Baldur's Gate Best Armor Class
AC Lords: The Supertankers
Welcome to my cRPG blog on Armor Class in Baldur's Gate. The purpose of this post is to explain the Armor Class mechanic by showing how to attain the lowest armor class or best armor class in Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2.
Best Armor Baldur's Gate
In terms of raw armor class, the best armor in Baldur's Gate 1 is Full Plate Mail, and the best armor in Baldur's Gate 2 is Drow Full Plate. Other notable armors include:
Armor Class Definition
Armor Class (AC): To put it simply, Armor Class represents the ability of the character to dodge, deflect or otherwise avoid incoming melee and ranged attacks (THAC0), thereby mitigating damage. But no matter how low our AC drops (lower ACs are better) there is still a 5% chance that we will be hit on any given physical-based attack: a critical hit (rolling a natural 20 on the 1d20 attack) always hits (and the damage is doubled if the target is unhelmed); conversely, natural 1s always miss.
Best Armor Class Baldur's Gate 1
Armor Class Sources for Baldur's Gate 1 Fighter
- Base AC 10 (AC 10)
- 18 natural Dexterity / Gauntlets of Dexterity BG1 (+4) (AC 6) (BRAC07)
- Full Plate Mail BG1 (+9) (AC -3) (bonus AC vs. slashing/piercing/missile: 4/3/3) (PLAT04)
- Large Shield +2 BG1 (+3) (AC -6) (SHLD19)
- Helm of Balduran BG1 (+1) (AC -7) (HELM07)
- Cloak of Balduran BG1 (+1) (AC -8) (CLCK05)
- Ring of Protection +2 (+2) (AC -10) (RING07)
- Claw of Kazgaroth (+1) (AC -11) (MISC72)
- Twinkle BG1 (+2) (AC -13) (SW1H16)
- Potion of Mind Focusing x2 (24 Dex, +2) (AC -15) (POTN37)
- Golden Girdle BG1 (bonus AC vs. slashing: 3) (AC vs. slashing: -22) (BELT02)
The above shows us that armor contributes more to our AC than anything else. It also shows us that we can reach very decent ACs in BG1.
Large Shield +2 (SHLD19), Boots of Avoidance (BOOT04), Cloak of Displacement (CLCK03) and Girdle of Piercing (BELT04) grant a 17 point bonus AC vs. Missile.
Yes, Full Plate Mail +1: Plate of the Dark (AC 0, PLAT05) and Plate Mail +3: The Practical Defense (AC 0, PLAT01) have the best armor stats, however, Ring of Protection +2 cannot be worn with magical armors whereas it can be worn with unenchanted Full Plate Mail. Thus, we net one point of AC over the magical armors.
Armor Class Sources for Baldur's Gate 1 Fighter Mage
- Base AC 10 (AC 10)
- 18 natural Dexterity / Gauntlets of Dexterity (+4) (AC 6) (BRAC07)
- Spirit Armor (+9) (AC -3) (SCRL5K)
- Blur (+3) (AC -6) (SCRL85)
- Improved Invisibility (+4) (AC -10) (SCRL1Y)
- Large Shield +2 (+3) (AC -13) (SHLD19)
- Helm of Balduran (+1) (AC -14) (HELM07)
- Cloak of Balduran (+1) (AC -15) (CLCK05)
- Ring of Protection +2 (+2) (AC -17) (RING07)
- Claw of Kazgaroth (+1) (AC -18) (MISC72)
- Twinkle (+2) (AC -20) (SW1H16)
- Potion of Mind Focusing x2 (24 Dex, +2) (AC -22) (POTN37)
- Golden Girdle (bonus AC vs. slashing: 3) (AC vs. slashing: -25) (BELT02)
- Knave's Robe (bonus AC vs. slashing: 1) (AC vs. slashing: -26) (CLCK12)
Again, Large Shield +1 (SHLD07), Boots of Avoidance (BOOT04), Cloak of Displacement (CLCK03) and Girdle of Piercing (BELT04) grant a 17 point bonus AC vs. Missile.
Certain potions will boost AC further, as will the divine Chant (an effective +1 AC) and Defensive Harmony (+2 AC).
Note that Improved Invisibility debuffs opponent AC and does not show up in the stat panels; it's an effective AC bonus.
The above shows us that Spirit Armor (a fourth circle Necromancy spell) is effectively Full Plate Mail (for 3 turns). We can also see that Blur and Improved Invisibility (second and fourth circle Illusions) stack with other AC sources (the former for 4 rounds + 2 rounds/lvl and the latter for 10 rounds).
Thus, we have established that arcane-augmented AC is superior to just having conventional AC (providing that we are buffed.)
On top of that, arcane-augmented combat units have access to the powerful second circle Illusion, Mirror Image. This is one of the best spells Baldur's Gate and the best defensive spell, overall. Basically, several images must first be dispersed (hit) before any damage can be inflicted on the caster [*].
Fighter (7) / Specialist (8) Baldur's Gate dual-class can refresh five images four times per day. So yeah, while Mirror Image does not contribute to AC, I feel compelled to digress because it increases our ability to tank immensely, and I want to make it clear that the best tanks in BG1, BG2 and Icewind Dale 1 are NOT warriors, but rather arcane casters.
[*] BG2 nerfed Mirror Image in that there is a chance to hit Mages even when they are protected by images. To spell it out, with one image remaining there is a 50% chance you will be hit whereas in BG you cannot be hit at all until each and every image has been dispersed.
Sample of Monster AC in BG1
| CRE | Class | LVL | THAC0 | DMG | ApR | AC | HPs | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarevok BG1 | Fighter | 15 | -9 | 21.5 | 4 | -5 | 135 | Resistances |
| Aec'Letec BG1 | True Tanar'ri | -- | 0 | 13.5 | 4 | -9 | 106 | Death Gaze |
| Demon Knight BG1 | Fighter Mage | 15 | -5 | 21.5 | 3½ | -4 | 125 | Fiend |
| Shandalar BG1 | Mage | 30 | 8 | 8.5 | 1 | -24 | 96 | AC Lord |
| Tazok | Fighter | 11 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 125 | Ogre |
| Zhalimar | Fighter | 11 | 8 | 17.5 | 3 | -1 | 115 | Irone Throne |
| Rahvin | Fighter | 9 | 6 | 17.5 | 4 | -1 | 85 | Det. Arrow |
| Drasus | Fighter | 8 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 87 | Speed Boots |
| Gretek | Fighter | 9 | 9 | 14.5 | 3 | -2 | 70 | Helm & Cloak |
| Delgod | Fighter | 9 | 9 | 9.5 | 3½ | 2 | 22 | Glass Cannon |
| Grael | Undead | -- | 3 | 10.5 | 4 | -4 | 88 | Paralyze |
| Greater Ghoul | Undead | -- | 5 | 10.5 | 3 | 4 | 48 | Paralyze |
| Crypt Crawler | Worm | -- | 9 | 1.5 | 5 | 3 | 32 | Paralyze |
| Wyvern | Winged | -- | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 63 | Poison |
| Greater Wyvern | Winged | -- | -1 | 23 | 3 | -5 | 94 | Poison |
| Air Aspect | Winged | -- | 5 | 18 | 3 | -4 | 110 | Poison |
| Skeleton Warrior | Undead | -- | 4 | 14.5 | 2 | 2 | 80 | Resistances |
| Battle Horror | Construct | -- | 5 | 11 | 3 | -5 | 58 | Flame Blade |
| Ankheg | Worm | -- | 9 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 52 | Acid Spit |
| Greater Doppelganger | Shapechange | -- | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | 0 | 65 | Mirror Image |
| Greater Basilisk | Reptile | -- | 11 | 3.5 | 3 | 2 | 78 | Petrification |
Best Armor Class Baldur's Gate 2
Ok, let's do the same for BG2 now. AC remains very important in SoA and ToB. However, there is a problem: AC is capped at just -20 (+ Dexterity Adjustment for a max AC of -25 with 21 Dex or -26 with 24 Dex from DUHM [*]).
Thus, ToB epics like Abazigal BG2 are going to land hits on us no matter what. Thankfully, we can employ other tanking modes such as damage reduction (Hardiness BG2), regeneration and non-trivial healing in order to stay alive against him and other such THAC0/dmg lords.
[*] We can actually reach 23 Dex: 19 Dex + Dex Tome + Deck of Many Things + Machine of Lum the Mad + Shuruppak's; just shy of the next Dex adjustment bonus (24). Self-buffed with Draw Upon Holy Might aka DUHM (a cleric/non-Inquisitor paladin spell or Bhaalspawn ability that is lost in Spellhold), we can max Dex to 25. We can also quaff potions of Mind Focusing.
Armor Class Sources for Baldur's Gate 2 Fighter
- Base AC 10 (AC 10)
- 18 natural Dexterity / Gauntlets of Dexterity (+4) (AC 6) (BRAC07)
- Drow Full Plate BG2 (+14) (AC -8) (bonus AC vs. slashing/ piercing/ missile: 4/3/3) (DWPLAT01)
- Darksteel Shield +4 or Shield of the Order +4 or Sentinel +4 (+5) (-13) (SHLD31, SHLD32, SHLD22)
- Helm of Balduran or Wong Fei's Ioun Stone or Lavender Ioun Stone (+1) (AC -14) (HELM07)
- Cloak of the Sewers (+1) (AC -15) (CLCK27)
- Ring of Gaxx (+2) (AC -17) (RING39)
- Ring of Earth Control (+1) (AC -18) (RING29)
- Potion of Mind Focusing x2 (24 Dex, +2) (AC -20) (POTN37)
- Golden Girdle (bonus AC vs. slashing: 3) (AC vs. slashing: -27) (BELT02)
The above shows us that, for mundane Warriors, BG2 only allows for +6 AC over BG1. However, we bear in mind that we have other great sources of defense in BG2, such as damage reduction and clerical regeneration and full healing (not to mention examples of powerful itemization; see endnote).
Of course, to a far greater degree in BG2 than in BG1 Blade BG2 and x/Mage duals & multis will have more staying power thanks to Stoneskin BG2 and PfMW BG2 in addition to Mirror Image BG2; they are practically invulnerable when played by veterans.
Fortress Shield (SHLD23), Boots of Avoidance (BOOT04), Cloak of Displacement (CLCK03), Girdle of Piercing (BELT04) and Shield Style grant a 23 point bonus AC vs. Missile.
Ridiculous exploit aside, Drow Full Plate will disintegrate upon leaving the Underdark. I only include it because it IS the best armor in the game in terms of AC; well, other than the silly Big Metal Unit (AC -10, SECRET05).
Red Dragon Scale BG2 is the best armor in BG2 SoA while White Dragon Scale BG2 is the best armor in ToB.
Rings of Protection up to +3 (RING41) do NOT stack with magical armors but Ring of Gaxx and Ring of Earth Control DO (and also stack with each other).
Shield of Harmony BG2 (SHLD25) is easily the best shield in the game due to the mindshield status bestowed. (Mindshield is more important than a couple more points of AC).
So let's take a look at what we can get out of Blade BG2, shall we? — a Prestige Class notable for its Defensive Spin special ability which scales to AC +10 and is erroneously mobilized by Free Action status.
The Blade also gets access to the powerful Use Any Item (UAI) High Level Ability (BG2 HLA) as well as arcane spellcasting circles one-though-six, which grants access to key tanking spells such as Mirror Image, Stoneskin and PfMW.
Armor Class Sources for Baldur's Gate 2 Blade
- Base AC 10 (AC 10)
- 18 natural Dexterity / Gauntlets of Dexterity (+4) (AC 6) (BRAC07)
- Spirit Armor (followed by Aslyferund Elven Chain +5) (+9, +10) (AC -4) (SCRL5K, CHAN19)
- Blur (+3) (AC -7) (SCRL85)
- Improved Invisibility (+4) (AC -11) (SCRL1Y)
- Amulet of the Master Harper (+3) (AC -14) (AMUL28)
- Defensive Spin or Enhanced Bard Song (+10) (AC -24) (HLA)
The above shows us that Blades are less reliant on itemization by virtue of spells and Defensive Spin.
Thanks to its innate, scaling AC bonuses (+9) and UAI, Swashbucklers can also easily hit the AC cap, but they are more reliant on items and spell scrolls to see them through (and to-Mage duals can't max Swashbuckler BG2 AC bonuses).
Part-Mages and Bards can wear elven chains (such as the Trademeet, Drow, Sylvan, Bladesinger and Aslyferund) because they don't disable spellcasting. AC-wise, Aslyferund is superior to the Robe of Vecna + Bracers of Defense AC 3 combo (and we would want a dedicated caster wearing those, anyway.)
By rights, if we took into account rings (Gaxx RoEC), gloves (Wondrous Gloves or Tzu-Zan's Bracers, BRAC25, BRAC26), shield, helms/ ioun stone (HELM07, HELM34, HELM19, HELM26), Montolio's Cloak or Cloak of the Sewers (CLCK32, CLCK27), Yamato +4 (SW1H66) and the Evil Selfish Bhaaltear (+2 AC bonus), we would have an AC in excess of -40. But again, the AC is capped at -20 (+ Dex adj).
Remember: AC is important, but arcane spells such as Mirror Image, Stoneskin and PfMW represent a superior option in the mid-high levels. In fact, PfMW (which can be recast before its expiration) renders AC utterly redundant.
Baldur's Gate Armor Class Cap
Armor Class is capped at too high a value for us to feel completely safe in ToB. For pure power-gaming, we WANT an arcane-augmented tank. Especially in ToB, we will have to pull out all stops when defending tanks that don't have access to arcane or divine self-buffs.
As mentioned before, these include the likes of damage resistance BG2 aka DR (Defender of Easthaven, Barb DR, Hardiness BG2, Armor of Faith BG2), Regeneration (preferably hasted regen), Potions of Superior Healing, and mid-combat, quick-cast divine healing culminating in Greater Restoration.
Note that Armor of Faith (a first circle Cleric BG2 / non-Inquisitor BG2 Paladin BG2 self-buff) erroneously stacks with itself beyond 100% DR, meaning that Magic Fire, Magic Cold, slashing, crushing, piercing, missile and Magic Damage will actually HEAL US. This is true of Hardiness in regard to physical-based dmg, too. BROKEN.
In order to stay alive with mundane ACs, pro-players may also get creative by wielding the likes of Foebane BG2 (on-hit Larloch) or Blackrazor BG2 (on-hit self-heal 20 HPs) — naturally, with high ApR BG2.
Sample of Monster AC in BG2
| CRE | Class | LVL | THAC0 | DMG | ApR | AC | HPs | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irenicus BG2 | Mage | 30 | 11 | 1.5 | 1 | -5 | 96 | Spellcaster |
| Slayer Irenicus | Slayer | 30 | -12 | 31.5 | 2 | -10 | 217 | -- |
| Illasera the Quick | Fighter | 20 | 7 | 7.5 | 3 | -3 | 98 | Pathetic |
| Gromnir Il-Khan | Barbarian | 20 | -14 | 30 | 5 | -5 | 235 | Half-orc |
| Yaga-Shura | Berserker | 25 | -14 | 28.5 | 3½ | -6 | 186 | Fire Giant |
| Sendai BG2 | Multi-class | -- | 3 | -- | 2 | -8 | 217 | Drow |
| Abazigal BG2 | Kensai | -- | -28 | 45.5 | 3 | -16 | 290 | Half-dragon |
| " " | Blue Dragon | -- | -13 | 41 | -- | -15 | 220 | -- |
| Balthazar BG2 | Monk | -- | -12 | 23.5 | 3 | -8 | 298 | Stances / Specials |
| The Ravager BG2 | Taint | -- | -16 | 22.5 | 5 | -12 | 534 | Supertanker |
| TorGal BG2 | Troll | -- | 5 | 22 | 3 | -6 | 140 | -- |
| Firkraag BG2 | Red Dragon | -- | -12 | 35.5 | 4 | -12 | 184 | -- |
| Adamantite Golem | Golem | -- | -3 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 80 | Resistances |
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