Poll: Durlag's Tower, Tales of the Sword Coast

[berelinde]

Durlag's tower is tough. I remember that, back before I heard about mods.

 

Do you play it, or skip that part?

[Shaitan]

I've been through in almost every runthru. Two times I had to give up...

[Gorilym]

To me, DT is more a test of patience than a test of skill (pre-knowledge from previous runs does make it much easier), ie the party slowly inching its way around in the wake of the constantly trap-detecting thief. But it's good fun, and I wouldn't dream of skipping it. I typically go there in chapter 5, at some point before cleaning out the Iron Throne HQ.

[Smoketest]

I'm an XP junkie so I always do the tower. I also always do it last because I feel like I have to interrupt the main quest to go offtrack to the tower and werewolf isle. Therefore my party is always nearly maxed out at TSC's default experience cap of 161,000 by the time I get to Durlag's. It'd probably be a lot harder if I played it earlier, but by the time I usually get there it's just another dungeon crawl.

 

Edit: you didn't ask, but I also always do werewolf isle, just to hang out with Delainy (Durlyle if you're playing a female PC). If you are friendly and helpful, the relationship takes on a romantic quality, sort of a precursor to the romances of BG2. This is the inspiration for Bri's Delainy mod.

[Domi]

I don't remeber DT being particulary tough, by whatever reason, but I think I did it at the very end of the game (in vanilla BG1). I wandered in a couple of times with TUTU testing interjections and such, but I can't comment on toughness, because when I test, I run on 'party always lives' mode, so I cheat. I'd say level 6-7 is what I'd be comfortable with when taking DT with a strong party developped from lowest level up; it would be sometime in the end of Chapter 5.

[Grunker]

To me, DT is more a test of patience than a test of skill

 

So true, so not normally, no. But once in awhile I do, usually at level 7, though sometimes at level 6.

 

I find Durlag's Tower to be more a bother than a fun thing most often though. I didn't even have much fun with it the first time around.

[BigRob]

I usually do Durlag's Tower between levels 7 and 8 and play it for the XP, mostly. I don't find it too hard (even the first time round), you just have to be a bit careful. And use bows a lot to make things come to you over those traps.

[cmorgan]

See SmokeTest's answer; pretty much the same thing (except that I am a "do all quests possible with the PC" junkie rather than an XP one). I do all of TOTSC, because for some reason I want the protagonist to go through several fantasy novels worth of quests; this is probably why I keep getting my dude all the way from Candlekeep up through SoA's Asylum and Underdark only to stop when emerging, saying "now wait, I must have forgotten to do something -- let me start all over"

[pro5]

What's the point of installing mods to add new content if you're not using old game content fully. Of course I play it, and usually it's the last TotSC quest I do before going to finish off Sarevok.

[berelinde]

Well, there are a couple quests I don't do and a few NPCs I don't recruit simply because I don't enjoy the quests or particularly like the NPCs. I've done so in the past, but no longer feel the need to repeat it during every run through. I can skip the Circus Tent because I don't like the quest much, and dislike Aerie.

 

What that means: many people like Durlag's tower, but I'm not crazy about it. I always thought it was more of a test of memory. You find all the nasty surprises the first time through, then it's remembering where they are. I died horribly and repeatedly first trip through, and made it, but decided it wasn't worth the trudge. By the time the party was ready for the challenge, the quest was rapidly moving to completion, so it always felt funny going off to clear a dungeon under the circumstances.

 

So I usually skip it. But I see that I am in the minority, which I will bear in mind. It never hurts to consider all options!

[Western Paladin]

I always do Durlag's Tower, though usually not until after the return to Candlekeep. Usually I pretend that my character is laying low because the Flaming Fist or Sarevok's minions are looking for him.

 

The hardest part for me is the part with Love and the other emotion-named dwarf wizards.

[Smoketest]

Well, there are a couple quests I don't do and a few NPCs I don't recruit simply because I don't enjoy the quests or particularly like the NPCs. I've done so in the past, but no longer feel the need to repeat it during every run through. I can skip the Circus Tent because I don't like the quest much, and dislike Aerie.

In BG1 there tend to be a few things I can't do because of my character's alignment, and I dislike roughly half of the joinable NPCs, not to mention having to travel all over Faerun just to find them. BG2 is a slight improvement, but there are still a handful of NPCs I bother to adventure with, and the last time I played I soloed it and didn't feel lonely for a second. Sorta goes with my personality I suppose.

 

When I say XP junkie I mean just doing everything my character is allowed to do within reason, which means he won't invite evil NPCs just to do their quests and then dump them afterward, and so on. Instead I focus on getting all the XP I can before facing a boss, because as I've learned through years of gaming, bosses can be a test of skill (fun) or a show of cheesy immunities (more patience than skill required; build one-trick-pony characters to easily defeat the boss, etc.)

What that means: many people like Durlag's tower, but I'm not crazy about it. I always thought it was more of a test of memory. You find all the nasty surprises the first time through, then it's remembering where they are. I died horribly and repeatedly first trip through, and made it, but decided it wasn't worth the trudge. By the time the party was ready for the challenge, the quest was rapidly moving to completion, so it always felt funny going off to clear a dungeon under the circumstances.

I tend to agree. I prefer Watcher's Keep because it seems more focused, more polished, than Durlag's Tower. Bioware was still learning how to do CRPGs even when they released TSC, so there are some rough edges. (They should have learned from SSI.) However, WK is still like DT in that I have to interrupt my quest to make the visit, and that's hard to do sometimes if I'm caught in the momentum. "I suppose I'll just put the prophecies on hold while I visit this out-of-the-way place and do some unrelated activity." (By the way, you get more XP for sending Odren to face the Demogorgon than by lying or by showing mercy. If the spirit of a vigil knight shows up to give you Helm's ritual scroll, you did it right.)

[Kitana]

I've never finished Durlag's Tower or Watcher's Keep because by the time my characters have finished running around trying to figure out just who this Sarevok guy is and why he's trying to start a war in Amn, they don't really have -time- to go to Durlag's Tower. If I had the choice between saving the city of Baldur's Gate from my half-brother or going to some random out-of-the-way tower rumored to be some sort of Fortress of Doom not in any immediate danger, I'd probably go save the city.

[Gorilym]

I've never finished Durlag's Tower or Watcher's Keep because by the time my characters have finished running around trying to figure out just who this Sarevok guy is and why he's trying to start a war in Amn, they don't really have -time- to go to Durlag's Tower. If I had the choice between saving the city of Baldur's Gate from my half-brother or going to some random out-of-the-way tower rumored to be some sort of Fortress of Doom not in any immediate danger, I'd probably go save the city.

 

If I thought like that, I'd feel compelled to skip pretty much all the side quests in BG1 & 2, not just DT & WK (f.ex. "strongholds? who has time for strongholds? I need to rescue Imoen / get my soul back!") - which would result in very little replayability and me playing the Fallout games instead.

[EiriktheScald]

I can't even get past the Battle Horrors!