Comparing Irenicus and Sarevok's presence in the narrative is interesting. Despite being a warrior and looking like Darth Vader, Sarevok spents the majority of the first game in the shadows, manipulating the events and only gets fought at the endgame. Meanwhile, Irenicus, despite being a mage, has like this brutish dominating presence and you fight and confront him multiple times throughout the game.
It's an interesting subversion on those typical fantasy tropes, and it also manages to have Irenicus be a proactive villain that's more directly involved in and interested by the Bhaalspawn's actions, compared to Sarevok who's more a looming shadow over the adventures you have during the first game.
well in this edition, a mage was literally one spell level short of Godhood. A flaw Irenics saught multiple times to rectify. He had no reason to be shy or bookish considering his power level.
@@bunnieskitties293What you can ultimately see though, is that he was inflamed by his failed love. Many men equate it to loss of power and project blame to others (YOU WILL ALL SUFFER.) I think if Irenicus ultimately assumed full responsibility he could not have been stopped, even been protagonistic. That’s what makes him great as the villain, there is no regret in us unless there is something lost.
I believe this kind of inverted approach with regards to the narrative of each antagonist is what gives them more depth. Sarevok isn't reduced to an angry brute, he is a giant of a warrior, yes, but he is also well read on the prophecy of Alaundo and knew enough about Bhaal and Bhaalspawn to have his armor and weapon specially crafted to work with and enhance his divine potential. He's cunning enough to orchestrate all of the plot from the shadows. Irenicus, by a similar token, isn't restricted to being this absentee plotter in his distant tower, doomed to go "curse you heroes" as he is foiled by the one artifact or the one oversight in his brilliant masterplan. This is a mage who, when a thieves guild attacks his stronghold and messes up his plans, flips his lid, kicks everyone's teeth in and then procees to adapt, improvise and roll with the changes to keep his plans on track, making him all the more menacing.
The opening of BG2 immediately establishes that this going to be a darker story. Several companions from the first are either dead or, in the case of Imoen, utterly traumatized and violated. Searching desperately for an exit while Imoen continues to crack, until you finally reach the light-and then Imoen is dragged away with your tormentor.
I thought it was interesting how he just kinda bowled over commas in his dialogue. Made it very distinctive, but once I noticed it I couldn't stop noticing.
Jon's villainy is made next level by the fact that he says "you'll get no villain's exposition from me." Even the worst villains are merciful enough to assuage their enemies curiosity before killing them.
My absolutely favorite line of his is the "to end... LIKE THIS?" In the final cutscene He's not sad that he ended up in some pit in hell, he's disappointed about THE PIT in hell he's in
In the original BG1 Jon was called "Jon Icarus" only retroactively being changed to mentioning "Irenicus" in EE edition. Obviously, the writers were still designing the story for bg2 back then but the inspirations were clear from the start
My favorite parts you missed were his journals in Spellhold. He talks like he doesn't even remember what spells he's casting. He's just some twisted shade of fury. But then he gets your soul and it's day and night.
When I first saw that Jon was working with the drow, I just laughed and was like "why am I not surprised?" I was playing a modded copy that let you play as Drow in the first two games which added to it for me. In my defense I really liked the Drizzt books as a kid though I was a sorcerer if I recall.
Agreed. The best video game performance I've ever heard. It's crazy that David Warner was so amazing in this game, as well as Simon Templeman, Tony Jay and Michael Bell in the Legacy of Kain series, during a time when nobody cared about voice acting in video games.
the original BG series is the only series I remember playing over and over and over again. The plot, the villans, the action, it was all perfect. I dont think I ever played a more epic game. I thought I might never see a better villain than Sarevok, and Irenicus blew him out of the water. Such an in depth character, so much understandable ambition, so much legitimate philosophy. Sometimes I wish life was such an epic adventure with such intriguing characters.
I’m pretty sure Imoen isn’t revealed as a Bhaalspawn to Irenicus (or anyone) until the breakout/in at the start of 2. That’s why he agrees to go quietly so long as Imoen also gets arrested. The main character doesn’t know about Imoen until Irenicus tells him halfway through the game.
he knew, he just could tell her essence was weaker than yours and wasn't that interested, so he tested all the stuff he did to you on her first, just in case.
I just found your channel through your Baulder's Gate 3 villain video. I've since watched each of the other 2 Baulder's Gate videos and have to say how well done each of these videos are. You have earned a new sub! I can't wait to watch/listen to more of the Villianpedia videos. They are so well done!
Picked up BG1/2 when BG3 was announced in 2019. It is now my favorite game of all time and I have completed it numerous times and currently running a deathless run. It is a terrific game
Oh man, that intro line still just sends fucking chills down my spine. The voice actor for Irenicus did such an amazing job of getting the inflections just right to make him work.
I think my personal favorite path of getting into spellhold is having Minsc talk to the pirate lord and in his eternal beautiful insanity -pointing- Boo at the man and questioning why he doesnt look like a storybook pirate. I know the other route is more direct but any chance to have Minsc be Minsc, I'm taking it.
David Warner was incredible, but as a Pole I have to give praise to an amazing polish actor- Krzysztof Kolberger who voiced Irenicus in polish location of the game. His performance is what made Irenicus for me one of the greatest villains in history of games, books and cinema.
They didn't take their souls, merely the elven quality of it, which severed them from the Elven Afterlife and all the other benefits of being elves. they still go to the normal afterlife. (a similar thing happened with the Drow though because their gods went with them, nothing major changed beyond them no longer going to Arvadore for judgement when they die and instead enter the Fugue plane like other mortals). (when Irenicus tries to steal your soul, he's merely filling part of his that used to contain the elvish parts). Also Ellisemme's punishment was actually decried as favoritism by the people of Suldenessalar, as all they had to do to get it undone was to genuinely repent and ask forgiveness. Since Ellismeme considered it more like putting them in timeout to think about what they've done. She just grossly underestimated how prideful Irenicus was and that he would literally never do that.
Yeah that's one thing that seemed kinda off about the punishment to Jon apparently being real awful when Ellismeme suggests he could have returned and be loved again at the finale. The other thing is that the punishment not being all that bad if Jon was willing to make something of it other then vengeance fits well with the idea of making your own fate that runs through BG1/2. The main character has to wrestle with their destiny as Bhaalspawn and Jon has to wrestle with having something taken from him, the main character makes something good of their fate and Jon probably could have too if he'd put his mind to it but he preferred vengeance just as the main character could have given in to the darker urges of their blood.
From the best game in the series as well. Really the peak of the FR during this period as well. TSR was doing a lot of things wrong, but FR and Planescape were firing on all cylinders before wotc burst through the wall like the coolaid man.
this being my first actually intense mid level dnd experience I restarted this game dozens of times, enough for me to be able to recite the irenicus dungeon voice lines from memory
The best version of Irenicus is the version that’s your Bhaal essence cosplaying as Irenicus to teach you about power in your dreams. “Life... is strength. That is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. You live; you affect your world.” “This woman had power, of a sort. She lost her parents to plague, her husband to war, but she persevered. She was well respected, her farm was prosperous and her children were well fed. And now she is dead.”
I have to believe that these monologues in your dreams were ones that Charname actually overheard while prisoner in Chateau Irenicus. They're far too literate and on-point in emulating him to be merely the thuggish Bhaal essence's brainchild.
Love this video and the Sarevok video! You should definitely consider doing Villainpedia entries on the Sith Triumvirate from Knights of the Old Republic 2. At the very least one entry on Kreia/Traya
Kreia was one of the more interesting villains I've come across in videogaming. It's sad that KOTOR2 was a buggy mess and didn't reach a wider audience. She could have raised the bar for what the gaming community would accept for a villian.
David Warner also voiced the character The Archmage from the cartoon series Gargoyles (if anyone has not seen it I _HIGHLY_ recommend watching the first 2 seasons). In fact, the Archmage character in and of himself was kind of bland and was originally meant to be a one-off character shown in a small flashback story early in the series... yet David nailed the role so god damn well that the creator of the Gargoyles series actively wrote out a whole additional sub plot for the character which vastly increased his role in the story. Honestly, David Warner never got as much recognition I felt he deserved, but god damn was that man born to play Evil Wizards... I honestly always imagine David Warner's voice for any evil wizard NPC I make for any D&D game I run... he's just that synonymous with the trope for me
You made me want to replay this game while I am in the middle of an angel wotr run. You bastard. The abyss must have put you up to this to distract me from the campaign.
I'm in exactly the same position. Just started an angel run on WotR. But since I played BG2 rather recently for the millionth time, I should be able to resist. I think. Maybe.
@@AlmarilQC and how is your run going? Am closing in on end rank 9/angel/lvl 20 oread dovier druid. Planning on going for ascension ending. And it has me wondering how well would ascended KC measure up against ascended Bhaalspawn. Think Demon KC might be strongest KC if he also gets to have nocticula's domain besides those of baphomet and deskari.
@@lakkakka I'm still at the start in Kenabres, I'm going for a sword saint with an elven curved blade (might respec since it's 2 handed and magus works better with a free hand). It's my second playthrough, I played the first one as an azata lightning kineticist and enjoyed it a shitton, best RPG since BG2 and Planescape Torment imo. As for the power level stuff, no idea, I'm not a fan of comparing characters' power levels as it's all fiction in which the characters have the power the writers give them. As long as said power is used well narratively or gameplaywise, I'm happy :D
Yep, Khalid was definitely a pillar of my party in BG1 and was absolutely not backstabbed before his corpse got the boot inside a tent so Jaheria couldn't leave.
Excellent video ! as an old fan of Baldur's Gate it brought back some great memories so thank you, i have been watching all of your videos bit by bit and i can't wait for you to cover ToB :)
Thank you so much for making such a wonderful video about one of my personal favorite villians. baldurs gate 2 was one of the first video games i played at the age of 4 and i love seeing its characters brought back to life with this kind of character exploration. Im so happy baldurs gate 3 has brought these games back into the eyes of the people. Thank you
Woah! I don't remember the serevak video that well, guess I gotta go back, watch that, then this, and just to be safe, every other video you've made. Daaaaang
I fucking despise Jon Irenicus. His arrogance and self entitled yapping throughout the game, dude acts like you should feel blessed to be used as a sacrifice to his pitiful "revenge" against people who were fully justified in banishing him for his powerhungry hubris. 10/10 easily one of the very best antagonists in video games, will let him live rent free in my head forever.
If I was transformed into a cat, I think I would be happy to have transcended to a higher form. Also this was a defining voice/character of my childhood thanks for the vid
Awesome video! The Baldur's Gate series will always have a special place in my heart and a lot of that has to do with the villains being so damn good. Cheers!
Great video. I missed playing through BG 1+2 when they were new, and trying to get into them now has been difficult. But episodes like this and the one on Sarevok help me understand why they're so beloved.
Maaaan, your channel is like sitting around a fire with a warm mug of hot cocoa in your hands. Your voice and inflection is perfect for commentary, keep it up brotha
Bro, literally my fav video on UA-cam is you villainpedia on Saverok. Beyound excited for this next masterpiece from you Thank you sir and keep pumping up this quality content ! Best channel on UA-cam 🎉
Sidenote but Imoen’s arc in this game is one of the best narratives about surviving SA I’ve ever seen. She’s broken again and again, but through the help of her friends and family is able to literally reclaim her life from her violator. Such a beautiful yet terrible story.
@@warlordofbritannia This guy doesn't know what an allegory is man. He probably thinks Star Wars is just about monk wizard's fighting aliens with laser swords and nothing else too.
I like how you assume most people played BG3 and therefore know what the Underdark is, as if wasn't one of the most famous D&D locations since the late 80's.
It’s finally here! Speaking of you talking about how achieving godhood never leads to anything good, made me think; you should make a video about miquella now that shadow of the erdtree is out
I just discovered Jon Irenicus through Magic the Gathering and it's so cool to learn more about him! I didn't even know that he is a villain xD This is nice listening to while I build my Jon Commander deck ^^
9:43 further fictional evidence that true justice is ending it right then and there, without further passion for the matter. the queens desire to find a punishment worse than the finality of death was the moral failing and karmatic feedback that led to, well, Baldurs Gate 2
You have a point, though the matter does get muddied in a setting with demonstrable afterlives and souls as well as the possibility of resurrection or even reconstitution of oneself even. Ask Sarevok about that.
I recently replayed the first dungeon of BG2 and the entire warped and twisted place is a microcosm of Irenicus' mind. The comrades like Rieliev that he kept in stasis, promising to save once a cure for their disease is discovered but remain forgottoen. The many hollow copies he made of Ellesime, his true love and how he's kept her room as it is. The dryads he keeps to create emotion or humanity within him. The various torture chambers, and mysterious pools showing scenes of the future of Amn etc. These are all just glimpse into the hollow mind of Irenicus, you almost pity him and can understand why he wants to gain power to forget how broken he is.
Being french , as A kid, I played BG2 in the french localisation ... As the video starts ... WAIT A MINUTE ... I know that voice ... IT'S THE GOD DAMN LOBE !!!!
Funnily enough I've just ordered a Legacy Deck for one of my friends that has Jon Irenicus as the Core functioning card! Very interesting villain, I've never played the original Baldur's Gate, it's so good to learn about these characters.
Masterfully covered and an excellent subject! BG2 holds a special place in my heart and I'm just going to toss my script in the trash because I doubt there's anything I can say about it that you can't do better, damn this was good. Bonus fact: David Warner voiced Raʾs al Ġhūl in the Batman Animated Series, where he was a megalomaniacal tyrant but on a much smaller scale! This game easily marked the moment I took game writing and storytelling seriously as a kid.
Love listening to your videos about villans because a lot of these i either never played or never heard of and you give so much detail about the lore as well, thanks for the awesome uploads you do 👍
Drop some more Villainpedia requests right here
Dutch
A video on Atlas
Springtrap
Sephiroth
Handsome Jack
Can't believe they made a whole game about the guy from Irenicus's Vile Duplication
Comparing Irenicus and Sarevok's presence in the narrative is interesting. Despite being a warrior and looking like Darth Vader, Sarevok spents the majority of the first game in the shadows, manipulating the events and only gets fought at the endgame. Meanwhile, Irenicus, despite being a mage, has like this brutish dominating presence and you fight and confront him multiple times throughout the game.
It's an interesting subversion on those typical fantasy tropes, and it also manages to have Irenicus be a proactive villain that's more directly involved in and interested by the Bhaalspawn's actions, compared to Sarevok who's more a looming shadow over the adventures you have during the first game.
He's an unstoppable force of will. Pure focused totally amoral ambition. Right up there with Shodan as the most compelling villain in gaming.
well in this edition, a mage was literally one spell level short of Godhood. A flaw Irenics saught multiple times to rectify.
He had no reason to be shy or bookish considering his power level.
@@bunnieskitties293What you can ultimately see though, is that he was inflamed by his failed love. Many men equate it to loss of power and project blame to others (YOU WILL ALL SUFFER.) I think if Irenicus ultimately assumed full responsibility he could not have been stopped, even been protagonistic. That’s what makes him great as the villain, there is no regret in us unless there is something lost.
I believe this kind of inverted approach with regards to the narrative of each antagonist is what gives them more depth. Sarevok isn't reduced to an angry brute, he is a giant of a warrior, yes, but he is also well read on the prophecy of Alaundo and knew enough about Bhaal and Bhaalspawn to have his armor and weapon specially crafted to work with and enhance his divine potential. He's cunning enough to orchestrate all of the plot from the shadows. Irenicus, by a similar token, isn't restricted to being this absentee plotter in his distant tower, doomed to go "curse you heroes" as he is foiled by the one artifact or the one oversight in his brilliant masterplan. This is a mage who, when a thieves guild attacks his stronghold and messes up his plans, flips his lid, kicks everyone's teeth in and then procees to adapt, improvise and roll with the changes to keep his plans on track, making him all the more menacing.
The opening of BG2 immediately establishes that this going to be a darker story. Several companions from the first are either dead or, in the case of Imoen, utterly traumatized and violated. Searching desperately for an exit while Imoen continues to crack, until you finally reach the light-and then Imoen is dragged away with your tormentor.
One of the alltime great rpgs. But man did that intro zone have too many mephits.
The absolute worst was that Irenicus made her watch him torture and kill Khalid.
"I cannot be caged.
I cannot be controlled.
Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools." - Irencius.
I was looking for this comment.
I was looking for this comment.
all his dialogue hits hard, even when it's not really him (dream realm)
"Silence dog! You have no purpose but to die by my hand." - Irencius
You dare attack me here? Do you even know whom you face!?
RIP David Warner, what a voice and what a legacy.
I thought it was interesting how he just kinda bowled over commas in his dialogue. Made it very distinctive, but once I noticed it I couldn't stop noticing.
Tron, Time Bandits etc….
@@tranceightseven TMNT2 :D
Shit he was ras al ghul in Btas correct???
@@flibbernodgets7018
"First I clung to the memory... then the memory of the memory." Never has a villain been so relatable despite making no excuses.
„Ahhh, the child of Bhaal has awoken. It is time for more experiments…”
Jon's villainy is made next level by the fact that he says "you'll get no villain's exposition from me." Even the worst villains are merciful enough to assuage their enemies curiosity before killing them.
Indeed the only time he spills his guts is to his former lover, which the player only happens to overhear.
My absolutely favorite line of his is the "to end... LIKE THIS?" In the final cutscene
He's not sad that he ended up in some pit in hell, he's disappointed about THE PIT in hell he's in
Director: What's the bad guy's original name?
Dev:....um, John
Director: C'mon dude, this is D&D
Dev: John...eleth?
Director: Good enough
Reminds me of Bunyans and Flagons (Grog's one shot Critical Role). Ah yes, the tavernkeep Bob, and his wife... Bob-aline.
56:51 That last demon is living his best life. Doesn’t even need to go over the edge but is chasing that perfect 10/10 dive.
The depth of this guy and the execution of his voicelines. You can hear the pain, the sorrow. Holy shit..
One thing is that Cential, the sorceress who killed Jon's human wife, is found and mentions him by name in Baldur's Gate 1
In the original BG1 Jon was called "Jon Icarus" only retroactively being changed to mentioning "Irenicus" in EE edition. Obviously, the writers were still designing the story for bg2 back then but the inspirations were clear from the start
3 minutes ago, AND THE DUDE THAT SAID IT WAS GONNA BE JON IRENICUS WAS RIGHT?!? damn I really am having a blessed day
I thought the same thing, dude got it spot on
Badass.
Hello, I am that dude. So stoked we got this video on my favorite villain in all of gaming :D
LOVE THIS TYPE OF CONTENT!!! Keep it cominf ❤
My favorite parts you missed were his journals in Spellhold. He talks like he doesn't even remember what spells he's casting. He's just some twisted shade of fury. But then he gets your soul and it's day and night.
When I first saw that Jon was working with the drow, I just laughed and was like "why am I not surprised?" I was playing a modded copy that let you play as Drow in the first two games which added to it for me. In my defense I really liked the Drizzt books as a kid though I was a sorcerer if I recall.
No other villian ever comes close. Voice acting still gives me chills to this day.
Agreed. The best video game performance I've ever heard. It's crazy that David Warner was so amazing in this game, as well as Simon Templeman, Tony Jay and Michael Bell in the Legacy of Kain series, during a time when nobody cared about voice acting in video games.
The GOAT has been finally dissected. There is no better executed villain.
the original BG series is the only series I remember playing over and over and over again. The plot, the villans, the action, it was all perfect. I dont think I ever played a more epic game. I thought I might never see a better villain than Sarevok, and Irenicus blew him out of the water. Such an in depth character, so much understandable ambition, so much legitimate philosophy. Sometimes I wish life was such an epic adventure with such intriguing characters.
I’m pretty sure Imoen isn’t revealed as a Bhaalspawn to Irenicus (or anyone) until the breakout/in at the start of 2. That’s why he agrees to go quietly so long as Imoen also gets arrested. The main character doesn’t know about Imoen until Irenicus tells him halfway through the game.
he knew, he just could tell her essence was weaker than yours and wasn't that interested, so he tested all the stuff he did to you on her first, just in case.
"Silence, child, allow the fool to make his judgement" 😄
The dev’s themselves didn’t know about Imoen being a Bhaalspawn until the end of production 😅
@@Rod0411
That’s the out-of-universe truth, yes 😂
I just found your channel through your Baulder's Gate 3 villain video. I've since watched each of the other 2 Baulder's Gate videos and have to say how well done each of these videos are. You have earned a new sub! I can't wait to watch/listen to more of the Villianpedia videos. They are so well done!
Picked up BG1/2 when BG3 was announced in 2019. It is now my favorite game of all time and I have completed it numerous times and currently running a deathless run. It is a terrific game
Oh man, that intro line still just sends fucking chills down my spine. The voice actor for Irenicus did such an amazing job of getting the inflections just right to make him work.
David Warner as Irenicus was such a great casting decision. RIP to a legend.
Time to play BG2 again.
I think my personal favorite path of getting into spellhold is having Minsc talk to the pirate lord and in his eternal beautiful insanity -pointing- Boo at the man and questioning why he doesnt look like a storybook pirate. I know the other route is more direct but any chance to have Minsc be Minsc, I'm taking it.
David Warner was awesome in that role. RIP.
David Warner was incredible, but as a Pole I have to give praise to an amazing polish actor- Krzysztof Kolberger who voiced Irenicus in polish location of the game. His performance is what made Irenicus for me one of the greatest villains in history of games, books and cinema.
He's one of the best written villains in gaming. He's honestly pretty high up there in terms of literature even. What a guy.
I knew I recognized that voice and then I saw the Tron clip and it all came together lol.
Yeah, polish localization was great in the baldurs gate 1&2, one of the rare cases where the translated dialogues are way better than the original
@@SagieRzy no theyre not
@@666Kaca bro never experienced the polish dub for shrek
My favorite mini game watching this video is spot the MTG art
That was amazing to watch. As someone who never played any Baldur's Gate games, you explained so well how Irenicus' character was written.
Ah, Ghostcharm has awoken. It is time for more... villain-related content
They didn't take their souls, merely the elven quality of it, which severed them from the Elven Afterlife and all the other benefits of being elves. they still go to the normal afterlife. (a similar thing happened with the Drow though because their gods went with them, nothing major changed beyond them no longer going to Arvadore for judgement when they die and instead enter the Fugue plane like other mortals). (when Irenicus tries to steal your soul, he's merely filling part of his that used to contain the elvish parts).
Also Ellisemme's punishment was actually decried as favoritism by the people of Suldenessalar, as all they had to do to get it undone was to genuinely repent and ask forgiveness.
Since Ellismeme considered it more like putting them in timeout to think about what they've done. She just grossly underestimated how prideful Irenicus was and that he would literally never do that.
Yeah that's one thing that seemed kinda off about the punishment to Jon apparently being real awful when Ellismeme suggests he could have returned and be loved again at the finale. The other thing is that the punishment not being all that bad if Jon was willing to make something of it other then vengeance fits well with the idea of making your own fate that runs through BG1/2. The main character has to wrestle with their destiny as Bhaalspawn and Jon has to wrestle with having something taken from him, the main character makes something good of their fate and Jon probably could have too if he'd put his mind to it but he preferred vengeance just as the main character could have given in to the darker urges of their blood.
DUDE, this guy is all my time FAVORITE. I am going to rewatch this video for AGES
Let's fckn go the true best antagonist of the baldurs gate series! My boy Jon jon Irenicus
Nah, it is Bodhi. LOL
One can't be without the other.
From the best game in the series as well. Really the peak of the FR during this period as well. TSR was doing a lot of things wrong, but FR and Planescape were firing on all cylinders before wotc burst through the wall like the coolaid man.
this being my first actually intense mid level dnd experience I restarted this game dozens of times, enough for me to be able to recite the irenicus dungeon voice lines from memory
I am so thankful his first name is the supremely unthreatening: Jon.
Jonaleth. Gotta be one of the best villains in gaming for sure.
Yeah it reminds me of that moment in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the enchanter says his name is Tim :D
@@ahtoomians less threatening even , lol
@@AllfatherBlack yeah little bitchass Elven name. You're right the shortform is better.
Why is this called a Jeffrey?!
Because who could be scared of a Jeffrey.
The best version of Irenicus is the version that’s your Bhaal essence cosplaying as Irenicus to teach you about power in your dreams.
“Life... is strength. That is not to be contested; it seems logical enough. You live; you affect your world.”
“This woman had power, of a sort. She lost her parents to plague, her husband to war, but she persevered. She was well respected, her farm was prosperous and her children were well fed. And now she is dead.”
I have to believe that these monologues in your dreams were ones that Charname actually overheard while prisoner in Chateau Irenicus. They're far too literate and on-point in emulating him to be merely the thuggish Bhaal essence's brainchild.
I was disappointed when i found out it was the bhaalspawn essence saying it rather than Irenicus himself :/
@@r.kolemaistos7788
If you think Bhaal is only a thug, you are mistaken.
oh boy, here I go installin' again !
A voice so iconic that I kept instinctively waiting for him to refer to the player as "Detective."
Love this video and the Sarevok video! You should definitely consider doing Villainpedia entries on the Sith Triumvirate from Knights of the Old Republic 2. At the very least one entry on Kreia/Traya
Kreia was one of the more interesting villains I've come across in videogaming. It's sad that KOTOR2 was a buggy mess and didn't reach a wider audience. She could have raised the bar for what the gaming community would accept for a villian.
I just woke up to the last few minutes of the glados video playing and here i am watching another ghostcharm video keep up the good work man
David Warner also voiced the character The Archmage from the cartoon series Gargoyles (if anyone has not seen it I _HIGHLY_ recommend watching the first 2 seasons). In fact, the Archmage character in and of himself was kind of bland and was originally meant to be a one-off character shown in a small flashback story early in the series... yet David nailed the role so god damn well that the creator of the Gargoyles series actively wrote out a whole additional sub plot for the character which vastly increased his role in the story.
Honestly, David Warner never got as much recognition I felt he deserved, but god damn was that man born to play Evil Wizards... I honestly always imagine David Warner's voice for any evil wizard NPC I make for any D&D game I run... he's just that synonymous with the trope for me
You made me want to replay this game while I am in the middle of an angel wotr run. You bastard. The abyss must have put you up to this to distract me from the campaign.
I'm in exactly the same position. Just started an angel run on WotR. But since I played BG2 rather recently for the millionth time, I should be able to resist. I think. Maybe.
@@AlmarilQC and how is your run going? Am closing in on end rank 9/angel/lvl 20 oread dovier druid. Planning on going for ascension ending. And it has me wondering how well would ascended KC measure up against ascended Bhaalspawn. Think Demon KC might be strongest KC if he also gets to have nocticula's domain besides those of baphomet and deskari.
@@lakkakka I'm still at the start in Kenabres, I'm going for a sword saint with an elven curved blade (might respec since it's 2 handed and magus works better with a free hand). It's my second playthrough, I played the first one as an azata lightning kineticist and enjoyed it a shitton, best RPG since BG2 and Planescape Torment imo. As for the power level stuff, no idea, I'm not a fan of comparing characters' power levels as it's all fiction in which the characters have the power the writers give them. As long as said power is used well narratively or gameplaywise, I'm happy :D
I love the shock in the VO when you meet him at the tree. The “What!” Hits home.
Yep, Khalid was definitely a pillar of my party in BG1 and was absolutely not backstabbed before his corpse got the boot inside a tent so Jaheria couldn't leave.
Swiftly murdered him.
I always did the opposite. Kill off Jaheira and take Khalid because the dude is actually cracked.
Excellent video ! as an old fan of Baldur's Gate it brought back some great memories so thank you, i have been watching all of your videos bit by bit and i can't wait for you to cover ToB :)
I love Irenicus because the voice acting is absolutely stellar.
Thank you so much for making such a wonderful video about one of my personal favorite villians. baldurs gate 2 was one of the first video games i played at the age of 4 and i love seeing its characters brought back to life with this kind of character exploration. Im so happy baldurs gate 3 has brought these games back into the eyes of the people. Thank you
Woah! I don't remember the serevak video that well, guess I gotta go back, watch that, then this, and just to be safe, every other video you've made. Daaaaang
I fucking despise Jon Irenicus. His arrogance and self entitled yapping throughout the game, dude acts like you should feel blessed to be used as a sacrifice to his pitiful "revenge" against people who were fully justified in banishing him for his powerhungry hubris.
10/10 easily one of the very best antagonists in video games, will let him live rent free in my head forever.
Arrogance is typical wizard behavior. But his is dialed up, considering he is the big bad and has a god complex.
This really deserves more than 84K views. This was some damn fine work explaining this villain. God I love these games
If I was transformed into a cat, I think I would be happy to have transcended to a higher form.
Also this was a defining voice/character of my childhood thanks for the vid
Awesome video! The Baldur's Gate series will always have a special place in my heart and a lot of that has to do with the villains being so damn good.
Cheers!
Sometimes I just watch the video of Jon Irenicus' full Dialogue for BG 2 to bask in the glory of David Warner's maniacally dulcet tones. R.I.P
the voice acting is elite on this mans
Great video. I missed playing through BG 1+2 when they were new, and trying to get into them now has been difficult. But episodes like this and the one on Sarevok help me understand why they're so beloved.
God tier video essay, gave me chills and brought me back to the memories of this villain from my childhood. Thank you for this art
Absolute masterpiece! Got my pc broken when I was in the third act. Then the cds of the game were lost. Finally learned the whole story. Thanks!
man, youre my favorite youtuber, please make more bugthesda and fromsoftware characterpedia.
Knock off work, get home, and see this beauty. What a day to be alive.
Thank you Ghost for everything my friend. ❤
Jon Irenicus is such an interesting antagonist
Fantastic! Great analysis one one of the all-time great villains of the Forgotten Realms
Maaaan, your channel is like sitting around a fire with a warm mug of hot cocoa in your hands. Your voice and inflection is perfect for commentary, keep it up brotha
"You will suffer. You will ALL suffer."
Easily a top 5 catchphrase ever uttered by a villain.
This game was a big part of my childhood.
Im actually playing through bg2 for the 1st time so def gonna watch this
Bro, literally my fav video on UA-cam is you villainpedia on Saverok. Beyound excited for this next masterpiece from you Thank you sir and keep pumping up this quality content ! Best channel on UA-cam 🎉
Sidenote but Imoen’s arc in this game is one of the best narratives about surviving SA I’ve ever seen. She’s broken again and again, but through the help of her friends and family is able to literally reclaim her life from her violator. Such a beautiful yet terrible story.
Lol stop lying. She wasn't sa'd
@@KarlKapo
It’s a clear allegory
@@warlordofbritannia
This guy doesn't know what an allegory is man. He probably thinks Star Wars is just about monk wizard's fighting aliens with laser swords and nothing else too.
@@KarlKapo Have you ever heard of a metaphor?
@@misterbiscuitbarrel stop lying.
I like how you assume most people played BG3 and therefore know what the Underdark is, as if wasn't one of the most famous D&D locations since the late 80's.
I’ve been savoring this video for a while. I’m so excited to be getting into it now.
I really enjoyed this video about Irenicus and Baldurs gate 2 and i'm looking forward to watching the Ketheric video tomorrow^^
It’s finally here!
Speaking of you talking about how achieving godhood never leads to anything good, made me think; you should make a video about miquella now that shadow of the erdtree is out
44:39 Not just you not giving up, he's got a soul and can feel irritation rather than just generic hate.
Great topic young one
Great job as always.
It's a beautiful day. Thank you for sharing this highly anticipated narrative with your excellent storytelling.
"This battle is tough" - laughs in polymorph into illithid and then time stop xD
I've just realized the VA Areelu Vorlesh in Pathfinder WoTR was talking in the same manner as Irenicus. I bet she studied Irenicus way of speech.
Ahhh, the child of Bhaal has awoken. . .
YES!!!
I just discovered Jon Irenicus through Magic the Gathering and it's so cool to learn more about him! I didn't even know that he is a villain xD
This is nice listening to while I build my Jon Commander deck ^^
Thank you for this great video. It´s been so long since and you brought it back so wonderfully.
9:43 further fictional evidence that true justice is ending it right then and there, without further passion for the matter. the queens desire to find a punishment worse than the finality of death was the moral failing and karmatic feedback that led to, well, Baldurs Gate 2
You have a point, though the matter does get muddied in a setting with demonstrable afterlives and souls as well as the possibility of resurrection or even reconstitution of oneself even. Ask Sarevok about that.
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I have not played BG2 in, a very long time, but I still remember the voice…
Black isle made some absolute classics didn’t they…
Fallout
BG
Torment
Awesome review of Irenicus. Now I need to go back and see who wrote bg2.
Irenicus has one of the best voice actors in a game ever in my opinion, i regularly just listen to him.
I recently replayed the first dungeon of BG2 and the entire warped and twisted place is a microcosm of Irenicus' mind. The comrades like Rieliev that he kept in stasis, promising to save once a cure for their disease is discovered but remain forgottoen. The many hollow copies he made of Ellesime, his true love and how he's kept her room as it is. The dryads he keeps to create emotion or humanity within him. The various torture chambers, and mysterious pools showing scenes of the future of Amn etc. These are all just glimpse into the hollow mind of Irenicus, you almost pity him and can understand why he wants to gain power to forget how broken he is.
Being french , as A kid, I played BG2 in the french localisation ...
As the video starts ... WAIT A MINUTE ... I know that voice ...
IT'S THE GOD DAMN LOBE !!!!
Funnily enough I've just ordered a Legacy Deck for one of my friends that has Jon Irenicus as the Core functioning card!
Very interesting villain, I've never played the original Baldur's Gate, it's so good to learn about these characters.
The best voice acting
I really like the Last Bhall spawn of the five (beside you), he seem like the wisest/good intentioned of them all.
Awesome video, thanks ^^ !!! Waiting for the final villian, thank you again ^^ !!!
Masterfully covered and an excellent subject! BG2 holds a special place in my heart and I'm just going to toss my script in the trash because I doubt there's anything I can say about it that you can't do better, damn this was good. Bonus fact: David Warner voiced Raʾs al Ġhūl in the Batman Animated Series, where he was a megalomaniacal tyrant but on a much smaller scale! This game easily marked the moment I took game writing and storytelling seriously as a kid.
This was incredible. Subbed
Makes my magic the gathering Jon irenicus deck even cooler knowing his lore
I was looking for a video exactly like this a couple weeks ago. For such an iconic villain, Irenicus seems to get very little attention.
The guy that says “NO DONT DO THIS, I DONT WANNA DIE!” Is the incredibly talented Rob Paulsen (voice of Pinky)
Love listening to your videos about villans because a lot of these i either never played or never heard of and you give so much detail about the lore as well, thanks for the awesome uploads you do 👍
Always happy to see another ghostcharm video, and I loved the couple magic cards featured