Poll: Best Major Castle/Keep/Fortress in the Infinity Engine Series?

LathandersVanguard

What is your favorite/best Major Castle/Keep/Fortress in the entire Infinity Engine Series?

Aerakar

I always go with Durlag's due to design and atmosphere and challenge and backstory.

atcDave

“Favorite” is hard to quantify. But I decided since De’Arnise Keep becomes my base of operations through so much of BG2 that it must be my favorite place!

Aerakar

I agree with other voters on The Severed Hand also for IWD, but 2nd place for me.

Zaxares

I was prepared to vote De'Arnise Keep or Dragonspear Castle, and then I saw the Fortress of Regrets option. ;P

The_Baffled_King

Aerakar wrote: »

I always go with Durlag's due to design and atmosphere and challenge and backstory.

So, pretty much everything, then? I'm not pulling your leg though - I agree! In my opinion, Durlag's Tower is one of the high points of the entire Infinity Engine series; it combines the quality writing of BG with the improved level design of BG2.

Given that Beamdog are perennially over-criticised and under-praised, I’m just going to add that the beginning of the assault on Dragonspear Castle – from the point at which CHARNAME tells de Lancie that the explosives are in place – definitely stands out as another high point.

Aerakar

Hey @The_Baffled_King it is a great dungeon, what can I say?

And agree on the Dragonspear assault. It surely stands out and is such a great battle with so many participants. I think another standout dungeon in SoD is the Dwarven lich dungeon. It scared me the first few times I played, excellent atmosphere.

But Durlags rules all!

The_Baffled_King

Aerakar wrote: »

I think another standout dungeon in SoD is the Dwarven lich dungeon. It scared me the first few times I played, excellent atmosphere.

Yeah, it was a great dungeon. Korlasz' crypts and the Temple of Bhaal are pretty good too, but the Repository of Undeath is the standout dungeon in SoD. As a standalone sequence I rate the Repository of Undeath more highly than the assault on the castle, but I think the latter might have the edge overall because it makes for an effective culmination of the narrative thus far.

shevy123456

For me I think I'd go with Watcher's Keep because it is fairly large.

Individually probably the best, via mods, was the planar sphere series from BG2 too. The last extended planar sphere mod is broken in many ways, balance-wise, but even then I still think it was interesting.

Would be great if there could be some mods that would extend these ideas, like a half-vampire stronghold from Lava's Ravenloft's inspired mod. Guess more artists may be needed, though, as some of this would depend on people who can craft unique areas; I could possibly program things (once I understand the DSL used), but I could never create great areas. Not everyone has the same set of skills.