Ive played (to almost extinction) Baldurs gate 1 and 2. I tried throne of bhaal but i hated it.

I cant play planescape because it gets boring and there are almost no character choices.

The only other choice for a Infinity engine game that i could try would be icewind dale 1. I liked 1 because it still had the 2nd edition d and d with a mix of 3rd. I dislike 3rd edition d and d for its crazy and almost forceful powergaming trend, so iwd2 is out.

My question is should i even give icewind dale 1 a try or is it all hack a slash? I liked baldurs gate series because it was a mix of both, but im not sure i will like icewind dale as it doesnt seem nonlinear. I played it in the past (just a bit) and it wasnt bad.

The IWD series is pretty much a straightforward dungeon crawler hack-and-slash. It can be quite enjoyable if taking a party of your own making through numerous dungeons appeals to you, but don't expect the quality characters, interesting story, and non-linearity found in the BG games.

Agreed with DarrkPhoenix, but I'll just add there is a story to it which, while generic, isn't all that bad. It's a damned fun game on its own. IMO well worth a shot.

Thanks for the honest opinion. Just by chance, are there any good mods that make it a better experience? Ive heard there is a npc mod, is that even worth it or should i just make a party?

Icewind Dale is a great game as is, no need to change it into something else by adding mods.

There's an IWD NPC pack mod available Here. Fully voiced, possible romances, and party banter.

Thanks. Are there any mods that make rangers decent? Black Isle gave them tracking (which is useless) in heart of winter, while the warriors get grandmastery. Even the paladins get a boost with smite evil. I cant be the only one that thinks rangers got screwed over.

Rangers get an extra attack if they're using a single-handed weapon with no shield. This is to simulate the dual-wield thing that rangers are known for, because the Infinity Engine at that time didn't allow for REAL dual-wielding.

Other than that, they don't really get anything other than being able to stealth without backstabbing.

Ive decided to just go and play iwd2. Since thats what i am really aiming for in regards to it. Ive downloaded a targos be gone mod that allows me to start right at torak in chapter 1. That was the problem, the beginning ive played too many times.

1)Ive started playing as a finesse bard that will act as diplomat, spellcaster and summoner to my party. He will also fight with daggers and will be a critical hit expert with improved critical tagged, along with dirty fighting. Are there any abilities that add to critical hit other than luck song and improved critical?

2) Half orc barbarian. Nuff said, pure beast.

3) Shield dwarf fighter. I like having a dwarf because they are extremely nasty to bugbears, orcs and other bastards that you fight alot.

I know this is a small party but with a bards spellcasting and summons i should be able to manage. Any ideas?

You'll suffer and fail horribly. IWD2 was not balanced for playing a party of 3 and definitely not balanced for playing without access to the important cleric and mage spells. IWD2 is a party game, several characters with different strengths and weaknesses work together as team. It's not like BG2 where soloing a character is easier than playing a party of 6, where scrolls and items of overpowered awesomeness are available for cheap at every corner. The "take a small party to level faster and get stronger than you're supposed to" BG2 powergaming doesn't work in IWD2.

While there are many players being able to beat the game with your party I doubt you will have fun with it. The game is balanced for a balanced party. Winning battles without the tools a balanced party should have available at some points of the game isn't that easy.

Why don't you just play a balanced party ? It's not that hard.

Just take a pure class cleric (deity unimportant) so you have access to the important cleric healing and buffing spells and a pure class sorcerer or (specialist) mage to get access to the important arcane spells and 4 additional characters and you should be able to beat the game without trouble. The rest is optional.
I'd add a singing bard and a druid to increase the physical attack power and to get additional powerful options.
Then I'd add a rogue1/specialist wizard to handle thievery and aid the sorcerer, but a pure class high strength rogue works too if you want to focus sneak attack damage.
As 6th character I'd add a warrior with maxed strength who can do what summons can't, dealing enough damage per hit to laugh at 15 damage reduction.

Check out the Ultimate Powergaming Party guide. Since this was designed to go through the game in HoF mode, you can probably drop a couple of the characters for a smaller party size and still remain successful for a run in regular difficulty levels.