Baldur's Gate Noob Questions

JDR13 said:

There will be an option in the BG2 menu to import a character. Either it will search for the BG save folder automatically or you will have to direct it there.

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Are you sure about that? It might just be EE or I might be remembering wrong but I had to transfer the character file myself. Perhaps it was because it was the GOG version and the directory was all wrong but I never got a browse option in the import menu, at least I don't think I did.

Digger Nick said:

Are you sure about that? It might just be EE or I might be remembering wrong but I had to transfer the character file myself. Perhaps it was because it was the GOG version and the directory was all wrong but I never got a browse option in the import menu, at least I don't think I did.

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I might have been thinking of importing from BG2 to ToB. You did have to manually copy your final save from BG to the BG2 save folder. Not sure if that's changed in the EE version.

@Digger Nick

Traps - trip them then note trigger points, then reload and creep gently past, most traps have a very narrow by-pass channel where you can shimmy close to the walls to get by(and hold your breath!) all time consuming, all bosses were fairly easy, even Sarevok (using flame arrows).

Now installing BG2, including ToB.

@Wulf
That sounds incredibly tedious. Is it really much fun to solo with such a build?

JDR13 said:

I might have been thinking of importing from BG2 to ToB. You did have to manually copy your final save from BG to the BG2 save folder. Not sure if that's changed in the EE version.

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Don't you just continue playing after the ending of BG2, seamlessly going into the expansion?

Digger Nick said:

Don't you just continue playing after the ending of BG2, seamlessly going into the expansion?

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You can do that yes, but there's also a menu option to manually select a BG2 save file.

Okay, I *think* I beat the game. Can someone verify this?


Also, do I start with Shadows of Amn for BG2? Or Throne of Baal?

Fluent said:

Okay, I *think* I beat the game. Can someone verify this?

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You're right, that's it. Grats!

Also, do I start with Shadows of Amn for BG2? Or Throne of Baal?

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"Shadows of Amn" (SoA) is just the basegame's subtitle, so you start there. "Throne of Bhaal" (ToB) is the expansion, which mainly consists of the ongoing plot, so you play it after SoA. Additionally ToB features another great dungeon, the Watcher's Keep. It can be visited while playing SoA or ToB.

Morrandir said:

You're right, that's it. Grats!

"Shadows of Amn" (SoA) is just the basegame's subtitle, so you start there. "Throne of Bhaal" (ToB) is the expansion, which mainly consists of the ongoing plot, so you play it after SoA. Additionally ToB features another great dungeon, the Watcher's Keep. It can be visited while playing SoA or ToB.

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Thanks! I feel it's like a rite of passage or something to actually beat Baldur's Gate. The game wasn't super hard, but it had it's fair share of difficult encounters. I could see some players getting frustrated and never finishing it, especially that last battle, so I'm glad I did.

Onwards to the 2nd game . I just loaded it up for a brief minute last night and already it looks like it has crisper graphics. This should be fun .

Parting Words For Baldur's Gate 1: Enhanced Edition

It is certainly the best RPG I've ever played. Easily in my top 5 of all-time games.

I really enjoyed myself. The expansion was done well and interesting to explore and the entire world itself was interesting to explore. There was a good variety of enemies, unique loot, unique encounters and locations to keep me hooked for an action-packed 99 hours.

I'm glad I got to experience this game. I feel blessed. I may be some years late but I'm definitely trying to make up for all that lost time now by playing these classic games. It's nice to see that no matter how ancient the game, I can still enjoy it, and I'm proud of myself for that.

So, this current batch of old gaming has been great. First Gothic, then Vampire - Bloodlines and now Baldur's Gate. 3 games up, 3 games down; all top tiered classics in their own right.

My journey continues into Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition. I look forward to more loot, more encounters, more world to explore. Oh, and I noticed there is a HUGE variety of enemies in BG2! At least, according to my racial enemy selection, there was a bunch of new types. This game is going to be epic, I can feel it…

Heheh. I remember finishing BG1 and thought it was some glitch or bug. Most anti-climactic ending ever. Kill the guy and THE END.

Hmm. BG2 is….interesting so far.

I'm pretty overwhelmed, to be honest .

For one, the bane of my existence is in full force in this game - timed quests. Ugh. Already have 2 timed quests and can't even get to the first one because I get mercilessly jumped by gangs of enemies in town, thus depleting my health enough that I need to rest in an inn, only to be jumped by more enemies on the way back. This is rough so far.

I'm thinking of just abandoning the 2 quests and taking my time to explore the rest of the city. I hate not being able to complete quests but these are just too tough right now.

Second, there are so many unique encounters in the various districts of the city that it's hard for me to focus on things. Sooo much content all at once. I have to breathe and try and focus on one thing but it's really hard.

I think I had too much coffee today. I need a good nights sleeping before tackling this beast of a game!

Do you not work? It almost seems like you spend the entire day gaming everyday.

JDR13 said:

Do you not work? It almost seems like you spend the entire day gaming everyday.

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No I don't work. I don't play all day, but lately I've been playing a lot. I'll usually be like that for a month or two and then not touch games for months at a time afterwards.

A wee tip: There are several quests in BG2 that seem timed, but actually are not. Basically, I'd just worry about the quests for party members, and certain quests in a later chapter (fairly easy to notice).

Fluent, you liked BG 1 better than Bloodlines?

They are so different, I'm not sure which I liked better. I have to say I never felt overwhelmed by Bloodlines like I did by Baldur's Gate at times. Not sure if that's a good thing.

Fluent said:

No I don't work. I don't play all day, but lately I've been playing a lot. I'll usually be like that for a month or two and then not touch games for months at a time afterwards.

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I swear the next time I change jobs I'm taking a month off and just going to NERD OUT!!!

Of course, my wife might have something to say about that.

Maylander said:

A wee tip: There are several quests in BG2 that seem timed, but actually are not. Basically, I'd just worry about the quests for party members, and certain quests in a later chapter (fairly easy to notice).

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The 2 quests I'm referring to are both party member quests. They are:


Sometimes I wish I wasn't a total completion-ist, heh.

Thrasher said:

Fluent, you liked BG 1 better than Bloodlines?

They are so different, I'm not sure which I liked better. I have to say I never felt overwhelmed by Bloodlines like I did by Baldur's Gate at times. Not sure if that's a good thing.

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No, I don't think I like BG better than Bloodlines. Bloodlines is probably my favorite game of all-time. BG1 was great and the best RPG I've played. Well, maybe "best" isn't the right word. It was the best "traditional", "nerdy", stat-filled RPG I've played, but not the best overall game, if that makes sense.

Bloodlines is amazing and I'd take it over pretty much any other game I can think of. It was a once-in-a-lifetime type of gem for me.

And BG1 was indeed a tad overwhelming at times (the city of Baldur's Gate, for example), but BG2 takes that to a whole 'nother level by throwing you into the fire right from the beginning. There is no wandering in the woods for a few levels to get a lay of the land, it's touch down in a huge city with timed quests and difficult encounters right from the jump.

I like BG2 quite a bit so far but these timed quests are killing me, man. Deep breath, Fluent.

Quest for the girl (Nalia) you met at the Copper Coronet is not a timed quest. You can go there whenever you prefer (but I think it should be done in chapter 2.... not sure about it). No idea about the graveyard though... maybe it's BG2:EE content?

purpleblob said:

Quest for the girl (Nalia) you met at the Copper Coronet is not a timed quest. You can go there whenever you prefer (but I think it should be done in chapter 2…. not sure about it). No idea about the graveyard though… maybe it's BG2:EE content?

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It is, but I ditched that party member now . She was evil alignment, so I figured I would stick with a good party and not worry about her quest. Apparently, there was "great treasure" to be had, but I ditched her anyway . I'll save her for another play-through.

How do you guys handle the companion quests? Nearly every possible party member I found in BG1 had a quest associated with them. Do you switch out party members, do their quest and then go back to your "normal" party? Or do you just ignore the quests altogether if you have no intention of having them join your group? I ignored a handful of quests like that in the first game, but I'm wondering if there is a better way to approach those quests.

That's what I did - ditch them unless you plan to have them in your party. Unlike BG1, NPCs are so much more fleshed out in BG2, I wanted to take everyone around in my party which wasn't possible in a single playthrough. You don't have to be a completionist in this game, Fluent. If anything, that might diminish the fun for BG2. Plan out a multiple playthrough, there's too much for you to experience everything in one go. Otherwise you will just feel overwhelmed and frustrated

purpleblob said:

That's what I did - ditch them unless you plan to have them in your party. Unlike BG1, NPCs are so much more fleshed out in BG2, I wanted to take everyone around in my party which wasn't possible in a single playthrough. You don't have to be a completionist in this game, Fluent. If anything, that might diminish the fun for BG2. Plan out a multiple playthrough, there's too much for you to experience everything in one go. Otherwise you will just feel overwhelmed and frustrated

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Yep, I can see that now. Thanks for the advice. I will have to see those quests in a future play-through.