really a tremendous advantage and the their abilities will be useful for most of the game. These shields pair up well with Axe of the Unyielding +5 for example since the combined benefits of both weapons usually surpasses that of a two-handed weapon (such as Carsomyr +6 or Ravager +6). The Shield of Balduran +3 and the Shield of Harmony +2 are specialty shields that you may wish to equip in specific situations in the game (like facing beholders or mages/demons/whatever, respectively. You should probably keep these around just to make these areas easier. I rated the Shield of Harmony to be slightly higher since it doesn't give you any Strength penalties and you could have it equipped throughout the entire game if you really wanted to. It also has a unique Strength requirement that even the weakest of users can still use it (that is, if you care to exploit this in any way). As for the other shields, there isn't much to recommend. I don't consider a +5 bonus to magic resistence to be all that exciting. Amulets can provide these benefits to better effect on warriors. Cloak of Mirroring is probably a better alternative to the Shield of balduran +3 as well, so that's why I didn't rate it too high. As for the other shields, they are fairly generic and you could probably benefit from an off-hand weapon instead (unless you don't have 2 or more stars in "two-weapon style", then you'll want to use a shield instead. ================================================================================ 4. Two-Handed Weapons ================================================================================ Here is a list of solid two-handed weapons. It's unfortunate that the game didn't have many great two-handed swords. Sure, they are great when you are showered with a few +4's (which at the time you get them, these are quite good weapons), but as the game drags on, they will become less important to you. The best Two-Handed Sword also comes to you very late in the game as well, so that also partly contributes to their drawback. Oddly enough, Ixil's Spike +6 and Staff of the Ram +6 are fairly good weapons. The only real drawback to them is there aren't many quality Spears and fighter-type Staffs to aquire in the game, so your fighters will have to play with the plain +3 staffs and spears for quite awhile or use another weapon. If you are making a custom fighter as your main character, you certainly can't go wrong with Halberds. There are a total of three +4 halberds in the original game (Dragon Breath and Wave being the best of the lot) and the Ravager +6 is the best two-handed weapon in the game (in my humble opinion of course). We'll talk more about this later. One thing you have to consider when deciding to use two-handed weapons is, "Does this weapons damage and added abilities make up for what we could do with the off-hand?" While some weapons (like Carsomyr +6 for example) look really good, Purifier +5 and another weapon might provide you with more benefits. For this reason, I don't compare single-handed and two-handed weapons together. I'll leave this choice up to you. Here is a chart of all the worth-while Two-Handed weapons in the game. I have shown similiar information as the single-handed weapon chart. Item Name Type Power Notes --------- ---- ----- ----- Carsomyr +6 2-H Sword *** Paladins Gram the Sword of Grief +5 (E) 2-H Sword *** Psion's Blade +5 2-H Sword * **** Against Mind Flayers Soul Reaver +4 2-H Sword *1/2 Not as cool as GtSoG * Joril's Dagger +3 2-H Sword *1/2 Good effect, but it's +3 Silver Sword +3 2-H Sword * Would have been ** if +4 Ravager +6 Halberd ***1/2 Sarevok's best weapon Halberd +4, Wave Halberd *1/2 Some special abilities go to waste Ixil's Spike +6 Spear ** Spear of Withering +4 Spear * Staff of the Ram +6 Staff ** Good damage, Sometimes annoying Staff of the Magi +5 Staff *** Mages, Fighter/Mages Staff of the Woodlands +4 Staff * Druids * Staff of Arundel +3 Staff ** Druids, extra spells are great Staff of Power Staff *1/2 Mages Ravager +6 ---------- This halberd is probably the best non-boss weapon in the game. For one, it's a +6 weapon, meaning it can hit anything even if the enemy has absolute immunity. The real advantage, however, is that it can decapitate your opponents 10% of the time with no chance to save, effectively killing them (this attack causes a ghost to appear from the dead body just like Finger of Death). Even if this special attack is not made, the weapon does 1d10 +6 +3d6 damage plus whatever your strength score gives you. If you add in Improved Haste and/or Greater Whirlwinds, your character will be a very huge threat indeed. This is a very good weapon and I would recommend someone to wield if it's possible (such as the main character, Sarevok or Minsc since these characters as best suited to wield it). In the case of Sarevok, he can make an Deathbringer Assault, which is a lethal attack that shakes the screen and does 150-200 damage!. This attack happens in 5% of all hits and when combined with Ravager +6, you'll have a 15% chance to auto-kill any non-boss target. The only real drawback to this weapon is that acts like a standard weapon when fighting bosses (since they cannot die from the decapitation attack). Thus, you might want to consider some of the other two-handed weapons instead, such as Ixil's Spike +6, Gram the Sword of Grief +5 or Carsomyr +6. What BlueWolf The Druid has to say about Ravager +6: People shouldn't compare Axe of the Unyeilding +5 to Ravager +6, even though these weapons function very similarly. For one, Ravager +6 is a two-handed weapon and does not let one wield a shield or an off-hand weapon where as the Axe of the Unyielding is a single-handed axe and lets you equip a shield or an off-hand weapon, such as Belm +2 or Crom Faeyr. For example, using Axe of the Unyeilding +5 in the main-hand and Darksteel Shield +4 in your shield slot is like wielding a two-handed weapon that would grant your character a 10% chance of instantly slaying an enemy, +1 to your constitution, the ability to regenerate 3hp/round, +6 bonus to your AC (1 from the axe and 5 from the shield), as well as an added 10% resistance to fire, cold, acid and poison. When comparing these abilities to the Ravager +6, the halberd comes up short. Carsomyr +6 ----------- Carsomyr isn't quite as deadly as Ravager +6 as it deals slightly less damage to the enemy (1d12 +6 w/ optional +6 to chaotic evil opponents), however it is quite an effective defensive weapon in that it removes magic protections and the like off your enemies. Unlike the Ravager +6, this effect works on a common orc or the deadliest of Bhaalspawn. Thus, Demogorgon, Sendai or Abazigal will be subjected to this effect, which makes these battles a lot easier if you don't have a Mage or Sorceror to remove the magical protections (or even if you do, you can focus on other spells). It also provides the wielder with an additional 50% resistence, so your Paladin (or Thief) will be very effective throughout ToB where magic is constantly used against you. Gram the Sword of Grief +5 -------------------------- The Gram Sword of Grief is also a very effective weapon since it's equipped with a level drain effect that also works against common enemies and bosses, making it more appealing as a general weapon for non-Paladins that still wish to wield a two-handed weapon other than Ravager +6. Combined with Improved Haste or Greater Whirlwind (the general tactic for all warriors), this weapon could drain your target anywhere from 6 to 10 levels in a single round! The sword also provides a modest 5% extra magic resistence and the ability to do 2-12 extra poison damage 10% of the time. So again, Improved Haste and Greater Whirlwinds improve the chances of this effect taking place in addition to level draining. While the sword might still not deal the same amount of raw damage as Ravager +6 (since it has the extra 3-18 bonus poison damage), the other effects make this two-handed sword worth while. The only real drawback is that you cannot aquire this weapon until you've beat both Abazigal's and Sendai's Enclaves, so you'll only get to use it against Balthazar and Melissan. Thus, you might want to look over this weapon since there aren't that many good two-handed swords for non-Paladins. Ixil's Spike +6 --------------- The last quality two-handed weapon in ToB is the Ixil's Spike, which does a modest "1d6 +6" damage but has the ability to stun an opponent for 3 rounds (and during this period, they take an 3d6+15 damage over these 3 rounds in addition to your on-going attacks). This spear also provides the wielder with the Free Action ability (however, this is somewhat of a minor advantage in ToB). I would say this is the least effective of the two-handed ToB weapons, however you can have Cespenar build the Ixil's Spike +6 right after you do Watcher's Keep (making it a little more appealing). This weapon is probably best used by Jaheira or a custom Human Kensai(12)/Druid or Beserker(12)/Druid dual-class character. What BlueWolf The Druid has to say about Ixil's Spike +6: This weapon is pure cheese since it makes your enemies fall before they are dead (due to the impale/unconcious effect). Like Carsomyr or Gram the Sword of Grief, it works on any foe (such as any of the Bhaalspawn). Like Ravager +6 or Carsomyr, it is also a +6 enchanted weapon. This means that it's impaling effect *cannot* be avoided even by absolute immunity. I impaled Gromnir when he was barely injured and then he couldn't get up before he died. Spear Guide (By Majestic) ------------------------- In SoA, there is a very underrated weapon called "Spear +3: Impaler", which can be found in the Sahuagin City (Looted from King Ixilthetocal). It's a +3 spear that deals out "1d6 +3 +10" damage. The extra +10 damage is an insane boost to your main damage, making this weapon a first choice for spear wielders until you aquire Ixil's Spike +6 after Watcher's Keep. Even though it only has a +3 enchantment, it can get you through most of SoA with ease. Before getting The Impaler, I'd suggest to use The Spear of the Unicorn (which can be found in a cave in the Druid Grove, an easily accessible area at the beginning of the game). It's biggest drawback is the +2 enchantment, but otherwise grants you immunity to Charm and Hold person spells and has a nifty +3 saves vs. death ability. Note: You can easily skip the 'Spear of the Unicorn' if you have enough other proficiencies, but 'The Impaler' shouldn't be as underrated as it is. The Impaler makes a nice alternative to the otherwise Spectral Brand +5/Belm +2 combination fighter/druids normal use. Thieves Using Staff of the Ram +6 (By Majestic) ----------------------------------------------- As unorthadox as this might sound, a thief might consider using the Staff of the Ram +6 as their "ultimate" backstabbing weapon. Without even considering the bonus damage from your Strength score and other items, the damage range is 14-22 (In comparison, the Impaler +3 only does between 14-19). This means that without *any* damage enhancing abilities, that's an assured 70-110 damage with a single backstab, which is quite effective and Hindo's Doom (the preferred single-handed weapon for thieves) doesn't provide damage that high. Since thieves can't use shields and aren't that very effective at dual-wielding, it's an alternative that might be considered. If you are using The Assassin class (which provides a 7x backstab multiplier), a backstab made with the Staff of Ram +6 will deal 98-154! Since only few spells and even Sarevok's Deathbringer Assualt can deal damage that high, this makes planned backstabs quite useful and you can do them many more times than using spells and not at random like Sarevok's special attack. ================================================================================ 5. Ranged Weapons ================================================================================ Here is a chart consisting of the quality ranged weapons to be found in the game. I'll admit, the game seems to favour Short Bows, so if you want an archer, Mazzy makes a great one and you should probably select Short Bows if you decide to use the Archer kit. Even if you have both an Archer and Mazzy, I'd still make them both take Short Bows. The one problem with ranged weapons is that they fail to do as much damage as melee weapons. In SoA, this is somewhat untrue since Mazzy with a Tuigan Bow +1 is extremely dangerous. However, once your fighters aquire more attacks per round through higher levels in ToB, the "Tuigan effect' starts to become a failing strategy :/ Thus, I only gave it a single *. Item Weapon Type Rating Notes ---- ----------- ------ ----- Darkfire Bow +5 Short Bow *** Improved Haste, +5% Fire/Cold Resistence Short Bow of Gesen Short Bow *** +20% electrical resistence, bonus 1-8 electrical damage Tansheron's Bow +3 Short Bow *1/2 Unlimited normal arrows Tuigan Bow +1 Short Bow * Bonus 3 attacks/round Taralash +5 Long Bow *1/2 Increases Movement Rate By 2 Mana Bow +4 Long Bow ** Resist 20% of magical damage Firetooth +5 Crossbow **1/2 Shoots +2 Fire Arrows, +7 THAC0 Erinne Sling +5 Sling *1/2 Create 5 +4 bullets, 1/day * Sling of Everard +5 Sling * Unlimited normal bullets (Yay..) Sling of Arvoreen +4 Sling ** Stun opponent for 3 rounds, 1/day Sling of Seeking +2 Sling *** Add Strength Bonus I would have given Firetooth +5 a higher rating, but only Jan Jensen can make any real use of it. Custom characters or even NPCs can make better use of the other weapon types. It is a quality crossbow, however, and could be deadly given a high number of attacks. Short Bows ---------- The game also poses an interesting decision to the player in that they can only upgrade one of the 3 new ranged weapons found in the game (the Darkfire Bow +4, Taralash +4 and Firetooth +4). If you have a short bow user (like Mazzy, Imoen or Nalia), then upgrading the Darkfire bow will obviously provide you with the most benefit. Even further, however, you won't be loosing out on much since I believe Improved Haste and an additional 5% resistence to Fire and Cold offers a much greater benefit than the other choices (they are just plain weapons as far as I'm concerned). Thus, the Darkfire +5 bow is one of the best ranged weapons in the game, as indicated with it's *** rating. The Short Bow of Gesen is also a good bow in ToB because of it's bonus 1-8 electrical damage, which rips through any immunity to magical weapons and you can disrupt any spells being cast. To maximize your potential damage, you should be using the best arrows possible (just purchase a bunch of the best +X arrows). As for the Tansheron's Bow +3, this bow is like the Short Bow of Gesen in that it can be used without ammo, but it only provides +3 enchanted arrows. This means that it works great in SoA but not so well in ToB. Also, although these arrows are +3, they come with the extra damage that normal +3 arrows would provide, so it's usefulness is further minimized. Slings ------ The slings category is not what you would expect since the both of the +5 slings available are pretty crap. The Erinne Sling +5 doesn't offer any real combat abilities and the extra 5 bullets isn't going to save the day or anything. In fact, you have so much gold in ToB that you could purchase over 500 bullets and it wouldn't put a dent in your wallet at all. The Sling of Everand +5 that you can purchase from one of the bonus merchants in the Copper Cornet is also a big disappointment since it only produces normal bullets (base damage), but are actually +5 enchantment, however. Since normal bullets don't deal enough damage to justify their use, they are very ineffective against almost everything in ToB. You will most likely use quality +4 bullets with other slings anyway, rendering the extra ability useless. If anything, you could use the "Bag of Plenty +2" to provide you with an infinite supply of +2 bullets for ANY sling (which actually deal an extra 2 damage per hit). The real shocker is that the Sling of Seeking +2 is the best choice for sling users. Since Baldur's Gate 2 provides you with many strength-enhancing belts, it is quite common to give the Girdle of Hill Giant Strength to your low-strength users (Like Viconia for instance). Since the sling adds your strength bonus to the damage, you will get 16-19 damage per attack using +4 bullets with this sling, which is much better than any of the others. Even further, you can purchase this from Bernard in the Copper Coronet (Slums District). The only drawback to the Sling of Seeking +2 is that your thac0 will be 3 points lower than it would have been using the other slings, but this is really not a major concern considering that you are doing double or triple the damage per hit. ================================================================================ 6. NPC Equipment Guide ================================================================================ Here is the 'optimal' equipment that should be equiped by each of the NPCs in Baldur's Gate 2. I sometimes indicate a second choice since you may have two characters that could take advantage of a particular item (such as Robe of Vecna for instance). I hope this helps you in some way or at least gives you the "big picture" so some weaker characters might not seem completely hopeless =) This will also give you some perspective on which characters (even your own custom character) will clash with respect to equipment. For instance, Minsc, Korgan and Sarevok all don't work very well together, but any two of the three will work fine from an equipment point of view. Obviously, you might have alignment problems to deal with afterwards, but it's nice to think about the logical aspect of the game as well. Note: Some of this stuff is not complete. If you have finished SoA+ToB and know the exact equipment your character had, please send it to me and believe it to be optimal in a balanced party (with warriors, mages, clerics, etc.) This would save me a lot of time since I wouldn't have to go through the item lists or play every character myself =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.1 - Aerie, Elven Cleric/Mage -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Circle of Netheril, Amulet of Power Body : Robe of Vecna Hands : Bracers of Defense AC3 Ring 1 : Ring of Acuity, Ring of Holiness Ring 2 : Ring of Wizardry Neck : Amulet of Power, Amulet of the Salderine Waist : Belt of Inertial Barrier, Girdle of Hill Giant Strength (improve 10 to 19) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Improved Cloak of Protection +2, Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Staff of the Magi +5, Staff of Power -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.2 - Anomen Delryn, Human Fighter/Cleric -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of Defense, Helm of Glory Body : Enkidu's Full Plate +3, Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlet's of Dexterity (improve 10/14 to 18) Ring 1 : Ring of Holiness Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Sensate Amulet Waist : Girdle of Stone Giant Strength (improve 18/52 to 20) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Storm Star +5/Mace of Disruption +2 (situational), Flail of Ages +5 Off-Hand : Shield of the Order +4, Darksteel Shield +4 I don't recommend dual-wielding with Anomen, since he's a Cleric for the most part. You could use Crom Faeyr if no one else is using it. By ToB, you should have a few stars in Flails as well, so he can use the Flail of Ages or Storm Star. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.3 - Cernd, Human Shapeshifter Druid -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Malla's Soul Stone, Lavender Ioun Stone Body : Studded Leather of Thorns +6, White Dragon Scale Hands : Guantlet's of Dexterity (improve 9 to 18) Ring 1 : Heartwood Ring Ring 2 : Ring of Holiness Neck : Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Girdle of Hill Giant Strength (improve 13 to 19) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Cloak of the High Forest Main-Hand : Staff of Arundel +3, Staff of the Woodlands +4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.4 - Edwin Odesseiron, Human Conjurer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Circle of Netheril, Amulet of Power Body : Robe of Vecna Hands : Bracers of Defense AC3, Guantlet's of Dexterity (improve 10 to 18) Ring 1 : Ring of Acuity Ring 2 : Ring of Wizardry Neck : Edwin's Amulet Waist : Belt of Inertial Barrier Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Improved Cloak of Protection +2, Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Staff of the Magi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.5 - Haer'Dalis, Tiefling Blade -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Malla's Soul Stone, Lavender Ioun Stone, Bronze Ioun Stone (if you decide not to upgrade it) Body : Aslyferund Elven Chain +5, Melodic Chain +3 Hands : Wondrous Gloves Ring 1 : Ring of Regeneration Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of the Master Harper Waist : Girdle of Fortitude (improve 9 to 18) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Blackrazor +3, Short Sword of Mask +5 Off-Hand : Scarlet Ninja-To +3, Kundane +2, Angurvadal +5 Items : Harp of Discord, Methid's Harp I'd recommend that you get ** in Long Swords right away, especially if you intend to have Mazzy in your group. These characters are quite similar in weapon choices if you are considering Short Swords. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.6 - Imoen, Human Mage/Thief -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Golden Ioun Stone Body : Aslyferund Elven Chain +5 Hands : Bracers of Archery, Guantlets of Weapon Skill Ring 1 : Ring of Danger Sense/Ring of Lock Picks (switch as needed) Ring 2 : Ring of Acuity/Wizardry (use what is available) Neck : Amulet of the Master Harper Waist : Belt of Inertial Barrier, Girdle of Hill Giant Strength (Thieves need to hold stuff) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Cloak of Balduran, Cloak of The Sewers, Cloak of Elvenkind Main-Hand : Short Bow of Gesen, Darkfire +5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.7 - Jaheira, Half-Elf Fighter/Druid -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of Defense, Helm of Glory Body : Enkidu's Full Plate +3, Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Weapon Skill, Bracers of Blinding Strike Ring 1 : Heartwood Ring Ring 2 : Ring of Holiness Neck : Harper Pin Waist : Girdle of Stone Giant Strength (improve 15 to 20) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Club of Detonation +5, Spectral Brand +5 Off-Hand : Belm +2 or Main-Hand : Ixil's Spike +6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.8 - Jan Jansen, Gnome Thief/Illusionist -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Golden Ioun Stone, Thieves' Hood, Jansen Spectroscopes Body : Aslyferund Elven Chain +5 Hands : Jansen Techno-Gloves? Ring 1 : Mercykiller Ring Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of the Master Harper Waist : Girdle of Hill Giant Strength (improve 9 to 19) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Firetooth +5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.9 - Keldorn Firecam, Human Inquistor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of Defense, Helm of Glory Body : Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Dexterity, Blessed Bracers Ring 1 : Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Regeneration Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Cheetah Speed, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Girdle of Stone/Frost Giant Strength Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Mirroring, Cloak of Reflection Main-Hand : Carsomyr +6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.10 - Korgan, Dwarf Berserker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of the Rock, Helm of Defense Body : Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Extraordinary Specialization, Guantlets of Weapon Expertise, Bracers of Blinding Strike Ring 1 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Ring 2 : Ring of Regeneration (no ring of gaxx, since axe provides this) Neck : Amulet of Cheetah Speed, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Belt of Inertial Barrier; or Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant if using Shield Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Mirroring, Cloak of Reflection Main-Hand : Axe of the Unyielding +5 Off-Hand : Crom Faeyr, Darksteel Shield +4, Runehammer +5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.11 - Mazzy Fentan, Halfing Fighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Wong Fei's Ioun Stone, Helm of the Rock, Helm of Defense Body : Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Extraordinary Specialization, Guantlets of Weapon Expertise, Bracers of Blinding Strike, Bracers of Archery Ring 1 : Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Regeneration Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Cheetah Speed, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant Strength (improve 15 to 20-22) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Mirroring, Cloak of Reflection Ranged : Short Bow of Gesen (using +4 arrows), Darkfire +5 *or* Main-Hand : Short Sword of Mask +5/Foebane +5 Off-Hand : Kundane +2 It really depends on how you want to use Mazzy. She can make a very effective Archer, but she won't be dealing a lot of damage this way. It might be better to use Sword of the Mask +5 since the effects are quite good and they will deal 4-5 points more damage per attack than using the bow. Unfortunately, this also puts her in harm's way too so the choice is yours to make. Mazzy is also a very much underrated character, at least with ToB installed. If you can get Mazzy early enough (which is very possible if you make it a point to go to the Temple Ruins), you'll have her leveled fairly high. By the end of ToB, she should be level 36/37, which allows her to have 5 stars in 3 weapons (short swords, short bows and something of your choosing!). This makes Mazzy a very flexible character since she can use Bastard Swords to use Foebane +5 in combination with Kundane +2 for instance. However, the possibilities are endless really. The only other character with this kind of flexibility is Korgan (so depending on your alignment, you can choose either of them or both if you like). With a Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant Strength (or some other girdle), she'll have 20-22 Strength, 18 Dexterity and 16 Consitution, putting her as one of the best melee and ranged attackers in the game. Without ToB, perhaps she's not as appealing (since you can't customize her as much), but she is worth the investment as far as weapon proficiences are concerned. Note: See conflict notes with Haer'Dalis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.12 - Minsc, Human Ranger -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of Defense, Helm of Glory Body : Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Extraordinary Specialization, Guantlets of Weapon Expertise, Bracers of Blinding Strike Ring 1 : Ring of Gaxx, Ring of Regeneration Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Cheetah Speed, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant Strength (improve 18/93 to 20-22) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Montolio's Cloak Main-Hand : Gram the Sword of Grief +5, Ravager +6 *or* Main-Hand : Axe of the Unyielding +5 Off-Hand : Darksteel Shield +4, Storm Star +5 Minsc is a strange and varied character because you can build him in any way you choose. He already has 2 stars in Two-Handed Weapon Fighting, but he also gets his 2 bonus stars in dual-wielding since he is a Ranger. I'd recommend wielding either: * A Two-Handed Sword/Halberd (this overlaps with Sarevok) * A mace and an axe (this kind of overlaps with Korgan (but he's evil) and Anomen unless you decide to go with Flails) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.13 - Nalia, Human Mage/Thief -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * See 4.6 - Imoen, Human Mage/Thief. If you happen to have both Imoen and Nalia in the same party, you'll probably have some problems dividing up the equipment seeing as they're both Thief/Mages. Honestly, I would take one and dump the other and use the equipment listing shown above. Otherwise, you're on your own =) Note: I would keep the D'Arnisse Signet Ring on her as it's quite good. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.14 - Sarevok, Human Fighter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Wong Fei's Ioun Stone, Helm of the Rock, Helm of Defense Body : Shuruppak's Plate, Blue Dragon Plate Hands : Guantlets of Extraordinary Specialization, Guantlets of Weapon Expertise, Bracers of Blinding Strike Ring 1 : Ring of Gaxx Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Spell Warding, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant Strength (improve 18/00 to 20-22) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Cloak of Mirroring, Cloak of Reflection Main-Hand : Ravager +6, Psion's Blade +5, Firetooth +4/+5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.15 - Valygar, Human Stalker -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helm of Defense, Helm of Glory Body : White Dragon Scale Hands : Guantlets of Extraordinary Specialization, Guantlets of Weapon Expertise, Bracers of Blinding Strike Ring 1 : Ring of Regeneration, Ring of Gaxx Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Cheetah Speed, Kaligun's Amulet of Magic Resistance Waist : Belt of Inertial Barrier, Girdle of Stone/Fire Giant Strength (improve 17 to 20-22) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness, Gargoyle Boots Cloak : Montolio's Cloak Main-Hand : Foebane +5, Celestrial Fury +3 Off-Hand : Belm +2, Kundane +2 Remember, in order to use Belm or Kundane, you should probably put 2 points in Scimitars or Short Swords, respectively. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.16 - Viconia, Drow Cleric -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head : Helmet of Defense, Silver Ioun Stone, Malla's Soul Stone Body : Enkidu's Full Plate +3 Hands : Gauntlets of Weapon Skill, Bracers of Archery Ring 1 : Ring of Holiness Ring 2 : Ring of Improved Invisibility, Ring of the Ram, Ring of Earth Control, Ring of Fire Resistence Neck : Amulet of Power, Amulet of the Salderine (more magic resistence), Sensate Amulet Waist : Girdle of Hill Giant Strength (improve 10 to 19) Feet : Boots of Speed, Boots of Etherealness Cloak : Cloak of Displacement, Cloak of the Shield Main-Hand : Sling of Everand +5, Erinne's Sling +5, Flail of Ages +5 Off-Hand : Shield of the Order +4, Darksteel Shield +4 A lot of people recommend fighting (or the more ambitious ones advocate dual-wielding) with Viconia, but I find that even with the Cleric's semi- decent thac0, she doesn't perform very well. Also, even if you have a very good AC (such as -11 like I did), she always manages to get hit very often despite the math and her low Constitution is a major problem. I'd just use a Sling and support your fighters with spells. ================================================================================ 7. A Custom 6-Character Party (all in good fun) ================================================================================ If I had to create 6 characters and assign weapon proficiencies, this is how I would do it. The only thing I regret is not being able to use the Ravager +6 or Gram the Sword of Grief +5 (both great weapons). Race Class Weapons ---- ----- ------- Human Inquisitor Carsomyr +5 (SoA) Carsomyr +6 or The Answerer/Purifier combo (ToB) Half-Orc Beserker Axe +3, Frostreaver and Axe +3, Stonefire (SoA) Axe of the Unyielding +5 and Darksteel Shield +4 (ToB) Human Ranger/Cleric Flail of Ages +3 and Crom Faeyr (SoA) Flail of Ages +5 and Crom Faeyr (ToB) Human Kensai/Thief Blade of Roses +3 and Kundane +2 (SoA) Hindo's Doom +4 and Scarlet Ninja-To +3 (ToB) Human Beserker/Mage Celestial Fury +3 and Dak'kon's Zerth Blade +2 (SoA) Foebane +5 and Belm +2 (ToB) Elf Sorceror Staff of the Magi (SoA and ToB) So as you can see, your weapon proficiences will be different depending on what you are building towards. ================================================================================ 8. Cespenar Upgrades ================================================================================ Some faqs and sites show you all the items you can have upgraded, but this is an awful lot to take in, especially if you are hunting the weapons down and would like to know "when" you expect to get them. Many faqs organize them in a very strange manner like alphabetical (pretty useless) or have no real ordering to them at all (like in Dan Simpson's great BG2+ToB faq). Here is a list of all the equipment that can upgraded through Cespenar. I categorized them by area (i.e. the point in the game you should be able to make that particular piece of equipment). I further put them in the order Cespenar asks you about them. Here is the list: Notes: Like Dan Simpson's FAQ, I left out the location if it was in Watcher's Keep since you will find 50% of these items in this dungeon alone. The * symbol indicates if the item is not special or it is not very obvious that you should save it, such as gems and scrolls. After Saradush -------------- Aslyerferund Elven -- Bladesinger Chain +4 (Dragon in Suldanesselar) Chain +5 * Scroll: Protection from Normal Weapons 40,000 gold Improved Cloak of -- Cloak of Protection +2 Protection +2 * Scroll: Invisibility * Scroll: Improved Haste 20,000 gold Thieves Hood (better)- Thieves Hood Ring of Invisibility Antidote Potion 10,000 gold After Watcher's Keep -------------------- Foebane +5 -- Foebane +3 Fflar's Scabbard (Saradush Sewer) Ixil's Spike +6 -- Ixil's Spike Ixil's Nail +4 Staff of the Ram +6 -- Staff of the Ram +4 (Watcher's, Dragon) Roranach's Horn Storm Star +5 -- Storm Star +3 Starfall Ore (found in Kiser's House, Saradush) Flail of Ages +4 -- Flail of Ages +3 Flail Head (Poison) Quiver of Plenty +2 -- Quiver of Plenty * Rogue Stone 10,000 gold Erinne Sling +5 -- Erinne Sling +4 White Dragon Scale -- White Dragon Scales Clay Golem Manual -- Golem Manual Clay Golem Page & 5,000 gold Circlet of Netheril -- Bronze Ioun Stone (Vampire Nest, Saradush) Circlet of Netheril Blessed Bracers -- Paladin's Bracers 10,000 gold Wondrous Gloves -- Bard's Gloves * Star Sapphire * Diamond * Emerald * Rogue Stone Helm of the Rock -- Helm of the Rock (better) Horn (left) Horn (right) Case of Plenty +2 -- Case of Plenty (I never found the original club) Club of Detonation +5 - Club of Detonation +3 Ring of Fire Resistance North Forest ------------ Dagger of the -- Dagger of the Star +4 (Watcher's, Demi-Lich) Star +5 * Star Sapphire (5) (North Forest) Marching Mountains ------------------ Axe of the -- Baalor's Claw (Marching Mountains) Unyielding +5 Axe of the Unyielding +3 Ravager +6 -- Ravager +4 (Yaga Shura's Lair) Serpent Shaft Bag of Plenty +2 -- Bag of Plenty (Marching Mountains) King's Tears 10,000 gold Stone Golem Manual -- Golem Manual Stone Golem Page (Marching Mountains) & 10,000 gold Amkethran --------- Montolio's Cloak -- Montolio's Clasp Montolio's Cloak (Amkethran) Heartwood Ring -- Oaken Ring (Amkethran) Nymph's Tear (Forest of Mir) Sendai's Forest --------------- Runehammer +5 -- Runehammer +4 (Siege Camp) Rune of Clangeddin (Sendai's Forest) Sendai's Lair ------------- Sword of Mask +5 -- Short Sword of Mask +4 Heart of the Damned (Sendai's Lair) Angurvadal +5 -- Angurvadal +4 Liquid Mercury (Sendai's Lair) 10,000 gold Carsomyr +6 -- Carsomyr +5 (Firkraag) Eye of Tyr (Sendai's Lair) Purifier +5 -- Purifier +4 Eye of Tyr (Sendai's Lair) Spectral Brand +5 -- Spectral Brand +4 Skull of the Lich (Sendai's Lair) Darkfire Bow +5 -- Bowstring of Gond (Sendai's Lair) Darkfire Bow (Capt. Erelon, Amkethran) Taralash +5 -- Bowstring of Gond (Sendai's Lair) Taralash +4 Fire Tooth +5 -- Bowstring of Gond (Sendai's Lair) Fire Tooth +4 Abazigal -------- Hindo's Doom +4 -- Hindo's Doom +3 Hindo's Hand (Abazigal's Lair) Gram (improved) -- Gram the Sword of Grief +5 (Abazigal's Lair) Heart of the Damned (Sendai's Lair) Jugg. Golem Manual -- Juggernaut Golem Page (Abazigal's Lair) & 15,000 gold Blue Dragon Plate -- Blue Dragon Scales (Abazigal) Flail of Ages +5 -- Flail of Ages +4 Flail Head (Electric) (Abazigal) ================================================================================ 9. Last Words ================================================================================ Well, I hope you enjoyed reading the FAQ and learned something from it. I enjoyed poking away at the secrets of the game, trying to find best builds myself as well and writing this FAQ was a good way to assert my knowledge and help people. I also learned a thing or two about the game in the process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.1 - Contact Info -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any suggestions to improve or fix the content in the FAQ, please contact me (Ken Egervari) and I'll add them to the next version. I will, of course, give you full credit for your addition, and be eternally grateful to you (as well as the other readers that benefit from your information). If you are going to email me about this game, please put "BG2: Equipment Guide" as your email subject along with the version number of the FAQ that you are looking at. If you don't do this, I might not reply seeing as you didn't take the time to respect the wishes of the author. If you ask me generic questions about the game, I may or may not respond. I only have so much free time and I obviously can't respond to everything. I really tried to convert my knowledge about this game into the written work that you see here, so if it concerns this FAQ, it's probably here already. As a last thought, please read this FAQ in its entirety before you ask questions. Email addresses: ---------------- Here is my email address. If you are one of these contributors, send me a private message through the BIS forums and I'll add you here if you wish it. Ken J. Egervari (Egervari) - ken@extremephp.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.2 - Copyright Info -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Document is Copyright 2002 by Ken J. Egervari. Baldur's Gate 2 and all related marks are copyrighted and trademarked by their respective owners. I had nothing to do with the development of the game and I am not affiliated with them in any way. This FAQ may be posted on any site so long as NOTHING IS CHANGED in part or in total AND you EMAIL ME telling me that you are posting it. You may not charge for, or in any way profit from this FAQ. If you would like to me write articles and FAQs for you, email me and we can work something out. You are welcome to download the FAQ, print it out and even give it out to friends (although I'd prefer that you give them the proper gamefaqs.com URL). ================================================================================