Here are some things, I do in the mentioned fights:
With the Bulette it is good to try and get highground, somewhere the Bulette can not jump too - like those mushrooms. Try using Misty Step: Gale and Wyll and OC who is warlock or wizard can get it via their spell list - I would always take that spell, it's really useful to get your squishy spellcasters out of the way and you get an amulet of Misty Step from Mintharas corpse. I normally try mistystepping away with the characters that can do it (to the big mushrooms, that aren't reachable via foot - the Bulette can't jump there) and use spells and ranged attacks to get Bulli down. The character, that doesn't have Misty Step, might die, but you can revive them later. For me, that works well. The problem is, that the Bulette can appear anywhere, that makes it one of the toughest fights for me. You can't really plan ahead. There are some points, where she always appears (like right before that cave, where you find that nice drow armor). I sometimes prepare an ambush there, if I manage to escape her until then - use Lae'Zel as lure, she can survive the best.
The Spectator is a tough one too. I try to keep the spellcasters and ranged attackers in the background and attack with Lae'Zel (or fighter OC). But before that, I make sure to destroy the petrified drow (I did that in my first playthrough, when I saw, that I can do it, because I thought, that if those drow come alive, they are probably not nice ... the chance to meet a Drizzt in the Underdark is pretty slim). You can reach the ones, that can't be killed by a melee (for melee you need a blunt weapon btw) with Eldritch Blast for example, so that you don't need to sacrifice a spell slot. I give the thief (either Astarion or OC) the Misty Step amulet and position them behind the Spectator, poison their weapons with the strongest poison possible (that would be Wyvern) and let them sneak attack - that does a lot of damage.
The Gith patrol I nowdays just barrelmance because I'm lazy and the fight takes so long, but when I try it proper, I position the group up on the highground - preferrably not all together, but spread out a bit. And when they teleport up, I try to get them down again via thunderwave. Lae'zel is normally down with that really hard hitting fighter, because I let her do the talking (everything else wouldn't make sense roleplaying wise if you have recruited Lae). It's tough, but with using everything, I have - fire arrows, poisoned weapons, spells- , I nomally succeed after a while.
The Gith patrol is really hard imo - I find that fight even worse than Bulli.
My least favorite is the spider matriarch though. I find it hard, plus I really hate spiders, so two nogos. I do it anyway even though, I wouldn't need to (you can go to the stone for the Necromancy of Thay via invisibility potion and patience - if mother dearest is right above you, don't grab it, wait until she moved on), because I'm always very proud of me, when I manage to kill the spiders. There, I let Astarion sneak in to destroy the spider eggs (first the one downstairs, then the one on the first plattform and lastly the one on the second - that will automatically trigger the fight, I never managed to do it without the mother noticing me).
I hope, that helps a bit, but I would love to have difficult settings too. I like a challenge, but sometimes, I just want to play out the story and not have to deal with fights, that last half an hour. Tbh, when I use barrels, then mostly to just make the fights shorter (like the group around Dror Ragzlin or the gobbos in the courtyard), because it just takes so long to take them out one by one.
Edit: I forgot, because it'S second natur for me: always use Bless and whatever you have to buff and protect the party. It helps a lot imo.
Last edited by fylimar; 04/06/21 04:55 PM.
