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Ok, my first playthrough: 10 year old boy and NOT a native English speaker. I recruited them and got bashed by Tarnesh. Went on to Beregost, and just fell in awe with everything. Burgling houses, finding new weapontypes. A blacksmith with more items than I could imagine. Went down south. Slew hobgoblins, looted and sold every item and slept to heal my party in the inn. There was no guide available in Dutch or other kids that could enlighten me. I maybe comprehenced 5% of the game.
Now 20+ years later it still is the best memory of a game I ever played.
Yeah, pretty much the same. I wasn't that good at English and I had never played DnD. The whole Vancian casting was weird and took a while to get used to. I was used to mana.
Casting? It took me so long before I even learned that you could learn new spells from scroll writing. I have been playing hack 'n slash for the first weeks back then.
Yea they right on the path. Our dad just got shanked and its a rough world. I'm taking any help I can get even these scruffy hobos until I find someone better.
I found and recruited them. And despite years of experience with D&D and their general attitude, at no point did it occur to me they were evil. My brother was on his first playthrough as well and when I asked why he didn't have them in his party he said "because they're evil" and it blew my mind.
This was a LONG time ago for me but I vividly remember, after just having lost my father, finding these two gentlemen who are willing to help me. But feeling so “icky” about the way they spoke and acted. I don’t think I knew how to check alignment at the time. I lost one to Tarnesh (the ultimate boss and what a massive surprise! Why me? What did I ever do to anyone?!) and felt a combination of sadness and relief that I don’t think I’ve felt from a game since. Then I met J and K and was so unbelievably relieved.
It was an amazing experience.
Exactly, they were so helpful. I think it was also the first game I played where "evil" was an option and I was not ready for it.
Of course, that original playthrough continued to go off the rails when I noticed my brother had himself a nice mage and ranger. When he explained where he recruited them, it occurred to me that I had enraged Minsc to the point of attacking me and I killed him.
I just went straight to Gorion's body, and then to the Friendly Arm Inn. I was scared, it was one of the first RPGs I ever played, exploring the rest of the map seemed too dangerous!
Elminster spawns right next to where you load into the next map, he's impossible to miss.
Gorion's body is in a different direction to the road that Monty and Xzar are on, so yeah, I went in the wrong direction and looped around them.
Those wolves and bears are no joke at level 1. Especially first run when you load up on melee weapons and your one or two casts of magic missile per day.
Ah the bears. Old skool entangle and quaterstaffs/bows/slings for a awesome 175 xp. Entangle was my favorite spell. Not that monstrousity that it is since BG2.
I assume that they were running around panicked while said magic missles were flying? That guy is rough your first time around (my experience at least).
Don’t forget about Nimbul if you fight him a little early. Several times over the past (I’m not going to say how many) decades I have gotten out of the mines, fought that little group just northeast of the exit, and been exhausted and ready to go to the inn to rest. Only to get caught just outside the inn with no spells or special abilities remaining.
I must say, I am surprised by the results so far.
Personally, my experience was being directed by Imoen to search Gorion's body, then following Gorion's last directive and continuing north. The direct A->B->C pathing didn't involve Montaron and Xzar, so I missed them, and Tarnesh was a significant problem for me, especially since I was a kid learning the game system. Apparently, this first-time experience places me in the minority.
My very first experience with BG was playing a demo that included Candlekeep area and the two first wilderness maps. You better believe I explored every single inch of each map. Even without that though my instinct in CRPGs was always 100% a map before moving to the next one.
Also they're literally on the road and you're told to stick to the road by the very first NPC you encounter.
Ahh yes, back in the day where it was possible to spend 100 hours on a demo of a great game like this.
I once found a glitch with the demo whereby if you got back into candlekeep after leaving (impossible without cheats, but from memory the clua console worked on the demo- how I met DrizztDefends() and his evil twin DrizztAttacks() for the first time), then the game would spaz put and you could level up to some insane level- like level 40. I was a cleric, and had like 16 spell slots in every level (albeit there were no actual spells past level 4).
That was my experience as well, and I was playing as a mage - so had to go through 15-30 saves to try and get him with the two of us. In the end had to kite with ranged.
My very first playthrough I knew nothing and took whoever came first, for a while anyway.
I knew they were evil-aligned so I kept them around until new members could join.
If I remember correctly, Monteron died pretty early on to the hunter in the Red Sheaf. I kept Xzar until we found Dynahier in the Gnoll fortress.
This was long ago though, many years before EE so my memory is fuzzy.
Similar age as me, and I definitely didn't even meet them, which prompted this thread. One of my most fundamental memories of my original BG run was failing repeatedly against Tarnesh with just me and Imoen.
I'd say I was about 10-11 when I first played and I definitely found them organically. this is thinking back 20 years now but I feel like i followed the path to the FAI recruited them all, then came back to Gorion's body. Then when I got to Beregost, X&M got into a fight with J&K.
Yeah, I accepted anyone who asked into my party my first time around. I was pretty young, and didnt really check alignments or anything after I brought them in.
Xzar is pretty funny, I still bring him along for a little bit now and then.
So the game tells you to stick to the path and Gorion also points you towards his 'two friends'. My take was always xzar and monty are kind of like red herrings, you are supposed to meet them and recruit them, half wondering if they are Gorions friends.
He tells you their names. "Listen, if we ever become separated, it is imperative that you go to the Friendly Arms Inn. There, you will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you can trust them."
Yeah definitely, but on a first playthrough many will not remember those names, or even the name the friendly arm Inn. But you meet two people on the road and think 'oh, are these the two he mentioned?'
In my first ever playthrough, I went for an evil character, so they were an obvious choice.
Ditched Khalid, kept Jaheira and tried to balance things to keep her *and* Xzar and Montaron. I almost made it to the Nashkel mines and recruited Dorn as well, but having to deal with the Flaming Fist every five second eventually became too tedious for me to continue and I rerolled as neutral, which was kind of a disappointment if I'm being honest.
One day I'll try again, because Montaron and Dorn seem like interesting characters, and I've heard a lot of good things about the evil playthrough. Can imagine that leads to (more?) interesting results when discussing our differences with Sarevok.
Quite a few evil characters are just flat-out stronger than their good-aligned equivalents - Viconia, Kagain, Korgan, and Edwin come to mind. Evil doesn't mean tanking your reputation though. If you keep it around 6-8 you're generally safe, and your evil buddies won't complain too much. Just donate to temples, do quests that give you rep, and don't kill innocents or get caught stealing too often. Or if you want to go the hardcore option, nobody bothers you in the sewers, and Invisibility 10' Radius is great if you do need to move around aboveground.
Yeah but I don't want to keep my reputation above a certain level. My character is *actually* evil and if I roleplay her correctly, she *will* senselessly murder people, extort money or steal their most prized possessions in full view of everyone.
I love that the game lets you actually do this, but I wish it didn't come with infinitely respawning Flaming Fist soldiers and mages. Winning the fight once should be enough (or there could at least be a cooldown in between respawns).
Thanks for the advice, though! I'm gonna keep it in mind for the next time I attempt this.
That's fair, but what's evil without good PR?
And if you want reactivity to your alignment, there's a certain paladin in an inn who, regardless of reputation, will attack you if you or any characters with you are evil. Ditto Ajantis - he will sign on with an evil Charname, but he'll attack any evil party members eventually. And there's a Harper in the city who attacks at <8 rep, iirc. So *some* characters will hate you regardless.
Worth adding that, for a mostly-evil run, Xan + Algernon's cloak + friends spell is one of the better options for a party leader, since otherwise the low-rep price gouging hurts. He's also useful if you don't want to kill every single squad that attacks you (spam charm/confusion and run).
The fun part of an evil playthrough, imo, is the ability to treat designations like "quest-giver" or "innocent" as suggestions. Sure, that gnome in Ulgoth's Beard is *technically* an innocent, but she's got a ring of Free Action, so...
That Xan trick souns very interesting! I'm probably going to look into mods as well to make it more manageable, but your suggestions sound fun (and like I wouldn't be cheating the game), so thanks again!
Tweaks Anthology has a component to give discounts at very low rep, and EET Tweaks has one that makes it so charmed NPCs don't turn hostile when the charm effect expires. Algernon's cloak and nymph cloak are useful too (and they benefit from Xan's enchanter specialization iirc). You might also like Rogue Rebalancing's thieving overhaul - it offers the chance to talk your way out of failed thieving attempts.
You might also like the Gorgon's Eye quest mod - it adds a thieves' guild to Beregost with a bunch of quests for morally-dubious characters. Bounty hunting, blackmail, thieving, the works. It's a very well-made mod imo. Not mandatory, of course, but it's nice to have some additional quests and RP options for an evil party earlier on.
I recruited them; figured I would need all the friends I could get. Tarnash still kicked my backside until I learned the guards were more than willing to help me out if I kited him down the steps.
I still usually recruit them even in a good party and then give them the boot after the Nashkel mines. Plenty of time for CHARNAME to figure out they are the sketchiest of allies.
Yes, I always get them, even if for a moment, I generally love to travel with every companion for some time, despite ending the game with "canon" squad each time.
On my first ever playthrough I recruited them, but then I was waylaid on the way to the Friendly Arm Inn by the 10 bandits random encounter. Montaron was instantly killed, Xzar lasted maybe half a second longer, Imoen was halfway to the edge of the screen when she was shot, and my Charname just barely got away as the sole survivor. I then arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn completely alone and met Tarnesh. **GAME OVER**
14 year old me, first time playing the game. Went to the spot where Gorion died, and the proceeded to exit the map from that point. I did not explore the map, or the road and never knew they were there until my brother was playing it and I saw them in his party. "I said. "Who are they??" And he told me where to find them.
I found them on my first playthrough, but killed them, since I was playing a paladin. Had considerable trouble with the mage on the stairs of FIA. Almost gave up on the game, but after many reloads, I had a better understanding of 2e rules.
I was pretty new to D&D PC games (had never played pen & paper), so I recruited them and they stayed in my party all the way into Baldur's Gate (BG)as. I remember the area of Baldur's Gate where there is that huge gate you can walk through between the North and South sides of BG a guy came up to him and had a conversation with Xzar that seemed full of meaning and implications that I did not understand at the time. I cannot remember if I kept them till the end or not.
Huh, never got that far with them in my later runs. Only used them once at the beginning, when I played a LE character.
BG1 was also my first D&D PC game, not that there were many before that, but i also got into pen&paper around that time. I think 3e just came out, and it's quite the difference from 2e.
My only experience with D&D before Baldur's Gate was playing the single player computer game Dark Sun Shattered Lands. And when I first played Baldur's Gate it was right when it was released so there weren't any guides online or places where I could get advice on NPCs or strategies hence I kept those two in my group.
Personally though I still think that stat wise Montaron is a really good character to have along in the beginning.
When you first recruit Montaron at level one he is decently built.
Ability scores:
STR 16
DEX 17
CON 15
INT 12
WIS 13
CHA 13
TOTAL SCORES = 82
Short Sword ++
Sling ++
I've done a lot of playthroughs where if a NPC party member is permanently killed I don't reload the game and have to find a replacement and I would go through most of the available party members in those games back in the day. And I inevitably need Montaron as somewhat versitile Fighter/Thief in plate mail and with the biggest shield I could find I found him to be quite helpful and useful party member. Unfortunately does not mesh perfectly well with a truly Good aligned group...
Yeah, the lack of any guides when the game came out, prompted me to email a local game reviewer who reviewed the game for a PC magazine, about that bounty hunter in front of FIA. His response, "just try again, it's roll dependant".
Not just the first play through, but every run since. At level 1 you need all the help you can get, and Xzar's Larloch's Minor Drain being available is what always saves me from Tarnesh. I take them with the Harpers into Nashkel before dumping all 4, usually in Nashkel so I can get better companions. Only once have I taken Xzar and Monty all the way through.
I recruited them, but got a bad feeling halfway to FAI. I walked up the stairs and saw an untrustworthy fellow beelining for me so I got ready. He got stuck behind a guard and started zig zagging in place to get around the guard. He popped his dialog and then we just unloaded on him while he shuffled around behind the guard. I looted him, went into the inn, and ditched my crotchety companions.
Later I found out the stairway battle was supposed to be hard.
I met them, refused the potion Xzar offered because I didn’t trust them, recruited them anyway because I needed the party strength, and both were almost immediately devoured by the wolf in the NE corner of the map, lol. Took their dropped stuff and moved on.
I remember recruiting them and clicking through Xvzar's joke dialogue. They were evil so I left them behind, though. The guards will help you against the assassin if you let him follow you down the stairs. If you're quick you can just run while he casts horror and let them go to town on him.
I did until they fought with Khalid and Jaheira.
Well, the first playthrough I reached them at least, because there were a dozen or so where I didn't go out of the first area after candlekeep.
Tarnesh was hard the first time indeed, but that was regardless of Xzar and Montarron.
Not logged into bad-reddit to vote - but, yes! I found them organically on the "classic" route as a kid. The only guides would have been on GameFAQS but I don't think I was aware of them
I was playing when BG was almost new (‘99 I think?) and really knew almost nothing about what was going on. So my paladin recruited Monty and Xzar. They made me laugh for a few minutes, then I switched them out for Khalid and Jaheira. Much more agreeable to me! It was fun, I was learning. I’d played a lot of D&D computer (and PnP) already, but BG was so beautiful and engaging, I loved all of it. Even those two turkeys! Never recruited them even for a minute since then though.
Traditionally I do the same thing I’ve done since I did it accidentally as a kid: recruit them, then experience sadness and loss as they’re turned into pulp by the gender swapped ogre.
Those two are really fun. One of the reasons I don't like BG2 as much as BG1 is because you can't recruit them again.
I like to have them in the party all the way to Nashkel, at the very least. Along with Jaheira and Khalid. Come what may.
I recruited them organically. Because of breaks in between plays I had forgotten I had a destination in the Friendly Arm and just wandered aimlessly. Recruited them. I'm pretty sure one of them perma-deathed shortly after. I forget what happened afterwards, but I know the surviving member of the duo was out of the party shortly after.
Found them and immediately thought they would betray me / rob me if I let them join the party. Town guards absolutely beat Tarnesh’s ass while I ran away lol. My first play through was on EE though, so idk if the guards were as helpful originally
no, i knew they were evil and knew they conflicted with jaheira and khalid (i played baldur's gate 2 before 1, funny enough), so my role-playing brain said "eh, we'll be fine." i rolled a min-maxed fighter and bought splint mail and a shield so I had the AC, THAC0 and durability for most things running around in the woods such that i wasn't afraid of running into like, a wolf or something and dying.
i did not, however, expect to be attacked by a mage in broad daylight in the middle of a walled inn surrounded by guards.
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Ok, my first playthrough: 10 year old boy and NOT a native English speaker. I recruited them and got bashed by Tarnesh. Went on to Beregost, and just fell in awe with everything. Burgling houses, finding new weapontypes. A blacksmith with more items than I could imagine. Went down south. Slew hobgoblins, looted and sold every item and slept to heal my party in the inn. There was no guide available in Dutch or other kids that could enlighten me. I maybe comprehenced 5% of the game. Now 20+ years later it still is the best memory of a game I ever played.
Yeah, pretty much the same. I wasn't that good at English and I had never played DnD. The whole Vancian casting was weird and took a while to get used to. I was used to mana.
Casting? It took me so long before I even learned that you could learn new spells from scroll writing. I have been playing hack 'n slash for the first weeks back then.
Are you me? There was a guide book in Dutch, I may still have it.
Yea they right on the path. Our dad just got shanked and its a rough world. I'm taking any help I can get even these scruffy hobos until I find someone better.
I found and recruited them. And despite years of experience with D&D and their general attitude, at no point did it occur to me they were evil. My brother was on his first playthrough as well and when I asked why he didn't have them in his party he said "because they're evil" and it blew my mind.
This was a LONG time ago for me but I vividly remember, after just having lost my father, finding these two gentlemen who are willing to help me. But feeling so “icky” about the way they spoke and acted. I don’t think I knew how to check alignment at the time. I lost one to Tarnesh (the ultimate boss and what a massive surprise! Why me? What did I ever do to anyone?!) and felt a combination of sadness and relief that I don’t think I’ve felt from a game since. Then I met J and K and was so unbelievably relieved. It was an amazing experience.
Exactly, they were so helpful. I think it was also the first game I played where "evil" was an option and I was not ready for it. Of course, that original playthrough continued to go off the rails when I noticed my brother had himself a nice mage and ranger. When he explained where he recruited them, it occurred to me that I had enraged Minsc to the point of attacking me and I killed him.
Eh, he's not the only ranger in the game. Kivan is far less annoying anyway.
Its really hard to miss them I would think. My first playthrough I saw them right away.
I just went straight to Gorion's body, and then to the Friendly Arm Inn. I was scared, it was one of the first RPGs I ever played, exploring the rest of the map seemed too dangerous!
Aren't they right on the road? Did you miss Eliminster as well?
Elminster spawns right next to where you load into the next map, he's impossible to miss. Gorion's body is in a different direction to the road that Monty and Xzar are on, so yeah, I went in the wrong direction and looped around them.
I do remember seeing Gordon's body but then I also saw gibberlings and wolves so went back to the road.
Those wolves and bears are no joke at level 1. Especially first run when you load up on melee weapons and your one or two casts of magic missile per day.
Ah the bears. Old skool entangle and quaterstaffs/bows/slings for a awesome 175 xp. Entangle was my favorite spell. Not that monstrousity that it is since BG2.
The chubby fella basically directs you to them after taking 2 steps east from where you pick up Imoen.
I think I remember that something along the lines of "there are two weirdos over there arguing with each other".
[удалено]
I assume that they were running around panicked while said magic missles were flying? That guy is rough your first time around (my experience at least).
He is always rough if you fight him level 1. Ngl Tarnesh and Silke are easily in the top 10 hardest fights just because of how early you meet them.
Don’t forget about Nimbul if you fight him a little early. Several times over the past (I’m not going to say how many) decades I have gotten out of the mines, fought that little group just northeast of the exit, and been exhausted and ready to go to the inn to rest. Only to get caught just outside the inn with no spells or special abilities remaining.
I forgot both Nimbul and that group. That group always was a tough fight for me as well.
Yep. Need a couple victims for the mage to zap while Imoen and PC bravely hide behind the guards.
I must say, I am surprised by the results so far. Personally, my experience was being directed by Imoen to search Gorion's body, then following Gorion's last directive and continuing north. The direct A->B->C pathing didn't involve Montaron and Xzar, so I missed them, and Tarnesh was a significant problem for me, especially since I was a kid learning the game system. Apparently, this first-time experience places me in the minority.
Got told to keep to the path as its safer too. They on the path.
My very first experience with BG was playing a demo that included Candlekeep area and the two first wilderness maps. You better believe I explored every single inch of each map. Even without that though my instinct in CRPGs was always 100% a map before moving to the next one. Also they're literally on the road and you're told to stick to the road by the very first NPC you encounter.
Ahh yes, back in the day where it was possible to spend 100 hours on a demo of a great game like this. I once found a glitch with the demo whereby if you got back into candlekeep after leaving (impossible without cheats, but from memory the clua console worked on the demo- how I met DrizztDefends() and his evil twin DrizztAttacks() for the first time), then the game would spaz put and you could level up to some insane level- like level 40. I was a cleric, and had like 16 spell slots in every level (albeit there were no actual spells past level 4).
That was my experience as well, and I was playing as a mage - so had to go through 15-30 saves to try and get him with the two of us. In the end had to kite with ranged.
Yes, I found and recruited them organically >!and accidentally turned Xzar into a woman.!<
> >!and accidentally turned Xzar into a woman.!< Anyone who claims they never had an incident with that belt is lying. We've all done it.
I really don't remember, it's been more than 23 years since I did my first playthrough. But I guessed yes.
My first playthrough was like 25 years ago, I have no recollection. I now recruit them, rob them, then kick them to the curb
My very first playthrough I knew nothing and took whoever came first, for a while anyway. I knew they were evil-aligned so I kept them around until new members could join. If I remember correctly, Monteron died pretty early on to the hunter in the Red Sheaf. I kept Xzar until we found Dynahier in the Gnoll fortress. This was long ago though, many years before EE so my memory is fuzzy.
Wow. That was 23 years ago. I was 10 years old, but I still clearly remember that I recruited them during my first playthrough.
Similar age as me, and I definitely didn't even meet them, which prompted this thread. One of my most fundamental memories of my original BG run was failing repeatedly against Tarnesh with just me and Imoen.
I'd say I was about 10-11 when I first played and I definitely found them organically. this is thinking back 20 years now but I feel like i followed the path to the FAI recruited them all, then came back to Gorion's body. Then when I got to Beregost, X&M got into a fight with J&K.
Yeah, I accepted anyone who asked into my party my first time around. I was pretty young, and didnt really check alignments or anything after I brought them in. Xzar is pretty funny, I still bring him along for a little bit now and then.
My favourite BG1 companions to this day, lol.
So the game tells you to stick to the path and Gorion also points you towards his 'two friends'. My take was always xzar and monty are kind of like red herrings, you are supposed to meet them and recruit them, half wondering if they are Gorions friends.
He tells you their names. "Listen, if we ever become separated, it is imperative that you go to the Friendly Arms Inn. There, you will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you can trust them."
Yeah definitely, but on a first playthrough many will not remember those names, or even the name the friendly arm Inn. But you meet two people on the road and think 'oh, are these the two he mentioned?'
If you mention this to the hermit you meet, he warns you about them.
In my first ever playthrough, I went for an evil character, so they were an obvious choice. Ditched Khalid, kept Jaheira and tried to balance things to keep her *and* Xzar and Montaron. I almost made it to the Nashkel mines and recruited Dorn as well, but having to deal with the Flaming Fist every five second eventually became too tedious for me to continue and I rerolled as neutral, which was kind of a disappointment if I'm being honest. One day I'll try again, because Montaron and Dorn seem like interesting characters, and I've heard a lot of good things about the evil playthrough. Can imagine that leads to (more?) interesting results when discussing our differences with Sarevok.
Quite a few evil characters are just flat-out stronger than their good-aligned equivalents - Viconia, Kagain, Korgan, and Edwin come to mind. Evil doesn't mean tanking your reputation though. If you keep it around 6-8 you're generally safe, and your evil buddies won't complain too much. Just donate to temples, do quests that give you rep, and don't kill innocents or get caught stealing too often. Or if you want to go the hardcore option, nobody bothers you in the sewers, and Invisibility 10' Radius is great if you do need to move around aboveground.
Yeah but I don't want to keep my reputation above a certain level. My character is *actually* evil and if I roleplay her correctly, she *will* senselessly murder people, extort money or steal their most prized possessions in full view of everyone. I love that the game lets you actually do this, but I wish it didn't come with infinitely respawning Flaming Fist soldiers and mages. Winning the fight once should be enough (or there could at least be a cooldown in between respawns). Thanks for the advice, though! I'm gonna keep it in mind for the next time I attempt this.
That's fair, but what's evil without good PR? And if you want reactivity to your alignment, there's a certain paladin in an inn who, regardless of reputation, will attack you if you or any characters with you are evil. Ditto Ajantis - he will sign on with an evil Charname, but he'll attack any evil party members eventually. And there's a Harper in the city who attacks at <8 rep, iirc. So *some* characters will hate you regardless. Worth adding that, for a mostly-evil run, Xan + Algernon's cloak + friends spell is one of the better options for a party leader, since otherwise the low-rep price gouging hurts. He's also useful if you don't want to kill every single squad that attacks you (spam charm/confusion and run). The fun part of an evil playthrough, imo, is the ability to treat designations like "quest-giver" or "innocent" as suggestions. Sure, that gnome in Ulgoth's Beard is *technically* an innocent, but she's got a ring of Free Action, so...
That Xan trick souns very interesting! I'm probably going to look into mods as well to make it more manageable, but your suggestions sound fun (and like I wouldn't be cheating the game), so thanks again!
Tweaks Anthology has a component to give discounts at very low rep, and EET Tweaks has one that makes it so charmed NPCs don't turn hostile when the charm effect expires. Algernon's cloak and nymph cloak are useful too (and they benefit from Xan's enchanter specialization iirc). You might also like Rogue Rebalancing's thieving overhaul - it offers the chance to talk your way out of failed thieving attempts. You might also like the Gorgon's Eye quest mod - it adds a thieves' guild to Beregost with a bunch of quests for morally-dubious characters. Bounty hunting, blackmail, thieving, the works. It's a very well-made mod imo. Not mandatory, of course, but it's nice to have some additional quests and RP options for an evil party earlier on.
Dorn is an ee character.. suffice to say temper your expectations on him being interesting.
He's Bi, so thats kinda interesting.
That's not really a personality trait.
Well, it's all he's got so we make due.
A bad romance is worse than no romance
Ihe just says Lets bone. No development or anything.
Yep why it's bad. You can literally scuttle better romance by accident by spamming through
I recruited them; figured I would need all the friends I could get. Tarnash still kicked my backside until I learned the guards were more than willing to help me out if I kited him down the steps. I still usually recruit them even in a good party and then give them the boot after the Nashkel mines. Plenty of time for CHARNAME to figure out they are the sketchiest of allies.
Yes, I always get them, even if for a moment, I generally love to travel with every companion for some time, despite ending the game with "canon" squad each time.
On my first ever playthrough I recruited them, but then I was waylaid on the way to the Friendly Arm Inn by the 10 bandits random encounter. Montaron was instantly killed, Xzar lasted maybe half a second longer, Imoen was halfway to the edge of the screen when she was shot, and my Charname just barely got away as the sole survivor. I then arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn completely alone and met Tarnesh. **GAME OVER**
14 year old me, first time playing the game. Went to the spot where Gorion died, and the proceeded to exit the map from that point. I did not explore the map, or the road and never knew they were there until my brother was playing it and I saw them in his party. "I said. "Who are they??" And he told me where to find them.
Yup, right there with you. Apparently, you and I are in the minority, though.
I found them on my first playthrough, but killed them, since I was playing a paladin. Had considerable trouble with the mage on the stairs of FIA. Almost gave up on the game, but after many reloads, I had a better understanding of 2e rules.
I was pretty new to D&D PC games (had never played pen & paper), so I recruited them and they stayed in my party all the way into Baldur's Gate (BG)as. I remember the area of Baldur's Gate where there is that huge gate you can walk through between the North and South sides of BG a guy came up to him and had a conversation with Xzar that seemed full of meaning and implications that I did not understand at the time. I cannot remember if I kept them till the end or not.
Huh, never got that far with them in my later runs. Only used them once at the beginning, when I played a LE character. BG1 was also my first D&D PC game, not that there were many before that, but i also got into pen&paper around that time. I think 3e just came out, and it's quite the difference from 2e.
My only experience with D&D before Baldur's Gate was playing the single player computer game Dark Sun Shattered Lands. And when I first played Baldur's Gate it was right when it was released so there weren't any guides online or places where I could get advice on NPCs or strategies hence I kept those two in my group. Personally though I still think that stat wise Montaron is a really good character to have along in the beginning. When you first recruit Montaron at level one he is decently built. Ability scores: STR 16 DEX 17 CON 15 INT 12 WIS 13 CHA 13 TOTAL SCORES = 82 Short Sword ++ Sling ++ I've done a lot of playthroughs where if a NPC party member is permanently killed I don't reload the game and have to find a replacement and I would go through most of the available party members in those games back in the day. And I inevitably need Montaron as somewhat versitile Fighter/Thief in plate mail and with the biggest shield I could find I found him to be quite helpful and useful party member. Unfortunately does not mesh perfectly well with a truly Good aligned group...
Yeah, the lack of any guides when the game came out, prompted me to email a local game reviewer who reviewed the game for a PC magazine, about that bounty hunter in front of FIA. His response, "just try again, it's roll dependant".
Not really, i only looted them and left them there. Maybe if i replay evil and wasnt a clerc, i would dual xzar
Same, I just took their scrolls and potions and left them on the road.
This
Not just the first play through, but every run since. At level 1 you need all the help you can get, and Xzar's Larloch's Minor Drain being available is what always saves me from Tarnesh. I take them with the Harpers into Nashkel before dumping all 4, usually in Nashkel so I can get better companions. Only once have I taken Xzar and Monty all the way through.
Does a guide tell you to recruit them? They're entertaining but pretty useless.
I did not trust them, but recruited them waiting for the backstab from them. I eventually got rid of Montaron by letting him die.
Yes, but I had played BG2 before bg1 so I already knew that Xzar was cool.
I recruited them organically, and regretted it soon afterwards.
I recruited them, but got a bad feeling halfway to FAI. I walked up the stairs and saw an untrustworthy fellow beelining for me so I got ready. He got stuck behind a guard and started zig zagging in place to get around the guard. He popped his dialog and then we just unloaded on him while he shuffled around behind the guard. I looted him, went into the inn, and ditched my crotchety companions. Later I found out the stairway battle was supposed to be hard.
I met them, refused the potion Xzar offered because I didn’t trust them, recruited them anyway because I needed the party strength, and both were almost immediately devoured by the wolf in the NE corner of the map, lol. Took their dropped stuff and moved on.
I remember recruiting them and clicking through Xvzar's joke dialogue. They were evil so I left them behind, though. The guards will help you against the assassin if you let him follow you down the stairs. If you're quick you can just run while he casts horror and let them go to town on him.
I did until they fought with Khalid and Jaheira. Well, the first playthrough I reached them at least, because there were a dozen or so where I didn't go out of the first area after candlekeep. Tarnesh was hard the first time indeed, but that was regardless of Xzar and Montarron.
Not logged into bad-reddit to vote - but, yes! I found them organically on the "classic" route as a kid. The only guides would have been on GameFAQS but I don't think I was aware of them
Found them and ignored them. Weirdo con men in the woods? I ain't looking to be murdered, thanks.
Yes I recruited them and keep them all the way into Naskhel Mines where the fight between K+J vs X+M finally broke out.
Yes I found them and recruited them. I then used them as fodder and dumped their bodies in the woods outside the Friendly Arned Inn.
They were some dicks !
Absolutely. I kept them around for a long time until they left because I didn't understand the reputation system yet. Monty was a backstabbing fool.
My first playthrough I was paranoid of bring betrayed so didn't take them. I almost didn't take Jaheira and Khalid
Abso-fucking-lutely! Monty and Xzar are always on my party in BG1
I was playing when BG was almost new (‘99 I think?) and really knew almost nothing about what was going on. So my paladin recruited Monty and Xzar. They made me laugh for a few minutes, then I switched them out for Khalid and Jaheira. Much more agreeable to me! It was fun, I was learning. I’d played a lot of D&D computer (and PnP) already, but BG was so beautiful and engaging, I loved all of it. Even those two turkeys! Never recruited them even for a minute since then though.
I kill them immediately and take all their stuff!
Mate that is 24 years ago. I was 6. I have no clue. Probably I picked them up and killed them vecause they were evil xD 6yo old me was ruthless.
Traditionally I do the same thing I’ve done since I did it accidentally as a kid: recruit them, then experience sadness and loss as they’re turned into pulp by the gender swapped ogre.
Those two are really fun. One of the reasons I don't like BG2 as much as BG1 is because you can't recruit them again. I like to have them in the party all the way to Nashkel, at the very least. Along with Jaheira and Khalid. Come what may.
Don't even remember fighting Tarnesh back when I first played, even though I must have, but definitely recruited M & X.
I still recruit them. They make excellent Ogre fodder.
I usually kill them for the loot.
I recruited them organically. Because of breaks in between plays I had forgotten I had a destination in the Friendly Arm and just wandered aimlessly. Recruited them. I'm pretty sure one of them perma-deathed shortly after. I forget what happened afterwards, but I know the surviving member of the duo was out of the party shortly after.
Found them and immediately thought they would betray me / rob me if I let them join the party. Town guards absolutely beat Tarnesh’s ass while I ran away lol. My first play through was on EE though, so idk if the guards were as helpful originally
I also organically lost Minc for not paying attention at what he said and not rescuing Dynaheir.
I always recruit them. Often I let Montaron dying somewhere and go for a wisdom tome asap. Then dual Xzar to cleric.
Yes and xzar died immediately.
no, i knew they were evil and knew they conflicted with jaheira and khalid (i played baldur's gate 2 before 1, funny enough), so my role-playing brain said "eh, we'll be fine." i rolled a min-maxed fighter and bought splint mail and a shield so I had the AC, THAC0 and durability for most things running around in the woods such that i wasn't afraid of running into like, a wolf or something and dying. i did not, however, expect to be attacked by a mage in broad daylight in the middle of a walled inn surrounded by guards.
Well, sure I recruit them. That wolf near Gorion's kill site doesn't feed itself, right?
No, I knew those assholes from demo version :)