Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Hints IX (PS2)

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Vivendi Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Despite the cross platform release, it is surprisingly similar on all gaming devices.

The player must create a character, choosing from one of the three templates available. Vahn is a human being and an archer who relies on arcane magic. His main strengths are the ability to hit enemies from a distance and the stealth to escape difficult battles. Adrianna is an elf and a sorceress, which means that she relies on magical attacks and on spells. Kromlech is a dwarf and a fighter. He is the closest thing the game has to a regular RPG tank, a guy who can take a lot of damage while also dishing it out.

After one complete run through the game, you can also select the legendary Baldur's Gate character Drizzt Do'Urden, who is a drow and can fulfill the dual roles of ranger and of fighter. In melee battle, he wields his signature two scimitars.

The plot is pretty standard RPG fare, with a lot of conspiracies and some Beholder meddling thrown in for good measure. The player begins as a lowly character and advances throughout the game to be powerful enough to take on the drow and even the undead. There's a cliffhanger ending to the game which was necessary as a sequel was in development at the time the game was launched.

GAMEPLAY HINTS

Best sword

The best sword available in the game is not the Onyx Blade as you might have thought. Get the Shocking Burst Adamantine Bastard Sword +3.

The Shock Adamantine Great Sword +3 is also good. It can be found in the Onyx Tower in extreme mode.

The best weapon is the Shocking Burst Adamantine Great Sword of Defense +5. It can be found in the Onyx Tower.

Recall back to saved point

One of the simplest ways to transport yourself from any level is to use the Recall Potion. You can use the Recall spell to warp you to the safety of the tavern and, if you use it a second time from the tavern, it will warp you back to your last saved point. This can save you a lot of time and aggravation, and can be useful to unload items, sell them off, or load up on upgrades without having to work your way back to the same level point after you are done.

Here's the final Boss fight of the game: