Baldur's Gate City - boring?
jaynjay
Member Posts: 12
I have tried to complete Baldur's Gate several and I make it into Baldur's Gate City. That is where the game comes to a complete end. The city is BORING! Anyone out there think the same?
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Comments
there is plenty of things to do in the city.
furthermore this is the point where your group starts to be powerful enough to have some real gameplay choices.
Perhaps we don't play the same game.
My problem with the city is that there is almost too much to do, but most of it is not very important, so I found it a little overwhelming trying to figure out what to do and what was important. I guess it's because I don't like to randomly barge through doors without reason, but also did not want to miss out on something important. This was the only part of the game where I was totally lost in my first playthrough and ended up following a walkthrough, which detracted from my enjoyment of the game.
The quest for the helm of Balduran. It's an estate with a locked door. Why would you pick it and go inside unless it is for burglary? Not many reasons for a good aligned party to go in. Same for the building with the helm of +1 charisma. Same for the quest with the twins and the pedophile mage/creepy druid. Same for the quest with the cursed man, and for the dying siren...alot of Baldur's Gate requires a liberal amount of home invasion.
If you only go where you have been invited, it becomes a huge place with only a few things to do. That, and by that point in the game the story has you being laser focused on undercovering what the Iron Throne is up to and clearing your name/averting war.
As for justifying all the home invasions, I usually RP that my membership in the Thieves' Guild gives her license to burgle-at-will, but it still feels a little unrealistic. Most occupants should go hostile if you enter their home uninvited, especially a heavily-armed party.
Really, there has to be at least *one* impressive gate there which Balduran himself build with his two hands. Otherwise the city name itself is a bland lie! Think of the tourists damnit!!
http://www.forgottenwars.com/bg1/maps/schematic.jpg
It's just, I don't know, I wouldn't really call *that* a tourist magnet... or anything worth to consider at a sightseeing tour for that matter.
But yeah, I also have a hard time justifying random home invasions RP-wise unless I'm playing a thief who likes to burglarize everything in sight. Not to mention it can get pretty tiresome after a while. It would be nice if maybe there was something outside that might lead a character into a certain house. I remember there was one instance of a girl who is running away, but is standing outside her house when she asks Charname to get a ring from inside so it will lure her cat out. Or maybe when Charname passes by a certain house, some text appears noting that s/he hears a strange noise coming from the house.
Although now that I think about it, Charname grew up very sheltered, and was probably used to being allowed to go pretty much anywhere in Candlekeep. So maybe it could make some sense that a curious Charname newly freed from Candlekeep would want to explore as much as possible, including other people's houses, simply because s/he lacks a clear understanding of trespassing and private property. The problem with that, though, is it'd require a play-through with a very specific, naive kind of character.
As to the topic, though, I never really thought of the city of Baldur's Gate as boring, exactly, but for some reason I always feel like I have to rush through it. I'm not sure why; maybe I just RP too many serious characters who don't think it's appropriate to meander around the city when there's an evil organization to take down or a reputation to recover or a blood-thirsty half-sibling to kill.
(Or maybe it's because I've spent so long in the earlier chapters that my party has run out of banters as provided by the BG1NPCProject, and I want to hurry and finish so I can start a new game with new NPCs :P)
http://www.forgottenwars.com/bg1/maps/schematic.jpg
I believe I've read in "Murder in Baldur's Gate" that the city itself had for or five gates, some of which allowed entrance to the city proper, some others were within the city and divided it into an upper town and lower town. I believe the gate in the center of the map is called Black Dragon's gate, and it's the one dividing the old city (where aristocrats and nobility live) from the newer city, where the docks are and where merchants and workers spent their everyday life. Also, if I remember correctly, there should be a section of the city not depicted in the game, called the Outskirts. It extends a little outside of the city proper, and it's where you do not want to be seen alone at nights, unless you're drunk or looking for trouble. It's basically Baldur's Gate '80s Bronx.
As I said, in "Murder in Baldur's Gate" there is a great description of the city that spawns to the post-Spellplague era. It's worth taking a look at it to any scholars of the Forgotten Realms, like me. The adventure itself is rather dull, in my opinion.
@Grum sincerely, one of the reasons that make the city anything but boring is the fact that those items are there, whether you are interested in them or not. From an RP-wise perspective, it makes sense for CHARNAME to explore the city, since it's the first time he/she visits it and probably doesn't really know how to properly behave in a big city like BG. Some doors are open, you don't have to force any lock to enter... you go inside and there's someone looking like he/she needs help, what do you do? I suppose that's up to your nature anyway... The doors that are closed instead, well... you do not really need the Helm of Balduran to complete the game, or the other items. They are completely optional. But there's still a ton of quests to do.
Though, I concede to @Luremaster the point that LG/LN CHARNAMES might have difficulties inviting themselves into strangers' houses. But then again, you might have heard something from the local tavern keeper that a certain guy hasn't been seen around in a while, he might be dead or have been kidnapped, you know you should really go check on that poor soul. I am sure that some of the rumors you get while drinking are placed there exactly for that reason.
So, BG boring? We must have played different games.
I found Cloackwood to me much more boring. I understand it's supposed to be a pretty big wood, but was it really necessary to make it 4 maps of spiders and traps?
And yeah, Cloakwood felt a bit tedious until I reached the fortress and mines.
As far as RPing entering homes. First of all any door that just opens you can assume you knocked on the door (just asking around for information, things to do, etc.) Beyond that if Charname is lawful good he should NOT be a thief. If he's chaotic good (like Robin Hood) do all the stealing you want from the nice areas and just donate a bunch to the local temples.
Assuming Charname is not a thief you probably have one along who could easily do some nighttime exploration solo while the rest of the party is at an inn. In short, if it's your party thief doing the thieving it's in character.
each time I play BG1 it's always a big pleasure (if not the greatest of the game), to cross the bridge and enter the city, to meet Elminster one more time. Here start the real story
Athkatla was created for YOU, the character. Everything there revolves around you for a reason.
Baldur's Gate is its own city, and you're just a visitor.
The way to go, I think, it's to explore each quarter before going to another one.
In the city the game looks like GTA , you have to do some dirty things to get all the quests.
Trying to finish it quickly is a good challenge
I do understand @Heindrich's and @Grum's comments, and up to a point I agree with them. On the other hand I like things as they are. Many people complain that the game doesn't reward playing evil. But if you accept that certain quests and the powerful items they offer such as the Helm and Cloak of Balduran or the 3rd WIS tome aren't meant for good-aligned characters (unless the player comes up with fanciful justifications based on their metagame knowledge), the game suddenly becomes a lot less biased in terms of good an evil than it is often depicted.
For the 3rd tome, here is what I do.
Step 1: Get the quest for the tome.
Step 2: Go pay 500gold for the tome.
Step 3: Get the quest for the boy's body
Step 4: Give the tome to the priestess
Step 5: Ask for the boy's body
Step 6: Tell her that 2,000 gold for the body is highway robbery. She will attack you.
Step 7: Kill her. Take the boy's body and the tome.
Voila. You've now got a tome that you have lawfully paid for. You upheld your bargain, and only killed the priestess in self defense. And as such, a good guy can get the 3rd wisdom tome.