Serious answer would be to download the baldurs gate trilogy mod which integrates 1, 2, and ToB (the real 3) into one experience, then download the difficulty increase mod which makes ToB challenging. Absolutely 100% skip siege of dragonspear.
People used to say to skip to 2 because it was more story-focused and linear, but if you're interested in 2023 then that difference is relatively minor compared to the hill you'll have to climb just to enjoy the games at all.
You have to remember that most people's RPG experience at the time began-and-ended with PS1 JRPGs. The only reason BG2 has romance is due to FFVII, for instance.
>Speak for yourself
Are you moronic? "Most people" as in the broad consumer base of video games. How fricking autistic do you have to be to take that personally?
BG1 was one of the most fun experiences I had with any RPG ever. Played BG2 for a few hours then quit.
I'm surprised there are so many people correctly pointing out 2's weaknesses. The way it's so overwhelmingly quest oriented over exploration focused compared to the first game is a big downgrade, there's this sense that you've lost meaningful freedom.
My biggest problems with it are that it bombards you with time-sensitive quests at the beginning of the game,pulling you in several different directions at once and unlike BG1 which was mostly grounded encounters, this one city in BG2 has mind flayers and beholders in the sewers, a planeship, several liches, a demilich, a red dragon projection hanging out in the pub, a group of vampires, etc etc all just crammed together because they're the sorts of encounters your high level party wants to face. It feels like a clusterfrick and none of them really get the buildup they deserve. I can't be too hard on it because I still love BG2, but I really prefer the way BG1 spaced out its big encounters.
With 3.
Don't waste your time with outdated and overated boomerslop. The Enhanced Editions tried their hardest to fix the games, but hey just couldn't get rid of the underlying fascism.
Start with 1, play until you get filtered by Cloakwood, then play 2
You'll get spoiled for the end of 1 but you weren't going to finish it anyway
Also play Planescape Torment
Valid use, to be honest, but I don't understand why you'd keep all that trash on hand. Carrying scrolls around for use in encounters is a way better use for the scroll case.
Just play both in release order, they're great games and really personify some of the best aspects of a foregone age of gaming. A lot of people say they love BG but only play 3 and never touch the originals. It's like people who love New Vegas but have never touched Fallout 1 and 2, or only play Persona 5 but never 1-4 or any of the SMT games. Fake fans honestly make me sick, they're half the reason the gaming industry is in the shitter right now.
>really personify some of the best aspects of a foregone age of gaming.
They also personify some of the worst aspects. BG has annoying AI pathfinding that causes your guys to get stuck on things all the time, and this is in every Infinity Engine game, never improving. Fallout's combat is turn-based without any real tactics, other than the rudimentary tactic of hiding behind corners and doorways. And its party members are better at killing themselves and their allies than they are at killing enemies.
Those are just a few examples of the many frustrations you will encounter. I put up with all the problems because I grew up with them and I'm the type who will say "it's part of the charm." But it doesn't bother me if other people find them too annoying to tolerate. That's easy to understand.
Only ancient grugs still do the GOG BG1/BG2/ToB original release onry, and then use the BGTutu mod patch to sew everything together.
The enhanced are fine enough and you don't have to fumble around modding it. You can even grab a mod that deactivates the EE companions, although the EE companions are glaringly obvious anyway as they have a wholly different aesthetic compared to the original portraits.
there are a tiny handful of "le balance" changes Beamdog made so they could claim they worked on something. Like nerfing out the only good item in the entire trilogy which could only be acquired via Pickpocketing. lmao the ONE use for that shitty thief skill.
Play in order, skip SoD and if you want to install mods the only mods you need are SCS, Ascension and Rogue Rebalancing. I'd even recommend Ascension on a first time playthrough because it adds so much to what ToB should've been.
>Ascension
Being able to ignore enemy timestops like some of the bigger bads is one of the better parts of that mod, going full power trip is what ToB should be about
It gets a pass because it's the conclusion, the bhaalspawn situation had to be dealt with eventually, that was something that was heavily implied by even the first game. Besides, it's Forgotten Realms, average mortals mantling gods is a tuesday for them.
Start with 2, then go 1. Shove them both up your ass
moron
Half of 2, one third of 1, all of 3, then go back and finish 1 and then finish 2. It's how to developers intended it.
which half and third should i start with ?
Serious answer would be to download the baldurs gate trilogy mod which integrates 1, 2, and ToB (the real 3) into one experience, then download the difficulty increase mod which makes ToB challenging. Absolutely 100% skip siege of dragonspear.
Thanks
People used to say to skip to 2 because it was more story-focused and linear, but if you're interested in 2023 then that difference is relatively minor compared to the hill you'll have to climb just to enjoy the games at all.
You have to remember that most people's RPG experience at the time began-and-ended with PS1 JRPGs. The only reason BG2 has romance is due to FFVII, for instance.
Maybe take a look at a certain game that BG was based on to begin with before making a fool of yourself like this
>a certain game that BG was based on
uhh, Pool of Radiance? what're you getting at?
The FFVII thing was stated by the developers directly.
>the developers
Means nothing - a director? A coder? An artist?
>most peoples experience of RPGs at the time etc etc
Speak for yourself
>Speak for yourself
Are you moronic? "Most people" as in the broad consumer base of video games. How fricking autistic do you have to be to take that personally?
also it was the lead designer James Ohlen who said it to rock paper shotgun, feel free to Google it.
>Maybe take a look at a certain game that BG was based on
Which one?
I'm surprised there are so many people correctly pointing out 2's weaknesses. The way it's so overwhelmingly quest oriented over exploration focused compared to the first game is a big downgrade, there's this sense that you've lost meaningful freedom.
the problem is amn starts out cool and then you're trekking through sewers for fricking hours. completely anti-fun until you finally leave the city.
My biggest problems with it are that it bombards you with time-sensitive quests at the beginning of the game,pulling you in several different directions at once and unlike BG1 which was mostly grounded encounters, this one city in BG2 has mind flayers and beholders in the sewers, a planeship, several liches, a demilich, a red dragon projection hanging out in the pub, a group of vampires, etc etc all just crammed together because they're the sorts of encounters your high level party wants to face. It feels like a clusterfrick and none of them really get the buildup they deserve. I can't be too hard on it because I still love BG2, but I really prefer the way BG1 spaced out its big encounters.
planescape torment feels more heavily inspired by FFVII. it even has limit breaks.
Start with 3 obviously
What mod?
3 isn't even acknowledged by the franchise's own wiki.
Your point being?
3, and stay there
BG1 was one of the most fun experiences I had with any RPG ever. Played BG2 for a few hours then quit.
Start with 1. Lower levels means less stuff to learn at once, which is good with how opaque both games are.
With 3.
Don't waste your time with outdated and overated boomerslop. The Enhanced Editions tried their hardest to fix the games, but hey just couldn't get rid of the underlying fascism.
Zoom zoom!
weak b8 m8, I r8 8/8
Start with 1, play until you get filtered by Cloakwood, then play 2
You'll get spoiled for the end of 1 but you weren't going to finish it anyway
Also play Planescape Torment
I just realized the scroll case is for holding MAGIC scrolls. I've just been shoving quest letters in it. I feel somewhat silly now.
You can throw in all kind of scrolls and books
That might be helpful. I've been storing all my books in a barrel
Valid use, to be honest, but I don't understand why you'd keep all that trash on hand. Carrying scrolls around for use in encounters is a way better use for the scroll case.
The first one, duh. SoA is better in every conceivable way though.
Just play both in release order, they're great games and really personify some of the best aspects of a foregone age of gaming. A lot of people say they love BG but only play 3 and never touch the originals. It's like people who love New Vegas but have never touched Fallout 1 and 2, or only play Persona 5 but never 1-4 or any of the SMT games. Fake fans honestly make me sick, they're half the reason the gaming industry is in the shitter right now.
>really personify some of the best aspects of a foregone age of gaming.
They also personify some of the worst aspects. BG has annoying AI pathfinding that causes your guys to get stuck on things all the time, and this is in every Infinity Engine game, never improving. Fallout's combat is turn-based without any real tactics, other than the rudimentary tactic of hiding behind corners and doorways. And its party members are better at killing themselves and their allies than they are at killing enemies.
Those are just a few examples of the many frustrations you will encounter. I put up with all the problems because I grew up with them and I'm the type who will say "it's part of the charm." But it doesn't bother me if other people find them too annoying to tolerate. That's easy to understand.
Only ancient grugs still do the GOG BG1/BG2/ToB original release onry, and then use the BGTutu mod patch to sew everything together.
The enhanced are fine enough and you don't have to fumble around modding it. You can even grab a mod that deactivates the EE companions, although the EE companions are glaringly obvious anyway as they have a wholly different aesthetic compared to the original portraits.
there are a tiny handful of "le balance" changes Beamdog made so they could claim they worked on something. Like nerfing out the only good item in the entire trilogy which could only be acquired via Pickpocketing. lmao the ONE use for that shitty thief skill.
None. It's troony game.
>Which do I start with?
Obviously the first one moron.
>What should I do?
Learn to think for yourself would be a start.
1 -> 2 -> 3
Play in order, skip SoD and if you want to install mods the only mods you need are SCS, Ascension and Rogue Rebalancing. I'd even recommend Ascension on a first time playthrough because it adds so much to what ToB should've been.
>Ascension
Being able to ignore enemy timestops like some of the bigger bads is one of the better parts of that mod, going full power trip is what ToB should be about
>going full power trip
This is why I don't like ToB, it feels like some Dragonball anime take on the series. BG works best when you're a hapless chump on a wild goose chase.
It gets a pass because it's the conclusion, the bhaalspawn situation had to be dealt with eventually, that was something that was heavily implied by even the first game. Besides, it's Forgotten Realms, average mortals mantling gods is a tuesday for them.
1 + expansion packs then 2 or you're a b***h
Maybe I like being a b***h…
>Which one do I start with
I genuinely hope you get beaten.
I've only played 2. I got more hours on it than Skyrim.