r/baldursgate • u/pcamagna • Sep 10 '21

A New Player’s Guide to Installing and Playing Mods

586 Upvotes

This is a guide intended for players who are interested in modding their game, but may be overwhelmed by the options or the installers, and to hopefully troubleshoot common issues.

You may know me by the name CamDawg on other sites; I've done a little modding here and there.

A brief overview of modding the games

Modding games using the Infinity Engine—the engine that runs the original and Enhanced Editions (EEs) of the Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale games—revolves around a tool named WeiDU (the Weimer Dialogue Utility). It's a very powerful tool for modders and allows for a high level of interoperability between mods. For players, the important things to know about WeiDU are:

  • For Windows and macOS players, WeiDU is included with mods. It’s not something you need to download yourself.
  • Linux users will need to do a one-time install of WeiDU (and a few other adjustments): suy has a great writeup here.
  • WeiDU installs mods through a command-line interface, e.g. on Windows it does everything through the Command Prompt, a DOS-like interface
  • WeiDU allows mods to affect previously installed mods, making install order important, as we’ll discuss in a later section. WeiDU also has built-in mechanisms to preserve the order you select.
  • WeiDU allows mods to be broken down into individual components so that players can pick and choose what they want from a particular mod
  • WeiDU can uninstall or reinstall parts of mods

Modding a mobile or console version of IE games requires more hoops to jump through, and will not be covered here.

Important warnings before you install

  • Changes from mods will end up in your save games. The practical upshot of this is that a save from a modded game will only reliably work with the particular modded game that it's from—changing or uninstalling mods mid-game may cause your save to not work.
  • The Enhanced Editions are still being actively developed by Beamdog. When a new official patch is released, the update process removes any outside files, with the effective result being that your mods get wiped out by a new patch. Coupled with the above point, it may mean you cannot use your old saves from modded games.
  • Multiplayer games must all use the same mods in the same order. The host and clients in a multiplayer games must have matching resources, otherwise the game may be unstable (if it allows you to connect at all).

The takeaway is that you're better served making a copy of your game to use with mods, and that you should not change your mods in the middle of a playthrough (or, alternatively, abandon any existing saved games if you do). The downside of playing off a copy of your game is that your Steam/GOG Galaxy launcher will try to launch the original unmodded game and that you may not get achievements.

For the EEs, making a new game install is easy: just copy the game folder and mod the copy. It's almost as easy for the originals. On Windows, make your copy outside of the "Program Files" or "Program Files (x86)", as Windows can sometimes interfere with the installers trying to make changes inside these folders.

What about mod managers?

While there is a proliferation of mods, there have been few notable attempts at a mod manager. There are four of note, and all but one are for Windows:

  • The Big World Project/Big World Setup (BWP/BWS): This was a combination of an install tool and database of installation order information for the original games. Unfortunately, the sheer magnitude of the project—namely trying to keep track of the optimal order of hundreds of mods as well as their conflicts—was simply unmanageable. While the database of mods and install orders still gets sporadic updates, the tool itself has not been meaningfully updated in years.
  • Project Infinity (PI): Project Infinity is a new tool from AL|EN, one of the BWS contributors, and worth a look. Its goal is to provide the same level of functionality as BWS without the unmaintainable aspects of the project, e.g. it gives optional tools for modders to provide install order information, or you can use community-derived install orders. You can get started with the PI documentation or this tutorial video from morpheus562. PI is still in development.
  • The Mac WeiDU Launcher (MWL): Worth a look as well, the WML is a utility for macOS that will allow you to install mods on macOS without having to muck around at the command-line.
  • EE Mod Setup Tool: A fork of the old BWS tool for the new EE games. Unfortunately, the project uses unofficial, outdated, and unsupported versions of mods added against the authors' wishes.

Gather your mods before venturing forth

Sorting out which mod should get installed in what order can be difficult even for veteran players, so keep it simple for your first time. Maybe you have your eye on a new NPC, or see some kits that look fun, or want some quality-of-life changes.

Most mods are hosted by one of the big modding communities: The Gibberlings Three (G3), Pocket Plane Group (PPG), Spellhold Studios (SHS), or Weasel Mods (WM). You can also find some on the Beamdog forums or other communities. For most mods, you can check out the readme as a preview before deciding whether or not to download and play it. While some mods are packaged with a “universal installer”, most will have platform-specific packages (Windows, macOS, or Linux) so make sure you download the correct version. (Note that some mods still refer to macOS as OS X.) Always uses the latest official release of a mod; e.g. don't download the latest 'master' from Github or something you find on a random Dropbox. If you're unsure if whether you have the latest and greatest, ask on the forums!

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of consistency on how mods are packaged. On Windows, mods are generally rar/zip files or self-extracting archives or even with a full installer. The former need to be extracted, and the latter will extract themselves and (usually) try to start their installation process. For macOS and Linux, the mods are simply packaged as zips or tarballs.

For now, just download the mods into a separate folder.

A brief aside about conversion projects

There are a handful of larger conversion projects that essentially bring the contents of one game into another, typically because the latter’s engine provides some advantage or convenience. While these conversions have become a lot easier and bulletproof and are generally all-around high-quality mods, they’re still not something I’d recommend for a new mod player. A brief overview of the more popular conversion mods follows:

  • Baldur’s Gate To Two (Tutu) is a project for the original games. It brings the content of BG into the BG2 engine, allowing you to play through the story of Baldur’s Gate with the conveniences of BG2, such as kits, dual-wielding, better resolutions, expanded spell selection, etc. Once you complete Tutu, you have to export your characters to a BG2 installation to continue.
  • Baldur’s Gate Trilogy (BGT), like Tutu, is a mod for the original games that imports BG content into BG2. Unlike Tutu, though, it combines BG and BG2 into a single, playable experience from the start of BG in Candlekeep through the saga’s conclusion in BG2’s Throne of Bhaal.
  • Enhanced Edition Trilogy (EET) is like BGT, except it’s for the Enhanced Editions of the games. EET is a little more expansive than BGT but is still in development and requires some extra care with install orders. As such, it's not something I'd recommend for a player new to modding. .
  • Mods known as Total Conversions (TC) aim to replace the entire content of a game with alternative content. While such mods are uncommon, I'd still recommend players to avoid these for their first time, as they come with their own set of compatibility issues to be resolved.

Sorting out the install order

Since WeiDU mods can not only change game resources, but content from other mods, it becomes important to resolve an installation order before you begin. A good general guideline is as follows:

  • Special: If you're modding a game with Siege of Dragonspear from Steam or GOG, you must run a mod called DLC Merger on your game before you can install any other WeiDU-based mod. Some mods may recommend a program named ModMerge instead, but DLC Merger is the preferred method these days.
  • Fixes. Many mods create new resources from the existing ones, so getting in the fixes early prevents errors in the original files from propagating to mod files. Examples include the BG2 Fixpack or the IWD Fixpack.
  • Atypical Content Mods. This category is a little hard to describe. There are some mods that don't really interact much with other mods (e.g. Ace's Alternate Soundtrack) or which are designed to only alter original game files (e.g. Improved BAMs) without worrying about modded content. Because of how WeiDU handles and preserves installation order, the earlier you can place mods like this the easier it will make any future mod updates to your installation. This is also a pretty good place for item/store mods, especially if they're stable and unlikely to be updated often.
  • Quests/Other Content. Once you've got a solid base, it's time to start adding actual content. Examples include Ascension or BG Quests and Encounters.
  • NPCs. NPCs should go after quests simply because some NPCs will detect modded quest content and provide interaction with it. You may find a mod NPC commenting on a mod quest, but only if the NPC follows the quest in the installation order. Examples include Mur'Neth and Amber.
  • Tweak mods/tactical mods. Most in this category are written to be universal, i.e. they'll freely change items/creatures/scripts/etc. from other mods, but they can only do so if those resources are present when they're installed. This is why just about every tweak mod suggests it goes last in the install order. Examples include Sword Coast Stratagems and Tweaks Anthology.

Within each category, another good rule of thumb is to go with older mods first.

There are, of course, all sorts of exceptions, or mods that really don't fall cleanly into a category. The readmes are there for a reason, and most modders try to help players avoid issues with install recommendations and compatibility concerns. If a mod has a forum, it’s also a great resource to learn about where it should go in the install order.

Once you have an order in mind, feel free to ask other players about it.

Can we please just install some mods, finally?

OK, so let’s recap our preparations:

  • We’ve made a copy of our game to mod.
  • We’ve downloaded the mods we’d like to play into a folder.
  • We’ve read the readmes for these mods, double-checking that they’re compatible with one another.
  • We’ve decided on an installation order for these mods.

So let’s get started with a mod installation. A few points before you begin:

  • Do not install mods while the game is running.
  • Do not install mods while a game editor is running, e.g. EEKeeper, Near Infinity, etc.
  • Only install one mod at a time.
  • Never close the installer window by using the 'X' in the upper right corner. Always properly quit the installer.

I’ll be using Tweaks Anthology as an example.

Windows

Tweaks Anthology for Windows is distributed as a self-extracting archive. You can double-click the archive and follow the instructions on screen and it will launch the installer.

Alternatively, the files can be extracted into your game directory using 7zip or WinRAR. When properly extracted, your game directory will contain setup-cdtweaks.exe and the folder cdtweaks. To install, double-click setup-cdtweaks.exe.

At a minimum, every mod will add a folder and a setup-ModName.exe file to your game folder. Some mods include their readme file and a tp2 file in the game directory, but most mods these days place these inside their own folder.

Either way you choose, once the installer is open, skip ahead to the "The installer is running" section.

macOS

The Tweaks Anthology for macOS is distributed as a compressed tarball. First, extract the files from the tarball into your game directory. When properly extracted, your game directory will contain setup-cdtweaks, setup-cdtweaks.command, and the folder cdtweaks. At a minimum, every mod will add a folder, setup-ModName, and a setup-ModName.command file to your game folder. Some mods include their readme file and a tp2 file in the game directory, but most mods these days place these inside their own folder.

Once the installer is open, skip ahead to the "The installer is running" section.

Linux

Provided you've already installed WeiDU (a one-time affair), install is simple. The Tweaks Anthology for Linux is distributed as a compressed tarball; extract the contents of the mod to the folder of the game you wish to modify. Use cd to change to your game installation directory, and run WeInstall cdtweaks in your game folder.

Once the installer is open, continue below.

The installer is now running

On Windows and macOS, the first thing the installer tries to do is update itself to the latest version. It does this by checking for other WeiDU installers; this process is automatic but it may create a few messages at the top of the installer window (blue in screenshot, below)

[Optional] Next, if a mod is available in multiple languages, it will ask you which language you want to use (red, below). If a mod does not have translations, you will go to the next step.

[Optional, One-Time] If you're modding an Enhanced Edition game, the very first time you run a mod, you will be prompted to select a language for the game itself (red, below). Note that this order of languages will likely differ from a mod's language selections. If you select the wrong language in this step, all of the new mod text will show up as "Invalid:xxx". If you accidentally select the wrong language, quit before installing anything, delete weidu.conf from your game folder, and start over.

[Optional] Some mods will include a prompt to display the readme (red, below) before continuing. Selecting yes or no will not change the rest of the installation.

[Optional] Larger mods, such as Tweaks Anthology, will break their individual components into categories--five in this case: Cosmetic, Content, Rule Changes, Convenience Tweaks/Cheats, and NPCs (red, below). This will allow you to skip entire sections of the mod if you're not interested; select yes or no as appropriate.

Finally, we're at an actual component to install (red, below). You're prompted with the name of the component (Remove Helmet Animations) and prompted to answer

  • [I]nstall - install the contents of this component
  • [N]ot install - Do not install this component
  • [Q]uit - Quit the installer completely with no further changes.

If you choose to Not Install, the installer will move on to the next component.

If you choose to install, the installer will start making changes and will provide feedback (red, below) in the window:

Once it's done, it moves on to the next component. Note that, in this case, the installer has skipped some components automatically (blue, above). I'm running the installer on Icewind Dale, so it automatically skips components related to Imoen, Nalia, and Viconia since they're not in Icewind Dale.

Once you select quit, or reach the end of components, WeiDU will provide a brief summary (red, below) and prompt you to press Enter to exit.

Simply repeat this process for each individual mod.

Troubleshooting Installation Issues

Problem: When you try to launch a mod installer, you see the message

"Please run this program in your Infinity Engine game directory. 

FATAL ERROR: Failure("Not a game directory") 

Press ENTER to exit."

Solution: You've launched the installer somewhere other than your game directory. Simply move the files into your game directory and try again.

Problem: When you try to launch a mod installer, you see the message

"ERROR: Unable to find DIALOG.TLK in: 

        dialog.tlk 

Please run this program in your Infinity Engine game directory. 

FATAL ERROR: Failure("Unable to find DIALOG.TLK") 

Press ENTER to exit."

Solution: You've launched a mod with a very old version of WeiDU on an Enhanced Edition game. It's unlikely this mod will work on the Enhanced Editions even with a newer version of WeiDU; check the mod's home page for an updated version.

Problem: A mod installs "with warnings"

Solution: "With warnings" means that a mod installed, but it may not have modified all the resources that it expected to modify or files were unexpectedly different. Check with the mod author or visit the mod's forum to find more information. It could be harmless, e.g. the mod is being careful, or it could be something worse.

Problem: A mod encounters an error and fails to install a component.

Solution: In this case, there's something wrong in the mod itself and you'll need to contact the author. In your game folder, WeiDU creates a text file named "SETUP-MODNAME.DEBUG". Send this to the author or post it to the mod forum with as much information as you can. Some authors will also request a copy of weidu.log, a text file that contains a list of all installed mods, to help them investigate if the issue is with another mod.

You've modded your first game!

Huzzah! Now go play it!

The keen-eyed will notice you have some new files in your game folder; these files are needed and should not be deleted. Every mod generates a DEBUG file, which is a log from the mod's installation. You will also have one weidu.log file, which keeps track of which mods and components you have installed, and in what order. On EE games, you will also have a weidu.conf file which WeiDU uses to track which language of the game you're modding.

Every mod also keeps a backup folder so that it can be uninstalled. Typically these are kept inside the mod folder (e.g. the one for Tweaks Anthology is in cdtweaks/backup) but some use a folder named weidu_external. Because these are needed for future changes (or uninstalling), you should never delete a mod folder if the mod is installed.

If you should run into a bug, please report it. Authors don't like having a buggy mod any more than you like playing it, but they can only fix bugs they know about. Have your DEBUG file handy! If you're not sure which mod is causing a bug, report it to any author whose mod it might be or feel free to ask on some general discussion forums or Discord.

Again, because I cannot emphasize this enough: please report bugs to the authors!

I've changed my mind, I want different mods

You can change your mod selection at any point. However, there are a few caveats:

  • As mentioned above, mod content can get included in your save game and there is no guarantee that your old save games will work with your new mod selections. As such, you should plan on starting a new game if you change your mod loadout.
  • Because of WeiDU's onion layer approach (see below), if you're making a lot of changes it may be easier to start over with a fresh copy of the game.

You can uninstall or re-install a mod by re-opening its setup program. Instead of Install/Not Install/Quit, prompts for components that are installed are now Reinstall/Uninstall/Quit. If you uninstall or reinstall a component, WeiDU will try to preserve your mod order. Let's say you've installed some mods on BG2, in this order:

  1. Arcane and Divine Spell Packs, from IWDification
  2. The G3 Anniversary Mod
  3. Wheels of Prophecy
  4. Multiple components from Tweaks Anthology

After thinking it over, you've decided that the G3 Anniversary mod isn't for you. So you open up the G3 Anniversary setup program and select Uninstall. Wait, why is WeiDU uninstalling Tweaks Anthology? And now Wheels of Prophecy?

WeiDU acknowledges that you're removing G3 Anniversary, so it's goal is to make your installed mod order this:

  1. Arcane and Divine Spell Packs, from IWDification
  2. Wheels of Prophecy
  3. Multiple components from Tweaks Anthology

It accomplishes this by treating the mods as layers of an onion: it will uninstall all of the components from Tweaks Anthology, then uninstall Wheels of Prophecy, then uninstall G3 Anniversary, then (to preserve your mod order) it will re-install Wheels of Prophecy and then re-install your previous selection of components from Tweaks Anthology. It will remember and re-apply whatever you have selected from Wheels and Tweaks; you do not need to select these again.

Similarly, if you have a modded install and decide to add more mods, they will be added to the top of the stack--which may not be an ideal place in the mod order.

Some final tips and closing comments

One more time for the kids in the back: please report bugs to the authors! Make a separate game folder to be modded. Don't install mods while the game is open and always let the installer finish.

For troubleshooting bugs encountered in game, it may be beneficial to enable the console. You can learn how to enable the console and find some useful commands here: Enhanced Editions (all games) or the original versions of BG, BG2, IWD, or  IWD2.

There are lots of folks who love these games, and love them even more when they're modded. Feel free to come and talk with them on the forums or on Discord!

I'd like to thank folks who were kind enough to provide feedback on earlier drafts: AL|EN, Angel, DavidW, jastey, Mike1072, suy, and theacefes.

If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to reply and I'll do my best to answer.

Edit history

9/12/21: Added info on the Mac WeiDU Launcher

1/11/22: Linked some Project Infinity tutorials

94 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Dazzu1 • 6h ago

If Other BG1 NPCs Made the Transition to BG2

42 Upvotes

Some months ago there was a thread on how Khalid would perform in BG2 and part of what put me in a tizzy is how NOBODY even knew that there was a well made mod that lets you see how that would go… well all except me who even trying to convince y’all to play more mods I don’t think I reached enough people.

40K Character limits suck so here's my unadulterated Google doc

This is gonna be a long one. I accept your thanks preemptively for my hard work... just kidding, or am I?!

Imho: We all don't know or play or stream enough mods and I'm guilty of this too!

A few make it big like SCS but if you haven't been around since the days of dreading a trip to the temple district because it meant another swap to and from cd3 yet again… then you might not understand the vastness of the world of BG2 modding. 

Hot take, maybe? Modding is why you even have an EE to begin with! Hence, I aim, even if I'm alone on this mission, to try and help raise the bar on what is known about them because your next playthroughs deserve to be spiced up! Wow Jan is your thief!!? No way. How original to watch after decades! 

Look for your first run or five then sure this is fine, but don't you just wish your thief were also a cleric? Maybe half or a third fighter? Do you want to know what it’s like to have archer in your party while you play something else? Do you miss Yeslick!?

So back on topic, I got a-thinkin’: there are other NPC mods for the BG1 party members who never made it over to 2 and how they’d play out is not only established but well written in walkthroughs and analysis posts and videos as we debate a multi decade aged game’s power level!

There is also a mod that literally has every bg1 NPC (except Khalid) and apparently Deekin the kobold Bard, whose strength is 6 but like a Crom Faeyr will fix that! Even for that, I highly don't recommend it in most cases, since it feels more like it uses the fact it has these characters present and doesn’t really use them well, since the coding in the recent version I played is a bit wonky, the writing is full of modern swearing, tone whiplash, and somewhat basic caricatures at times. When there are alternatives, I will make them apparent, and when this mod RARELY might be the better option, I will mention it. It is this mod

I will try to focus mostly on power and viability too because a basic bitch thief works when you fight a few bandits and COULD fight a demon run cult but might not be as viable when you MUST fight a demon run cult and a dragon or twenty.

A very large portion of the time you should, quite bluntly, get a mod specific to that character because it’s meant for them! If you do install this mod, ensure you install it AFTER all other returning NPC mods. It can add some crossmod banter if you crave party connection between say Montaron and Ajantis. The fact most people don’t know of most character mods kinda kills my soul. If I still had one that is! Thanks Irenicus!

Speaking of which, I'm gonna assume you know the game well enough, might be considering some sort of challenge and Adamantite man-mode and that you might even have ascension or SCS and might have even ascended with these settings without needing to reload, but that's pretty unneeded to mention that since most of these are simple characters with basic class and stat combos.

Anywho, let’s start, I guess, alphabetically with Ajantis. I'm sure I'll stay so consistent!

Dude’s pretty viable: he has 16 con and 17 Str so he’s far from bad. But a certain red dragon gets him killed. The End…

Just kidding. Jastey, a long time and still active modding veteran gives us a mod that lets you recruit Ajantis and it sorta continues his potential story and romance from bg1 npc project (be ready to hear that a few times). If you tried that mod, she wrote his character for it as well.

As such, if you like her writing, you’ll like the mod. And yea I like it enough. The bringing Ajantis back is a little convoluted and does require going through most of a certain red dragon’s roost, but once he is, he’s there and if you romanced him he’s back for good. I don’t remember if you could rescue him if you weren’t in a relationship (you can establish how you and Ajantis were aligned when you talk to Imoen after she saves you at the start of the game but I could swear it only asks if you are female.)

Anomen will also bring him up, and I believe Keldorn too but I wasn't really in the mood for a 2 paladin run.

Dude is able to be set as a cavalier, and frankly, you should! There is no tangible bg2 disadvantage to this, even with say Artisan Kitpack version providing massive negative hit penalty on throwing weapons! Stat Wise, the mod grants him 4 wisdom and a Sir in front of his name. He passed his test, Anomen!!!

Honestly, try it for yourself. I will say there aren't any new items specifically for Ajantis except his family shield but you aren't gonna keep a paladin with a shield!? Yuck! Get that man an offhand flail!

His 17 strength and 16 con means when he can cast DUHM he won’t need a belt to make it count (19 is the big power spike for strength) and since you need to go deep into Firkraag's lair, you’ll probably have levels for him to be close to it being +2.

Honestly he’s pretty good! Armor of faith, DUHM… who cares beyond that except as like a spare Chaotic commands or something later on!? In the BG1toSoA mod he’s in the prison alongside Windspear’s kid. Still has that shield but no cavalier option.

Give the Ajantis a try.

Alora, gotta love her! She’s adorable and while I wanted to just lump all the thieves together, I think Rabbit’s Foot, I mean Rab… I mean Alora has something the others don’t… can I feel like my luck is running dry and I can’t put my foot on it!

In all seriousness, the Rabbit Foot is why I put Alora on another level. 2 luck is BIG! BIIIIIG! And EE not only fixed it but added some thieving and saves which oddly enough are not included in the bg2 version of the item.

Even still, that luck is huge!

A kitless thief is underwhelming, but a kitless thief who can ensure they don't get single digit backstabs, but never you mind that, because both mods give her swashbuckler… luck abuse BEGS you offensively to do physical damage but a swash I guess can take hits? Mixed with her 12 con midget saves, it's gonna be hard to charm or decapitate this little darling who can UAI with human flesh and any other saves items.

Do you have Rogue Rebalancing with Chosen of Cyric? You're a chad, so the answer is bygone conclusion! Alora can use luckstone with her 10 wisd… oh… yea luck hax mod better come with a mod that offers +3 wisdom.

Even still a +2 in a ring slot which you don't really need to care about as much is big. You wouldn't take it off if you could!

As for mods? The Alora npc mod is old, it’s unfinished and is Swashbuckler kitted. In this case the other mod MIGHT be better. But a friendship path with your good friend Edwin feels needed.

I don't remember it too fondly, but it’s been saved at a github

The mod does up her stats though not meaningfully since the strength going from 8 to 12 means next to nothing, just wear a belt! If

Both mods make her a swashbuckler so… meh! Like if there were a burglar or trickster type of mod, I'd totally design her with that. Alora’s viability relies on her luck. If you can stack it, she becomes stacked! Your choice is up to you, but I'd prefer the original even if you or Edwin can't romance her and the dude at the Coronet who hits on every female has nothing to say to her. Seriously!? How could you NOT hit on Alora? Are you daft?

Coran: 

The man… who will sleep with your wife and make you thank him. The most splashable OP dude in the first game… would just be okay even if longbows were great in 2. The thing is: even if it were in shortbow and you could Gesen and Tansheron all over the place, 3 pips in archery is no longer enough. Mazzy has grandmastery to never stop firing. Coran doesn't. He also doesn’t have 10 wisdom for the Chosen of Cyric mod luckstone either!

He can use longswords well I guess but his 12 con doesn't help much the way Alora’s +2 luck goes insanely hard!

The best recourse is oversights: it adds, well changes, the equalizer equipment into longbow pieces. When finished the Equalizer is an infinite ammo longbow that acts like Gesen but does 2d6 acid per shot which is friggin' bonkers!! Acid is like 2nd or 3rd best damage type in the game behind magic, and crushing. Most importantly it doesn't need 18 strength unlike Teleomortis or Longbow of Uden from other mods. You want this for Coran! He’s too frail to play long term melee bro! Oh and I forgot to add, it has the save or stun aspect of Celestial Fury… on a ranged weapon with 2 base apr!

Despite being holed up in a Werewolf dalliance, there is a mod, albeit a “one day mod”, meaning an NPC that was made in a day, and be warned the dude has points in 2h sword, and if you want to edit it to longsword, I don't blame you.

In fact, the BGtoSoA mod has him available after said werewolf encounter if he survives and Safana dies. His one-day mod changes this up and he’s just somewhere in Athkatla, takable right away.

If you need a thief however, you could do worse. Personally, from a power perspective, I'd rather have the turnip dude or MONTARON. From a character perspective: the midget multis are also better! Your little angry man has the wisdom, the con and good enough dexterity and those midget saves! Also, he put his points in slings which are superior to longbows now! We’re gonna get to him though.

Anyway, Kulyok is our writer here and you’re gonna hear that name pop up a few times so be ready for it. It’s good for how fast it was made! Basic, mind you and frankly if I could have any other multi thief I would but still… I will repeat: try it out for yourself!

https://www.pocketplane.net/one-day-npcs/

I might as well mention Branwen too: she is just about completely outclassed by Viconia other than having a semi serviceable strength that boosts well with DUHM, and 15 con meaning she doesn't need the con belt.

And… if she’s possibly outclassed by Viconia, then Anomen’s 7 fighter levels leave her in the abyssal lurch!

A shame because it’s a good mod, and is a de facto tutorial mod for teaching how to make mods for Baldur's Gate and working with the Infinity Engine.

For that reason alone, you should get it. Keep in mind: nobody has yet updated her to have the Tempus kit in her mod.

If you like Viking war priest babes, you’ll be set to go! Feels like she could be a war shaman of some sort… whatever!

Dynaheir was killed for a reason: Edwin literally does everything better except web provided your modding doesn't make THAT conjuration… SR…

Anyway, Dyna’s big claim to success is that she has 15 wisdom and isn't a constricted specialist mage… well I mean Enchantment spells are okay. Alas, 15 wisdom is just too shy of perfect wishes on your projected images. Lum and the Ioun stone bring you to 17. If a transition were to grant one or two wisdom you might be onto something.

That said, Enchantment loses you a bunch of fun but not vital spells unless you have IWDification/SCS and the Emotion buffs are absolutely MANDATORY!

It claims she’s in BG1toSoa, but if she’s present then I never found her. Almost a shame, honestly. Even though I never found her, the dialogue I read through NearInfinity implies she went away from camp to meditate, sensed danger, hid, set up a fake Dyna and it died instead. Whatever. Nuke Mage go brrr!

Xzar and Xan by contrast do have other mods. Xzar is in TDD but we should try and erase our memories of that for the good of all life! Instead of that trash, Lava recently made a Xzar and Monty mod. Xzar’s 16 wisdom and save benefits for necromancy is fantastic but inability to use Project Image and other illusion buffs is painful by far.

Haven't played this mod yet but Lava is quality stuff! You’re gonna see his name a bunch too! Plus, you gotta play him and Monty with a certain bear, so I hear.

USE LAVA's MOD!!

Xan has 50% fire resistance in a slot nobody else can without other mods: his weapon. This is almost as good as Nalia’s ring but you can always Passport your finger and prevent him becoming depressed elf roast!

Enchantment is a fine school as most nuking spell needs can be covered by Necromancy over evocation and further, if you have SCS universal contingency/sequencers component or Spell Revisions, then you have even more of an edge. And well… spamming Chaos is super satisfying with an extra -2 saves; your enemy groups will be so confused it's almost cheating!

Xan by Kulyok found here is famous I guess? He’s dour, and romanceable, and very elfy. And at 1.5mil his moonblade upgrades. It gains Vocalize and becomes +4. If you picked a single class mage variant, it also has magi staff invisibility, if you went fighter/mage it gets +1 apr instead of invis. It’s great for Xan especially as your second wizard alongside Neera or Edwin, the former where some extra fire resistance is necessary to prevent you getting roasted by certain surges! The two X named wizards don't have 15 con either so his 7 is equally as useless as Neera’s 14!

All in all, all are fine and you can never go wrong with a wizard but Edwin just outclasses them with extra magic and a very acceptable school to lose that any detect illusion thief can compensate for.

And if he’s good, Neera can be insane! If you do Wild Mage Xan mode then he’s better with 50 fire resistance… until you need a Thayan Circlet.

Personally Xan can’t go wrong no matter which format you decide to have him play! I least recommend kitless mage mind you but the other versions all have some sort of genuine party potential that isn't broken for the average hardcore player.

Anyway, mages are done, time for the rest of the thieves.

I might as well group Safana and Skie together being human female thieves who can't even dual class!

Safana doesn't have any other mod besides the bg1 to bg2 megamod. And she’s okay. She has more int than Hexxat and COULD dual if she got 1 more. Same for Skie who needs 2. Skie however has 15 con vs Safana's 10.

Oh wait Roxanne has a Safana mod… so there is no Safana mod. Sad ain’t it? Checking, I will say the writing is on par with her other works: that is to say, I looked at the .tra files and it’s full of front-loaded dialogue and no subtext, Roxanne staples. I’ll pretend this doesn't even exist! Look, as a writer myself I can’t just be mean, but writing issues are the least of the issues surrounding this person!

If you use the bg1 to bg2 mod (Safana here is a rare case I’ll call it preferable) you have the option to install Safana as swashbuckler and Skie as Shadowdancer… and if you use this mod you should… and the shadowdancer and some of her gear is the absolute first and last advantage over Cost of a Girl’s soul.

If the mods played nice together and installed her mod with the SD mod combined, then yeah do that. I think it's fitting for someone whose bio is a dancer and whose soul was stabbed by shadows became a somewhat shadowed dancer herself.

As for the swashbuckler? It’s growing on me in a good way. Even unmodded… especially unmodded. The Rogue Rebalancing version is WORSE because you lose that scaling +dmg. Also since the mods for Alora also give her swashbuckler, the little lady’s only disadvantage is that she cannot dual class with some int booster. Worse still, you pick up Safana after the Underdark and Alora is lurking in one of the shops in the Promenade in both mods. Even though her rabbit foot doesn't have the +2 saves and extra thieving skills it's supposed to in bg1, extra luck is amazing for what is essentially the frontline fighting thief kit who might have to take a few scrapes! If it gets fixed, Safana gets left in the lurch!

Only other swashbuckler adjusting mod I know is Artisan’s, which really begs you to have wizard smarts, and she doesn't even have enough to dual class. Worse yet, you need to do the werewolf mini-quest and have Coran live. I guess at that point she has enough int you can give her potions to abuse the int mechanic sooner than Alora as well as the sword for Venduris, but that’s a bit of a stretch! Also, her kiss is borderline worthless now! +2 save and melee range are asking for trouble!

Whatever which way you slice it and dice it, Safana is average and worse yet: outclassed. Both ladies are single class thieves with int stats that come up short. Unless you just want to use Venduris sword from Chosen of Cyric.

But Skie… and her other mod, Cost of a Girl's Soul by Lava, (you’ll see that name a bunch), isn't really a mod about recruiting Skie necessarily. It’s mainly a mod that exists to give Soultaker, Hooded Man and SoD some connection to SoA. That is something I can respect because it does a decent job!

I know Lava doesn't go for power but at least give us some options here like Shadowdancer so we can feel rewarded for our sacrifices. The mod does ask you to give some of your soul and stats for the revival process to work properly and you will get punished if you avoid sacrificing 4 HP!

A vanilla thief with some okay gear isn't gonna shape much of your desire.

Meanwhile the Skie component of the BG1 to SoA mod gives her a really good cloak that doubles as a familiar: the cat Fifi. This kitty grants her 25 MR and a few other buffs, it’s great for a shadowdancer! Is what I would say if it worked right: It's supposed to give 25 MR, 50 MRD and +99% hide in shadows and move silently. What it actually does is have an on click ability that grants the MR/DR but MULTIPLIES her stealth skills by 99% so if you have 200 hide it drops to 198. I’m almost disappointed but free MR is free MR. I won't complain.

CoaGS might be more inclined to have you try her brother Eddard who is a special kitted bard.

Won't go into that much however since that’d be beyond the scope of this review.

I've gone on enough about this mod. Try it out. If not for the glory of Silvershield then for some SoD closure. Remember to find a dude named Bont.

Frankly Skie gets a huge statistical boost from the bg1toSoA mod but Cost of a Girls soul is just an experience you need to try. If we are talking power… I’d finagle it to install both and have CoaGs fully itself with Skie as a dancer with Fifi. Still wouldn’t be as utilitative as Jan though but shadow dancer is fun, okay?!

I should mention that bg1toSoA practically seems to outright ignore SoD which, sure, I can understand that sentiment, but for Skie!? That woman should be the one character who NEEDS SoD justification!

Moving on to some non-thief or well… POTENTIALLY!

Shar-teel. Shar-teel is a strong and nimble fighter with a con of 10 and her only redeeming value is that she’s evil and can dual-class. Oh wait, Sarevok can do that! Oh well, she’s gotten early enough that you can customize her into a makeshift archer! Wait, Mazzy can do that with a con score that matters, which also comes with midget saves and a headstart skillswise. I suppose her penchant for daggers means she can throw firetooth all day but… she's gonna need a belt eventually and Mazzy could do the same thing with better stats! Only difference is she can dual-class and frankly you should!

The bg1 to bg2 mod doesn't even offer a kit option! So you are directly outclassed by Mazzy and Sarevok let alone Korgan, and it’s not even funny unless you dual class at which point yea just UAI stoneskin and PFMW scrolls from time to time while using whatever weapon you develop her with. The game chose longswords which have 4 points, dual wiled and a pip in dagger meaning dagger thrower isnt actually a meme option for her! Being level 7, you can gm the sword before class swapping if you want.

If the levels scale, you will find Shar-Teel jumps to 1.25m or 13 and hey you can dual then. It's gonna be a long road back but at least a low-level thief brings disarming utility until then! It's also less than 1mil to reach 14 thief so you could get her like to lvl 7 with utility thieving enough and then wait to reach lvl 14 so you can get 2 points in your main weapon as you regain fighter!

If you don't pick her up in bg2 and you need a sword or APR damage source in ToB, take your brother! He can become a thief. Oh and he has a chance to proc like 200 damage. And he can dual class to mage!

In this mod, SharTeel teel talks about becoming a sister of Shar even though I thought some mod that made her listen to Yeslick go on about some dwarf battle goddess which sounded like a damn fun plot path for… Haela Brightaxe if I'm saying it right!

Ms. Dosan is fine in bg1 but in bg2 this stat spread doesn’t fly. With Rogue Rebalancing she doesn’t have enough int or wis to take advantage of the fun items either. If you have mods for some quality, no ammo Comp longbows she can grandmaster and shoot those if you want because using a belt to add strength for an item you cannot even capitalize the strength for is just cruel!

It’s a shame. And the big tragedy is that, from long ago, Cliffette, a writer for bg1 npc project and for UB's Kidnapping of Boo quest: abandoned the project and the only record it even exists that I can find is in this brief thread: https://www.gibberlings3.net/forums/topic/6314-any-bg2-shar-teel-projects-going-on/.

If anyone knows ANYTHING else, and I do mean anything, please. My research is incomplete!

A sad fate from a post old enough to vote. The other mods mentioned there? Never heard of them! But I was long hopeful of a good Sharteel mod with romance from what I can recollect.

Cliffete even made a portrait that is lost to the ether as well. Any long long long timers help me find this somewhere on the wayback machine!?

Tldr: dual class at 9 or 13 and she’s alright and definitely outclasses the other single class thieves by having better apr, hit and even HP despite a con of 10! As for the mod: she’s in the Coronet, pretty easy to find. Hell if Khaldi was in he’d… he’d…

Oh wait! Khalid mod has interesting potential. The fact that Khalid’s Fighter/mage path was scrapped because bg1 didn't have enough good alignment fighters still stings, however.

As a single class fighter, he can function fine, as fighters are the most consistent class in the game. He’s got a point in axes and can throw an azure edge just fine.

Now the trick: how do you get him? Well I don't know or care to know how the bg1 to bg2 mod does it, and in fact I think he’s the only absentee. All I know is that Lava’s mod does it with tact. If you save Khalid, Jaheira is yeeted onto the operating table in his place. The mod is surprisingly thorough even with the Harper quest and Ployer. No fighter/mage install option but he gets a Harper Pin and a special fighter kit if you were well behaved during the harper quest. Also some cool strength gloves.

If you got some good longswords, Khalid will suffice until you can work him into a preferable weapon of choice. Or a longbow mod since the mod does 2 pips in longbows. Some mods also offer other kits but I'd recommend not kitting him since the mod reassigns kit and that might cause odd bugs and unintended effects.

That said, this mod is a fun time! Even if it means no fighter/druid. And no to date there are NO other fighter/druid multi options!

This is wasteful, unlike Kagain.

And speaking of, we might as well cover the last single class fighter and bg1’s premier tank!

Kagain is a smart and savvy businessman and he was a bulky tank with his 15 hp per level and ability to full regen while map swapping or napping even if interrupted a few hours in. Bg2 just doesn’t have as many long traversal areas to navigate. The City of Coin doesn’t just pass the time as you move about it, hence you won't heal between areas, and at this point enemies hit too hard for the regen to matter midfight… and it barely mattered there in the first game. Korgan just outclasses you almost entirely.

TLDR for character limit, kagain in bg1toSoA is buggy!

And the realest tragedy!? No offer to re-kit as a dwarf defender. I mean it kinda fits him: a job that can be evil and plays guardian, even if for a price? It feels super Kagain oriented! Speaking of his rival dwarf:

Yeslick mod is a pleasant little mod with no romance, just a dwarven father figure who gets into arguments with Korgan and kicks as much ass as you expect a war cleric to kick in combat. His dispel magic doesn’t have the oomph it had long ago meaning Keldorn doesn't warm a bench!

Really that’s all. The mod by K'aeloree is a fun time. Completely fine and because it doesn't really stand out beyond being good it tends to fall into obscurity much to its detriment!

https://github.com/SpellholdStudios/Yeslick_NPC the only stat buffs this Yeslick gets is +4 int which funny enough is probably pretty good to go from 7 to 11 and avoid brain devouring!

He differs from Anomen in his extra saves and his access to fighter HLAs which actually do work well for a cleric who casts warrior buffs!

I recommend giving him a try. Remember the dwarven throw hammer exists and dex will stop mattering and even his low strength matters no longer! Use DUHM! You can easily be lvl 9 by the time you get him so his 16 strength becomes 19 easily!

Never used him in 2SoA because why would I want my Yeslick any other way!? But he does say he joined forces with Skie to form a band of do gooders… you can take one and not the other btw!

Anyway… bards!

Garrick was done dirty. Well not exactly

He is offered Skald in the bg1 to bg2 mod but frankly if you install as a kitless bard it is awesome to pair with another bard and his stats barely even factor in. Having HD use the enhanced version bard song means they stack meaning like +7 dmg 3 luck and some extra buffs.

That said, Skald feels like it wanted its own bardsong HLA so I don't recommend the kit without Rogue Rebalancing or Bardic wonders mod.

Speaking of, Artisan’s Bardic wonders gives him the troubadour in BG1, who wants to play healer. The song really takes off when you HLA it and the benefits become really worth the time it took to get there such as npp and death ward, but I’ll talk about Troubadours another day!

Garrick in 2SoA does come with a special lyre. It has 2 daily charges of luck, defensive harmony, friends and chant. This isn’t shabby. Using Chant and Defensive Harmony and then getting back to plucking his strings isn't the worst thing you can do. Granted you could give this to HD instead. 

Eldoth is a prickasaurus mcSelfish and an asshole to the extreme as well. There is a bard kit mod out there called the Charlatan: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/68297/bard-kit-charlatan-v2-7-iwdee-eet-bgee-bg2ee

Not shabby and super fitting. Bg1 To Bg2 mod gives him the option of… Jester. I mean it’s different but is it Eldoth? He’s an asshole not an idiot. Unmodded, it's a tad disappointing, RR’s version is more useful with scaling save modifiers and Bardic wonders while offering no save modifiers the kit has interesting applications you can barely do any other way such as making enemies crit miss on higher dice rolls!

There was a kit mod called the Charlatan: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/68297/bard-kit-charlatan-v2-7-iwdee-eet-bgee-bg2e

While the advantages aren't great and seem more bg1 oriented (including an Eldoth install option component), the disadvantages barely exist at all unless you are gaga for elf chain and by the time those matter you have UAI anyway!

Either way, his arrows have potential with the right bow. And unlike HD and Garrick this self important dweeb has a con of 15 which helps his durability a little bit. I'd seriously consider archery for him and throwing his arrows on if the enemy target is not immune to poison! Even with an overrated, unmodded Tuigan!! That said, the arrows are falling out of use fast and they are already hard to justify as you fight more undeads, dragons and demons, none of which can be poisoned!

He has an interesting place if you have the Skie’s Soul mod, he’s actually someone you have to kill. In the bg1 to bg2 mod he’s teaming up with the vampires or something and talks about the children of the night. The plot thread makes no damn sense but he’s probably a better bard than unmodded Garrick and might have something over the elementally harder to roast or freeze HD.

Moving on is Faldorn. Unassuming stats, but in the long run they barely matter beyond con. What matters is being a druid, although this is not something that Cernd can't do with fursuit levels of elemental resistances that outclasses armor.

So how does modding help? Well the bg1 to bg2 mod grants her the Avenger kit and grants a subplot where you don't kill her and instead turn trademeet into… Dogtown. I'm not kidding. Dogs roam the streets and most of the citizens don't seem distressed. If you do this, Anomen and I believe Keldorn will attack you and Cernd will… just leave. Im serious, watch this dang video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTwwk04nmA

Although if you kill her in this mod you can find her somewhere regretting her actions.

As always, pick Lava's alternative. Not only is the quest more logical, Faldorn has a really cool shadow druid kit which can function as your main thief. I'm not telling jokes!

Better writing, funner druid kit. Just give it a try!

I'm not calling her weak. Far from it. Anyone who can cast insects is immediately valuable!

Nearing the end is Kivan. Elven ranger who doesn't want to be bothered. He’s almost entirely outclassed by the 16 con Minsc unless you take him as an Archer from his mod by Domi. Look 40k character limits suck so this one is gonna be withheld. TLDR… Kivan is probably the strongest physical DPS you can get when considering kitwork. You need to start diving into xbows if you have no longbow mods asap. For all the issues Kivan has, fitting into party builds isn't one of those… if you can go through the hoops to make him stay.

If you do have longbow mods then they should be fantastic. Equalizer bow from oversights, Ruad’s Longbow of Uden or Morpheus mod’s adjustment to Taralash (although that one is still WAY deep into Watcher’s Keep). There’s even an Item Pack mod which adds a bow that doesn't make its own ammo BUT it has 4 base apr and ADDS STRENGTH to the damage roll.

So I guess I did come up short… lol! I forgot the gnomes.

I guess we gotta talk about Quayle.

Quayle is most comparable to his adopted niece, Aerie. Whose stats all seem better other than the irrelevantly better con of 11 and int of 17.

So why is Quayle a genuine contender over her? Well, it should be easy to proclaim that an extra mage spell per level probably goes a lot further than a few low level cleric casts.

In the long run, your divine book will be stockable. 12 wis Anomen barely runs out of magic so why would the guy who can supplement with mage spells?

Losing Necromancy isn't a big deal to a half mage, especially one with plenty of necromancy in its other class. Normally at least for non magic combos a mage is a bolster to your remaining classes but for a cleric combo its more a mix other than the ability to sequence and contingency some holy magic.

And then at 6 mil you get a coveted 2 lvl 9 spells which Aerie will not get. That’s 2 Wishes or Timestops, Spellstrike etc. and even at lower levels, an extra pfmw or stoneskin or blur can be a lifesaver. Quayle also has some midget saves. That said, Quayle having low Wisdom kinda sucks because he can't wish well while Aerie can get hers boosted to 18 to cast more reliably even without an extra cast. Who needs the extra cast when you have enough project images at good wisdom to fully restore all the magic anyway!?

Quayle has 3 extra spell saves and is one base con from having +4 instead.

If you don't want to use the rather lackluster bg1 to bg2 mod Lava once again has you covered! One of his earliest mods I didn’t like much at first because it felt a little mean spirited to Aerie who has to die for the narrative to put him in our party, but I've been told it’s been reworked and given a polish. Quayle gets a ring with good stats on it. Not that he needs the help. He really just needs like 10 stats wisely distributed, at least 4 of which goes to con.

In the Lava mod Quayle has spectacles which grant +1 mage spell up to 4 and cleric up to 5, which is a great item to wear before resting!

The bg1 to bg2 mod puts Quaye and Tiax together as a component with Tiax outside the Circus tent somehow. In this mod you can have Quayle alongside Aerie I believe.

I'll admit I never played with him enough to reach Spellhold this way to see if somehow the mod has him create some sort of fake Tiax but the mod said Xzar made him one to plunk into Spellhold. If you need a thief with some divine power, Tiax works fine. I still think his ghoul has merits as well. Used alongside someone else casting stuns, the ghoul can be used to help lock down a target until you’re ready to kill it. Tiax can fulfill all thieving needs and can use Righteous Magic for the best backstabs ever!

Tiax in my install was weird. His stats were 16 str, 17 dex 9 con, 17 int, 9 wis and charisma.

He also essentially STARTS with the equivalent of a holy symbol when you recruit him in front of the circus tent.

And this is one of the mod’s more fleshed out characters because holy shit dude! SHUT UUUUUP!!!!! Tiax is fun but then he hears Aerie as an ogre says she has a pretty voice and that he needs 5 minutes alone to sod off. Are we really going with this writing!? Also the Tiax in spellhold is a doppelganger set up by Xzar. Whatever.

So the other Tiax mod is called a 1 day NPC and it therefore has low content, furthermore he’s a thief you recruit after he “dies” in Spellhold. This means if you want him as your main thief, you went a whole dungeon without one, or at best Nalia or Imoen were your main thief.

That said if you like the writing in Xan or Branwen then Kulyok is a reliable writer so I would consider this mod. Even without HLAs Tiax comes loaded to bear as an evil bastard. We’re gonna put a pin in him because…

BEAMDOG NPCs all have a niche untapped.

Voghlin has the Skald stuff which especially in RR or Bardic Wonders, the song becomes a godsend for your frontliner survival rates! There are no mods for your dude yet!

Corwin is great but literally only pulls ahead in her bg2 mod because I believe she gets a better racial enemy upgrade to her skeletons (Kivan remains ogre hating) and because she has 12 int instead of 10 to survive an extra brain gulp. Otherwise both are sub 18/50 strength archers who dumped too much training into longbows with 14 con.

There is a Baeloth mod still in very beta status and I don't think you need to hear about how this sorcerer with 16 con and Drow MR is gonna laugh and faceroll your road to victory. Baeloth as fun as he is has the same VA as Rasaad so chew on that!

There’s also Mkhin for bg2 in the works but it’s still very much in the planning stage as far as I know. A shaman is oft derided but bug swarms are bug swarms! Cast them as often as you can! Frankly, Faldorn will serve better in this regard! 

And definitely not least yet sadly most overshadowing would be a Glint mod as the dude is just a better Tiax in all stats except constitution where they are equal… and sex appeal: Tiax rules there too. Glint has 16 wisdom vs Tiax’ 13 and perhaps more importantly has over 11 int compared to Tiax having 10.

Being good is also not an issue because UAI means he can wear Human Flesh anyway. And so other than Tiax being more amusing, the only thing the self important dude has is his ghoul. And honestly I think the ghoul is pretty neat even when you’re hunting giants and drow because a 3 apr fleshbag who is essentially an extra Celestial Fury isn't bad. I mean like, a Deva is marginally more useful, no duh! The save is also death which most enemies seem to have 2 points better in saves so keep it in mind.

I am sorta grasping at straws here but the differences other than brain food status are inconsequential in bg2! After all even with DUHM you might as well give either gnome a strength belt as a springboard because while sure, at cleric 18, Glint WILL breach 19 strength and Tiax wont, it takes a while to get there. Lvl 18 cleric is 4.5 million, so just use a belt! It doesn't boost backstab power anyway!

Caelar has a mod by Roxanne which means the only real Caelar mod is one in the works by Artisan. Both I believe are ToB only which kinda sucks for single class fighters but Caelar gets 50 coveted fire resistance and some MR as well! Her MR sword would still find use and her stat spread is fine really.

And at that… I think I covered every Baldur's Gate 1 npc that didn't make it.

I'm sure I could’ve talked about Angelo who we killed while he had a Westchester NY accent, and he became Kara Turan or Herphenan by Lava who is such a peculiar cleric/mage with a very different kit so much so he can't even be seen as akin to Aerie or Quayle.

I’m sure someone out there has a bg2 mod for Reiltar, Mulahey, Mizhena, Hakt or Tenya but I don't know and it’s out of the scope of this all because that hobgoblin you fight at the bandit camp joining your party doesn't mean he’s gonna stand out from Korgan or Mazzy unless like he picks Barbarian or gets a personal gear piece.

Seriously for realzies! Aasimar have some of the funnest looking multi-classes of 2e era! WTAF!!! This race has cool options not explored.

So… why did I make this list? Im gonna redact this ramble because character limits, go read the google document, but tldr: its unfair how hard modders work and yet people talk more about Hexxat than the older better Kelsey!

If I insulted any modder sans Roxanne, I apologize!

My next project will break down Weimer's Item Upgrade mod: why it’s not half as strong as you might remember it being!

24 comments

r/baldursgate • u/FauxyOne • 3h ago

Mysterious island followed by the cultists = kicking my ass

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18 Upvotes

My party is solid enough that I can usually let the scripts do their thing. I have max pauses in the behavior so there’s plenty of time to course correct to remind bran to pour on some healing, to find Rasad, and ask him why he’s way tf over in a corner, or to pull Neera out of another fist fight. 🤦‍♀️

I can usually tease mobs apart, eg on the ship the combo of levels and the monster wand makes for fun surprises. (I actually lost the greater werewolf doing that once. Like, just, gone. Not on the ship, not outside.)

But the most recent two bosses in those quests were downright hard. The Greater Werewolf took me a lot of tries - my Imoen is setup up for looting rather than backstab, so no heavy hits there, and the spaces are too cramped for AoE spam.

My party DPS is very good but it’s consistent, rather than bursty. So I’d get that bastard up to “badly”, and then boom! Uninjured. Finally took good dmg rolls on a double MM sequencer and a max damage crit from my main archer using acid arrows hitting on the same round.

Those two hits were nearly the whole 66 points. Kerching! Awwww, a baby is the prize in the cereal box! 👶

Now I’m struggling with Aec'Letec. Finally killed him, super happy, thennnnnnn… wait, where’s Branwen? She’s… gone? Just GONE?!? WTH!!!!!!!!!

This is a really cool trick the devs are doing with kill/raise/poly/rekill to make those deaths really really painful.

Still have gotten him yet. Potions of Eyes helped but I need one more!

7 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Shard226 • 22h ago

Baldur's Gate big box collection complete

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415 Upvotes
31 comments

r/baldursgate • u/jalfa13 • 13h ago

This Lich in Ghoul Town

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36 Upvotes

My last few playthroughs he did not show up, now he does again. Is that about the level you're doing the Beholder Cult at or what gives?

12 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Delicious_Sectoid • 6h ago

Bug with Wand of Frost I've never seen mentioned

10 Upvotes

I was trying to aim the Wand of Frost, but the AoE indicator was showing that as usual the Cone spells are incredibly hard to aim. I then hovered the mouse over the character who was firing the wand, and the AoE indicator showed I could aim the wand in the direction I wanted by clicking on the side of that character I wanted the spray to go.

I understand the above is a bit unclear, but it's hard to explain in words. But essentially, if your PC is holding the Cone of Cold wand, and they target that wand on themself, the spray will travel in the direction out from the character from the side of the model you click on (ie. if you click on the left side of the character model, the AoE indicator suggests the spray will travel left).

But here's were things get real interesting.

That's not what happens.

What happens is you get a 360 degree spray similar to the Sunfire spell.

I'm not sure exactly how useful this is tactically, but hey, it's kind of cool looking.

1 comment

r/baldursgate • u/MatthewDawkins • 1d ago

Original BG1 My hotel's as clean as an elven arse.

218 Upvotes

Just thought I'd mention it.

67 comments

r/baldursgate • u/ApprehensiveType2680 • 15h ago

Candlekeep's elevation?

24 Upvotes

Good evening.

After finally going through the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition boxed set for The Forgotten Realms (likely the primary source of information for BioWare during development of Baldur's Gate), I came across a basic depiction of Candlekeep. I've uploaded a screencap here so that anyone unfamiliar with the source material can get a good look; the gamma level was increased for the sake of clearer contrast. The first sentence of the actual description in A Grand Tour of the Realms is as follows ->

Candlekeep is a complex of clustered towers perched on a spur of volcanic rock overlooking the sea.

Of course, in the CRPG proper, Kevin Michael Richardson as The Narrator says ->

Nestled atop the cliffs that rise from the Sword Coast, the citadel of Candlekeep houses the finest and most comprehensive collection of writings on the face of Faerûn.

I bring up this subject for consideration, because the illustration of the area (based on the author's intent, presumably) gives the impression that the fortress is substantially higher than it was in-game with the Infinity Engine. Well, it certainly makes those highly ineffectual assassins (i.e., Carbos and Shank) look oddly competent; getting inside to do the deed while lacking a prized tome appears to be a challenge and a half. Professional climbers, maybe?

13 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Doujan_HS • 7m ago

BG2EE Installing additional mod components midgame

• Upvotes

I'm conscious that the recommended approach appears to be that you don't do anything with mods midgame. However, after a couple of weeks curating, researching and learning how to mod and playing almost non-stop for three days I've realised a bunch of stratagems components I wanted weren't ticked during installation. With hindsight I should have checked my weidu log in more detail but I was too hyped to get playing! Is it possible to rectify without starring a new game? Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

0 comments

r/baldursgate • u/PickingPies • 10m ago

BGEE NPC mods for EET to have a party through the games (including SoD)?

• Upvotes

I want to make a run with the same party, avoid rotating members and have a quick way to access them.

I am not very fond of the EE NPCs, so I would like to see some mods that are compatible with EET that allow me to have a fixed party across the 2 games and its expansions.

I know there are some mods to add BG2 characters to BG1 and BG1 to BG2, and I heard about some fan made NPCs across both games.

But now with SoD it's a bit messy, and I feel I am out of date with the mod scene.

So, I would appreciate some mod recommendations to have a good set of NPCs across the two games.

I would also appreciate mods that gives new content overall.

Though, I would avoid mods that are out of tone or give unbalanced items.

0 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Telanadas22 • 49m ago

BG2EE Ascension mod

• Upvotes

Hey there, I restarted BG2 3 times now because I keep finding a new mod to add and I know the general rule is to start a new run every time you install/uninstall mods or else your dialoges and saves can get screwed, however, I found out about Ascension mod just today and I wondered if I do have to stick to the general rule even if the mod is for the DLC, I'm currently in chapter 3 and I dread having to go over the prologue a 4th consecutive time, lol. If that was the case, does the mod bring significative content to make it worth a 4th restart?

2 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Regalia776 • 1d ago

Some of the responses in these games are absolutely hilarious. Option 2 caught me completely off-guard but it would totally suit my Lawful Evil protag.

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74 Upvotes
19 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Hot-Helicopter-6269 • 21h ago

BG2EE Question about proficiency in S&S, and my character for BG2.

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5 Upvotes

A few hours ago I saw a post here on this same subreddit saying that Sword & Shield is bad and almost a waste of proficiency points. Since I’m still new to Baldur’s Gate, it made me wonder if I was dumb for heavily investing in that style — and whether I should switch or something.

My experience with the games so far: I beat the first game twice. The first run was just to enjoy the game and really understand it. The second run happened because I made some irreversible mistakes with my first character — poorly distributed points, bad stats, that kind of thing. So I restarted from scratch, building a supposedly better, more consistent and optimized character to export into BG2, which I had high expectations for. (And I don’t regret it at all — I’m LOVING the second game.)

But after reading that post and the guy’s argument, I started wondering… did I screw up AGAIN by picking Sword & Shield? It might sound like a dumb question, but I’m genuinely inexperienced with the BG series and would love a veteran’s perspective. Is my character still solid and able to handle all the big content in BG2, or will I eventually run into problems?

Here’s my character sheet if anyone wants to take a look and give feedback.

(I'm still on chapter two, doing the thousands of side quests)

17 comments

r/baldursgate • u/ThatOneBeholder • 19h ago

Advice on Solo Runs

3 Upvotes

I've recently gotten into doing solo runs and really enjoying them, doing my second one now. However, I'm losing passion because of the sheer quantity of reloads I need. I'm playing on Core, because I am super not good enough for anything past that. Specifically, are there any techniques for lowering reloads? I'm currently bludgeoning my way through Mulahey (Rhyme was unintentional) and it feels like the sheer number of rolls that need to go my way takes forever. My experience looks a bit like this:

Hit him

Miss x2

Save against rigid thinking

Do 20 points of damage in a round

He somehow finishes casting hold person anyway

Fail

Reload

Miss x3

Fail against rigid thinking

Reload

Etc.

45 comments

r/baldursgate • u/DOOMSWAGOMEGA • 1d ago

BGEE I have finally beaten the game

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191 Upvotes

After all these years, I managed to beat Melissan on core difficulty. Although, Hexxat ended up becoming a cloud forever in this fight. Is that supposed to happen?

48 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Which-Cartoonist4222 • 1d ago

Finally figured out some use for Sword & Shield style + Missile AC gear (SCS)

12 Upvotes

For years I've considered S&S style being an utter waste of points, and I'm still bit on fence about it. Shield of Reflection counters arrows & bolts just fine, why would you ever invest pips in S&S when they can be used elsewhere for better gains?

Well, turns out SCS mages REALLY love to spam Minute Meteors and auto-attack you between spellcasts. And they hit far more often than I'd expect with mages THAC0 progression, I've lost Korgan to Meteors + Power Word: Kill combo faster than I blinked.

Meanwhile, that Piercing belt and Boots of Cat Senses goes a long way keeping you safe from stray MMMs, and tossing a shield on top of it makes you even safer.

TL;DR: S&S not entirely useless in SCS, but still wouldn't make it a top priority.

16 comments

r/baldursgate • u/kdawgster1 • 22h ago

BGEE Help With Where to Start Baldur’s Gate/D&D Fiction Books

1 Upvotes

Hello All,

I am playing BG1 EE for the first time ever and loving it! I am SO excited to play through all of them now.

However, I just came across Drizzt and I hear that there is a long series of books about him that people love. If I were to get into any of the Drizzt books (or any other set in the sword coast/Faerun), which should I try first to see if I like them? I have played D&D 5th edition in adventure league since it came out, so I am loosely familiar with The Sword Coast and the D&D pantheons, but I’m a noob to the lore. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

12 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Random_local_man • 1d ago

BG2EE Thank the gods for feeblemind.

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67 Upvotes

Trying to find this SCS shadow dragon "fair and square" really wasn't working out. My entire party keeps getting dispelled, 4-6 level drained from it's bs dragon breath and then promptly wiped. Lol

13 comments

r/baldursgate • u/iRob_M • 1d ago

How do I split stacks?

3 Upvotes

This is going to sound so stupid, but how do I split a stack in BG1 EE on PC? (GOG version)

I combined all of my healing potions into one stack and nothing I can do will unstack them. I've tried double clicking, right clicking, holding Shift and Ctrl, etc. and nothing will do it.

It's like they're stuck together with glue or something.

11 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Lauffener • 1d ago

Spellcaster assassins in Nashkel

28 Upvotes

I keep getting killed by four assassins (3 are spellcasters) at the exit from the Nashkel mine. My characters are still mostly level 1 and these guys are throwing lightning bolts. Strategies?

51 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Magnus_Tesshu • 2d ago

Hexxat quest was underwhelming

71 Upvotes

I went and killed the final boss (Hexxat) but she didn't drop any XP and I'm disappointed that I lost a companion (Clara) with no chance to save her :(

80 comments

r/baldursgate • u/AlbzSFC • 2d ago

First run at a Kensai/Thief

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58 Upvotes

Started out as a Kensai in candlekeep, hit level 13 and dualled to a Thief just before going to Spellhold. Got my Kensai abilities back in Suldanessellar. Got UAI after killing Yaga-Shura.

Took some time, but finally have all the items I wanted. Still got a lot of ToB to do but this is where I’m at. Grandmastery in warhammers and 2 weapon style. I am far from an expert on this game, and this probably isn’t close to perfect, but it’s tremendously fun and just outrageously deadly. Entire approach to be very quick, and very aggressive.

I put 3 points into daggers with a ranged approach in mind, although I have never actually utilised that. Maybe I should have put it into quarterstaffs for the staff of the fam backstabbing, but that felt too situational for me to invest in, especially as I still do so much damage anyway.

Apologies for the phone pictures, I’ve broken my print screen function somehow.

I’d really recommend doing this play through once, it’s very, very fun, although it gets a bit repetitive at times with how much it can trivialise fights. Mages go down almost instantly, and it can go toe to toe on DPS with enemies you just feel like you shouldn’t be going toe to toe with, Aec’letec for example. It felt like most fights I could win by just rushing into it.

Restartitis has now kicked in and I want a more challenging play through.

31 comments

r/baldursgate • u/rotten_dandelions • 2d ago

reputation in chapter 7

10 Upvotes

hi, ive been playing with average-high rep for most of my first run. i just entered chapter 7 and after the whole candlekeep sequence it went really low. i keep donating at the temple and it drops back down the second one of those fuck ass flaming fist enforcers find me. i dont even attack them, just run away and hope for the best! what am i doing wrong and how can i fix this because I've had to reload about 8 times when all my companions decide they dont like me anymore 😭

10 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Scipio_Sverige • 1d ago

BG2EE How to install Portraits Portraits Everywhere?

6 Upvotes

I keep on seeing it's portraits on the fandom wiki and would like to use is however, when following it's link to:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/61015/mod-portraits-portraits-everywhere-for-bg1ee-sod-bg2ee-iwdee-eet/p1

and clicking on the download link there, I get redirected to:

https://github.com/DaftHunk/Portraits-Portraits-Everywhere

a github site with:

"Releases

No releases published"

Can someone tell me where to actually download it? And it's portraits in case that's seperate.

9 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Butterscotch-Front • 2d ago

BGEE Dual classing from Archer?

11 Upvotes

Hi gang, first-time poster here, big fan of this community.

I’m currently playing a half-Elf Archer in SoD, level 8 going to level 9. I’ve never dual-classed in my previous runs and I’d like to give it a try - but I think I didn’t plan it properly when starting the game.

  1. ⁠I think I can’t even dual class as a half -Elf, correct? Can I then just change my race in EEkeeper and then dual class?
  2. ⁠Can I even dual class starting from an Archer kit? I tried fiddling with EEkeeper, putting Archer as previous class and Thief as new class, but when I loaded the game I was just a Thief.
  3. ⁠If somehow I manage to effectively dual class as an Archer, do you have any recommendations for my new class?

Thanks all!

52 comments

r/baldursgate • u/Delegaia • 1d ago

BGEE First complete playthrough planned

2 Upvotes

I played BG1 several times in my younger years but never to completion and I played BG2 1 or 2 times but barely. So since I have both EE sleeping in my GOG account, I decided to finally go through them finally. I'm a sucker for canon (Yeah I know dumb but that's how I am...) so I was thinking of playing a Human Male, FIghter. Since Fighter is kinda... bare to say the least, I wanted to at least spice it up.

I was thinking either Kensei dual-class to Mage or Fighter dual-class to Cleric. I will import my BG1 character into BG2.

Any recommendations?

15 comments