Final Impressions of Siege of Dragonspear (SPOILERS)
Storyteller
Member Posts: 38
So having finished my first run of Siege of Dragonspear somewhere around 2 AM this morning, I thought I'd write about my experience with the game.
In a lot of ways this feels like it's been a long time coming, so long that I didn't think it was ever going to happen. I'm glad Beamdog picked up the ball to fill what I've always felt was a major plot hole in what has been, for many years, my favorite game. For me Baldur's Gate, as well as the expansions and sequels that followed it, is an unassailable masterpiece in the RPG genre that is often imitated but never duplicated. That's why Siege of Dragonspear had to conform to such high standards. Maybe that's just the nostalgia of a kid who grew up in the 90's talking (everything was better back then, ask anyone), but adding another chapter to the Bhaalspawn saga is no small feat.
Siege of Dragonspear felt very much like a product of the times, but I could tell that genuine effort was made to make this expansion blend seamlessly with the other games. It's definitely riddled with bugs; I encountered several crashes, and never was able to meet the goblin companion or Baeloth because his little chicken arena event failed to trigger. There's a ton of polishing that needs to go on before Siege can sit on the shelf proudly alongside its older brothers, which are just about flawless. I found myself worrying about what order I should complete quests in because it felt like the game would not provide a resolution for them if I advanced the main story.
That having been said, Beamdog followed the Baldur's Gate formula very well, providing expansive maps to explore and dungeons to complete. Each dungeon in Baldur's Gate needs to be unique and dynamic, and have as much life and personality as the major characters, as the dungeons are (in and of themselves) characters that define the story in a lot of ways. My favorite one was definitely the Coldhearth lich dungeon, providing a very basic but solid story that culminated in easily my most difficult challenge in the entire expansion. I never knew you could go back to the other dwarves at the beginning and get an item which would allow you to severely weaken Coldhearth, so instead I dealt with him directly, protecting my party members with Protection From Magic scrolls and running by to grab his phylactery before taking it to the fire portal. That was a rush.
The main story was a nice way of working what might otherwise be a traditional four-color hero into the role of big heel in Caelar Argent. This is a character that ultimately manipulated everyone around her for selfish reasons, too blinded by her ultimate goal to see the others that were manipulating her in turn. It made for an interesting villain, but I was not very satisfied by the resolution, as Caelar showed no remorse for the carnage she had wrought and basically was permitted to die in a self aggrandizing martyrdom fantasy that would make Ilmater go a big rubbery one. I was playing a good guy during this run, so it might be different when my Blackguard goes through, we'll have to see. I didn't even try to talk with Belhifet.
My character's romance with Shael Corwin was interesting. I would have preferred more, but I like to think that this romance is just a fling that developed under hard circumstances, not necessarily the love of my character's life. In a lot of ways this makes the role-playing experience more genuine, and at the end of the day that's what players care about. I enjoyed seeing all the new equipment and goodies, sure, but immersion into the story is what matters.
When all was said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed Siege of Dragonspear, though it is an expansion that is far from complete. I'm sure Beamdog will continue to improve the bugs and polish the rougher edges (at least I hope), although I fear this epic journey that just became much more epic from start to finish will mean I'm spending a hell of a lot more time in Baldur's Gate I rather than Baldur's Gate II. Which is fine.
8.5/10
In a lot of ways this feels like it's been a long time coming, so long that I didn't think it was ever going to happen. I'm glad Beamdog picked up the ball to fill what I've always felt was a major plot hole in what has been, for many years, my favorite game. For me Baldur's Gate, as well as the expansions and sequels that followed it, is an unassailable masterpiece in the RPG genre that is often imitated but never duplicated. That's why Siege of Dragonspear had to conform to such high standards. Maybe that's just the nostalgia of a kid who grew up in the 90's talking (everything was better back then, ask anyone), but adding another chapter to the Bhaalspawn saga is no small feat.
Siege of Dragonspear felt very much like a product of the times, but I could tell that genuine effort was made to make this expansion blend seamlessly with the other games. It's definitely riddled with bugs; I encountered several crashes, and never was able to meet the goblin companion or Baeloth because his little chicken arena event failed to trigger. There's a ton of polishing that needs to go on before Siege can sit on the shelf proudly alongside its older brothers, which are just about flawless. I found myself worrying about what order I should complete quests in because it felt like the game would not provide a resolution for them if I advanced the main story.
That having been said, Beamdog followed the Baldur's Gate formula very well, providing expansive maps to explore and dungeons to complete. Each dungeon in Baldur's Gate needs to be unique and dynamic, and have as much life and personality as the major characters, as the dungeons are (in and of themselves) characters that define the story in a lot of ways. My favorite one was definitely the Coldhearth lich dungeon, providing a very basic but solid story that culminated in easily my most difficult challenge in the entire expansion. I never knew you could go back to the other dwarves at the beginning and get an item which would allow you to severely weaken Coldhearth, so instead I dealt with him directly, protecting my party members with Protection From Magic scrolls and running by to grab his phylactery before taking it to the fire portal. That was a rush.
The main story was a nice way of working what might otherwise be a traditional four-color hero into the role of big heel in Caelar Argent. This is a character that ultimately manipulated everyone around her for selfish reasons, too blinded by her ultimate goal to see the others that were manipulating her in turn. It made for an interesting villain, but I was not very satisfied by the resolution, as Caelar showed no remorse for the carnage she had wrought and basically was permitted to die in a self aggrandizing martyrdom fantasy that would make Ilmater go a big rubbery one. I was playing a good guy during this run, so it might be different when my Blackguard goes through, we'll have to see. I didn't even try to talk with Belhifet.
My character's romance with Shael Corwin was interesting. I would have preferred more, but I like to think that this romance is just a fling that developed under hard circumstances, not necessarily the love of my character's life. In a lot of ways this makes the role-playing experience more genuine, and at the end of the day that's what players care about. I enjoyed seeing all the new equipment and goodies, sure, but immersion into the story is what matters.
When all was said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed Siege of Dragonspear, though it is an expansion that is far from complete. I'm sure Beamdog will continue to improve the bugs and polish the rougher edges (at least I hope), although I fear this epic journey that just became much more epic from start to finish will mean I'm spending a hell of a lot more time in Baldur's Gate I rather than Baldur's Gate II. Which is fine.
8.5/10
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