• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 14:01
CEST 20:01
KST 03:01
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
TL.net Map Contest #21: Voting2[ASL20] Ro4 Preview: Descent6Team TLMC #5: Winners Announced!3[ASL20] Ro8 Preview Pt2: Holding On9Maestros of the Game: Live Finals Preview (RO4)5
Community News
Weekly Cups (Oct 6-12): Four star herO45.0.15 Patch Balance Hotfix (2025-10-8)67Weekly Cups (Sept 29-Oct 5): MaxPax triples up3PartinG joins SteamerZone, returns to SC2 competition325.0.15 Balance Patch Notes (Live version)119
StarCraft 2
General
PartinG joins SteamerZone, returns to SC2 competition 5.0.15 Patch Balance Hotfix (2025-10-8) Weekly Cups (Oct 6-12): Four star herO IP For new Brazil servers for NA Players TL.net Map Contest #21 - Finalists
Tourneys
WardiTV Mondays SC2's Safe House 2 - October 18 & 19 Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament RSL Offline Finals Dates + Ticket Sales! SC4ALL $6,000 Open LAN in Philadelphia
Strategy
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 495 Rest In Peace Mutation # 494 Unstable Environment Mutation # 493 Quick Killers Mutation # 492 Get Out More
Brood War
General
[ASL20] Ro4 Preview: Descent I'm making videos again Any rep analyzer that shows resources situation? Whose hotkey signature is this? BW General Discussion
Tourneys
[ASL20] Semifinal B [ASL20] Semifinal A [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [ASL20] Ro8 Day 4
Strategy
Current Meta BW - ajfirecracker Strategy & Training Siegecraft - a new perspective TvZ Theorycraft - Improving on State of the Art
Other Games
General Games
Nintendo Switch Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread ZeroSpace Megathread Dawn of War IV Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion LiquidDota to reintegrate into TL.net
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
SPIRED by.ASL Mafia {211640} TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine US Politics Mega-thread The Games Industry And ATVI Stop the Construction YouTube Thread
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club! The Happy Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion MLB/Baseball 2023 NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
SC2 Client Relocalization [Change SC2 Language] Linksys AE2500 USB WIFI keeps disconnecting Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Recent Gifted Posts
Blogs
Inbreeding: Why Do We Do It…
Peanutsc
From Tilt to Ragequit:The Ps…
TrAiDoS
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 2369 users

A Diary of Videogames - Baldur's Gate

Blogs > DRTnOOber
Post a Reply
DRTnOOber
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
New Zealand476 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-06-01 19:40:24
June 01 2012 06:32 GMT
#1
Baldur's Gate

Game: Baldur's Gate
Platform: PC
Release Year: 1998
Stephen's Rating: 9/10

[image loading]
Box art from Baldur's Gate.

Black Isle's Baldur's Gate is an RPG adventure game based on the Forgotten Realms universe. Released at a similar time to Blizzard's Diablo, it had some stiff competition. As it turned out, the two games had vastly different appeal and both have their own place in video game history.

Basic Plot

Some time prior to the beginning of the game, Bhaal, the Lord of Murder is killed. He ensures his immortality by spreading his essence across hundreds of mortal souls. The main protagonist (you) is one of the "Bhaalspawn".

At the start of the game however, you have no idea any of this has happened. The game begins with gathering your belongings and following your caretaker Gorion out of the small town of Candlekeep. In transit you are ambushed and Gorion is slain. The rest of the game is about unearthing the reasons why Gorion died and unraveling the nature of your true identity.

Gameplay

The view is top down on the action. The game is divided into areas. Each area is ultimately a square shape and is initialy "blacked out" until you explore it. There is a world map which is used to travel from area to area.

[image loading]
World map. Each icon on the map is a unique area that can be explored in the game.

Before starting you get to choose the characteristics of your character including race, class, alignment, and how they look. This vastly impacts how you play the game. These characteristics are based on the D&D universe.

Combat occurs either in real time (there are "turns" which play out in real time) you are able to pause the action at any time and re-assign activities to each member of your party. This is critical to surviving in the game and allows you to take the time to truly strategise each moment of combat and then sit back and enjoy how it pans out.

[image loading]
Entangle spell and combat. Party portraits are on the right hand side.

There is a vast horde of enchanted weapons and armour scattered around the world, many dozens of spells that different character classes can learn, non-magical abilities for other classes, an alignment system which impacts some of the story aspects of the game as well as how non-player characters interact with you.

Positives

The game is beautiful to look at and the music provides a fitting ambience. Unlike Diablo each map is hand crafted and drawn from scratch. You may not be getting a new experience each time you re-play the game, but each corner of each map is uniquely designed and special in its own way.

The game is challenging. Boss fights are few and far between but sometimes require significant preparation in terms of levelling up, studying the fight, and collecting equipment. If, however, you are finding the game too tough you can drop the difficulty slider in the game options.

[image loading]
Character inventory screen.

The story is fantastic. Right to the very end of the series I find the whole scenario intriguing.

The world is open ended and you have free will to explore wherever you want to go. There are entire areas of the game with no plot purpose other than providing you an area to explore or perhaps to find a new weapon or piece of armour. A vast game in all meanings of the word.

Negatives

In comparison to Ultima VII I found the characters less memorable (with the exception of Minsc). Likewise there is a lot of text which is required if you want to follow the story, but it quickly becomes tiresome reading page after page of it.

Memorable Moments

Minsc. He is hilarious.

If you start the game as a caster class such as a wizard the game is exceptionally difficult at first. I'll never forget going back to this game after playing through the sequel, and casting magic missile. One tiny ball of 1d4 damage emerged, whereas before I was firing dozens of them at a time.

*****
But I'm off creep... and so I slow down, what are hellions doing here? I don't belong here...
Anomek
Profile Joined November 2010
Poland152 Posts
June 01 2012 11:39 GMT
#2
Great game.

It has a lot of replayability. There are many quests you miss on first playthrou. Also you may want to set up different party, play quests differently, etc.

Bhaal was actually Lord of Murder (I know, little difference ).

Manually designed areas are something that really stand out in this game. Ignoring low resolution, it looks better then many younger 3D games.

The best thinng about Baldur's Gate (and it's sequel) is how party works. You create only protagonist (which is most boring character in party with it's godspawn drama). All other members have solid background, develop interesting relationship with protagonist and other party members. Most of them I still remember... Viconia had nice love-hate relationship with some ranger (forgot his name). Edwin just hated us, and was most powerful wizard in the world. Minsc and Boo were... Minsc and Boo, you can't forget this couple. Tiax is also pretty nice character . Yeah, that's what modern games are missing. 6-man party of unique characters You picked characters to party based on their personality, not how overpowered were

Cheers!

BTW, D&D = ruleset, Forgotten Realms = Universe. There is something wrong with "D&D universe". Or maybe i'm just too much into details?
Teoita
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Italy12246 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-06-01 11:53:03
June 01 2012 11:51 GMT
#3
Bloody hell starting as an arcane caster in EVERY d&d based game. I always do it, and it's goddamn painful every time. The whole FROST RAY! ARCANE MISSILE! SHIT NOW IM USELESS part is kind of addicting in its own way :D

Well written, Baldur's Gate is truly a piece of gaming history!
ModeratorProtoss all-ins are like a wok. You can throw whatever you want in there and it will turn out alright.
MaxSteel
Profile Blog Joined March 2012
78 Posts
June 01 2012 12:40 GMT
#4
Oh, I remember that game.

Think I passed it like 3/4 times throught the years, and even own two copies (one is the collection of all the Bg's, one is the original from 1998). Was around 8 when i first got it lol, sucked so hard at it back then =D
Herpaderp
iPlaY.NettleS
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
Australia4345 Posts
June 01 2012 14:04 GMT
#5
about the only thing bad about it is the lack of quill for arrows , meaning the average ranger needs to carry almost half his inventory of just arrows if you are going on a long adventure or quest.rangers are also probably a little strong , in BG2 however they are a little underpowered.All in all one of the best games ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7PvoI6gvQs
DRTnOOber
Profile Blog Joined February 2012
New Zealand476 Posts
June 01 2012 19:43 GMT
#6
Thanks for the corrections Anomek, I've updated the blog post

Yes I miss RPG's with a good party of characters. Ultima VII had it as well but was even older, and I felt something of a connection with my party from Neverwinter Nights 2 but that's about it.

I found the sequel even better, I absolutely loved it.
But I'm off creep... and so I slow down, what are hellions doing here? I don't belong here...
DRTsorak
Profile Joined February 2012
New Zealand97 Posts
June 02 2012 20:34 GMT
#7
I loved this game. In recent years I tried soloing the game with just one character, pretty intense.
Like a bauss
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Monday Night Weeklies
16:00
#26
RotterdaM1143
TKL 396
ZombieGrub309
IndyStarCraft 251
BRAT_OK 144
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
RotterdaM 1143
TKL 396
ZombieGrub309
IndyStarCraft 251
BRAT_OK 144
ProTech31
MindelVK 30
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 27459
Calm 4178
Rain 1965
GuemChi 1382
Shuttle 641
Larva 382
firebathero 356
EffOrt 336
actioN 193
Dewaltoss 164
[ Show more ]
PianO 152
Hyun 136
Rush 87
Mong 60
Backho 47
Yoon 35
Rock 33
scan(afreeca) 28
Aegong 25
yabsab 21
Movie 17
soO 12
Shine 11
HiyA 8
Hm[arnc] 7
Dota 2
qojqva3903
BananaSlamJamma240
Fuzer 208
Counter-Strike
fl0m1243
pashabiceps112
FunKaTv 24
Other Games
FrodaN1922
Grubby1478
ceh9391
Skadoodle266
KnowMe182
Liquid`VortiX173
C9.Mang0146
Trikslyr47
OptimusSC21
Organizations
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 17 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• poizon28 20
• kabyraGe 10
• Reevou 2
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• sooper7s
• intothetv
• Kozan
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• C_a_k_e 3707
League of Legends
• Nemesis7057
Other Games
• imaqtpie775
• Shiphtur415
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
5h 59m
Afreeca Starleague
15h 59m
Soma vs Bisu
OSC
19h 59m
OSC
23h 59m
MaxPax vs Gerald
Solar vs Krystianer
PAPI vs Lemon
Ryung vs Moja
Nice vs NightPhoenix
Cham vs TBD
MaNa vs TriGGeR
PiGosaur Monday
1d 5h
The PondCast
2 days
OSC
2 days
Wardi Open
3 days
CranKy Ducklings
4 days
Safe House 2
4 days
[ Show More ]
Sparkling Tuna Cup
5 days
Safe House 2
5 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Acropolis #4 - TS2
WardiTV TLMC #15
HCC Europe

Ongoing

BSL 21 Points
ASL Season 20
CSL 2025 AUTUMN (S18)
C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
EC S1
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025

Upcoming

SC4ALL: Brood War
BSL Season 21
BSL 21 Team A
RSL Offline Finals
RSL Revival: Season 3
Stellar Fest
SC4ALL: StarCraft II
eXTREMESLAND 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
SL Budapest Major 2025
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
Thunderpick World Champ.
CS Asia Championships 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.