10 replies to this topic

[TheAdamantArchvile]

Hello ladies and Gentlefiends,

I just recently opened my old copies of Baldur's gate 1 and 2 and I was wondering, what would be a good set of mods to start off with? Should I start off with Re-vamp mods or should I just stick to add-on quests for now? Also, Is there a mod that links Baldur's gate 1 and 2 together?

[Tempest]

I didn't come up with this list, but it's a terrific start:

• EasyTutu is my mod of choice for BG1 in the BG2 engine.
  
• Ascension/WeiDU (Optional) — David Gaider's attept at fixing the Throne of Bhaal ending. Makes it significantly harder as well.
  
• G3 BG2 Fixpack — The quintessential unofficial patch for BG2. Install it.
  
• BG1 Unfinished business (Optional) — Restores cut content. It varies in quality and it's hard to say if everything they restored should be restored, but many people seem to like it.
  
• BG2 Unfinished Business (Optional) — Same as above, but for BG2.
  
• BG1 NPC Project (Optional) — Gives some banters to the party members in BG1. Has some (cringeworthy) romances as well, but thankfully they are optional. Not for purists.
  
• Sword Coast Stratagems & Sword Coast Stratagems II (Optional) — Think the game is too easy? SCS1&2 is a highly modular collection of enemy AI enhancements and other tweaks for both BG1 and BG2. I tend to only use the AI enhancements (with no pre-buffing), but if that's not enough for you, you can select the components that give enemies pre-casted buffs or new abilities as well. Warning: It really makes the game harder, so you might not want to use this on your first playthrough.
  
• BG2 Tweak Pack (Optional) — Bigger arrow stacks and other convenience tweaks. Pick and choose what you want.
  
• Level 1 NPCs (Optional) — Allows you to change your party members' classes, stats or profiencies. Useful if you think that Khalid should've been a Fighter/Mage or that Jaheira's starting profiencies suck.
  
• BG1 Level Cap Reinstator (Optional) — If you do a "full" playthrough without this mod, you'll start with 250-300k XP in BG2, which, in my opinion, is far too much. This mod restores the 161,000 XP cap for the BG1+TotSC portion of the game.
  
• Restored Textscreen Music — Restores the background music for the chapter cutscenes in BG1. Note that you also need to copy the correct language pack in addition to the core installation package.
  
• Widescreen mod — Play in a resolution higher than 800x600. See this topic if you think the font is too small.

Edited by Tempest, 01 May 2012 - 03:32 PM.

[William Imm]

Some other stuff that I would recommend you give a try:

* Rogue Rebalancing and aTWEAKS by aVENGER
* ToBEx by A64
* Baldur's Gate Trilogy by A64

[Sasha Al'Therin]

I just recently opened my old copies of Baldur's gate 1 and 2 and I was wondering, what would be a good set of mods to start off with?

Other than those suggested above:
Projectile Retrieval Mod -- useful if you don't like buying ammo every time you turn around.
If you are playing BG/BG:ToTSC, you might want to try the BG:Fixpack. It's still a work in progress, but has a fairly stable test release. It's accessible from my website linked in my signature.

Should I start off with Re-vamp mods or should I just stick to add-on quests for now?

If it's been a good while since you played, stick with simple add-on stuff for now. Get the feel for the game again before adding in something that could drastically change the look & feel etc...

Also, Is there a mod that links Baldur's gate 1 and 2 together?

There is only one: Baldur's Gate Trilogy.
Tutu/EasyTutu while allowing play of the BG game in BG2 it doesn't actually cross into BG2 territory. So it has the same issue as playing BG/BG:ToTSC and then porting character into BG2. Characters that died in BG may very well be alive in BG2.

BGT on the other hand is a fairly seamless transition from BG:ToTSC content into BG2 content. Which means that if a character died in the BG portion of the game and they would normally have shown up in the BG2 game, they will not. At least one exception that i know of is Imoen as she is integral to the BG2 SoA plot.

[Valiant]

You can also give a try to Tower Of Deception. I think it´s at least worth of looking at it...

[William Imm]

I was going to say to try that too, Valiant, but I guess I did not spit it out.

[Almateria]

Tower of Deception is pretty much the best mod for BG2, install it now.

[Cal Jones]

I actually don't use the Fixpack myself - it does fix a few annoyances but I've had a few problems with other bugs while it's been installed.
I do use several elements from the G3 Tweaks Pack and ATweaks, however, which I both find quite essential now (stuff like turning off the cloak of mirroring ugliness, removing fatigue from restoration spells and the restored Imoen banters in ToB, for example, though I generally don't mess with improved AI and so forth).

Certain parts of Unfinished Business are in my regular install as well, but whilst I've tried most parts, I agree some of that content was cut for a reason. I always install Kalah & What he was promised, Suna Seni/Valygar and cut items and item descriptions as well as the restored NPC portraits.

I must admit I've never tried BGT or Tutu. Has anyone experienced any bugginess with these? (I've heard about a Beregost crash from one, I can't remember which and don't know if it was resolved. I'd like to try some of the NPC mods for BG1, though, not to mention the improved graphics).

As far as BG2 goes, there are some very good mods and some really awful ones, and several others in between. I like quest and NPC mods, mostly. Most of the mods you'll find here, on G3 and Pocketplane are very good.

[Sasha Al'Therin]

I must admit I've never tried BGT or Tutu. Has anyone experienced any bugginess with these? (I've heard about a Beregost crash from one, I can't remember which and don't know if it was resolved. I'd like to try some of the NPC mods for BG1, though, not to mention the improved graphics).

The crash was present in the original BG games and thus carried over to BGT & Tutu. It has since been discovered what causes the problem and it has been rectified. Both BGT & Tutu have the necessary patches in their respective installers. As for BG we've a bit of overkill as it is included in several mods...

There are oddities in both when compared to the original, but that is expected when using a more advanced form of the game engine. BG1 has a limit on the distance of shout to just past the visible range, so some NPCs in BG don't go hostile whereas in Tutu or BGT they will since BG2's shout range is much further. In fact in one Tutu run there was a slightly humorous side effect where upon entering one particular level of the Cloakwood Mines the initial area monsters would shout as they attacked which would draw in every potential enemy from the entire map, including those who had room specific dialog. I have not yet noticed how BGT handles such a situation.

I actually don't use the Fixpack myself - it does fix a few annoyances but I've had a few problems with other bugs while it's been installed.

I stick with the core & the lite gtu, and that's it. I don't bother with the beta or optional but cool components

[Cal Jones]

Thanks.

[Eric P.]

I recommend to install all BG2 Fixpack components except for SHFLM. I consider this mod essential, and I would never play BG2 without it.