Best Mods for BG and BG II
kstevens67
Member Posts: 41
What are the best mods to install for BG EE and BG II EE. I have SoD and the latest version of BG. I really do not want to install more than 5 mods, so just asking for opinions on some of the best ones out there. I understand SCS works with a patch now and is very good. I also have read about Scales of Balance which looks good since I like my Ranger Clerics to be able to use scimitars. Please let me know what are some of the best mods for the entire series to have.
Note I also use a Mac which I understand leaves the BWS out as far as I know.
Note I also use a Mac which I understand leaves the BWS out as far as I know.
0
Comments
- The BG1 NPC Project
- Unfinished Business for BG1
- The Lure of the Sirine's Call
For BG2, I suggest:
- Unfinished Business for BG2
- Mods that expand the interaction with NPCs, like Banter Pack, Imoen/Yoshimo/Viconia/Sarevok/Mazzy Friendship, NPC Flirts
- Quest mods like Quest Pack, Assassinations, Dungeon Crawl, Tower of Deception
Have fun with your game!
I also recommend you reconsider your 5 mod limit, not because I think that wanting to keep a relatively pure game is misguided (it isn't), but because the restriction is kind of arbitrary and counting both giant quest megamods and minor inventory tweak mods as "one mod" doesn't make much sense and won't help you get the effect you want. Keep in mind that many of the mods listed are actually dozens of separate mods written by different people that just happen to have been collected in a single installer.
That being said, I recommend:
A suite of inventory tweak mods. There are three or four megamods that contain various inventory relief effects, and I can't play without them anymore. Look for unlimited or increased stack sizes for items, stores selling larger stacks of ammunition, and BG2 style containers introduced into BG1. Also consider Convenient Ammunition (lets you a pay a premium to get unlimited normal ammo). You spend more time juggling your inventory in BG1 than actually adventuring, and these tweaks help a lot. Again, I strongly recommend you reconsider your 5 mod limit or you will fill up your list on this alone (and without actually completing it).
The Miniquests and Encounters for BG1 is good, fits in well, and has a sense of restraint that is welcome. No god items, and no random bandits stronger than Sarevok. It is also technically 11 separate mods, so if you are serious about your 5 mod limit, don't install any of these, because while all of them are good, none of them are worth taking up one of those slots.
Romantic Encounters is a mod that I thought I would hate, but I ended up liking it. I'm always uncomfortable when NPCs in video games just throw their bodies at your protagonist, but you don't have to play this mod that way. You always have the option to not escalate, and I liked the extra background stories.
Unfinished Business for BG1 is good. It just implements half-finished content that was originally in the game. I do not recommend Unfinished Business for BG2. It turns out that a lot of the BG2 content got cut for good reason. UB2 doesn't add any new quests, it mostly adds irritating busy work (if you normally had to talk to a person to solve the quest, there is now another leg where you have to talk to one to three other NPCs, with no action or battles or anything, just five minutes of walking across the town maps to talk to a guy that tells you to go back and talk to the guy you just talked to. Gameplay!).
Isra is my favorite NPC mod. Gavin and Valerie are also popular, but Isra is my top pick. She fits in, isn't a Mary Sue, but also still feels like a heroic adventurer. She is also just about the only Lawful Good character in the game that isn't written as an irritating nag, which is a welcome change of pace.
I cannot play without Sword Coast Stratagems. Be sure to enable the "better calls for help" component, even if you are going to count that as an entire mod.
The very large quest mods for BG1 (Dark Horizons, Dark Side of the Coast, and Drizzt Saga) were written back when modding was new and the authors were 20 years younger than they are now. I can't really recommend them, on account of crazy balance issues and questionable design. Still, new content is new content. I have a spiteful love-hate relationship with Dark Horizons, which is a crazily unfair mod, but also makes me feel less guilty for using the vanilla Wand of Frost you get from the Nashkell Mines area.
In spite of myself, I like the venerable Tactics mod for BG2. Lots of new content that comes in little chunks. I recommend skipping the Improved Bodhi component (she gets a super fast no fail Con drain attack that she can use several times a round and will insta kill most characters). Think carefully before installing the Acid Kensai component (not as unfair as Bodhi, and skippable, but still infamous for a reason). Give Improved Illyich a try. He's unfair, but in a way that I found fun instead of annoying.