Initial Thoughts: Disappointing New Beginning (Spoilers)

MrWakka

So I purchased SoD prior to seeing any other reviews or anything for it. Since then I became aware of the drama, I checked out what seemed to be the cause of it, and found it to be much ado about nothing. This is not focused on that, but what I consider more significant issues. There will be spoilers for the game below, and as such I would suggest not reading until you have completed bridgefort, as that is as far as I have gotten.

I have been a long time Baldur's Gate fan, I picked it up back not long after its release and promptly never got into it until years later, before the time of its sequel. Once I did get into it though, I was hooked. I felt like it wold a great story with interesting characters and locations, through it I became an avid reader of the realms and eventually got involved in the table top game. All of which helped inspire my current love of games and storytelling.

Siege of Dragonspear as a result had high hopes, I wanted to be swept up in the world of the realms and the saga of the bhaalspawn once more. That has yet to happen.

On the outset I felt like I knew where things were headed. The assassination attempt, the shining lady causing trouble north of the city, and rumors of my bloodline, the dukes set me up. How predictable. This shining lady probably knows nothing of my existence, but in a single stroke the dukes have sent one bogeyman to deal with another, and I... Wait, she actually was behind it? Why? It makes no sense!? Thus my issues with this expansion.

The Shining Lady and her crusade makes little sense, and thus far it has been poorly explained, even from her own lips. If this woman has rallied an entire army of fanatical zealots behind her I would expect her to be capable of explaining her goals to me in a compelling way. Instead she seems like a poor speaker with a poor ill-defined plan to do 'something' but mostly seems to be burning farms and disrupting trade. Also attempting to kidnap me from the ducal palace, why? She couldn't just request a meeting with me? I'd have probably said okay just to find out what was going on. Hell, I could have been sent along with an honor guard of Flaming Fist and had it result in a similar outcome

Instead of any credible understanding of the expansions presumable antagonist, I have gotten a lot of really poorly done foreshadowing from Irenicus. He isn't mysterious, it has been over a decade since the sequel, we know who he is, and you thought this was a good addition why?! Instead of adding anything to the proceedings he is incredibly distracting. They say in movies you shouldn't remind people of better movies, well here you are in your rpg reminding us of one of the greatest of all time. The inevitable comparison does not go in your favor Beamdog. Even if you presume this is being played by someone for the first time, its a distracting random NPC standing to the side dancing around trying to be mysterious. Knock it off. BG2 doesn't need Irenicus introduced nor twirling his moustache in the wings, it weakens the character and the mystery in BG2.

I have just completed bridgefort, and maybe things will change going forward, but I am highly disappointed with the storytelling thus far. Little of the plot makes sense and Irenicus has no place in it.

Mirenheart

I'll admit, Irenicus was a little too in your face. I do wish they'd made him less obvious. Though I suppose with a voice like that, it's really hard to make it not obvious. Hell, one of the Voice packs for Males is straight up Irenicus.

Diogenes42

Hello friend. Here is my understanding: Caelar's plans seem ill defined because they are, in fact ill defined. She is leading this crusade to build up her army, gathering soldiers and materials in order to pursue her eventual goal which is the only thing she really cares about. Consider everything before that point to be her "levelling up" her forces.

athak

All of Beamdog's work will always be comparad to "best RPG ever", and it will never meet the expectations players have. It can get to a "decent enough" status, and that's it. As so far, it's not there yet.

Grimo88

MrWakka said:

So I purchased SoD prior to seeing any other reviews or anything for it. Since then I became aware of the drama, I checked out what seemed to be the cause of it, and found it to be much ado about nothing. This is not focused on that, but what I consider more significant issues. There will be spoilers for the game below, and as such I would suggest not reading until you have completed bridgefort, as that is as far as I have gotten.

I have been a long time Baldur's Gate fan, I picked it up back not long after its release and promptly never got into it until years later, before the time of its sequel. Once I did get into it though, I was hooked. I felt like it wold a great story with interesting characters and locations, through it I became an avid reader of the realms and eventually got involved in the table top game. All of which helped inspire my current love of games and storytelling.

Siege of Dragonspear as a result had high hopes, I wanted to be swept up in the world of the realms and the saga of the bhaalspawn once more. That has yet to happen.

On the outset I felt like I knew where things were headed. The assassination attempt, the shining lady causing trouble north of the city, and rumors of my bloodline, the dukes set me up. How predictable. This shining lady probably knows nothing of my existence, but in a single stroke the dukes have sent one bogeyman to deal with another, and I... Wait, she actually was behind it? Why? It makes no sense!? Thus my issues with this expansion.

The Shining Lady and her crusade makes little sense, and thus far it has been poorly explained, even from her own lips. If this woman has rallied an entire army of fanatical zealots behind her I would expect her to be capable of explaining her goals to me in a compelling way. Instead she seems like a poor speaker with a poor ill-defined plan to do 'something' but mostly seems to be burning farms and disrupting trade. Also attempting to kidnap me from the ducal palace, why? She couldn't just request a meeting with me? I'd have probably said okay just to find out what was going on. Hell, I could have been sent along with an honor guard of Flaming Fist and had it result in a similar outcome

Instead of any credible understanding of the expansions presumable antagonist, I have gotten a lot of really poorly done foreshadowing from Irenicus. He isn't mysterious, it has been over a decade since the sequel, we know who he is, and you thought this was a good addition why?! Instead of adding anything to the proceedings he is incredibly distracting. They say in movies you shouldn't remind people of better movies, well here you are in your rpg reminding us of one of the greatest of all time. The inevitable comparison does not go in your favor Beamdog. Even if you presume this is being played by someone for the first time, its a distracting random NPC standing to the side dancing around trying to be mysterious. Knock it off. BG2 doesn't need Irenicus introduced nor twirling his moustache in the wings, it weakens the character and the mystery in BG2.

I have just completed bridgefort, and maybe things will change going forward, but I am highly disappointed with the storytelling thus far. Little of the plot makes sense and Irenicus has no place in it.

Most of your questions are answered by, you know, actually letting the story unfold. And if you don't know what Caelar's crusade is about yet, then you haven't been paying attention, frankly. Irenicus has a place, it might not be totally apparent til the end, but as he says MULTIPLE times, he is testing both your and Caelar's divine souls, for purposes we obviously know from BG2.

Honestly, there is writing to criticise in this game, sure, but I don't really see a lot of validity in your claims. Most of what you've said is answered later, or repeated to you ad nauseum throughout the narrative.