Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear

 PC
  • Publisher: Beamdog
  • Release Date: Mar 31, 2016
User Score
3.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 577 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 577
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 577
  3. Negative: 353 out of 577

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  1. Bizancio_Askatu
    Aug 6, 2022
    4
    If you plan to make a sequel of one of the most iconic and beloved RPG of all times you have to be at least respectful with the original source/characters, the fanbase and deliver a solid product. Sadly Beamdog blinded by their political radical view did exactly the contrary and delivered a poorly written, linear, woke to the bone and full of bugs game.
    Currently after many patches some    If you plan to make a sequel of one of the most iconic and beloved RPG of all times you have to be at least respectful with the original source/characters, the fanbase and deliver a solid product. Sadly Beamdog blinded by their political radical view did exactly the contrary and delivered a poorly written, linear, woke to the bone and full of bugs game.
    Currently after many patches some of the most insulting parts (like Minsc's gamergate reference or the trans character dialog) have been either removed or modified, now the trans char gives you that "critical" piece of information as a "reward" for his quest. Also the game is less buggy although it still crashes a lot (completed in Ps4), much more than the BGEE.
    Nevertheless the terrible Amber Scott's writing is way beyond repair, all feminine characters have the same SJW "strong, independent, no-nonsense and superior" attitude making them all alike and 95% of masculine chars are either just dumb, malicious or under a strong independent woman. The personality changes on classical chars like Jaheira or Safana are brutal and now Minsc is just a buffoon. The only interesting new character is the gay gnome but it's not enough to compensate the damage on the other chars and the plain new ones.
    Story wise it's too predictable, it resurrects characters killed on BG and opens storylines that will never be closed on BGII. The ending is also too abrupt.
    The overall game reminded me much more to Iced Wind Dale as to a BG due how railroad it is, map after map that you can not revisit once completed.

    On the positive side the OST is really good and the colourful new levels are full with NPCs and sidequests with different resolutions. Also some encounters are epic but sadly full of thrash mobs that must be killed with AOE spells.

    Summary: if it would be a new RPG franchise IMO it would be mediocre but as a Baldurs Gate it's simply bad.    … Expand
  2. Korokota
    Feb 12, 2022
    0
    Awful game, don’t waste your time with it.

    The big problem is it was made by people didn’t like, nor even respected, the original saga, and such lack of care and love for the work they were doing is notorious in every second of the experience, an uncomfortable experience you’d like to forget as soon as possible. If a studio wants to make something completely different and show their    Awful game, don’t waste your time with it.

    The big problem is it was made by people didn’t like, nor even respected, the original saga, and such lack of care and love for the work they were doing is notorious in every second of the experience, an uncomfortable experience you’d like to forget as soon as possible.

    If a studio wants to make something completely different and show their own ideas, cool, please do it, probably they’ll have their public, but at least be honest and create a new title for your product and let the customers decide freely. Don’t be so ruin of taking advantage of an already existing iconic IP to cheat thousands of gamers and then try to convince them all they are wrong, their likes weren’t right, and you came to teach everybody what they really must like.

    Sad, coward and extremely disappointing.
    Shame on you Beamdog!    … Expand
  3. AtlasA
    Jul 3, 2021
    1
    Weak story compared to original BG. Poor writing and characters. Quick buck by using an established franchise name?
  4. ViperSnake02
    Apr 28, 2020
    3
    This expansion does great with fleshing out the story and filling in the gap between BG1 and BG2. But the lack of good starting companions makes this expansion almost unplayable for non warriors on anything harder than easy (no tanks until mid game). Not to mention the in your face SJW/woke dialogue and characters. Once I beat it one time, I have yet to play it again. Now I just use theThis expansion does great with fleshing out the story and filling in the gap between BG1 and BG2. But the lack of good starting companions makes this expansion almost unplayable for non warriors on anything harder than easy (no tanks until mid game). Not to mention the in your face SJW/woke dialogue and characters. Once I beat it one time, I have yet to play it again. Now I just use the CLUA console to up my BG2 character instead of slogging through this expansion.… Expand
  5. Steyraus
    Feb 27, 2020
    1
    I was insanely excited back when this game and the re release of Baldurs Gate was coming out. Then after playing them and learning they had completely re written the originals and this new chapter was a woke, activists wet dream all my interest in the future of this franchise was depleted..
    Why couldn't they leave Baldurs GAte alone, the story was finished and the whole experience was    I was insanely excited back when this game and the re release of Baldurs Gate was coming out. Then after playing them and learning they had completely re written the originals and this new chapter was a woke, activists wet dream all my interest in the future of this franchise was depleted..
    Why couldn't they leave Baldurs GAte alone, the story was finished and the whole experience was beautiful..Now there's a gay orc constantly trying to sodomize you and dialogue straight out ot the feminist hand book.    … Expand
  6. SIPPIO
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    Lazy, minimal effort, mediocre writing & obvious cash Gram..
    Beamdog is on blast because they have ALOT of remasters of our legacy coming soon..
    The quality better be better then this....
  7. Joewashere
    Aug 22, 2019
    1
    Modernity is a tribe of pygmies furiously trying to bury the Giants that came before them so as not to feel inadequate. It is sad to see Baldur's Gate name associated with this trash, but what can you do? It seems in the Current Year, games made in Canada have a 'Duty of Care' and social responsibility to be retarded, losing Beamdog the hope to make Bladur's Gate III in the process.Modernity is a tribe of pygmies furiously trying to bury the Giants that came before them so as not to feel inadequate. It is sad to see Baldur's Gate name associated with this trash, but what can you do? It seems in the Current Year, games made in Canada have a 'Duty of Care' and social responsibility to be retarded, losing Beamdog the hope to make Bladur's Gate III in the process. Congratulations to Larian Studios.… Expand
  8. RG9
    Jun 9, 2018
    0
    Game was a alright, pretty much the same hack n slash but with an awful writing and bugs here and there.

    But with Amber Scott trying to push down her agenda and pretty much taking a big dump on 99.9% of BG fans it would be an abomination not to give this a 0/10.
  9. kelvincasing
    Mar 3, 2018
    2
    It's sad that this expansion had so much to recommend it, like original voice actors returning and some nice nods to other beloved Infinity Engine games. Sure, there are technical bugs and issues, but that could have been addressed.

    The problem is that Beamdog seems to have confused talented writing with an ability to spout propaganda like a wonky fire hydrant. To be honest, I could    It's sad that this expansion had so much to recommend it, like original voice actors returning and some nice nods to other beloved Infinity Engine games. Sure, there are technical bugs and issues, but that could have been addressed.

    The problem is that Beamdog seems to have confused talented writing with an ability to spout propaganda like a wonky fire hydrant. To be honest, I could live with the propaganda if the writing was otherwise excellent - but it isn't, so I won't. Five gibberlings with a busted typewriter could do better if given sufficient time and a potion of mind focusing.

    Also, appealing for fake positive reviews, if true, is shameful behaviour from a developer. So is trying to write off players with valid criticisms of the game's technical and creative issues as bigots. Beamdog seems to love a cliche - so I'm surprised they haven't heard that "the customer is always right!".    … Expand
  10. jprepo1
    Oct 1, 2017
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Poorly written, very, very buggy, and pretends to be a socially conscious by writing characters in the most token way possible, inadvertently being disrespectful.

    The game is extremely linear, with almost no choices to actually be made, removing a lot of player agency.

    It also goes back and rewrites some characters, such as Safana, for being not PC enough, which is pretty disrespectful to the source material.

    Oh, and they're begging for good reviews on their forums, which, as you might expect, should be a huge warning sign.

    Has potential, but the developers need to fix their bug and get a whole heck of a lot less preachy.    … Expand
  11. minusfive
    Aug 6, 2017
    0
    To all who bought the "ehhanced" editions of BG and BG2: you are directly responsible for this abomination seeing the light of day! I hope you're happy now that Beamdog monkeys have smeared their **** all over the timeless classic. Don't say you didn't know. Don't say we didn't warn you.

    This. Is. All. Your. Fault.
  12. Skulb
    Feb 1, 2017
    0
    Remaking an all time PC classic into linear, poorly written and completely unnecessary LGBT indoctrination? Yeah, there's only one score one can give this drivel...
  13. securon
    Jan 23, 2017
    0
    SoD may appeal to fans of the original game, particularly if you stay away from some of the new party NPCs which are annoying and poorly written, but there is little to recommend to someone new to the BG series.

    Many unnecessary additions in terms of graphics, journal updates, UI modifications, and a story mode While there is 20-30 hours worth of game play here, there is almost    SoD may appeal to fans of the original game, particularly if you stay away from some of the new party NPCs which are annoying and poorly written, but there is little to recommend to someone new to the BG series.

    Many unnecessary additions in terms of graphics, journal updates, UI modifications, and a story mode

    While there is 20-30 hours worth of game play here, there is almost nothing new or anything particularly memorable. There were certainly no OMG moments or challenging fights.

    A significant amount of content seems to have been cut & paste from Icewind Dale

    Some NPCs from the original game are back: Dynaheir & Viconia were particularly well done.

    Game is very linear, and overall limited by the below par writing    … Expand
  14. gammafot
    Dec 15, 2016
    0
    I actually enjoyed this game, I felt it fit rather nicely between BG1 & BG2. Could it have been better, yes but overall it was ok, it does need some more bug fixing though.

    What I do not appreciate are the insults and disrespect from certain individuals working at Beamdog. Banning and disrespecting fans (or disrespecting the original game) is not a good business model.
  15. HDelf1
    Dec 11, 2016
    0
    Game was ok, experienced a few bugs with the game crashing to desktop and certain events not triggering. The ending was a severe let down

    The silencing and insulting of fans by the community manager and some others at Beamdog was lame to say the least. I doubt I will buy another product from the company if they continue with this sort of thing.
  16. movgam1
    Dec 6, 2016
    0
    Played the original game back in 1998. I recall it got excellent reviews and quite a few awards, including game of the year. Unfortunately, Dragonspear bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

    Also, the game developers, Beamdog treated quite a lot of fans in a disrespectful way.

    Thankfully I got a full refund.
  17. del101
    Dec 6, 2016
    0
    Writing was rather poor in terms of the overall story, characters and dialogue options.
    Voice acting was not needed in many places, text would have sufficed.
    Quite a few bugs
    The new NPCs are not great and old NPCs were modified
    The attitude of Beamdog towards fans was most disappointing
  18. Isaacssv558
    Dec 5, 2016
    0
    This is an insult to the BG franchise. It was released with crippling bugs, including almost non-functional multiplayer. It adds no features not offered in higher quality through mods. It has horrible writing. It includes offensive, badly written, stereotypes of the LGBT community motivated solely through a misguided belief that the original Baldur's Gate was somehow sexist. If you want toThis is an insult to the BG franchise. It was released with crippling bugs, including almost non-functional multiplayer. It adds no features not offered in higher quality through mods. It has horrible writing. It includes offensive, badly written, stereotypes of the LGBT community motivated solely through a misguided belief that the original Baldur's Gate was somehow sexist. If you want to hear about the troubles of a transgender cleric who can't be bothered to simply wear a belt of gender changing, which costs a mere 70 gold, then by all mean, but the game. If you want a functional Baldur's Gate with access to amazing mods made by the community, buy the original.

    Rather than buying this crap, but the original unenhanced edition. Then, install BGtutu or another merger mod to connect BG1&2. Then, go through the various WEIDU compatible mods to customize the game to your taste. Features available through mods include everything from widescreen to recruitable characters to bugfixes to improved AI to multikitting.    … Expand
  19. Peregrinx
    Dec 4, 2016
    0
    This game is severely undermined by amateurish writing and unnecessary additions. Many of the decisions Beamdog took with party NPCs were difficult to understand but given what happened in BGEE & BG2EE, my expectations were already very low. The bad simply outweighs the good by a considerable margin. Also there are too many bugs for a game of this size which is completely linear in scope.This game is severely undermined by amateurish writing and unnecessary additions. Many of the decisions Beamdog took with party NPCs were difficult to understand but given what happened in BGEE & BG2EE, my expectations were already very low. The bad simply outweighs the good by a considerable margin. Also there are too many bugs for a game of this size which is completely linear in scope.

    Given how some Beamdog contractors insulted fans of the original, begged for good reviews, and banned individuals giving valid criticism of their games (this also happened with BGEE / BG2EE)
    the lack of quality in Dragonspear was to be expected. This time the lack of quality was magnified because for contractual reasons Beamdog were not allowed to modify the contents of BG1 & 2 too much and with Dragonspear they could do whatever they want, and it shows.

    I am not entirely sure what purpose Dragonspear serves, because it does not bridge the gap between BG1 & 2 in a satisfactory manner. A lot of questions remain unanswered for instance will the new NPCs appear in BG2 now?

    Judging by how some individuals at Beamdog conducted themselves in a supercilious manner, one would think their intention was to deliberately antagonize the demographic of the original games to garner media attention? Beamdogs community manager, and some writers, are clearly out of their depth and have no business tinkering with an established IP, particularly one which was once held in such high regards amongst RPG enthusiasts. Getting their hands on the Baldur's Gate IP, and moderating an online forum evidently led some individuals to develop a false sense of grandiosity, whose professional and intellectual limitations were exposed when dealing with the negative reception to Dragonspear.

    In terms of positives, I suppose one of the few redeeming features of the game was Caelar Argent, as it is good to see a strong female antagonist (for comparison Mellisan or her real name Amelyssan the Blackhearted from Throne of Bhaal, had little impact) but again her involvement was not without flaws due to the lackluster writing.

    Overall it is a shame I have to write a review of this nature for a series I held so much affection for back in the day. Too many fans of the original Baldur's Gate and D&D, essentially received the proverbial middle finger from Beamdog over the past 4 years. It is important fans do not acquiesce to such treatment and actively hold game developers to account for their actions.    … Expand
  20. Triobugbear
    Dec 3, 2016
    0
    There were some good ideas here but it was badly let down by poor writing, game design decisions, lack of QA and worst of all a lack of professionalism.

    For instance, when you start the game you find that Imoen is no longer part of your party because she is training to be a mage. However in my save game from BG1, Imoen was already dual classed so she is a level 7 thief and a level 8    There were some good ideas here but it was badly let down by poor writing, game design decisions, lack of QA and worst of all a lack of professionalism.

    For instance, when you start the game you find that Imoen is no longer part of your party because she is training to be a mage. However in my save game from BG1, Imoen was already dual classed so she is a level 7 thief and a level 8 mage, making her already very competent in magic. Many other players also dual class her. This sort of oversight just breaks immersion.

    The "Story Mode" is insulting.

    Overall a very average game, however additional points must be deducted as the lack of professionalism by the "community manager" is unforgivable. Banning people on their official forum over the years for no good reason, spreading lies as to why people were banned, asking for "positive reviews" or deeply insulting fans of an established IP because they criticize a game which is average at best is not acceptable.    … Expand
  21. Sbiritou
    Nov 22, 2016
    0
    A piece of complete garbage. Unworthy of the name Baldur's Gate. Wizard of the Coast ordered Beamdog to sack the hacks that wrote this game under threat to lose the licence to Baldur's Gate and they complied. Both ""writers" are gone but this garbage is still out there tainting the name of a legendary series. If it wasn't associated somehow to Baldur's Gate, neither me nor thousands ofA piece of complete garbage. Unworthy of the name Baldur's Gate. Wizard of the Coast ordered Beamdog to sack the hacks that wrote this game under threat to lose the licence to Baldur's Gate and they complied. Both ""writers" are gone but this garbage is still out there tainting the name of a legendary series. If it wasn't associated somehow to Baldur's Gate, neither me nor thousands of people would have ever bought this. Lesson learned, last dime Beamdog sees from me. Too bad.… Expand
  22. Stellen
    Sep 26, 2016
    0
    So many crashes and bugs, not to mentioned corrupted save games, it's just not worth it. It's not even a good game, the story is nothing special and inconsistent and characters just don't seem genuine.
  23. TrueGamer81
    Jun 17, 2016
    1
    I understand a lot of people are taking exception to the "SJW" agenda perceived in the game. The problem is I've heard some gamers use "SJW" and "leftist" almost interchangeably. Well I want to clear something up: I'm a leftist, I am an actual leftist and despise SJWs and their divisive, self-righteous, identity politics laden, petty bourgeois rhetoric. Just thought I'd point this outI understand a lot of people are taking exception to the "SJW" agenda perceived in the game. The problem is I've heard some gamers use "SJW" and "leftist" almost interchangeably. Well I want to clear something up: I'm a leftist, I am an actual leftist and despise SJWs and their divisive, self-righteous, identity politics laden, petty bourgeois rhetoric. Just thought I'd point this out because I don't want people to associate true left-wing politics with little crybaby liberals, and I certainly don't want the political left associated with this awful, awful game.

    That is all.    … Expand
  24. Warnoise
    Jun 14, 2016
    0
    Another game destroyed by the plague that is called Feminism.

    We are at dark age where **** and perverse political agendas infiltrating all kinds of entertainment just to brainwash the mass.

    This is a piece of crap and i hope that they g bankrupt because they insulted us, the fans.
  25. Grenkin
    Jun 14, 2016
    0
    Worst game of 2016!

    Broken quests, cartoony graphics, terrible writing/dialog, crashing, stupid AI, ruined character personalities, and political nonsense where it has no business existing. Thankfully, Steam offers refunds now and that made me happy.
  26. KrekkaBlade
    Jun 9, 2016
    0
    I could look past all the technical issues and questionable design choices, but the writing is simply horrid.

    Safana's "transformation" of character is, simply put, retarded and inconsistent, the game is very linear (unlike true Baldur's Gate games), sometimes the Chaotic Evil characters aren't offered dialogue options that suit their alignment and on top of all these glaring issues,    I could look past all the technical issues and questionable design choices, but the writing is simply horrid.

    Safana's "transformation" of character is, simply put, retarded and inconsistent, the game is very linear (unlike true Baldur's Gate games), sometimes the Chaotic Evil characters aren't offered dialogue options that suit their alignment and on top of all these glaring issues, they have the guts to mock their own playerbase.

    This is not Baldur's Gate, as you might've guessed reading the other reviews. If Beamdog wants to force their agendas in a game, they should do it in a series of their own. I hope WotC takes their rights to the BG franchise back, because Beamdog has neither the skill nor the knowledge of how to do a proper fun, well-written RPG.    … Expand
  27. theirrelephants
    Jun 4, 2016
    0
    The rewriting of character's personalities to fit the studio's political ideologies was disgusting enough (looking at you too, "Shadow Warrior"), but the fact that the rewriting wasn't even competently done makes it unplayable. I've been able to put up with hamfisted ideological self inserts by developers before and still enjoy a game, but I simply can't do it here. The writing is justThe rewriting of character's personalities to fit the studio's political ideologies was disgusting enough (looking at you too, "Shadow Warrior"), but the fact that the rewriting wasn't even competently done makes it unplayable. I've been able to put up with hamfisted ideological self inserts by developers before and still enjoy a game, but I simply can't do it here. The writing is just that awful. Honestly, in some parts of it I found myself wishing that I was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition instead. Jesus Christ.

    I won't say anything about the numerous gamebreaking bugs or awful UI, because everyone else has already mentioned that.

    Basically if you want to enjoy baldur's gate, just download the original and use Tutu. This 'expansion' won't tickle your nostalgia button, it will enrage it. Stay far away.    … Expand
  28. MetaKen7
    Jun 3, 2016
    0
    Don't bother with this garbage.

    Get the original un-enhanced editions along with the BGtutu mod. After that, you can download the fan-made Dark Side of the Sword Coast, which is infinitely better than what Beamdog has created here with Siege of Dragonspear. Also FYI the company behind this game are attempting to remove all negative critics (this is roughly my 14th time posting) and    Don't bother with this garbage.

    Get the original un-enhanced editions along with the BGtutu mod. After that, you can download the fan-made Dark Side of the Sword Coast, which is infinitely better than what Beamdog has created here with Siege of Dragonspear.

    Also FYI the company behind this game are attempting to remove all negative critics (this is roughly my 14th time posting) and soliciting for the 10/10 reviews you see on here. Pretty disgusting behaviour.    … Expand
  29. elManicho
    May 19, 2016
    0
    Problems:
    1) graphics seem degraded. Game looks like a cartoon now.
    2) AI is still stupid as ever. 3)some encounters are silly. Bunch of undead around a tomb (dinner table)? 4) screen scroll doesn't work nicely. 5) everything seems blurry. Like someone spilled smoke over the game. Original game was far more crispy and clear. 6) new class is supposed to dance. No animation....why? So    Problems:
    1) graphics seem degraded. Game looks like a cartoon now.
    2) AI is still stupid as ever.
    3)some encounters are silly. Bunch of undead around a tomb (dinner table)?
    4) screen scroll doesn't work nicely.
    5) everything seems blurry. Like someone spilled smoke over the game. Original game was far more crispy and clear.
    6) new class is supposed to dance. No animation....why? So hard to add some non 1pp stuff in the game? Hire that Sentrizeal guy, do yourselves a favour.
    7) while rather nice, new areas don't really look as BG. So people pls stop writing nonsense line in the course of "it feels like old BG" because it doesn't. Some may like it, some may not; but new areas have nothing to do with original, for bad or for worse.
    8) crashes. gotta love ctds.
    9) Options menu. Click a red box, I can barely tell if an option is now on or off - it's still red, just mildly less. If this is a game for handicapped people, I don't want to know what it would look like if it weren't.
    10) LUA options. Is this so impossible to implement in game, rather than keeping a seperate file that looks like this:
    SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Journal Popups','0')
    SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Classic Selection Circles','0').........................

    This is awful. Clumsy, lame, seems more like WiP than something a proper game would endorse.

    11) Portraits. Where to begin? What happened to Imoen? Did Sarevok beat her up ? there were supposed to be some new ones. I found 2 male and 2 female, both of fairly low quality looking as they just arrived from Arcanum of Steamworks; a quick google search will net you several dozen better ones.
    12) LoB mode is nothing more than a very simple mod can do - unlike the game implementation, mod actually works properly.
    13) Most importantly, it's linear. No BG game is so linear as SoD.
    14) The devs begging for positives reviews in their forums was hilarious and just sad.
    15) Deleting negative reviews, really? I'll keep posting, it just shows how corrupt these guys are.    … Expand
  30. Sabatasso
    May 2, 2016
    0
    This game is the absolute pinnacle of garbage RPG's as of late. The writing is lazy, boring and, due to this, quite comical at times. This game will be famous for being the absolutely lamest attempt at forcing social justice crap down everyone's throat. If you look away from a completely lame attempt at writing a transgender character (in a world that has real sex change a potion away),This game is the absolute pinnacle of garbage RPG's as of late. The writing is lazy, boring and, due to this, quite comical at times. This game will be famous for being the absolutely lamest attempt at forcing social justice crap down everyone's throat. If you look away from a completely lame attempt at writing a transgender character (in a world that has real sex change a potion away), the rest of the writing is almost as bad. It's just sad. R.I.P. Baldur's Gate, you didn't deserve stain on your legacy.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
79
#79 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2016
    75
    Living up to such legacy seemed impossible but Beamdog understands Baldur’s Gate and created a game true to the original. Unfortunately along with the party you need to gather a band of patches, because bugs are crawling all over the place. [06/2016, p.40]
  2. Games.cz
    May 18, 2016
    70
    Decent expansion to the classic RPG, which -in addition to the inevitable technical limitations- suffers mainly due to the uneven quality of the script. All in all, it is a very good excuse to once again venture into the world of Faerûn.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    May 9, 2016
    80
    Beamdog’s expansion embraces both the past and the present. The adventure is inconsistent, ragged and the script could be a lot better, but at its best Siege of Dragonspear captures the essence of Baldur’s Gate - even if fleetingly. [May 2016]
See all critic reviews »