Hey, Patient Gamers!
A while ago I bought Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition on GOG and I think it’s time to finally try it. Do you have any advice for a new player? I do enjoy DnD and I’ve played a handful of cRPGs, but I’m not an expert by any measure.
Other than any advice for playing the game, I’d appreciate if you share your opinion on whether you think I should play the first Baldur’s Gate before playing the second? I read somewhere that it’s not a big loss to skip it.
Going from bg1 to bg2 and ending it with the throne of bhaal expansion is an experience akin to the mass effect trilogy, and with a satisfying(imo) ending. Bg1 is perhaps a good game but i wouldn’t call it great, you CAN start with bg2 but then you’d miss out on the full experience i would at least consider making an attempt at the first one.
As for advice, for bg1 you should get everyone in your party using ranged weapons to start with because they’re super squishy at lvl1 and the enemies you encounter will also be low on hitpoints, you can transition into melee after you get a level or two and some good armor. For bg2 i think combat is super fun and while more complex it’s also less up to the rolls of a single die because everyones level is much higher. If you’re not into the combat there’s story difficulty settings, some people say they enjoyed the game that way but it would feel empty to me.
Thank you very much for the tips! I’ll wait and see if I can get the first game on a discount then.
Get “Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear” while you’re at it too. To echo what @nttea said, while each Baldur’s Game is pretty great on its own, what makes it truly epic and memorable is going from a literal nobody to a godslayer in the span of the series. There are no level resets or character nerfs between the games (apart from you losing most of the equipment) like in most of the other similar series. Instead what rises are the stakes. Basically all BG2 quests are much closer to “slay this dragon, please” than “kill the rats in my basement”, you’re not a rookie anymore and the game treats you appropriately. Unlike in Mass Effect, it’s not just the story that raises stakes, but your tactical options in the actual gameplay increase exponentially too, especially if you have a spellcasting character. Enjoy your adventure!