Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows Of Amn Soundtrack Download
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Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to 1998's Baldur's Gate and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Following its predecessor, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a fantasy campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist; the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.
Much of Baldur's Gate II takes place in and around Athkatla, a city in the country of Amn. Opening shortly after the events of Baldur's Gate, the game continues the story of the protagonist, Gorion's Ward, whose unique heritage has now drawn the attention of Jon Irenicus, a powerful and sinister mage. The storyline revolves around the machinations of Irenicus and the player's encounters with him.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition computer role-playing game. The central quest of the game consists of about 50 to 60 hours of play, while the full game, including all side quests, is estimated to be between 200 and 300 hours.[1][2] The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the protagonist;[3] if the protagonist dies, a saved-game must be loaded, or a new game begun. The game begins with character creation[4] through a series of configuration screens,[5] choosing such things as class, ability scores, appearance, and alignment.[6] Alternatively, an existing character from Baldur's Gate or its expansion Tales of the Sword Coast can be imported.[3][7] Once in the game world, the player may recruit certain non-player characters (NPCs) to travel with him or her, though only five may do so at a time; depending on who is present in the group, bickering, romance, and side quests can result.[8] NPCs in the party often converse with the player or with one another, and at times interject into the player's conversations with others.[9]
The game is played from an isometric perspective,[10] and the screen, which does not need to remain centered on the protagonist, can be scrolled with the mouse or keyboard. Areas are revealed as they are explored by the player's characters. A fog of war effect hides explored areas when the player's characters move away from them. The player can also change the formation in which the party moves.[11] Clicking an area exit, such as a doorway or staircase, causes another area to be loaded. Clicking on the edge of an outside area causes the party to travel there; the game then presents the player with the World Map, from which the player may select a destination.[12]
The player interacts with characters and objects by clicking on them.[13] Clicking on the ground causes the player's selected characters to move.[14] The gameplay, though in real-time, can be paused, whereupon commands may be issued to controllable characters, who will attempt to execute them when the game is unpaused.[15] The game can also be set to pause automatically at certain times.[8] Dialogue is started by NPCs at certain scripted times, or by the player's clicking on NPCs who are not immediately hostile. When speaking to an NPC, the player must often choose what to say from a list of responses. The dialogue may lead to quests or important information. When the player clicks on a hostile being, the currently selected characters will advance to attack it.[13] Information about characters, creatures, items, and buildings in the game environment is shown on a tool tip, which appears when the mouse pointer is held over game elements.[16]
When a character in the group gains the necessary experience points, he or she gains a level.[17] Experience points are awarded for certain player actions, such as killing enemies or completing quests.[18] The party also has a reputation, which is affected by the player's moral actions, and which, along with the party leader's charisma attribute, influences how NPCs in the game world react to the player.[19] The characters in the party will also complain if the party's reputation conflicts with their alignment.[20] Resting heals the characters in the party and refreshes those who are fatigued; also, resting allows a character to memorize spells.[21] The game contains over 300 spells available for memorization.[22] With the exception of sorcerers, magic-users must memorize spells before they can be cast.[23][24] Spell-casting takes time and may be disrupted by attacks or other spells.[24]
The player can access sub-screens through the interface: area and world maps;[12] the journal, which tracks important information, such as quests and the game's plot;[25] the inventory page, which is used to manage and equip items;[26] the record screen, which is used to view information about, as well as level up, characters in the party;[27] the mage book and priest scroll screens, where spells can be inspected and memorized;[28] and the options screen, where settings may be altered, saved-games loaded, or the game saved or quit.[29]
The game also has a multiplayer mode, in which up to six human players can adventure through the game, controlling player-made characters as well as recruited NPCs.[37] The content of the game is otherwise the same,[37] and one player controls the protagonist.
The Forgotten Realms, the high fantasy campaign setting in which Baldur's Gate II is set, is a fictional world similar to a medieval Earth, but with its own peoples, geography, and history. In the Realms, as its inhabitants call it, fantastic creatures and magic are common.[38]
Baldur's Gate II takes place mainly in Amn, a country on the subcontinent of Faern. This country, known commonly as the Merchant Kingdom,[39] lies south of Baldur's Gate; wealth and trade are the chief concerns of the region.[39] The capital city of Athkatla, around which a fair portion of the game revolves, is the most important in Amn and is ruled by the anonymous Council of Six. The local thieves' guild, the Shadow Thieves, also has considerable power.[40] The group, which operates all along the Sword Coast,[41] is based in Athkatla.[42] Another powerful organization in Amn are the Cowled Wizards, who regulate the use of magic in the region.[41][43] The Shadow Thieves, the Cowled Wizards, and the Harpers, a semi-secret conglomeration of good organizations,[38] all factor prominently into the story and provide side quests.[22]
Besides Athkatla, other places the player will pass through include: an island, on which stands both the port town of Brynnlaw and the asylum Spellhold; the Underdark;[3] the city of Suldanessellar; and the Astral Plane.[3] There are also other places, which may be explored: the Umar Hills,[3] where people have been disappearing; a temple ruins,[3] fallen under the shadow of the Shade Lord; the de'Arnise Keep, home of the de'Arnises but recently overrun by trolls; the town of Trademeet, under attack by animals; a druid grove connected to Trademeet's woes; the Windspear Hills, where the player becomes entangled in the intrigues of Firkraag, a dragon; the underwater Sahuagin city; and the Planar Prison.
Baldur's Gate II is set in the year 1369 DR (Dale Reckoning),[44] and thus takes place not long after the Time of Troubles (1358 DR), when the Tablets of Fate, powerful magic items which maintain a balance between good and evil, were stolen.[45] Lord Ao, the Overdeity, forced the gods to become mortal until the Tablets were found;[45] some gods died while in this mortal state.[38][44]
Bhaal, the God of Murder, was slain by an adventurer named Cyric, who himself became a god,[46] but Bhaal foresaw his destruction and walked the land before the other gods.[22] He left behind him "a score of mortal progeny", whose later deaths, when they were slain by heroes, would fuel his rebirth.[47] The game's protagonist is one of these offspring,[47] but, through the choices of the player, may be either good or evil.[22] The character grew up in the library fortress of Candlekeep, watched over by the mage Gorion.[47] Imoen, who grew up there as well, became a close friend.[48][47] The story of the first Baldur's Gate followed their adventure along the Sword Coast, where the hero learned of their heritage and defeated their half-brother Sarevok, a fellow child of Bhaal.
Some notable characters in Shadows of Amn include: Gaelan Bayle, who offers the party the help of the Shadow Thieves;[49][50] Aran Linvail, the leader of the Shadow Thieves;[51] Saemon Havarian, who sails the party to an island;[52] Adalon, a silver dragon whose eggs have been stolen and given to drow;[53] Elhan;[54] and Queen Ellesime, the ruler of Suldanessellar.[55] Jon Irenicus and his sister Bodhi are the chief antagonists, Irenicus being the main villain of the game. Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'Urden also makes an appearance; if the player solicits his aid, he and his companions will later help the player.[8]
In Baldur's Gate II, several characters from the first game reappear, of which the following can join the player's party: Imoen, who grew up with the protagonist in Candlekeep;[48] Jaheira, who, with her husband Khalid, was a friend of Gorion's;[56] Minsc, a warrior who carries with him a hamster named Boo;[57] Edwin, a Red Wizard of Thay;[58] and Viconia, a dark elf cleric.[8][58] There are also many new NPCs who may join the party: Aerie, a winged elf who has lost her wings and was sold to the circus by slavers at a young age;[59][60][61] Keldorn, an older paladin and a powerful and respected member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart;[62][63] Mazzy, an honorable halfling fighter and "the nearest thing to a paladin that a halfling can aspire to";[63] Nalia, who is of the upper class, but, though conscious of class distinction, tries to help those less fortunate than herself;[64][65] Valygar, who is of a family noted for its talented magic-users, but hates the art;[66] Anomen, a member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, and whose wish is to become a full knight;[66] Cernd, a druid;[66] Haer'Dalis, a tiefling bard and one of the actors of an acting troupe;[63][67] Jan, a gnome, of the Jansen family;[68] Yoshimo, a thief from the land of Kara-Tur;[68] and Korgan, an evil dwarven fighter.[8][59]
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