Siege of Dragonspear - Review @ RPS

[Maylander]

What are your overall impressions of the game?

-> look here

Argh! Spoilers!!

Yeah, I'm not going near your thread until I've finished the game thanks.

I should probably write something that isn't a spoiler filled rant..

As for reputation:
It's mostly gained and lost depending on quest outcome (also, as JDR pointed out, killing guards and such loses rep very quickly). That being said, it's easy to become a fallen paladin/ranger if you group up with evil characters, as they actually affect the reputation negatively on their own (Dorn, Baeloth and Viconia if I recall correctly).

Also, I know of no way to redeem a fallen character. They basically turn into plain fighters and that's it really.

 

[Pessimeister]

I think one of the nastiest consequences to deal with from having an evil party in SoD is the exorbitant prices in the store within your own camp! Check out how much I'm expected to pay for 80 arrows of ice! *shivers*. (That's 375g per twang!)
I'm sure characters with heroic reputations wouldn't experience this.

That's almost my entire current holdings. It's ironic that they effectively punish you for getting ahead against the crusade, but that's what you get for trying to make evil pay, as they say.

It's great fun finding ways to survive and get around this. Also, I like that companions are true to their alignments and leave if your reputation isn't to their liking; I wanted to see more of this in Pillars of Eternity. What I don't particularly like, is the game not having the balanced amount of companions for the player to adequately deal with this situation. It's pretty clear that overall, the game does much better at catering to the canonical traditional player. (Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc, Imoen, Dynaheir…)

For those that have finished the game, I'm currently up to the Boareskyr Bridge map. Having completed every map before this, how far through would you say I've come? Just curious.

Whilst it is a shameless plug, here's some journal entries I wrote from my last time through BG: EE. Hopefully Watchers will get a laugh if they haven't already seen it.
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21933

Edit:
I tried donating some gold to Mizhena and others to influence the merchants, but the the effect wasn't too noticeable and ultimately doesn't feel worth it both practically and role-playing wise.

 

[Archangel]

Shop prices depend both on your leader Charisma and party reputation.

 

[Maylander]

For those that have finished the game, I'm currently up to the Boareskyr Bridge map. Having completed every map before this, how far through would you say I've come? Just curious.

Whilst it is a shameless plug, here's some journal entries I wrote from my last time through BG: EE. Hopefully Watchers will get a laugh if they haven't already seen it.
http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21933

In terms of sheer content, I'd say about halfway, though personally my pace picked up a bit after completing the bridge. I think it has to do with finally being able to make the party I wanted, and getting the hang of it all.

 

[greywolf00]

Party members leaving because of reputation has always been one of my few complaints about the series. I hated having to perform some evil acts just to knock my rep down a few points so I could keep Viconia in BG1. I wish they would have implemented another way to keep characters that don't match your general alignment.

It's a much more pronounced problem in SoD sadly.

I imported an evil character from BG:EE, and failed the charisma roll for Tiax. You can get Edwin, Baeloth and Viconia (if you have the charisma) pretty quickly after leaving the city, but you're still supplementing with non-evil characters while carrying over the reputation from the first game. People try to leave left and right, making it a real pain to keep a full party. Romancing someone seems to circumvent the issue for at least one person though.

 

[Maylander]

As I like to mix up my parties a bit, I've been using ShadowKeeper (now EE Keeper) for years to just open save game -> find the evil character in question -> change their alignment to chaotic neutral. It's not actually a check within the character itself, it's a check exclusively on their alignment.

The cursed helmet from BG that changes alignment to opposite also works (I tend to use it on Dorn, but I guess it should also work on Shar-Teel, Tiax, Viconia and Kagain. Edwin and Baeloth can't wear it though I think).

It's actually quite amusing to hear Dorn compliment the actions of the party, when we're all sitting at 20 reputation, but he think we're all evil due to the helmet changing his alignment to good.

 

[Turjan]

As I like to mix up my parties a bit, I've been using ShadowKeeper (now EE Keeper) for years to just open save game -> find the evil character in question -> change their alignment to chaotic neutral. It's not actually a check within the character itself, it's a check exclusively on their alignment.

You know, now that you write this, I have no idea why I've never done this. I really don't like playing evil parties, but I think Edwin is one of the - involuntarily - funniest characters in the game. I'll have to do this.

That may even make me have a look at some of Beamdog's characters.

 

[greywolf00]

You know, now that you write this, I have no idea why I've never done this. I really don't like playing evil parties, but I think Edwin is one of the - involuntarily - funniest characters in the game. I'll have to do this.

That may even make me have a look at some of Beamdog's characters.

Edwin hitting on Viconia in SoD is truly amusing.

 

[booboo]

I'm still taking my neutral/evil party though BG before hitting SoD...I did a replay not so long ago and finding it a bit tedious... so wondering whether I should just start SoD with my current party? Can I just import from a BGEE save and then get going? What level does it assume? I have Dorn, Edwin, Branwen, Imoen (the one good character in my party), Kaigen and myself (Neutral dragonborn sorcerer). Man, its hard to avoid getting good reputation...I was down to 7 and one point, now I've just gone up to 14!!!

 

[Pessimeister]

Importing from old EE saves should work fine Booboo; I've tested it on my last character and it worked fine. You'll start the level you were I would think; 6-8. I was hoping that Kagain's quest would be finished or even expanded in the EE, (as I'm quite fond of him) but unfortunately it wasn't. Also, it's easy to avoid good reputation if one is able to weave in a dark deed or two.

As I like to mix up my parties a bit, I've been using ShadowKeeper (now EE Keeper) for years to just open save game -> find the evil character in question -> change their alignment to chaotic neutral. It's not actually a check within the character itself, it's a check exclusively on their alignment.

Man, I could never do that. Just a bit too radical for me to interfere with the natural role-playing process in such a way. Personally, I like the alignment conflicts and npcs having their own "autonomy" rather than simply being just clickbot servants to the player.

 

[booboo]

Thanks pessimeister, I think I'll do that - I'm around levels 6 now so hopefully that will be fine...