Was SoD bridge story satisfying to you?
So I loved BG1 when it originally came out, did a normal run with a Mage (Invoker) and full party as well as a solo run as a Fighter.
I learned about the EE last year and also that there had been a BG2.... (silly me to never have even checked that out or never heard about it). I was excited for it and bought BG1/BG2 EE. I had to move up North with no internet connection. Long story short, I took my time, did most of BG1 with a full party (Sorcerer as a main) and full playthrough with a Kensai/Mage imported from Black Pits 1. I started BG2 with an Inquisitor (+full party) until I somehow lost the Amulet of Power and then restarted with an other full party (Sorcerer as main character).
I just recently completed ToB. I have had Pillars of Eternity as well as Divinity waiting for me for almost a year now (I didn't want to play 2 RPGs at once) but I really felt like doing an other playthrough with a solo Monk which I just started over again with BG1.
I was originally interested in SoD but all of the negative critics on top of the poorly implemented new characters and quests from the EE made me shy away from it so far. Here are my questions:
1- Are the bugs mostly ironed out by now (I plan on playing it solo only)?
2- I read that some of the more controversial stuff has been removed or will be taken in consideration if there is a new BG game (Minsc line removed for example). Did the negative reviews blow this out of proportion? Not that it bothers me to have some gay or transgendered or feminist characters in a game (I have friends in all those categories), just that it bothers me if it feels like the story goes out of its way only to push this forward (basically, it bothers me if it doesn't feel ''natural'').
3- I found that the voice acting and characters (the new ones) were awful and blend in BG EE and BG2 EE. Does SoD do a better job at this?
4- Is the dialogue between party members or quests for them (if there are any) good or important? I would like to continue with my solo Monk run all the way through BG EE into SoD into BG2 EE but I have normally played BG1 and BG2 with full parties to get a more complete feel of the game and quests first. As I read that SoD is linear and story supposedly weak, would I miss out much by trying to solo my way through it?
5- Was the story bridge satisfying to you? I'm not looking for spoilers here but more how you felt about it. I read that the story was very weak which worried me because one of the best things for me about the BG series was the story. I'm curious about SoD mostly because I'd want to see what story bridges the two together.
6- My Monk is past lvl 7 already in BG1 EE and I just cleared the Nashkel mines. The level cap is lvl 8 for him unless I redo Black Pits 1 I believe (which would then be lvl 10?). What are the levels and xp caps like in SoD? Is lvl 8 good enough (if I solo) to start there? What lvl (or xp since every class has different xp lvl) can I expect to be if I don't go too much out of my way to do every possible sidequest and solo through it for BG2?
7- The rare items that can transfer into BG2 EE remain the same as always right?
I learned about the EE last year and also that there had been a BG2.... (silly me to never have even checked that out or never heard about it). I was excited for it and bought BG1/BG2 EE. I had to move up North with no internet connection. Long story short, I took my time, did most of BG1 with a full party (Sorcerer as a main) and full playthrough with a Kensai/Mage imported from Black Pits 1. I started BG2 with an Inquisitor (+full party) until I somehow lost the Amulet of Power and then restarted with an other full party (Sorcerer as main character).
I just recently completed ToB. I have had Pillars of Eternity as well as Divinity waiting for me for almost a year now (I didn't want to play 2 RPGs at once) but I really felt like doing an other playthrough with a solo Monk which I just started over again with BG1.
I was originally interested in SoD but all of the negative critics on top of the poorly implemented new characters and quests from the EE made me shy away from it so far. Here are my questions:
1- Are the bugs mostly ironed out by now (I plan on playing it solo only)?
2- I read that some of the more controversial stuff has been removed or will be taken in consideration if there is a new BG game (Minsc line removed for example). Did the negative reviews blow this out of proportion? Not that it bothers me to have some gay or transgendered or feminist characters in a game (I have friends in all those categories), just that it bothers me if it feels like the story goes out of its way only to push this forward (basically, it bothers me if it doesn't feel ''natural'').
3- I found that the voice acting and characters (the new ones) were awful and blend in BG EE and BG2 EE. Does SoD do a better job at this?
4- Is the dialogue between party members or quests for them (if there are any) good or important? I would like to continue with my solo Monk run all the way through BG EE into SoD into BG2 EE but I have normally played BG1 and BG2 with full parties to get a more complete feel of the game and quests first. As I read that SoD is linear and story supposedly weak, would I miss out much by trying to solo my way through it?
5- Was the story bridge satisfying to you? I'm not looking for spoilers here but more how you felt about it. I read that the story was very weak which worried me because one of the best things for me about the BG series was the story. I'm curious about SoD mostly because I'd want to see what story bridges the two together.
6- My Monk is past lvl 7 already in BG1 EE and I just cleared the Nashkel mines. The level cap is lvl 8 for him unless I redo Black Pits 1 I believe (which would then be lvl 10?). What are the levels and xp caps like in SoD? Is lvl 8 good enough (if I solo) to start there? What lvl (or xp since every class has different xp lvl) can I expect to be if I don't go too much out of my way to do every possible sidequest and solo through it for BG2?
7- The rare items that can transfer into BG2 EE remain the same as always right?
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Comments
2. The negative reviews surrounding the 'controversy' definitely blew it out of proportion. Was the initial writing a little unnatural? Perhaps, but video games are filled with unnatural writing. It's how they keep story chugging along.
3. I found the voice acting to be fine in SOD.
4. I enjoyed the banter between NPCs very much. Mind you, I've only used one new NPC (Corwin), but banters involving her, Viconia, Edwin, and Safana were great. Many of the old voice actors from BG1 and 2 returned for SOD, so there's some new stuff in there. I'd certainly recommend a party run.
5. I thought the story was just fine. SOD is an entertaining rpg adventure. It's more linear than BG1 and 2, but there are side quests you can do along the way to break things up. As for the story arc, I think they made it work. Is it a story that needed to be told? No. I'm the first to admit I was disappointed when I found out what Adventure Y was. I'd have preferred a new rpg altogether. That said, they took the inevitable history between games, and wove in a new story to tie it together. IMO, they created a fun, atmospheric adventure.
6. I'm not an expert in solo play, so I don't have any input there. As for using a party, the one thing you don't need to worry about in SOD is experience. If you start a new game in SOD you start at around level 6, and you'll do just fine. I imported characters that ranged between levels 7-8 and it was pretty easy. That said, I have BG experience so it might be harder for new players. There were still a few fights I had to do some reloading on. And the nice thing is you don't have to worry about maxing the SOD cap because you're going to start BG2 with more experience than you normally would anyway.
7. The rare items that transfer to BG2 are still the same. Plus, some of the SOD items transfer over, too. Add to that, there's a BGII:EE - Unofficial Item Pack mod that brings a lot more of them over.
So if you solo through it, you'll be missing out.
This NPC dialogue is not essential, mind you, but it is interesting, and sometimes gives you more options (like alternate ways to complete quests).
Kinda sad that I didn't get a glimpse of the controversial stuffs, but the fairly frequent npc to npc (audio) conversation is pretty funny when you are strolling in the maps (especially if you get a mix of weird combos in the party).
I bought the game a few weeks back and from the looks of it, It is pretty stable, triggers and handles in the game seemed to be working fine (unlike BG2EE where the bugs continues to haunt me).
Interesting that you bring up BG2 Chapter 2, because I would say that you're very much "forced" into collecting 20k gold to rescue Imoen, or else never move the plot and by consequence never finish the game. (Though you do have some freedom to choose how you obtain that money and when.)
Sure, after a few playthroughs those paths are the same. This is still way different than SOD bridge quest (for example) where there's one path and your choices don't matter along the way. Even the little freedom in BG2 chapter 2 of picking the order of which you do things and the freedom to skip quests is a big deal.
Ultimately you can't do ANYTHING you want in these games but a little freedom is good.
Interesting metaphor ._.
Then there's the lack of references to the Dragonspear events in BG2, particularly from Irenicus.. For better or worse SoD is part of the continuity now and that will reflect on the rest of the series.
1 - Not a lot of bugs that I ran across. An item wouldn't spawn for Neera's personal quest (killed the monsters in a dungeon before meeting her), so I had to console the item in. That's about it, though.
2 - Minsc's line was pretty stupid, but honestly kinda funny. Gay, bi, trans, whatever characters are nothing new in RPGs, and are handled pretty well for the most part in this game. One of them was a failure, and came off as insulting and tokenistic to some people (myself included). This is a consequence of limitations put on the writers (bit characters only get so much dialogue, not enough time to do that background justice), as well as a desire on the part of the writers to include a broader demographic into the cast of the game. The character in question is not a problem, but is indicative of a mindset that is troubling for some of us, and is scheduled to be rewritten to be more of a character than a token. The whole incident was hugely overblown with a lot of the rage on both sides being woefully misdirected. It's there, it may make you wince one time, but it's not a big deal. Move on.
3 - Voice acting is as inconsistent now as it was in the original Baldur's Gate, with solid performances, half-assed performances, and flat out goofy performances galore. Most everyone that returns gets their old VA back, and it's really good to see them. Jaheira is silent, sadly, as her VA has fallen off the face of the planet. Some of the VA's do show the passage of time in their portrayals - David Warner's Irenicus, for example, lacks some of the power and fire in his cameos that made him such an engaging character in BG2. The new guys are a mixed bunch. Volghiln still (he was in BG2EE's Black Pits) sounds like a fake German trying to sound like a fake Viking and failing. Glint is sharp and chipper and generally manages to be a far less irritating Alora. Corwin and M'Khiin are fantastic. The bad guys are pretty weak, though.
4 - There's a good bit of banter, but it follows the old BG1 style rather than BG2's, where they just spout their lines while wandering the field instead of starting a dialogue you have to click through. Far less intrusive, but it's easy to miss them if you decide to go grab a glass of water or something and leave the game running. The banters aren't bad, but there aren't many that are flat out amazing.
4b - The main plot is very linear, as areas are only available for the chapter they're introduced in and the story railroads you at several points to keep the plot on a strict path. You are definitely just along for the ride. However, the chapters themselves are pretty open and include a lot of things to do in any order that suits you, and there's some very impressive sections like a forgotten temple of Bhaal you can explore.
5 - Honestly, no. Not really. In a game that offered a lot of player agency throughout its games, this one is very linear on an overall level. The character is never given the option to make any meaningful choices, with all options leading to the same general outcomes. The final encounters of the story devastate the build-up leading to them, rendering a lot of the game moot in hindsight. Besides, the ultimate outcome was already dictated fifteen years ago, so it's hardly a surprise and it's just a question of how things wind up the way we already know they will, in the creepy basement of Gaming's original Handsome Jack. So no, I wouldn't call it satisfying. It is, however, very enjoyable and worth more than one run through just for the fun of it.
6 - I can't speak for playing solo. I cannot fathom wanting to play this game without NPCs, as none of the games are all that interesting without the personalities in your party. I will say the level cap is increased, but you'll only get a level or two out of it, not enough to turn the monk into a god quite yet. There are more difficulty settings than ever, as well, so how hard or easy a time you'll have is up to you.
7 - Others have answered this perfectly. There are roughly a dozen of new items that transfer over, but they become loot in-game rather than found up front. For instance, Tazok in Firkraag's lair carries the Blade of the Dragon greatsword if you had it in your inventory at the end of SoD. The items mod mentioned previously also adds a large number of other SoD items to the Adventure Mart's inventory.
I hope that's useful.
Since you used this in the context of party members, do you mean Edwin and Viconia? Grey Griffin nailed Viconia. Can't speak for Edwin.