Hey everyone,

Just started BG1 again. I'm at the first part where Gorion has been killed. I have two options on my minimap:

1) To follow the main quest and go to Friendly Arm Inn

or

2) Travel to High Hedge and explore (I have no quests here).

I'm just wondering what I should do? Will I get to see all places if I just follow the main quest? Or should I explore areas on my own? : )

You can do whatever you like. Just be warned that you can easily get into areas that are too tough for your low level character, but that just means you'll have to run away and come back later.

The only real concern with not following the main quest is if you pick up companions. Some of them have an agenda that you need to satisfy before too much in-game time passes or they'll get pissed off and leave. They make it fairly obvious what they want you to do though.

It's pretty wide open. There are time sensitive issues such as completing a quest for one your companions or lose them. Not many quests like that but some. However, some maps will be very tough for a level 1-5 player. W/O good armor, some tanks, spells etc, you will easily find your self out gunned. I suspect most players do the maps between Friendly Arms and the Naskel Mines (early quest) to pickup experience than start the main quest by going to the Friendly Arms. Without armor, even the early maps will have their difficulties.

Bob

Going to High Hedge with just your level 1 character and (I presume) Imoen will get you killed, most likely. As others have said, go anywhere you like, but be aware that un-modded BG1 is utterly unforgiving on new characters, but that's one of the things that makes it such an unforgettable game. Once you get to Nashkel and speak to the mayor, Jaheira will stop complaining and you can go about exploring or clear the mines first -- there's a good piece of loot for clerics, if you do. It's an open RPG, so it's entirely up to you, ultimately.

I'd hold off on exploration that early. Regardless of what class you are playing, you are a low level 2E D&D character with one companion of comparable level, so your odds of survival are very low and combat success at that level borders on random. Going into dangerous scenarios isn't advisable until you have a few levels under your belt and a few extra pairs of hands, and even then you'll need to be careful until you reach higher levels and get some enchanted gear.

I suggest you to go to the Friendly Arm Inn first, grab Jaheira and Khalid, and then do things as you prefer. A lot of the fun in BG1 (imo) is in exploration, as you could never know what you may encounter in the wilderness, plus you are not pressed by a time limit -with a few exceptions, but they are always easy to spot and mostly concerning a simple quest for a companion. While it is true that wandering around could be very dangerous with only your main character (especially a mage), by bringing along at least two supporters you'll be always relatively safe.

I went exploring early. Like Enebias says, hit up the Friendly Arms inn for those two companions. After that, it's fairly safe if you head straight south to build up some levels. Then you can check things out to the east and west, where the goings get tougher.

And then there's Durlag's Tower in the southeast corner, which is a whole 'nuther matter. A bunch of threads discuss that in detail but I wouldn't touch it on your first play-through until everyone is level 6 or better. Emphasis on "or better".

As an addition to that, you should also make sure you have a balanced party before you go there, with warriors (fighters, paladins, rangers, barbarians and monks with BGT), healers (clerics, druids), arcane casters (mages, sorcerers with BGT) and especially a thief.

Yeah, Durlag's Tower sans thief == certain death.

I remember my first attempt on Durlag's Tower... I was expecting many traps, but surely not THAT much! In certain areas almost the entire floor is covered by small traps (with a big deadly effect)! My party learned that the hard way: "come on, there can't be any more of those things!" were the last words of my leader, before he was reduced to a mush by the ceiling. And then burned to ashes. And then again dismembered.