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Baldur's Gate seriesNewbie concerns about story progression and side-quests(7 posts)solved(7 posts)solved
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Posted June 22, 2013
Note: Please no (major) spoilers!

Hey,

While at the moment I play through NWN campaigns, I was gifted BG series (thank you KOCollins!) and simply couldn't help myself not to install the game and play it for a little while.

Thing is, on my way to Friendly Arms Inn (?) I met two guys - a thief and a wizard - traveling together. They offered me a potions and asked me if we can go to Nashkel.

What worries me if the fact that after FAI I went straight to Nashkel (as I read somewhere it's a good idea to get there fast, or those two will leave). Nothing amazing so far, with the exception of the fact that once I got there, Chapter two has started.
How will this affect my gameplay?
Will monsters be stronger?
I see that from that moment on, all my quests are being put under Chapter 2 tab in the journal so does this mean some previous quests won't be available anymore?

I'm playing BG for the first time, and please don't spoil it too much.
Thank you.
This question / problem has been solved by Melheliximage
Posted June 22, 2013
Companions in BG are a lot more flexible than in most other games. You can take em or leave and there will be very little changed either way. Companions will not be shackled to you. The main things that change are intra-party dynamics (some folk really do not get along. Like REALLY bad to mix, although it can be hilarious) and reactions towards how your character acts. Reputation-wise, party members like like-minded folk, so Good types like Heroes (high rep) and Evil types like Villains (low rep). If your reputation is drastically different from a party member's inclination they may leave.

Monster levels are set. It does not matter what chapter you are in. So feel free and come back to a tricky region in a level or two and crush those who oppose you.

Quests are sometimes on a time limit (keep a watch on what day it is) but rarely limited by chapter. You can pick up quests you missed and the clock on them will start when you receive the quest.

Please be aware, BG can be rather brutal (especially at low levels) and does not lend itself towards fast play. Sidequests are your friends. If you stick directly to the plot with no deviation you may find yourself dying a lot. More so then even something like NWN.

Hope that helps!
Posted June 22, 2013
Thank you, sir, for fast and helpful reply.

On a small note, I'm not in a hurry to get through main story. I was only concerned with this Chapter progression.
It took me 3 hours (of careful reading and exploring) to finally leave Candlekeep. :)
Posted June 22, 2013
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kojocel: I was only concerned with this Chapter progression.
Yeah, don't worry about chapter number - it has virtually no effect on the game and only marks that you've completed some main-story quest (and triggers some related encounters).
The side-quests are available in any chapter (except that a few are in areas that need to be unlocked) and some can be done straight away while others might want to wait til you're at a higher level.
It might look like you're racing through the game when you hit chapter 3 or 4 but you can then spend ages doing a lot of quests before continuing the main plot to chapter 5.
Posted June 22, 2013
if I were you I would go exploring a while and find some side quests rather than trying to hurtle through the game from A to Z. The combat difficulty is very well balanced with levelling up in this game (much more so than you could say for for an open world/sandbox RPG such as Morrowind/Oblivion for example), but if you don't explore and gain extra XP (and possibly items) by sidequesting then - if my memory serves me correctly - you might end up struggling later on. It's best to play the game (BG1) by keeping an eye on the main storyline but to go off exploring before you feel ready to embark on the next chapter. If you love this kind of game, as I do, then that will be a pleasure rather than a chore. This is a long game and a GREAT game.
Posted June 22, 2013
Some events are triggered by your chapter (especially in some mods), but to my memory nothing becomes off-limits because of your chapter. The ONLY thing about going from ch 1 to ch 2 is that those two guys (and two other people) will keep pushing you to go to Nashkel since you DID agree to go there. If you take too long (two weeks I think?) they will leave. During that time they will keep complaining about you dawdling.

By entering Ch 2 (which triggers when you get to Nashkel), their time limits disappear and they will stay with you forever.
Posted June 22, 2013
It's been so long since I last played BG1 that I can't remember clearly what happens but what BlueMooner says is true I think : Xzar and Montaron will leave you if you OVERdelay going to Nashkel. But there are many NPCs which can join your party in this game. I think it might be a spoiler to say how many there are so I won't. If those two leave your party it isn't (or might not be) the end of the world because there will soon be others you can pick up. The idea - or this is how I've always played the game - is to get your party up to the full quota of 6 members. Once you've achieved this the next time you meet a joinable NPC you will have to make the difficult decision as to whether or not to let them join your party, which will necessitate getting rid of an existing party member (you can ask them to stay where you left them).
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Baldur's Gate seriesNewbie concerns about story progression and side-quests(7 posts)solved(7 posts)solved
(7 posts)solved