Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game created by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the follow-up to the 1998 game Baldur's Gate and was released for Windows in September 2000. Like its predecessor, the game is set in the Forgotten Realms, a fantasy world, and uses the rules from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. The game uses BioWare's Infinity Engine and features an isometric view, which shows the game world from above, and gameplay that can be paused during real-time action. Players control a group of up to six characters, one of whom is a character the player creates; the others are characters from the game world who join the party.
Most of the game takes place in and around Athkatla, a city in the country of Amn. The story begins shortly after the events of Baldur's Gate and follows the protagonist, Gorion's Ward, whose special background has drawn the attention of Jon Irenicus, a powerful and dangerous wizard. The story focuses on Irenicus's plans and the player's interactions with him.
Development of the game started in January 1999. BioWare aimed to improve every aspect of the first Baldur's Gate. Based on feedback from fans, reviews, and internal ideas, the team added features such as higher resolution, 3D support, and character kits. For the first game, the engine and content were developed at the same time, but for Baldur's Gate II, the engine was completed before content creation began. This allowed the team to focus on making new content instead of fixing basic functions.
Shadows of Amn was highly praised for its gameplay, artwork, and voice acting, and is considered one of the best video games ever made. GameSpy, GameSpot, and IGN named it "Role-Playing Game of the Year" for 2000. The game sold more than two million copies. An expansion pack, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, was released in 2001. This expansion added a large dungeon and completed the main story. Both Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal were included in later compilations. In 2013, an updated version of Baldur's Gate II, called Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, was released using a newer version of the Infinity Engine. A sequel, Baldur's Gate 3, made by Larian Studios, was released in 2023.
Gameplay
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a computer role-playing game based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. The main story takes about 50 to 60 hours to complete. If you do all the side quests, the game can take between 200 and 300 hours. The player controls a group of up to six characters, one of whom is the main character. If the main character dies, the player must load a saved game or start a new one. The game begins with character creation, where players choose a class, ability scores, appearance, and alignment. Players can also import characters from earlier games, such as Baldur's Gate or its expansion, Tales of the Sword Coast. Once in the game world, players can recruit up to five non-player characters (NPCs) to join their group. Depending on who is in the group, the characters may argue, form relationships, or take on extra tasks. NPCs often speak to the player or to each other, and they may join conversations with the player.
The game is viewed from a side perspective, and the screen can be moved with the mouse or keyboard. As players explore, new areas appear on the map. A fog of war effect hides areas when the player moves away from them. Players can change how the group moves. Clicking on exits, such as doors or stairs, loads a new area. Clicking on the edge of an outside area shows the World Map, where players can choose a destination.
Players interact with characters and objects by clicking on them. Clicking on the ground makes the selected characters move. Although the game runs in real-time, it can be paused to give commands to characters. The game may also pause automatically at certain times. Dialogue starts when NPCs speak at scripted moments or when the player clicks on non-hostile NPCs. During conversations, the player chooses responses from a list. Dialogue can lead to quests or important information. Clicking on hostile characters makes the selected characters attack them. Tool tips show information about characters, creatures, items, and buildings when the mouse pointer is held over them.
When a character gains enough experience points, they level up. Experience points are earned by killing enemies or completing quests. The group’s reputation, influenced by the player’s moral choices, affects how NPCs react. A character’s reputation must match their alignment; otherwise, they may complain. Resting heals characters and allows them to memorize spells. The game has over 300 spells available. Except for sorcerers, magic-users must memorize spells before casting them. Spell-casting takes time and can be interrupted by attacks or other spells.
Players can access sub-screens through the interface: area and world maps, a journal to track quests and the story, an inventory page to manage items, a record screen to view and level up characters, mage book and priest scroll screens to inspect and memorize spells, and an options screen to adjust settings, load saved games, or quit.
During character creation, players choose a class: fighter, ranger, paladin, thief, bard, mage, cleric, druid, barbarian, monk, or sorcerer (the last three are new to the game). Each class has unique abilities and restrictions. For example, thieves can find and remove traps but cannot wear certain armor or be lawful good. Most classes also have specializations, or kits, which offer advantages and disadvantages. For example, the paladin’s cavalier kit specializes in fighting monsters like dragons but cannot use missile weapons. At some point, the player may take over a stronghold, which depends on the protagonist’s class.
The game also includes a multiplayer mode, where up to six players can adventure together, controlling both player-made characters and recruited NPCs. The game’s content is the same as the single-player version, with one player controlling the protagonist.
Plot
The Forgotten Realms is a fictional world used in the game Baldur's Gate II. It is similar to medieval Earth but has its own people, lands, and history. In this world, magic and mythical creatures are common.
Baldur's Gate II is mainly set in Amn, a country on the Faerûn subcontinent. Amn is known as the Merchant Kingdom and is located south of Baldur's Gate. The region focuses on trade and wealth. The capital, Athkatla, is the most important city in Amn and is ruled by the Council of Six. The Shadow Thieves, a powerful thieves' guild, operate in Athkatla and along the Sword Coast. The Cowled Wizards, who control magic in the region, are also influential. The Harpers, a group of good organizations, play a major role in the story and offer side quests.
Other places the player visits include an island with the port town of Brynnlaw and the asylum Spellhold, the Underdark, the city of Suldanessellar, and the Astral Plane. Additional locations include the Umar Hills, a ruined temple under the Shade Lord’s influence, de'Arnise Keep, which was taken over by trolls, the town of Trademeet under attack by animals, a druid grove connected to Trademeet’s problems, the Windspear Hills where the player deals with a dragon named Firkraag, the underwater city of the Sahuagin, and the Planar Prison.
The game takes place in the year 1369 DR (Dale Reckoning), shortly after the Time of Troubles (1358 DR), when the Tablets of Fate—magic items that balanced good and evil—were stolen. Lord Ao, the Overdeity, made the gods mortal until the Tablets were recovered. Some gods died during this time.
Bhaal, the God of Murder, was killed by an adventurer named Cyric, who became a god. Bhaal predicted his death and wandered the land before other gods. He left behind "a score of mortal progeny," whose deaths would help him return. The game’s protagonist is one of these children and can be good or evil based on player choices. The protagonist grew up in Candlekeep, a library fortress, under the care of the mage Gorion. Imoen, who also lived in Candlekeep, became a close friend. The story of the first Baldur's Gate followed their adventure on the Sword Coast, where the hero learned of their heritage and defeated their half-brother Sarevok, another child of Bhaal.
Important characters in Shadows of Amn include Gaelan Bayle, who helps the party with the Shadow Thieves; Aran Linvail, the Shadow Thieves’ leader; Saemon Havarian, who sails the party to an island; Adalon, a silver dragon whose eggs were stolen by drow; Elhan; and Queen Ellesime, ruler of Suldanessellar. Jon Irenicus and his sister Bodhi are the main villains. Drizzt Do'Urden, a well-known character from the Forgotten Realms, also appears and may help the player.
Characters from the first game who can join the player’s party include Imoen, Jaheira (and her husband Khalid), Minsc (with his hamster Boo), Edwin (a Red Wizard of Thay), and Viconia (a dark elf cleric). New characters who may join include Aerie, a winged elf who lost her wings; Keldorn, a paladin; Mazzy, a halfling fighter; Nalia, a noble who helps others; Valygar, a magic-hating member of a magical family; Anomen, a knight-in-training; Cernd, a druid; Haer'Dalis, a tiefling bard; Jan, a gnome from the Jansen family; Yoshimo, a thief from Kara-Tur; and Korgan, an evil dwarf.
After the events of Baldur's Gate, the hero and companions are captured. The game begins with the player character waking up in a cage and being experimented on by a wizard who knows their heritage. The wizard is interrupted by the Shadow Thieves and disappears. Imoen frees the player, and they learn that Jaheira’s husband Khalid was tortured to death. The group escapes the complex, learns about their captor, Irenicus, and witnesses him fighting off attackers. Imoen uses magic to attack Irenicus, leading the Cowled Wizards to arrest both of them.
In Athkatla’s slums, a man named Gaelan Bayle offers help from a powerful organization for 20,000 gold pieces. The party can choose to side with either the Shadow Thieves or Bodhi’s rival guild. Imoen and Irenicus are taken to Spellhold, an asylum on an island. Irenicus breaks free and plans to experiment on Imoen. The party raises money, gains passage to the island via Saemon Havarian, and enters Spellhold. Irenicus captures the protagonist and performs a ritual to take their soul. Imoen, also a Child of Bhaal, had already undergone the ritual, and her soul went to Bodhi, Irenicus’s sister. Bodhi abandons the party, luring them into a maze beneath Spellhold. The soulless protagonist transforms into the Slayer, a form of Bhaal. After regaining control, the party fights Irenicus, who retreats. They escape through the Underdark.
On the surface, the party meets the elves of Suldanessellar, whose city is hidden by Irenicus’s magic. They retrieve the Rhynn Lanthorn from Bodhi, who has stolen it, and gain access to the city.
Development
Baldur's Gate II was created by BioWare and released by Black Isle Studios, which is part of Interplay Entertainment. The game uses the same Infinity Engine as Baldur's Gate (1998), but with many improvements. Other games that used this engine include Planescape: Torment (1999) and Icewind Dale (2000), both made by Black Isle Studios. BioWare honored Daniel Walker, who died in 1999 and was the company's second employee, by dedicating the game to him.
Baldur's Gate was successful both in sales and reviews, but it was BioWare's first role-playing game. They used what they learned from making it to improve Baldur's Gate II. They also felt they had not enough time to finish their plans for the first game because they had to create the game content and the Infinity Engine at the same time. For Baldur's Gate II, the team wanted to spend enough time to make the game as good as possible. They aimed to make it better than the first game in every way and to attract both fans of the original and new players.
Development of Baldur's Gate II started in January 1999. BioWare gathered suggestions from fans, reviews of the first game, and ideas from within the company to create a list of improvements. Some of the changes included support for higher screen resolutions, 3D graphics, and a smoother multiplayer experience. Other additions were side menus that could be hidden, character customization options, and the inclusion of famous monsters like dragons. Most of these features were added easily because the Infinity Engine was already well developed. A designer named James Ohlen said that having a finished engine let the team focus on creating game content instead of fixing basic problems. A producer, Ben Smedstad, noted that the engine was ready from the start, which helped the team stay motivated.
The Infinity Engine used in Baldur's Gate II had many improvements since the first game. Players could now choose between two screen resolutions, and the game added 3D effects for spells and special abilities. Movement in the game was improved through a feature called "bumping," which let characters move each other out of the way if a path was blocked. Dungeon areas were also redesigned to be easier to navigate. The game's interface was also made more user-friendly.
To avoid mistakes from the first game, BioWare created detailed guidelines for each team. Level designers had the most rules to follow. The main goal was to let players feel their choices affected the game world and to offer both good and evil choices based on the player's path. Story guidelines focused on keeping the player's character at the center of the story, updating players about the villain's actions, and making the ending open for future games. Environment guidelines required breaking the game into chapters, making some locations key to the story, and designing areas that were easy to explore. Guidelines for game systems emphasized character customization and rewards. Writing guidelines limited the number of sentences NPCs spoke at once, kept player choices to three options, and avoided slang or accents. Some early decisions did not follow these rules, and other teams sometimes ignored programming limits, causing some parts of the game to run slowly.
Creating game levels was a long process. Designers first made rough maps, which artists used to add models, starting with large objects and ending with small details like furniture. After the art was complete, designers added effects and collision detection. Creatures, items, and traps were added last, followed by scripts to control their behavior. Keeping track of changes was difficult, and communication between teams sometimes caused problems. A producer, Ray Muzyka, said the team learned to work together more closely. Levels were made smaller to reduce empty spaces, making it easier to move between important areas.
Marcia Tofer, the art director for Shadows of Amn, led a team of 8 to 12 people to create the game's visuals, such as backgrounds and monsters. She noted that the city of Baldur's Gate was their first attempt at building a city, and the lessons learned helped make Athkatla more interesting. Creating city scenes took 18 to 24 hours using powerful computers for that time.
In traditional media like books or movies, creators control what the audience sees. Games are also a visual medium, but they differ because players can choose what to do. For Baldur's Gate, the developers knew what players would see on the main path, but they did not know when players would see it or how important it would be.
In Shadows of Amn, the team used tools like in-game cutscenes to improve storytelling. These scenes, which acted like short plays, added suspense and depth to the game's world and story. Cutscenes were used in the first game but were used more effectively in Shadows of Amn.
Release
Baldur's Gate II was announced in November 1999. The game was officially approved on September 14, 2000, and released in North America on September 21, and in Europe and Australia on September 29. A Collector's Edition was also released. It included the game, a cloth map, eight character-trading cards, a writing tablet from Black Isle Studios, and a CD with special armor, weapons, and music from the soundtrack. A version for Macintosh computers was adapted by MumboJumbo and released on October 15, 2001.
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, an expansion pack for Shadows of Amn, was created by BioWare and published by Black Isle Studios. It was released in June 2001. Throne of Bhaal continues the story of the main character and ends the Baldur's Gate series. It added new features to the base game, including a dungeon called Watcher's Keep, which could be accessed from both Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. Other additions included advanced class abilities, a higher experience point limit, a new character class called Wild Mage, and new items and spells. Reviewers praised Throne of Bhaal and considered it an excellent ending to the Baldur's Gate story. It won the "PC Role-Playing" award at the 2002 Interactive Achievement Awards.
Shadows of Amn was re-released with its expansion, Throne of Bhaal, as Baldur's Gate II: The Collection in 2003. In 2004, the games were bundled with the original Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale as Black Isle Compilation Part Two. In 2006, they were re-released with Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast as Baldur's Gate: 4 in 1 Boxset. They were also included in The Forgotten Realms Deluxe Edition, Ultimate Dungeons & Dragons, and Dungeons & Dragons Anthology: The Master Collection. In 2010, Baldur's Gate II Complete was released digitally on GOG.com, including both Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. This version also included game manuals in PDF format, high-definition wallpapers, artwork, avatars, and the soundtracks from Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal.
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition was released in 2013. Developed by Overhaul Games, it is an improved version of Baldur's Gate II that uses an updated version of the Infinity Engine. The game was released for PC, iOS, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android. In 2019, Skybound Games, a division of Skybound Entertainment, released Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Reception
In the United States, Baldur's Gate II reached the fifth position on PC Data's computer game sales chart during the week of September 17 to 23. The following week, it moved to second place, behind The Sims: Livin' Large, while its Collector's Edition reached seventh place. In its first 14 days, the game earned $4 million in sales across all versions in North America, a record for an Interplay computer game. The game and its Collector's Edition ranked 11th and 19th, respectively, on PC Data's monthly chart for September. During its third week, it dropped to fifth place on the weekly chart but stayed in the top 10 through October 5 to 28. It finished seventh for the month of October. After that, it no longer appeared in PC Data's weekly top 10 or monthly top 20. By the end of 2000, PC Data reported that Baldur's Gate II sold 199,914 copies and earned $9.2 million in the United States. Its success continued in 2001, when it ranked 15th for January and sold an additional 103,144 copies between February and early November. For the full year of 2001, the game sold 225,763 copies in the United States, earning $9.63 million.
On Media Control's computer game sales rankings for Germany, Baldur's Gate II debuted at #3 in October 2000. It rose to second place the next month but dropped to 12th in December. By the end of 2000, the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) awarded it a "Gold" rating, meaning it sold at least 100,000 copies across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In early 2001, Media Control ranked the game 10th, 17th, and 23rd during the first three months of the year, respectively. In the United Kingdom, Baldur's Gate II reached #2 in November 2000, according to Chart-Track. It fell to 10th place in December and left the top 10 in January 2001.
Combined sales of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, and Baldur's Gate II exceeded 3.5 million copies by March 2001. Baldur's Gate II alone sold nearly 1.5 million copies by December 2002 and over 2 million copies by November 2005. According to the NPD Group, the game sold 480,000 copies in the United States by August 2006, earning $19.6 million. At that time, Edge ranked it as the 31st-best-selling computer game in the United States since January 2000.
Baldur's Gate II received high praise from critics when it was released. It is listed as the eighth-highest-scoring PC game on Metacritic (as of August 2024). GameSpot's reviewer said the game is long but great because of its strong features, and that it is in a class by itself. IGN said the game is unmatched and has no equals. Computer Gaming World praised the game but avoided calling it the "best RPG ever," noting it is among the best, like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and Betrayal at Krondor. Eurogamer said the story and quests are engaging, the gameplay is reliable, and the game feels professional and fun. David Simkins of Next Generation gave the PC version five stars, saying it raised the standard for PC RPGs.
GameSpot and IGN said Baldur's Gate II is better than its predecessor, Baldur's Gate. Computer Games Magazine and Gameplanet noted that it improved in most areas. Some reviewers called the game "polished." RPGamer said the game has some weaknesses but is still excellent.
GamePro called the gameplay "addicting." RPGamer said the combat was improved compared to the original, with fewer frustrations and more strategy options. Computer Gaming World agreed, saying players would think more about combat plans. Eurogamer said the interface is easy to use. IGN said the game presents tough choices that make players think and praised the clarity of quests. Some reviewers said non-player characters were not as strong as player characters. GameSpy said the game is harder than Baldur's Gate and requires more strategy. GameSpot said the opening level was weak but improved after reaching Athkatla. IGN said the introduction was good but not as fun as the later parts.
Most reviewers praised the game's story. GameSpy called it "epic," and GameSpot said it has a "great story." Eurogamer said the story is better than the original. Computer Gaming World said the story is improved and similar to The Lord of the Rings. He said the story is between Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale in depth. RPGamer said the story was weak but liked the side quests, which could become "minor epics."
Reviewers generally liked the game's graphics. GamePro said the backgrounds are stunning and spell effects are impressive. IGN compared the difference between Baldur's Gate and Shadows of Amn to a still painting and a moving scene on a TV. Eurogamer praised the artwork. GameSpot said the backgrounds and character animations are well done. FiringSquad said the artwork is better than Planescape: Torment and called the backgrounds "fantastic." FiringSquad also praised the voice acting, saying characters sound alive and that the quality helps players connect with them. IGN said the voice acting is "outstanding" and that the
Novel
A book version of the game was written by Philip Athans. Published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast, the book only talks about Abdel, the last member of the Bhaalspawn group. This book is the second in the series. The first book in the series, also written by Athans, is a book version of Baldur's Gate. The third book, written by Drew Karpyshyn, is a book version of the Throne of Bhaal expansion.