The long wait is finally over. Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition from Overhaul Games releases this coming Wednesday. I have been waiting for years to play this game. Fans of role-playing games (RPG’s) have called Baldur’s Gate the epitome of the genre and I have always felt their silent disapproval pointing a finger at me for not having played it yet.
Let’s take a look what the enhanced edition has in store.
- New Adventure: The Black Pits
- New Character: Dorn Il-Khan
- New Character: Neera the Wild Mage
- New Character: Rasaad yn Bashir
- A new collection of the player character voice sets
- System overhaul
The Black Pits
"Rouse yourselves, you lice-laden layabouts. Stand and salute your new master, Baeloth the Entertainer!"
Create a party of up to six members and fight through fifteen hellish battles in a desperate bid to escape. Difficult challenges, unique battles, and a bizarre cast of characters await you within the Underdark.
- A stand-alone adventure set deep within the Underdark
- Fifteen levels of arena-style combat challenges
- Full control and customization of up to six party members
- Over 6 hours of additional gameplay
Rasaad yn Bashir
"In the face of lies, we offer truth. In the face of hatred, we offer compassion."
Rasaad is a Calishite Monk demonstrating his monastic arts to the people of Nashkel. His quest ultimately leads into the highest reaches of the Cloud Peaks, where he must face an unexpected nemesis.
- The Monk Rasaad yn Bashir, a new NPC to join your party
- A new playable adventureNew area: the Cloud Peaks
- Four hours of additional gameplay
Neera the Wild Mage
"Casting wild magic is like playing a flute by ear. In magical terms, I can play a pretty mean tune, but when I miss a note the flute shoots fire at everyone."
Neera is a half-elf wild Mage slowly coming to terms with her enormous magical potential. This half-elf wild Mage finds both delight and terror in her capricious magic while fleeing both her past mistakes and the merciless Red Wizards of Thay.
- The Wild Mage Neera, a new NPC to join your party
- An engaging romantic adventure
- Up to four hours of additional gameplay
- New area: a secluded hideaway northeast of Durlag's Tower
Dorn Il-Khan
"Do not annoy me with such simplistic notions of morality."
Dorn is a half-orc Blackguard whose otherworldly patron grants him terrible powers in the form of his black sword and unholy spells. Betrayed by his former companions, the half-orc Dorn Il-Khan lusts for revenge and glory in equal measure.
- The Blackguard Dorn II-Khan, a new NPC to join your party
- Up to four hours of additional gameplay
- The Blackguard kit to create your own champion of evil
Game mechanics updated
- Enhanced Interface - native support for high resolution and widescreen displays. The iPad and Android Tablet versions both contain platform specific interface enhancements.
- Improved Multiplayer - Online multiplayer has been upgraded to include matchmaking functionality, and games can be played across multiple platforms.
- Core Game Improvements - source code has been cleaned up and improved, sped up, and now has support for modern platforms.
- New Cinematics – all cinematics have been replaced with beautifully hand painted animated artwork, directed by Nat Jones.
- Baldur's Gate 2 Features - All of the additions and improvements from Baldur's Gate 2: The Shadows of Amn have been brought to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Now you can use class kits, new sub-races and classes that were previously unavailable.
- Ongoing Support - continue to receive improvements after release, along with continued support for the vibrant mod community.
System requirements
- Memory: 512 MB
- Minimum graphics: GeForce 2 or equivalent
- Processor speed: 1 GHZ
The PC version is available for pre-loading at R230. The iPad and Mac versions will be available on Wednesday with the Andriod version to be announced.
Source: Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition Official Website
Check out the latest Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition gameplay trailer.
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