Obviously I'm all for free stuff, but would for sure be willing to toss a few gold Beamdog's way if it meant more writing, voice acting, and content, as that is definitely not free for them create.
I absolutely adore the new NPCs. I've been using all four plus Rasaad on my first run through of SoD with my mage, and we've just been ruining the Crusade's day (In Chapter 10 now).
Corwin: no nonsense leader/killing machine who has no idea how adorable she is. If Corwin was in BG2 I think she'd have a permanent spot on any good/neutral run where CHARNAME was a spellcaster. I've always been crazy about the archer kit and am really glad Beamdog didn't go for the "Legolas" archer trope on this one.
Glint: ultimate utility gnome coupled with tasteful comedic relief. I thought the writing for Glint was particularly well done.
M'Khiin: is it just me or are shamans totally OP? Unlimited summons, superb healer, insect plague, killer new spells and throwing axes for fun makes for a lot of interesting uses. Been using the M'Khiin for a tankless run through SoD and it is going great. Also wonderful writing and voice acting.
Voghiln: probably the least fleshed out NPC, but still found him enjoyable none the less. I liked the idea of a drunken bard scoundrel with a heart of gold following CHARNAME around to add to his repertoire of tales. I think if more content is added, this character could really shine with his own quest. Should be a dwarf though.
I would happily pay for this, and I haven't even tried out M'Khiin yet. (She sounds marvelous, but there wasn't room in my party during my first run through SoD. Next time!)
I'd especially love to see Glint carried over - finally there would be a good-aligned Thief who levels as a Thief! I mean, Imoen is perfectly adequate so we don't really need one. But what if I wanted to drop half a dozen Spike Traps on Demogorgon's head without dragging neutral NPCs along or playing a thief myself?
I feel like it's not just the fact of wanting the characters in BG2, it's also a matter having to update a lot of dialogue now that SoD is out. As is, most people talk about your feats as the Hero of Baldur's Gate and defeating Sarevok as the last thing that you did before arriving at Amn, and that is clearly not the case anymore. One of the examples is Viconia and her love talk dialogue with you, how she mentions you managed to avert war by killing Sarevok and I'm thinking yeah, but a new one kind of happened after that sooooo??? And she also mentions how she dropped your good name where she could and again, I was like
That's another reason for going with M'Khiin: sure, you would need to add loads of extra dialogue for her, but you could take the opportunity to add dialogue for PC shamans at the same time.
I would be more than happy to throw money at whomever for more of the new NPCs. Corwin and Glint in particular, but I'd also pay through the nose for Baeloth to be included through the entire series!
I just reached the end of SoD while romancing Glint and I am left both perplexed and intensely bewitched by the insane little man. Please, more Glint!
Considering that SoD was only 20 USD, I can't imagine companion DLC costing more than 10.00. As fans, I think we should be willing to shell out the cost of a lunch to support development (remember that this is a small team and voice acting is a significant expense). A larger paid expansion that includes additional companions would also be welcome.
That said, I would rather not see the inclusion of any characters that require a major narrative stretch to get them into Amn (e.g. Corwin). BG2 already includes a lot of coincidences that are too cute by half – the only one I could easily imagine would be Glint: he doesn't have any commitments up north and his presence could easily be explained as seeking out one of his many scattered family members.
That would be fine, and I would also pay for it, however I would rather pay $40 - $50 for a finished expansion or new BG game then $10 or $20 for a buggy DLC piggybacked onto an update that was worse than the previous version.
We all want to pay money, just make the products worth the value.
The BG2 team commented after the fact that the stronghold quests were too long given that most players will only ever see one of them. With that in mind, it's hard to imagine it would be a good use of Beamdog's time to produce a similarly sized stronghold quest for the shaman, especially given the decidedly mixed reaction the class has received. It might be better to have the "BG2 expansion" devs focus their attention on content that would be seen/played by everyone, such as a continuation of the Skie storyline, while adjusting the shaman class so it can do one of the existing stronghold quests (druid or ranger come to mind though they could also be lumped into the "generic" de'Arnise keep stronghold quest like the monk was).
Should is strong word. I would like to see the new the characters in SoA and ToB, though not as mini-DLC. Maybe it's silly, but microtransactions really are not the kind of modern touch~ I want to see brought to Baldur's Gate. I would be much more willing to pay more for a small expansion/larger DLC that added the new characters along with new maps, quests, items, etc. Of course, my cheap self would much rather get everything for free.
M'Khiin would be my first choice out of the new characters; she was the most interesting to me, and I agree that a shaman NPC is most needed in BG2. I'd like Corwin and Glint as well. I really enjoyed them, and frankly I would appreciate the additional same-sex romance options. Especially since Dorn and Hexxat aren't viable choices for good and neutral PCs imo. Caelar's story feels over to me, but I wouldn't say no to her. Don't care about Voghlin and Baeloth.
All the semantics about "DLC" versus "Expansion" seem to be missing the point. The question, as I interpret it, is whether or not there should be new content added.
Some of them, certainly. Of the strictly 'new' ones, I only really played Corwin on my first playthrough, and I'd really like to see her added to BG2. I assume some of the others would as well...but...
Make no mistake, including them as playable characters would be an involved task. One of the most significant strengths of BG2 is the depth of NPC interactions - this is as distinct from BG1, where there are so many NPCs and next-to-no interaction with them - and it isn't just interaction with the PC, which is relatively straightforward, but also interaction with each other (Minsc finding his new witch, Jan pushing Anomen's buttons, etc.). If we want it done right, then there should be chemistry and circumstantial dialogue between the new NPCs and at least some of the existing ones. A fair bit of writing work, and voice acting to bring it up to standard. There's a reason why most of the BG1 NPCs just made cameo appearances in BG2.
So no, don't expect it for free. There's value in it, there's a production cost to it, and it's worth paying for.
I think it'd be reasonable for Beam Dog to ask for a small fee, like $5 or $10, for adding the characters BGII and TOB. They would have to develop and test two sets of quest archs for each character, after all.
I'd love to see lovable scoundrel Voghiln brought in to BG2EE with a bit more development, and also M'Khiin! And would be happy to pay for it - I mean what's $5?
Also Corwin could be brought to Amn as intel has placed both Charname and Irenicus there, and the Skie plot is still unresolved... She could be sent there to find the 'infamous but never again mentioned in BG2' dagger.
It should be an automatic part of a BG2EE patch/update - not paid for
Just pointing out the original question didn't ask whether it should be a PAID DLC or not. DLCs can be free, and all the prior DLCs have been free for PC users. Because of how the tablet/phone market works, they couldn't make the DLCs free on these devices. However, the base cost of the game on tablet/phone was only $9.99. In total, it should only be $20 to get all the content for the games.
Comments
I'd enjoy Caelar as a companion methinks....
I absolutely adore the new NPCs. I've been using all four plus Rasaad on my first run through of SoD with my mage, and we've just been ruining the Crusade's day (In Chapter 10 now).
Corwin: no nonsense leader/killing machine who has no idea how adorable she is. If Corwin was in BG2 I think she'd have a permanent spot on any good/neutral run where CHARNAME was a spellcaster. I've always been crazy about the archer kit and am really glad Beamdog didn't go for the "Legolas" archer trope on this one.
Glint: ultimate utility gnome coupled with tasteful comedic relief. I thought the writing for Glint was particularly well done.
M'Khiin: is it just me or are shamans totally OP? Unlimited summons, superb healer, insect plague, killer new spells and throwing axes for fun makes for a lot of interesting uses. Been using the M'Khiin for a tankless run through SoD and it is going great. Also wonderful writing and voice acting.
Voghiln: probably the least fleshed out NPC, but still found him enjoyable none the less. I liked the idea of a drunken bard scoundrel with a heart of gold following CHARNAME around to add to his repertoire of tales. I think if more content is added, this character could really shine with his own quest. Should be a dwarf though.
I'd especially love to see Glint carried over - finally there would be a good-aligned Thief who levels as a Thief! I mean, Imoen is perfectly adequate so we don't really need one. But what if I wanted to drop half a dozen Spike Traps on Demogorgon's head without dragging neutral NPCs along or playing a thief myself?
Shamans need a proper stronghold quest, with a spirit lodge and animal spirit quest givers.
Although, I'm actually talking about creating a mod for Shamans to have their own stronghold...
I just reached the end of SoD while romancing Glint and I am left both perplexed and intensely bewitched by the insane little man. Please, more Glint!
Corwin for SOD only
Others for BG2.
That said, I would rather not see the inclusion of any characters that require a major narrative stretch to get them into Amn (e.g. Corwin). BG2 already includes a lot of coincidences that are too cute by half – the only one I could easily imagine would be Glint: he doesn't have any commitments up north and his presence could easily be explained as seeking out one of his many scattered family members.
I can think of plot reasons for Corwin traveling to Amn, but on the whole I can live happily without her.
We all want to pay money, just make the products worth the value.
M'Khiin would be my first choice out of the new characters; she was the most interesting to me, and I agree that a shaman NPC is most needed in BG2. I'd like Corwin and Glint as well. I really enjoyed them, and frankly I would appreciate the additional same-sex romance options. Especially since Dorn and Hexxat aren't viable choices for good and neutral PCs imo. Caelar's story feels over to me, but I wouldn't say no to her. Don't care about Voghlin and Baeloth.
Some of them, certainly. Of the strictly 'new' ones, I only really played Corwin on my first playthrough, and I'd really like to see her added to BG2. I assume some of the others would as well...but...
Make no mistake, including them as playable characters would be an involved task. One of the most significant strengths of BG2 is the depth of NPC interactions - this is as distinct from BG1, where there are so many NPCs and next-to-no interaction with them - and it isn't just interaction with the PC, which is relatively straightforward, but also interaction with each other (Minsc finding his new witch, Jan pushing Anomen's buttons, etc.). If we want it done right, then there should be chemistry and circumstantial dialogue between the new NPCs and at least some of the existing ones. A fair bit of writing work, and voice acting to bring it up to standard. There's a reason why most of the BG1 NPCs just made cameo appearances in BG2.
So no, don't expect it for free. There's value in it, there's a production cost to it, and it's worth paying for.
Anyway, I'd rather see a BG3 or new game, than this...it's a nice idea if we had unlimited time though