I might restart 10 times before finishing the Nashkel Mines, if I can get past them, I usually abandon when I arrive at Baldur's Gate. If I'm able to get to BG2, I regularly lose interest after the Underdark.
I hate to admit it but the insanely high mage battles that take place in ToB just irk me. I usually run out of steam somewhere in there. I think I have only completed ToB once despite playing BG series probably 2 dozen times (give or take) in the last 13 years.
I had the same experience with the original gold box Pools of Darkness. I LOVED the series up to that point and have played them almost as many times as I play BG series. I loved Secret of the Silver blades the best. But once you get to actually traveling the planes in Pools of Darkness and having to face endurance test battles, i just lose interest.
In most games, usually before the final battle... The final level grind and all that sidequesting never feels as good as progressing through the game...
Also, I decided to try a romance in BG2, something I usually don't do... I'm wasting time moving around just to wait to get all the conversations done before I goto Suldanessellar...
In BG1 I usually get overwhelmed by the quests in Baldur's Gate. Before that, the story is more "linearish": go to mines, kill bandits, go to cloakwood. In BG you don't really know what to do, and then also receive a LOT of side quests. It's easy to get lost and overwhelmed, especially as a new player. In my first playthrough I just said: "Ah screw it!Where's the Iron Throne? That bulding at the docks? Ok then. Minsc, mind kicking in that door, please?"
As an older player, it's the realisation that kills you: "OK, so let's see: thief quests, antidote quest, sewer quest, burglary, rescue the dead kid, find this, find that, go here, go there... Oh, such a lot of work to do..."
In BG2 it's the Underdark for me. Imoen is rescued, we know what Irenicus wants, and we still have to fight our way through these dungeons. Ok, basically it's the Mindflayer dungeon... I hate that part...
Oh, and there was this playthrough I did only for the golem armor! I did it with and evil fighter/cleric, so I can use the armor in the front lone, but still have some casting power. As soon as I got it in ToB finally, I burned out in a second, even though up until that point I played almost nonstop. I had all items I wanted, no one could kill me, and the golem-look just felt sooo out of place.
In the city of Baldur's Gate.. too many fetches in too crowded a space. Usually I've finished most world sidequests by then, though. I don't recall ever burning out during BG2 or ToB, though when it comes time to get a stronghold I always get second thoughts about my class.
If I make it past the Nashkell mines I usually play right through to the end of BG2. But sometimes an hour or two after starting up BG1 I feel I just don't have the stamina for a playthrough and don't continue. I don't have the problem about wanting to play a different character because I pretty much play the same character every time I play the game.
Thinking about playing a new game with a slight variation (dual class) to that character though.
I not only like to try different character builds, I also just don't enjoy the end game as much as the leveling and exploration process.
The whole part from the Candlekeep Catacombs all the way to the final battle just kind of stresses me out, and I stop having fun. So I either restart or play something else.
@Arcalian I haven't played BG2 for two years, and even then I didn't finish the game (stopped at this very point...), but can you actually do that?
Yeah; I just hit the southern entrance to the Beholder tunnel, and get the eye for Matron Ardulace. Sometimes I metagame and do it before ever going to Ust'Natha. You will have to face Flayers in TOB but it's just fighting them, not trapped in any city of theirs.
As an older player, it's the realisation that kills you: "OK, so let's see: thief quests, antidote quest, sewer quest, burglary, rescue the dead kid, find this, find that, go here, go there... Oh, such a lot of work to do..."
Definitely. I already enough of the day working. I don't need to do actual work in a game also.
In most games, usually before the final battle... The final level grind and all that sidequesting never feels as good as progressing through the game...
I have that problem when I'm replaying any of the old Final Fantasy games for nostalgia's sake. The end always becomes such a grindfest that I dread starting up the game and just stop playing.
I get bitten by the new character bug all the time and I'm usually in the middle of four or five different playthroughs (the character creation system is just too damn fun).
Burning out is very different. It often happens near the end of BG 2 or TOB. You're just too powerful and there's little challenge. At least in BG 2 the games almost over so I'll usually persevere but TOB is so linear and boring I've never made it past the half way point.
As an alternate question, who here suffers from character/party indecision? I know I do. I will start up with one character and then want to try a different race/class. or i will progress and develop one NPC and then think "Hmm... what if I added this other NPC to the party?" and then have to rethink the balance and advancement that I have thus far.
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I had the same experience with the original gold box Pools of Darkness. I LOVED the series up to that point and have played them almost as many times as I play BG series. I loved Secret of the Silver blades the best. But once you get to actually traveling the planes in Pools of Darkness and having to face endurance test battles, i just lose interest.
Also, I decided to try a romance in BG2, something I usually don't do... I'm wasting time moving around just to wait to get all the conversations done before I goto Suldanessellar...
In old/vanilla/GOG BG2, I've got one party in SOA and one in TOB.
I've got three BGEE games running, though my lead just ran into a brick wall on Werewolf island.
As an older player, it's the realisation that kills you: "OK, so let's see: thief quests, antidote quest, sewer quest, burglary, rescue the dead kid, find this, find that, go here, go there... Oh, such a lot of work to do..."
In BG2 it's the Underdark for me. Imoen is rescued, we know what Irenicus wants, and we still have to fight our way through these dungeons. Ok, basically it's the Mindflayer dungeon...
I hate that part...
It's brainsucking mindflayers.
A lot...
In a dungeon...
I really hate that...
Thinking about playing a new game with a slight variation (dual class) to that character though.
The whole part from the Candlekeep Catacombs all the way to the final battle just kind of stresses me out, and I stop having fun. So I either restart or play something else.
Burning out is very different. It often happens near the end of BG 2 or TOB. You're just too powerful and there's little challenge. At least in BG 2 the games almost over so I'll usually persevere but TOB is so linear and boring I've never made it past the half way point.