kinda irrelevant, given the imminent changes.
However, my last run-through, I got through the VoS, with no CLUA action, on INSANE difficulty.
How, you may ask?
Well, first, my party was, IIRC, about 800K
XP (at least, my FMT, Imoen, Jaheira, and Minsc were). They'd played through almost all
BGT-
DSotSC-
NTotSC-SoBH content.
Second, they had all their gear from before their capture. In my version, while the thieves get to keep all my money (no small sum!), they turn over my gear to Irenicus. Being a busy mage, Irenicus stashes it in the alarmed bedroom for later examination, wherein I find it before going through the portal. Not canon, but a reasonable interpretation, no worse than being able to recover your stuff at Spellhold.
Third, I had the Vale of Shadows nerf included in, I think, the S & H patch, installed.
Better weapons and armor make a huge difference. Imoen's Invis 10'r.and a Protection from Undead scroll make the tombs themselves a cakewalk.
FWIW, I'm greatly pleased to hear that NeJ2 will in all likelihood be compatible with the BP platform after all.
Now, if I can just figure out how to use
DLTCEP. And wait for the Bestial Animations project to wrap up.
If someone (perhaps, even, me) were to decide to import IWDII content into the BP platform, where would you like to see it?
A). Prior to the transition to BGII. After all, you're more or less at loose ends after killing Sarevok, no set amount of time has to pass before you go to Athkatla, this is an easy insert. While it would probably majorly screw with difficulty of BGII content, that's already an issue--a PC who's done all the
BG1+mods, +NeJ1, +CI, content, may well hit Waukeen's Promenade with over a million
XP.
B). At some point in Chapter 2/3. Easy enough to run into an
NPC who begs you for help and dispatches you to the Frozen North.
C). The Portal in Spellhold. Kinda screws with going direct to the Underdark, but how many people really bypass the Sahuagin city, anyway?
D). After killing Irenicus. Either at the point in
TDD when you go to Easthaven, or after the final battle, or at some point thereabouts.
E). Something else.
Obviously, the later in the game it happens, the more work necessary to make it challenging, but the earlier it happens, the more likely it makes everything later too easy.