Improved Anvil 6.5 Enhanced Edition

IA is a mod that actively enforces and encourages honest behaviour, both by player and the AI. One of the core design principles consists in removal of potentially abusive and dishonest methods of playing against which the computer is helpless. The more obvious examples of such abuse include application of ultra-powerful items, running around while shooting at the enemy and so on (everything that falls under the broad category of so-called 'cheesy' behaviour). While it is not possible to completely eradicate all such possibilities (terrain abuse would be a glaring example), IA does its best to do so.

Enemies in IA are improved considerably. They possess immunities and increased resistances to things they've never had in vanilla game. Even the smartest enemy will not survive more then a round or two against a high-level party equipped with powerful magic and enchanted weapons. Enemies need endurance to survive. IA gives them said endurance. This is never done blindly or without consideration for consequences. There are always vulnerabilities to exploit and tactics to apply in order to take the enemy down. They just aren't what you might have been accustomed to in vanilla game.

Sometimes, enemies have abilities that a player's party will never receive. This is OK. Your party will have plenty of their own unique items, abilities and spells to choose from. The enemies will never, however, do something illegal, like targeting invisible party members directly, in order to win. Their AI strives to be honest and not overstep the limits of what a real human player can do. There might be exceptions in cases of especially powerful and mighty opponents. You don't expect an ancient dragon to be a pushover, do you?

Does the mod bend the rules sometimes to provide a tough challenge? Yes, it does. IA has always been about hand-crafted, unique experiences. IA is a successor of Weimer's Tactics in that sense, but with no cheese.

Does IA provide a player with the possibility to pick and choose which component works for him and which doesn't? No, it is not and never will. IA is not about moderation and configuration. Does the mod favor certain things and disregard the others? Yes, it does. IA is a vision of its authors, it was never intended to appeal to each and everyone's sense of what is right and wrong in the game. The tactics you might consider normal and even logical in vanilla game might not be applicable in IA. You have to accept that.

This is an approximate list of cheats and cheap tactics that one should avoid if he really wants to enjoy IA. These are the rules that IA testers followed and still follow strictly when we design combat encounters. At the same time, these are exploits that you might attempt in a strange desire to cheat the mod and break the game. The mod will resist, however, and the majority of what's written below has been prevented in one way or another. You can still undo any change, of course, but this is not something we would endorse.

Plain cheats that no self-respecting player would ever employ:

• using Clua console;
• using game editors;
• using hot key commands (Ctrl+R, etc.);
• deleting files from the override folder;
• using xp/gold/item exploits.

Cheesy and questionable tactics (your mileage may vary, but testers never use those):

• hit & run tactics;
• resting when the enemy is coming at you in order to expire his protections;
• stealing critical and quest-related items from enemies before they turn hostile;
• killing an enemy before he turns hostile and starts to fight;
• taking personal items of joinable NPCs and using them with another party member (this is actually enforced on an engine level in EE by a brand-new effect opcode);
• passing around items during the battle just in time to prevent certain bad effects from happening (e.g., equipping all items that improve saving throws when a Finger of Death is already flying at your mage);
• applying consumables such as potions when a negative effect already hits you in waves (e.g., using potion that increases magic resistance when an enemy has already hit you with ADHW);
• re-casting spell protections endlessly to force enemy casters to waste their spells and casting rounds (a human player would've changed tactics whereas the AI has its limitations; we try to overcome those but there's a limit to what one can achieve with IE scripts);
• abusing the area structure to prevent enemies from acting efficiently;
• leaving the area in the middle of the battle;
• casting hostile spells from offscreen;
• hide & wait;
• erasing known spells from the spell book to write and learn them afresh (via Wondrous Recall or Wish);
• refreshing contingencies and triggers in the middle of the battle;
• lowering the game difficulty to get maximum HP rolls (this is controversial and very individual; it is a personal prefence of mine and Sikret's, though);
• lowering the game difficulty at certain points of the battle (playing on easy or normal if you are a new player or just prefer an easier game is OK; lowering it for a round or two just when you have to make a tough saving throw is cheesy).

IA is most fun and rewarding when you fight bravely, honourably and stand up to enemies. It might appear strange, counterintuitive and illogical when the usual guerilla tactics (hit & run, throwing deadly clouds from off screen, etc.) tend to work much better. Unfortunately, we cannot design an AI that works efficiently in a similar manner. Instead, IA encourages you to get into the enemies' faces — something that we find to be most appropriate for an epic fantasy game, with dragons and paladins running around, gods and evil mages scheming and heroes fighting valiantly to prevent them from doing so.

Improved Anvil encourages a sensible approach. Every encounter and challenge is designed and tested with a balanced, well-rounded party. You need at least two pure-class warriors (fighter, ranger or paladin) to hit things efficiently. The enemies are very resilient, and a lack of warrior HLAs can cause a lot of pain later in the game. Low THAC0 and high APR plays much greater role than it did before. APR bonuses and THAC0 progression tables are revised, and you'll have a really hard time reaching competitive values in these parameters with non-fighter classes.

The second general category you need to have filled out are casters. Two competent arcane specialists and at least a one priest who can heal and protect is an appropriate amount to avoid any unnecessary problems. This leaves a sixth slot depending on personal preferences. The best choice is another warrior. You can never have too many of them in IA. If you prefer spell casting, feel free to add another one to the roster, just make sure that he or she can pack a punch if need arises (a dual-classed fighter/mage or an Avenger druid is a good candidate for that role).

The role of rogues is generally diminished compared to that of other classes. If you really must have a rogue character in your party, go with Swashbuckler. Otherwise, I'd recommend taking one of the Bioware NPCS that were dual-classed from thief and have them to take care of any non-combat tasks expected of a rogue (lockpicking, removal of traps, etc.).

For the protagonist role, I strongly recommend picking Vagrant or Necromancer if you're a beginner. The mod adds a lot of new content for these classes (as a part of the on-going stronghold expansion project), so you won't miss out on anything, especially if you don't plan to play the mod over and over.

Custom protagonists are incredibly strong and tend to perform as two characters combined, in terms of strength and efficiency. For example, many experienced players never bother to take any extra wizards if they have a Necromancer protagonist. This character is so powerful that he can handle all arcane casting single-handedly.

Classes and kits are not made equal in IA, which is why it's so important to have a couple of powerful characters who can handle the extra load. They will be an asset if you have a less potent party member who's not guaranteed to stand his ground all the time. At the very least, take your time to read info on our new kits and changes we've applied to the existing ones. More in-depth information is presented in sections on classes and npcs below.

Here's a good template for a balanced party led by a Vagrant protagonist: Valygar, two arcane casters, one divine caster and one more melee specialist of your choice. Nalia and Imoen are considered to be 'canonic' candidates for the roles of arcane support (personal favourites of Sikret). You may experiment, however. Take Neera or Jan, or make a Berserker->Mage dual-class. For the role of a priest, Cernd or Anomen are solid picks but, once again, you're free to choose. Jaheira is going to fit perfectly, but may require more skill to handle. You could never go wrong with a Fighter->Cleric or Ranger->Cleric dual-class. For the remaining slot, pick any warrior you want: a fighter kit, a monk, a paladin or any of the in-game NPCs. The canonic candidate here is a fighter kit (Berserker, Barbarian or Kensai) with focus on two-handed weapons.

It is time for a confession: IA is not a finished mod. We have applied many changes to enemies, scripts, spells and changed the balance drastically. One could always be expected to win the vanilla game even with the most inefficient party composition. This won't work in IA. You have to be a bit of a power gamer and be at peace with the fact that we've improved many classes and kits but nerfed the others in order to encourage a specific playing style. We have many plans for further improvement of those classes and extra content related to them. But this is work in progress.

What follows is the most honest depiction of how powerful or not are specific classes and kits in the game. This is done, once again, in order to prevent any confusion or misplaced expectations. Read on and decide for yourself.

Fighters:

• Berserker, Kensai, Barbarian — all decent choices, you can never go wrong with a pure fighter in Improved Anvil;
• Riskbreaker (custom IA kit) — this kit was designed to be the most powerful fighter kit and it truly is, only kensai can come close in terms of damage output;
• Dwarven Defender (new EE kit) — solid tank, with huge potential for reaching low Armor Class and high physical resistances;
• Champion of Arvoreen (custom IA kit) — a cross between fighter and paladin, designed specifically for Mazzy Fentan, works best with her in party;
• Wizard Slayer — it has always been weird even in vanilla game, poor choice for unexperienced players in IA.

Rangers:

• Vagrant (custom IA kit) — very strong, best works for the protagonist character, has access to several brand-new quests;
• Protector (custom IA kit) — another great choice, designed specifically for Valygar, highly recommended for beginner players;
• Stalker, Beast Master — decent choices, especially Stalker, but not as efficient as the IA kits;
• Archer — don't bother until the upcoming IAv7 shows up, ranged weapons are nerfed significantly, you will not enjoy it.

Paladins

All paladin kits are strong choices because they are warriors. However, IA has a new tactical feature that allows evil enemy clerics to turn good-aligned paladins — it requires a certain degree of skill from player to play the class efficiently, so make decisions based on your skills.

• Undead Hunter — best choice #1: undeads are truly scary in IA, having a warrior with permanent protection from Level Drain is an asset;
• Inquisitor — best choice #2: even though we have nerfed this kit's Dispel Magic significantly, it is still a strong weapon in hands of a skilled player;
• Cavalier — decent choice with extra slaying power against demons, but not as expressive in his abilities as the two kits above;
• Blackguard (new EE kit) — IA was never designed with an evil party in mind, the kit is not fully tested, so play at your own risk, be it a custom character or the new NPC, Dorn.

Monks

As a general rule, all monks are powerful, as of IAv62. They might require a bit more skill from player in the early stages, but they will turn deadly as the game progresses. Two new kits that were introduced by the EE (the Sun Soul monk and Dark Moon monk) are almost identical in their powers in comparison to the main class. Whatever special abilities those kits possess are mostly for flavour — do not expect them to be of good use in IA's improved encounters, at least not yet. Maybe, in the future versions.

Clerics

All clerics are generally a decent choice for your party — they have spells that are necessary for your party's survival. As the game progresses, however, you will note that pure clerics do not contribute as much to the game as they did earlier — an unfortunate side effect of not having enough time to add powerful features that are consistent with IA's gameplay. You will not suffer with a pure cleric in your party, but you'll have a much easier time with some sort of multi- or dual-class in their place.

Druids:

• Auramaster (custom IA kit) — this druid kit has all the right spells to be effective in IA, it is a powerful addition to the party.
• Avenger — this kit was completely redesigned for the upcoming 7th version of the mod and it is now a powerful, melee-oriented druid;
• Shapeshifter, Totemic Druid — these kits are unimproved and therefore not recommended for IA.
• Shaman — the brand-new BG2:EE 2.x class has received some minor adjustments in IA, however it still remains fairly unmodified and therefore no the best pick (be advised — there was hardly any playtesting done).

Mages:

• mages are bread and butter of IA, any decent party needs at least two if it is to stand a chance at winning the game;
• Necromancer — best choice for protagonist, satisfying playing experience and lots of new content to explore;
• Sorcerer — second-best choice, for their instant access to many rare spells;
• specialist mages — not as good as Necromancer, require more experience to play, but good picks nonetheless;
• Red Dragon Disciple — not recommended for unskilled player, the gains are doubtful and the penalties are significant;
• Wild Mage — they are nerfed somewhat to prevent illogical access to ultra-powerful spells early in the game through certain level of abuse of wild magic; this class is seriously hardcoded and it's tough to do something sensible about it, at least, we've had no ideas so far; until that moment happens, I do not recommend using this class — it's basically, a wizard with some unpredictability built in.

Rogues:

• rogues is one of those classes that has been punished the most by the IA — a sad fact that requires additional intervention; the changes will come, eventually, but for now this is not a good option, unless you are very experienced;
• Swashbuckler — this class is the closest a rogue can get to a warrior in terms of efficiency and damage output; if you want to have a thief in your party, go with the swashbuckler, he'll be able to pull his weight, with a bit nurturing in the beginning;
• Blade — this kit was incredibly powerful in IAv5, and probably is the one to blame for a significant toning down of all the rogue classes; you can still play it with some degree of efficiency, but it won't be a walk in the park;
• the rest of the rogue kits might have an occasional moment of glory in the world of IA, but those moments are limited, so if you decide to bring one into your party, do it at your own peril.

Multi-classes:

• another category of playable characters that has gone under the knife after the glorious debut in IAv5 — a playable option, overall, but requires skill and patience;
• Fighter/Cleric, Cleric/Ranger, Fighter/Druid — the warrior/priest multi-classes are the most potent ones: while they will still suffer from slower experience progression and delayed HLAs, they can stand their ground as tanks and dish out plenty of damage with the right buffs;
• Fighter/Mage, Fighter/Illusionist — these classes have been incredibly efficient in the earlier versions of the mod due to their access to illusionary buffs; in IAv6, illusions do not provide as many benefits as before, thus decreasing potential of such character in the party;
• rogue multi-classes — not recommended, the rogue part of class will not bring anything to the game and slow down the progression in the second class; you'd be better off picking a single class character (Fighter, Cleric or Mage);
• Cleric/Mage — a curious option for more experienced players; you will suffer, however, from lack of spell slots and delayed access to HLA tables, not recommended for a first play-through;
• triple multi-classes — unfortunately, they develop too slowly in each class to be efficient, not recommended.

Dual-classes:

• unlike multi-classes, dual-classing still remains a strong option for character choice. Some are even so strong that are recommended, especially for new players.
• Fighter->Cleric, Berserker->Cleric, Ranger->Cleric — the best combination you can imagine. Ranger->Cleric type is undoubtedly the best tank there is thanks to huge potential for low AC and complete access to druidic spells, such as Ironskin. Whereas the Fighter->Cleric is more on a combat side because he can get grandmastery in a chosen weapon. The effectiveness of this class in melee will diminish, though, in later game because of lack of access to warrior HLAs.
• Fighter->Mage, Kensai->Mage, Berserker->Mage — another strong choice that will remain powerful until the very end, a 100% pure mage that has unlimited melee potential. He has no warrior HLAs either, but it won't show as much because wizard spells generally have more to offer in terms of offense.
• Fighter->Druid — an interesting option, but not as efficient as Fighter->Cleric because Druids are generally more restricted in their spell choices. If you want to play a melee-oriented druid, you'd be better off taking an Avenger into the party.
• Thief->Mage, Thief->Cleric — an acceptable approach if you want a pure caster who can also manage mundane tasks such as lockpicking and removal of traps. Take one of the Bioware NPCs, though. Their personal item upgrades make them much more attractive compared to a custom character.
• all the other options either too inefficient (Mage->Thief, for example) or belong in the domain of advanced power-gaming (such late-game Fighter->Thief dual-classes) which is something you can explore on your own as you get more experienced with the game.

For a long time, it was and still is an accepted practice for IA players to create custom-made parties because decent choices of party members in the original game were severely limited, and IA requires a bit of power-gamer mind set in order to win. This, has changed, however and the majority of Bioware characters became powerful enough to be considered a good pick for your party.

Most NPCs have received a boost to their stats, skills, class, personal items and respective upgrades or a combination thereof. Sometimes a little bit illegal, but all in good fun and without breaking the spirit of the original character. I have separated the NPCs in three categories depending on their respective degree of usefulness.

Powerful NPCs

In most cases these were lucky enough to be personal favourites of Sikret and gain a good boost early on. All these characters are strong, versatile and effective throughout the game. Recommended choices for new players.

• Anomen — Fighter->Cleric dual-class, full time priest, huge melee potential, great tank early on and during mid-game.
• Cernd — this is the best priest you can have in the game, period. With a custom designed kit, the Auramaster, he will rain destruction on enemies and provide support for his comrades every step of the way.
• Imoen — the little sister was tweaked to become a sorceress, which says enough. She has decent intelligence and wisdom, which makes her very proficient with the Wish spell, a huge asset in the late game.
• Minsc — a relatively new addition, Minsc became a Barbarian. Strong, powerful and incredibly effective.
• Nalia — this is the instance where a Bioware dual-class is better than a custom one, thanks to her powerful personal item upgrade. Take Nalia if you want a powerful mage who can also pick locks and disarm traps.
• Neera — unfortunately, wild magic is hard to tweak and balance. Until that happens, Neera will be a sorceress, and you can never go wrong with a sorcerer in the game.
• Valygar — a favourite of Sikret, the brooding ranger has a brand-new kit, powerful upgrades of personal items and remains up there at the top of the NPC chart along with Cernd.

Decent NPCs

The second category includes characters who are well-rounded, but don't have that feeling of having too much power. Sometimes, they come a bit too late or conflict with the majority of the party due to their alignment and personality.

• Edwin — one on many things that make IA differ from vanilla game is the fact that he is not the most powerful spellslinger anymore. He is still fearsome, though, but doesn't have any extra special items that give him that extra shine in the late game.
• Jaheira — as of IAv62, Jaheira features a refined Avenger kit and is, in fact, quite powerful. It is my opinion that she requires a bit more skill to play effectively, which is the sole reason why she is not listed in the previous category.
• Jan — Jan is officially illegal, for I have made him a dual-classed Thief->Illusionist. This is compensated, though, by two factors. Firstly, his personal items aren't as powerful as those of other Bioware casters, and, secondly, Illusionists lack access to an important school of magic, Necromancy. Having Jan in your party is priceless, though, for his eccentricity and ability to ridicule other characters without mercy. A decent party member, but not the best choice for a new player.
• Keldorn — the paladin was almost completely untouched by IA. His class is still potent and in right hands can be a great asset. Generally, paladins require more skill to manage effeciently than any other warrior — the fact that makes them less than ideal choice for a beginner.
• Korgan — the only problem with Korgan is his alignment. Otherwise, he's still one of the strongest fighters in the game.
• Mazzy — while she is technically a fighter, her less than ideal stats and subpar weapon choices has always made her an unpopular choice. Combine it with the fact that the player now needs to defeat a considerably improved Jailer in order to get to her, and you end up with the character that almost never gets used. In IAv62, Mazzy received a few tweaks and a custom fighter kit. She is now a solid party member and worth waiting for.
• Rasaad — monks are cool and incredibly strong in IAv62. They require nurturing in early game, though, which is why Rasaad belongs in this category.
• Hexxat — a brand-new character in EE, the vampire/thief is weird, a bit overpowered due to her racial abilities. We've made an attempt to make into a more playable character, giving her a Swashbuckler kit and adding a possibility to upgrade her personal cloak. Hopefully, this would make her more viable in parties led by experienced players.

Unfortunate NPCs

These got handed the short end of the stick. They were either completely unimproved or unfairly nerfed with the new releases. Generally, not a good choice for party membership at the moment, unless you're feeling adventurous and absolutely sure that you can compensate with your other characters.

• Aerie — multi-classes got nerfed in IAv6, and it made Aerie considerably less powerful even with a few tweaks and items introduced later. She might still shine from time to time, but those moments diminish as the game progresses. Only for experienced players.
• Dorn — as of IAv62, Dorn was never seriously play-tested. He might probably be powerful simply because he's a warrior and a half-orc. His main advantage is immunity to level drain provided by the new EE kit. Dorn has nasty character, though, and doesn't play well with others. Almost any pure fighter would be a better choice than he is at the moment.
• Haer'Dalis — pure bard suffered the most when the rogues got nerfed. From, arguably, one of the most powerful characters in IAv5 he quickly degraded into an unwanted pariah in IAv6. Bards just aren't what they used to be, not at the moment. Haer'Dalis comes quite late and this only adds more insult to the injury.
• Sarevok — the big brother simply comes in too late to matter. By the time you start playing Throne of Bhaal, you'll have a strong party, each character outfitted with an array of upgraded items being just too much of an investment to give up. I have never heard of a player giving up his character in IA in favour of a new NPC.
• Viconia — it might be unfair to put her in this category. She's a single-class cleric and, while she can't pack a solid punch as does Anomen, Viconia remains very competent and useful until the end of the game. Two problems, however. One — she is evil; two — she lacks those nice extras such as personal item upgrades that make Bioware NPCs more attractive as party members.
• Yoshimo — as has been mentioned earlier, pure rogues aren't the most fashionable choices in the game. Even with a better kit, such as Swashbuckler, Yoshimo would still leave you hanging at the most inappropriate moment due to plot-related reasons. If you want to try him out, though, you can consider dual-classing into fighter early on or picking a custom fighter kit with the help of the IA Tweaks mod. Otherwise, not recommended.

Spells choices are important, especially for a sorcerer, if you want to survive and thrive. Here I present you a list of spells that are the most important ones and surely will be useful through-out the game. I will not add a complete description, this is something that is left for you to discover in the game. Later versions of the guide might feature certain explanations and tactical advice on how to use these spells effectively.

• 1st level: Armor, Identify, Magic Missle, Shield, Larloch's Minor Drain;
• 2nd level: Blur, Knock, Resist Fear, Melf's Acid Arrow, Mirror Image;
• 3rd level: Remove Magic, Flame Arrow, Haste, Lightning Bolt, Vampiric Touch, Protection from Fire, Protection from Cold, Melf's Minute Meteors, Dispel Magic;
• 4th level: Improved Invisibilty, Stoneskin, Emotion, Greater Malison, Ray of Fragmentation (new IA spell), Enchanted Weapon, Secret Word, Minor Sequencer, Minor Disruption (new IA spell), Minor Globe of Invulnerability;
• 5th level: Animate Dead, Hold Monster, Spell Immunity, Larloch's Interrupter (new IA spell), Protection from Electricty, Breach, Lower Resistance, Oracle, Protection from Acid, Sunfire;
• 6th level: Globe of Invulnerability, Tenser's Transformation, Death spell, Protection from Magical Energy, Giant Strength (new IA spell), True Sight, Protection from Magical Weapons, Improved Haste, Chain Lightning, Contingency, Monster Summoning IV (new IA spell);
• 7th level: Spell Turning, Protection from Elements, Hand of Undoing (new IA spell), Ruby Ray of Reversal, Disrupt Undead (new IA spell), Spell Sequencer, Mordenkainen's Sword, Limited Wish, Monster Summoning V (new IA spell);
• 8th level: Protection from Eenergy, Tenser's Partial Transformation (new IA spell), Foreknowledge (new IA spell), Spell Trigger, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Monster Summoning VI (new IA spell), Bigby's Clenched Fist;
• 9th level: Monster Summoning VII (new IA spell), Spellstrike, Recast Vital Energy (new IA spell), Absolute Immunity, Chain Contigency, Power Word:Kill, Bigby's Crushing Hand, Wish;
• HLA: Improved Alacrity, Dragon Breath, Planetar.

This section was written mostly by Raven, one of the best testers and contributors IA had in the past. It was written for IAv5, but remains up-to-date and relevant.

Since many encounters are changed/added in IA it can be hard to work out the best order to try to do things — there are some very difficult battles which can be accessed early on which are not beatable until much later. So this is a fairly detailed order in which I did things at the beginning of the game while I was testing v5.

It is far from the only way to do things but I found it worked quite well. Hopefully it'll help a little.

1. Irenicus' Dungeon
2. Circus
3. Leave Athkatla via this route: Promenade -> Slums (get Windspear Hills map location from Firkraag) -> Government District (get Hunt for Valygar and Umar Hills Quest) -> Gates District (get Trademeet Quest)
4. Travel from Gates to Umar Hills. Complete the Juggernaut golem quest (reward Ilbratha +1, very useful). Talk to the mayor and the ogres for xp and Shield of the Lost +2. Travel to the Ranger Cabin to find map to Temple.
5. Travel from Umar Hills to Trademeet, go to the Druid Grove and defeat the druids and Faldorn (not Troll Mound or Ogre Tower)*.
6. Go back to Trademeet and talk to Genies, defeat Ihtafeer. Be proclaimed Heroes of Trademeet (= lots of gold and access to some good items)
7. Windspear Hills — start Firkraag quest and clear first level of dungeon; return acorns.

At this point you could visit Watcher's Keep and do most of the first floor if you wanted. It gives you a fair amount of xp and items.

• Return to Athkatla Bridge District — skinner murders
• All unmodded Athkatla content e.g. Graveyard quests, Mae'var, intrigue with Xzar/harpers. Also the core parts of the Unseeing Eye quest (not the ghoul town or Ashideena guardians)

Also will have Suna Seni/slavers encounters here but by this time they're not so bad — this is the reason for the order of areas followed in leaving Athkatla, to guarantee the encounter is avoided. It's possible to take the encounters on at the beginning of the game but probably not advised if you're new to the mod.

• Pay Gaelan Bayle
• Aran's first quest (Mook)

At this point which quests are easier will depend on your party composition. Here is a list of the encounters/quests I tend to do at this point (no definite order):

• Lilarcor
• Pai'Na
• Copper Coronet slavery
• Slaver ship
• Aran's second quest (guild defectors)
• De'Arnise Keep
• Rest of Windspear Dungeon (not Samia or Firkraag)

Before heading to Spellhold I would suggest doing at least one or two of the following quests:

• Planar Sphere
• Shade Lord
• Planar Prison

Both these quests involve some difficult battles. Overall I'd say the Shade Lord quests is harder though. I usually leave the Planar Prison for Chapter 6 (remember that in IA you don't want to delay too long before going to Spellhold).

*If you have Multiple Strongholds from EoU installed and your protagonist is not a spellcaster (i.e. not mage/cleric/druid/sorcerer) the duel with Faldorn will be very difficult. You may have to postpone it until later — possibly much later if your protagonist is a thief or fighter.