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Icewind Dale (PC) &
Heart of Winter (PC)
FAQ/Walkthrough
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April 16, 2009
Version  5.2
Written by:  Dan Simpson
Email:  dsimpson.faqs@gmail.com
Use this subject:  Icewind Dale v 5.2
(Emails with improper subjects will be ignored!)
Email Policy: (read before emailing me!)
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If you see any mistakes, or have anything that you want to add,
please email me.  I will, of course, give you full credit for
your addition, and be eternally grateful to you.  Email addresses
are not posted in the guide, unless you specifically state that
you want it to be.
Notes
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You will find the most up to date version of this FAQ at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
http://www.gamewinners.com/
http://www.cheatcc.com/
Here is my humble FAQ/Walkthrough for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D)
game, Icewind Dale. I have also put out an Items List (mostly for cheating),
an AD&D Rules FAQ (for reference), and some maps for Kresselack's Tomb and
the Shattered Hand. All of these can be found at GameFAQs.
If you have Heart of Winter, there is a FREE downloadable dungeon to try,
called Trials of the Luremaster:
http://www.fileplanet.com/62184/60000/fileinfo/Icewind-Dale---Heart-of-
Winter:-Trials-of-the-Luremaster
I quote directly from other people who have sent in information.  When I want
to comment on their strategies, I use the "Ed. Note", or Editor's Note.
To find coordinates, press the x key.
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__________________
What's New in 5.2:
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Added a note from Mattias on completing the arboretum. Added CTRL-F codes
for quicker navigation. Added SgtFang's tip on selling items in general
strategies. Moved the general gaming FAQ section up a bit. Added an answer
to that section on resurrection. Updated the Trials of the Luremaster link.
Added Chris's note on getting an amulet from the mirror of black ice in
HOW. Added some new FAQs based on emails received in the last few years.
Added Chris Bradley's note on some spells in Easthaven. Added mortzestus's
note on the Black Dragon Scale. Added a section on tweaking Icewind Dale.
Added Loren M Ziem's All-Fighter alternative party. Some other small edits.
For a complete Version History, check out the Final Words Section at the end
of the FAQ.
Note:  In the FAQ I use the abbreviation IWD to stand in for the full title of
Icewind Dale, HoW for Heart of Winter, BG to abbreviate Baldur's Gate
and BG2 for Baldur's Gate 2.
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Table of Contents:
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To navigate quickly, double click the code, press CTRL-C, then CTRL-F,
CTRL-V and ENTER!
i.     [WNNHFW]  What's New in Heart of Winter?
ii.    [TWKNGW]  Tweaking Icewind Dale
iii.   [MYPRTY]  My Party
iv.    [CRTNGB]  Creating a Balanced Party
v.     [GNRLST]  General Strategies
[FRQNTL]  Frequently Asked Questions
a.     [GNRLGM]  FAQ: General Gaming Questions
b.     [GMPLYS]  FAQ: Walkthrough Questions
c.     [HRTFWN]  FAQ: Heart of Winter Questions
d.     [MNSTRQ]  FAQ: Monster Questions
e.     [TCHNCL]  FAQ: Technical Questions
f.     [THRQST]  FAQ: Other Questions
[WLKTHR]  Walkthrough
1.     [STHVNN]  Easthaven
1.1. [THLSTC]  The Lost Caravan
2.     [KLDHRP]  Kuldahar Pass
3.     [KLDHRR]  Kuldahar
4.     [VLFSHD]  Vale of Shadows
4.1. [KRSSLC]  Kresselack's Tomb
4.2. [PSTVLK]  Post Vale Kuldahar
5.     [TMPLFT]  Temple of the Forgotten God
6.     [DRGNYY]  Dragon's Eye
7.     [SVRDHN]  Severed Hand
8.     [DRNDPP]  Dorn's Deep
9.     [WYRMTT]  Wyrm's Tooth
10.     [LWRDRN]  Lower Dorn's Deep
11.     [STHVN2]  Easthaven (again)
[HRTFWW]  Heart of Winter Walkthrough
1.     [LNLYWD]  Lonelywood
2.     [BRBRNC]  Barbarian Camp
3.     [BRLSLL]  Burial Isle
4.     [LNLYWI]  Lonelywood Interlude
5.     [GLMFRS]  Gloomfrost
6.     [SFMVNG]  Sea of Moving Ice
7.     [TRLSFT]  Trials of the Luremaster (free downloadable dungeon)
[PPNDCS]  Appendices
I.     [GDTNMN]  Guide to Naming Characters
II.    [CHTSSS]  Cheats
III.   [BGZZZZ]  Bugs
IV.    [STRNGT]  Strange Things
[FNLWRD]  Final Words...
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i.     [WNNHFW]  What's New in Heart of Winter?
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This section is mostly for people who don't own the expansion and wonder
whether it is worth a purchase.  However, there are some other minute changes
that even owners of HoW might not be aware of. (many of these are taken from
the manual)
Major Additions:
* New areas to explore, accessible through Kuldahar.  These areas can be
played before or after completing the normal game.  You can even play in
"Expansion Only" mode if you don't even want to complete the normal game.
* Now supports 800x600 resolutions, including drop-away side panels (from
BG2).
* New difficulty mode, Heart of Fury.  This is meant for people who think the
game is too easy.  What it does is pump up enemies stats (and exp too) to
the point where they become tanks.  Ex:  All creatures have x3, +80 hit
points. A creature with 20 hit points in regular mode would have 20x3 = 60,
60+80 = 140 hit points.
Note:  Your summoned monsters get the same bonuses as all the other
monsters, making summoning spells even MORE powerful in HoF mode.
Note:  The amount of EXP you get from monsters goes up with the
difficulty.  At HARD you get 150% normal, at INSANE you get 200%
normal.  In HoF you get more than that (I have no exact details
on it yet).
* Enemies can now "call for help." (they don't ALWAYS do this)  What it means
is that you can't pick enemies off one by one, they'll yell to their
friends.
From JE Sawyer:
Places where it definitely is used:
* The expansion areas.
* Most of Dragon's Eye (L1,2,3, and parts of 5)
* The Orc Cave
* Kuldahar Pass
* Parts of Lower Dorn's (Entrance, Artisan's District, Mines, Palace
Level 3, the Great Forge, the Broken Temple)
Places where I believe it is used:
* Temple of the Forgotten God
* Upper Dorn's Deep
* Parts of Wyrm's Tooth
Places where I believe it is not used:
* Easthaven
* The Vale of Shadows
Minor Additions:
* Experience Cap allows characters to reach 30th level.
* New Portraits
* New Character Sounds
* New Gem Bags, Scroll Cases and Potion Bags (similar to things found in BG2)
* New spells:
Druid
1st Level: Cause Light Wounds
1st Level: Sunscorch
2nd Level: Alicorn Lance
2nd Level: Beast Claw
2nd Level: Cause Moderate Wounds
3rd Level: Cloudburst
3rd Level: Mold Touch
3rd Level: Moonblade
3rd Level: Spike Growth
3rd Level: Storm Shell
4th Level: Smashing Wave
4th Level: Star Metal Cudgel
4th Level: Thorn Spray
4th Level: Wall of Moonlight
5th Level: Animal Rage
6th Level: Whirlwind
7th Level: Earthquake
7th Level: Mist of Eldath
7th Level: Stalker
Cleric:
1st Level: Cause Light Wounds
2nd Level: Cause Moderate Wounds
3rd Level: Cause Disease
3rd Level: Circle of Bones
3rd Level: Exaltation
3rd Level: Holy Smite
3rd Level: Unholy Blight
4th Level: Blood Rage
4th Level: Cause Serious Wounds
4th Level: Cloud of Pestilence
4th Level: Poison
4th Level: Unfailing Endurance
5th Level: Cause Critical Wounds
5th Level: Greater Command
5th Level: Magic Resistance
5th Level: Shield of Lathander
5th Level: Slay Living
5th Level: Undead Ward
6th Level: Blade Barrier
6th Level: Harm
6th Level: Spiritual Wrath
7th Level: Destruction
7th Level: Greater Shield of Lathander
7th Level: Holy Word
7th Level: Unholy Word
Wizard:
2nd Level: Cat's Grace
3rd Level: Lance of Disruption
4th Level: Mordenkainen's Force Missiles
4th Level: Shout
4th Level: Vitriolic Sphere
5th Level: Contact Other Plane
5th Level: Lower Resistance
5th Level: Sunfire
6th Level: Darts of Bone
6th Level: Soul Eater
6th Level: Trollish Fortitude
7th Level: Seven Eyes
7th Level: Suffocate
8th Level: Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting
8th Level: Great Shout
8th Level: Iron Body
8th Level: Power Word: Blind
* New Items
* New "Hotkey" that highlights all significant items in the area (such as
doors, chests and items). Very handy if you can't see where certain levers
are... (Use by pressing ALT)
* Ability to buy more than one item at a time
* Paladins get new abilities:
Smite Evil - Column of holy light that does 1d6 + (1d6 / 3 levels) damage
to evil enemies.
Divine Courage - At 3rd level, immune to fear. (Also immune to disease)
Earlier Spell Access (at level 6 instead of 9)
* Rangers get new abilities:
Tracking - Ranger checks to see what monsters are in the area, and often
where the monsters are.  +5% chance per level, +5% per point
of wisdom.
Earlier Spell Access (same)
* Druids get new abilities:
Druidic Shape Chance - now available at 5th level, gains a new for every
other level after that. Some HP healed with the change.
Elemental Form - At 11th level, the Druid can transform himself into a
Fire Elemental. At 13th, Earth elemental, at 15th a Water
elemental.
Immunity to Poison - At 9th level.
Timeless Body - At 15th level, no longer get tired.
* Thieves get new abilities:
Sneak Attack - An alternative to backstabbing (must be switched in the
options menu). Doesn't require being in shadows, merely that
you are behind or to the side of the enemy.  The damage is an
extra 1d6 for every 4 levels of experience.  Critical hits do
not double the sneak attack damage.
Evasion - At 7th level, thieves can evade effects (such as Fireball,
Lightning bolt, etc.), the thief can Save to completely evade
the spell (as opposed to Saving and getting half damage).
You cannot evade your own effects (such as a Mage/Thief
casting fireball right in front of himself).
Crippling Strike - At 5th level, thieves learn how to cripple their
opponents.  Crippling only works WITH the Sneak Attack.  A
successful cripple causes the victim to suffer a -1 to attack,
at 9th level -2 to attack and damage, at 13th level -3 to
attack and damage, etc. (every 4 levels another -1 to attack
and damage)
* Bards get new songs:
The Ballad of Three Heroes - Allies gain +1 to hit, damage and Saving.
The Tale of Curran Strongheart - 3rd level.  Removes fear.
Tymora's Melody - 5th level.  Allies get +1 luck, +3 saving throws, and
+10% to lore and thieving skills.
The Song of Kaudies - 7th level.  50% chance to evade sound-based
attacks.
The Siren's Yearning - 9th level.  Chance of enemies becoming Enthralled
(unable to move for a minute or so, or until they take dmg).
War Chant of Sith - 11th level.  Allies get +2 bonus to AC, +10% res. to
slashing, piercing, crushing and missile attacks, plus
regenerate 2 HP per round.
Changes:
* Spells have been changed somewhat.  Some spells are now Alignment (Good,
Evil) specific.  Ex: Raise Dead and Cure Critical Wounds cannot be cast by
Evil clerics, Resurrection and Heal can only be cast by Good clerics.
* Opposition schools have been altered.  Your old mages won't lose spells
they already know, but they will be unable to learn new spells out of their
sphere.
From JE Sawyer:
Specialist mages now have 1 or 2 barred schools. If your specialist mages
from IWD already have spells, they will not be taken away. However, they
will be unable to take new spells from the barred schools. Here's how it
breaks down:
Abjurer: Alteration, Illusion
Conjurer: Invocation
Diviner: Conjuration/Summoning
Enchanter: Invocation
Illusionist: Necromancy, Abjuration
Invoker: Divination, Conjuration/Summoning
Necromancer: Illusion, Enchantment/Charm
Transmuter: Necromancy, Abjuration
* Ranger/Clerics no longer get the Druid spells from level 1. (You must wait
until the Ranger is level 6)
Items Removed/Changed:
* Many of the random item tables have been changed.  I have most of these
changes in the IWD walkthrough (where it says "removed in HoW", or "HoW
only").
* Mithril Plate +2 is now considered "magical" and thusly cannot be worn with
protective rings/cloaks. (If you were wearing it before installing HoW,
you'll still have it on... just don't take it off!)
* Necromancer's Robe is now AC6 rather than AC8.
* Kontik's Ring of Wizardry increases cold damage the wearer takes by 15%
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ii.    [TWKNGW]  Tweaking Icewind Dale
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The last official content for Icewind Dale was Trials of the Luremaster.
But that doesn't mean that there isn't anything new out there for the game!
There are some great mods out there, and you can see most of them at:
http://modlist.pocketplane.net/
There you can find mods to add Baldur's Gate style NPCs, or add some
new quests in as well.
In particular, I would recommend the Icewind Dale Tweak Pack from the
Gibberlings 3:
http://www.gibberlings3.net/daletweak/index.php
The Tweak Pack is one part Unofficial Patch, and another part Gameplay
Tweaks. You can see the full list of changes on the website. All the
components are optional, so if you want to fixes, but don't want the
tweaks, you can do that. Or if you want some tweaks, but think others
are too much of a cheat, you can skip them.
I would also recommend the Unfinished Business mod for Icewind dale:
http://www.gibberlings3.net/ub_iwd/
This restores some of the content that Black Isle cut before the game
released. Again, as with the tweak pack, each component is optional, so
you can just install the ones you want.
For those of us on a Widescreen monitor, there is also the Widescreen Mod:
(requires Heart of Winter)
http://gibberlings3.net/widescreen/
This one allows you to set your game resolution to anything you would like.
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iii.    [MYPRTY]  My Party:
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The party I first beat the game with:
Human      Fighter
Elf        Fighter
Half-Elf   Cleric/Ranger (has access to both Druid and Cleric spells this
way, and also gets the "dual wield" which is just
an extra attack when a shield is not equipped)
Human      Bard          (useful to identify things, and can cast magic!)
Halfling   Fighter/Thief (I didn't bother with the pickpocket skill)
Human      Conjurer
I actually started the game with a Human Thief instead of the Halfling, but
switched over later.  (You can bring in new characters at any time)  Then I
just stayed in the area I was at, and leveled my new character up a bit.
What monsters was I fighting?  Cold Wights!  One of my favorite monsters in
all of Dragon's Eye.  Easy to beat, and decent Exp (1500) as well.
Pickpocket is useful especially for the bard who has nothing to do but
pickpocket.  I pick a few NPC's pockets and got some nice item especially
from the archdruid himself (I got 2 rings of free movement; I will never be
held by spells or item like wise). (from Mike Gan)
The party I played through IWD with the second time:
Dwarf      Fighter        (with proficiencies in Axes and Crossbows)
Half-Elf   Cleric/Ranger  (is actually IMPORTED from my first party, though
not from the end of the game, at level 8/8 with a
lot of cool items)
Halfling   Fighter/Thief
Elf        Fighter/Mage   (I'd found a cool weapon my first go through of the
game that could only be used by Fighter/Mages
so...)
And they were all EVIL (except the Cleric/Ranger)!  I was really surprised by
how many items in IWD couldn't be used by GOOD characters, so I had to have
some EVIL characters.  And for more role-playing fun, I said all the "jerk"
responses in the dialogs.  After this maybe I'll go through with a party of
Gnomes...
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iv.   [CRTNGB]  Creating a Balanced Party
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most important decisions that you have to make comes before you
ever start the game.  What will your party look like?  Naturally I would
recommend the party I used to beat the game (see My Party above) as it worked
well, but I know that that party isn't for everyone.  So here we now have a
section on creating that balanced party that you can use to smite your
enemies!
Decision 1:  How many characters to have in the party?
------------------------------------------------------
You can have anywhere from 1 to 6 characters in your party.  Naturally
going through the game with just one character would be extraordinarily
difficult.  The minimum number of characters that I think would keep the
game playable is 4.  3 could probably be done, but you're pushing it.
Four characters allows you to cover all the bases (one fighter, mage,
cleric, and thief type characters), with the obvious advantage that they
will get more experience per battle, as there are less people to share the
experience with. (Whenever you defeat a creature, each character gets the
exp that that creature was worth divided by how many characters you have
in your party.  So if you just beat a 2000 exp monster, and had 4 people,
then each person gets 500 exp, but if you have 6 people then they only get
333 experience)
That being said, if you are a newcomer to AD&D games, such as Icewind Dale
and Baldur's Gate, then I would recommend that you go with the full 6
member party.  Even if you are pretty good at Baldur's Gate, you may still
want to go with the full 6 member party.
But if you enjoy a challenge, try 4 (or 3).
And if you're suicidal, try just one character.
Decision 2:  What classes should be in my party?
------------------------------------------------
You need to balance your party in IWD.  All melee parties will do pretty
poorly in IWD, as they get slaughtered by nasty enemies.  Magic heavy
parties do poorly as well as you don't have enough standing between you and
certain death.  As such, careful balance is in order.
Let's take a look at the party I used to beat the game:
Human     Fighter
Elf       Fighter
Half-Elf  Cleric/Ranger
Human     Bard
Halfling  Fighter/Thief
Human     Conjurer
At level 1 this party has 4 melee fighter types, two thief types (the Bard
can only Pick Pockets, but this frees the Fighter/Thief from having to use
any skill points on Pickpockets), two mage types (the bard gets spells on
level 2), and one Cleric type.  The only weakness at the beginning is that
the Conjurer only gets 6 HP to start out with.
What you need:
A thief
A cleric
And enough Hp's to not get killed in every battle
Everything past that is extremely helpful, but not specifically NEEDED.
Naturally you get the HP's from Fighters.  A thief and a Cleric alone will
get killed easily, so add a few Fighters to the mix, and/or multi-class the
thief and cleric.
Adding in Magic is a really good idea as it supplements your melee power.
Therefore my recommended party looks very much like the party I first used,
with the six party members.
If I were to play with only three characters, this is how I would do it:
Cleric/Ranger (I love these)
Fighter/Thief
Fighter/Mage
ERSKINE makes this recommendation about which type of Mage to play:
If you make your wizard a specialty Conjurer then you can use all the
spells currently in the game!  Conjurers in Icewind Dale (IWD) have
an opposition school of Divination, but all wizards can learn/cast
"lesser divinations" of up to and including 3rd level (maybe 4th, but I
don't think so)-- there are no divinations in IWD above second level, so
a conjurer can cast all spells in the game and gains the bonus spells
for being a specialist-- I do not think IWD uses any of the disadvantages
of being a specialist like in AD&D.
Alignment Note:  There are various items in the game that can only be used
by Good or Evil characters, so try to have a mix of
alignments.  Maybe 2 Good, 2 Neutral and 2 Evil.  Also
your reputation is based on the Alignment of the character
in the first slot, Lawful Good being the best, Chaotic
Evil being the worst.
The "All-Fighter" Party:
------------------------
This is a "powergamer" type of party, that takes advantage of the Human's
Dual Classing.
Create a party of six (or how ever many people you want) fighters.  While
creating each of them, keep in mind what you would like them to dual class
over to later.  So, when you are creating your Fighter who will dual to
Cleric, you need to get not only good Fighter stats, but also good Wisdom.
The same would go for your Fighter who will be Thief, needing good
Dexterity, Fighter who will be Mage needs good Intelligence, etc.  Now
when they reach level two, instantly dual class them over to their new
class.  What this accomplishes is creating better versions of
Clerics/Thieves/Mages/etc., at a low cost of experience. (2000 exp for the
Fighter level 2)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Fighter (stays a fighter)
Ranger dualled to Cleric at level 2
Fighter dualled to Thief at level 2
Fighter dualled to Mage at level 2
+1 more character if desired (I'd take a Bard)
"All-Fighter" Alternate Party: (from Loren M Ziem)
------------------------------
Six fighters.  Two of them dwarves, four of them full-blooded elves (for
their magic resistances).  Give the dwarves the job of "tanking" for the
elves with their optimal constitutions; since bastard swords are
phenomonally powerful, plentiful, and still one-handed, I'd recommand
greatswords for one (not to mention, non-expansion players may find the
incredible life-giving greatsword +4), and also "The Giving Star" is the
best weapon in the game due to how early it can be purchased by the frugal
mace-wielding fighter.  The other four should be archers; two bows, two
crossbows, just for the best odds of distrubuting new equipment.  Near the
beginning of the game the archers will have close to ALL of the party
kills, and near the end of the game the fighters should catch up.  You'll
have around 300,000 gold by the time you're ready to meet Poquelin from
selling all the loot you won't need, far more than enough to buy every
magic arrow/bolt any merchant offers, plus any useful potions, which I
recommend consuming thirstily for extra-gory bloodbaths.
The major drawback, other than no trap detection, is that magical cloaks,
armors, and noticably-magical rings cannot be equipped together, making
the nonmagical (?) mithral plate +2 and Umber Hulk Armor a constant
temptation for duplication.
Most enemies from the middle of the game will drop in their tracks in a
tornado of whistling lead and magical fire, acid and lightning before the
tanking fighters even reach the front lines.  The last battle however is a
challenge for archers, as all three of the opponents are immune to ANY
projectiles.  Saving a good shield and one-handed weapon for the elves
will be both essential and effective, as they'll have plenty of extra
proficiency points (level eleven, and still maxed out at 3 points in
bow/x-bow skill... sigh).
ERSKINE's party making strategies:
----------------------------------
My thoughts on party composition --
at least two Fighters--- great hit points, great THAC0's, wear almost any
armor, 5 levels of weapon specialization, and they
usually have the best strength with which to carry
your heavy items without being encumbered
one Mage --- make it a conjurer (use all the spells, memorize 1 extra spell
per spell level) they can use almost all of the wands, and
their spells rock at high levels
one Druid--- I think their spells are better (like Creeping Doom, Fire
seeds, Static Charge), the loss of turning undead is not that
much of a problem-- I hate chasing down skeletons and wights
that ran away, and they can even use some good armor and
shields later in the game (Umber Hulk plate and Rhino Beetle
Shields) (Ed. Note: You're almost at the END of the game
before you get THOSE items!  Though they are quite good)
a multi-classed thief--- true thieves in IWD are a little bit lacking, make
your thief a thief/mage or a fighter/thief for
better effect (you can still reach lvl 14/12 with
a thief/mage or 14/11 with a thief/fighter)
Your 6th character can be what ever you like--- if you love mages add
another one, or try out a Paladin or even a cleric
I would avoid Rangers-- they are great in AD&D but they have some limitations
in IWD: there are not a lot of animals to charm, only 2 levels of weapon
specialization, more xp's to level up and if you want to hide in shadows
then you are limited in your choice of armor.  Two weapons can be
useful, and so can the racial enemy, but I don't think that makes up for
their deficiencies.  Also, their druid spells are rather weak when you
finally get them.
Ed. Note:  Which is why I like Cleric/Rangers.  Complements the Ranger
abilities perfectly.
Paladins are a better choice--they can lay on hands, better saving
throws, cast protection from evil, are immune to disease, and can cure
disease, and can cast cleric spells (although the spells are only a
minor help late in the game).
I haven't played with bards yet so I can only speculate, but there are
some cool items that only they can use, and they can cast spells and
sing for your party so they could be very helpful--- also I think that
there are some places in the game where bards can do things that other
classes can't (Talking to the Sea-Elf in Easthaven, the bard can sing to
her for extra xp's).
When choosing a race for your class stick mostly to elves, half-elves and
humans.  However, Dwarven fighters can have a 19 constitution and their
hit points can really get up there, also dwarves are very resistant to
poison, and have some resistance to magic.  Elves and Half-Elves have a
resistance to sleep and charm related spells (90% for elves and 30% for
Half-Elves--if they followed AD&D rules on this) Personally, I  have
never had much use for gnomes and halflings (big noses and hairy feet,
respectively)
Note, the resistances are implemented as Saving Throw Bonuses
Gnome    +5 vs Rod/Staff/Wand and Spells
Dwarf    +5 vs Paralyze/Poison/Death, Rod/Staff/Wand and Spells
Halfling +5 vs Paralyze/Poison/Death, Rod/Staff/Wand and Spells
Different classes also have different saving throw bonuses.
My 1st party -- Human       Male    Fighter
Half Elven  Female  Ranger
Human       Male    Fighter
Elven       Female  Mage/Thief
Dwarven     Female  Cleric (just for fun)
Elven       Male    Conjurer
this party got the job done, but this is where I learned of some
problems with the classes-
My new party -- Human       Male    Fighter
Human       Male    Paladin
Dwarven     Male    Fighter
Elven       Female  Mage/Thief
Elven       Male    Druid
Human       Female  Conjurer
Ed. Note:  With the Druid above, I'd start with a Fighter, then at level 2
dual over to a Druid.  This way, once your Druid hits level 3,
then they can wear normal armors and weapons.
Souma's Party Making Strategies:
--------------------------------
My first time through I played with 6 characters (Human Paladin, Dwarven
Fighter/Thief, Human Cleric, Human Ranger, Elven Fighter/Mage and Half-Elf
Bard) and had a pretty rough old time as I got to grips with the way the game
works. All in all, it wasn't too tough. My second time 4 (Human Fighter, Elf
Thief, Half-Elf Druid and Half-Elf Mage) and I had great fun using all those
abilities that a fighter heavy party lets rust as they pound through a
dungeon (it's a lot different when only 1 party member can use the big
missile weapons like longbows and crossbows!). For my third time through, I'm
testing what I suspect to be the "ultimate" party. I'll cover them one at a
time (there are only 3).
I've taken a Halfling Fighter/Thief as my front character. This gives me all
the thiefly skills you need from the get go (you do not want to be hit by
traps with a small party!) and a sturdy fighter. I also look forward to
casting Haste spells on her without fear of her becoming exhausted (due to
the halfling/gnome only helmet, Helm of the Trusted Defender). As her max Str
is only 17 though, I will be using up Giant Strength Potions as I find them
to make her into a killing machine (especially when she backstabs!). Once you
reach Kuldahar you can equip her with Plate Armor, a +2 Ring of Protection
(from Oswald), the Helm of the Trusted Defender and a shield (magical if you
get one) for a total of about -7 AC. That's just awesome and the monsters
will have no idea of how to hurt you for a long time (short of a lucky 20 on
the hit roll). I've specialized her in Bows and Large Swords and recommend
specializing in Axe (so as to take advantage of the Battleaxe +2 Defender and
Throwing Axe +2) or Small Swords (to get another weapon you can backstab
with) after that.
For my second character I've picked a Human Ranger with the intention of
dual classing to cleric once I reach level 9 (thus allowing me to reach
level 14 and have access to all cleric/druid spells in the game). I picked
specialization in Missile Weapons and Mace and have been running around with
Slings and Morning Stars. As I leveled I also specialized in Hammers so as
to be able to use Conlan's Hammer to the best of her ability. I picked
Skeletal Undead as her racial enemy and have been going through them like
holes in swiss cheese. With the extra attack that Rangers get with any
single-handed weapon and no shield, my Ranger really lays on the hurt in
close combat and has been known to kill as much as both the other characters
put together. If I can remember it, I'll also be looking forward to using
the Charm Animal special ability on as many Winter Wolves as I can (sneak up
on them, use the skill and maybe they won't even get to ice breath me). When
I dual to Cleric, I will be able to use both Druid and Cleric spells making
her an awesome powerhouse of enhancement, healing and attack spells. I've
found that I really haven't needed a cleric so far (right up to the end of
the Dragon's Eye)...
For my third character I've picked a Human Fighter with the intention of
dual classing to Mage (Conjurer if I can) once I reach level 9 (thus
allowing my to reach level 14 and have access to the highest mage level in
the game). I started off with specialisation in crossbow and large swords
and then increased that to mastery in both. I find that a mage is not really
necessary early in the game, and you should be able to go mage some time
around about the Elven Hand. Big hit points, massive strength, lots of
attacks, great armor, all the mage spells in the game. That's pretty
awesome.
Note that with my characters I maximised their Strength, Constitution and
Dexterity first and then gave the Fighter/Thief max Charisma, the
Ranger>Cleric max Wisdom and the Fighter>Mage max Intelligence. It's very
munchkin behaviour, but IWD is a very munchkin game I think.
The benefits of this 3 character group should be made clear. Firstly, your
characters level up a lot faster, a couple of extra levels at every point in
the game makes a substantial difference. Secondly, the fewer characters you
have, the easier it is to focus your attacks and reducing the number of
monsters that can get to you in hand to hand. Thirdly, you have half the
number of characters to spread the best equipment over so each character
tends to be better equipped. Fourthly, you can sell off half the magical
stuff you'd normally have to keep, allowing you to buy stuff from the stores
earlier. Finally, because you have no magic users in the first half of the
game, you don't have to rest much (you can't either. Quaff healing potions
or get healed by a cleric or rest for weeks to get those hit points back.
Lucky you've got heaps of money eh?)
The main drawback of this party is in the early game when you have no lore
skill to speak of (10-20 lore on the 18 Wisdom ranger is just not enough!)
so you spend a fair chunk of money paying other people to identifying things
(or use up about 3 +4 Int potions in one go to get 25 Int for 50-60 lore and
you still won't identify everything). The fact that you don't have any
spells to speak off until you reach the elven hand is actually not as big a
deal as I thought it would be (although if you missed pickpocketing for
those two rings of free action you would be in deep trouble with clerics
that like casting hold person).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v.    [GNRLST]  General Strategies
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighting Battles:
-----------------
Let them come to you.  When you first see an enemy, your first instinct may
be to run over to it and slaughter it.  Well don't.  Let it come to you,
and attack it there.  This way if there are 50 more of these creatures,
they won't see you and won't attack.  You can then pick off each creature
one at a time.  This is especially useful in dungeons where the enemies may
be more difficult.  So when you first see an enemy (let's say that it's a
Umber Hulk), turn off the AI (it's the left button in the bottom right
corner of the screen), and let him come up to you.  You should also have
your archers/mages hit the enemy with everything they can, but don't move
any closer to the enemy!  The last thing that you want is to fight TWO
Umber Hulks at the same time!
Secondly, KEEP YOUR PARTY TOGETHER!  This is extremely important in IWD,
much more so than in Baldur's Gate.  Think of it like the army.  Those who
broke formation and ran out to meet the enemy were the first to die.  So
keep your people together in a "turtle" formation.
E - Enemy
X - Fighter-type
A - Ranged-type (Mage & Archer)
E                 X
E             X    A
E             X    A
E                 X
The idea is to treat your party as a whole, rather than separate people.
Also realize that some monsters (like Yxunomei) require that you hit
them with Magic Weapons only.  You should never use Magic Arrows on a
normal creature; you should save the special arrows for enemies that need
them, such as Imbued Wights, Iron Golems, etc.
Area spells can take out a lot of enemies without them even knowing that
you are there.  Suppose for a moment, that you are walking along, and a
Giant comes to attack you.  You immediately stop, wait for him to come to
you and kill him.  Well, where there is one Giant there are probably more,
so you launch a fireball in the direction that the Giant came from, and
immediately hear the screams of dying Giants.
Leo Wang has this to add:
Take a character with the Hide in Shadows ability or a way to cast
Invisibility and scout out the area before doing any area-effect spells.
Example of where random fireballing can result in a bad situation: Mother
Egenia in the Troll Caves.  The only place where scouting with an
invisible character won't work is Lower Dorn's Deep (the area immediately
after the Wyrm Tooth area, not the other areas of Lower Dorn's Deep), as
Tarnished Sentries can see invisible characters apparently.
Composite Long Bows can hit monsters outside of your "fog of war" area
sometimes.  A good place for an example of this in action:  The Orc caves
in the beginning--let your characters kill the two orcs in the beginning
by themselves without moving from the entrance (i.e. everyone's got a
ranged attack, so they don't need to move); if the first two characters
have Composite Long Bows, they will automatically pick off the third orc
in the black area without the orc fighting back.
Useful spells and tough Enemies
-------------------------------
When fighting 2 or more difficult enemies use the Dire Charm spell (or
Domination, or Charm Animal, etc.) to quickly turn the odds in your favor.
If you have 2 magic users who can cast charm in the first round of a fight,
not only does the enemy lose two characters, you gain them temporarily (so
the odds change from 10 enemies vs. 6 of you to 8 enemies and 8 of you).
Once they are charmed, pull back your big bruisers from the front lines and
replace them by the newly acquired members while continually pelting the
remaining enemies with ranged weapons.  If any charmed characters survive
the encounter, simply force-attack them to get rid of them.
Also, the spell Entangle is pretty useful to stop any melee intensive enemy
from hitting your party.  Once entangled, they can't move and you can get
rid of them easily and safely with ranged weapons.  The spell Web is also
good since a webbed creature can't even attack with a ranged weapon, but
the spell can last for several rounds and could eventually web some of your
own party members from round to round if they get in the affected area.
You can, of course, use Free Action (either by Item or by Spell) to keep
your party from being affected by these webs.
Monsters summoning and the Elemental Summons, are great spells.  Although
the early summoned monsters do not do a lot of damage, their primary
purpose resides in the cannon fodder that they become.  While they keep the
enemy busy, you can pick them off one by one with ranged weapons or spells
(saving all your potions, and more potent spells for later more powerful
enemies).  Even the powerful Elementals best usage is to soak up the damage
from enemies.
Fireballs and those other major area effect spells should be used only to
weaken the enemy or for luring them to you and thus, do not memorize a lot
of these (memorize others, such as Fire Arrow instead).  These major area
effect spells, when not cast at the right place, can literally damage your
whole party so unless you know exactly where to cast them, don't use them.
Keep them instead for when an area is completely filled with a group of
weaker enemies to get rid of them quickly and with minimal damage (happens
when you quickloads or loads a lot of times in the same map).
Jeremy Treanor has this to add:
I have a suggestion that wasn't mentioned in your general strategies. It
involves using a druid (or cleric? not sure if they get it) and having
them cast protection from fire on all the members of your party. This
spell lasts long enough that your mage who should know fireball becomes a
portable explosive. Basically, have your other characters surrounding the
mage as best they can when a group starts to surround you and launch a
fireball at your feet. This is especially useful in the aquarium and the
areas where you encounter snow and ice trolls.
Memorize a lot of Dispel Magic spells.  Dispel Magic negates any magic
affecting your party (fear, horror, paralysis, entangle, slow, etc...)
while it can also be used to dispel the enemy magics that they use (haste,
minor globe of invulnerability, protection from normal missiles, etc...).
Dispel Magic is an Area Effect Spell, so don't forget that casting dispel
magic will negate both magics affecting your party and the enemy so knowing
when to cast what spell when is crucial in an important battle.  Usually,
though, it is preferable to dispel everyone's magics than having one or
more of your party members being paralysed, charmed, running in fear,
etc...
Save a Lot:
-----------
There are 3 times when you should definitely save the game.  When you win a
battle, before you go to sleep, and everywhere else.  You never know when
you will go to a new area, have your best warrior charmed, and have half
your party killed.  So save often.  Also don't just save over the same slot
over and over, use at least 10 slots.  This also means you should probably
avoid the Quick Save.  Well... not avoid, just don't use it exclusively.
What I would do is to create an "Archive Save" whenever you enter a new
major area.  So when you start the Vale of Shadows create a "Vale of
Shadows Beginning Save" so if you screw up, you can start over from the
start of the Vale.
That said, I have heard reports where game performance drags when someone
saves in TOO MANY DIFFERENT slots.  I'm not sure how many it takes to drag
down performance, but I think you'll be safe between 10-15 saves.
Scribing Scrolls:
-----------------
Since at 18 INT you have only an 85% chance to successfully scribe a spell
from a scroll into your spellbook, I would recommend using Potions to
temporarily increase your INT to raise your success rate.  The Potion of
Genius works great, but any potion that raises your INT is good.  So, what
I usually did was this:  I would wait until I had about 4 spells that
needed to be scribed, then I would use a potion and learn them all at once.
Unless, of course, I got a really really useful spell then I would learn it
as soon as I got it.
Alternatively you could just SAVE before you scribe any spell.  If you fail
to learn it, then you can just reload and try again.  I don't like this
method as much, but it's just as effective.
Proficiency Tip:
----------------
Don't have all your characters specialize in the same weapons.  That is not
only boring, but counterproductive as well.  If everyone in your party is
specialized in Long Swords, and you find a really cool axe, you are out of
luck!  There is quite the penalty for using weapons that you aren't
familiar with.  So I would recommend something like this:
Character 1:  Long Swords and Great Swords
Character 2:  Axes and Crossbows
Character 3:  Halberds and Great Swords
and so forth...
If you have an Elf, specialize in Large Swords and Bows and if you have a
Halfling choose Missile and give them a Sling as they get a +1 THACO Bonus
and they can have 19 DEX giving them an extra point of Missile Damage.
Souma's Pickpocketing Advice
----------------------------
In Easthaven, the priest Everard has 2 Healing Potions you can pick pocket
from him. In Kuldahar, you can pick pocket a number of valuable items. The
archdruid Arundel has a Ring of Free Action that you can pick pocket. The
mage Orrick has a Ring of Free Action and a Necklace of Metaspell Influence
(gives an extra level 2 mage spell!) that can be pickpocketed. Oswald
Fiddlebender has a Necklace of Missiles (three or less charges of a 6d6
damage fireball usable by anyone), a Ring of Protection +2, 2 Oils of Fiery
Burning and a Firebreath Potion. On a side note, if you kill Oswald
Fiddlebender (-4 Reputation and important townsfolk become hostile) you get
Boots of Grounding (50% electricity resistance), a Golden Girdle (+3 AC vs
slashing), an Oil of Fiery Burning, a Fire Resistance Potion and some loose
change. Not too shabby. There may be some places later in the game where
you can get things by pick pocketing, but I can't recall them at this time.
In any case, the best of the items you can pick pocket is the Ring of Free
Action, a brilliant item that I've never found any other way. It allows all
sorts of cheeky tactics with Web spells and grants your main fighters
immunity from irritating hold person spells (it negates boots of speed
however, so it's not smart to combine the two). There are Free Action
potions and Free Action spells, but they don't give the 24 hrs a day
protection of the ring. In short, it is well worth the cost of investing up
to 40% in pick pockets (or taking a bard) so that you can grab these nice
items...
(Ed. Note:  I just took a Bard.  Bards rule.)
Supply & Demand in IWD: (from SgtFang)
-----------------------
Except for items that you never get more than 1 gold for anyway, save up
an entire inventory's worth before selling them off.  A good example is
the "High Quality Long Sword".  The merchant in severed hand will pay 60
gold each for them the first time you sell some.  Since the inventory
holds 16 wait till you have 16 of them.  Later batches are only worth 15
gold, so sell as many as you can the first time.  The same merchant offers
to pay 1000 gold for a "Long Sword +1.  Now that's a healthy chunk o' coin
if you save up 16 of them.  Now I admit this technique does make you run
kind of low on cash early in the game, but later on you'll see your gold
sack get mighty fat.  It's not critical to the game or anything, but it
does help to maximize your income.  Think of those items as stocks or
bonds.  Get em' and hold on to them till the time is right to sell.  Even
the lowly short sword can be a better money maker as long as you're
patient.
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[FRQNTL]  Frequently Asked Questions
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