Baldur's Gate II, was and is, my favorite computer RPG of all time. So it's fitting that one of my most memorable experiences came out of this game. I had a lot of good memories playing it in my high school afternoons. Every day I'd take my colorful group of adventurers through one quest after another. The content that was packed into the game was staggering. You could play through it multiple times and still find new things to do.
One of the hardest challenges I faced was to defeat a troll boss named Torgal. If you know anything about D&D lore, you probably know that trolls can only be killed with acid or fire. I was well into the game, with my characters fairly well trained in their specialties. I was feeling pretty confident that I could hack my way through the troll's castle and kill him. It turned out to be one of the most difficult, yet rewarding battles in my history as a PC RPG player. After wandering through the expansive structure, killing various things along the way, we finally came to the main chamber.
Behind the main area were various jail cells. They provided an interesting tactic which I'll get to in a second. So anyway, my brave adventurers throw everything to take down Torgal. But trolls are nothing if not resilient. He was eventually able to wear us down to the point where we would give up all hope. Our potions were running out, our HP was nearing zero, things look lost. In a panic, I began to run away from Torgal, racing to think of anything I could do to turn the tide. I ran into the jail cells, and he followed.
There was at least one cell big enough to fit both of us in. I ran into it, and so did Torgal! As quickly as I could, I slipped out and slammed shut the jail bars. I had actually trapped the Troll inside a cell. How freakin funny is that? Ok, so now the troll was stuck where he was. But I still hadn't beat him. I looked for every possible tactic or strategy to use. And then I looked into the inventory of one of my characters. They had a scroll of disintegration. I figured if nothing else, I could try to cast the scroll of disintegration on the troll, and beat him in an instant.
I set it up so perfectly. My caster facing the entrance to the jails, scroll at the ready. I went back to Torgal's cell and opened the cage. He immediately chased after me, just what I was expecting. Running as fast as I could, I escaped the jails and sidestepped just in time for the disintegration bolt to slam into Torgal, reducing him to dust.
It was one of the coolest, most epic moments in my gaming history. The way that I had used my environment to my advantage, thought resourcefully about how to use my items, and how I coordinated the whole thing, was just so satisfying. Watching that damned troll be broken down into a pile of dust was simply awesome.
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