Overview: (21)

Learn about Tiax, the last recruitable ally in Sword of the Sea! Discover his Cleric/Thief class, strengths, weaknesses, and how to recruit him late-game.

Alright, so you're probably wondering about Tiax, right? He's one of those characters you might stumble upon pretty late in the game, possibly even the last ally you can recruit. He's definitely got a unique personality, which can be pretty amusing, but let's break down what he actually brings to your party.

Tiax is a bit of a hybrid, a Cleric/Thief. This combo can be useful, but it comes with some quirks. For starters, because he's a Cleric, he's limited to blunt weapons. Not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind. He also can't use bows, which is a bit of a bummer. His Strength stat isn't the highest, but thankfully, he doesn't get penalized for it. Honestly, in terms of pure combat, he's not much worse off than Viconia. He might not have the best Armor Class, but he gets an extra Hit Point per level, which is nice.

However, there's a catch: he can't wear heavy armor if you want him to keep his Thief skills. You could slap some Shadow Armor on him, but he'll never reach the same defensive capabilities as Viconia or the combat prowess of Jaheira. The biggest hurdle with Tiax is definitely how late you find him. Even if you somehow manage to recruit him at level two, which seems incredibly difficult to pull off before reaching Baldur's Gate, he apparently has a few more Hit Points than his maximum should allow (21 instead of 18). So, his Hit Points are pretty solid, but his proficiencies? Well, they're not great, no matter what you do – Slings are probably his best bet.

The real downside to recruiting him so late is that his Thief skills suffer. It seems like he's gone for a 'Jack-of-all-Trades' approach, which basically means he's not particularly good at anything specific. The good news is that letting the computer handle his leveling doesn't hurt him as much as it would other characters, but let's be real, he's still not going to be a master thief. Still, if you're looking for a bit of unique flavor and a character who can fill a couple of roles, Tiax might be worth considering, just be aware of his limitations!