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          {{{---((--$ BALDUR'S GATE II FAQ $--))---}}}



version 1.00
09-30-00
by Nicholas Yu
[email protected]
http://www.hotzp.com/
http://www.hotzp.com/badboys/



**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**
* DISCLAIMER: This FAQ is Copyright 2000 Nicholas Yu under the international  *
|             Copyright laws.  Please contact the author via e-mail if you    |
|             wish to publish or reprint this work.  Anyone attempting to     |
|             pass this work off as his own will be sent to bed without       |
|             dinner and laughed at, because really, who would be lame enough |
*             to pretend to have written a game FAQ?                          *
**---------------------------------------------------------------------------**



Baldur's Gate II FAQ

Contents:

  I. General Information
 II. FAQ
        A. Spoiler Warning
        B. Chapter I
        C. Chapter II
        D. Chapter III
        E. Chapter IV
        F. Chapter V
        G. Chapter VI
        H. Chapter VII
        I. Characters
        J. Strategy and Miscellaneous
        K. Strongholds (forthcoming)
III. Gratuitous Self-Pimpage


09-30-00: Version 1.00  -FAQ released



I. GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION
      GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION
         GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION



This is my first stab at a FAQ for Baldur's Gate II.  I don't plan on doing a 
full walkthrough as I have not yet been proven clinically insane.  I'll attempt 
to answer some of the most frequently asked questions (hence the term FAQ), but 
I'll leave the actual workings of a walkthrough for more ambitious authors.  I 
may eventually get around to writing a honest-to-goodness walkthrough, but I 
learned how terribly painful that could be with Planescape: Torment.

Now as far as e-mailing me goes, I enjoy reading e-mail and make as great an
attempt as humanly possible to answer each and every e-mail I receive. 
Unfortunately, I learned this was simply not possible after getting literally
thousands (!) of e-mail about my Planescape: Torment FAQ.  So if you send me e
mail and I don't reply, don't take offense, or even worse send me several other
e-mail asking why I haven't replied yet.  I will hopefully get around to
answering your query, but keep in mind that we're dealing with a popular game
and that I will be bound to receive a hefty amount of e-mail.  I list my e-mail
address because I do truly want you to e-mail me with pertinent information or
sound questions, but please try to limit the spam.  Using the following
examples, please evaluate into which category your potential e-mail falls.

GOOD e-mail example:

"While I thoroughly enjoyed your guide and consider you to be the greatest FAQ
writer ever, perhaps with the exception of the ever prolific Kao Megura, I
strongly disagree with your assessment of the Pierce skill.  I have found it to
be useful on many occasions, examples being ..."

BAD e-mail example:

"d00d!  |-|0\/\/ d0 j00 |-|4X0r b100D r4\/3|\|?"

There will be many spoilers in this guide, especially in the Walkthrough
section; so I suggest skipping over that area if you don't want to ruin all the
surprises for yourself later.



II. FAQ   FAQ   FAQ
      FAQ   FAQ   FAQ
         FAQ   FAQ   FAQ 

A. SPOILER WARNING

For God's sake, don't read this FAQ if you're trying to work this game through 
on your own and don't want to ruin too many surprises for yourself.  I write 
this FAQ as a service for anyone who's stuck in a particular point or has 
already beaten the game and wants to go back and see what he's missed.  There 
definitely will be spoilers involved in the questions and answers below.  I'd 
advise doing a simple search for a key word or phrase whenever you're stumped to 
see if there's a question posed and answer given below.  If not, send e-mail to 
[email protected] and request that your question be added.

Also, keep in mind that the questions are sorted according to Chapters and 
quests.  Depending on how you play the game, you may encounter a quest earlier 
or later than listed.



B. CHAPTER I

Q1: How do I free Minsc from his cage?
A1: Simply talk to him and exhaust one of the dialogue trees.  Minsc will free 
himself shortly thereafter.

Q2: How do I free Jaheira from her cage?
A2: The key to her cage (along with some equipment - some of it may be magical 
if you imported a character from BG1) can be found in the room to the northwest.

Q3: How do I free Frennedan?
A3: The key to his cage is in the main room outside his prison.

Q4: What's the deal with Rielev?
A4: Put him out of his misery and then go take the cells to the other life 
support pods.  The other people there will give you a few clues about the other 
quests here.

Q5: Where's the flask that will free Malaaq?
A5: The dryads have it.

Q6: What do I do with the dryads' acorns?
A6: Hold onto them for awhile, you won't be able to do anything with them until 
you accept the quest that takes you to the Windspear Hills.

Q7: Help!  The Cowled Wizards have taken Imoen prisoner, what do I do?
A7: There's nothing you can do about this just yet.  Saving Imoen is one of the 
game's major plot arcs.



C. CHAPTER II

Q1: Where in Sam Hill am I going to raise 20,000 gold?
A1: Once you get into the meat of the game, the money will come fast and 
furious.  You'll have spent well over 100k gold by the time the game is done.  
The price will come down a bit before all is said and done.

Q2: Should I ally with the Shadow Thieves or Bodhi's rival guild?
A2: The Shadow Thieves are the lesser of two evils.  All will be revealed in the 
fullness of time.

Q3: How do I get into the Harper's base at the Docks?
A3: The first time you leave the city, you'll encounter a poisoned Harper.  Take 
him to the headquarters to learn that it's a Harper base.  If Jaheira is with 
you, the Harpers will be willing to give you a quest to prove yourself.  You'll 
also see a familiar face nearby (Xzar).  Accept his quest and infiltrate the 
building.  You'll need a Harper amulet to bypass the guardians upstairs, so make 
free with the contents of the rooms to the northeast.

Q4: Can I get Xzar to join?
A4: No.  Why would you want a crazy person on your side, anyway?  He won't be 
around for too long, anyway.

Q5: Oops!  I killed a bunch of Harpers and Jaheira renounced her membership.  
Now what?
A5: You'll have to protect Jaheira, who's now a renegade, from a number of 
determined pursuers who may surprise you while you travel around outdoors.  At 
some point in the future, Jaheira will actually leave your party when you rest 
outside, but you can go back to the Harper HQ and pick her up on the second 
floor.

Q6: How do I open this secret door in the northern part of the Sewers?  I've 
tried everything to no avail.
A6: There'll be a Sewer Key deep inside the Windspear Hills that will open this 
door.



D. CHAPTER III

Q1: Where can I find the rakshasa whom the Trademeet genies are chasing?
A1: She's hiding in a house on the east side of the Druid grove.  She'll reveal 
herself if you smells the genies on your scent.

Q2: Where's the guy in red who buried Tirdir?
A2: You can intimidate Sethle the gravedigger.  Seek out your quarry in the 
southern portion of the Bridge District.

Q3: What's going on in the back of the Copper Coronet?
A3: Why don't you free Hendak and find out?  Also, isn't it annoying to answer a 
question with a question?  Huh?  Huh?

Q4: What's up with Quallo's riddles in the sewers underneath the Copper Coronet?
A4: You need four pieces to put it all together.  Check the sewer grate in the 
big drainage room, the twisted skeletons in the corridor, the "friend" of 
Quallo, and the uppity bunch of kobolds for the necessary components.

Q5: Who's this weird "skinner" killer in the Bridge District?
A5: Reijek Hidesman, but you knew that already, didn't you?  It's best to prove 
his guilt by talking to the witnesses and getting opinions from the nearby 
storekeeper.  Go ahead and confront Reijek yourself and search the premises 
carefully and thoroughly.  Don't worry about him getting away, you'll meet him 
again in Trademeet.

Q6: Guh.  What's the point of carrying around some stitched-together human 
flesh?
A6: You can combine it with Silver Dragon scales (in the Underdark much later) 
if you talk to Fael in Umar Hills.  As the Tanner's Note suggests, buy a copy of 
the History of the Zhentarim to get him to open up.

Q7: Where can I find a caretaker for the orphan Risa?
A7: There's an honorable Paladin named Kamir on the other side of the Graveyard 
District.

Q8: How do I get past the second shadow barrier in the Temple Ruins?
A8: You can't open it, but you can go through it.  There are several tunnels 
that branch off of the room filled with lava.  There are a few secret passages 
and several important items that can only be found by sweeping your mouse over 
any conspicuous-looking container objects.

Q9: I found half of a note talking about something hidden in the rock formations 
outside, but I can't find anything.  A little help?
A9: This won't come up again unless you're a Ranger and take to protecting Umar 
Hills.  After the local dryad enlists your aid, you'll be able to find the cache 
of mithril quite easily.

Q10: Holy poopy!  These liches, dragons, beholders, and vampires are tough!  
What's a poor hero to do?
A10: You don't necessarily have to fight them all when you first get the quest 
or when you first meet them.  Wait until you're suitably equipped or high enough 
in levels to tackle them.

Q11: I killed a bunch of other vampires, but Bodhi's nowhere to be found.  What 
gives?
A11: Go into one of the western rooms (the one with 3 crypts in it) and stake 
all the recuperating vampires.  Bodhi will put in an appearance.



E. CHAPTER IV

Q1: How do I get into the asylum?
A1: Shut down the local brothel to make a couple of local connections.  You can 
either take a wardstone off the dead fingers of a Cowled Wizard living in a 
house on the east, or talk Desharik the Pirate Lord into giving you a free ride.

Q2: How can I beat Bhaal?  My attacks don't seem to be fazing him!
A2: You need to run and talk to Imoen inside of Candlekeep first.

Q3: Argh, this sucks!  Yoshimo's turned against me.  Is there anything I can do 
to bring him back?
A3: No.  Kick his ass.  Don't forget to redeem him later, though, at a Temple of 
Ilmater (there's one in Waukeen's Promenade).

Q4: Some of these riddles are perplexing.  Give a brother some love and help me 
out?
A4: No.  The riddles are fun, but they're not too difficult, especially because 
they give you a list of things to choose from.  Just take a second to think 
about it, and I'm sure the answers will spring to mind.

Q5: Should I trust Saemon?
A5: No, but you might as well go along for the ride, anyway.



F. CHAPTER V

Q1: How do I get inside the Drow City?  I don't fancy fighting them all.
A1: Visit the Svirfneblin in the northwest of the Underdark.  Do them a favor, 
and they'll tell you how to make nice with Adalon the Silver Dragon.

Q2: How do I get Adalon's eggs back?
A2: You'll be forced to run several quests for Phaere.  After you complete them 
all (don't dally too long or you'll be denounced), she'll set you aside and ask 
you to steal and replace the eggs.  If you were nice to Soulafein, then he'll 
slip you another set of replacement eggs to fool Phaere.

Q3: Ach de lieber, this is not einer boobie!  I've been captured by the illithid 
and they're making me fight for their amusement and saying stuff like, "Dance, 
monkey boy!  Dance for my amusement!"  What now?
A3: After your first battle with some umber hulks, you'll be able to open the 
door next to you.  You can plot with the Githyanki to break free.

Q4: How do I open some of these doors in the Mind Flayer city?
A4: You'll need to free the slaves by acquiring some of the mind flayer eggs and 
them using them on the slave machinery.  You'll be able to create 4 slave 
collars using the big shagnasty machine in the corner.  Don't waste any of them 
except when you nab an illithid for the express purpose of opening an otherwise 
sealed door.  There'll always be an illithid in the egg room, so don't despair 
if you've killed all the others.



G. CHAPTER VI

Q1: Crap!  I killed Drizzt in BG1, and now he's pissed.  What can I do?
A1: If you're sufficiently penitent or reasonable, you can win Drizzt over.  
Take all the help you can get when confronting Bodhi.

Q2: So where is Bodhi and the Rhynn Lanthorn, anyway?
A2: Go back to the beginning, my son.  She's hanging out in her old haunts (rim 
shot).



H. CHAPTER VII

Q1: Can you help me with something here?
A1: No, go enjoy the game.  _



I. CHARACTERS

Q1: Where's Aerie?
A1: In the circus tent in Waukeen's Promenade.

Q2: Aerie's "uncle" is Quayle.  Will he join up?
A2: No, but when he requests help later on, that'll lead you to Haer'Dalis.

Q3: Where's Korgan Bloodaxe?
A3: Chillin' in the Copper Coronet.

Q4: Where's Valygar Corthala?
A4: Hiding out in Umar Hills.

Q5: If you're such a Mr. Smarty Man FAQ Writer, why's he hiding out in Umar 
Hills?
A5: Because the Cowled Wizards are interested in him.  Valygar is the key to the 
Planar Sphere in the Slums District.

Q6: Where's Anomen Derlyn?
A6: He's a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart.

Q7: Will Anomen fall in love with my female PC?
A7: Yes.  As far as I know, Anomen is the only male NPC with whom a female 
character can get romantically involved.

Q8: Will Anomen fall in love with my male PC?
A8: No, but I'm sure a few years in prison would rectify that.

Q9: Where's Cernd?
A9: Chillin' in the dungeon in Trademeet.

Q10: Why the Hell would I put Cernd in my group?
A10: Dropped as a baby?

Q11: Where's Jan Jansen?
A11: He'll be hawking his wares in the Government District.

Q12: Is it true that Jan makes cool equipment?
A12: Only if "cool" really means "mostly lame."

Q13: Where's Yoshimo?
A13: You should stumble upon Yoshimo as you leave Irenicus' lair.

Q14: Where's Nalia De'Arnise?
A14: Chillin' in the Copper Coronet and looking for help.

Q15: Is Nalia as hot as I think?
A15: Hotter.

Q16: Oops, Nalia's snotty betrothed ran off with her.  How do I get her back?
A16: Prove that he likes to hang out in hives of scum and villainy.  One of the 
soldiers who accompanies him will give you all the clues you need.

Q17: Where's Keldorn Firecam?
A17: You'll bump into him in the sewers just outside the Cult of the Sightless 
Eye.

Q18: Where's Mazzy Fentan?
A18: Chillin' in a cell in the Temple Ruins.  You'll need a key from the Shadow 
Jailor in order to free her.

Q19: Fentan, Fentan.  That sounds familiar, doesn't it?
A19: Yup, her home is in Trademeet.  You may have to help her sister out.  Mazzy 
also has a subquest in and around the Copper Coronet.

Q20: Where's Haer'Dalis?
A20: You first have to rescue Haer'Dalis from the clutches of a wizard who makes 
his base in the Sewers.  You may also have to chase after him and rescue him 
from the clutches of a cambion.

Q21: Where's Imoen?
A21: (smack)

Q22: Where's Jaheira?
A22: (double smack)

Q23: Where's Minsc?
A23: In the Uppah U.S. (you have to imagine the right accent go get that)

Q24: Where's Edwin Odesseiron?
A24: If you accept the quests of the Shadow Thieves (through Yoshimo at first) 
and prove Mae'Var's treachery, Edwin will offer to join you.

Q25: Where's Viconia deVir?
A25: She's warming her toes by a fire in the Government District.  You'll have 
to fend off some angry fanatics to free her.

Q26: Is it true that Mazzy, Edwin, and Haer'Dalis are extraordinary characters?
A26: Yes.  They have abilities far above and beyond those indicated by their 
character class alone.

Q27: Which female NPCs will fall in love with my male PC?
A27: Aeire, Nalia, and Jaheira.  Maybe Imoen, but I haven't verified that yet.

Q28: Will any female NPCs fall in love with my female NPC?
A28: I haven't seen evidence of it yet, but I always have my trusty video camera 
just in case.



J. STRATEGY AND MISCELLANEOUS

Q1: Where are all the parts of The Equalizer?
A1: The pommel is in Irenicus' lair, and the other two parts in the Underdark in 
the possession of an Elder Eye and the Elder Brain.

Q2: Why are golems such a pain in my ass?
A2: Because they were never meant to be ingested anally.  Golems all have a 
large amount of magic resistance and different types are immune to different 
things.  It's safe to say that you should fight them with +2 weapons, but also 
keep in mind that different golems are also immune or resistant to different 
types of damage.  This applies to types of weapons (slashing, bludgeoning, 
piercing, etc.) as well as magic.

Q3: How do I fight dragons?
A3: Very very carefully.  You can go through the game without having to kill a 
single dragon, but then you're missing out on a whole lot of loot and 
experience.  There are four good pieces of dragon-killing equipment that I know 
of: long sword, halberd, shield, and helmet.  It helps to have these before you 
tackle one of the dragons in the game.  Make sure you've cast all your defensive 
spells, and it doesn't hurt to summon a lot of monsters (up to 5) to serve as 
fodder.  The dragons have different breath weapons and abilities, so that should 
influence what equipment and spells you use.  The dragons will be hard to hit 
with weapons at first, so it's up to your mages to carry the day.  With two 
mages, you should have them memorize certain spells before wading into combat.  
Emphasize Magic Missile, Melf's Acid Arrow, and Flame Arrow.  Good offensive 
priest spells include Holy Smite, Flame Strike, and Bolt of Glory.  Magic 
Missile will probably carry the day and inflict a good bit of damage before your 
warriors will finally be able to land a hit.  Also make sure to have Breach and 
Pierce Magic handy, as the dragons are all expert spellcasters as well.  If you 
want to be really cheesy, you can sometimes shoot off a Cloudkill or three 
before they are "activated" as enemies.  They'll be dead or mostly dead by the 
time they see you and react.

Q4: How do I fight vampires and the more powerful undead?
A4: There are some very good items you should pick up that will greatly aid your 
battle against the undead.  The Copper Coronet sells Azuredge and you can find 
the Mace of Disruption in the Vampire lair in a pool of blood.  Both weapons 
have the chance to instantly kill the undead.  Make sure you have a cleric 
capable of casting Restoration, or carry a few scrolls of said spell around with 
you.  There are other good anti-undead weapons out there as well, such as Flame 
Tongue and the Bone Club.  Just keep an eye out for them.

Q5: How do I fight liches?
A5: Liches are tricky opponents, mostly due to the Time Stop spell.  I would 
wait until level 13 or thereabouts before tackling liches.  Before then, your 
saving throws simply won't be good enough despite whatever defensive spells 
you've cast.  It really hurts when a lich casts Time Stop and then Finger of 
Deaths half your party away.  Wait until they have good saving throws, and you 
won't have too many problems.  Breach and Pierce Magic will serve you in good 
stead here as well.

Q6: What's on the Bonus CD?
A6: There's a new shopkeeper named Jovul in the Copper Coronet who sells Icewind 
Dale-related equipment.  There are some very good magical weapons here.

Q7: What's on the Collector's Edition CD?
A7: There's a new shopkeeper named Deidre in the Adventurer's Mart who sells 
Planescape: Torment-related equipment.  She sells the most powerful armor in the 
game (Balduran's Plate, Robe of Vecna come to mind) as well as some decent 
weapons and miscellaneous magical items.  Each bonus vendor sells 10 items each.



K. STRONGHOLDS (forthcoming)



III. OTHER

A. PROPS AND SLOPS

Props:

- CJayC and GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) as always
- My loving fiancee as always
- Black Isle for churning out some of the best and most addictive games
- People who send in thoughtful coherent e-mail
- All the helpful people on the BG Chronicles (http://www.bgchronicles.com) forum

Slops:

- Vin Baker: You suck, why are you on the 2000 Dream Team?
- Black Isle for churning out some of the best and most addictive games
- People who send in insulting or oft-illegible e-mail



B. GRATUITOUS SELF-PIMPAGE

I've written other FAQs, and I wrote a song about it.  Wanna hear it?  Here it
goes!  All of these FAQs can be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com.  The
Planescape: Torment FAQ can be found in a ton of places, and often in other
languages.  How crazy is that?  It even got published in some foreign game
magazines.  Crazy, man, crazy.

Diablo II Amazon Guide
Planescape: Torment FAQ/Walkthrough
Heroes of Might and Magic III Units FAQ
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade FAQ/Walkthrough



Contact Information:

Nicholas Yu
[email protected]
http://hotzp.com/
http://hotzp.com/badboys/

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