Quest 2 Mods

[Evelyn Normington]

Englishis my third language, I can read, can write for my work, but I'm not good in writing reviews. It took me much more time than I have expected to write these reviews. Why I am doing something so difficult for me? I found that there is actually quite limited information on how good a mod is when I'm doing own research to find which mod I should try. Is the npc/ quest mod good? Is there many interjection? How is the writing? How is the area art? I have all questions but sometime the answers are nowhere. Those mod that I can find many reviews / opinions are basically either too bad or too impressive. Hence, in my opinion, writing some feedbacks is at least something I should do after enjoying these mods that the authors spent so much effort making them without asking anything for return. I really appreciate it, I can still enjoy this game like a new game after 20 years, thanks to their tremendous works.

I was someone who used to dislike any unofficial content because I prefer to keep my games as vanilla as possible (for 18 years) and I thought mod written by non-professionals cannot be good. However, after my 2014 EE vanilla play through, I lack of interest to return to my favorite game because I saw everything, used every vanilla npc. I still want to play, but I don't have motivation. Mods rekindle my passion.

a) Overall Experience

- This is just my personal opinion which emphasizes heavily on my own preference (e.g. I like interjections and reactions more than most people). It does not reflect the actual quality of a mod.

- I will consider many things when I rate this part, not only the writing or personality, how fun is the gameplay (e.g. interesting kits, quests / encounters) will also contribute to this.

- Vanilla npcs is rated as a whole (including vanilla content) instead of just rating the mod installed for them.

b) Lore Friendly:

- This is what I think how good is a mod fits the original game- does it feel like a vanilla content?

- Or whether I think it is believable to happen in Forgotten Realms

- Or is the DND lore same with what I know (or from own search online)

c) Area Art:

- Does it integrate well with vanilla areas?

- Does it look like copy paste from vanilla areas?

- Does it look like how it should be in the story?

You may have a glimpse on the screenshots if you want to know how the writing / area arts are, but some definitely contain heavy spoilers. I suggest do not see the screenshots if you are someone prefer to explore yourself.

I decided to write both of them together here as IMO they have some similarities yet different. I also found thread asking and comparing both. They are paladin from different faiths, both non-romancable in BG1 but will be in BG2, and they are also similar in their reaction when facing the cruel and evil plot of Iron Throne.

Generally, character wise I like Sirene more than Isra because some her main concern on heritage is actually very relatable to my neutral good charname, who is actually facing a similar and even more terrible fate than Sirene.

However, Aura brings lore from two rarely mentioned places/cultures in DND games (Lantan and Kara-tur) and it is well implemented. Having a clever gnome from Lantan is very interesting. BG series have several quests or art on the map that are related to Lantan, but to be honest, after so many playthrough of vanilla BG, I still cannot remember this country name. After playing with Aura, I will never forget Lantan.

This is not only because of the lore from her talks, this is also due to the things she can do in the game. she is an artificer, she can create lot of cool scientific summon, traps, items which are so fun to play with. She can even modified some of the useless items in BG1 into something useful but not too powerful.

As for Aura, after finishing a quite early vanilla quest, she will help you to modify an useless weapon into a cool +3 weapon with some restriction and penalty to use. +3 is definitely powerful in early game, but I still have to think how to use it properly due to the penalty and restriction. I even made some changes in my front liners setup so that Isra can use this +3 weapon better without worrying the potential harm it may cause. This is what I consider as a good design.

Unfortunately, I think his BG1 NPC contents and the Friendship mod are written by different authors. The npc-initiated talks from different mods seem to have different timers, so I always have the talk from friendship mod comes out immediately after the talk from BG1NPC mod. This has caused some inconsistencies in the topic that he brought out and can be confusing from a player point of view. This may also make me easily notice the difference in writing style as BG1NPC mod tends to use more big words for him compared to the friendship mod.

Jaheira and Khalid join as a couple and they have the most content (more specifically, Jaheira) in terms of interjections and banters compared to the other NPCs in BG1NPC Project. The quality of the writing is outstanding, especially for Jaheira, some of her banter with annoying companions (such as Edwin) is skillfully written and close to a professional level. The Jaheira you see here also feels connected to Beamdogs written ones in SOD and Bioware's ones in BG2 almost seamlessly. There are still very few moments I consider some banters are unlikely to be written by Bioware in such a way (if I rate it with the most strict standard), but those contents are still quite amusing to see.

Hence, I enjoy their presence very much in BG1. Jaheira acts greatly as a de facto leader who strives to fulfill her old friend's wish by mentoring the PC to be a better person. I play as a druid in this playthrough, which has enhanced this experience even further, as they are several class-specific talks that Jaheira tried to help PC to develop as a fledgling druid.

Jaheira still has her nagging attitude as we all love/ hate in the vanilla BG2, but this MOD also offers you an opportunity to see her soft and attractive sides when Khalid is still alive. Several sweet moments are quite heartwarming to see and are connected well with the new content written in SOD, which may make the tragedy in the next game more impactful.

Khalid does not have as much characterization as Jaheira, but generally, his dialogues fully fit his few original banter that we can see in the first game. Although not many, I also feel that there are banters that have reminded me why he has a good intelligence score, which is something I consider good writing because stammering in speech does not always equal idiocy, which has probably been perceived as so in certain MODs.

BG1 NPC Project has added a lot of reactions to almost everything for Imoen. The quantity is almost at the same level as Jaheira, with the quality in writing slightly lower than some of the NPCs from this MOD, mainly because some of her dialogues may look slightly modern.

Don't get me wrong, I said this because I was comparing it to the overall amazing writing from this MOD with the highest standard. If you love Imoen, this MOD has everything you need and has successfully portrayed her as a very likable carefree, and mischievous little sister in the first game. Her personality truly shines in BG1 with this MOD, and you will love her if you like this type of cute character. This MOD will make you care more about her story in BG2 and has increased the immersion for someone who wants to role-play as a good protective brother who is willing to search through the whole Faerun just to rescue your beloved sister. BG1 NPC MOD has also added some scenes that will make you more emotionally attached to the story, such as making a grave for Gorion, and the small gift from your sister.

I have also installed the SOD components from the Imoen 4 Ever MOD to increase her presence in this playthrough, and I am truly impressed. This MOD rearrange the order of some vanilla dialogues and cutscenes to let Imoen stays in your party most of the time, and the result is pretty convincing- it looks natural and enhanced the experience in the early part of SOD significantly. After all, Imoen is willing to leave Candlekeep to venture into the unknown world with you- she cares about you and has an adventurous spirit, and I always find it implausible that she needs to stay back in the Palace to learn magic, while anyone else in your party can dual class without any similar restriction.

Unfortunately, as the author has stated, her content in SOD has not been completed yet, so you may notice her interjections while are still pretty well written, are significantly less than the vanilla NPCs, and there is no banter with the others at the moment. However, having a sister who talks less frequent is still much better than "no Imoen at all". I always feel happy when she says something, so this MOD is still very worth using at this stage.

Finally, you won't know what SOD is missing until you see her reactions to the events in SOD, especially in the later game. Never should have any story reason to take your dear sister away from you in SOD.

I heard the good and bad reputation of this MOD a long time ago- some say this MOD changes BG into porn, while some say this MOD is a good quest MOD if you just use the teen version. I finished BG1 with this MOD (teen version) and I would agree with the latter.

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