Reviews for NPC and Quest MODs for BGEE, BG2EE, IWDEE and IWD2

[xiaoleiwen]

Updated the following:

- deleted the reviews of the 3 quest pack in the first page since I will rewrite those.

- added Balduran's Seatower to the first page

- added the separate review for BGQE since I finished most quests from this MOD here first. Will be updated to the first page later.

- The rewrote version for SOTSC will be posted later since I feel like there are many I haven't seen. AQ will probably be written after I finish one of the bigger quests. 

---

 

Baldur's Gate Mini Quests and Encounters Modification (BGQE)

Overall Experience: A+

Lore friendly: A+

Spoiler

BGQE offers16 quests/encounters that are spread throughout the game evenly, from your boring start in the Candlekeep to the lively Baldur’s Gate city. Most of the quests/encounters from this MOD are relatively short with a humor style that is very similar to vanilla ones but generally has more depth than those vanilla fetch quests. There are also extensions of certain unsatisfying vanilla stories. There are even quests to offer different alternatives for certain parts of vanilla quests. The wide variety of quests offered by this MOD has made the predictable play-through more engaging because not all of the new stuff is presented as a standalone quest. You may get new surprises when you are doing some old stuff here and there. This MOD may not have new areas, but it utilizes the unused vanilla areas very well, and this has motivated me to explore those empty houses repeatedly.

The writing of this MOD is also very good. It is probably not as verbose as some vanilla dialogues, but generally, it matches the vanilla writing style quite well and it probably has the best writing style in the 3 Quest Pack MODs mentioned here. As someone who loves interjections, this MOD is simply brilliant. It has the highest amount of high-quality interjections from vanilla NPCs than any other Quest Mods that I had experienced. This is particularly important in a game with BG1 NPC MOD installed, as the MOD quests may not feel like the vanilla ones if there is a lack of interjections. The NPC reaction is so well written that you may consider it as part of the vanilla game. The author knows how to make the NPCs stay true to the original character.

It is also worth mentioning that I really like the story and role-playing options of the following quests:

- Slime Quest

- Family Treasure Quest

- Monster in Nashkel

- Brage's Sword

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Quests:

Interjections:

Full showcase video for the Slime Quest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1770Jp3XlU&t=56s

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by marcnivar

[xiaoleiwen]

Shades of the Sword Coast

Overall Experience: A+
Lore friendly: A-
Area art: A+

Spoiler

I like some BG2 and IWD1 MODs from the author of this MOD due to his creativity and imagination. However, sometimes the bizarre atmosphere of some quests may feel not so lore-friendly compared to the vanilla ones.

I have expected something similar from this MOD but surprisingly, I found that the majority of the quests here are closer to the vanilla flavor than his BG2 MODs that I used before. As someone with a slightly bad memory, there is even content that I thought it is from the original game, such as the hidden secret of Friendly Arm Inn- the first quest I experienced from this mod. I thought it is something vanilla until I reached deeper. Occasionally, there may be still one or two quests that are slightly odd in terms of lore, but it is not that obvious, probably also due to the short nature of those quests. This is particularly great for someone like me, who sometimes care too much about the similarity when the MOD content is compared to the vanilla ones.

What this MOD really shines is, it rekindles my passion in the exploration of the large and relatively bland vanilla areas which is too predictable and became a chore to me after too many play-throughs. Some MODs may add great new areas, but they are normally isolated from the vanilla ones. Some MOD offers great quests in the vanilla areas, but sometimes I still do not have sufficient motivation to explore the vast open areas again. Installing this MOD has satisfied the need that I didn't realize initially.

This is because this MOD included 36 side quests and encounters, which is a very big number for a questpack MOD, and these quests are not just added to existing vanilla areas. There are many hidden secrets in vanilla areas that may lead to a small or big new area with beautiful art. I should emphasize that some of the area arts are even more impressive than the previous works from this author, who is someone known to make good MOD areas in IE games. His skill has improved and some materials that are not from IE games have also been used which contributes greatly to the fresh looks (I may not know it if I didn't find it randomly). Exploring vanilla areas is no longer dull compared to my previous play-through. There are also interjections from vanilla NPCs which may increase the replay value.

The exploration is also quite rewarding as the author is also good at creating funny and interesting items that have added a lot of flavor to the game.

The overall writing style is quite good, but some dialogues probably need more proofreading, and I'm sure this MOD will get better in future versions.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

"Vanilla quest"

Unexpected weird encounter

I love everything from here

"Unfinished Bussiness" of original BG1

Finally, I feel like a child of Bhaal

This quest is funny and I recognized the author immediately

 

Ascalon's Questpack

Overall Experience: A-
Lore friendly: A+

Spoiler

This MOD contains 9 new quests that mostly may add some levity to your adventure. The writing style of the funnier ones are quite similar to SOTSC, BGQE, and some vanilla ones, so generally, this MOD is a good add-on to a modded game with BGQE and SOTSC, which increase the variety of new minor quests here and there.

This mod also has a longer and more serious quest- The Serpents of Abbathor, which in my opinion can meet the standard of a good vanilla quest. I enjoy the investigation process of a secret organization and the options available to join either the good or evil side. It involves the revisit of some vanilla areas that I hate but story-wise it is still justified and suitable.

An opportunity to learn more about dwarven deities and society is highly appreciated as I feel that it is something lacking in most MODs or even in official content. This quest looks like has a sequel in BG2 and I’m really interested in what will happen later, but I think it is not available yet. Hopefully, the project is not abandoned and we can see the sequel in BG2 someday.

No interjections from vanilla NPC though.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Quests:

Serpent Quest:

===

Updated here first and will update the first page later.

I probably finished all Quest MODs review for my BG1, it is time to board the "one-way from Iron Throne Building to Sarevok final battle" train and proceed to BG2....looking at the long list of Quest Mods installed for BG2...started to cringe...

Anyway, reviews for NPC from BG1 will take some more time...

Edited December 3, 2021 by marcnivar

[Lava]

Thank you for the feedback! And yep, the mod's goal was to make sure exploration can be rewarding again. I know many won't find all the new areas and quests and encounters during their first run with this mod, but I kinda hope it will be the mod that gives you this "hey, wait... there's something here!" moment

Cheers!

[xiaoleiwen]

4 hours ago, Lava said:

Thank you for the feedback! And yep, the mod's goal was to make sure exploration can be rewarding again. I know many won't find all the new areas and quests and encounters during their first run with this mod, but I kinda hope it will be the mod that gives you this "hey, wait... there's something here!" moment

Cheers!

The main excitement I got from this MOD is when I suddenly noticed there is a cave entrance or weird "crack" (but look natural) somewhere that "I remember there was nothing like this here last time" and I discovered something fun after entering it with a lot of "wow!" or "cool!" in my mind. The surprise in the Ormyrrs' Peak is also probably one of the most unforgettable thing in my modded BG series playthrough.

I also didn't refer to the readme of the questpack mods I used this time, because if I miss out anything, just leave it as new surprise for next time

Anyway, are you going to add more content for SOTSC in the future? Just noticed it is still stated as "In-progress projects".

[Lava]

Ah, sorry, no. The mod is complete and I'm not adding anything new, just fixing stuff etc.

I'll need to update the signature when i have a moment...

[jastey]

14 hours ago, marcnivar said:

This quest looks like has a sequel in BG2 and I’m really interested in what will happen later, but I think it is not available yet. Hopefully, the project is not abandoned and we can see the sequel in BG2 someday.

Unfortunately, Ascalon quit modding, so chances for the BGII continuation are very low, not to say nonexistent.

[xiaoleiwen]

Updated to review for sotsc to mention there is interjection from NPC.

Anyway, I think I didn't see interjections from Viconia , only from Ajantis (I bring two vanilla npc only this time).

[Lava]

It all depends on the quest you're doing, it's not like everyone has interjections in every quest, also they can't be silenced, sleeping etc. They aren't MANY of these interjections, but yes, there some

[xiaoleiwen]

Yes, I noticed that, it is good enough for them to comment on some quests, if someone takes 5 vanilla npcs, the amount of interjection that we can see from all of the 36 quests should be really a lot. 

It is just I suddenly realize that Viconia didn't say anything, probably because I have forgotten , or maybe it is because of the dialogue options I picked. 

 

[xiaoleiwen]

Viconia

(Vanilla NPC with MODs- BG1 NPC Project)

Overall Experience: B
Lore Friendly: A

Spoiler

As a character with a lot of personal backstories in BG2, the MOD writing of Viconia in BG1 is like a double-edged sword- you have plenty of references on how to write her, but she can easily feel out of character if it is not written well. Fortunately, BG1 NPC MOD handled her quite well, as her dialogues in BG1 match the image created by Bioware in BG2. She may sound slightly different from BG2 occasionally, but it can be easily accepted considering she is still relatively new to the surface world at the time point of BG1 compared to BG2. 

Unfortunately, her dialogues in BG1 can be quite restricted by BG2. Firstly, she does not have the friendship talks like some of the NPCs from BG1 NPC MOD, probably because those can only come in BG2. Consequently, the depth of her interaction with Charname in BG1 is quite limited. Sometimes I also feel that her reactions are too predictable compared to the BG1 NPCs that cannot join in BG2, probably because the author wants to stay safe in her writing to match her personality with the BG2 ones. Well, this is probably a good thing, considering I have frequently encountered Viconia saying something that does not sound like something from her in at least two different MODs.

Screenshot:

Spoiler

Dave

(from Glam's NPC Pack)

Overall Experience: B
Lore Friendly: B+

Spoiler

I mentioned how I like the unorthodox good-alignment cleric Drake in my review for the previous play-through, and honestly, I didn’t expect to see another atypical cleric so soon. We have an evil cleric of Talos this time, who does not chant fervently on how mighty his god is or how should we bring destruction to the sword coast in a hilarious way such as something can be expected from the evil characters from the BG series. I was quite surprised with his first impression, as he is like a gentleman who spoke so seriously regarding the benefit of believing in an evil god, and when the CHARNAME questioned him on why he does not act like a common priest of Talos, he said “you can’t preach in that way”, which I found it quite realistic and amusing. He always speaks in good manners but you will still be able to feel the wickedness of a believer of evil deity deep inside his mind. The way the author presented his chaotic evil personality is very unusual.

Having Dave in the party also provided me an opportunity to realize a natural thing that we always forget in a game like BG- evil NPCs also have a normal life, friends, and relationship. His personal quest involves a hidden church of the priests of Talos (the worship of Talos was widely outlawed) that introduced many NPCs, and it is quite interesting to see how they have a normal life and act like ordinary people when they are in their community. This personal quest is quite fun and fits in the vanilla game quite seamlessly. The author even makes certain vanilla NPC and items related to this quest which enhanced this experience. This was the first NPC personal quest that I finished from Glam’s NPCs MOD and I honestly think that this MOD is a great option if you just want MODs that add good quests.

I like his character and personal quest, but generally, I also feel that his interjections are not as fun as those from Flara and Vynd.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Quest

Mod that gives you cat is always a good mod

Flara

(from Glam's NPC Pack)

Overall Experience: B+
Lore Friendly: A

Spoiler

Flara is a hidden gem in Glam’s NPC MOD. We always heard how good is Vynd whenever someone mentioned Glam’s NPC MOD. We even have a separate version of Vynd MOD if I remember correctly and some will use that because they don't want the others. Hence, I have no high expectations when I met her. However, she captured my curiosity from the first moment and I even consider her as someone with a character design and personal quest that rivals the quality of a professionally written one. I'm sure this review contains a heavy spoiler if I want to share my opinions on her.

What could be more interesting than the first appearance of a fiery red-haired woman quarreling with the bartender, just because she thinks it is disrespectful to the mighty dragon species when humans use Belching Dragon as the name of a tavern? It turned up more amusing when this lady claims that she is a dragon. 

However, I think most players won’t believe that especially seeing her class as Dragon Disciple. We may think she probably just mess up her mind when her draconic heritage started to show its influence. The dialogues regarding how her draconic features and powers become more obvious also match with what we know about Dragon Disciple. Her friendship talks and banters with the other NPC are full of options to tease her for not being a real dragon and she has a mental disorder. The author even wrote a personal quest to show that she is a normal human with family members who are worried for her. Everything was skillfully written to mislead the player and this gets so interesting when the story twists and reveals the truth- she is indeed a dragon. Her backstory and quest displayed a very good story-telling technique, which is why I rated her so highly.

She also has funny interactions with Vynd so it is worth bringing them together. I laughed when Vynd is pretending to be a mind flayer in human disguise just to make fun of her. 

However, her dialogues and interjections have reduced after reaching the Baldur's Gate city. I have expected more talks from her, especially she started to develop a friendship with PC that seems to boggle her mind. The author probably wants to write this in-depth in BG2.

She is also one of the two NPC (the other one is Aura) that I will seriously consider starting a BG2 play-through anytime just to see their contents when their BG2 NPC MODs are released. We kill dragons like kobolds in BG2, I truly want to see how she reacts with all of our beloved dragons in BG2.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Quest

Vynd

(from Glam's NPC Pack)

Overall Experience: B-
Lore Friendly: B

Spoiler

Vynd is probably the most well-known NPC from Glam’s NPC MOD. There are reviews from people who like him, and you rarely see the reviews for the remaining four. Hence, I expected him to be the best of the three Glam’s NPC I took this time. However, he didn’t live up to my expectation. He seems slightly lack content in the early game (but has more before the end game), and he does not have a personal quest, which I’m quite disappointed considering how I like the quests for Flara and Dave.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy having him in the party. He has some funny jokes in the banters and interjections. I enjoy seeing him teasing some vanilla NPC and Flara. However, I feel that he slightly lacks depth compared to the others. Perhaps he is like Viconia in BG1 NPC MOD, he looks like still does not open up to the PC, probably due to the plan of writing the backstory in BG2. 

He also has many interjections and banters that are on the brink of fourth-wall breaking. He always said something that “player may complain” or something “only player may notice”. Some dialogues are probably trying to show his wit, and I believe there must be someone who likes this because it is quite amusing sometimes, but there are some moments I feel that he cannot be someone from this universe. Dave has a similar problem actually but is better than Vynd.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

His interactions with Viconia

I don't think your name is a good example in real life (talking)

Ajantis

(Vanilla NPC with MODs- BG1 NPC Project + Ajantis BG1 Expansion)

Overall Experience: B+
Lore Friendly: A+

Spoiler

If I choose the MOD NPC based on reviews available online, I would probably take him in the year 2030. Almost everyone says he is boring. He is indeed boring compared to all vanilla NPCs with a more comical personality. After all, who can be duller than a typical righteous-yelling human paladin? The only reason I choose him for this run is that I suddenly need someone who is perfectly ordinary to balance up the personality in my party. 

It could be difficult to write a vanilla NPC without a catchy personality. He acts predictably most of the time, fully fits the role of the typical good guy when dealing with the villains in BG1. I know this sounds boring, but in fact, it is quite fun to have him in the group. Firstly, you will always need an ordinary good guy to be "bullied" or teased by the other unusual companions. Theirs banters with him are quite entertaining. Additionally, the dialogue options available, especially in the romance path, are full of interesting options that are too tempting to see the consequence, and his reactions from those options are not disappointing. You can see the author spent a lot of effort here to make the conversation with an ordinary guy enjoyable. I fully enjoy role-playing as a lawful neutral smart sorceress who likes to tease an innocent young man. I can almost imagine the smug look off my protagonist's face seeing how Ajantis's reactions were swayed by her words.

There are moments when I thought his reactions are weird and uncertain whether it is due to poor writing. However, the well-written dialogues options and his reactions followed by your choice have shown that it was intentional. The author is trying to portray him as a pure and inexperienced young man that will even show some natural selfish reaction to unexpected situations. You may interact with him in a more dramatic way if you feel that his reaction is unfair, and he will still show appropriate reactions to your reasonable complaints. I have seen some other romances that you will be forced to accept everything your love wants with no room for negotiation. Ajantis is a Lawful Good paladin squire, so there must be some restriction in your choice to get along with him. I appreciate the dialogue interactions to make the process of reaching a compromise more natural.

I would also like to mention that there are many games that you may play with a female PC and there are romances available. However, I often feel like my PC is talking like a female character written by a male author. I have good experience with Ajantis romance as I can feel that my CHARNAME is reacting like a woman without being too girlish like what you may see in some MOD works.

I also didn’t expect I will like Ajantis more than Isra and Sirene in BG1.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Typical paladin

It is hard not to select some options...

---

Last update for this BG1 playthrough.

Edited December 9, 2021 by marcnivar

[jastey]

Thank you for the Ajantis (BG1) review!

[xiaoleiwen]

I'm not sure whether this is lore-friendly, but it is quite amusing 

Not a route that I will take this time, so reload...

This is not a review, just leave a video here, for fun, I think it is from the BG1NPC in SOA/TOB.

Spoiler

 

 

[Austin]

1 hour ago, marcnivar said:

This is not a review, just leave a video here, for fun, I think it is from the BG1NPC in SOA/TOB.

You're right, this is a video from the "Faldorn" component from the "BG1NPC in SoA&ToB" mod! This component allows you to side with Faldorn in the fight against Trademeet, and in two different ways - either attack the city with the Shadow Druids, or (which is more fun and well done) arrange a blockade of the city. As a result, the druids will send many stray dogs to the city,, and the residents will have dozens of funny comments 
In any case, the player will also have the opportunity to take Faldorn into the party after that and see how she will cope with the consequences of her actions. In this component she has very wise and good dialogues, although there are not very many of them.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Austin

[xiaoleiwen]

I didn't realize there is different versions for the attack of city, probably try and see later 

[xiaoleiwen]

I'm not really going to write review for NPCs that I won't bring as permanent companion, but I should give exemption to this MOD (because I like it even I just saw very minor part of it)

----

Foundling: Between the Shades 

(As a Quest MOD)

Overall Experience: A-
Lore friendly: A-

Spoiler

This is not my "NPC review", because I won't bring him as a permanent companion this time. I just want to try the idea of installing some NPC MODs as quest MOD and see how enjoyable it is. But I started to regret it. He is more interesting than I expected, I would like to know more about him, and I love his friendship talks with PC where the other vanilla companions are also listening and will make comments, we feel like a team when he is around. However, my party is full now...

What I am truly impressed is how well he integrated into the story of the shade lord temple. Vanilla game has limited story for these two bosses. I always brought Mazzy in previous play-throughs to see her reactions and I was always disappointed. This mod feels like an expansion to this vanilla questline which has added additional interactions and quest to it. His quest following the death of the shadow dragon is highly appreciated. There are also a lot of well-written interjections from the other vanilla NPCs which makes the experience truly amazing.

I won't leave this MOD out of my modlist in the future. Now I know why a lot of people recommend it as a quest MOD (even if you have no plan to keep him).

Finally, the shadow dragon Thaxll'ssillyia has a personality and is no longer a brainless monster. I started to remember his name just like Firkraag.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Interjections:



Quest

Banter

Edited December 12, 2021 by marcnivar