vs Book 1

[dogeddie]

I have some questions re: changes/differences in Books 1 and 2

1) What sort of skill balancing was done?

2) Does one need to still pump 1 or 2 stats extremely high to have an effective character?

3) are shields more useful for a Druid character? (or spell caster?)

I love Book 1 but wish for a more effective generalist build option instead of having to max out a few chosen stats and skills in a power gamer fashion

Thanks

[KillingMoon]

This is best answered by someone who has played both books, and I haven't played the first one, but I believe there haven't been huge changes.

1) I believe I've seen mentioned that Heavy Armour has been nerfed somewhat, as in Book I it turned out to be too strong. It's still strong in Book II in my experience; both Light and heavy Armour is still good to have.
New is the special weapon feat that you now get when you've reached skill level 10 in a certain weapon. Most of them are good and are worth beelining for.
It's good to read about the weapon feats before specializing in a certain weapon. The descriptions are in the manual, or maybe they're given at game setup as well, I'm not sure.

2) No changes here.

3) No, not really.

It is certainly possible to play with a character with a variety of skills. It's easiest to just pump a few stats and rely on those alone, but that doesn't mean more allround characters aren't viable.
One thing that makes it easier to make an allround character is the presence of quite a few trainers in Book II, who can teach you up to level 8 in a number of skills. You just need a nice slump of money for that, but that's easier to come by than XP earned skill points.
Oh, as an aside, the number of monsters spawned by camping has been seriously reduced.
You now get Alchemy ingredients from camping more once you're trained in foraging. Players who struggled with the game have found that with foraging and lots of camping the game becomes significantly easier.
Book II is not a difficult game if you know what you're doing, though, it can be played without ever resting.

[Randomizer]

Mage and healers still start off better than fighters and thieves because they can hit easier. Also mana regenerates faster so it doesn't take so long to get back into a fight.

1) Skills require more investments to get the same results as in Book 1. The Strategy Central topic has links to some topics that examine the effectiveness of Hide in Shadows and Silent Movement to show how much you need to achieve a desired sneakiness to avoid being seen by foes.

The major change in weapons is at level 10 you get a feat that will do extra damage or some other effect. Also you can change from the regular damage of Book 1 to finesse where you hit better, but do less damage, power where you do more damage, but have a harder time hitting, or parry where you forego a hit to block getting hit.

2) Pumping stats is still very important. Perception to get mana, strength to do damage in melee, dexterity and speed for range weapons.

3) Shields are heaby. With Ogre Strength (healer spell) you can increase you strength to make it possible to cast spells in combat.

Thieves have the hardest time since they have the most skills that you really want to have. Rangers have to be careful to get their feat early so as not to waste arrows and spend time and money to get more.

[SpottedShroom]

Hide in Shadows and Move Silently went from being overpowered in Book I to near useless in Book II. I disagree with what KillingMoon said. Armor skills weren't good in Book I and they're still not in Book II, past the initial point to wear that kind of armor without a penalty.

You still need to spend most of your points in a weapon or magic skill if you don't want to have a difficult time. Spending most ability points in Endurance or Perception is also a good idea. It's now possible to regenerate more than one MP per turn with high enough Perception/Meditation.

Shields are better than they were - they now give a 3% chance to deflect projectiles for every skill level past 10. I'd still much rather spend the points on Elemental, though, and learn Dense Nimbus.

[KillingMoon]

Maybe I expressed myself poorly about armour; the skill is indeed not useful, it's the armour itself that can be useful.
If your armour rating has become such that the best enemies have only 1 or 2% chance to hit you, then actually it doesn't matter anymore that you're poor with your weapon.
Superior gear and buffing with Alchemy is all that's needed to become a walking fortress like this.
I believe I read BasiliskWrangler was thinking of rewriting the armour skills in a way that they became needed to develop a really solid defense, but that would be something for Book III.

I personally found Hide in Shadows still strong in Book II, but you need some 10-15 points at least to become undetected in the dark. I've pelted many enemies from close range without them having a clue of where I was, it almost felt like cheating.
Move Silently I've never developed. Unless you're wearing really heavy gear you're silent anyway, but why would you want to be silent with lots of heavy gear?

[Kreador Freeaxe]

I would actually disagree with the general premise of the question that you can't have an effective generalist character in either Book I or Book II. I've done it, without pumping any one stat or skill to ridiculous levels. My first play through in each was with a character who never got any skill over 15, and never got any stat into the 30s. For the main quest line in Book II, it's completely reasonable to play through with a generalist. The only place I find such a character problematic is in Fathamurk (which, of course, is completely optional). You may have to pay more attention to HOW you approach challenges, but it is perfectly doable.

[dogeddie]

I imagine that would be very difficult, but I guess it's nice to know it is doable. I am relying heavily on just Endurance, Perception, and Bludgeon,- and my hands are still pretty full. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love the first game. Just trying to get a feel for Book 2.