Baldur's Gate The Baldur's Gate Series Thread

[Elex]

i guess the “new ip” is this: https://www.arcanumworlds.com/

 

[Theldaran]

Nah, that supplement is probably just nostalgia appeal. Baldur's Gate city was impressive in 1999, now, it remains to be seen. Like we've talked many times before, doing an interquel like Beamdog did is retarded. The Bhaalspawn saga is well closed.

Also, I'm curious about the Shadow Druids performing rituals in the Cloakwood. I thought the Cloakwood was pretty far from the city. Do they have some rocket launchers or something to bomb BG?

 

[Melcar]

They will have Wyvern mounts and shit.

 

[Storyfag]

Also, I'm curious about the Shadow Druids performing rituals in the Cloakwood. I thought the Cloakwood was pretty far from the city. Do they have some rocket launchers or something to bomb BG?

Do you need a rocket launcher for a ritual which causes earthquakes or tidal waves?

 

[Theldaran]

Also, I'm curious about the Shadow Druids performing rituals in the Cloakwood. I thought the Cloakwood was pretty far from the city. Do they have some rocket launchers or something to bomb BG?

Do you need a rocket launcher for a ritual which causes earthquakes or tidal waves?

I'm betting there's no such effect, because if there is, then goodbye to the city. And we need the city for... er... further mon... further adventures.

It's the typical thing that's allowed as part of the plot, but it's never available to players unless high level

 

[Cael]

Also, I'm curious about the Shadow Druids performing rituals in the Cloakwood. I thought the Cloakwood was pretty far from the city. Do they have some rocket launchers or something to bomb BG?

Do you need a rocket launcher for a ritual which causes earthquakes or tidal waves?

I'm betting there's no such effect, because if there is, then goodbye to the city. And we need the city for... er... further mon... further adventures.

It's the typical thing that's allowed as part of the plot, but it's never available to players unless high level

Actually, a pair of ring gates cost 40,000gp. Given how monty haul most CRPG are, you can probably get a pair by about level 5. After that, it is pretty straightforward how to send an entire city into orbit using the kinetic impact of a speck of diamond dust traveling at about 98% the speed of light...

 

[Chippy]

So maybe the rumors about BG3 were true? It makes sense for Wizards to make this campaign if they are going to make a new BG game.

https://www.pcgamer.com/kotor-drago...l-lead-a-new-studio-for-wizards-of-the-coast/

it’s not a coincidence, but apparently is a new ip so no bg3.

"I didn’t think that I would be coming back to the game industry so soon but working with Wizards is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Ohlen said. "Our mutual love of RPGs, world-building, and interactive storytelling is a perfect match."


What exactly the new outfit will be getting up to hasn't been revealed at this point, but a rep said that it will a "multimedia studio," with "freedom to develop different expressions." Interestingly, and also a little bit disappointingly as a big Baldur's Gate fan, it apparently will not be a D&D project: Wizards of the Coast said the studio "will focus on the creation of original IP outside of the Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons brand."

Wonder what alternative timeline got this BG filler game as a PC RPG by James Ohlen instead of SOD? And if they are enjoying it? Has to be better.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

finally got around to trying dragonspiel as part of BGTEE

It's not bad as an infinity engine game. the dwarven litch is a semi-enjoyable mage battle and the quests themselves are ok at times. BUT it's terrible as a bg game.

wtf is the point of any of it? no freedom of movement, plot is on rails, irenicus comes in to wag his dick in your face every cutscene, jahiera sounds like a mexican now.

And oh wow, is it pozzed. Your romance options are either a tranny or a single mother

I will say that I am having fun slaughtering hordes of goody-goodies in their retarded quest to go to hell to rescue the damned. And I do have to give some praise for the fact that my attacking everyone I see hasn't broken the game yet.

Still, why make this? Other than money, I mean.

 

[Lacrymas]

Yeah, there are some very good bits in Dragonspear. Who is the tranny? Viconia? You have a lot of romance options, though - the single mother, Viconia, Dorn, Voghiln, the little muppet, that monk dude, and maybe I'm forgetting someone. Maybe that wild mage chick?

 

[Cael]

Who is the tranny?

Edwin.

Duh!

 

[Lacrymas]

Still, why make this? Other than money, I mean.

I didn't see this before. I don't think it's about money. Well, the main reason isn't money. I do believe Dragonspear is a labor of love and fans who wanted to work on one of their favorite games. I didn't feel any kind of cynicism when playing it, they did their best. Their best wasn't very good, but there you go.

 

[Storyfag]

Who is the tranny?

Edwin.

Duh!

Not yet. But whoever gets the Cursed Belt of Gender-bending...

 

[Cael]

Who is the tranny?

Edwin.

Duh!

Not yet. But whoever gets the Cursed Belt of Gender-bending...

In my BG run, it is always Edwin. Then, I dump him in one of the Nashkel Carnival lotus tents.

 

[Elex]

Yeah, there are some very good bits in Dragonspear. Who is the tranny? Viconia? You have a lot of romance options, though - the single mother, Viconia, Dorn, Voghiln, the little muppet, that monk dude, and maybe I'm forgetting someone. Maybe that wild mage chick?

you discover the tranny near the end of the game.

 

[Lacrymas]

I know about the actual tranny, but she isn't a romance option.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

ok, I finished it.

again, the story is completely forced and arguably makes BG2 a less compelling story.

Irenicus' original sense of mystery was a big part of his draw. He was just some insanely powerful mage that up and plucked you out of Baldur's Gate at what you thought was the height of your power. You had zero idea of who he was or why he did what he did.

Instead now he's the obvious villain who has been wagging his dick in your face and [spoiler: did a bad thing that made you flee Baldur's Gate (ps: some loyal companions kind of let you twist in the wind and I really don't think they needed to write them that way, it was just an excuse to get you to team up with the default BG2 companions at the end)].

Oh, and yeah, the tranny isn't a romance option, but the single mother definitely is. I almost liked her character at first. But then the kid, and the fact that you get to meet her baby daddy, and she's such a bitch. I'm glad I got to kill her. I hope her daughter likes growing up an orphan - I'm guessing that no one is going to be able to resurrect a denigrated corpse whose ashes have been swept away by sewage.

The game balance is extremely skewed too. Locks require higher skill to pick in this expansion than in either base game. The number of units on the field in a given battle is larger than you'll get in BG1 or 2 until around ToB, making BG2 somewhat anticlimactic by comparison.

And the worst sin of this expansion pack is that the one selling point that might have justified it - ie, that it bridges the gap between BG1 & 2 - is completely false. In fact, it makes things worse and now contradicts either your actions in BG1 or else the intro of BG2.

I solo'd BG1, yet the game treats me like I've known Skie, Jahera, Kahlid etc for ages if I even acknowledge that I met them once. And how does the BG2 intro mesh with this? "They came as you rested." Not really. They game while you were still standing and attacked you. Oh, and no mention of your [spoiler: fleeing BG for extremely important reasons] in the BG2 intro either, it just says others suspected you shared the same lineage as Sarevok.

TBH, I would have liked it if the game just gave you some more credible reason for being locked up with Jaheira and co despite the fact that you may never have even met Jaheira in BG1, or might have told her to piss off. The biggest hole in the original BG2 was Jaheira introducing herself as having helped you defeat Sarevok by default and that could have been fixed by rewriting a few dialog lines.


Again though, I'm not going to say I didn't have any fun here. It was linear, but I did like finally being able to play some Infinity Engine content that wasn't just a mod. But I really would have appreciated them not taking so much liberty with the existing characters and shoving them in as much as possible. Also, I don't like forced failure, but that's a Bioware thing too, so I can't fault them too much for it.

I would probably consider buying another such expansion, provided they agree not to screw it up with more SJW shit and aren't as liberal with writing existing characters differently.

 

[laclongquan]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

As for others: Jaheira and Khalid is old acquaintances of your foster father. So there's also chance they met directly before BG1. There's definitely chance they know of you before, considering it's you in a Harper operation.

Skie? Skie is a ducal princess, so you definitely meet her in her ducal house, Silvershield~

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

So there's also chance they met directly before BG1.

Wrong, they specifically say that they rely on descriptions of CHARNAME and mention nothing about ever meeting the player before in any of the games.

Skie? Skie is a ducal princess, so you definitely meet her in her ducal house, Silvershield~

"Absolutely, definitely, certainly!"

Really? Maybe she got turned to stone and then shattered by a basilisk in the middle of nowhere? Maybe I got tired of her voice and fucking murdered her and left her body in a ditch where no one would ever find it?

Which brings me to another point: without the events of Dragonspear, Entar Silvershield is dead and remains so the entire game.

I do credit the game for being meta enough to mention resurrection magic several times, but it's a bit out of place. Why would Skie be upset over her father's demise in BG1 if she knew he'd just be resurrected? They needed them for a plot device, so he came back to life for dragonshit. Nothing more. The player would never meet him otherwise.

And that's mainly what I hate so much about the writing: it relies so heavily on these contrived plot devices. Childish and doesn't consider player choice.

 

[Lacrymas]

BG never considered the player's choice, so whatever. What they should've done is go full compatibilism and change the reason you had to flee Baldur's Gate depending on your choices, but have the ultimate outcome be the same. Death in D&D is a revolving door, it's only not when it's conenient for the plot, so taking resses into account is good. Skie might've been to overwhelmed by her father's death in the moment and forgot about clerical assistence.

 

[Cael]

For some reason, I really, really prefer IWD2 over even BG2. Maybe it is the pseudo-3.x system, maybe it is the race and class choices, or maybe it is just Capitan Garlic's hilarious LP of the thing, but IWD2 made a bigger impression on me than BG2.

 

[laclongquan]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

ONLY if you meta the fuck out of your BG1 game. We are talking about specifically NOT going into the main hall of FAI where several quests concluded. The cleaning up an old lady's spider infestation in Beregost, I think. We are talking about specifically avoid getting some quest concluded and getting reward here.
As for Skie, you are going into Silverstar estate so it's assume you are definitely going to meet her. Without going there you dont advance main quest~

 

[Thal]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

ONLY if you meta the fuck out of your BG1 game. We are talking about specifically NOT going into the main hall of FAI where several quests concluded. The cleaning up an old lady's spider infestation in Beregost, I think. We are talking about specifically avoid getting some quest concluded and getting reward here.
As for Skie, you are going into Silverstar estate so it's assume you are definitely going to meet her. Without going there you dont advance main quest~

I actually never met Khalid or Jaheira on my very first playthrough of BG1. I did go to Friendly Arm in, but somehow missed them when entering and decided to head for Nashkell immediately. Grabbed Ajantis, Kivan and Minsk on the way and cleared the mine after freeing Dynaheir.
I remember being very puzzled when my friends told me where to find them but they weren't there.

My game also bugged at Chapter 6 and I never actually got to read Gorion's letter, because my party was arrested before I got to his room. Thankfully I was too young and immersed with my first rpg experience to notice and care about the particularities.

 

[Cael]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

ONLY if you meta the fuck out of your BG1 game. We are talking about specifically NOT going into the main hall of FAI where several quests concluded. The cleaning up an old lady's spider infestation in Beregost, I think. We are talking about specifically avoid getting some quest concluded and getting reward here.
As for Skie, you are going into Silverstar estate so it's assume you are definitely going to meet her. Without going there you dont advance main quest~

I actually never met Khalid or Jaheira on my very first playthrough of BG1. I did go to Friendly Arm in, but somehow missed them when entering and decided to head for Nashkell immediately. Grabbed Ajantis, Kivan and Minsk on the way and cleared the mine after freeing Dynaheir.
I remember being very puzzled when my friends told me where to find them but they weren't there.

My game also bugged at Chapter 6 and I never actually got to read Gorion's letter, because my party was arrested before I got to his room. Thankfully I was too young and immersed with my first rpg experience to notice and care about the particularities.

They are in the top left corner of the ground floor of the inn, next to the innkeeper. Easy to miss as the corner is isolated and there is really no reason to go there otherwise.

 

[Catacombs]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

ONLY if you meta the fuck out of your BG1 game. We are talking about specifically NOT going into the main hall of FAI where several quests concluded. The cleaning up an old lady's spider infestation in Beregost, I think. We are talking about specifically avoid getting some quest concluded and getting reward here.
As for Skie, you are going into Silverstar estate so it's assume you are definitely going to meet her. Without going there you dont advance main quest~

I actually never met Khalid or Jaheira on my very first playthrough of BG1. I did go to Friendly Arm in, but somehow missed them when entering and decided to head for Nashkell immediately. Grabbed Ajantis, Kivan and Minsk on the way and cleared the mine after freeing Dynaheir.
I remember being very puzzled when my friends told me where to find them but they weren't there.

My game also bugged at Chapter 6 and I never actually got to read Gorion's letter, because my party was arrested before I got to his room. Thankfully I was too young and immersed with my first rpg experience to notice and care about the particularities.

They are in the top left corner of the ground floor of the inn, next to the innkeeper. Easy to miss as the corner is isolated and there is really no reason to go there otherwise.

It's shit like this that made me paranoid enough to visit every square inch of the map in BG1.

 

[Cael]

You definitely going to meet Jaheira. No escape that fate~

No, if you don't go to the friendly arm in and just wander south and solve the iron crisis, you will never meet her or Kahlid.

ONLY if you meta the fuck out of your BG1 game. We are talking about specifically NOT going into the main hall of FAI where several quests concluded. The cleaning up an old lady's spider infestation in Beregost, I think. We are talking about specifically avoid getting some quest concluded and getting reward here.
As for Skie, you are going into Silverstar estate so it's assume you are definitely going to meet her. Without going there you dont advance main quest~

I actually never met Khalid or Jaheira on my very first playthrough of BG1. I did go to Friendly Arm in, but somehow missed them when entering and decided to head for Nashkell immediately. Grabbed Ajantis, Kivan and Minsk on the way and cleared the mine after freeing Dynaheir.
I remember being very puzzled when my friends told me where to find them but they weren't there.

My game also bugged at Chapter 6 and I never actually got to read Gorion's letter, because my party was arrested before I got to his room. Thankfully I was too young and immersed with my first rpg experience to notice and care about the particularities.

They are in the top left corner of the ground floor of the inn, next to the innkeeper. Easy to miss as the corner is isolated and there is really no reason to go there otherwise.

It's shit like this that made me paranoid enough to visit every square inch of the map in BG1.

Worst part was that in the dim light, they look like any other inn patron dressed in hobo outfits, so you don't even know they are important.