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.
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!