I've tried this game before but tried using a walkthrough as a guide and it killed the vibe for me so I didn't get too far in. I decided to give it a blind go this time by building my own character without following a build and playing it how I want. I've noticed that the savegames keep track of the day and hour and things such as resting affect the time as well. Is there any sort of time requirement in this game for quests or is this just merely to keep track of the day/night cycle and does it being night time have any affects on the game? Also, one of the first swords I bought broke while still in Candlekeep and was replaced with a broken weapon. Is there any kind of weapon repair option available in the game? And finally, in the first area, even with Imoen in my party, I'm getting decimated. Is it best to ignore some of the monsters for the time being considering my character is still low-leveled?

Also, I'm talking about BG1. I have it running using easytutu so it has the BG2 interface.

Thanks.

A couple of the companion quests have to be done in a resonable time or they will quit.
But for the most part time is irrelevant. Some shops are closed at night. No, you just have to replace them. Magic weapons won't break. ie longsword +1 Yes, anything can kill you until you level up a bit. Running away is always good.
The first couple of levels are just a bit of a slog.

It's easy to get bogged down with best character builds and walkthroughs - I found that just playing the game at my pace with my own choices made BG1 (tutu as well) fun.

You've probably heard that you should save a lot and don't worry about dying, reloading and then trying a different tactic. It's also fine to reduce the difficulty setting to sometimes get past the harder battles if it allows progress and enjoyment.

Other than that, I think olnorton has covered pretty much all else.

Oh, and no need to keep track of day and night - your party members will make it clear when they're fatigued although sleep in general is your friend to recoup. IIRC there may be a few instances where you can only meet an NPC at a certain time of day but it's made clear if that's the case.

Thanks for the responses so far. I decided to head to Nashkel relatively soon as my party members kept telling me to go. Due to this I kind of skipped over the Beregost quests and I found out that I've entered chapter 2 already. Is this an issue considering my party of six is still relatively weak and can I still go back and finish quests in Beregost? I did read a post somewhere online that said all I have to do is talk to the mayor of the town to initiate the quest to make the NPCs in my party happy, and if that is true than I can be much more lenient about time constraints.

Yep, I believe you can make them happy just by talking to the mayor. There's no time limit on any of the quests in Beregost or the Friendly Arm, either, so feel free to go back and do them now if you want. You should be able to finish the mines right now if you choose to, though - the only kind-of hard fight is the very last one.

It's been awhile, but I've come across another question. I've read that the map apparently has an option where you can enable flags to display the different buildings/npcs etc, but haven't been able to find a way to enable it. Is this option available in tutu?

Thanks

I don't think you have to enable it.
Just right click anywhere on the map & a window should open.
You type in whatever you want, choose a marker colour & click Done.

Also, the big square button on the top left map screen turns the flags on/off.

Ah, I see now. I misunderstood and thought flags for main buildings were already included but it probably makes more sense for the player to mark what they deem important.

Also, I just finished Chapter 2 and was wondering how recruiting other party members works. I still have the original 6 that I first encountered and I think that Xzar may be getting ready to leave the party on his own because my reputation is really high. If I recruit a new NPC, do they start at level 1 so that I have to build them up? When I switch them out, do the old members stay in the same place if I want them back and do they retain equipment left on them? Are learned spells maintained by the individual NPCs or are they retained in the party as a whole?

Thanks again, I know I've asked a lot of questions.

They are included (in Tutu at least). As I said, there is a huge square button to turn them on/off. :) No, I think it depends what level you are on when you first meet them (or enter the area they are in, at which point they get saved with your saved game). They might be a level or two below your level.

Be warned some BG1 NPCs are paired with another. If you kick one out, the other will leave as well. I think in most cases they stay put. Not always though. If you kick them out and they walk off, they might be gone for good. If you reject some when *first* meeting, and you see them walk off, they might be gone for good. I always save the game before any party reformations, just in case. In BG2 is much improved, they give you the option for them to wait at an Inn, but I'm not sure if this is carried over into Tutu for BG1.

And yes, they retain everything (items, spells, experience). It is handy to strip them of their valuable weapons and such to give to other NPCs. No need to feel guilty. ;) Individuals. So therefore you want to save all the mage scrolls you find for other spell casting NPCs to learn. (This, by the way, annoys me to no end in BG2 where there are hundreds of spells) No problem. :) You could get a lot of pointers from an FAQ too. (The one by Dan Simpson is legendary, although of course you might get the odd spoiler)

When you kick a party member out, its generally safest to have them give up any important equipment first. While sometimes they'll keep equipment for when you recruit them again later, it isn't always reliable. NPC's may leave forever, if your reputation is too high or too low, or if you haven't finished a quest that's required to recruit them (and the game can be buggy here; they may think you haven't finished a quest you actually have finished). And even if they stick around, if you leave them alone long enough as you level up, the game may substitute higher experience versions of them so they don't fall behind, but which are missing the equipment you left them with. This is a rather annoying aspect of the game.

It's been quite awhile since I've come across anything to question, but I've reached a point where I'm not quite sure what to do. Some spoilers may be present in asking this question.



I've managed to make my way down to the 3rd level of Durlag's Tower and have just reached the chess board portion. My party is currently made up of my main character who is a fighter, Khalid, Ajantis, Jaheira, Branwen, and Imoen. I've tried to hold back and cast spells/use ranged weapons to fight off the onslaught but usually the queen rushes me and casts horror which causes everyone in my party to panic and set off a chain reaction of lightning traps everywhere. What is the best way for me to approach this as I don't have an offensive mage or any real summoning spells?

If you manage to get 100 percent or more electric resistance (spells, scrolls, potions) you'll be immune to the lightning bolts and can enter forbidden places on purpose so your enemies get zapped.

Branwen can cast "animate dead", those summons are immune to the horror spell. Everything which improves saving throws (spells, potions) will increase your chance to resist the horror spell, there are even potions which make you immune to it.
Spells (like haste) and potions and scrolls which let you hit better and kill faster are always useful if used before the battle.

In the beginning of the battle you can try luring the pawns forward, if you are careful you can fight and kill them one by one without getting into view of the harder enemies in the back.

The battle is won when the king dies, so if you concentrate on him you can end it fast. For trying to interrupt enemy spellcasters there are fast cast spells like larloch's minor drain, magic missile (can be cast from wands) and hasted ranged attacks can work too.

Casting Remove Fear before the battle is a good idea, as it renders your party immune to fear effects.

Another delayed question. I've finally made it to the Aec'Letec which I've heard many frustrating things about. I've been using tons of buffs and potions right before heading down the stairs, but I always seem to get super unlucky in the fact that both Branwen and Jaheira get silenced so that they can't dispel Holds or the Death Gaze. I know I'm supposed to take out the cultists first, but usually they get silenced off the bat while one of my warriors is held and left to get annihilated by Aec'Letec. Any tips for this battle that could make this less frustrating?

Thanks again!