[BG1] Question About BoneDancers

[the_hermit]

(No it's not a whine!) (blimey it's quiet in here!)

For the first time ever, I've gone into Thid to seriously earn RPs. Before with various characters, I've gone in to see what's what, have a wander and such like - but never really taken it seriously.

So - now I figured I would play a scout in there, duo'd with my other half and unbuffed. Things aren't too bad at all - a few hours in there before the server crashed this evening, and I racked up 50-60rps. My stealth is enough that I often see NS/Hunters/SBs stealthed before they see me so I can run away! Blue's tend to fall quickly from afar, and yellows take a hammering (apart from the odd pesky shield user "Your attack was blocked" )

Dont get me wrong - I had a lot of deaths - running from pets head-on into something else, being uncovered and stomped into the ground... But what I found killed me the MOST was the Bonedancer (specifically a pair of kobbies running around together!).

Their pets often uncovered me (even though they are green and blue to me), and they blasted me to buggery with their spells (lifetap perhaps - don't read up on other classes, so don't know!). Usually before I can release a third arrow at them, I am half dead, being hit by spells and beaten on my one of the pets, while the BD himself is back on full health.

First couple of times, I tried to stand and fight the pet while my other half shot it. Then we tried the "shoot the BD, ignore the pets, then melee the BD while one shoots" but again, dead. Then I tried the "RUN AWAY!" approach - and again died. Spells hitting me so couldn't stealth (apparently) plus pet chasing me.

So - are these guys killable, or are they just bad news on a stick? The only time I ever killed one or two was when a single BD sent his pets off against an alb or hib, so I could pepper him/her from afar...

So - attack or leave well alone?

(and to reiterate - this is not a whine, just a question amid a lot of rambling!)

 

[AngryKid]

Well, I play a BD myself, Mossaklauv atm.. me and a mate found we can easily kill two times our numbers.. with pure melee chars. BUT, if we jump into a fight, and we get adds, like scouts or rangers, we are sort of dead.

Just to give you a bit of a hint. BD'ers have a self bladeturn. If one of you starts by hitting the commander, with a very hard critshot, then the healer pet will heal it, before it heals the bd. Then, you can have your mate Critshot the bd'er, which should pass through bladeturn, am I right?

And then it shouldn't be a very big problem, if you are 2vs1. it will be a problem, if you are 2vs2, cause then the bd'ers will have one target each..

 

[Faeldawn]

If you are 2 scouts vs one BD, one use rapid shot on the healer (if there is one) and the other hammer the BD for all you can, once the healer is dispatched you will be in melee most likely, so ignore the remaining pets and smash the BD him(or her)self.

Another way is for one of you to "pull" by shoooting the BD twice, then legging it as the pets chase you leaving the BD open to the other scout to shoot to bits (remember, BD's are casters, not tanks and as such have fek all hp and wear cloth ).

Another good way is to learn about the duration of the BD spells, use your stealth to stalk one, watch it buff, then wait till it's buffs wear off and slaughter him/her when they stop to rebuff.

Problem is that BD's are rarely alone, SB's often follow them around waiting for a few infili's to attack so they can pick them off.

 

[the_hermit]

Thanks you guys Really useful info there! Better than the usual QQ and "sum1 g0t pwnd" posts!

I had figured they counted as caster types (feck all armour, feck all life even if buffed etc) and while it'd probably make my life easier, I COULD have gone to Classes of Camelot and read up on them there, but it's better to hear it from the horses mouth as it were.

Hopefully when I am in Thid later today, the hoards of BDs will fall to our arrows (though more likely than not, I will panic and press the wrong button )

 

[Joxor]

Alternativly you could go on prydwen and /lvl a BD and play him abit and see how you get killed
Being a semi mid player myself i know what kills and what gets killed by a BD

 

[the_hermit]

Alternativly you could go on prydwen and /lvl a BD and play him abit and see how you get killed
Being a semi mid player myself i know what kills and what gets killed by a BD

lol I actually rolled one on Camlann (I know, I know) and don't think I made it 30 seconds past my immunity timer... What killed me?

Pretty much everything! I think even the stable master had that look in his eye.... I have an account with a 3rd level something on it on Pry/Mid - think I will roll a BD and run into Thid, see what happens.

Thanks for that

 

[Joxor]

Hehe i know what you mean
Was on camlann a few ago as a skald and everything wanted a piece of me, felt like a chicken in a den of wolves

 

[Kami]

AOE DOT and CC are a Bonedancers worst nightmare. Get the pets DOTed and the BD is on his own, they go down fast and the lifetap simply wont keep him alive long enough.

 

[the_hermit]

AOE DOT and CC are a Bonedancers worst nightmare. Get the pets DOTed and the BD is on his own, they go down fast and the lifetap simply wont keep him alive long enough.

Hmmm, so maybe - just maybe - if I can find an Infiltrator somewhere (hehehehe ahahaha) and get him/her to put some nasties on my weapons....

And as for Camlann - looks like I will either end up there on on Pryd today, judging by the server list. That, or I will find sommert else to do!

And more strategies vs. BoneDancers greatly accepted!

 

[Torvarg]

Depending on if the "pet commander" is buffed or not, if you and your gal' both fires your critshots and keep peppering the commander he should fall quite fast, the healer pet ain't that uber =)
And when the commander dies the healer goes away to.

If that fails, try doing the same on just the healerpet, should work fine since he's got bad HP's.
Then just finish the BD off, the commander ain't that bad =)

 

[AngryKid]

The nice thing about a bd's pets, is that he can't ever see the hp on the healer, unless he has him targetted

Besides, if a bd'er is awake, and notice you fireing at his pets, he can insta both of you, and you wouldn't have a chance to use the bow again. one lifetap each 8 seconds.. you will be almost fully interrupted.

And, to qoute one of the answers. "start peppering the bonecommander, and as he follows you, the other one starts of on the bd".
Not all bonedancers has the pet on defensive.. I ALLWAYS has it on passive, ie it won't run away from me.

 

[Stranger]

cba to read all posts :kissit: so Im not sure if someone mentioned it, but critshot dont pass self bt

 

[yaruar]

my valkyn bonedancer had about 400-500 hps in thrid from what I remember. if the bladeturn is down I'd die to 2 or 3 shots from an archer class. I'd suggest you both coordinating a crit on the dancer himself then one of you going for the healer and another for the bd. either way the healer will not heal himself or will not heal the bd. I never lasted that long against archers unless I could target them quickly and lifetap them to regain some hps. Although I never got the hang of quickcasting the bladeturn after an arrow hit... but two archers should be able to kill a boney.

 

[Gorre]

well if you are solo get his BT down first and restealth
if hes stupid enuff to not recast his BT your a lucky man
then load a crit shot and try to restealth
a second crit shot finish him off then
but this only works if you are lucky and he is stupid

i duo alot with a friend whos playing a scout too
mostly he pumps some arrows in him and goes intoo melee(he got higher melee then me and i got higher lb)
in the meanwhile i alrdy manouver to a spot where im hard to target and on close to max range so it takes a while before he could send his pets on me
and start pumping arrows
Bds drop very easy like this my friend never died
same could work for infil/scout combo
mayb even with scout pumping bolts in him at start

never ever be greedy when you meet an BD think first and get intoo good positions otherwise you will be serving him rps on a plate

 

[Job]

I just can't believe how good they are, I set my full ench spec pet on the Boney from behind, and ran, I'd got 1/3 way through end and got lifetapped to death in like 3 shots, FFS!!!
Whats the goddam range on those lifetaps?

 

[mts]

I just can't believe how good they are, I set my full ench spec pet on the Boney from behind, and ran, I'd got 1/3 way through end and got lifetapped to death in like 3 shots, FFS!!!
Whats the goddam range on those lifetaps?

1500

 

[Sanzor]

BDs can be a pain to kill in bgs, the same with necros. Supp specced bds are tough to an archer due to their insta lifetap. If your 2, then i would suggest both being as afar as possible and then target the BD. You can take down the commander, but fyi they sometimes CAN be summoned with a shield.

 

[mts]

BDs can be a pain to kill in bgs, the same with necros. Supp specced bds are tough to an archer due to their insta lifetap. If your 2, then i would suggest both being as afar as possible and then target the BD. You can take down the commander, but fyi they sometimes CAN be summoned with a shield.

Yeah, they can. If they are summoned with a 1-handed weapon they will always have a shield. They don't engage with it though, so it doesn't help them that much really.

 

[Kami]

Most Bonedancers in thid have thier pets on passive so that the healer pet will start healing quicker, also saves the pets running off and leaving the BD open to an ass whooping.

DOTs or crowd control are a BD main enemies but remember he'll also die in 2-3 nukes from pretty much any caster as the healer pet won't respond quickly enough. Many people have posted their methods of killing them and here's an idea I had (Since I play one).

IN BG1 the BD has a commander + pet (normally healer). 2scouts go for the healer pet, he'll die fast and the BD shouldn't have either ranger targetted, hell he might not even notice his pet has died (as the commander won't attack you - it's a bug even in defense mode they ignore damage done to healers). Then let loose on the BD, he's no healer pet, probably hasn't noticed and by the time he sets the bonecommander on one archer and tries to quickcast a healer he'll be fast on his way to being dead and the new healer won't be able to get his health back up.

It's worth a try, they're not as hard to kill as you'd expect. I DOT'd a full group of BD on prydwen with my matter cabbie and they didnt half crap themselves

 

[Shawr]

Most of the best BD killing tactics involve damaging the commander also. The healer pets heal the commander as a priority over the bd, which is why aoe damage (dots etc.) work so well. If the commander is kept hurt the bd will only get heals from his lifetap. I found you can kill a bd just with one aoe dot then running away so he's out of lifetap range.

 

[Ickleevul]

BD's are low damage enviroment specialists. The longer the fight goes on (1v1), he gains more control and will most likely win, unless out of power, which is bd's main problem.
Mezz the pet's and unless he switched on enough to release mezzed healer and qc another healer pet hes in trouble.
Bd's die easy, just need to do all the damage up front and fast.