Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition questions

[supergoji18]

Hi! I bought Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition from the mac store a while ago (playing on a macbook). I want to start playing again, but I have some questions I'd like answered:

1) Should I have bought the game from Beamdog instead of from the Mac Store? I'm wondering if there is any major difference between the two versions.
2) My game says it is version 1.3.2053. Is this the most up to date version?
3) I am planning on getting Siege of Dragonspear and Baldur's Gate 2 later on. How do I import my character from BG:EE into those games? Also, since Siege of Dragonspear doesn't appear to be on the mac store, is it possible to transfer characters between the different versions? If so, how?

Thank you for your responses!

[Winthur]

2) My game says it is version 1.3.2053. Is this the most up to date version?


I'm not a Mac gamer, but the most up-to-date patch is 2.5.

[GloatingSwine]

The current version is 2.5.Something I think.

Siege of Dragonspear is an expansion that requires BGEE. I'm not sure how getting it from another source will apply to a mac app store version or even if that would be possible.

(I'd never buy games from the mac app store even when I used my MBP for games*, Steam or GoG are much more likely to be kept up to date and are portable across OSes.)


* Okay I used Bootcamp to stick Windows on it because the gaming driver support is way better.

[Scots Dragon]

3) I am planning on getting Siege of Dragonspear and Baldur's Gate 2 later on.

I'd personally skip Siege of Dragonspear. While it does add some cool concepts in areas, and as a trans lady I can say that Mizhena was a very welcome inclusion, the whole picture doesn't come together very well in terms of plot or pacing so you can just skip it and go from Baldur's Gate to Baldur's Gate 2 without interruption.


How do I import my character from BG:EE into those games? Also, since Siege of Dragonspear doesn't appear to be on the mac store, is it possible to transfer characters between the different versions? If so, how?

Okay, this is based on my own version that's on PC, but yes it is and it's pretty easy overall.

While you're in Baldur's Gate, go to your character sheet screen, the button for which is a human head in profile. From there, in the bottom-right there's a button labelled 'export'. This allows you to create a pair of character files that you can copy/paste and move about at your leisure, and which you name yourself while creating it.

These files should be located in your documents somewhere. On PC they're in a folder as follows; Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition/characters, and they have the file extensions .bio and .chr.


There should be similar folders for Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition. Copy those files into there, and when creating a character there should be a button to import the character file you've created.

[ArlEammon]

Can you dual class as a true neutral character into a druid?

[LibraryOgre]

Can you dual class as a true neutral character into a druid?

Human fighters, yes. Not of the Barbarian Kit.

[Winthur]

Can you dual class as a true neutral character into a druid?

Yeah, from Fighter or any Fighter kit. Berserker / Druid is scary. Wizard Slayer / Druid was able to apply miscast magic on the AoE portion of the Fire Seeds spell (which is big) at 5 Attacks Per Round, but I don't know if that wasn't just now removed. Note though that you need to have 17 Wisdom and Charisma to be legible for dualling into druid, which can either mean some sacrifices or a bit of rerolling.

[Calemyr]

Where you buy it shouldn't matter and you should be at least over version 2.

Siege of Dragonspear is... a difficult thing to quantify. Let me see.

Cons: It's linear (each chapter is a different region and you can't backtrack), some of the characters are derailed (namely Safana and Jaheira), the plot is kinda irrelevant, and the railroading is obnoxious in parts. Also, not all BG1 characters are playable. Imoen and Skie are the most obvious offenders. The new class (shaman) is sorta weak but also can't use any of the BG2 strongholds.The big problem, however, is that it's pointless - none of the characters or events are going to be referenced in BG2 or ToB, which really diminishes its value.

Pros: Three of the four new characters are really good. Glint, M'khiin, and Corwin are useful and a lot of fun. (The bard is so pointless that I can't bother to remember his name.) Skie gets her own sidestory that's kinda cool - it's fun to watch her mature a little even if she never joins the party. The sidequests are probably the best done of the franchise - they're just more robust and detailed than other games. Lots of new gear (some of which can be ported to BG2) with interesting features. The premise is very interesting as well - Gorion's Ward vs a crusader who's just a better hero than they are. It doesn't seal the deal on that front, though.

The great: M'khiin. I adore her. Other than that, there are some sections I found incredibly powerful, such as the Forest of Wyrms.

Overall... I'd say it's a really good story. Once. There's little point to play it a second time, unless you missed some quest you have to see. The game itself doesn't branch much at all. Which is really frustrating because even BG1 is infinitely replayable.

So, that's my take. The good and the bad. Take it for what you will.