The challenge is part of the fun, but fun is the goal of the game really. If you don't like it, skip it. You should try dropping difficulty and playing an easier class first though, there's a lot to like in BG1.
Well, you CAN skip Baldur's Gate 1, the opening cutscene (the one that plays when you open the game) of Shadows of Amn will give the short version of the main story of Baldur's Gate 1...
But I think getting the full story by playing through it is more interesting.
Well, you CAN skip Baldur's Gate 1, the opening cutscene (the one that plays when you open the game) of Shadows of Amn will give the short version of the main story of Baldur's Gate 1...
But I think getting the full story by playing through it is more interesting.
You won't get the story behind the NPC's though, which is probably the most interesting part.
This is a fascinating discussion to me. I had honestly never thought of BG1 being harder than BG2. Once you know a few strategy basics to BG1 I would say it's a lot easier strategy-wise. BG2 requires a lot of counterspell chess moves to defeat high level enemies.
Here are some cardinal rules for BG1 strategy:
1) Scout ahead in stealth mode! Never let the enemy take you by surprise. Rather, you take them by surprise.
2) Certain spells disable the enemy's ability to attack you. Disable mobs using Sleep, Horror, and Emotion: Hopelessness. Blind and Silence enemy spellcasters. Charm enemies to attack their comrades. Use the Hold Person spell and wands of paralyzation.
3) Bows are powerful in BG1. Archers such as Kivan, Coran, and even Khalid make a substantial difference. Archers also stop enemy spellcasters.
4) Use a well coordinated attack that maximizes your party's strengths. Pause a lot and micro-manage. Learn how to get the most out of each class. Take the time to learn what they're able to do.
Even with just those four cardinal rules you should find the game a lot less difficult.
I can't stress enough how game breaking the full plate mail armor is in BG1.
Dexterity 18 / Gauntlets of Dexterity Full plate mail Large shield +1 Ring of Protection +1
All of these items can be gotten within 15 minutes of leaving candlekeep, and you'll be able to solo the game with a warrior using these.
Throw in one of the powerful weapons you can get early on as well (War Hammer +2 / Short Sword +2 / Long Sword +2) And you're good for the entire game.
I agree and i shall add that playing BG1 will grant you the knowledge you will need to truly appreciate BG2
Not only that, but you'll end up with a stronger character when you finally import it to BG2. There are books to be found that will boost your base stats which aren't available in BG2.
BG1 is very hard if you have no clue about what you are doing. However it is very easy to master if you know where to go first (lots of goods choice there, not only basilisks)
What is painful in BG1 is the lack of tactical options. BG2 has a lot more possibilities for that, but this actually makes the game more complex.
My advice would be to stick with BG1. But please, don't play it with a group of 6.
Group of 6 SUCK, they do : - your characters remain level 1-2 for a VERY long time (unless you use metagaming to get to easy xp areas) - the pathfinding and IA is terrible so the more you are, so more cumbersome it is
Since Solo requires a good knowledge of the game you should start with 3-4 characters (try to get 1 mage, 1 cleric, 1 thief, 2 fighters, using multiclass. Something like mage/thief charname, Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc)
@mumumomo is very much an advocate of soloing, which I can certainly respect as a preference. :-) But honestly, there is (or can be) more to the experience of playing this game than just being tactically powerful. Folks can agree to disagree about whether a solo character party of 3-4 is more powerful than a party of six. I think fair arguments can be made either way. But the total experience of the game can also be, for some players (most I would expect), even more about a sense of camaraderie with other characters, and sharing the adventure with a party. It can be enjoyable to discover who those characters are, and to see their concepts realized. And even strategically, there is a lot of fun to be had from coordinating a battle with a party of six (or more than one 3-4). So as much as I appreciate @mumumomo's passion for soloing limiting the party size, OP please take with a large grain of salt the statement that a party of six "sucks." :-)
Edit: So sorry @mumumomo that I overlooked that you recommended a party of three or four versus soloing! Lol, I've come to identify you as an avid soloist. I mean my basic sentiment still stands, whether it's reducing to 3-4 party members or soloing. But I misrepresented what you said! Apologies!
@mumumomo Ack! Sincere apologies! I will amend the above post forthwith.
Speaking only for myself, the interaction with characters is as much about imagination for me as it is scripted dialogs, banters, or voiced lines. I still develop a sense of the character even just from the bio blurbs, portraits, their voice sets, and the rare moments of interaction that might fire between them.
I think I have been unlucky with BG2's scripting, as I have played with all of the NPCs quite a number of time over the years and I have almost never seen banters or scripted interactions fire between them. Is that just me?
As for interraction in bg2, as you have guessed, i am really not the good person to ask. (I do have finished it with a party of 4 but that was a looooong time ago)
I think if your not enjoying the first game you should skip to the second. Games are to be enjoyed, so why force yourself to play through something that isn't giving you joy?
I like the first game (love it with NPC project) and I love the second game. I know many people who feel the same. Some people hate the first game. I know of many people who have only played the second, and they did just fine.
BG is the rare gem that can be treated as more than just a game-for-fun...
[warning: OCD-only]
It's a dangerous place of mythical monsters & power struggles. Every misstep can kill you. When you die, you stay dead. Win fights by planning ahead, scouting, preparing...
There is a reason we are still playing this 15 years later!
One thing to keep in mind is that you don't need to progress the storyline right away. There are a number of areas you can explore first that have only low level enemies that will allow you to gain some levels before you tackle the more difficult ones. Of course you might find that an area has some tough creature in it, but as long as you're saving your game often you can skip that one and try some other location instead. It's possible that you might be rushing things too much, and not giving your characters a chance to progress.
@Belanos makes the best point yet, imho. Take your time! Quicksave often and experiment a bit by reloading. Slow things down a bit. Note what the enemy is doing to defeat you, and try some adjustments to your strategy.
Oh, and another big help in BG1: Use potions and wands.
A lot of the responses to the OP seem to be concerned exclusively with strategy and difficulty. The reasons @ererer565 listed for enjoying BG2 are more related to the engaging story and the greater variety of choices in both combat and dialogue. While BG certainly has its moments and holds plenty of engaging story elements for the player willing to put in the time and effort to find them, in my opinion BG2 not only tells the better part of the story, but also tells it in a more captivating and urgent way. In the original game, it can be easy for new players to lose the thrust of the main quest in the open world experience; these elements are better balanced in BG2. I would say that if, after repeated attempts, the first game just isn't doing it for you, it may be wiser to play through the sequel first and save the original until you actually want to try it.
A lot of the responses to the OP seem to be concerned exclusively with strategy and difficulty. The reasons @ererer565 listed for enjoying BG2 are more related to the engaging story and the greater variety of choices in both combat and dialogue. While BG certainly has its moments and holds plenty of engaging story elements for the player willing to put in the time and effort to find them, in my opinion BG2 not only tells the better part of the story, but also tells it in a more captivating and urgent way. In the original game, it can be easy for new players to lose the thrust of the main quest in the open world experience; these elements are better balanced in BG2. I would say that if, after repeated attempts, the first game just isn't doing it for you, it may be wiser to play through the sequel first and save the original until you actually want to try it.
You're going to lose out on quite a bit of that engaging story elements if you haven't completed BG1. You'll have no idea who that odd ranger with the hamster is, you'll be confused why Tazok remembers you and who is this mage dude in the docks that is an old friend and want your help?
BG2 has an amazing story, but it builds up a lot on that the player have completed BG1 first.
Look at the start of BG2.
- Who is this girl that got you out of your cage? She knows you but you have no idea who she is?
- The two characters that you can free and who will join up with you, who are they? They remember you, but you have no idea who they are.
- The Genie will hand you a two handed sword that you should know about, reading the description should tell you something, but it really doesn't.
- When you enter the first room on the second level of Irenicus dungeon, Jaheira breaks down. You have no idea why she is doing this.
You'll have no idea who most of the people are if you haven't played BG1, nor their story.
@SionIV I agree with the thrust of your argument, but not the details nor the final analysis. First, it's easy to work out the important plot points of BG from BG2. Let's take Jaheira as an example: in her BG2 cage dialogue, she identifies herself and her husband, then mentions that she doesn't know where he is. When you find his corpse, she identifies him both by name and as her husband. The same is true for every example in Chateau Irenicus; if it's not in the opening cinematics (and charname's default bio), the banters, or the item descriptions, then you don't need to know.
Now, that doesn't mean that just reading the explanation gives the same experience as having played the first game, just that it's not confusing or immersion-breaking for the player.
Tazok is an excellent example of how callbacks function in the rest of BG2. Not all of his story is revealed no matter the dialogue choices. The same is true of Garrick, Coran, Safana, Faldorn, Gorion's spirit and shade, and Neb (among others). This doesn't hinder the first time player, however. The essential elements are easily understood, and more importantly, they contribute to the desire to play the first game and find out what went on with them.
I'm not suggesting that playing in order doesn't have its own exclusive merits; I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't be so quick to condemn the alternative.
@SionIV I agree with the thrust of your argument, but not the details nor the final analysis. First, it's easy to work out the important plot points of BG from BG2. Let's take Jaheira as an example: in her BG2 cage dialogue, she identifies herself and her husband, then mentions that she doesn't know where he is. When you find his corpse, she identifies him both by name and as her husband. The same is true for every example in Chateau Irenicus; if it's not in the opening cinematics (and charname's default bio), the banters, or the item descriptions, then you don't need to know.
Now, that doesn't mean that just reading the explanation gives the same experience as having played the first game, just that it's not confusing or immersion-breaking for the player.
Tazok is an excellent example of how callbacks function in the rest of BG2. Not all of his story is revealed no matter the dialogue choices. The same is true of Garrick, Coran, Safana, Faldorn, Gorion's spirit and shade, and Neb (among others). This doesn't hinder the first time player, however. The essential elements are easily understood, and more importantly, they contribute to the desire to play the first game and find out what went on with them.
I'm not suggesting that playing in order doesn't have its own exclusive merits; I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't be so quick to condemn the alternative.
From having read tons of people having the same discussion when it comes to Mass Effect, i can honestly tell you that it makes a HUGE difference to have played with said character. They will have no feelings or interest in Khalid unless they played him in BG1. The whole scene with Jaheira won't have the emotional impact that they wanted it to have, same with Minsc and Dynaheir.
Tazok will mean absolutely nothing to you unless you played BG1. The whole part where Firkraag mentions Gorian is a way to get a reaction out of the player.
You don't need to play BG1 to understand BG2, but you'll be able to enjoy the story much more if you have.
When you help Xzar you won't feel anything different with that quest from the other ones. If you have played BG1 you'll find it much more interesting not to mention very amusing to do the quest, knowing exactly what type of character Xzar and Montaron are.
When you hear Mae'var mention the line with 'A bloody good spellcaster!' you'll stop for a moment and think "Can it really be..." and then once you go up and the first thing you see is Edwin and then hear his awesome dialogue it's like "Yes! He's here!"
Even finding Garrick outside of the Order of Radiant Heart brings a smile to my lips, because i knew what type of person he was.
Can you play BG2 before BG1? Yes. Will you miss out on much of the story and the small flavorful scenes? Yes.
At the end of the day, it sounds like the question should have been this.
"Should I skip to BG2 since I am not enjoying BG1? Or should I quit the series entirely?"
Given that interpretation of the question, I personally would counsel that he play BG2 to see if he enjoys it and then potentially go back and play BG1 at a later time once he is hooked on the series. This as an alternative to not playing any more of the series. Personal opinion.
It's a good observation that the OP isn't enjoying BG1 solely because of combat difficulty. With some adjustments to the approach combat can be handled more easily. But if the OP is annoyed by the party members and finds exploration not very engaging, maybe the BG series isn't for him or her. Is the overall gaming experience really that much better in BG2? In terms of characters and storyline, I mean.
But I still get the impression that the OP is mainly feeling irritated and demoralized by getting killed by mobs in the Nashkel mines, and finds the BG1 (chapter 1 and 2!) bosses too difficult in BG1. Unless the OP gets some better strategy under his or her belt, I can't imagine it's going to be a better experience in BG2...
And some of the above posts is also why a beginner should ask questions in the spoiler-free part of the forum if he/she cares about the plot at all, which for me at least, is about half of the enjoyment of a first playthrough.
And yes, I think @the_spyder touched on the key here. As we can clearly see by contributions to this thread, the community here loves this game, but for a very wide range of reasons. I personally love the character progression, NPC interactions and tactical variety. I don't particularly care for powergaming/metagaming and would never do some of the well-intentioned advice above like "farming" certain areas of the map for xp. However there are many players here who enjoy squeezing as much performance as possible out of their characters, discovering the most powerful combos and defeating the game with all sorts of crazy difficulty mods installed.
Of course, as shocking as it is for us the community to imagine, it is also possible that somebody simply won't enjoy BG. It requires a lot of patience if you have no experience in D&D or the other infinity engine games and it is not the most visually impressive experience compared to the likes of Skyrim.
The OP needs to realise that this community is very skewed by its very nature. It is full of BG fans who are dedicated enough to participate in the forum even after they've completed the game many times already. Opinions are likely to be strong and somewhat polarised. I am sure there's plenty of players who enjoyed BG somewhat, played it in their own way, and then moved onto something else and never knew this forum existed.
My point is that you just need to decide what you personally enjoy in gaming, and try to play BG in a way that's suitable. If you love a good story and watching your characters grow and develop, then abandon this thread immediately and stick to "New Players (NO SPOILERS)" when asking specific questions. If you enjoy beating challenges with cunning tricks, then by all means read the many walkthroughs and strategy guides out there, it will help you find the best items and discover the most powerful combos and dominate the game in no time. If you still don't enjoy the game, perhaps BG isn't for you, and that's okay too.
I fully back Heindrich on this one. Do not read the TLDR statement which contained more spoilers than my mothers fridge, and just play the game. Thats all it is, so drop the difficulty level if your having problems, enjoy it for what it is... A game. You only play it once....Firtst time.
I played BG2 before BG1 and didn't have any trouble following the plot. There were a few references to BG1 events that I overlooked, but nothing which caused any real problems.
And I still much prefer BG2 to BG1 for a number of reasons:
- Higher levels give more tactical options. My spellcasters in particular have a wide variety of spells they can prepare to suit each encounter. Level 1 spellcasters have practically no variety and hardly any spells to cast.
- No random wilderness to wander through. I know some people prefer this aspect of BG1, but personally I don't.
- Group experience awards mean that a party of 6 isn't unduly penalised. I've played a multi class character in BG1, picked up a party of 6 and still been level 1 after completing the Nashkel mines! That's a long time with no advancement.
Comments
You should try dropping difficulty and playing an easier class first though, there's a lot to like in BG1.
But I think getting the full story by playing through it is more interesting.
Here are some cardinal rules for BG1 strategy:
1) Scout ahead in stealth mode! Never let the enemy take you by surprise. Rather, you take them by surprise.
2) Certain spells disable the enemy's ability to attack you. Disable mobs using Sleep, Horror, and Emotion: Hopelessness. Blind and Silence enemy spellcasters. Charm enemies to attack their comrades. Use the Hold Person spell and wands of paralyzation.
3) Bows are powerful in BG1. Archers such as Kivan, Coran, and even Khalid make a substantial difference. Archers also stop enemy spellcasters.
4) Use a well coordinated attack that maximizes your party's strengths. Pause a lot and micro-manage. Learn how to get the most out of each class. Take the time to learn what they're able to do.
Even with just those four cardinal rules you should find the game a lot less difficult.
Dexterity 18 / Gauntlets of Dexterity
Full plate mail
Large shield +1
Ring of Protection +1
All of these items can be gotten within 15 minutes of leaving candlekeep, and you'll be able to solo the game with a warrior using these.
Throw in one of the powerful weapons you can get early on as well (War Hammer +2 / Short Sword +2 / Long Sword +2) And you're good for the entire game.
What is painful in BG1 is the lack of tactical options. BG2 has a lot more possibilities for that, but this actually makes the game more complex.
My advice would be to stick with BG1. But please, don't play it with a group of 6.
Group of 6 SUCK, they do :
- your characters remain level 1-2 for a VERY long time (unless you use metagaming to get to easy xp areas)
- the pathfinding and IA is terrible so the more you are, so more cumbersome it is
Since Solo requires a good knowledge of the game you should start with 3-4 characters (try to get 1 mage, 1 cleric, 1 thief, 2 fighters, using multiclass. Something like mage/thief charname, Khalid, Jaheira, Minsc)
Edit: So sorry @mumumomo that I overlooked that you recommended a party of three or four versus soloing! Lol, I've come to identify you as an avid soloist. I mean my basic sentiment still stands, whether it's reducing to 3-4 party members or soloing. But I misrepresented what you said! Apologies!
Furthermore, in bg1, there is very little interraction with npc so you would not lose much.
Speaking only for myself, the interaction with characters is as much about imagination for me as it is scripted dialogs, banters, or voiced lines. I still develop a sense of the character even just from the bio blurbs, portraits, their voice sets, and the rare moments of interaction that might fire between them.
I think I have been unlucky with BG2's scripting, as I have played with all of the NPCs quite a number of time over the years and I have almost never seen banters or scripted interactions fire between them. Is that just me?
As for interraction in bg2, as you have guessed, i am really not the good person to ask. (I do have finished it with a party of 4 but that was a looooong time ago)
I like the first game (love it with NPC project) and I love the second game. I know many people who feel the same. Some people hate the first game. I know of many people who have only played the second, and they did just fine.
BG is the rare gem that can be treated as more than just a game-for-fun...
[warning: OCD-only]
It's a dangerous place of mythical monsters & power struggles. Every misstep can kill you. When you die, you stay dead. Win fights by planning ahead, scouting, preparing...
There is a reason we are still playing this 15 years later!
Oh, and another big help in BG1: Use potions and wands.
BG2 has an amazing story, but it builds up a lot on that the player have completed BG1 first.
Look at the start of BG2.
- Who is this girl that got you out of your cage? She knows you but you have no idea who she is?
- The two characters that you can free and who will join up with you, who are they? They remember you, but you have no idea who they are.
- The Genie will hand you a two handed sword that you should know about, reading the description should tell you something, but it really doesn't.
- When you enter the first room on the second level of Irenicus dungeon, Jaheira breaks down. You have no idea why she is doing this.
You'll have no idea who most of the people are if you haven't played BG1, nor their story.
Now, that doesn't mean that just reading the explanation gives the same experience as having played the first game, just that it's not confusing or immersion-breaking for the player.
Tazok is an excellent example of how callbacks function in the rest of BG2. Not all of his story is revealed no matter the dialogue choices. The same is true of Garrick, Coran, Safana, Faldorn, Gorion's spirit and shade, and Neb (among others). This doesn't hinder the first time player, however. The essential elements are easily understood, and more importantly, they contribute to the desire to play the first game and find out what went on with them.
I'm not suggesting that playing in order doesn't have its own exclusive merits; I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't be so quick to condemn the alternative.
Tazok will mean absolutely nothing to you unless you played BG1. The whole part where Firkraag mentions Gorian is a way to get a reaction out of the player.
You don't need to play BG1 to understand BG2, but you'll be able to enjoy the story much more if you have.
When you help Xzar you won't feel anything different with that quest from the other ones. If you have played BG1 you'll find it much more interesting not to mention very amusing to do the quest, knowing exactly what type of character Xzar and Montaron are.
When you hear Mae'var mention the line with 'A bloody good spellcaster!' you'll stop for a moment and think "Can it really be..." and then once you go up and the first thing you see is Edwin and then hear his awesome dialogue it's like "Yes! He's here!"
Even finding Garrick outside of the Order of Radiant Heart brings a smile to my lips, because i knew what type of person he was.
Can you play BG2 before BG1? Yes.
Will you miss out on much of the story and the small flavorful scenes? Yes.
No.
"Should I skip to BG2 since I am not enjoying BG1? Or should I quit the series entirely?"
Given that interpretation of the question, I personally would counsel that he play BG2 to see if he enjoys it and then potentially go back and play BG1 at a later time once he is hooked on the series. This as an alternative to not playing any more of the series. Personal opinion.
But I still get the impression that the OP is mainly feeling irritated and demoralized by getting killed by mobs in the Nashkel mines, and finds the BG1 (chapter 1 and 2!) bosses too difficult in BG1. Unless the OP gets some better strategy under his or her belt, I can't imagine it's going to be a better experience in BG2...
And yes, I think @the_spyder touched on the key here. As we can clearly see by contributions to this thread, the community here loves this game, but for a very wide range of reasons. I personally love the character progression, NPC interactions and tactical variety. I don't particularly care for powergaming/metagaming and would never do some of the well-intentioned advice above like "farming" certain areas of the map for xp. However there are many players here who enjoy squeezing as much performance as possible out of their characters, discovering the most powerful combos and defeating the game with all sorts of crazy difficulty mods installed.
Of course, as shocking as it is for us the community to imagine, it is also possible that somebody simply won't enjoy BG. It requires a lot of patience if you have no experience in D&D or the other infinity engine games and it is not the most visually impressive experience compared to the likes of Skyrim.
The OP needs to realise that this community is very skewed by its very nature. It is full of BG fans who are dedicated enough to participate in the forum even after they've completed the game many times already. Opinions are likely to be strong and somewhat polarised. I am sure there's plenty of players who enjoyed BG somewhat, played it in their own way, and then moved onto something else and never knew this forum existed.
My point is that you just need to decide what you personally enjoy in gaming, and try to play BG in a way that's suitable. If you love a good story and watching your characters grow and develop, then abandon this thread immediately and stick to "New Players (NO SPOILERS)" when asking specific questions. If you enjoy beating challenges with cunning tricks, then by all means read the many walkthroughs and strategy guides out there, it will help you find the best items and discover the most powerful combos and dominate the game in no time. If you still don't enjoy the game, perhaps BG isn't for you, and that's okay too.
And I still much prefer BG2 to BG1 for a number of reasons:
- Higher levels give more tactical options. My spellcasters in particular have a wide variety of spells they can prepare to suit each encounter. Level 1 spellcasters have practically no variety and hardly any spells to cast.
- No random wilderness to wander through. I know some people prefer this aspect of BG1, but personally I don't.
- Group experience awards mean that a party of 6 isn't unduly penalised. I've played a multi class character in BG1, picked up a party of 6 and still been level 1 after completing the Nashkel mines! That's a long time with no advancement.