Should I install mods for IWD: EE first walktrought on hardcore settings?

[subtledoctor]

All summons are overpowered in Heart if Fury mode. That’s my point: HoF makes the game harder in some ways, easier in other ways, and more boring in other ways. It creates more “correct” strategies that make the game easy (summons) and renders some strategies artificially ineffective (other magic). And you end up “winning” by using strategies that would not be effective in normal gameplay. 

As for rest-spamming: it just removes an important aspect of resource management. Resource management is a tactically interesting and engaging part of the game. Not bothering with it does not sound very “hardcore” to me. 

tl;dr: HoF is one crude way to add challenge to the game. I had fun playing it... once. But after that you can devise all sorts of different ways to add challenge, often more fun and interesting. That’s the beauty of this game. (That, and the music.) 

[frostysh]

17 hours ago, subtledoctor said:

All summons are overpowered in Heart if Fury mode.

Yep, the spell such as Animate Dead are game breaking spell, totally devs missed the point that undead/summons with x3 HP + 80 and -6 AC bonus and + 1 APR are total imba. Currently stopped my playtrough, bothering with "Improved HoF" mod.

Dunno about 'resource management', as I remembered BG with SCS + other mod on hardcore, even with continuous rest everywhere where it's possible megatons of potions (especially explosive one which cost gold as hell) consumed on almost every more tough battle than against few skeletons... Which is means continuous lack of supplies, which was extremely annoying and no fun. And of course, if you are playing Sorcerer or most of party meele/ranger demage dealers you no need rest so often, but if you playing for an example, a Diviner or the Wild Mage, and the party main reason of victory in battles is usually your magical arsenal, it's actually no good... For myself I have my own 'glitches' that making the game harder — I cannot steal in and kill the innocent NPC, no pickpocket and so on, which is mean perma-lack of gold.

My own opinion: I like HoF, I like raid-party of Goblens that each one has near 100 HP... I like Ogres with a lot of HP and insane damage and THAC0, I like bonuses to AC of enemies which is means I need make a strict roles of characters (such as tank and healer) and using proper weapons (piercing damage against Goblens), I can even forgive a stupid vanila-AI, that actually sometimes making game harder, but such things as Animate Dead is ruining game...