14 DAY TRIAL // I haven’t played Baldur’s Gate in more than 10 years but after spending time with the new version of the classic role-playing game and getting a few party deaths under my belt, I remembered some of the main pieces of advice that helped me get through the game.
1. Pause often, preferably every battle turn – modernity has largely dispensed with the pausable real-time battle, but assessing a tactical situation and giving orders to each character is crucial in Baldur’s Gate and that means pressing Space often to make sure that the party is working well and that everyone is using their best attack or power.
2. Casters in the back – this is fairly clear early on, when mages die fast, even when a tough enemy looks their way but, as the game progresses, I had a tendency to throw them into harm’s way which led to needless deaths; always keep mages and even priests in the second row and prioritize all enemies who try to get to them.
3. Sleep often – make camps and rest characters when you get the chance because Baldur’s Gate has some sections where sleep is a rare commodity.
4. Choose your battleground – look for door frames, natural choke points and other spaces where you can block the enemies’ movement and their ability to see your characters; they will always have bigger numbers so every tactical advantage counts.
5. Don’t underestimate anyone – kobolds might seem helpless and incapable of harming your party but even the lowliest enemies are able to cause problems to a party that moves erratically and does not fight as a unit.
Death is an integral part of the Baldur’s Gate experience and universe and it’s pretty much unavoidable but the above advice will allow a player to eliminate some of the frustration that the early game can cause.