#skip BG1

[outeremissary]

Most cursed ass thing about BG3 is the way it makes me think "I should replay BG1." Literally the voice of the devil

[devotedlystrangewizard]

shoutout to my dad for complaining his baldurs gate 3 download took 45 minutes. i cant even play it but go OFF

[sovonight]

Who’s your go-to party in BG1? I love everyone! Wish I could take them all with me 😭😭

i stick with imoen, jaheira, khalid, xan, and viconia! i'm very boring haha

i recruited montaron & xzar briefly out of necessity of course, and branwen just to fill up the 6th slot after nashkel, and i remember trying out dynaheir, minsc, ajantis, & kivan before--though i always find timed companion quests a chore, especially in the beginning of the game when i'm actually recruitment-minded but still super low level. and i don't think i've ever actually recruited edwin, even though ppl seem to like him, just because i never notice him standing there in nashkel loL

ngl i do feel kind of locked in by insisting for story reasons that i have to keep imoen and jaheira/khalid in the party at all times... when u get down to it, on a player level, the only one i actually need to keep is xan. but the mod gives imoen such a sweet moment with the birthday celebration and the necklace, and jaheira/khalid are part of gorion's last instructions for charname, so it's difficult to trade them out for total strangers. bg2 is definitely a whole different environment in that way, like now that the original reasons are gone and imoen is gone and it's just jaheira and xan left, it's a lot easier to swap out companions at will. it's still a pain to do the whole equipment transfer though T_T

[glitter-stained]

More Lantern!Bats shenanigans

Blue Lantern Duke: *jumps off a building to dodge an attack*

Blue Lantern Duke: *creates a grapple construct made of pure hope*

Villain of the week: "such a fickle and fragile thing, Imma cut his line with my evil sword of power..."

Villain, after shattering his sword and all the bones in his wrist on the line: what the fuck

*****

Bludhaven Goon #1 (BG1): Dude, run! Nightwing's powered have tripled over night!

Bludhaven Goon #2 (BG2): Oh no, what happened? Did something happen in Gotham? Someone gone after Robin?

BG1: I don't know, but we need to- wait what is he doing

BG1: he's straight up glowing I-

BG2: he's lighting up the nightsky-

BG2: ohmygod we're gonna die

Meanwhile Red Lantern! Dick, ranting to Wally on the comms: yeah so Cass took all the hot water while showering then told me to 'deal with it', someone kept hiding pig whoopee cushions that go "oink" in my seats and I can't figure out who, Jasont told everybody my most embarrassing Nightwing debut stories with photographed evidence, Damian tried to kidnap Bitewing thrice and Tim skipped out to go to a party using a stratagem so needlessly elaborate it looked like Jason had designed it, and we all thought someone had kidnapped him! But no, yeah, the visit went well, manor's fine. You know how it is, siblings...

*****

Rose: Hey Jason, how the fuck did you bag Kyle Rayner?

Star Sapphire Jason, whisper-shouting: I don't know what the fuck is going on, he popped in with yellow roses and offered to teach me how to make constructs, don't talk so loud I'm afraid that'll make him realise.

Referrencing these posts:

https://www.tumblr.com/glitter-stained/758412002746122240/jaykyle-enemies-to-lovers-misunderstanding-au?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/glitter-stained/758411385986220032/okay-so-to-be-honest-as-neuropsychology-major?source=share

[fuckyeahbaldursgate]

Do you have any advice for someone much more used to modern games who is having a hard time getting used to bg1? im playing on the lowest difficulty and cleared out the nashkel mines but real time with pause just feels really clunky & unintuitive still

I know the feeling! After years of bouncing off fallout 1 and 2, I finally completeted them this year so with that in mind here's a few tips.

1.) Use a walkthrough. It might feel a bit cheaty but honestly this is what saved me with Fallout 1 and 2 because I just didn't know where to go or what to expect in combat. There will be spoiler free ones avaliable given the age of BG so don't be afraid to just look something up if you don't know where to go next.

2.) In BG1 specifically ranged weapons are king, equip ranged weapons on everyone as some enemies can easily be defeated before they reach you or can be kited around the map until they are dead. Just watch out for the bandits as this won't necessarily work on them if they also have a ranged weapon.

3.) if you find it a pain in the ass to give instructions to everyone then try assigning some AI to your characters so they start attacking automatically although make sure you read through what the AI does because some will switch to melee automatically. You can toggle the AI on and off if you want to take control directly for particularly hard fights.

4.) Check out the auto pause functions in the settings. What I tend to find useful is autopause for when a character reaches low health, when someone spots a trap and immunity to weapons.

5.) Pick up the tweak pack at Gibberlings3 https://www.gibberlings3.net/mods/tweaks/tweaks/ Now I usually say for first time players don't install mods but the tweak pack contains a lot of quality of life changes that do make your life easier in the long run and as a veteran player I always pick it up. Make sure you read the read me file though for an explanation of each feature, you can skip sections I.e. Content changes or rule changes if you don't want to have to go through them all.

6.) Skip BG1 altogether. While I love BG1, it's also a bit lighter on story and NPC content to the point that if you are really struggling with it then go straight to BG2, which is considered the best of the series. It's also much tighter in terms of locations e.g. Much less random wilderness areas without a whole lot in them. It does a fairly good job at the start of catching you up to speed right in the opening too.

I'm sure my followers can chip in with a few more.

[starlightcleric]

Since I still have to wait another two whole weeks for Baldur's Gate 3, I've gone back to thinking about my Charnames from BG1&2 (picrew here).

First we have Sigrdrifa, the LG human Paladin (Cavalier). My first character, the one I beat BG1 with and started Siege of Dragonspear. Her party was Imoen, Jaheira, Branwen, and Neera (I kept the sixth slot open to cycle people through for their quests, but ended the game with that slot empty). But I've been putting off importing her into BG2, because, well, who was she going to romance? Nothing felt right, I went through lists of mods, nothing felt right. So then it hit me: she's just ace? She cares about Justice and Honor and Big Swords and not dating.

Then we have Kara, the CG human Fighter (Barbarian). Kara exists, because a good ways into my BG1 game I was getting kind of worn down, the BGs are held up as the pinnacle of the crpg but it was honestly kind of dull, so I decided to skip forward to BG2 to see if it was better. And immediately I did like it better (well I still hate AD&D 2E but I can't do anything about that). So I went back to game 1. But I still liked Kara, hell she has a playlist I still listen to, so I booted up her game again today, realized I haven't played in like four years so I have no idea what's happening, and restarted. She rolled a 92 for stats which is good enough for me, she has 18/77 str, 18 dex, 18 con, and over 100 hp. Her planned party is Minsc, Jaheira, Nalia/Imoen, Aerie, and Haer'Dalis (with the Haer'Dalis romance mod).

[blackjackkent]

Accepting Baldur's Gate Fic Requests! (Again XD)

Might start putting this out there semi-regularly just bc I find it fun. c: I'm on the hunt for more one-shot ideas/prompts/requests for things you'd like to see me write, for any scenario in the Baldur's Gate fandom! Send me an ask or reply here if you've got something in mind. :)

(Examples of my writing: AO3, and scattered through #bjk plays baldur’s gate 3 and #bjk plays BG3 Durge)

I’m comfortable writing pretty much every major character in a Tav playthrough except Minthara (cos I haven’t done a playthrough with her yet) and I'm familiar with early Act 1 Durge. (Also BG1/BG2 stuff. :) ) Pretty much up for trying any romantic or platonic pairing/scenario, SFW or NSFW (though obviously I reserve the right to skip anything I'm uncomfy with). :)

Hit me with your best shot!

[sorcerous-caress]

was bg3 your first foray into dnd? it was for me!! and these days even at work im researching stuff on how to build properly lol :')

Not dnd as a whole, i was aware of some aspects of it. I've even watched a couple campaigns of people on youtube.

But Bg3 was my first ever intro to dnd fighting mechanics. I was also so blind at the start in early access and got very frustrated because every encounter was exhausting and i didn't know what anything does.

Back at early access times, we didn't have ANY tutorials. There weren't any helpful videos or guides or breakdowns of classes. It was through pure chance that I picked sorcerer. I didn't even know sorcerer was a class in dnd or what it does.

The subreddit wasn't active much either. The game itself doesn't teach you or guide your hand, it expects you to learn it on your own. Which was something i hated at the time but i also liked dark souls so i couldn't stop playing.

I replayed early acess a lot until i got the hang of it really, i don't even remember when it just clicked but now i can breeze through encounters while watching a youtube documentary like it's nothing. I know what most spells do and how to counter them, I can easily stack so many cc and buffs to make every boss look like a joke.

In the final boss fight i was skipping turns and messing around.

I do have a lot of experience in turn based games from before, so that might have helped, i knew what to read and what stats to look out for. Darkest dungeon, slay the spire, Frostpunk, Iratus.

Then i tried divinity original sin 2 and found it its combat is even more complicated than bg3. If you love something enough you'll have to be willing to learn for it.

Finally I gave bg1 a chance and the combat is even more bizarre, I'm still learning about thacco and armour and stuff.

I still have dragon age to try, then maybe pathfinder.

[xanfeursel]

Hi idk if you still wants questions BUT hi I have uhm. 3 for your bg3 OCS (your bg1 ocs name is blanking me but them too if u want!)

1) Post game, do any of them become parents?

2) Post game, what do they up to before the epilogue?

3) What is their weapon of choice? Have they named it?

HELLO...IM ALWAYS TAKING QUESTIONS. smiles. thank u for these. :-)

1) I've actually thought abt this for judith and lophi, mostly! (other two can be summarized in "would not trust themselves to be good parents or just simply do not care abt having children")

while judith wouldn't have any biological children (too afraid of the whole bhaalspawn thing, for the childs sake more than his own), and I don't think he'd ever think abt kids while being with xan, I can imagine really farther down the line him possibly adopting a child, as a fun little full circle moment. (I've also thought abt the au concept of him adopting a baby dark urge, but uh, lord knows if I'll ever do anything w the concept) the one thing that'd stop him is the thought he will most likely live to see his own ward die given his long elf lifespan.

as for lophi... wyll canonically does want kids, and I can see her enthusiastically wanting to adopt w him!! I'm not at the end of the game yet so I don't have a set in stone ending for them in my mind Yet (it's easier to figure out these things w judith given the first two game plots are a bit more linear) but yeah LOL, I can also see her adopting. I'm not sure if she'd necessarily see herself as a Good parent, but I think she'd be a fun one.

skipping question two Unfortunately as I have not finished the game on any of my bg saves //hides head away in shame

3) Lophi uses the phalar aluve sword! it's led me to sort of have this whole thing between her and eilistraee, eilistraee's whole thing lines up PERFECTLY w lophi (+ my little hc of her being a sort of unofficial drow goddess of trans people) so I think eversince she's picked up the sword good ol eili has had her eye on her... and of course lophis a bard of swords, so a music themed sword is perfect for her.

Vyper doesn't have a signature weapon per se, I don't remember the in-game name but this one golden axe you get somewhere mid act 1 diiid serve as his main weapon for a long time, though. So I generally associate him with axes– and his signature weapon *pre-game* was an axe he'd stolen off the body of a paladin he murdered. never gave it a name though, maybe I should ...

Rubi is more one of theatrics rather than hand to hand combat, but when she has to resort to weapons she's good with daggers! I plan to build her as a roguelock since she already plays as a rogue when she isn't doing warlock-y stuff. For Lore reasons

for judith, again his weapon doesn't have a name (maybe I should rly start doing this..) but I imagine it's a shepherds crook staff he uses like a bō staff!! yknow to really put in the shepherd/sheep theme

[outeremissary]

Tagged by @arendaes on this fairy doll maker. I've skipped the last few of these doll makers because I just do not tend to have the kind of really high femme character in play that works on them without feeling really uncanny to me, but I figured I'd give this one an attempt and see how well I could recreate my BG1/2 character's old 2018 design (doodled on scrap paper at work here with a sad attempt at shitty wizard dart).

Not too far off...?

Not tagging folks on this one- forgive me, I'm just not sure who's best for something so specific ^^;; If you want to do it etc.

[curriebelle]

I’m sure you all guessed this but if you’re lookin for something to do between Thursdays I’m gonna recommend Baldur’s Gate II to e v e r y o n e. Especially if you don’t have a D&D group at home, because it’s the closest you’ll get to D&D without one, and ESPECIALLY if you’re also a Bioware fan. I have some thinky thoughts about it & Dragon Age II here. Not so much the usual #currie academia, but along those lines nonetheless.

So I said in a post before that Baldur’s Gate II is very much like what Dragon Age 2 should have been, and I want to pull that apart for you somewhat. Disclaimer here that while I’ve played DA2 a disgusting number of times, I’m only 20 or so days into BG2 (Chapter 3, I think)

I acknowledge that technically speaking, DA2 is rightfully the lowest-rated game of the Dragon Age franchise, but it’s also my favourite by far. This is largely because I admired what it aspired to be. It wanted to be an in-depth exploration of a single, fascinating locale, and all the conflicts that could arise from it across time. Some of the things people complained about - such as Hawke having such a limited background, the divisiveness of the companions and their behaviour, and the lack of a single overarching villain - were the result of reaching for this goal and failing. Bioware either lost their direction or lacked the time to pull it off . A lot of the other problems with the game, particularly the repeated dungeon maps, but also the useless junk-gathering and slimmed-down combat (which I actually liked, but I get that it’s controversial) managed to cripple this particular aspiration even further. Kirkwall lost parts of its complexity and bigness, but clues of it remained behind - particularly in the morally complex sidequests, which often hold a mirror up to the larger conflicts. My favourite one is when you head out to find the son of some noble or count and it turns out that he’s just a regular old straight-up murderer. No demons in his head, but suffering a mental illness - not one I’m qualified to diagnose, but one that each of the party members misinterprets as a pathetic excuse for his violence. Their preferred solution is to kill the bastard, but a player - if they actually know what mental illness is, and how it can be mismanaged - is left with much more to think about.

The resemblance between Dragon Age II and Baldur’s Gate 2 started out as simple allusions and parallels, which I thought were amusing. Now I know who Edwina the barmaid is, and now I know why the loading screens say “gather your party before venturing forth”, and now I know why they make you collect pantaloons. I’ve also met some of the predecessors of the Dragon Age party members. Imoen looks a heckofa lot like an early-2000s Leliana and gets the same broken-bird treatment. Jan Jansen is Varric after several heavy doses of hallucinatory drugs, from the family merchant business to the hand-made crossbow to the penchant for tall tales. I’m pretty sure Velanna from Awakening is a re-skinned Viconia (and I think they share a VA, to boot). Also, I feel like some of the flatter BG2 characters were revamped, re-examined, or re-incarnated. Anomen is pretty much a sexist prick so far, but he’s had some interesting chats with me about his lawful-neutralness. I wonder if their answer to him was to take the same ethics but fix the sexism problem with a genderflip, because in a lot of ways he reminds me of Aveline. (Disclaimer: this in no way takes away from the fact that Aveline is the greatest thing ever and Anomen is a lil shit). Moreover, Morrigan’s eternally grumpy power-hungry practicality, as well her potential prideful fall, and her return, in a sequel, as a semi-friendly spy embedded in a political clusterfuck (Orlesian court vs. Shadow Thieves) makes her quite reminiscent of Edwin. There are others, too, as there are exceptions. I don’t see a clear Fenris analogue in BG2 yet, nor has Minsc ever been properly revived (though Iron Bull maybe comes close). I think that’s smart, though. Imoen/Leliana is a good template to reuse but Minsc shall never be equaled.

Beyond the people in my party, I started to see traces of Kirkwall in Athkatla. Some of the districts have obvious analogues (Keep = Government, Hightown = Waukeen’s Promenade (same aesthetic, even, with all the white stone), Darktown/Lowtown = Slums/Graveyard, Docks = ....well, Docks). There’s also the sense that there are some really hecked-up things going on in the underbelly of the Athkatla, what with the random lich I found in the Egyptian-style tomb under the graveyard (?), the beholders in the sewers (FUCK) and the strange women Naruto-running around at night and casting dominate on random thugs (???). Plus they have a strangely perpendicular policy on magic. Mages in Athkatla are both the Circle and the Templars - that is, the practice of magic is heavily restricted, but it’s restricted by the Cowled Wizards (who have conveniently cast Immunity to Government on themselves). Or perhaps Athkatla is what the Tevinter Imperium looks like from the inside?

Quest structures are also re-used between the games. The overarching quest of the first part of BG2 is identical to Dragon Age II′s - I have to raise enough money to Save my Sister, either to protect her from the Circle or steal her back from Irenicus. The anti-qunari cult and the weirdness of the Primeval Thaig are not dissimilar to the Cult of the Unseeing Eye quest (except for the FUCKING BEHOLDERS aaah). There’s somebody skinning people in the Bridge District at the moment, and though I haven’t advanced very far in that quest I’m catching the horrible, creeping scent of All That Remains about it. One of the very first quests was to return a handful of acorns to a faerie queen, which requires that you leave Athkatla - and it felt almost exactly like turning over Flemeth’s amulet, even before I found the red dragon hanging out in the same area. I’m even getting companion loyalty quests now (hence, Edwina) and while reuniting Keldorn with his wife was considerably less funny (though just as heartwarming) as convincing Aveline and Donnic to Cup each others’ Joinings, I’m not surprised I’ll be helping people with everything from marriages to magic mishaps. Let’s just hope Jan Jansen doesn’t make me gather poo for his turnip-based explosives so he can bomb the Cowled Wizards or something (Cheers, Justice, I’ll always love you).

But these similarities aren’t really a bad thing at all. I’m certainly not accusing Bioware of copying their own homework - I’m actually accusing them of failing to copy their own homework. Or, to stretch the metaphor, for their horrible teacher Mr. EA to change the deadlines to their homework without telling them so they had to rush it and get a C+ from all the game critics. Poor muffins.

Here’s the thing. The inklings I had about The Point of setting things exclusively in Kirkwall are full-on confirmed by the existence of Baldur’s Gate II and Athkatla. Games like DA:O and DA:I are explorations of breadth, spanning countries; games like DA2 and BG2 are explorations in depth, spanning time, and digging deep into a particular city. Athkatla feels amazingly alive to me, and endlessly fascinating and complex. There are multiple underground ruins alluding to ancient magic and long-forgotten deaths. There are hints in the government district that everyone from nobility to turnip farmers regularly drown in ineffective bureaucracy. The Shadow Thieves, the Cowled Wizards, the noble families, and the Radiant Heart, and the Circus, all of them fill out the middle ranks of a squabbling, rule-breaking, living populace. Party members have ties to everyone from peasants, to nobility, to Cambions from Sigil. And there are strange individuals everywhere, spies and liars and con artists and performers and collectors and people who will only sell me turnips. I just finished a quest where three young boys asked me to buy them swords and I bought them a keg of ale instead. It was awesome.

Anyway, this actually segues into something else that’s interesting for me - Dragon Age 2 was all set to tackle the coolest thing that emerged, quite organically, in BG2 - the fact that of all the characters in the game, Athkatla is the most interesting. Playing it, you begin to understand why the quests are so similar between it and DA2. Exploring things like lost ruins, or the different rewards, invitations and behaviours of different organizations, or serial killers and justice systems, or problems with merchants, or entertainment venues like theatres and circuses, or religious conflicts - those are all quests that deeply engage one in the character of a place. Quite frankly, I like that better than hopping town-to-town and solving problems as you pass, which is the DA:O/DA:I model. It’s far too easy to seem random that way (what did those werewolves in DA:O ever amount to?). And conversely, it’s also why things like the party in Orlais are the most exciting things in those games: they offer you glimpses into the operation of society, into how the fantasy world truly works from the crowns to the cobblestones. BG2 is made of that experience of depth, and DA2 was prepared to be that but more. 

In certain places, you can see how DA2 fixed the very, very few problems BG2 actually had (alongside a decade of technological development, of course.) The rivalry/friendship system in DA2 is a huge improvement on the reputation/alignment system of BG2. I am effective as shit at solving problems so why does Edwin grouse at me just because I’m nice? Moreover, why do I have to choose between mega-discounts and the game’s best wizard? I much prefer the idea of friendship/rivalry, because real people can respect and disagree with you, and (although this might just be because I have his romance mod installed *ahem*) the DA2-esque Rivalry relationship seems to better characterize how Edwin thinks of me anyway. And while I’m on my soapbox, why’d they take that system away from Inquisition? Rivalry was certainly would have given me a better time with Vivienne, whom I desperately wanted to love but couldn’t because I could never get her approval high enough to offer me any quests. Heck, at least Edwin will still get Nether Scroll’d even if he constantly complains about me rescuing kittens.

Moreover, before its flawed execution, the skeleton of DA2 is far more ambitious and intriguing than BG2′s. BG2 is still a defeat-the-evil wizard game, and it stumbled across the story-of-a-city model largely by accident (one of the most graceful stumbles I’ve ever seen, that’s for sure). I assume (though correct me if I’m wrong) that I’ll still be kickin’ Irenicus’s unsympathetic ass as an endgame (unless he goes Sephiroth Supernova or has an evil boss or something). DA2’s conflicts with the qunari, and especially the conflict between the mages and the templars, turned the city into DA2′s most interesting character and its primary villain, which is the logical, brilliant extenstion of what BG2 accomplished. Meredith, Anders and Orsino - the trifecta of DA2’s endgame catalysts - were all emblematic of an impossible social and political conflict, born out of everything Kirkwall was over the span of a decade. Almost every little plotline in DA2 gives you something new to think about in terms of law, order, magic and rule in Kirkwall, and the finale was a culmination of that. It was a narrative waterfall into which the stream of every sidequest fed. It’s a brilliant structure - but it failed to spark the love its narratively inferior predecessor did, and certainly failed to achieve the quality of BG2.

And it’s only because Kirkwall is no Athkatla. It could have been, but it wasn’t. It felt emptier, and thinner, less populated and less complex, even though all the bones were there. This was largely because of those repeated dungeons - there’s something new in every corner in BG2, and the exploration of the wilderness outside the city is more extended, and every room is different, whereas the dungeons in DA2 wear out their welcome before the first act is over. It’s immensely frustrating, because Dragon Age 2 was so close to being BG2 but better. And there are things (particularly that friendship/rivalry thing) that are marks of improvement and reflection borne of lessons learned from BG2 and DA:O. It makes DA2 even more of a tragedy than it already was. Suffice to say I love both these games a lot, and I am indeed recommending that anybody whose curiosity has been piqued immediately download BG2 from gog.com (I hear there’s a bear companion in the Enhanced Edition. His name is Wilson).

But if I might replace the soapbox a second, I think the biggest tragedy of all of this was that Bioware didn’t try again. For all that Dragon Age 2 felt unfinished and unfocused, it was nowhere near as soulless and directionless as Dragon Age Inquisition, at least for me. Inquisition functioned fine, and it’s not a “bad” game by any quantifiable metric, but I could not be asked to play it more than once. I know people like it, and there are things about it to like - from my own perspective, I loved the fancy-party sequence, and there have been few companions in any game as interesting to me as Blackwall (is that a weird choice? I don’t know, I’m not really In This Fandom). But I did not care about my Inquisitor the way I cared about Hawke. I didn’t care about something as indistinct as The Inquisition the way I cared about Kirkwall, as underdeveloped as it was. I admired DA:II’s aspirations; I do not admire Inquisition’s attempt to be Skyrim when that’s not what we come to Bioware for. I don’t want Bioware to make Skyrim, I want Bioware to try BG2/DA2 again. It could be so phenomenal if they pulled it off.

[sovonight]

hey! been an enjoyer of your art for a while now (been offline Tumblr for a sec) and noticed you do BG art!

I low-key wanna get into BG but I don't know where to start or even what to expect. Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to get into the og BG games? (I don't wanna play BG3 rn I wanna start with the OG games)

sure! i wrote up a quick rundown here of the series + dlc + the enhanced editions. as for tips:

play the tutorial! don't skip this, bg's gameplay is not as self-explanatory as it is for modern games. xan also shows up here to teach you how to cast spells, so it's just nice to bother him

play on pc, not on an app (if for whatever reason you were considering the app version). not only is it really annoying playing on the app with a touchscreen, but you can't install any significant mods either, and it's a pain to even access the files in the first place

holding tab highlights all the interactable objects on the screen, like loot on the ground & chests you can open. there's also a magnifying glass button that does the same thing (in the ee version only, i believe)

in the main gameplay screen, hovering over icons brings up a quick tooltip that tells you what the icon is, but for full info on item/spell descriptions you'll have to click into the character's inventory/spellbook/etc and right click on them there

i regularly look things up on the wiki, because one of the things you'll probably be wondering once you enter combat is "how do i get rid of this negative status effect?!" status effects show up as tiny icons on the character portraits, and you'll have to click into the character page to see the actual name of the status effect, at which point you can drop it into the wiki search bar and find out how to get rid of it

another reason to keep the wiki open is to find out your enemies' weaknesses, so that when your companions are like "my weapon/spell has no effect!" you can change tactics

keep an eye on the log (that text box at the bottom of the screen)! i know, it fills up with a lot of information during combat, but you should keep an eye on how much damage you're doing, especially if you find out you're doing no damage at all

i regularly play with a walkthrough (bg1, bg1, bg2) because i hate backtracking and never want to miss a thing (you don't have to use the walkthroughs i linked, they're just what i have on hand). they are filled with spoilers, so i'd recommend trying your first playthrough without a walkthrough, but if you get stuck they're helpful for telling you what you need to do to get back on track with the main quest. bg doesn't have quest markers or individual quest trackers or anything, just one journal that every single quest update gets piled into (wow, just like real life!) so it's definitely possible to lose track of where you are if you're too deep in side quests or if you stop playing for a week

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

yes, Safananananasty is a conniving ho. You can do her quest without her, you follow the beach up the map to a cave. But Sirenes and ultimately Flesh Golems await.

I wouldn’t mind her being an unapologetic slut (affectionate). With colourful enough roster like BG1 has, there’s space for a woman who loves to be flirty and enjoys sex. And riches. Such characters can be charming and fun when done well. I don’t know how well she’s written, though. That’s the important part.

It's true she didn't have to come for our collective wig like that after being refused.

In any case, I didn’t have space for her in my party and I already have a thief I’m unwilling to switch this playthrough. So I skipped Safana’s quest like all the other characters’ who I didn’t take with me. I didn’t even know I could do it without her. Good to know!

If I ever make another playthrough, though, I might include her in my ladies only club.

[dicecast]

Blast from the Past: Baldur’s Gate 2 Tutorial

Ok so last time I talked about Bladur’s Gate I’s Candlekeep and how it is my standard for what an RPG tutorial should be.  Today I want to switch things up and talk about a tutorial which I am more mixed about, which is both good and bad, Jon Irenicus dungeon from Baldur’s Gate II

See in many ways I think this is a fantastic tutorial, it has story, it has character, it has challenge, it introduces the characters and it is related to the plot, what more could you want?  Well...it has one big problem and that problem kinda....kills it even though it is great

So ok, the premise is this.  After emerging victorious in BG1, you guys wander off and are captured and you wake up basically being experimented on in a laboratory by a freakishly powerful mage named Jon Irenicus.  The mage speaks to you in this creepy dispassionate way where it is clear he doesn’t even see you as human, and the whole place feels cold and distant.  He gets attacked by enemies and has to leave, giving you an opportunity to escape, and this is his dungeon.  So lets talk about what this does well and oh so well before we get to the glaring error

1) its a pretty interesting dungeon.  You are going through what is a tutorial dungeon but rather than fighting a bunch of goblins and rats in the most generic caves ever, you are going through a place with a unique antithetic with a bunch of cool monsters.  Over the course of this adventure you will run into clay Golems, Mephits, Grey Dwarves, Shadow Thieves, Jinn, air elementals, Ogres Mages, Rakasha, Cambions, Demons, Otyugh, some deranged clones, goblins, some enslaved Nymphs, a Vampire, a doppleganger, and a ton of traps.  Its a whole variety of different D&D creatures all of whom have a place in the dungeon (except the goblins why are they here?) and many have different methods of interaction.  At one point you go to the Plane of Air, and an underground forest and this is all just in the first dungeon.  Compare this to like the opening dungeon to Oblivion. 

2) it serves a lot of story functions, which I am going to sub divide

2a) It builds the Character of Irenicus, actually more so than the rest of the game.  The entire place feels cold, sterile, and kinda...in human.  The clone rooms, the experiment labs and of course the terrifying room, it really does feel like somebody who has lost all ability to feel but remembers he once did.  Its really creepy and is able to convey a lot about him that talking to him will not.  The way Imoen is so broken reflect this as well 

(This character has dignity..no really) 

2b) It advances the plot, two of your companions die here, though I never liked that plot line.  more importantly though, it shows off the varied world of D&D and how much Baldur’s gate is going to engage in the more exotic elements of the D&D world

2c) It is the only time in the entire saga where you really feel helpless, when I first played I was terrified Jon would find me (I was 10 btw) and this entire area always creeped me out.  This is your lowest point

(eww)

3) And this is absolutely critical, this dungeon is actually pretty tough...or it would be if you weren’t stronger.  If you entered this dungeon at almost any point in Baldur’s Gate 1, this place would kick your ass but here...its kinda easy.  Its basically a starter dungeon,  except that everything in this is powerful but you are more powerful.  Its a great introduction to mid level play and the possibilities that it offers.  Through this dungeon it sets the tone for BGII vs. BGI, now you are actually able to handle yourself and you are going to be having more focused more specific adventures against much tougher opponents.  Rather than design a tutorial dungeon, they designed a normal dungeon and then made the party higher level for it.  You even find the sword of the main villain of the first game, just to hammer home how far you have come.  

(We finally made it to a cage...)

4) Finally it has variance, some encounters are social, puzzles, traps, combat, stealth, different types of fight and you have some limited control of how to play it 

Ok so far so good...what could be wrong?

Well....replay value.  This dungeon is great the first time you play it, or if you play again after a long time.  The second time though or the third time...this gets old real quick.  you can’t just skip through it and there is enough XP and money in here that you want to stay to get it, which makes repeat play thoughs frustrating as you try to go through to get all the shit in here.  Its so bad that there is mod to just skip this dungeon, even though it is pretty good in my mind.  

Next up my favorite RPG tutorial level, a place with the architectural charm of a pregnant spider 

[rpgchoices]

Sometimes I really want to read a short summary of what to expect from a game with a very particular description that CATER to my OWN SPECIFIC interests, so here we go.

(click here for other videogames)

what to expect from BALDUR’S GATE: SIEGE OF DRAGONSPEAR

classic DnD fantasy isometric rpg

This campaign happens between BG1 and BG2, but it’s not necessary for the story, so it can be skipped.

It is a shorter game than BG1 and BG2, and the story is self completed, so you could even just play Siege of Dragonspear without 1 or 2 (you will miss some plot related thing to the Bhaalspawn)

even the map is smaller, the story is more linear than the previous game

You play as the protagonist from BG1, Bhaalspawn

 You can recruit companions to follow you in your adventure and they will have dialogue and (some) quests

some companions are the same that you met and you will meet in the other BG games 

Technically, the plot of Icewind Dale continues here in Siege of Dragonspear

You have to stop Caelar Argent, the Silver Lady, who has a secret agenda and follows a mysterious cult

You can start very short romances with Corwin or Dorn il Khan (which will continue in BG2) independently from your gender, otherwise if you are a male you can romance Glint, Neera, Viconia or Sefana and if you are female you can romance Rasaad or Voghiln.  (here’s a romance guide)

Based on your choices, you can save Caelar Argent or doom her

you will also visit Hell! 

Caelar Argent is the most sympathetic villain ever and you will love her

murder! fake accusations of murder! people in a city loving you or hating you

you can also play as evil (as usual in BG games)

plot? a mysterious lady, Caelar Argent, is following a new cult to save people who have been condemned to hell, but she is using the worst of methods so you are hired to stop her. gameplay? classic isometric rpg with fighting, exploring and dialogue choices, more linear than the other games in the series characters? You and your companions, Caelar is also a main character and a well written one sadness level? medium, because of Caelar 

[hyperbolicgamechamber]

Anything good horror or story-driven RPGs I should watch out for this Summer Steam Sale you guys would recommend? (Assuming I own no games whatsoever)

Jared here. I’ve been binging CRPGs lately, so I actually do have some recommendations!

Baldur’s Gate 2 is the classic, and the enhanced edition is on sale right now. You don’t miss much by skipping BG1, and you get to experience the rantings of Irenicus, one of the greatest villains in the genre.

Pillars of Eternity is a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate games, and it is fantastic. And it’s made by Obsidian, so that’s another gold star. The writing is solid, the art is great, and the dungeon crawling is fun. If you snag PoE, definitely pick up the dlcs The White March Part 1 & 2. The climax of White March 2 in particular is one of the best parts of the game.

Pillars of Eternity 2 just came out not so long ago, so I dunno if it’s gonna qualify for the summer sale, but it’s a strong contender for my personal game of the year. All the good stuff from PoE1 but with more character build freedom, multiclassing, huge quality of life changes, and piracy on the high seas. Also, there’s a talking sword that gets more powerful as you help her cope with a bad break-up.

Divinity Original Sin 1 & 2 are also real good. I prefer 2, and like Baldur’s Gate, you only miss out on minor cameos by skipping the first one. The combat’s really satisfying turn-based stuff, and the writing is more light-hearted and jokey than it’s peers. Plus, in 2, you can be a skeleton lizard man that breaths fire. 

Finally, I gotta recommend Shadowrun Dragonfall and Shadowrun Hong Kong. If you’re tired of all this high fantasy wizard shit, get down on some cyberpunk. I played through both of these games as a sarcastic hacker laden with cybernetics and firing grenade launchers at corporate stooges and it owned. SR Hong Kong also has some pretty solid horror stuff in a few areas.