I have played through the entire Baldur's Gate saga. And i really liked it a lot. Some things i did not like, but put up with ultimately (imoen's character, useless stats of party npcs, low HP and easy, quick deaths of the latter, etc.). I loved the Infinity Engine. Honestly, i really did. So i did a research, concerning which games use both said engine, and D&D settings. I found Icewind Dale series, and Planescape Torment. P.T. unfortunately did not spark my interest, mostly because it is said to be story based, with long dialogues. Baldur's Gate is said to be somewhere in-between, with nice story and satisfying combat. While, about Icewind Dale, they say it is more combat oriented, hack and slash old goodness and the like, with party of your creation.

I am thinking of buying the Icewind Dale series, but i am still not convinced. This topic is for people who played both Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, and care to drop a line or two about their experiences on both games. So far, i have some certain questions about I.D. Please, those who know and can answer, by all means, do so.

1) Are there any tomes (like BG) or any other items, that can permanently raise one of your characters' stats by 1?
2) Can you transfer your party from the end of 1, to the beginning of 2, keeping items, xp, spells etc.?
3) In 2, is there any way to roll for better stats, or are they set as they seem to be?
4) Does the import-export and some certain, essential, cheesy strategies still work?
5) Where can i see the xp progression (and not only) charts?

Firstly, I'll just say that I really loved Icewind Dale 1. It has amazing music and the atmosphere is arguably even better than in BG. It almost feels like the wind is hurling in your own frosty window. I haven't finished IWD2 yet, as I got a bit fed up of it, but the first one was great (I mostly prefer AD&D rules to the 3.0 rules used in IWD2).

1) Don't think there was, but there were some that would give with one hand and take with the other, raising one stat and lowering another. I didn't like those so didn't use them. There are items and weapons that change some stats, but not by a great deal. In Neverwinter Nights 2, which I'm playing now, you'll wade in such items, but not in the IE games.

2) No. It's different rules so it wouldn't work at all, so you start from scratch again in IWD2. The rules are different, so there are other things to take into account as well when making your characters

3) Unfortunately there isn't, which is one thing I don't like much about 3.x rules at all. You get a set amount of points and can distribute them as you wish, but you either have to make a "realistic" character, or min-max something absurd to get great stats in the important attributes

4) No idea as I don't like to cheat in these games, but I'm sure it's possible. You could probably start with a character that just finished the game if you so wanted, though I don't see how that would be fun - unless you're playing in Heart of Fury mode I suppose (which I haven't tried).

5) These should be in the manual, which will come with the game if you buy it here. In IWD2 this is much simpler because there aren't different progression charts for different classes. It's the same for everyone (except some subraces which have a penalty due to race-specific advantages, like for the Drow). 1000 XP, 3000XP, 6000XP, 10 000 XP, etc. You probably see the pattern.

Here are some charts for IWD1: http://www.planetbaldursgate.com/iwd/character/classes/tables/xp.shtml

I feel an IWD Ultimate Cheeze Guide coming up... :D

If only it was that easy... Seems some people took notice and corrected many things on other infinity engine games :( !

1) As noted, no tomes like in BG, but there is random treasure in various areas, some of which could be a potion to raise a stat by 1 (but lowering another by1). Generally speaking, they're not worth it.

2) Again, as noted, different rule sets. If you've played the original NWN, the rule set for IWD 2 is pretty much the same (3.0 edition D&D rules).

3) You start with a set amount of points (with some bonuses and penalties to certain stats for certain races). If you're not opposed to min/max powergaming, then you can make a juggernaut of a cheese party. I've done this a few times and it's a ton of fun if you're into that sort of thing. Here is a pretty well done Ultimate Powergaming Party guide for IWD2 that gives a good in-depth rationale for building a party to munchkin your way through the game. I used some of it as a template for a couple of my uber parties and it rocks. Total cheese, but quite fun.

4) Yes, it does. You can export a character and all his gear, then import him when loading a game and take all his items. Then get rid of him and keep the items. Seriously though, as I noted in your other thread, it's way easier to just use the console.

5) The link provided by Pangaea666 is an excellent resource for all things BG and IWD. In IWD, the game will give you the minimum stats required for whatever class you choose (you choose your class before rolling your stats), so there's no problem rolling a paladin. You can also lower stats to allocate points elsewhere like in BG. The only thing you may have a tough time with is getting an 18/00 STR score on your warriors (if you're concerned about that) or getting the proper stats to dual class into a Druid (it's a real bitch, especially if you want high STR, DEX and CON as well).

*edit* Just a note: there's no real 'main' for IWD. Since you create the whole party, you can import/export/replace any of the members you want, and it doesn't matter if any specific party member is killed. As long as you don't suffer a full party wipe, the game keeps on rolling.

I'll second that remark.

The only advantage I'd say Baldur's Gate II has over Icewind Dale is the amount of attention to detail in the game engine; although Icewind Dale is put together by the same Infinity Engine there are a lot of ommisions like video options (cannot set a higher resolution but that's Okay), and there are no 'Rest' , nor 'Sunrise' or 'Sunset' cutscenes as in Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn.
I believe Icewind Dale is put together by the original Baldur's Gate version of the Infinity Engine.

I appreciate Icewind Dale because it's sort of a 'sandbox' version of a cRPG; you can take all the time you want to complete quests or you can progress into them at your own pace whereas in Baldur's Gate (II) the missions or characters somewhat puts the player on a tight schedule.

Right now, I'm having a ball with Icewind Dale just creating lots and lots of characters ready to join my party without regard to whomever is eliminated.

A lot of good general information here, KiNgBrAdLeY7. Icewind Dale is a good game in its own right, just don't compare it to Baldur's Gate. Tactics and strategy are far more important, and party NPC interaction is non-existent (which is one of the biggest gripes BG players have with it).

If you want more options for graphics modes, or you like the BG2 engine better, you can try the IWD-in-BG2 conversion over at Gibberlings 3. It's an advanced Beta, but stable.

There's also an Icewind Dale NPC mod over at Pocket Plane Group (with a version for IWD-inBG2). It only adds 5 party joinable NPCs, but they're well thought out and integrate well into the IWD setting.

I checked the console commands for Icewind Dale 1. I noticed that the tomes which raise stats (those that are found in game in BG1) that actually exist, and can be cheated in. But i never used console commands in BG series, which is also against my player's consciousness, so i do not see me importing them in ID either. That aside, i was hoping of coming across an item which will raise my intelligence +1, so it becomes 19, so i can learn all spells in spellbook.

Potion of Genius is available, just like BG. You can get one in a tomb in the Vale of Shadows, or they are sold in Kuldahar. It's +4 Intellegence for 15 turns only, though, so plan ahead.

Thanks! Even if temporary, it will last long enough for scribing the scrolls into book.