Baldur’s Gate EE Diary: Choosing Between the Blade and the Chevalier

One of the most difficult choices for every role-playing game that has a robust character creation system is how to shape the player avatar that will then determine much of how the game plays.

Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition has a creation and customization system that seems top notch despite the fact that it was initially created before the year 2000. And I am willing to admit that I have spent no less than 30 minutes reading the descriptions for the various subclasses and making tough decisions about my future.

Part of the attraction of the Dungeons & Dragons system and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting is that all the possible picks interact with the game world in interesting ways and the move from a Barbarian to a Druid will radically alter the play style for any gamer.

I also know that Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition will provide me with some very capable fighters and magic users and that there’s at least one potentially good thief that’s in my party almost by default.

This means that I am tempted to choose one of the more exotic possible classes, like the swashbuckler, who focuses on defensive and offensive spins and wears light armor, or the skald, a type of bard who has the ability to boost the offensive of all his companions.

The problem with both of them is that they tend to provide support rather than simply fight on the frontline and I want my avatar to be able to leap into the fray and deal some damage to my foes.

So, in the end, I settle for a version of the Paladin, called the Chevalier, who gets a bonus when fighting traditional evil creatures like monsters and demons and is able to use almost all the equipment that Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition has to offer.

I dread choosing to replay the game because I will have to deal with the same amount of choices yet again.