Hints
General Hints
Below are some strategies that I use when trying to get through difficult areas.
Save Often
Not only should you save your game after every battle or major dialogue,
I also recommend keeping several saved game files for each of your games. This
will allow to backtrack several saves if you, for instance, find
yourself in an area that is too dificult or you don't like how a subquest
you are involved with is turning out. I usually have one save game from the
beginning of the current chapter, one save game from the last safe area (e.g town)
I was in, one save game from the beginning of the current area I'm working
on, and then one or more in the current area. I often make temporary saves if
I want to experiment somewhere but don't want my experiments as part of
my main game.
Ranged Attacks Rock!
I usually find ranged attacks useless in most RPGs, but in Baldur's Gate
they are quite powerful. I recommend that most if not all your fighters
have some sort of ranged attack available. You can usually take out quite
a few of the enemy before they come into melee range. Ranged weapons are
also useful in taking out enemies one at a time as I will explain in the
next hint.
Take out enemies one at a time
A strategy I use for nearly all difficult battles I encounter is to take
out the enemies one at a time. As you approach the area where the enemies
are, take one step at a time. When a single enemy appears, stop and
take him out either with ranged weapons or with melee weapons when it
reaches your party. Once the enemy is dead, take another step forward
until the next enemy appears. This way you will take out each of the enemies
in the group six-on-one instead of being outnumbered. You can even save
between enemies. This works well against normal enemies and NPC parties.
My Favorite Spells
Fireball
By far my favorite spell, I use it whenever I want to kick some major
enemy butt. This devastating spell can wipe out an entire group of
weaker enemies and cause serious damage to more powerful opponents.
Collect as many Wands of Fire as you can, since they have the same effect
as the Fireball spell.
Dispel Magic
I find this powerful spell almost as indispensable as the Fireball spell.
Cast this on a group on enemy NPCs to remove all of their invisibilty,
blur, mirror image, ghost armor, etc effects and cast it on your own party
to remove all confusion, fear, and hold effects.
Cure Light Wounds
I usually have my clerics use this spell to fill all of their first level
spell slots. Since you only heal by about two or three hit points apiece
when you rest, you need to have healing magic to fully restore your hit
points. How many Cure Light Wounds spells you have available basically
determines how long you can adventure before resting.
Magic Missile
This spell has several advantages:
I like using this spell agains enemy mages because it disrupts any spell they are casting (since it is a guaranteed hit) and it usually only takes one or two spells to kill them. It is also useful to help your fighters defeat enemy fighers.
Web
Cast this spell on a group of enemies and then take them out using
ranged attacks from outside the area of effect. This is the best area
spell until you learn Fireball.
Cloudkill
This fifth level spell is incredible powerful. The catch is that I was
only able to find one of these and it cannot be memorized from your
spell book (you can only memorize up to level 4 spells in Baldur's Gate).
I used this spell in the final battle and was quite pleased with the
results.
Draw Upon Holy Might
This spell gives the cleric a significant advantage in battle. The
hero learns this in one of the later chapters.
Identify
Don't waste your gold identifying items in shops; identify them yourself
for free.
Protection from Petrification
Cast this on one of your characters and they are almost invincible
against basilisks.