Kensai Advice

[ZaramMaldovar]

Any advice for playing a Kensai on Hard Difficulty in BG1? Even both Nimbul's Boots and the Girdle of Piercing I'm still getting skewered by Black Talon Elites and cut down by everything due to my Armor Class being 5. I know I'll get some stuff later on especailly in BG2 that will make being a Kensai easier and with the Dex Manual I could Dual Class into a Thief but I'm really struggling right now and I need all the advice I can get

 

[Alesia_BH]

Hey there, ZaramMaldovar!

I'm not a kensai expert, but I did solo no reload one through BG1 with SCS about 8 years ago.

Pick up the Shield Amulet from the merchant at the carnival. That's a limited charge item that will give you a base AC of 4 with a -2 adjustment vs missiles, comparable to unenchanted splint, save the lack of a crushing adjustment.

Be on the lookout for potions of defense, potions of invulnerability and potions of stone form. They will all set your base AC to 0, similar to ankheg plate, but better by 1, and you can still use a magical protection item. The potions of stone form will reduce your dex, cutting into the AC bonus, but that can be offset with potions of mind focusing.

Speaking of potions of mind focusing, whether you're using potions of stone form or not, they're great to keep on hand. I use them with all my characters but they're especially useful for kensais.

If you're fighting a blunt weapon wielder, remember the Girdle of Bluntness. Also, remember that potions of absorption will reducing your AC v crushing by 10, a huge boost against Taurgosz and Drasus, among others.

The Golden Girdle, found on Kirian, is helpful for slashers.

As for ranged fighting, you're on the right track with the Boots of Avoidance and Girdle of Piercing. I'd recommend the Cloak of Displacement from Ulgoth's Beard, too. I, personally, am a Claw of the Kazgaroth fan, but some people are less enamored with it. Weigh the costs and benefits and see whether it makes sense for you.

While Kensai's are often seen as specialized melee fighters, they're also great at range, wielding throwing daggers and axes. My advice would be to fight at range with the Cloak of Displacement + Boots of Avoidance + Girdle of Piercing + Shield Amulet for most battles, in the interest of conserving resources. When you want to fight in melee, use your potions. A basic combo like potion of defense + potion of mind focusing + potion of regeneration + oil of speed will work well against warriors and such. Add in an exceptional strength potion and a potion of heroism if you'd like additional damage output. Against mages and clerics you'll want to layer others in, of course. Read the item descriptions and experiment. Eventually you'll find the brews you need.

That should be enough to get you started. Best of luck with your kensai!

A.

 

[alice_ashpool]

To echo what Alesia says, potions of defence are the way to go early game if you want to melee, otherwise you can stick with throwing daggers. Make sure you're closing down archers as quickly as you can. You can also use One Gift Lost to blast them down asap, and since you're playing with a party you can ensure other party members are being targeted instead of you.

 

[Skatan]

Are you playing solo? I assume you are when you describe the troubles, but just to make sure.

 

[alice_ashpool]

Another thing you can do is use a 2-handed reach weapon which will allow you to attack from behind more tanky party members. thac0 of a kensai is so good that you should be fine even if its not your primary weapon setup.

 

[Alesia_BH]

@Skatan Good question. I, too, was assuming a solo run, based on the struggles, but the run @ZaramMaldovar is posting is a kensai in a party. My advice had been tilted towards solo play.

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

@Alesia_BH
Thanks this is very helpful

 

[alice_ashpool]

One additional piece of advice - your 16 dex is sub optimal and 18 dex would net you another -2 to AC. Of course there's nothing wrong with playing sub-optimal but with a kensai every little bit of AC counts.

Have a look at the scores table here: https://baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/Dexterity

 

[jmerry]

The most important fact: you are not a tank. Don't try to fight like one. Staying in melee will get you killed.

What's the alternative? Throwing weapons are one option, letting you fight at range with archer tactics. They're not nearly as powerful as a bow and arrows in BG1, but they do let you stay alive at least.
The other option is to fight as a skirmisher - focus on mobility, moving in to target vulnerable enemies in melee and out when you draw too much heat. Weapons with a long reach (two-handers) are also good, letting you hit enemies from behind your tanks. The weak point of this approach is that you don't have stealth; that makes it a lot harder to avoid aggro. Relying on your tanks to engage first and then moving in is usually the best you can do.

A kensai in BG1 is fairly weak overall, certainly worse than a baseline fighter. Your drawbacks are present in full force, and your bonuses haven't developed much yet. Some level of pain is simply to be expected.

 

[O_Bruce]

Something worth mentioning is that when you have Kensai in your party, then spells like Barksin and Spirit Armor are becoming really useful.

Potions of Defense, Shield Amulet are great, but they are limited resource and I think these should be used thoughtfully

 

[Alesia_BH]

Fyi, I recently rolled a dagger kensai, inspired by this thread. She's running solo in an SCS install, on insane.

She's doing well so far, reload free up through the return to Candlekeep. The endgame may prove challenging, due to the lack of dispelling arrows, but I think she has a reasonable shot at making it. We'll see.

I expect to finish up her run either tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll post on her over in the Candlekeep Annex thread, whether she survives or not. Her run should illustrate some basic principles of kensai play in BG1, in either case. Thanks for the inspiration, @ZaramMaldovar !

Best,

A.