Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

My dislikes:
Not fully voiced, some silly bugs, some banters really didn't age well, male romance for female PCs really did't age well, and personally, I can't do deep dungeons or manage inventory to stay alive so it has been a struggle.

My likes:
Great writing, villains are freaking cool and based most of the time, fun riddles, fun to interact with famous DND characters, world building is so cool.

Lastly, thank you BioWare for finally letting us romance a villain mage in DAI. You always did evil or depressed or anti-social mages so well.

a classic 2D top down rpg, make your party, explore and carry out quests! spend hours of fun solving puzzles, winning battles, collecting treasure and uncover mysteries

“Mobile vegetable peddling versus heroism, the eternal question.”
~Gorion's Ward

Making a sequel to Baldur's Gate was an impossible task. The original BG was the most anticipated CRPG of 1998 and guess what? It was one of them rare cases when game actually exceeded the expectations. While acting as fantasy take on Fallout (both heavily revolved around dialogues that originated in Star Control II), it also delivered a fantastic rendition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tabletop rules, while looking and feeling like our usual real-time CRPG. More importantly, it gave us full control over our ethics. Like in those tabletops, our characters were free to be good, evil and everything in between. Should I say it felt awesome? There was nothing like it before and up to this day, it's one of the very best fantasy RPGs you can play. Yet somehow, its makers were supposed to make it even better.

Like I said, an impossible task, but guess what? They did it. BG II kept everything we loved about the original, but it was better in pretty much every way. The global map became a bit confusing (you can't just go, say, east to unlock new location that lies that way anymore), but BioWare fixed their D&D mistakes (rangers, for example, finally got their dual-wielding), made dialogues deeper, added romances and... Yeah. The story became much more dark and complicated. Again and again game wanted to remind us that life is unfair. We were to lose friends, make sacrifices and do our very best to shape our own future the way we want it. It was amazing. Rarely we get a game that feels like a good fantasy novel, yet BGII was exactly that.Good thing to have it in Steam, right? Well. About that...

As you can easily tell by looking at the title, what we have here is not the original version but so-called Enhanced Edition, heavily modified by Beamdog, a company founded by a couple of ex-BioWare employees – Trent Oster and Cameron Tofer. And if you've played the Enhanced version of previous game, you know just how butchered it felt. It had mobile-oriented enhancements (god mode included), it had features it wasn't supposed to have (like “press button to show secrets” thingy that allowed you to get one of the very best armors in game soon after prologue) and pretty much every new thing played against balance, which wasn't that great to begin with.

Thankfully, when it's about BGII, it was a little bit easier. For example, that “press button to reveal stuff” feature was planned this time and therefore there's nothing wrong with it. Same thing with dual-wielding rangers. Like I already mentioned, BGII was supposed to have 'em, no impact on balance. Yes, this version does have all the mobile-oriented crap too, but oh, well. Also, not all of it is bad. Old geezers like yours truly, for example, will sure appreciate things like bigger fonts. The problem is – while the first game had quite a lot of new content (including one heck of a new expansion), this here? It doesn't have much. It comes with a sequel to so-called “Pit” (which, pretty much, is just an arena with some basic excuse), there are new companions and quests, but that's it.

Moreover, neither of that feels good. Not like the new stuff felt good in the previous game, but here? It's a disaster. It's so easy to break things for yourself without even knowing it. Like, there's a new location with some new quests in it, but if you'll finish a certain one of them first? You'll render the others unbeatable. Or take another new quest for example. It lets you either agree to cooperate with one of the most infamous villains in Forgotten Realms or refuse his offer and fight him. Naturally, if you're a Lawful Good guy (like Paladin, for example), you'll want to take second option. Guess what? Bad idea. Just because it'll break your quest and left it unbeatable. Like... what? The game literally gives you an option that... leads to the dead end? And it's not like it's only one quest or somethin'. Wow. Just wow. Even arena I've mentioned, they've managed to mess up even that with bugs and overly confusing parts. And when there was a real need for a change? They didn't do a thing.

I'm talking, of course, about Throne of Bhaal expansion. I haven't seen detailed interviews about what exactly went wrong, but the general knowledge is – the big guys screwed us all again. Originally planned as much bigger thing, Throne of Bhaal ended up being a much smaller experience. It wasn't, by all means, bad, but it did commit one major crime – it took away our freedom. There were still choices, of course, but pretty much every major part? It was linear as F. And not in Shadows of Amn way (SoA made some peaceful solutions impossible on purpose to play with our ethics, like there was that certain quest, in which the only solution was to kill the poor guy's best friend, while knowing there won't be any punishment or penalty for doing so). Throne of Bhaal was just... linear. It needed you to do certain things because screw you and your wishes. It was about combat, OK? There was a lot of battles and you were able to reach very high levels, but... Let's just say it felt lacking. Even despite the fact that story-wise it was a perfect conclusion to Baalspawn saga and even came with Fallout-like postscript for your party members, it was hard not to feel disappointing a bit. Why must we give part of our soul to that evil sucker while being righteous Paladins? Why there's no alternative solutions to quests that are asking for at least a couple? Some mods did try to fix that. Beamdog did not. They had one in a lifetime chance to make arguable expansion shine and they didn't even bother.

What they did manage to achieve, though, is adding new bugs. Tons and tons of new bugs. Personally, I've experienced so much that... it didn't even feel like playing BGII, really. I mean, BGII was never the buggiest game out there. It sure had its share of bugs, but I was never annoyed by it. And I did play it on release. Beamdog? They brought bugs. And unlike some other guys, who kept working on their products until things finally became smooth, they didn't really care. I mean, they did release some updates, but at some point they've just stopped the support and called it a day. Which means that the game ended up being more buggy than it was originally. Again, wow.

K, I complained a lot, which may make you think that this here is a terrible release, but the truth is – it is not. BGII is a fantastic game and even in this form it's totally worth playing. Beamdog did quite a lot of good too. New characters and their stories are good, romances include some non-straight options now (not enough and for a lesbian lady, for example, the only option will be evil Vampire, but still, choices are there), and, of course, the fact that this version was made to work in modern environment is a good thing. The problem is – the Enhanced Edition doesn't feel like a commercial product. If something, it feels like a mod. Clunky, rough and buggy alteration. Something you may expect from ModDB, not Steam. The good idea will be to let us choose. To make fully customizable version that lets us switch between mint version, the new features and everything in between. Like Paul Reiche and Fred Ford did in their free version of Star Control II called Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters that allowed us to to combine features from the original DOS version and enhanced 3DO port. Beamdog thought they knew better. They did not. So make sure not to expect much here. Still, like I already said, BGII is a great game. And no matter what, you should play it at least once in your life. Dixi.

Love the combat system, needs strategic planning on attack, buff and debuff.

65/100 I recommend with a caveat - the Enhanced Throne of Bhaal is worse than the original (which wasn't great to start). At that point of the game, I'm 20 level - why am I herding cats for 400 xp? I stopped playing right there. That being said, Shadow of Amn is great.

best crpg ever. hands down. i played it when it first came out back in like 2001-2 something like that. i still remember it. best villian.

a legendary game, and arguably the best RPG ever made

A lot of content for a small price. All that for it's time and still great to play!

A fitting time to write a review for this classic game. I finished it many times as a teen, so it's safe to say this is one of my favourite old school CRPG's.

Pros
- Easy to pickup, a few extra class options come with EE and makes for a more interesting experience although I will admit I still have never played a Shaman character yet.

- TOB is a short but good experience, especially for this who are already familiar with BG2. Sometimes you don't want to play a 40+ hour adventure so it's perfect for this, that and being a high level means high level abilities.

- A quality cast of characters and it's also easy enough to play with mods or a custom party. In the past you had to make a party in multiplayer, export them to your singleplayer folder and it was just a lot of extra work.

- I know some OG fans hate the new UI but it didn't personally bother me, the general QOL added outweighs most of the problems.

- Meta builds aren't necessary to win unless you are playing no reload on Insane with mods like SCS and Legacy of Baal with a lower level party or lack of custom characters. There's many ways to break the game, that's half the fun! (at least for me).

Cons
- Early>mid game can be pretty frustrating for a first timer, thanks to some very powerful debuffs (Vampires level drain, Mind Flayers sucking your brain or Beholders killing you straight up).

- Lategame is pretty overwhelming on higher difficulties.

- LOB difficulty is for the masochists. While there are moments of fun, expect even basic fights to be a bit of a slog even with meta picks. At least this becomes much easier by lategame once you unlock HLAs and the top tier weapons, honestly feel like the first game on LOB is harder just because of the early to mid game being very unforgiving.

- Some rare bugs or pathfinding issues still plague the game (not as bad as some other Infinity Engine games like Icewind Dale but can be annoying).

Overall, this game is a classic for a reason and goes on sale regularly so it's never a bad time to pick it up. I recommend starting on Normal/Core Rules if you are a first timer or newer to the BG series, it has a very generous difficulty curve or story mode/easy if you don't want to worry about dying and status ailments.

I have played this game first long before BG1 and before my Steam account, so I have more to review about this one.

This game holds up very well despite being over 25 years old. The paint-style visuals still look pretty good these days, especially this EE version, the musics are awesome giving so much atmosphere to the varied game environments, and the UI serves it’s purpose with the icons and the hotkeys. The real-time system might be quite a hazzle with so many individual party members to control at the same time. Luckily you can always pause the game any time and you can also define the party AI.

As a RPG game, this game is not so open-ended nor does offer interactions with the game world, like climbing or smashing barrels. The game is too often about fighting over and over again, and the situations cannot be solved in different and in flexible ways, unlike in Fallout 1 and 2. And apparently stats like the alignments and charisma have no real impact to the dialogue choices. Luckily the combat is more versatile and tactical with lots of spells, enemy types, class abilities, equipments and items like wands, potions and such.

One of the things I really dislike is the obsolete AD&D system with the ridiculous weapon and armor restrictions. The D&D terms like THAC0, Sawing Throws, Hit Dice and AC won’t tell anything to those who are not familiar with the D&D rules. It’s funny that a small halfling can wear the same suit of armor as a big half-orc considering the weapon and armor restrictions. There are too many weapon proficiencies to choose from in the character creation, and not all of them are worthy. So a warrior can wield a longsword masterfully but a shortsword is too difficult to him. And I don't like how the actions are so binary, like door bashing or lock picking and such.

The real star of the game, besides the well-written story and the villain, are the followers with their dialogues, backstories, personalities and their side-quests. They are not just mute pack-mules,you actually start to care of them, and you can even have romances with some of them. The tons of NPCs with their dialogues make the game world more lively and believable. And not to mention the villain of the story with so much build-up, his motives and the personal connection to the player. And of course, there are nostalgia value and the multiplay.

I know there was Baldur's Gate I before this, but Baldur's Gate II is light years ahead of that game and I daresay after playing Baldur's Gate III, BG2 can easily give that game, 20 years its junior, a serious run for its money in scope and storytelling.

It might take people quite a while to get used to AD&D 2nd Edition but man this game is soooooooo fun. I replayed it twice and it is a super loooong game. Much longer than BG3.

Baldur's Gate II is a direct sequel to Baldur's Gate I, following on with the story line of your PC plus a number of recruitable party members, some from the earlier game.

The story is compelling, making you want to know what is going to happen next.

There are a lot of side quests, perhaps too many side quests that sometimes feel overwhelming. But there is always something to do.

The difficultly is a notch higher than the previous game, with some combat situations feeling near impossible without the use of a guide.

Overall, this is an amazing game!

Back in the day if the simplicity of Diablo bored you there was this. A deep open varied application of the D&D rules. Rich beautiful characters that make you fall in love with them, sometimes before their own plots take them away from you. Immersive and immensely enjoyable. If you enjoy 3/4 view RGPs you will love this one.

Steam says I've played this game for over 80 hours and would like to know if I'd be willing to write a review... Well first of all it's far more than 80 hours I've sunk into this game. I've only 80 hours into the steam version of this game. I had this game the day it came out in 2000.

Honestly? While it IS for certain the better of the first two Baldur's Gate games I found this one disappointing, not for any reason that would deter me from playing it like crazy, but because Jon Irenicus is literally the most effective antagonist that could possibly be tailor made just to make me hate him. And the way the game starts? I hate it so much. It's good mind you, objectively. It's a great start, but I absolutely hate Irenicus and he's already practically won in the opening moments of the game and he killed off two of my favorite characters from the first game. And then how he has left his scars on Imoen? I hate him. It was a horribly disappointing start to the game, it just sucked the life right out of me. The entire game I felt horrible for Imoen who had always been a bright spot no matter how bad things got in the first game.

But, that's how stories go sometimes and holding that against this game would be like holding the reaper invasion at the start of Mass Effect 3 against it, so there I was horrified by the beginning of BG2, and I started play anyways, and then I went on to play one of the best games ever.

Eventually I put my old dream team from the first game back together, or at least 5/6 of it. My character, Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira, and Viconia. In the first game that 6th slot was filled by Xan the ever-defeatist, hopeless Elf-mage with the blue flaming sword. He made me laugh non-stop. In this game it was usually Yoshimo but sometimes Aerie.

The social interactions in this game were a huge step up from what had previously been seen, but these days it's still pretty primitive and very restrictive. Even so, if you follow a guide on that respect you'll unlock some truly great conversations. Jaheira and Viconia both are among my very favorite characters in any video game.

To those who might be reading this after having played BG3, just know Viconia was butchered in BG3. Instead think better Minthara, and then prepare to finish this game and be offended by how badly Larian ruined Viconia in their game.

BG2 is great. In 2025 it's obviously quite primitive compared to BG3 (a game I have clocked over 950 hours in and I still don't think I've played it as much as either BG1 or 2) but the roots are still there, you can see everything that made BG3 great exists in a more primitive form in BG2 (same with BG1) and honestly? There are a few things it does better IMO. At least in terms of allowing you to travel and explore other regions of the Sword Coast.

So if you've played 3 and want to see what all the fuss is about with the earlier games, you'll have to prepare yourself to lose a lot of quality of life improvements made over the last 25 years as well as production values and graphics, etc. But the freedom of storytelling roots are still there, the social game is still there, the combat is still pretty close to what you know.

But honestly? If you've played 3 and are going back? I hope you've already played 1, otherwise why are you looking at this game? Play 1 first.

And in which case? If you've played and beaten 1, this game is better in every way, but be prepared for a serious gut punch to start this game cause it'll hit you where it hurts.

This was one of my favorite games as a child, and it still holds a special place in my heart. And unlike many games that grow stale with age, BG2 is still a wonderful story-driven game that deserves, if not a next-gen remake, than at least the enhanced edition which is a worthy improvement to the original.

You can read the review in English and Polish :)

ENG: Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition – A Legendary RPG Experience

"You dare to attack me here? Do you even know whom you face?" – Jon Irenicus

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is like a fine wine – it only gets better with age. Originally released in 2000 by BioWare and later enhanced by Beamdog, this game remains one of the most legendary RPGs of all time. If you haven’t played it yet, where have you been for the last two decades? Living under a rock? Or worse… under Candlekeep?
Story & World – Welcome to the madhouse

The game throws you right into the action. One moment, you’re celebrating your victory over Sarevok, and the next, you wake up imprisoned by the sinister mage Jon Irenicus. He’s conducting experiments on you in a dungeon that would make even the most sadistic villains envious. Your goal? Escape, figure out what’s going on, and – if you’re feeling a little vengeful – make Irenicus regret ever messing with you.

Once you break free, you enter Athkatla, the grand city of Amn, where politics, crime, and dark magic intertwine. From dealing with the treacherous Shadow Thieves to facing dragons, vampires, and liches, the adventure never slows down.

The world is gigantic, filled with secrets, memorable characters, and thrilling side quests. One moment you’re solving a political conspiracy, and the next, you’re helping a talking sword find a worthy owner. It’s the kind of game where even the side content is better than the main stories of most modern RPGs.
Gameplay & Mechanics – "Go for the eyes, Boo, go for the eyes!"

The game runs on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition rules, meaning you will die. A lot. This is not an easy game, and if you go in without a strategy, expect to see the "Game Over" screen more times than you’d like.

Combat is a real-time strategy affair with an active pause system. Spells, positioning, and buffs play a huge role. Charging at an enemy without thinking will get your party wiped out faster than you can say “Fireball.” Speaking of Fireball – save your game before using it. Friendly fire is very real.

The party interactions in BG2 are legendary. Your companions have personalities, rivalries, and romances. One wrong dialogue choice and two of them might start a fight to the death in the middle of a quest. And of course, there’s Minsc and Boo – the iconic duo. If you don’t like them, we can’t be friends.
Graphics & Sound – Still charming after all these years

BG2:EE updates the visuals with higher resolutions, UI improvements, and some graphical tweaks, but the core is still that beautiful hand-drawn isometric art. The spell effects have a nostalgic charm, and the environments remain atmospheric.

But the true MVP? The music. Michael Hoenig’s soundtrack elevates every moment, from the tension of battles to the tranquility of a peaceful inn. And when you hear the Battle with Irenicus theme? Chills. Every. Single. Time.
Pros & Cons

✅ One of the best RPG stories ever written
✅ Huge world full of meaningful choices, side quests, and deep lore
✅ Tactical combat that rewards strategy
✅ Brilliantly written party members with unforgettable banter
✅ Enhanced Edition adds new content, improves UI, and makes the game more accessible

❌ Pathfinding AI can be… frustrating (yes, I’m talking to you, Jaheira, stop running in circles!)
❌ New players might struggle with difficulty
❌ Sometimes your party members just stand there while getting attacked (hello, Mazzy, could you maybe defend yourself?)
Final Verdict: 10/10 – "I must gather my party before venturing forth"

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is the gold standard of RPGs. It’s long, rewarding, emotional, and endlessly replayable. Whether you’re playing for the first time or the tenth, this is a journey worth taking. If you love RPGs and haven’t played it yet – what are you waiting for?

If you enjoyed my review and would like to support me, feel free to check out my Fantasy Games Archives Music & Soundtracks channel, where I share the best game soundtracks! 🎶

https://www.youtube.com/@sonofgames/featured


PL: Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Legenda RPG w nowym wydaniu

"Śmiesz mnie atakować tutaj? Wiesz chociaż, z kim masz do czynienia?" – Jon Irenicus

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition to gra, która starzeje się jak dobre wino – czyli w ogóle. Oryginalnie wydana w 2000 roku przez BioWare, a później odświeżona przez Beamdog, to absolutny klasyk, który każdy fan RPG powinien znać.
Fabuła i Świat – Witaj w domu, bohaterze!

Gra zaczyna się w momencie, gdy budzimy się w ciemnym lochu, gdzie Jon Irenicus, mag z ego większym niż jego moc, przeprowadza na nas eksperymenty. Szybko okazuje się, że sprawy przybierają bardzo zły obrót.

Po ucieczce trafiamy do Athkatli, największego miasta w Amn. Tu czeka na nas prawdziwa uczta dla fanów RPG – od politycznych intryg, przez walki gildii złodziei, po polowania na smoki. Każda misja ma swoją historię, a postacie poboczne są lepiej napisane niż główni bohaterowie wielu współczesnych gier.
Rozgrywka i Mechanika – "Boo i ja... będziemy walczyć dla chwały dobra!"

Gra bazuje na zasadach AD&D 2nd Edition, co oznacza jedno – błędy są kosztowne. Jeśli nie planujesz walk, nie używasz buffów i nie dbasz o pozycjonowanie drużyny, licz się z częstymi ekranami "Game Over".

System walki łączy strategię z aktywną pauzą. Czarowanie Fireballa bez przemyślenia? Twój mag będzie miał na sumieniu więcej trupów niż przeciwnicy. Nie zapominaj o częstym zapisywaniu gry – tu jeden błąd może kosztować Cię całą drużynę.

A drużyna to absolutne złoto – pełna osobowości, tarć i romansów. Możesz zebrać bandę świętoszków albo szajkę psychopatów. Każdy wybór ma znaczenie, a postacie potrafią sprzeczać się, kłócić, a nawet rzucić sobie wyzwanie na śmierć i życie.
Grafika i Dźwięk – To ma swój klimat

EE poprawia grafikę, dostosowuje UI i dodaje kilka ulepszeń, ale nadal czuć klimat oryginału. Muzyka? Arcydzieło. Każdy dźwięk w tej grze buduje klimat – od spokojnych tawern po epickie bitwy.
Zalety i Wady

✅ Jedna z najlepszych historii RPG
✅ Taktyczna walka pełna głębi
✅ Olbrzymi, pełen tajemnic świat
✅ Genialne postacie i interakcje

❌ Słaba ścieżka poruszania się postaci
❌ Nowi gracze mogą mieć trudności z poziomem gry
Ocena końcowa: 10/10 – "Muszę zebrać drużynę, zanim wyruszę"

To arcydzieło RPG, które trzeba przeżyć na własnej skórze. Jeśli jeszcze nie grałeś – nie czekaj.

Jeśli podobała Ci się moja recenzja i chciałbyś mnie wesprzeć, zapraszam na mój kanał Fantasy Games Archives Music & Soundtracks, gdzie udostępniam najlepsze ścieżki dźwiękowe z gier! 🎶

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I first played this 20 years ago, it was the only game my brother and I played that our dad could really get into as well. Great story lines, excellent character development which still stands up to this day. and even compared to the newer baldurs gate 3, there are things I prefer from this one. The new baldurs gate does a much better job of tracking time and your interactions having an effect on the status of other quests and interactions, but in this one, it is truly open world, you can attend any quest you with what feels like a much greater variety of characters, collecting your team in the manner you see fit. I have come back to this so many times over the years and always have a blast. Even now, I find character interactions I have missed, cut scenes I never knew about and new ways of doing things.

If I could give a "mixed" review I would. I recommend this game at 5$ or less, 20$ is way overpriced for a 25 years old game.

The quests are mostly an improvement over BG1, but you always know exactly where to go and what to do so the sense of mystery and wonder of the first game is kinda lost. The enemy variety is slightly improved. The music was underwhelming. The story is a continuation of 1 and on the same level of quality. The difficulty is unfortunately all over the place, you either destroy the enemy encounter or get oneshot yourself, there's rarely a middle ground. The BS encounters are mostly relegated to side quests which you can receive since the beginning of the game so you if you engage with them you will find yourself in pretty terrible situations, while the main story is mostly a gradual and fair increase in difficulty. Even in the endgame these OP encounters must be cheesed to not die instantly, which takes away from the fun, hence the "mixed" rating. The games is mostly magic based and there's a lot of magic spam.

Overall I find it a worse experience than BG1 because of these cheesy encounters, but it's still a good game with great quests, NPCs and dialogue. It goes on sale pretty often so wait for a discount.

I will only comment on the Enhanced Edition and the work of Beamdog, the original game from Bioware was discussed more than enough.

The single player version of the enhanced edition was alright in my opinion, it has some bugs and does not look pretty and rather clumsy by modern standards, but it was playable and enjoyable to a certain degree, I still would recommend it if it was the only possible way to play the game.

The multiplayer mode however, is very bugged close to unplayable. This is known for years and while Beamdog allows Neverwinter Nights to be patched by volunteers, this game has not been once patched in this decade. Playing multiplayer means permanent discounections, crashes and disappearing items all the time. And no we didn't use mods or any other thrid party applications. The original game was far more stable in multiplayer mode and that was coded about 20 years ago.

To make it quick, I can't recommend this game because Beamdog has plain and simple fucked it up and gives a damn about it since years. I would suggest get the original version if you can and play it on an emulator. And don't buy anything from Beamdog ever again! The Baldur's Gate series has deserved better treatment by far.

I'd like to dedicate this review to Edwin, who previously saved my ass twice, first by ambushing the Beholders with a mirage, and then by petrifying an entire (red) dragon.

Umm, it turned out the game is hard and confusing. I didn't enjoyed the game. The user interface is very unfriendly. It's like you have to read a thick manual book to be able to play this game properly.

I had an absolute blast with this game. I enjoyed the first one, but this one just blows it out of the water in terms of story and characters. BG3 still has the deepest characterisation and arcs of the three IMO, but I feel this one has a stronger plot and central villain, with a great performance by David Warner. Lots of funny moments throughout, some great locations, puzzles, enemies, etc., and the companions actually feel fleshed out this time. Well worth playing if you're a fan of RPGs.

The Throne of Bhaal expansion was also very enjoyable, if short, and I especially loved what they did with a certain character from the first game (and am now disappointed that BG3 ignores the potential character development they can have, because reconciling with said character was a highlight of the game for me).

Fun old school crpg. recommend only having one character and have the npc's join you. You can use EE keeper to change their class info if you want to run with a different party. I.e. make a fighter/cleric dual into a fighter/cleric multi. The personalities and their respective quests are fun. Add a lot of flavor.

fun for anyone who likes or wants to learn AD and D

I liked the open, lower level adventure of the first game but this was still very good. Buffing your party before every fight is not fun but it is required at higher levels.

LEGENDARY,

one of if not THE GREATEST RPG EVER MADE,

now remastered/enhanced for modern hardware.

Still one of the best games ever made. Great story. Memorable characters.

I'll be honest, I enjoyed this game a LOT less than Baldur's Gate 1 or Planescape: Torment. Too much combat, too much trash loot to sift through, lots of dialogue but very little in the way of interesting story being told, very samey brown environments. I ended up putting it on Story Mode and rushing through the main quest just to get it done, and then noped out entirely when it automatically started me on the Throne of Bhaal expansion.

If you REALLY liked the combat and inventory management of BG1 then you'll probably enjoy this as it's much more of the same, and for that reason I'll give it a thumbs-up. I just personally found it tedious and overly long, and the story it was telling wasn't worth the effort of actually playing it.

One of the greats - ignore the hours played, most are outside of Steam.

Classic, still better than a lot of stuff that's out ther.

It's Baldur's Gate 2. This game needs no recommendation. One of the best (if not THE BEST) RPGs of all time. I've played original versions for hundreds of hours. I finished the whole campaing (BG1+BG2) more than 40 times. Even though it's almost 30 years old, it's still beautiful and very fun to play.

Enhanced editions refreshed this old title and gave it some modern features, fixed some bugs and exploits.

It's NOT nice to see how much rpg games have changed in nearly 30 years. I strongly recommend first Baldur's Gate games for younger generations. Even these are not easy games to play.

My only regret is not playing it sooner. The game knows how to be funny, how to break your heart a little, and how to make you care for your character.
"I will see you made whole, one way or another. I will see that which has been stolen returned, or die in the attempt. And I will do so happily, because I do it for you."

loved this game, but now have tried everything and game just never even gets past starting up before it closes :(

Great title. Played it back in the days as a kid ( still fondly remember the Polish localization, with professional tier 1 actors doing voice-overs). Came back to give it a spin on Steam deck as my 'before-going-to-sleep' treat. Holds really well. I really do think that You can't call Yourself a true cRPG fan if You didn't at least once give it a try.

The bittersweet part is, as I finished it today, I've read the same day that the infamous senior writer responsible for Dragon Age: Crapguard might actually be involved in BG4 creation...all rumors at this point of course...still made me kind of sad :(

This is such an awesome game from a really classic period of CRPG's. Definitely a must have.

This is one of the best cRPG that has ever been created. If not the best. BG3 is not even close.

One of my top two favourite games of all time. Why haven't you played it yet?

A favorite pasttime game of mine. Although the rules are outdated, once you learn the system, the game offers a vast narrative, engaging story, a great cast of characters, and giant miniature space hamsters for all.

A fantastic sequel! So next up in my CRPG marathon is Baldur’s Gate 2, a classic among many, and something I finally got to play through for the first time. But what did I think?

Starting off, I did play this game on story difficulty as I was mainly just interested in seeing the story through, but I will do higher difficulties when I replay this game one day. Combat is real time with pause, and it based on 2.5 edition of DnD I believe, so a little old school but I was more accustomed to the systems after playing the first game. All that said though, don’t take my thoughts on combat too seriously as like I said, I mainly played this game for the story and characters.

Visually the game looks okay but it definitely hasn’t aged that well. Obviously the graphics are going to age over time, but for me it was more just the artstyle as it’s lot of browns, greys and blacks. I say that mainly after playing through Icewind Dale, which was made on the same engine, yet it’s aged better imo in just how they used colors to vary up the locations you visited.

One cool aspect is that you get a stronghold in this game, with which stronghold you get being unique based on what class you play, which I thought was cool. That said, it's very basic and there isn’t that much stronghold management as there was in something like say Pillars of Eternity with Caed Nua. You can raise taxes to get more money, and you are supposed to get visitors but I only got 1 visitor in my whole playthrough. It was some merchant complaining about his caravans being raided by bandits, which I thought might lead to a cool quest, but no you just do the rich guy solution, which is throw gold at the problem until it goes away.

One of my main complaints from the first game was the party management, and there were just way too many companions and you realistically couldn’t recruit them all. Well they do address that here to a degree, it's not perfect but it's better then the first game for sure. For starters when you dismiss companions they will tell you where to find them, with most of them going to a specific tavern in the main city, which was a big improvement on the first game. When you get them you will get a companion quest which is timed and you do want to complete it quickly otherwise they leave your party permanently. The companion quests are very good though I must say and a big step up from the first. Some of my favorites being Jaheria’s and Nalia’s. Also if you want to go evil in a playthrough, do Dorn’s quest as it will make up for all the modern RPGs these days that DON’T let you be the bad guy. That said, this game still uses the alignment system on whether your lawful good, chaotic evil etc… This is important with companions, as I infamously found out the hard way in my BG1 playthrough where in the middle of an important story mission, 4 of my companions broke out into a fight and killed each other which still shocked me even to this day. So whenever I met a new potential companion, I had to go search them up on the BG wiki, and cross reference to see which party members they conflicted with. It got very tedious after a while and made me feel like some HR manager at a company.

Also a little mini rant about Neera. Now I had Neera in my party for most of the first game and I think she’s a fun character. She has a pretty big recruitment quest which I was going to go do, only for me to soon realize that because she’s a wild mage, she has a spell that randomly goes off in combat that literally nukes the gold out of your inventory. I had like 40k gold and after a few combat encounters, I was penniless which definitely had me steaming. Especially since you need gold for the first half of the game in order to progress the main story. You could chuck that up to old game design, but no Neera is a new companion that was added by Beamdog in this remaster, so it was just some random dev with a sick sense of humor who thought it’d be funny which I definitely don’t appreciate. Anyway, rant over.

Quests are also really good with many of them presenting tons of choice and consequences which I enjoyed. Especially in chapter 5 where you get to see one of the drow (dark elves) cities and see races like mind flayers and githyanki which obviously play a big role in BG3, so it was cool to see them here.

Now onto the story, which is easily the best part of this game. The main reason being the bad guy, Irenicus, who is now up there for me as one of the best villains in all of gaming next to Handsome Jack. He’s just so evil and selfish that you hate him but also his voice actor did such a great job with a commanding voice that made you interested in hearing what he has to say. He’s also present throughout the story and will appear multiple times unlike some final bosses in other CRPGs. And this man has been messing with me ever since the Siege of Dragonspear expansion (if you played it) from the first game, so revenge on him is all that much sweeter by the end. And while the story is very serious, there are some humorous moments in the writing which had me genuinely laughing. Like one time, where I had to get an item in a chest that was being guarded by a big-eyed monster called a beholder. So I went up and spoke to it, and it had a lot of opinions about what’s going on in the city and those annoying imps around the corner and their stupid riddle quest they try to get people to do. And when you ask what’s in the chest they're just like “I don’t know, I was just told to stand here and guard it.”. Definitely had me chuckling as I played.

But overall, a great sequel to an already fantastic RPG in the first game. I look forward to the Throne of Baal expansion next.

Absolute classic. wonderfully written and immersive from beginning to end.

Instant classic. Still better than BG3. Play it now.

This is a classic, if it's your bag baby you'll love it. If not, move along. Not like the game has changed much in 25 years.

One of the greatest single-player RPGs ever.

[■■■□□] [Gameplay] 🕹️

BG 2 is very slow party-based game D&D game. It is not turn-based unlike BG 3. During the combat, as there is no order like other turn-based games, it is simultaneous. Pause much for using potions, spells or anything.

[■■□□□] [Graphics] 🖼️

So, BG 2 is not and not about a graphics game and if you look into the release date, it is pretty old. So, do not expect good graphics.

[■□□□□] [Audio]👂

Just a basic audio. The main menu theme is OK. Dialogues are rarely voiced. Some sounds are unbearable.

[■■■■■] [Storytelling] ✒️

BG 2 follows the main story from BG 1. If you are a fan of the story, you should start from BG 1. The story goes with hunting the bad guy. Throughout that, you are also doing the side quests to gain exp for your party. The story goes with chapters, and final chapter is 7, and from that the Throne of Baal DLC continues.

[■■■■□] [Difficulty] 💪

It is hard for beginners. Although there is a story mode difficulty setting that focuses on the story itself – great for casual players.

I enjoyed BG2. I am not sure about ToB, it is too linear and I wish that it allowed you to go back to Athkatla.

D&D rules which I don't particularly like, but can live with.
There are times when you seem to be fighting the interface as much as the enemies.
I dislike some of the set pieces where you are not able to setup as you want.

I really enjoyed Baldur's Gate 1, and my friends assured me that Baldur's Gate 2 was even better. Turns out they were right! It certainly feels a lot bigger than the previous installment, with more variety in things to do, and the character writing took a level or ten in awesome. The Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal campaigns proved fascinating, complex, and satisfying. Amusingly, for all that "Baldur's Gate" is in the title, this sure is a game that never visits the city of Baldur's Gate!

⭐ "A Timeless RPG Masterpiece, Now Better Than Ever!" ⭐

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is the ultimate way to experience one of the greatest role-playing games of all time. Whether you're a longtime fan of the original or a newcomer to the series, this edition delivers a polished, immersive, and captivating adventure that stands the test of time.

What Makes It Exceptional?
Deep and Engaging Storyline: The narrative is rich, filled with complex characters, moral dilemmas, and memorable twists. It's a masterpiece of storytelling that still sets the bar for modern RPGs.
Enhanced Features: The Enhanced Edition brings modern conveniences without compromising the essence of the original. Updated graphics, interface improvements, and quality-of-life changes make the game more accessible while preserving its nostalgic charm.
Unparalleled Character Customization: With Dungeons & Dragons-based mechanics, you have endless options to create and develop your character. From multi-classing to alignment choices, the game caters to every playstyle.
Incredible Companions: The companions are diverse, with their own personalities, backstories, and interactions. Whether you're laughing at Minsc's antics or navigating Viconia's complexities, the party dynamics are unmatched.
Expansive World: The game offers a vast, intricately designed world filled with hidden treasures, challenging encounters, and rewarding side quests. Every corner of Faerûn feels alive and brimming with adventure.
Challenging Tactical Combat: The real-time-with-pause combat system rewards strategic thinking and careful planning. It’s challenging but immensely satisfying for those who enjoy mastering intricate battles.
Why Choose the Enhanced Edition?
Beamdog has done an excellent job in revitalizing this classic:

Includes the Throne of Bhaal expansion, extending the epic storyline.
New companions and quests seamlessly integrate with the original content.
Cross-platform support and multiplayer enhancements make it easier than ever to adventure with friends.
Final Thoughts
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is a must-have for RPG enthusiasts. It's a love letter to fans of classic RPGs, while the updates ensure it remains relevant and enjoyable for a modern audience. Few games can match its depth, replayability, and emotional impact.

If you’re seeking a true RPG experience with unparalleled storytelling, strategic gameplay, and a world you'll lose yourself in for countless hours, this is the game for you. Don’t miss out on this timeless gem!

⭐ 10/10 Highly Recommended! ⭐

Different team builds with thousands of ways to play. Super fun. Yeah you also need a game cheater like EE Keeper to try some wild ideas.

Baldur's Gate 2 is a RPG classic that needs no presentation.