Customer Reviews

Baldur's Gate 2 Expansion: Throne of Bhaal

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed playing "Throne of Bhaal". The new areas are fun, and so are the riddles, monsters, and quests that you find in the expansion pack.

"Throne of Bhaal" adds quite a few special high level abilities, and a lot of new items. The potion cases, ammo belt (for storing all of those extra arrows and bolts), and the +3 ammunition were all great additions. There is a new set of unique magic items that one of the characters can forge for you, using pieces that you find scattered throughout the game (like the dwarven blacksmith in "Shadows of Amn"). The new monsters are wicked and intimidating.

However, the best part about Throne of Bhaal is that it continues the same ingenious design and attention to detail that was present in "Baldurs Gate 2. Each new area looks brilliant. Each quest is different. The conversations between the NPC's are entertaining, and the voice acting is great. You do meet one new NPC who can join you early on (it's an old "friend" of yours - don't worry, you'll see). The game has a lot of unique challenges which require you to read the books or parchments that you find in order to solve them.

The saga has run its course though. The storyline has been stretched about as far as it can go. Perhaps too far. The "Bhaalspawn" theme lost its appeal for me long before I finished this game. On every street corner, there is some legendary godlike Bhaalspawn, or some prophet that has predicted your coming for the past 100 years. How is it that the rest of the world never noticed all of these Godlike characters running around? There is lots of yammering on about fulfilling your destiny, and the taint of your soul, etc. etc. The dialogue plays out like a bad Star Wars parody. Especially the dialogue that involves Imoen.

One big flaw of this game is that there are so many magic resistant and spell-proof creatures that my magic-users hardly ever cast anything more than a handful of the same spells. The spell protection and combat protection magic is BADLY overdone in this game. There is way too much magic vs. counter-magic combat. The fighters totally dominate this game, and mages just cast a handful of magic and combat protection removal spells over and over. Every tough beast is resistant to your fireballs and acid arrows, so there is no point in casting them. There is no balance whatsoever at these high levels, and that is why I gave the game 4 stars instead of 5.

The combined talents of Bioware and Black Isle Studios have done it again. The Throne of Bhaal expansion (which hardly feels like an expansion) brings many more entertaining hours of BG gameplay to the already spectacular product of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. If you are considering of buying the Throne of Bhaal expansion, you probably already enjoy Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn immensely. And if that is the case, I highly recommend this product for any BG fan. There are three whole new chapters added to the game's story to bring a wondrous conclusion the Bhaalspawn saga, as well as a large dungeon known as Watcher's Keep that can be accessed at any time. I found every new area with all the high-level foes very challenging. The voices, sound and music were top-notch. The graphics aren't very different from what you have seen in the original BGII, but they still strike me as being richly detailed and beautiful to behold. I did not find this expansion short one bit. (It is an expansion after all, not an entirely new game) The price for this product was very fair considering all the many hours I spent returning to the Sword Coast and battling enemies with god-like power. And as you finish the expansion and watch as the Bhaalspawn Saga comes to a close, you reflect back on the simple beginnings in Candlekeep and all the journeys and adventures that took you to this point. If you've been a fan of the Baldur's Gate games from the beginning, it'll be a sad but satisfying experience to see it end.

My hats off you to hardworking folks at Bioware and Black Isle Studios... There are few games out there that I love as much as this series. Lets hope you guys continue to release quality products that raise the expectations of RPGs for years to come.

"Wherever evil treads, Minsc treads louder!!"

The combined talents of Bioware and Black Isle Studios have done it again. The Throne of Bhaal expansion (which hardly feels like an expansion) brings many more entertaining hours of BG gameplay to the already spectacular product of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. If you are considering of buying the Throne of Bhaal expansion, you probably already enjoy Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn immensely. And if that is the case, I highly recommend this product for any BG fan. There are three whole new chapters added to the game's story to bring a wondrous conclusion the Bhaalspawn saga, as well as a large dungeon known as Watcher's Keep that can be accessed at any time. I found every new area with all the high-level foes very challenging. The voices, sound and music were top-notch. The graphics aren't very different from what you have seen in the original BGII, but they still strike me as being richly detailed and beautiful to behold. I did not find this expansion short one bit. (It is an expansion after all, not an entirely new game) The price for this product was very fair considering all the many hours I spent returning to the Sword Coast and battling enemies with god-like power. And as you finish the expansion and watch as the Bhaalspawn Saga comes to a close, you reflect back on the simple beginnings in Candlekeep and all the journeys and adventures that took you to this point. If you've been a fan of the Baldur's Gate games from the beginning, it'll be a sad but satisfying experience to see it end.

My hats off you to hardworking folks at Bioware and Black Isle Studios... There are few games out there that I love as much as this series. Lets hope you guys continue to release quality products that raise the expectations of RPGs for years to come.

"Wherever evil treads, Minsc treads louder!!"

The last chapters of the Child of Bhaal saga, the grand finale. Throne of Bhaal is an expansion to Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and thus you need SoA to be able to play Throne of Bhaal. Throne of Bhaal takes off exactly where Shadows of Amn left off and continues your travels. Alot is revealed in Throne of Bhaal, both of your past, and of what will be your future.
The storyline is much more linear than in Shadows of Amn, not nearly as many subplots, the story concentrates much more on the main plot. No need to say, at this time in the game you are at an almost godlike level, and the xp cap is at a stunning 8.000.000 experience points! You can make a new character directly in Throne of Bhaal, your character will start with ample experience points and magic items and equipment.
You will still have access to the NPC's that you had in Shadows of Amn, and the character interaction has(once again) been expanded. The plot is well crafted, and is entertaining, if not quite as good as the one in Shadows of Amn.
All said, Throne of Bhaal offers a worthy ending for the saga, satisfying your need for a conclusion of the story

The combined talents of Bioware and Black Isle Studios have done it again. The Throne of Bhaal expansion (which hardly feels like an expansion) brings many more entertaining hours of BG gameplay to the already spectacular product of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. If you are considering of buying the Throne of Bhaal expansion, you probably already enjoy Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn immensely. And if that is the case, I highly recommend this product for any BG fan. There are three whole new chapters added to the game's story to bring a wondrous conclusion the Bhaalspawn saga, as well as a large dungeon known as Watcher's Keep that can be accessed at any time. I found every new area with all the high-level foes very challenging. The voices, sound and music were top-notch. The graphics aren't very different from what you have seen in the original BGII, but they still strike me as being richly detailed and beautiful to behold. I did not find this expansion short one bit. (It is an expansion after all, not an entirely new game) The price for this product was very fair considering all the many hours I spent returning to the Sword Coast and battling enemies with god-like power. And as you finish the expansion and watch as the Bhaalspawn Saga comes to a close, you reflect back on the simple beginnings in Candlekeep and all the journeys and adventures that took you to this point. If you've been a fan of the Baldur's Gate games from the beginning, it'll be a sad but satisfying experience to see it end.

My hats off you to hardworking folks at Bioware and Black Isle Studios... There are few games out there that I love as much as this series. Lets hope you guys continue to release quality products that raise the expectations of RPGs for years to come.

"Wherever evil treads, Minsc treads louder!!"

This expansion is a great conclusion to an excellent computer game. Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal gets right everything that was good about the first 2 games. The character development and party dynamic are still the best in any computer RPG that I have played. The story centers around discovering your destiny as the offspring of an evil god. You and your band of adventurers will go through towns, forests, mountains, dungeons, and even another plane of existence. There are many new spells, magic items, weapons, armor, and monsters, and the pocket plane idea is a really nice touch. The isometric view and graphics are still pleasant to view, and the dramatic music is among the best in any game I've played. The story is well told and measures up to the high standards set in the first 2 games. Actually, the suspense in this expansion really draws you in, sort of like the final chapter in part 1. I docked the game a half star for two reasons: one of the levels of Watcher's Keep had a maze and a couple of puzzles that were too frustrating to be fun. Also, when I kill something/somebody I want it to be dead, not to come back again and again (a problem that I had with Shadows of Amn). There were no real bugs that I noticed, besides a few spelling errors, one frozen cut-scene, and a few cases in which spell casters simply would not cast spells at key times during combat. This last problem was especially frustrating since magic use is so central to winning fights in this expansion. Otherwise, this is a grand conclusion to one of my favorite computer game series. Highly recommended.

Throne of Bhaal should not be compared with Tales of the Swordcoast, the expansion for the original Baldur's Gate which drew criticism for just being a few extra dungeons added in. TOB can, at times, feel like a full-fledged sequel. It both adds a massive new dungeon, Watcher's Keep, to explore, which upstages Durlag's Tower from TOSC, as well as continues the main storyline. You can import your characters from BG2(which in turn can be imported from BG), and now advance them all the way to 40th level(although this would take playing the game a few times through; I beat the game at about 28). You'll gain special abilities as you go above 20th level, such as Whirlwind Attack or Dragon's Breath(a mage ability which will summon the head of a red dragon which sprays enemies with fire) As your party is now above 20th level, people around will now treat you as the legendary warriors you are. It is not only satisfying to see that your character has come so far from being a 1st level wimp in Baldur's Gate, but also, you feel as though you're really part of the world now.

Watcher's Keep is a large dungeon with an interesting concept that I don't want to spoil. You'll find many interesting enemies inside, and the several levels which make up the dungeon are very varied in the way you overcome them. The end (and not to mention the monster there) is equally interesting.

As for the continuation of the main storyline, in which the main character is a Child of Bhaal, the deceased God of Mureder, TOB brings the saga to a close. Your battles become even more fantastic, as the Children battle to see who will assume their father's throne. Two new towns are present in TOB, each unique and possessing complex side-quests of the same flavor as those of BG2. After you defeat the final boss (a very incredible fight in itself), you will decide your own fate. At the end, the future of all of your party members is also told.

There are numerous other features I didn't mention, but you'll find appreciate them on your own; just buy this game. Make sure you play the rest of the BG saga first, though.

Don't get me wrong, I think the expansion packet is great; But this had the makings to be another chapter in the baulder's gate saga. I love the Watcher's Keep saga and the story line over all. I wished Bioware could have spent a little more time on developing this into a whole new game, it just seems like they tried to get out so they can end this and go on to something else. The game itself is fun, what I like is that you can upgrade your weapons like the holy avenger which kicks butt into something even more powerful. I also like the quivers and bags of unlimited ammo; keeping tack of all that is a pain.
What I don't like is the spell "Time Stop". It's used too much and your characters get killed before they get a chance to [...] in their pants. Like that Draconis (now that guy is a [...]). You can whack at him all day and he still WON'T die! Because he'll cast time stop and heal himself and then kill your characters. If they choose to return to this saga, please limit the ammount of times Time Stop can be cast by the enemy.

... you need to buy this expansion game. ToB allows you to import your party from BG2:SoA and continue on with their adventures. Game play is the same. They have implemented a few tweaks to some of the spells. The best new feature is the addition of new higher character levels. The new levels also include a list of special abilities for each class. Since your characters are higher levels your opponents are also higher levels.

My one complaint is that ToB seems a little Monty Hall. It is cool to find some wicked new sword or spell, but in ToB you can't go into a new area without finding a +5 weapon or a 9th level spell. When all your magic users are casting time stop and multiple fingers of death and summon deva, it takes a little of the challenge out of the game. BGII:SoA seemed more difficult.

If you enjoyed BGII:SoA you must buy this game. BGII:SoA is one of my favorite games and I loved the chance to keep playing once I had finished the game.

Baldur's Gate II was a solid, well-rounded RPG: excellent battles and a fairly compelling plot with a lot of interesting sidequests. The expansion is more of the same, albeit slightly more refined. There are no systematic improvements to Throne of Bhaal; the Infinity Engine is still the Infinity Engine, and the dialogs are similar length and depth.

Throne of Bhaal is more linear than Shadows of Amn; there are few small sidequests or optional areas. There is only the one new NPC, although he is a very interesting NPC (and I recommend taking him in your party through the expansion, even if you play a good-aligned party). Watcher's Keep (the add-in) had its moments, and had a tremendous quantity of loot; however, I didn't find it as enjoyable as the add-on area. The main plotline moves quickly and compellingly to a conclusion that satisfied me, and I hated the endings to BG1 and BG2.

The new class abilities are terrific. Thieves (and Bards), with Use Any Item--which really means Use Any Item, including the Holy Avenger!--and some very formidable new traps, are probably improved the most. The best mage abilities are Summon Planetar, Improved Alacrity, and Dragon's Breath; fighters get Greater Whirlwind, which is the game's best boss killer. Clerics and Druids get great summons, as well as a couple good offensive spells.

The new class, the Wild Mage, is a tremendous amount of fun to play, and I'd recommend any mage fan start a new character in Throne of Bhaal to try them out. Only a few new wizard (and no new priest or druid) spells are introduced, other than the high level abilities. I'm a little disappointed with the implementation of Wish (basically a list of random options, most not very helpful).

The player amasses levels, new abilities, and absurdly powerful items very rapidly. In Throne of Bhaal, you'll be worthy of the attention of Solars (the highest celestial servants), you won't even bother to sell the countless +3 weapons average opponents drop, your party will be able to annihilate hordes of Drow and other formerly tough monsters, liches will humble themselves before you, and you'll defeat dragons that make Firkraag seem like an oversized kobold. Those looking for a classic AD&D experience should look elsewhere, but it's a lot of fun to see to how far you've come from the feeble adventurer of BG1 ("Bondari reloads").

I experienced no significant bugs. I found the game fairly easy, with the exception of the final battle, but there are a few encounters sure to surprise even an experienced BG2 player.

Overall, it's about 25 hours of gameplay, split down the middle between Watcher's Keep and the main plotline, but it's worth replaying. Going through the main plotline was the most fun I'd had in front of a computer in some time, and I highly recommend Throne of Bhaal to anyone who enjoyed BG2.