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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

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Table of Contents

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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

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1. Introduction

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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 =)

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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9.2 - Copyright Info

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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).