Baldur’s Gate 1 ended in unambiguous triumph, but its sequel started players off in a very dark place - literally and thematically. Beamdog have closed that tonal gap cautiously, with a story that deals with the dark blood running through the player character’s veins - while offering a new, grounded threat for them to tackle.
A crusading army to the north of Baldur’s Gate has the dukes concerned: it’s brought local instability, and refugees are flooding through the gates of the great Sword Coast city. After a number of unsuccessful scouting attempts, the player is recruited to gather information and, inevitably, become exposed to larger machinations.
It sounds like a natural fit for the geopolitics of Baldur’s Gate 1 - what other RPG can you name that kickstarts its drama with an iron shortage? Dragonspear’s plot promises political maneuvering that you “start off essentially oblivious to but then become aware of”.
“Let’s not burn the Forgotten Realms to the ground,” Beamdog decided from the off. “But let’s play with a big story. We’ve got to do it justice. It’s got to feel epic, it’s got to feel worthy. When you’re going through this storyline, we want you to have those moments when you uncover new truths about yourself, and you uncover the magnitude of the threat.”
There’ll be no equivalent to Baldur’s Gate’s “psychotic maniac who just wants war and blood and destruction”, however - Beamdog are keen to get away from evil for evil’s sake.
“Evil is paved with good intentions,” said Oster. “You start off trying to do something right, and it goes a little wrong. And then it goes a little more wrong. And eventually, it’s just this web. I always find those characters much more appealing and much more human. We really wanted to engage with the humanity of your opposition.”
