Baldur's Gate is a 1998 role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on a player-made character who travels across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions.
The game received critical acclaim and was credited for revitalizing computer role-playing games. An expansion pack was released titled Tales of the Sword Coast, as were two sequels, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) and Baldur's Gate 3 (2023). An enhanced, remastered version of the Infinity Engine was later created as part of Beamdog's Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, the first new release in the franchise in nearly nine years The original Baldur's Gate continues to be referenced as a point of inspiration in many modern role-playing games, and is often cited as one of the best video games ever made.
Gameplay
Players conduct the game from a top-down isometric third-person perspective, creating a character who travels across pre-rendered locations, taking on quests, recruiting companions to aid them, and combating enemies, while working towards completing the game's main story. A user interface allows a player to move characters and give them actions to undertake, review information on on-going quests and the statistics of characters in their party, manage their inventories, and organize the formation of the party, though the screen does not need to be centered on the characters being controlled and can be moved around with the mouse and keyboard, the latter capable of accessing various player options through keyboard shortcuts. All of the gameplay mechanics were coded to conform to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition role-playing rules, with the game automatically computing rule intricacies, including tracking statistics and dice rolling. Although the game is conducted in real-time, some elements of the rule set were modified to allow it to feature a pausable real-time mode. This allows players to pause at any time and prepare what actions a character would do, including the ability to set the game to automatically pause at preset points in combat.
For each new playthrough the player can either create a new character, or import one they exported from a previous playthrough. A new character requires the player to determine what their name, gender, race, class, and alignment are, and what ability scores and weapon proficiencies they have. New characters can be multi-class, but must adhere to the restrictions that come from this, in accordance to the 2nd edition rules; for example, a character who is both a cleric and a fighter, may only use weapons of the former class.
The game's main story is divided up into eight parts, featuring a prologue and seven chapters. Each section requires the player to complete a specific task in order to continue. Some areas of the map are not accessible until the player has advanced to a specific chapter. A player may have up to five companions travelling with them in their party, with the player free to decide whom to recruit or dismiss from the party.
The main UI consists of three action bars surrounding the main screen. The first bar consists of a map, journal, character records, their inventories, spellbooks and a clock. The second bar consists of a portrait of each character in the party, their HP, order, and any effects they are experiencing. The third bar provides specific actions per the number of characters being controlled: if a single character is selected, the player has the ability to switch between the weapons the character is wielding, use spells or items, or utilize a character's or piece of equipment's special abilities. If more than one character is selected, the bar displays options to allow them to converse with or attack non-player characters, stop what is being done, or change their formation.
The inventory system allows each character to equip items categorized as: weapons, ammunition, armor, helmets, necklaces, rings, belts, cloaks, feet, or usable. The number of items a character can both equip and carry is affected by their weight limit, which is determined by their Strength ability score; going over this limit will encumber the character causing them to move slowly or prevent them moving altogether until they remove items from their inventory. The system also indicates what equipment a character may not use as defined by their class. This mechanic also determines how many weapon slots they have available; by default, all character have two weapon slots, with an off-hand slot for shields. Some classes allow characters additional weapon slots. Characters may equip three stacks of ammo for ranged weapons (bows, crossbows and slings), and use three different types of usable items (potions, scrolls and wands).
Conversation can be initiated by players selecting a member of the party and clicking on a friendly or neutral NPC. Some conversations are initiated automatically when characters come close to them. Certain NPCs offer services the player can utilize, including buying and selling items and identifying enchanted items. Other useful places include inns where the party can rest in safety to recover lost hit points and memorize spells, as well as temples where characters can pay for healing services, such as resurrecting a dead party member.
Other features that affect gameplay include: The ability to customize their character after creation, albeit with some restrictions. The ability to change the primary and minor colors used by each character. The ability to switch the game's AI on or off, and change what script a character uses. Most locations are hidden when first visited but are revealed as the character moves around them. A fog of war effect hides explored areas when the player's characters move away from them. A reputation system that tracks the moral actions of the PC and affects how they are perceived, changing if they resolve a problem or commit a crime in the view of witnesses. Higher reputations cause shops to decrease prices, while lower reputations cause shops to increase prices. Lower reputations may also lead to the character being attacked when in town. Companions are also affected by reputation, with evil companions leaving the party, even attacking it, if it is high, and good and neutral companions leaving when it is low. Some side quests also require a minimum reputation to begin. Certain NPCs may also react negatively or positively depending on their alignment and the player's reputation. The ability to keep track of in-game time through the changes in lighting and the activity that is occurring. Characters become fatigued after spending a full in-game day, especially after travelling long distances between world map locations, and must rest to recover, either in an inn or camping out in the countryside/within a dungeon. Characters can be ambushed when camping out or travelling long distances between world map locations. Players can play either in single-player mode, or in multiplayer mode. The latter allows up to six players to work together online with their own created characters.
Plot Setting Baldur's Gate takes place in the world of Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms setting, during the year 1368 DR, along the western coast of the continent of Faerûn known as the Sword Coast. The game takes place during a regional iron shortage in which iron weapons and tools begin to corrode and break without explanation, threatening trade and stability throughout the region. The player's journey takes place across a variety of Sword Coast locations, including the library fortress of Candlekeep, the mining town of Nashkel, the village of Beregost, the Cloakwood forest, and the city of Baldur's Gate, one of the region's largest centres of commerce.
The conflict draws the player into the activities of several organisations from the Forgotten Realms setting, including the Iron Throne, a merchantile organization central to the iron crisis; the Flaming Fist, the mercenary company responsible for maintaining order in Baldur's Gate; the Zhentarim; the Red Wizards of Thay; the Harpers; and the mercenary group known as the Chill.
Characters The protagonist of Baldur's Gate is an orphan raised in the library fortress of Candlekeep by the mage Gorion, a member of the Harpers. The game has 25 characters who may join the player's party. Imoen, who also grew up in Candlekeep, is a childhood friend of the protagonist and the first party member to join. Several are encountered in pairs: Jaheira, a half-elven warrior druid and Harper who was a friend of Gorion, travels with her husband Khalid, a nervous but capable fighter; Minsc, an eccentric Rashemi ranger who treats his hamster Boo as a "miniature giant space hamster", seeks to rescue Dynaheir, the Rashemi witch he is sworn to protect; Montaron and Xzar are a pair of Zhentarim agents who have been dispatched to investigate the iron crisis in the Sword Coast region; the manipulative bard Eldoth schemes to elope with Skie Silvershield, the sheltered daughter of one of Baldur's Gate's Dukes sitting on its ruling Council of Four.
Other recruitable companions include Ajantis Ilvastarr, a young paladin of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart sent to combat the increased bandit activity on the Sword Coast; Alora, a cheerful halfling thief encountered while robbing Baldur's Gate's Hall of Wonders; Branwen, a priest of the war god Tempus who may be freed after being turned to stone by the mage Tranzig; Coran, an elven fighter and thief encountered hunting wyverns in the Cloakwood; Edwin Odesseiron, an arrogant Red Wizard of Thay who seeks the protagonist's help in killing Dynaheir; Faldorn, a member of the militant Shadow Druids; Garrick, a young bard and former member of a travelling troupe; Kagain, a dwarven mercenary who operates a caravan escort business in Beregost; Kivan, an elven ranger pursuing the bandit leader Tazok, who was responsible for the death of his partner Deheriana.; Quayle, an arrogant gnome cleric and illusionist who considers himself intellectually superior to those around him; Safana, a thief and former pirate from Calimport; Shar-Teel, an aggressive warrior with a particular hatred of the Flaming Fist; Tiax, a gnome cleric and thief devoted to the evil god Cyric who believes he is destined to rule the world; Viconia deVir, a drow cleric of Shar who has fled the Underdark and is persecuted because of her race; Xan, a pessimistic elven Greycloak mage from Evereska sent to investigate the iron shortage; and Yeslick Orothiar, a dwarven fighter and cleric whose ancestral mine in the Cloakwood has been taken over by the Iron Throne after he was betrayed by Rieltar.
The principal antagonist of Baldur's Gate is Sarevok, the foster son of Rieltar Anchev, the leader the Iron Throne who is bent on monopolizing the iron and weapons trade in the Sword Coast. Other characters involved in the Iron Throne conspiracy include Mulahey, a priest of Cyric overseeing the sabotage of the Nashkel mines; the half-ogre Tazok, who commands the bandits disrupting trade on the Sword Coast; and Tamoko, Sarevok's lover, who later undermines him by supplying information to Gorion's Ward. The Flaming Fist is represented by its commander Eltan, one of the Dukes of Baldur's Gate, Eltan's lieutenant Scar, and Angelo Dosan, a corrupt officer who is Shar-Teel's father and is secretly allied with Sarevok.