Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 355 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 318 out of 355
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 355
  3. Negative: 16 out of 355

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  1. KaiEkkrin
    Jun 24, 2011
    8
    The conclusion to the Baldur's Gate saga, this expansion pack to Baldur's Gate 2 really ought to have been made and sold as a standalone Baldur's Gate 3. As it is, it feels compressed: a somewhat rushed conclusion to the Bhaalspawn saga, plus a huge dungeon in the style of Durlag's Tower: Watcher's Keep. Throne of Bhaal takes the style of the BG series and turns it up to 11: everythingThe conclusion to the Baldur's Gate saga, this expansion pack to Baldur's Gate 2 really ought to have been made and sold as a standalone Baldur's Gate 3. As it is, it feels compressed: a somewhat rushed conclusion to the Bhaalspawn saga, plus a huge dungeon in the style of Durlag's Tower: Watcher's Keep. Throne of Bhaal takes the style of the BG series and turns it up to 11: everything is bigger, flashier, explodier, with multiple dragons. Some annoying difficulty spikes -- notably the encounter at the Throne itself (I just want to see the ending, not reload multiple times!!). Still, the essential conclusion to the saga.… Expand
  2. Simon
    Mar 30, 2008
    7
    Unsatisfactory ending to a great story. Throne of Bhaal should have been made as a Baldur's Gate 3 instead.
  3. Mystril
    Oct 24, 2011
    10
    MORE BG2?... Give it to me :P It is an expansion pack, which is probably the only problem. I would much rather have seen a BG3 instead of an expansion pack... But, it is still "MORE BG2" and I can't get enough. Some fights will frustrate you, especially if you, like me, completed BG2 with a solo sorcerer, going to the ending of the expansion with level 18 companions is, well, rather tough :P
  4. Kirase
    Jan 1, 2012
    10
    A good addon to one of the best 2D Dungeons and Dragons RPGs ever made.

    If you like the genre and you think you can overlook the slightly outdated 2D graphics (Just look at some screenshots or videos) than you should really give it a try. Its simply brilliant.
  5. gracjanski
    Feb 18, 2015
    10
    like the addon for BG1 this addon is great and improves the gaming experience, although Baldurs Gate is already great. The fights are perfect and there a are a lot of good story ideas to make the fights interesting: whether to understand the combat mechanics or the story. Watchers Keep is a first class dungeon and the story about the bhal spawns is epic and great. There is only 1 problem,like the addon for BG1 this addon is great and improves the gaming experience, although Baldurs Gate is already great. The fights are perfect and there a are a lot of good story ideas to make the fights interesting: whether to understand the combat mechanics or the story. Watchers Keep is a first class dungeon and the story about the bhal spawns is epic and great. There is only 1 problem, that became more obvious than in Shadow of Amn: The controlling is bad and you have not enough overview, what is going on in the combat. 10/10.… Expand
  6. Vio
    Nov 20, 2011
    10
    Conclusion to one of the most epic RPG tales ever. Compared to today's graphics the game is obviously very lacking, but like its predecessor the art itself is beautiful. Gameplay and mechanics is complicated, but like its predecessor the story, world, and basic exploration properties overcome this. Did I like it? Yes!
  7. Shiki
    Mar 6, 2012
    6
    Too much combat, linearity and not enough exploration, the pacing has gotten worse for the expansion pack. The ending, and story itself, are great though and bring a much needed conclusion to the fate of the children of bhaal, and the new dungeon, shrouded in mystery, Watcher's Keep, is one of the greatest addition to the franchise, much like Durlag's Tower for Baldur's Gate 1.
  8. HansV
    Dec 24, 2016
    6
    As said before, too much combat. And the combat is too difficult; playing your mages etc. well requires an amount of planning and thinking that borders on work, not play. I played on normal setting.
  9. FeketeD.
    Dec 7, 2001
    10
    This game is cool!!
  10. JayL
    May 17, 2003
    9
    no game is perfect.but you are right.ending it like that.i would say theres only 2 things stopping this game from a definite 10.thats the XP limitation of 8,000,000 and online play.you cannot play with gamespy on this.or any other hosts.so finding mates to fightwith is dificult.the XP limitation just kills your chaacter off.you cant be bothered to play it all over again just to be the same.
  11. J.B.
    Aug 11, 2006
    10
    If you have BG II, get this. The level cap increase alone is worth it.
  12. stuartr
    Nov 21, 2006
    10
    The Bad: It ends, no BGIII The Good: everything else, builds the great gameplay, character development and story of the original to produce 'the final chapter' to arguably the greatest rpg's ever produced (for me it shares this distinction only with deus ex and vampire:the masquerade).
  13. LukeK.
    Dec 23, 2001
    10
    COOL! I like swashbucklers!
  14. TheMitherer
    Nov 11, 2011
    9
    Let's face it, BG2 was a (extremely brilliant) side issue as far as the plot of this saga goes. This is why this game should have developed the main story more, and Bioware, at the time, were the masters of doing just this. Supposedly they ran out of time on it (more than likely due to KoTOR) and it shows somewhat. But hey, all the fantastic things in BG2 are still there. Amazing highLet's face it, BG2 was a (extremely brilliant) side issue as far as the plot of this saga goes. This is why this game should have developed the main story more, and Bioware, at the time, were the masters of doing just this. Supposedly they ran out of time on it (more than likely due to KoTOR) and it shows somewhat. But hey, all the fantastic things in BG2 are still there. Amazing high level abilities, interesting and varied armour, weapons and spells, a great new joinable NPC, some very tough enemies, romances, party banter, a great new dungeon and all the other small things which sometimes are the most important. The ending could easily have been a big let down but definitely wasn't (shivers and spine come to mind) but I think they could have handled the major villain a bit better. It could be argued that this game could never live up to its predecessor, but most of us were probably enjoying ourselves too much to care. A fitting end to the best thing ever to come off a collection of small circular discs.… Expand
  15. AkarnisGath
    May 24, 2011
    8
    While certainly a fantastic RPG when compared to others, it didn't live up to Shadows of Amn. It is a very linear adventure, but the dungeon crawling is fun at least. Watcher's Keep is a great addon for a fantastic and colossal dungeon experience. The story is just as fantastic and masterfully written as ever, even at the very end, but again, it is no SoA.
  16. google_calasade
    May 27, 2011
    9
    Ah, the Throne of Bhaal. Like BG 2 SOA, it is fun, immersive and challenging. While a great expansion, it isn't exactly on the same level of BG 2, but you can't go wrong here, especially if you want to see how the Bhaal saga unfolds.
  17. nibel
    Apr 21, 2012
    8
    A very good add-in to a magnificent game. While the 'Watcher's Keep' part is a stand-alone plot concerning yet another ancient evil to be bested, the main part of the game is the conclusion of the Child of Bhaal story. Apart from all the goodness we know from the predecessors, 'Throne of Bhaal' introduces a number of improvements, eg. changes in the GUI or in the spell effects. The onlyA very good add-in to a magnificent game. While the 'Watcher's Keep' part is a stand-alone plot concerning yet another ancient evil to be bested, the main part of the game is the conclusion of the Child of Bhaal story. Apart from all the goodness we know from the predecessors, 'Throne of Bhaal' introduces a number of improvements, eg. changes in the GUI or in the spell effects. The only thing I can complain about is linearity and too strong emphasis on combat. Nonetheless, a memorable experience.… Expand
  18. Rox22
    Dec 6, 2013
    9
    A welcome addition to Baldur's Gate 2. One of the best expansions ever. Like the main game, I can not fault it at all. Well, maybe a little, it could have been longer, but then again I could say that about any great game.

    Throne of Bhaal just adds and gives us more, and if anyone is a devote fan of the first game as I am, that is a very good thing. Overall: Throne of Bhaal is a    A welcome addition to Baldur's Gate 2. One of the best expansions ever. Like the main game, I can not fault it at all. Well, maybe a little, it could have been longer, but then again I could say that about any great game.

    Throne of Bhaal just adds and gives us more, and if anyone is a devote fan of the first game as I am, that is a very good thing.

    Overall:
    Throne of Bhaal is a fantastic expansion to an already fantastic game.    … Expand
  19. Kai82
    Dec 31, 2020
    10
    The conclusion to the Baldurs Gate saga. It was planned as Baldurs Gate 3 but was cut short to an (still really big) add on. There is a lot of content and the most important thing is that it gives a truly satisfying conclusion. After Mass Effect 3 this is something that must be mentioned for Bioware games even if no game from Bioware before that struggled in this regard. The storyThe conclusion to the Baldurs Gate saga. It was planned as Baldurs Gate 3 but was cut short to an (still really big) add on. There is a lot of content and the most important thing is that it gives a truly satisfying conclusion. After Mass Effect 3 this is something that must be mentioned for Bioware games even if no game from Bioware before that struggled in this regard. The story continues a short time after the events of Baldurs Gate 2 in Suldannessalar as 5 powerful Bhaalspawn are killing all others bringing chaos, war and misery to the lands. Your playercharacter which you can import from Baldurs Gate 2 or create is going to a holy place of the elves to get answers from an oracle. Here the story starts. It is an epic conclusion as the whole world holds it breath to wait for the results and even the gods were watching the events without interference with mayor interest. The story has its great moments but you see that it was cut a bit short in some areas. Sounds maybe too negative as I fully enjoyed it. There will be huge revelations and open questions will be answered during the game. I like that you import also your decisions as romances and arcs for your partymebers are continued. The strength of all Baldurs Gate games are the excellent characters and you have the full rooster of Baldurs Gate 2 available except one certain character and the addition of one new character I wont spoil. These single new character was an amazing and bold choice that improved the game if you want or even dare to recruit him (To good to not do it gameplay and roleplaywise for me;-).. Again your party members will comment on actions or have conversations with each other. There might be even some changing events for some;-). There are some new NPC characters that I enjoyed and you can even meet Volo. It adds also the Watchers Keep which is a large remarkable Dungeon full of puzzles, fights, decisions and opportunities that can be accessed even as early as in Baldurs Gate 2 if you start a new playtrough. It has an interesting storyline and is challenging, I should also mention that you can upgrade weapons and armor from Baldurs Gate 2 if you get certain items. Gameplaywise there are some additions like legendary abilities. Most of them are truly awesome with some exceptions. For example: The thief's ability to wear all equipment is game-breaking as it overrides even class restrictions. A Thief / Kensai or Thief / Mage combination is truly terrifying with this. There are also some new spells, a few updates and a higher level cap. I must say it is a huge add on as it took me a while to finish it (Like I already mentioned it was planned as full game). The new antagonists work well but I think they could be a bit more fleshed out. Overall this is an epic conclusion that left me satisfied. The meaningful endings are a great closure to the saga and I still remember the epilogues for my character and patrymembers. From all videogames the Baldurs Gate games have my favorite cast of memorable characters. They were immersive and I cared a lot for them. I could never abandon for example Imoen in Baldurs Gate 2, I just always pick Edwin for the Edwina part and have fond memories of the other character. Simply a prime example how to make a good saga with a satisfying conclusion.… Expand
  20. bskierys
    Jun 1, 2019
    7
    This is a good conclusion to the series, but only good.
    Compared to the other part of the "trilogy" throne of Bhaal is like a boss rush expansion for the base game. Sure, there are some epic fights with demigods to finally end the chaos in Faerun, but you are fighting one of them after another with a little story between the encounters.
    The problem is, that the combat mechanics are not    This is a good conclusion to the series, but only good.
    Compared to the other part of the "trilogy" throne of Bhaal is like a boss rush expansion for the base game. Sure, there are some epic fights with demigods to finally end the chaos in Faerun, but you are fighting one of them after another with a little story between the encounters.
    The problem is, that the combat mechanics are not that good to not make it tiring in the end.    … Expand
  21. UncleEd
    Dec 6, 2017
    10
    This was a very pleasant surprise for me. I belong to the minority, who liked the original Baldur’s Gate better than its sequel, Shadows of Amn (which still is one of the best role-playing games ever made). This had lowered down my expectations for the expansion of the second game. I am glad I was wrong…

    Where I found Shadows of Amn lacking, Throne of Bhaal shines. Firstly, it is a very    This was a very pleasant surprise for me. I belong to the minority, who liked the original Baldur’s Gate better than its sequel, Shadows of Amn (which still is one of the best role-playing games ever made). This had lowered down my expectations for the expansion of the second game. I am glad I was wrong…

    Where I found Shadows of Amn lacking, Throne of Bhaal shines. Firstly, it is a very focused game. The linearity, however, is its strength. Combined with one of the best stories ever written for any video game (better than the previous Baldur’s Gate titles and maybe only surpassed by Planescape: Torment), Throne of Bhaal takes you to an epic journey.

    What is a bit odd is that as an expansion, the game provides more story and gives more character progression than both Baldur’s Gate I & II. It masterfully wraps up the story and concludes the Baldur’s Gate Saga. Moreover, it introduces the antagonist of Shadows of Amn as a playable NPC and a massive dungeon, Watcher’s Keep, to level up your characters to extremely high levels for a D&D world.

    With its 50+ hours of gameplay and the epic conclusion to the Baldur’s Gate Trilogy, this could easily be called Baldur’s Gate III by today’s standards. But the year the game was released was different times and the standard of respect to gamers was so much higher, this giant of an RPG -and one of the best of the genre- was only considered “an expansion”.    … Expand
  22. Amorph0us
    Jan 6, 2022
    10
    More than an expansion, or whatever how you want to call it. For me.. history!
  23. UrchinChieftain
    Aug 30, 2023
    8
    Really good ending to the original trilogy, and epic fights, but the story felt like a rushed Highlander movie, Overall it is my least favorite BG game.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best PC Game of 2001
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2001
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. ActionTrip
    90
    I noticed that Bioware substantially improved (optimized) the Infinity engine. At one point, I found my company fighting with about forty Drow slaves without slowing the game or frame-rate down.
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  2. Yahoo!
    70
    I just can't help thinking that the "Final Chapter" should have had a little more to it.
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  3. Gaming Age
    91
    A nearly perfect conclusion to the Child of Bhaal saga, combining deft storytelling , an intelligent abilities system, and the trademark high quality fans of the series have come to expect into one superlative package.
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