Start good end evil, or start evil then end good?

triclops41

I want to experience as much of the character interaction as possible, so I am trying to decide which way to start, and which way to end. I wanted to hear other's opinions on this to help clarify my thinking.

Anduine

I could see this going either way, really, though I personally think (I think I am going to start including a disclaimer in my posts stating that the content is my opinion only and is not to be taken too seriously or as a form of law in order to avoid more of Schneidend's flames) that starting good and ending evil would make more sense than vice versa.

Starting good and ending evil: The murder of Gorion spurs you on your quest to find out what is happening, and once you discover that you are the son of Bhaal, you come to resent Gorion for never telling you, perhaps cursing his name for "denying you your potential", and so you pursue Sarevok, not out of saving lives, but out of competition in hopes of proving that YOU are the chosen one, and not he.

Starting evil and ending good: You always resented the good nature of Gorion, and felt no remorse upon his death. The only thing that spurred you forward was learning more about Sarevok, and of course the potential rewards along the way. When you discover your lineage, you come to accept Gorion, realizing that he kept this secret from you not out of selfishness, but out of protection. You realize that if you spent your life knowing what you are, you may very well become drunk with delusions of power and grandeur, like your brother Sarevok. You must stop him and his mad quest, making you worthy of Gorion's care.


I'm sure there are tons of ways either could be altered.

triclops41

yeah, I am thinking about the role playing element as well as the game mechanics. I am leaning towards going from evil to good. being selfish and angry at the events thrust upon me, then coming the realization that s*** is bad everywhere, and I have to suck it up because I am the only one who can deal with it.

Anduine

triclops41 said:

yeah, I am thinking about the role playing element as well as the game mechanics. I am leaning towards going from evil to good. being selfish and angry at the events thrust upon me, then coming the realization that s*** is bad everywhere, and I have to suck it up because I am the only one who can deal with it.

That's a very interesting realization, and one that I could see actually happening. "I have to deal with this, because I am the only one who can" seems a combination of both grim and noble, a combination that I like.

kiros

I personally find taking the good path to be slightly more fulfilling in terms of character interaction and quests. You'll often find the evil route to be at times fairly straight to the point and ends in blood (which is still fulfilling in it's own premise)..an example of this would be meeting Valgyar, without spoiling that particular quest if you decided to take the "evil path" you would obviously lose his dialogue/banter interaction on this quest.

Both sides are equally rewarding, so it's really up to the player

triclops41

kiros said:

I personally find taking the good path to be slightly more fulfilling in terms of character interaction and quests. You'll often find the evil route to be at times fairly straight to the point and ends in blood (which is still fulfilling in it's own premise)..an example of this would be meeting Valgyar, without spoiling that particular quest if you decided to take the "evil path" you would obviously lose his dialogue/banter interaction on this quest.

Both sides are equally rewarding, so it's really up to the player

It does seem that the game rewards good a bit more. But since I am unlikely to play this more than once in the near future, and I want to spend some time with many of the evil characters without just powergaming, I want to figure out a good path for my character to follow that allows me to travel with as many of the NPCs as possible.

Anduine

triclops41 said:

kiros said:

I personally find taking the good path to be slightly more fulfilling in terms of character interaction and quests. You'll often find the evil route to be at times fairly straight to the point and ends in blood (which is still fulfilling in it's own premise)..an example of this would be meeting Valgyar, without spoiling that particular quest if you decided to take the "evil path" you would obviously lose his dialogue/banter interaction on this quest.

Both sides are equally rewarding, so it's really up to the player

It does seem that the game rewards good a bit more. But since I am unlikely to play this more than once in the near future, and I want to spend some time with many of the evil characters without just powergaming, I want to figure out a good path for my character to follow that allows me to travel with as many of the NPCs as possible.

If you are seeking means to travel with as many NPCs as possible, I'd recommend playing a neutral alignment. That way your character can either be undecided on their choice of alignment, or is perhaps in transition. Neutral allows you the broadest selection of companions.

triclops41

I haven't played BG1 since 1999, are there enough opportunities, outside of charitable donations, to start evil and become good during the course of the game? If not, I might just try to hew neutral as much as possible.

Doom972

To enjoy most of what the game has to offer, I suggest keeping a neutral approach all the way.

raywind

evil all the way. game revards more if you are good but it also makes it that much easier = shop prices,no agro guards ofc there are better npc for the "dark side" but thats not so big of a + side

shawne

Well, the only time your actual alignment can ever shift is during the Hell trials in BG2 - until that point, there's no functional difference in your PC whether you're good or evil at all...

Dragonspear

I don't know if the game rewards Good versus Evil as much as it supports either a good character or an Evil character that is pragmatic.

Bjjorick

well, what type of person are you? if you're more inclined to good chars like me, then start evil and *redeem* char, otherwise start as good char and watch his fall from grace