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Recommendation for best quest mods to try out for story?

mademan2mademan2 Member Posts: 54
edited March 2022 in BGII:EE Mods
Iv tried out a few of quest expansions for BG:EE and my experiences have varried wildly so I would love some recommendations for quests mods.

To make myself clearer, I have little interest in dungeon quest mods, ala Watchers Keep and such as I am not that deep into gameplay, but I am very much interested in adding a few new mods into my playlist that will serve to expand the world and story hopefully naturally. I dont really have any preferences, just that the story be interesting.

Thanks for answers :)

Comments

  • UlkeshUlkesh Member Posts: 207
    edited March 2022
    Recommendations vary according to you are talking to.

    I will say that personally I dislike most (if not all) the quest mods for BG:EE, simply because they do not offer what I'm looking for and they feel like mod-added content. Example: around here and in other shores too, people recommend lava's mods, while I dislike them all for a variety of different reasons.

    I will go a little further by telling you that the only mod that I find worth having adding some dialogues (not quests) is extra-enhanced-expanded-encounters in BG:EE.

    If we are talking about BG2 I would say I dislike most of the quest mods being suggested too. They simply feel out of place. If you are interested in something that I didn't regret playing, I would suggest you to try Tortured Souls.

    You can find it here: https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/topic/34827-vlad-mods-for-ee/
    Do not install the Sime part of the mod, it's an incomplete npc.

    For BG2:EE I would go further by recommending this mod: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/81464/mod-heroes-thieves-and-moneylenders-banter-quest-romance-mod-for-bg2/p1
    I didn't regret playing it and I think it's currently the best quest mod that has graced BG2 scene. I have my gripes with it too, but I feel like Austin and his team are the most talented people out there and we are lucky to have such a thriving russian scene.
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    The above is pretty awful advice. It makes no sense to claim all the quest mods out there are out of place then recommend a mod that completely derails the PC’s journey sending them onto a convoluted quest in Kara-Tur out of nowhere.

    Tortured Souls is an archaic mod that relies on baiting the user with enticing components. You get to keep Yoshimo! You get to romance Valygar! Unfortunately you’ll probably be disappointed by the writing and the quality in general. I was baited in by being able to keep Yoshimo and I had an experience which I would be generous to call mediocre. I regretted using the mod completely.

    People like Baldur’s Gate 1 Quest and Encounters and Shades of the Sword Coast because they add non-intrusive quests that don’t take you out of the main plot. Tortured Souls is the opposite of that.
  • TrouveurTrouveur Member Posts: 481
    I wholeheartedly recommend Lava's Shades of the Sword Coast for BG1 and Atkhatla's grounds for BG2.
  • UlkeshUlkesh Member Posts: 207
    edited March 2022
    TheArtisan wrote: »
    The above is pretty awful advice. It makes no sense to claim all the quest mods out there are out of place then recommend a mod that completely derails the PC’s journey sending them onto a convoluted quest in Kara-Tur out of nowhere.

    Tortured Souls is an archaic mod that relies on baiting the user with enticing components. You get to keep Yoshimo! You get to romance Valygar! Unfortunately you’ll probably be disappointed by the writing and the quality in general. I was baited in by being able to keep Yoshimo and I had an experience which I would be generous to call mediocre. I regretted using the mod completely.

    People like Baldur’s Gate 1 Quest and Encounters and Shades of the Sword Coast because they add non-intrusive quests that don’t take you out of the main plot. Tortured Souls is the opposite of that.

    "It makes no sense to claim..." --> Basically you have confirmed that people taste vary.
    I do not use tortured souls in my game, but it's pretty much the only mod that didn't make me say: damn I wasted time. That is the reality - and that can't be changed. If you disliked it, that's ok too.

    The non intrusive quest is not a good excuse to have forgettable (and most of the times fetch) quests inserted. Like "take these items and put these on the following place to make a basilisk appear" or "find some items for us (skeletons corpse in a new area) out there ", "put the swords there" or "find a book for the library of the mage in high hedge etc".

    Or to put in the first inn you are supposed to go, in a game where developers have methodically added clues for <charname> ancestry, a temple dedicated to that ancestry.
    Post edited by Ulkesh on
  • inethineth Member Posts: 707
    edited March 2022
    I'm not sure whether I've understood correctly what kind of mods you're looking for; if not, say so.
    Anyway, here it goes:


    Quests mods that give the main story more depth:

    None really, for the Shadows of Amn portion - because the appeal of that game is mostly in the side-content that you do to raise money while ignoring the main story. :)

    In the Throne of Bhaal expansion, The Longer Road (resurrects the SoA main villain as a joinable NPC) and Wheels of Prophecy (gives you more choice for how to complete the ToB main story) fit the bill. Reunion also explores the protagonist's origins which is of course relevant to the main story, but it is a dungeon crawl mod.


    Quests that are irrelevant to the main story, but integrate well into existing content (and aren't dungeon crawls or similar):

    Assassinations (see my mod spotlight thread) plays in the existing areas of Athkatla, but makes the party go to parts of those maps (like the bottom-right Government District bridge) that I had completely missed when playing the unmodded game, because I never had a reason to go there. So it basically serves as a neat way to appreciate Athkatla more fully.

    Unfinished Business and SimDing0's Quest Pack add small quests to Athkatla and elsewhere, that for the most part feel like they could have been part of the original game.


    World expansions:

    Southern Edge, Ooze's Lounge, Tangled Oak Isle, and Bridge’s Block (all by the same author; together known as the "Athkatlan Grounds" series) add additional districts or venues to Athkatla, and thus help to make the city feel larger while blending in pretty nicely with the existing content. All of them include non-combat mini-quests, but some combat ones too.

    Expanded Mage Stronghold consists of content extracted from the old "Planar Sphere Mod" (see my mod spotlight thread). If your protagonist is eligible for the mage stronghold, this is nice because it makes that stronghold less empty.


    NPC expansions:

    If you like the Bioware NPCs and their personal quests, consider mods that expand on them, such as Jan's Extended Quest which adds a proper resolution to Jan's quest-line (which in the unmodded game feels unfinished).

    Mods like Imoen Friendship and Viconia Friendship make those NPCs talk to you more about the game's story etc., which can help you experience that story more fully. More controversial options like Imoen Romance are also available.


    Let me also take this opportunity to shill for my thread Mod impressions: BG2:EE Quest Mods, which can help you find more quest mods.
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,579

    If you have a male character and are interested in some romance, I strongly recommended the FADE NPC/romance mod. It not only adds an NPC with a thoroughly fleshed out romance, but also expands on existing areas and side quests (including the Bodhi Graveyard abduction and the guarded compound in the Temple District). Two potential drawbacks that you should be aware of:
    1. You can't meet Fade until you start Chapter 3, and
    2. You MUST side with the Shadow Thieves.

    The Amber NPC/romance mod also expands on the slaver quest and adds an entirely new area (with a ton of great items) to the game.

    The Angelo NPC mod adds a pair of item sellers to the Temple District and also gives you a chance to get a great item from Angelo himself, even if you don't intend to add him to the party.
  • TrouveurTrouveur Member Posts: 481
    edited April 2022
    Ulkesh wrote: »
    TheArtisan wrote: »
    The above is pretty awful advice. It makes no sense to claim all the quest mods out there are out of place then recommend a mod that completely derails the PC’s journey sending them onto a convoluted quest in Kara-Tur out of nowhere.

    Tortured Souls is an archaic mod that relies on baiting the user with enticing components. You get to keep Yoshimo! You get to romance Valygar! Unfortunately you’ll probably be disappointed by the writing and the quality in general. I was baited in by being able to keep Yoshimo and I had an experience which I would be generous to call mediocre. I regretted using the mod completely.

    People like Baldur’s Gate 1 Quest and Encounters and Shades of the Sword Coast because they add non-intrusive quests that don’t take you out of the main plot. Tortured Souls is the opposite of that.

    "It makes no sense to claim..." --> Basically you have confirmed that people taste vary.
    I do not use tortured souls in my game, but it's pretty much the only mod that didn't make me say: damn I wasted time. That is the reality - and that can't be changed. If you disliked it, that's ok too.

    The non intrusive quest is not a good excuse to have forgettable (and most of the times fetch) quests inserted. Like "take these items and put these on the following place to make a basilisk appear" or "find some items for us (skeletons corpse in a new area) out there ", "put the swords there" or "find a book for the library of the mage in high hedge etc".

    Or to put in the first inn you are supposed to go, in a game where developers have methodically added clues for <charname> ancestry, a temple dedicated to that ancestry.
    What's the problem with the hidden temple ? In Candlekeep as soon as you start you meet chanters singing about Bhaal... The temple beneath FAI is just another clue and lore element.

    Most BG1 quests are fetch items. It's not the case for SotSC ones. The encounter with the skeletons corpses was really good, with lore and atmosphere.

    And what about the police investigation in the Undercellars dungeon ? The talk with a boy or a girl in Nashkell about being a man or a woman ?
    Or helping Zee to open a shop ?

    SoTSC aims to make some BG1 areas less empty and totally succeed at this.

    Athkatka's grounds for BG2 adds new areas and make the big city a little bigger like it should be.
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    You have the right to your opinion. It’s still terrible advice.
  • ArviaArvia Member Posts: 2,101
    Please stay respectful of different opinions and don't get personal. And I mean everyone.
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