I really dig Mortismal's reviews. But one thing I will add about IWD, that was unfortunately missed with this review, is the incredible music and atmosphere that this game has. It really makes you feel like you are adventuring in a snowy icy tundra. I played this game during the winter months in my cozy computer room when everything outside my window was covered in snow, and it was really cool.
@@BoJangles42 Yep he also did the first Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic game, as well as many, many other games. His list of games in Wikipedia is long indeed. Dude is a Legend!
First thing I did after watching this was dive into the wonderful archives of the old Ironworks forums for these games. So many good memories from 15-16 years back :)
Speaking of class related dialogue, I remember getting somewhat frustrated in IWD2 whenever my Paladin would refuse quest rewards... Really made me appreciate the whole Lawful Stupid moniker later in life.
I think you can avoid this by choosing another party member to talk to the NPC. This tip is from one of the messages shown during a loading screen from what I remember.
You cant be good and lawful at the same time. Government is by nature lawful evil. Neutral good is the real lawful good while chaotic good is the real neutral good. White knights are always ignorant people who protect evil people from justice. I solved the party leader issue with a sorcerer pc since they run off charisma too. My favorite class anyway and paladins feel kinda eh. Think it's going overboard to say just cuz theres an avenger blade in game that paladin is mandatory. I'd rather have a barbarian who gets 20% resist that you can stack with items and stay tanky late game without magic.
This is one of my cherished rpg. While it is short, relative to other rpgs, it is quite good. Yes it's combat heavy but the story is direct and hits all the right notes in terms of quality. So to me this is a game where quality is better than quantity. And that is why this game is so memorable. Highly recommended for rpg enthusiasts.
Great video! I always preferred BG for the more story-heavy approach but I love the setting of Icewind Dale. It's great that Beamdog went back and enhanced these RPGs for more modern hardware, they're classics and still hold up pretty well.
We need more games like Icewind Dale. I really miss the old days when we could see how, for example, a critical hit looked like. It made my game night with the boys more conceivable.
I really hope we one day get IWD 2 EE. Memories I'll never forget are that beautiful music in Targos and that epic conclusive battle with Isair, Madae, and Ormis Dohor.
I just bought it with BG1+2 and Torment, less than 5$ each and installed them on my steamdeck deck. They work flawlessly. Can't wait to revisit these classics in bed or on the run.
one of my favorite channels for reviews, I can always trust Mortismal because like the title suggest, he 100%'s them. If I ever get interested in any RPG I will always check to see if he is thinks its good
Ah, Icewind Dale. Back in the day, it was actually my first Infinity Engine game that I've played. I still have memories of a really young me back in 2000 running away from Shadows in the Valley of Shadows, cause I didn't understand what to do with them. And the big skeletons, oh my. Had to restart several times :) Never played Heart of Winter, so maybe this is a reason for a replay. Still, after completing IWD and getting the CDs with Baldurs Gate 2, I was prepared and breezed through it, just enjoying the story, although some of the companion builds felt weird after being able to customize your whole party. Anyway, thanks for another great review!
i first played iwd when i was about 10, on the hardest difficulty (i think heart of fury was actually part of the original, not just an EE add-on), and it was one of the most frustrating things, that really was the first time i ever actually had to use some form of thinking in a video game, and has forever shaped the games i play.
@@304enjoyer3 it took me about a year or so, and i had to get some tips from my older brother, but yes, and it was crazy satisfying. the only time i had to do stupid cheese with summons was the final battle figuring out how the heck do i beat belhifet, as being a child, all the plot clues to tell me that this was supposed to be the end of the game for some reason just didnt sink in, so i wasnt exactly prepared.
Icewind Dale can be great for a good dungeon crawl and customizing your characters. I also rather enjoy the gameplay additions of Enhanced Edition such as BG2 classes/kits and also the very powerful High Level Abilities from Throne of Bhaal, which are great for soloing with faster leveling. While IWD2 is rather short, I really like how the first game has 2 Expansions which basically add a lot of content to the late game as well.
I prefer the pacing of IWD2. IWD1 doesn't properly introduce the stakes and the first half feels a bit random. Encounters were more varied and better designed in the sequel as well imo.
@@AlacrityTW Yeah, villain and plot wise I prefer IWD2 as well. I just wish it was longer. I remember my first run I don't think I even got the 9th spells. But you can always go for the Heart of Fury mode for replays.
IWDEE has BG2EE's class kits but it doesn't add Throne of Bhaal's high level abilities. The other difference is that IWDEE (and original IWD) doesn't have an experience cap, instead there is a level 30 cap. Which means that classes like mages that would normally require more XP to reach the same level as the others will eventually catch up. And since it is a per class and not per character overall level cap it makes multi-classing extremely strong. You can achieve lvl 30 in all your character's classes, making it much better than dual-classing while it is the other way around in BG2EE.
There was also a way to do that in BG 2. You could start a game in a multiplayer session to generate the chars you wanted, save the game, and then load as single player and play it further on.
make a party of 5 dwarves and 1 human female fighter name her snow white. or make 4 halflings and name them frodo, sam, merry, pippin and pretend you are to journey into mount doom. i really like this game, its not better than baldurs gate but its a lot MORE fun. imo.
Quality content as usual, thank you for that - I still remember how I couldn't get through Icewind Dale when I was younger, I might hop into EE once I find some free time :)
Another good review. I tried to chew through these older games last year, but I think I'm too spoiled by pillars and pathfinder by now. One suggestion, if you're going through the trouble of getting 100% on achievements you may want to mention the experience of it and how it relates to other games you've done the same for, or just some notable achievements that you felt might've added something to the experience. Just a thought
I tried BG1 and had a difficult time enjoying it. I played and finished divinity 1 and 2, and then went back to play Planescape Torment. After playing the newer games I was much more prepared for it, and it's so worth it. That game has the best writing of any game I've played yet. There's almost no voiced dialogue, but how they've written it you can hear the way the characters say things.
I am old enough to have played the original when it came out and I replayed the EE later on but I have to say, compared to things like WOTR and similar titles, the old infinity games are fading from glory. I should not be comparing but I think WOTR really spoilt me. The only thing I dislike is Crusade Management (I am one of those) as I favour a more traditional RPG experience but yeah...as much as I enjoy the old stuff I have a feeling time is wearing on them.
I've played it on release too, but from the more recent CRPGs Divinity Sin 2 does it for me. Pathfinder and Pillars are great games, but the combat has a lot of do be desired imo. Never got the appeal of real time with pause.
Good review. I finished the EE last winter. (Owned the CD years ago but never finished it.) Nostalgia was a good experience. Story was meh. Nothing great nothing horrible. The narrator's voice was a nice touch. Combat was better at lower levels. At higher levels it was too easy. I had 2 ranged characters. Thief would set traps. Ranged attacks kited enemies. Traps held/slowed/stunned them. Summoned polar bears were meat shields. 2 tanks went in. 2 spell casters in the back of the line for MM and AoE spells. Rinse and repeat. Still a fun time tho. Only thing that sucked...my saved games (including cloud) were wiped after an update. As such there's no way to go back and get some of the achievements unless I want to start from scratch at lvl 1. Ugh. PS...if it ain't THAC0...it ain't D&D. ✌️
One thing I will mention, if you are going through older enhanced games for story. I think Icewind Dale is a fun tale. Logically it makes more sense to play Icewind Dale and then to play Baldur's Gate, if you are playing the enhanced edition. This will become clear when you play the Siege of Dragonspear mini expansion in the BG Enhanced Edition, there is a small callback to Icewind Dale.
The most beautiful of all the infinity Engine games. The graphics, sounds, music and worldbuilding combines perfectly to transport you to the fantasy tundra.
I love this game. Used to play it way back in time when it was initially released. Druids are much better in IWD compared to those in BG2. However I ran into a game breaking bug in the EE. I don't remember all the details, but it was something related to my familiar not exiting combat mode or something like that.
Absolutely enjoyed this straightforward, combat-heavy, Inifinity engine game. As much as I like BG and PS:T, if you're looking for some good old dungeon crawling, it doesn't get any better than IWD.
I get a bit sentimental when I hear about Icewind, since it was the first CRPG I played. I wouldn't call the combat clunky , mainly because I think I have a different definition of clunky in my mind (ToEE fits my definition), rather I would call it cryptic. I mean, the characters do not behave erratically, the commands do what you expect them to do. But since the underline base for the combat is a turn, followed by dice rolls, it will take a while to realize why the characters do not hit immediately after a click on an enemy, or why a negative number is a better static. The game assumes you are already familiar with the ADnD systems and a 150 page pdf manual is not easily read. The instructions are well hidden in its pages. I would be good if the remaster had a mock combat explaining turns, damage types, resistances, AC, THAC0 and how to kill a troll. A stellar review, btw
I agree, THAC0 is just a chart to memorize if you don't want to do the math on the fly. Considering a lot of 3e/PF players have already memorized piles of charts already (such as what triggers an attack of opportunity and what doesn't, or how antimagic field affects everything, or how to calculate bonus spell slots for high ability scores, or template mechanics, or how all the combat maneuvers work...) one more relatively simple chart isn't that bad. At least it isn't as bad as managing occultist implements, or tracking kineticist burn!
@@shawngillogly6873 I think it's because people who joined from 3e on are used to the streamlined "larger good, add up your bonuses" approach. Nothing wrong with that, but hearing the word THACO always makes me nostalgic :)
So, watching this brings back the memories. I need to play through this again. I beat it when it was first released, then did another run with Heart of Fury - my recollection is that in the base game, druids were boring, but Heart of Fury made druids awesome. I actually liked IWD1 more than BG1. BG1 felt slow to get going, had so much empty space in it. IWD1 felt very tightly and lovingly crafted from start to finish, with zero filler. The art and music captured the theme perfectly. Just great all around.
If you want the true story mode of this game then read Volume 4 of "The Legend of Drizzt" by R. A. Salvatore, which is what the game was based off of. It doesn't necessarily follow that book but all the aspects of the games background and story are based off the book.
I'm playing it on switch and I think it's pretty solid even on handheld gaming. I'm in the Dragon's Eyes dungeon and it is indeed hard, but not feeling unfair. It has a good atmosphere and the dialogues are simple but effective
I'm a dork - occasionally I will throw out in the in-game dwarf's voice "not a problem" 😂 Same thing with Stronghold: Crusader... my wife or I will often chime in with "wood needed" at inappropriate times. 😁
Hey Mortismal, if you want a fun experience you should play the Icewind Dale mod for Neverwinter Nights 2, I just completed it a few nights ago and this video was perfectly timed.
This kinda got me thinking. I have BG II EE and haven't played it other than just starting it up. This got me thinking I prob should go back and play it fully over the holidays. Might have to pick up I and IWD too. I played all three years ago when they first came out.
I think out of all of them this hits best. It's such a masterpiece of rts, high fantasy role play. No other game has this. I get turn based but as an older gamer (gaming since 79) I'm an rts player at heart.
I just started a playthrough on the mobile version. First time for IWD, but I've played BG1 and BG2 after seeing your videos on them. I don't find myself getting too invested in quests and storyline in older CRPGs, so I didn't actually finish the bhaal spawn saga. But I familiarized myself with the combat and I'm enjoying IWD for the focus on the dungeon crawling. It's like diablo, but huge and party based. Love it
Oh man.... I re-listen that one part three times to make sure I understand it right and to not correct you unnecessarily (also I was so shocked) Heart of Fury is NOT a new mode for IWD. In fact, I would bet Legacy of Bhaal difficulty was inspired by HoF! HoF was added to the original IWD in Heart of Winter expansion pack back in 2001. Now off to finishing the video
These games, the BG games, the Fallout series, and The Elderscrolls, plus a few others, were what really got me into CRPGs. But I don't want to go back and play them again, I've definitely been spoiled by how much games have advanced in the last 20 years, lol.
My favourite Infinity Engine game... the linearity results in a MUCH tighter and better paced story, and I really prefer playing as a 'random group of adventurers' instead of the 'chosen one' trope that is all too common in CRPGs. If you have the imagination to create a few party members, the lack of premade companions is a complete non-issue, and having a well-rounded party from the start is a joy compared to so many other CRPGs that make starting as certain classes vastly more painful than others.
Every time I hear about thac0 I get so flabbergasted how anyone thought it was a good idea. The math works out exactly the same as in new editions of D&D but they just made it backwards and convoluted for no apparent reason
You got the Heart of Fury wrong. In fact, Legacy of Bhaal was stolen FROM old Icewind Dale. Check IWD2, it has no EE (and most likely never wil) and it has that mode. However, waaay more effort went into it than what Beamdog did, because in IWD2 on HoF you get upgraded versions of certain, let's say, 'legendary' items to make sure that they're still relevant. They even get slightly different names.
Playing the original with expansion as we speak. I would rather play these over and over again with different characters and different classes than a lot of these newer games.
Love your video got a new SUB, couple of things. Heart of Fury was OG from the Heart of Winter expansion unlike Legacy of Bhaal which was added to BG2 EE. Trials of the Luremaster was an actual true free DLC that the devs gave out for free after the Heart of Winter expansion was released.
I'll probably get deeper into older games eventually. CRPGs have helped me keep my sanity during the pandemic. Next I'm probably going to finish WotR and then go through Pillars of Eternity 2 on Path of the Damned.
these vids are fantastic dude. I often worry "how much of the game did this reviewer _actually_ play though?" and "do they have roughly similar tastes to me?", but with these vids I know what I'm getting! (and somehow you always seem to have already played+reviewed any game I think about playing, so that's convenient 😂)
Another tip is when you start, play with a relatively stronger class, Like a fighter, or paladin. Anything that can use armor. It's very difficult when you first start. Then throughout the game add your party members, like your mages in such. This way you have a buffer to help build your party one at a time. If you go all ham with a full party the you'll never get enough exp. to level up, and you'll want to give up. It's a difficult game and not for the faint of heart. It takes well thought out attacks and strategy.
Played through this when it was first released. Haven't tried the EE yet, but I probably will. You should do a 100% review of Icewind Dale 2. If memory serves, it was the first (perhaps only?) infinity engine game to use 3rd edition D&D rules, so no more THAC0 ;-). I also remember it being much longer than Icewind Dale 1, and I remember enjoying it tremendously. Just talking about it makes me want to play it again.
Something that I found out when comparing original and EE version - EE version is very easy for some reason, I think that new quests(that give a lot of exp) and subclasses make game waaaaay too easy. I played original again after EE and game is much harder than remaster. It's hard to recommend Icewind dale because not that many people actually enjoy combat from BG :/
Heart of Fury is not a new mode. It was part of the original base game. It's almost like a new game plus instead of simply enemies with bigger numbers. You fight tougher enemies from the start but those enemies give more xp and better loot.
I'm playing this for the first time and if you have played BG this is just ridiculously easy. You can just create the perfect party (mine has 5, still to easy). There's not so much joy in finding new weapons and items because you never really are in need of a better sword. I also don't love the world being so linear, even though I prefer the linear character of the main quest. You can never discover a new map and move freely, everything is restricted to a narrow corridor and more or less part of the main story. Still fun! Get sucked in for hours at a time ☺️
I actually like 2nd Edition rules, sure it need some homebrewing, but in general, I think it's superior to 3rd, 4th and 5th edition. I don't like alignments, so usually I scrapped alignments in my campaigns
I don't ever talk about sound, I have some mild hearing loss that has made me kind of standoffish talking about audio in general. It took me years to properly sort out even recording my own voice and that was mostly down to viewers helping. It doesnt really affect my day to day but the nuance of things like music is just stuff I can't pick up on anymore.
@@MortismalGaming apologies, I didn’t know that you had hearing loss. My bad, brother. Please forgive me for assuming that it had been an oversight. I totally understand now why you don’t cover music. Regardless, I really dig your reviews, I hope you keep doing them and I wish you continued success. As someone who has played Bladur’s Gate 1 and 2 an embarrassing number of times it’s great to see CRPGs get more love. Looking forward to the next video :-)
Not sure why but out of all Baldurs gates, Torments, Neverwinter nights and other similar games from that era I enjoyed Icewind Dale 1 and 2 the most...
One thing people get all wrong is the playing of Heart of Winter with the same party from the OC. While it may have been created to work like this, your party is far too overpowered for the expansion. I got to 12 with my fighters, while making a new party puts you at level 9 in the expansion. So youre three levels over what was intended and youre shining from all the gear you got.
Currently doing a solo run with my lvl 18 mage hehe finally got my first level 9 spell slot...i have maybe 5 to 10 more spells till i collect them all 😅
I have a game of this ongoing which I started some time back. Although I really like Baldur’s Gate, I have a harder time with engagement in IWD because it is all just combat. It’s relatively challenging combat too, compared to most of BG, particularly for low level characters. My progress has been slow because I find it hard to win a fight without a couple of people dying (Wizard and thief). It’s great if you like the tactical combat though.
Combat is easy. 2 tanks (Paladin and Barbarian), 2 ranged (thief and a ranger), 1 magic user, 1 cleric. Spot enemy with thief in shadows. Set traps at a choke point. Summon meat shield (polar bears work nicely.) Send polar bears to block the choke point. Kite enemies toward the traps with Thief and Ranger. Cast grease to slow enemies. Send in tanks. Use cleric and magic user AoE spells, magic missile, healing spells, buffs/debuffs. Rinse and repeat. ✌️
"they added the new story mode where you can go through the game and not die in combat... And the heart of fury mode where you can go through the game and die in combat over and over and over again!"
Not my favourite Infinity engine game. Played it on and off, never finished. Starting out and trying out different party combinations was fun, but eventually the linearity, non-interactive party and extremely simple loop go to the next dungeon=> Kill everyone made me tired of it. However, this video actually makes me want to give it another try, perhaps I will try the NPC mod that adds party members with dialogue...
Ah man I'm really stuck on the fence with should I multi class imoen in bg1&2 I didn't know I was not taking the same party through all 4 games lol. But anyway I wondered if I should make her a mage at level 4 cuz I just haven't met another thief yet and idk I need a mage and thief but only have 1 so I won't be able to detect traps for 4 levels. Or is there a way I can get her to level up while not in the party like when rasaad joined he was already level 2 lol but idk how long I can go without a thief. I am om story mode too tho so maybe I can lol idk I'm hoping by time I get to this far I'll know better how to be good at combat might start trying easy and normal now lol well see
Honestly, are Icewind dale and baldurs gate that far apart in terms of story quality? I understand the gap between baldurs gate 2, but the original is not really that story heavy. Or perhaps that just me ...
The original version of IWD was simpler but much better. Class kits and spells were added to the overhauled EE but encounters were never changed accordingly and so the game is not as good as the non-enhanced edition. It's out of balance, very much, and fights are not as fun IMHO. I remember back in the day watching the IWD trailer that came with BG2 cds, then I purchased it and was immediately disappointed at first (where are kensai, archer and undead hunter???) but then I got over it enjoyed the game as it was. 20 years later played the EE, and thought 'yes, now they've finally done it as it was meant to be (AD&D)!' ... but no, original is less detailed but still better bc they didn't revamp encounters for EE. IWD EE is MUCH easier in New Game+ (HoF staring at lvl 12-13) than normal mode starting from lvl1. I remember HoF (NG+) was a lot of fun in IWD2, very beefy and hard hitting monsters that call for new tactics. None of it happens in IWDEE HoF mode, a boring cakewalk. Got tired at midgame HoF and went playin' BG2 EE instead.
man THACO is just... not a fun system to use. IMO it was better to use in the videogames because using like 8 charts to measure combat success playing pen & paper was just not engaging lol
Ironically, THACO was a simplification of the multiple charts we used to have to look up to find the necessary dice roll to hit in a specific situation. BAB (base attack bonus) is much better of course :)
Icewind Dale is an example of why Bioware added Party Banter to its BG games. Without Party Banter, I found Icewind Dale boo-ring... [Minsc, can you please quite your hamster...] Without Party Banter, I found Icewind Dale boring. However, because I love D&D, I did not hate Icewind Dale. Any D&D is better than no D&D. :-P
When I played Baldurs Gate Enhanced ed on PS4 I was very disappointed. My comrades started to cast magic on their own. Spending spell slots. If I took "No AI" they didn't do anything at all on their own, and that's not what I wanted either. How could they destroy the game like that?
But now the common term is DLC, and it's important that people new to these games understand them. Yes they were called expansion packs but these days thats a pretty meaningless distinction which only serves to create a barrier to sharing these games with new people.
The fact they couldn't leave it at AD&D rubs me the wrong way. I play the old games because they are D&D 2E. Don't upgrade it to 3E. I can play Neverwinter Nights modules for 3E and NWN2 modules for 3.5E.
I really dig Mortismal's reviews. But one thing I will add about IWD, that was unfortunately missed with this review, is the incredible music and atmosphere that this game has. It really makes you feel like you are adventuring in a snowy icy tundra. I played this game during the winter months in my cozy computer room when everything outside my window was covered in snow, and it was really cool.
That sounds wünderbar!
Music in this game is the best!
Is my game busted I get no music half the time
Soundtrack was composed by Jeremy Soule (who composed the music for The Elder Scrolls 3, 4, and 5)
@@BoJangles42 Yep he also did the first Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic game, as well as many, many other games. His list of games in Wikipedia is long indeed. Dude is a Legend!
Heart of Fury was not new with EE, it was introduced with the original Heart of Winter expansion.
"I played the game waay back in the day, probably 10 years ago." Oh, sweet summer child.
First thing I did after watching this was dive into the wonderful archives of the old Ironworks forums for these games. So many good memories from 15-16 years back :)
...Right?
Speaking of class related dialogue, I remember getting somewhat frustrated in IWD2 whenever my Paladin would refuse quest rewards... Really made me appreciate the whole Lawful Stupid moniker later in life.
I think you can avoid this by choosing another party member to talk to the NPC. This tip is from one of the messages shown during a loading screen from what I remember.
@@KnightRiderDDR Precisely, I always had my Neutral Evil Bard talk with quest givers even though she was normally at the back of the party
You cant be good and lawful at the same time. Government is by nature lawful evil. Neutral good is the real lawful good while chaotic good is the real neutral good. White knights are always ignorant people who protect evil people from justice.
I solved the party leader issue with a sorcerer pc since they run off charisma too. My favorite class anyway and paladins feel kinda eh. Think it's going overboard to say just cuz theres an avenger blade in game that paladin is mandatory. I'd rather have a barbarian who gets 20% resist that you can stack with items and stay tanky late game without magic.
This is one of my cherished rpg. While it is short, relative to other rpgs, it is quite good. Yes it's combat heavy but the story is direct and hits all the right notes in terms of quality. So to me this is a game where quality is better than quantity. And that is why this game is so memorable.
Highly recommended for rpg enthusiasts.
IIRC, heart of fury mode was actually an addition from Heart of Winter expansion and not added by the EE.
Great video! I always preferred BG for the more story-heavy approach but I love the setting of Icewind Dale. It's great that Beamdog went back and enhanced these RPGs for more modern hardware, they're classics and still hold up pretty well.
We need more games like Icewind Dale. I really miss the old days when we could see how, for example, a critical hit looked like. It made my game night with the boys more conceivable.
I really hope we one day get IWD 2 EE. Memories I'll never forget are that beautiful music in Targos and that epic conclusive battle with Isair, Madae, and Ormis Dohor.
Happily 2 weeks ago Beamdog had an article about a big fan HD mod for IWD2!
Yeah the remaster mod for IW2 is already out. Great news!!!
I just bought it with BG1+2 and Torment, less than 5$ each and installed them on my steamdeck deck. They work flawlessly.
Can't wait to revisit these classics in bed or on the run.
one of my favorite channels for reviews, I can always trust Mortismal because like the title suggest, he 100%'s them. If I ever get interested in any RPG I will always check to see if he is thinks its good
Ah, Icewind Dale.
Back in the day, it was actually my first Infinity Engine game that I've played. I still have memories of a really young me back in 2000 running away from Shadows in the Valley of Shadows, cause I didn't understand what to do with them. And the big skeletons, oh my. Had to restart several times :)
Never played Heart of Winter, so maybe this is a reason for a replay.
Still, after completing IWD and getting the CDs with Baldurs Gate 2, I was prepared and breezed through it, just enjoying the story, although some of the companion builds felt weird after being able to customize your whole party.
Anyway, thanks for another great review!
i first played iwd when i was about 10, on the hardest difficulty (i think heart of fury was actually part of the original, not just an EE add-on), and it was one of the most frustrating things, that really was the first time i ever actually had to use some form of thinking in a video game, and has forever shaped the games i play.
Yes, Heart of Fury mode was part of the original game.
@@304enjoyer3 it took me about a year or so, and i had to get some tips from my older brother, but yes, and it was crazy satisfying. the only time i had to do stupid cheese with summons was the final battle figuring out how the heck do i beat belhifet, as being a child, all the plot clues to tell me that this was supposed to be the end of the game for some reason just didnt sink in, so i wasnt exactly prepared.
Icewind Dale can be great for a good dungeon crawl and customizing your characters.
I also rather enjoy the gameplay additions of Enhanced Edition such as BG2 classes/kits and also the very powerful High Level Abilities from Throne of Bhaal, which are great for soloing with faster leveling.
While IWD2 is rather short, I really like how the first game has 2 Expansions which basically add a lot of content to the late game as well.
I prefer the pacing of IWD2. IWD1 doesn't properly introduce the stakes and the first half feels a bit random. Encounters were more varied and better designed in the sequel as well imo.
@@AlacrityTW Yeah, villain and plot wise I prefer IWD2 as well. I just wish it was longer.
I remember my first run I don't think I even got the 9th spells.
But you can always go for the Heart of Fury mode for replays.
IWDEE has BG2EE's class kits but it doesn't add Throne of Bhaal's high level abilities. The other difference is that IWDEE (and original IWD) doesn't have an experience cap, instead there is a level 30 cap. Which means that classes like mages that would normally require more XP to reach the same level as the others will eventually catch up. And since it is a per class and not per character overall level cap it makes multi-classing extremely strong. You can achieve lvl 30 in all your character's classes, making it much better than dual-classing while it is the other way around in BG2EE.
I love the ability to make your whole party in this game, depending on my mood its better than BG
There was also a way to do that in BG 2. You could start a game in a multiplayer session to generate the chars you wanted, save the game, and then load as single player and play it further on.
I've always struggled to call it better than Baldur's Gate because it's so much less ambitious but I do love IWD and I replay it more than BG.
make a party of 5 dwarves and 1 human female fighter name her snow white.
or make 4 halflings and name them frodo, sam, merry, pippin and pretend you are to journey into mount doom.
i really like this game, its not better than baldurs gate but its a lot MORE fun. imo.
Quality content as usual, thank you for that - I still remember how I couldn't get through Icewind Dale when I was younger, I might hop into EE once I find some free time :)
The Lord of 100% does it again!
Another good review. I tried to chew through these older games last year, but I think I'm too spoiled by pillars and pathfinder by now. One suggestion, if you're going through the trouble of getting 100% on achievements you may want to mention the experience of it and how it relates to other games you've done the same for, or just some notable achievements that you felt might've added something to the experience. Just a thought
Most of these enhanced editions have near identical achievements, so it winds up being very samey, typically I talked about more unique aspects
ye, make the 100%ing part of the review to some extent, it opens up a lot of avenues for creative reviewing.
I tried BG1 and had a difficult time enjoying it. I played and finished divinity 1 and 2, and then went back to play Planescape Torment. After playing the newer games I was much more prepared for it, and it's so worth it. That game has the best writing of any game I've played yet. There's almost no voiced dialogue, but how they've written it you can hear the way the characters say things.
Still trying to finish Pillars... Didn't really need to try to finish IWD... maybe Im getting old.
Bro spoiled by what pathfinder is garbage compared to older dnd games. Pillars is a meme too.
I am old enough to have played the original when it came out and I replayed the EE later on but I have to say, compared to things like WOTR and similar titles, the old infinity games are fading from glory. I should not be comparing but I think WOTR really spoilt me. The only thing I dislike is Crusade Management (I am one of those) as I favour a more traditional RPG experience but yeah...as much as I enjoy the old stuff I have a feeling time is wearing on them.
I've played it on release too, but from the more recent CRPGs Divinity Sin 2 does it for me. Pathfinder and Pillars are great games, but the combat has a lot of do be desired imo. Never got the appeal of real time with pause.
Good review. I finished the EE last winter. (Owned the CD years ago but never finished it.)
Nostalgia was a good experience. Story was meh. Nothing great nothing horrible. The narrator's voice was a nice touch.
Combat was better at lower levels. At higher levels it was too easy. I had 2 ranged characters. Thief would set traps. Ranged attacks kited enemies. Traps held/slowed/stunned them. Summoned polar bears were meat shields. 2 tanks went in. 2 spell casters in the back of the line for MM and AoE spells.
Rinse and repeat.
Still a fun time tho. Only thing that sucked...my saved games (including cloud) were wiped after an update. As such there's no way to go back and get some of the achievements unless I want to start from scratch at lvl 1. Ugh.
PS...if it ain't THAC0...it ain't D&D. ✌️
The music theme for Kuldahar is one of my favourites in any CRPG, absolutely loved the music in this game.
One thing I will mention, if you are going through older enhanced games for story. I think Icewind Dale is a fun tale. Logically it makes more sense to play Icewind Dale and then to play Baldur's Gate, if you are playing the enhanced edition. This will become clear when you play the Siege of Dragonspear mini expansion in the BG Enhanced Edition, there is a small callback to Icewind Dale.
Yep, and there are enchanted items on sale in BG 2 in Athkatla that refer to the events of IWD 1.
The most beautiful of all the infinity Engine games.
The graphics, sounds, music and worldbuilding combines perfectly to transport you to the fantasy tundra.
I love this game. Used to play it way back in time when it was initially released. Druids are much better in IWD compared to those in BG2. However I ran into a game breaking bug in the EE. I don't remember all the details, but it was something related to my familiar not exiting combat mode or something like that.
Just finished BG 1+2 plus expansions for the first time and I’m very keen to jump into this one
Absolutely enjoyed this straightforward, combat-heavy, Inifinity engine game. As much as I like BG and PS:T, if you're looking for some good old dungeon crawling, it doesn't get any better than IWD.
@@Necropantz IMO it works fine, but this discussion is as old as the games i'm afraid.
@@Necropantz rtwp?
@@Hrafnskald realtime with pause
Honestly it blew me away Pillars Of Eternity wasn't the first RPG to where you could make a whole party by yourself.
I miss those AD&D THAC0 days lol
I get a bit sentimental when I hear about Icewind, since it was the first CRPG I played. I wouldn't call the combat clunky , mainly because I think I have a different definition of clunky in my mind (ToEE fits my definition), rather I would call it cryptic. I mean, the characters do not behave erratically, the commands do what you expect them to do. But since the underline base for the combat is a turn, followed by dice rolls, it will take a while to realize why the characters do not hit immediately after a click on an enemy, or why a negative number is a better static. The game assumes you are already familiar with the ADnD systems and a 150 page pdf manual is not easily read. The instructions are well hidden in its pages. I would be good if the remaster had a mock combat explaining turns, damage types, resistances, AC, THAC0 and how to kill a troll.
A stellar review, btw
I would say if you can handle pathfinder, AC and THAC0 will be no problem
Fumbling over THAC0 from people who understand how to min-max any of the 3E rule sets (Pathfinder included) baffles me.
I agree, THAC0 is just a chart to memorize if you don't want to do the math on the fly. Considering a lot of 3e/PF players have already memorized piles of charts already (such as what triggers an attack of opportunity and what doesn't, or how antimagic field affects everything, or how to calculate bonus spell slots for high ability scores, or template mechanics, or how all the combat maneuvers work...) one more relatively simple chart isn't that bad. At least it isn't as bad as managing occultist implements, or tracking kineticist burn!
@@shawngillogly6873 I think it's because people who joined from 3e on are used to the streamlined "larger good, add up your bonuses" approach. Nothing wrong with that, but hearing the word THACO always makes me nostalgic :)
So, watching this brings back the memories. I need to play through this again. I beat it when it was first released, then did another run with Heart of Fury - my recollection is that in the base game, druids were boring, but Heart of Fury made druids awesome.
I actually liked IWD1 more than BG1. BG1 felt slow to get going, had so much empty space in it. IWD1 felt very tightly and lovingly crafted from start to finish, with zero filler. The art and music captured the theme perfectly. Just great all around.
If you want the true story mode of this game then read Volume 4 of "The Legend of Drizzt" by R. A. Salvatore, which is what the game was based off of. It doesn't necessarily follow that book but all the aspects of the games background and story are based off the book.
I'm playing it on switch and I think it's pretty solid even on handheld gaming. I'm in the Dragon's Eyes dungeon and it is indeed hard, but not feeling unfair. It has a good atmosphere and the dialogues are simple but effective
I'm a dork - occasionally I will throw out in the in-game dwarf's voice "not a problem" 😂 Same thing with Stronghold: Crusader... my wife or I will often chime in with "wood needed" at inappropriate times. 😁
Hey Mortismal, if you want a fun experience you should play the Icewind Dale mod for Neverwinter Nights 2, I just completed it a few nights ago and this video was perfectly timed.
This kinda got me thinking. I have BG II EE and haven't played it other than just starting it up. This got me thinking I prob should go back and play it fully over the holidays. Might have to pick up I and IWD too. I played all three years ago when they first came out.
I think out of all of them this hits best. It's such a masterpiece of rts, high fantasy role play. No other game has this. I get turn based but as an older gamer (gaming since 79) I'm an rts player at heart.
My favourite Infinity Engine game
I picked the perfect retro series to get into it seems.
I just started a playthrough on the mobile version. First time for IWD, but I've played BG1 and BG2 after seeing your videos on them. I don't find myself getting too invested in quests and storyline in older CRPGs, so I didn't actually finish the bhaal spawn saga. But I familiarized myself with the combat and I'm enjoying IWD for the focus on the dungeon crawling. It's like diablo, but huge and party based. Love it
Oh man.... I re-listen that one part three times to make sure I understand it right and to not correct you unnecessarily (also I was so shocked)
Heart of Fury is NOT a new mode for IWD. In fact, I would bet Legacy of Bhaal difficulty was inspired by HoF!
HoF was added to the original IWD in Heart of Winter expansion pack back in 2001.
Now off to finishing the video
Me too. Heart of Fury is the predecessor to the Legacy of Bhaal mode!
@@petermaasz And it came with some awesome powerful extra weapons and armor in IWD 2 :)
These games, the BG games, the Fallout series, and The Elderscrolls, plus a few others, were what really got me into CRPGs. But I don't want to go back and play them again, I've definitely been spoiled by how much games have advanced in the last 20 years, lol.
My favourite Infinity Engine game... the linearity results in a MUCH tighter and better paced story, and I really prefer playing as a 'random group of adventurers' instead of the 'chosen one' trope that is all too common in CRPGs. If you have the imagination to create a few party members, the lack of premade companions is a complete non-issue, and having a well-rounded party from the start is a joy compared to so many other CRPGs that make starting as certain classes vastly more painful than others.
Every time I hear about thac0 I get so flabbergasted how anyone thought it was a good idea. The math works out exactly the same as in new editions of D&D but they just made it backwards and convoluted for no apparent reason
You got the Heart of Fury wrong. In fact, Legacy of Bhaal was stolen FROM old Icewind Dale. Check IWD2, it has no EE (and most likely never wil) and it has that mode. However, waaay more effort went into it than what Beamdog did, because in IWD2 on HoF you get upgraded versions of certain, let's say, 'legendary' items to make sure that they're still relevant. They even get slightly different names.
Yes, I wanted to say that. Heart of Fury was og Legacy of Bhaal mode
Gotta love that pole-arm with the range of a crossbow. Good times :)
people bash taco a lot but that dual classing mechanic is just an insane mechanic
Playing the original with expansion as we speak. I would rather play these over and over again with different characters and different classes than a lot of these newer games.
Just ordered planescape torment and icewind dale EE collection for my ps4. Gonna be my first ever time playing these
Love your video got a new SUB, couple of things. Heart of Fury was OG from the Heart of Winter expansion unlike Legacy of Bhaal which was added to BG2 EE. Trials of the Luremaster was an actual true free DLC that the devs gave out for free after the Heart of Winter expansion was released.
Enjoyed it back then, when it was new. Builded a party with a wizard, a halfling thief and some warrior dwarfs. 😜
I'll probably get deeper into older games eventually. CRPGs have helped me keep my sanity during the pandemic. Next I'm probably going to finish WotR and then go through Pillars of Eternity 2 on Path of the Damned.
Due to existence of GOG its easy to get deeper into old games
these vids are fantastic dude. I often worry "how much of the game did this reviewer _actually_ play though?" and "do they have roughly similar tastes to me?", but with these vids I know what I'm getting! (and somehow you always seem to have already played+reviewed any game I think about playing, so that's convenient 😂)
Out of BG, BG2, and IWD, IWD was always my favorite. It was just fun dungeon crawling.
Another tip is when you start, play with a relatively stronger class, Like a fighter, or paladin. Anything that can use armor. It's very difficult when you first start. Then throughout the game add your party members, like your mages in such. This way you have a buffer to help build your party one at a time. If you go all ham with a full party the you'll never get enough exp. to level up, and you'll want to give up. It's a difficult game and not for the faint of heart. It takes well thought out attacks and strategy.
Played through this when it was first released. Haven't tried the EE yet, but I probably will. You should do a 100% review of Icewind Dale 2. If memory serves, it was the first (perhaps only?) infinity engine game to use 3rd edition D&D rules, so no more THAC0 ;-). I also remember it being much longer than Icewind Dale 1, and I remember enjoying it tremendously. Just talking about it makes me want to play it again.
Something that I found out when comparing original and EE version - EE version is very easy for some reason, I think that new quests(that give a lot of exp) and subclasses make game waaaaay too easy. I played original again after EE and game is much harder than remaster. It's hard to recommend Icewind dale because not that many people actually enjoy combat from BG :/
Makes me glad my DMs never abided by the multiclass restrictions.
Heart of Fury is not a new mode. It was part of the original base game. It's almost like a new game plus instead of simply enemies with bigger numbers. You fight tougher enemies from the start but those enemies give more xp and better loot.
Better loot for sure? I thought loot tables were semi random but also set in stone what it could be
Just FYI… Heart of Fury Mode was always available in IWD. Legacy of Bhaal mode is the new thing in BG, not IWD.
Completed heart of fury, solo, from level 1. Hell of a challenge
I'm playing this for the first time and if you have played BG this is just ridiculously easy. You can just create the perfect party (mine has 5, still to easy).
There's not so much joy in finding new weapons and items because you never really are in need of a better sword.
I also don't love the world being so linear, even though I prefer the linear character of the main quest. You can never discover a new map and move freely, everything is restricted to a narrow corridor and more or less part of the main story.
Still fun! Get sucked in for hours at a time ☺️
I actually like 2nd Edition rules, sure it need some homebrewing, but in general, I think it's superior to 3rd, 4th and 5th edition. I don't like alignments, so usually I scrapped alignments in my campaigns
Don’t know how you failed to mention the magnificent soundtrack by Jeremy Soule (Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim)
I don't ever talk about sound, I have some mild hearing loss that has made me kind of standoffish talking about audio in general. It took me years to properly sort out even recording my own voice and that was mostly down to viewers helping. It doesnt really affect my day to day but the nuance of things like music is just stuff I can't pick up on anymore.
@@MortismalGaming apologies, I didn’t know that you had hearing loss. My bad, brother. Please forgive me for assuming that it had been an oversight. I totally understand now why you don’t cover music. Regardless, I really dig your reviews, I hope you keep doing them and I wish you continued success. As someone who has played Bladur’s Gate 1 and 2 an embarrassing number of times it’s great to see CRPGs get more love. Looking forward to the next video :-)
The story is captivating, it's a bit sad they didn't have party npcs
Not sure why but out of all Baldurs gates, Torments, Neverwinter nights and other similar games from that era I enjoyed Icewind Dale 1 and 2 the most...
One thing people get all wrong is the playing of Heart of Winter with the same party from the OC. While it may have been created to work like this, your party is far too overpowered for the expansion. I got to 12 with my fighters, while making a new party puts you at level 9 in the expansion. So youre three levels over what was intended and youre shining from all the gear you got.
I recommend defo playing ALL the old baldurs gate andnicewind dale series. Defo beats Any Modern game these days and smartens you up to boot
Currently doing a solo run with my lvl 18 mage hehe finally got my first level 9 spell slot...i have maybe 5 to 10 more spells till i collect them all 😅
the story is fantastic ! there is almost none ! 10/10 game would recommend
I have a game of this ongoing which I started some time back. Although I really like Baldur’s Gate, I have a harder time with engagement in IWD because it is all just combat. It’s relatively challenging combat too, compared to most of BG, particularly for low level characters. My progress has been slow because I find it hard to win a fight without a couple of people dying (Wizard and thief). It’s great if you like the tactical combat though.
Combat is easy. 2 tanks (Paladin and Barbarian), 2 ranged (thief and a ranger), 1 magic user, 1 cleric.
Spot enemy with thief in shadows. Set traps at a choke point. Summon meat shield (polar bears work nicely.) Send polar bears to block the choke point. Kite enemies toward the traps with Thief and Ranger. Cast grease to slow enemies. Send in tanks. Use cleric and magic user AoE spells, magic missile, healing spells, buffs/debuffs.
Rinse and repeat. ✌️
If you're playing on heart of fury mode kill the chickens too. They're also worth a ton of XP.
"they added the new story mode where you can go through the game and not die in combat...
And the heart of fury mode where you can go through the game and die in combat over and over and over again!"
Not my favourite Infinity engine game. Played it on and off, never finished. Starting out and trying out different party combinations was fun, but eventually the linearity, non-interactive party and extremely simple loop go to the next dungeon=> Kill everyone made me tired of it. However, this video actually makes me want to give it another try, perhaps I will try the NPC mod that adds party members with dialogue...
Ah man I'm really stuck on the fence with should I multi class imoen in bg1&2 I didn't know I was not taking the same party through all 4 games lol. But anyway I wondered if I should make her a mage at level 4 cuz I just haven't met another thief yet and idk I need a mage and thief but only have 1 so I won't be able to detect traps for 4 levels. Or is there a way I can get her to level up while not in the party like when rasaad joined he was already level 2 lol but idk how long I can go without a thief. I am om story mode too tho so maybe I can lol idk I'm hoping by time I get to this far I'll know better how to be good at combat might start trying easy and normal now lol well see
I always preferef iwd 2, but it’s hard to play it with new pc without bug compatibility....
Honestly, are Icewind dale and baldurs gate that far apart in terms of story quality? I understand the gap between baldurs gate 2, but the original is not really that story heavy. Or perhaps that just me ...
The original version of IWD was simpler but much better.
Class kits and spells were added to the overhauled EE but encounters were never changed accordingly and so the game is not as good as the non-enhanced edition. It's out of balance, very much, and fights are not as fun IMHO.
I remember back in the day watching the IWD trailer that came with BG2 cds, then I purchased it and was immediately disappointed at first (where are kensai, archer and undead hunter???) but then I got over it enjoyed the game as it was.
20 years later played the EE, and thought 'yes, now they've finally done it as it was meant to be (AD&D)!' ... but no, original is less detailed but still better bc they didn't revamp encounters for EE.
IWD EE is MUCH easier in New Game+ (HoF staring at lvl 12-13) than normal mode starting from lvl1. I remember HoF (NG+) was a lot of fun in IWD2, very beefy and hard hitting monsters that call for new tactics. None of it happens in IWDEE HoF mode, a boring cakewalk. Got tired at midgame HoF and went playin' BG2 EE instead.
God I love this game.
I kinda don't like the new UI in EE and also I liked the original spell icons more, they were more colorful etc. but those are only minor details.
man THACO is just... not a fun system to use. IMO it was better to use in the videogames because using like 8 charts to measure combat success playing pen & paper was just not engaging lol
Ironically, THACO was a simplification of the multiple charts we used to have to look up to find the necessary dice roll to hit in a specific situation. BAB (base attack bonus) is much better of course :)
what size monitor and resolution do you play with? that was hard to watch the gameplay because it was like watching ants on screen.
Icewind Dale is an example of why Bioware added Party Banter to its BG games. Without Party Banter, I found Icewind Dale boo-ring... [Minsc, can you please quite your hamster...] Without Party Banter, I found Icewind Dale boring. However, because I love D&D, I did not hate Icewind Dale. Any D&D is better than no D&D. :-P
This is a great game so wtf happened to NWN?
Is this an ok crpg for someone new to crpg?
Its heavy on the combat, but if you want to play all the infinity engine games then sure
free comment: regular edition.
Do people still play this online? is it easy to find players online?
for the algorithm
Thac0 is silly
When I played Baldurs Gate Enhanced ed on PS4 I was very disappointed. My comrades started to cast magic on their own. Spending spell slots. If I took "No AI" they didn't do anything at all on their own, and that's not what I wanted either. How could they destroy the game like that?
I am so sad you call the Expansion Packs DLC’s… because you couldn’t actually download them…
But now the common term is DLC, and it's important that people new to these games understand them. Yes they were called expansion packs but these days thats a pretty meaningless distinction which only serves to create a barrier to sharing these games with new people.
The fact they couldn't leave it at AD&D rubs me the wrong way. I play the old games because they are D&D 2E. Don't upgrade it to 3E. I can play Neverwinter Nights modules for 3E and NWN2 modules for 3.5E.
Really annoyed that IWD2 works like a potato -.-