Greetings everyone!

The long-awaited 2.6 Patch for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II & Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions on PC, Mac and Linux launched successfully! Our community testers played a HUGE role in this success, and everyone on our team is here humbled by your support and feedback.

We've identified a few issues introduced by the patch that require an immediate fix. This is why we're calling for your help again— testing a 2.6.6 Beta before it's released as a stable patch!

WHAT CHANGED in 2.6.6
All Games | The World Map no longer reopens when travelling to the same location
All Games | Prevented extra button click noises from playing in the UI
All Games | Lightning bolts from the lightning trap and mephit attacks will no longer bounce
All Games | Fixed the removing of Melf's Minute Meteors (and any similarly implemented spell) when a character moves in Multiplayer
All Games | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where a newly added party member was not visible or controllable
All Games | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where the 6th slot characters were having the HP and inventory inadvertently changed
All Games | Fixed a rare issue where clicking on Multiplayer would crash the game
BGI | Tremain will now successfully revive his son
BGI | Yeslick's special ability Dispel Magic no longer applies the continuous graphical effect
BGII | Right-clicking on creatures will once again play their default sound
SOD | Fixed a crash when travelling to the Coalition Camp
SOD | Fixed a Linux crash after a dialogue with Corporal Duncan, near the end of Chapter 10
SOD | Fixed a crash in the music system during the Neothelid fight in the Ritual Chamber
IWD | Reinstalled pincers on the druid boring beetle form
IWD | Fixed a crash when using Spirit Wolves by Totemic Druid

How to Participate:
- Playthrough some quests & VOTE on the release
- Tell us about *new bugs (the beta shouldn't add any issues) - comment below!
- Tell us about major issues affecting saves, visuals, sound & quality - comment below!

How to opt-in & verify you're using the correct version on Steam:
- Please make sure you're using a clean (unmodded) install. Clear your override folder before testing the beta build
- In your Steam Library, Right-Click on the game and choose “Properties”
- Click on the Beta Tab
- Choose the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu
- If you don't see the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu, please restart Steam
- In-game, on the main menu, you will see that the build is 2.6.6.0

Join the Beta & Vote Below!

We just launched Patch 2.6 for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, Siege of Dragonspear and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions.

This 🐲massive patch upgrades the games to 64-bit systems, fixes hundreds of bugs, and adds brand new portraits & voice sets to customize your heroes— including two sets from the legendary Mark Meer (voice of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect)!

🙏Huge thanks to our heroic community for their tireless adventuring in beta builds for this mammoth patch. Thank You!

Note: Patch 2.6 won't fix every issue in the games, but don't worry— we're still working on future updates!

Check out full patch details below...

• Upgrade to 64-Bit | A much needed upgrade for modern machines— this improves system compatibility
  
• 7 New Character Voice Sets | New player voice sets, including two from the legendary Mark Meer reprising his roles as Alveus Malcanter and Baeloth Barrityl
  
• 11 New Character Portraits | New character portraits to customize your hero’s look
  
• Hundreds of Bug Fixes | Includes scores of fixes to spells and hero abilities
  
• Improved Pathfinding | Smoother party movement and navigation
  
• New Localizations |
  
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition | Added French text localization (beta)
  
• Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear | Added French (beta), Italian, German, Ukrainian and Polish text localizations
  
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition | Added Brazilian Portuguese and Chinese (Simplified) text localizations

• New System Requirements | 32-bit operating systems are no longer supported. Check out the updated system requirements below, or visit game pages for details.
  
• Crossplay with Mobile | Crossplay between computers and mobile devices will not be available until we release the 2.6 patch for iOS and Android (this is in the works!!).
  
• OpenAL | Some windows users encounter launch issues due to OpenAL. If your game fails to launch, try reinstalling OpenAL— the installer "oalinst.exe" can be found in the root of the game install folder.
  
• Multiplayer Latency | Some players report multiplayer latency (delay in communication between game clients)
  
• French Localizations in Beta | We consider the new French text localization to be a beta release. We welcome feedback from the community!
  
• Haste Spell | The spell works correctly, but the combat log doesn't reflect the correct double speed/damage that is taking place

These updates appear in Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions. Updates that only appear in Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition can be found further down the list

This upgrade improves system compatibility, including the 64-bit requirement for macOS. 32 bit-operating systems are no longer supported.

• 11 New Character Portraits | New character portraits to customize your hero’s look
  
• 7 New Character Voice Sets | New player voice sets to customize your hero's battle cries
  
• Mark Meer | The legendary Mark Meer reprises his roles as Alveus Malcanter (the most major of minor mages) and Baeloth Barrityl (The Entertainer of the Black Pits)
  
• CEO & Co. | You'll also be treated to the barbarian battle cries of Beamdog CEO, Trent Oster (who
  lost his voice for a few days after the recording session), plus four more Beamdog team voices!

Mark Meer voiced the Enhanced Edition characters, Alveus Malcanter and Baeloth Barrityl. New voice sets let you use these character voices for your hero! (Images left to right: Alveus Illustration, Baeloth Illustration, Photo of Mark Meer as Baeloth)

• Area Names | Area names now display correctly on multiplayer saves
  
• Character Imports | Fixed issue with multiplayer character imports, specifically thief skills
  
• Chat Hotkey | Added a hotkey for multiplayer chat: hit “T” to open the chat
  
• Crash Fixes | Fixed several multiplayer crashes
  
• Client Connection | Fixed a few conditions preventing client connection
  
• Error Handling | Improved internal error handling
  
• Host Reload | Hosts reloading no longer cause clients to get stuck in level-up
  
• New Characters | New characters joining multiplayer sessions no longer receive default equipment
  
• Player Familiars | Player familiars and their stat blocks now load correctly in multiplayer games
  
• Time Played | Fixed error in multiplayer time played information
  
• Troubleshooting | Improved multiplayer troubleshooting by adding a network.log file and a fix to how the jingle.log file resets

• Character Imports | Advanced AI now loads correctly with character imports
  
• German Font | Fixed German text font size in menu for character voice selection
  
• Item Comparison | You can now disable item comparison
  
• Map | Fixed visual issues in map area backgrounds
  
• Text Input | You no longer need to click before typing in text inputs— the cursor will remain active

• Aid Bonuses | Aid bonuses to hits and damage now display correctly on the inventory screen, and the status icon displays on the character record screen
  
• Bigby’s Hand Spells | Updated spell graphics and fixed saving throws for Bigby’s Clenched Fist and Bigby’s Crushing Hand
  
• Breach | Breach now uses projectiles and visuals consistent with the other spell protection removal spells
  
• Detect Illusion | Corrected the casting range on Detect Illusion
  
• Call Lightning and Pillar Spells | Effects that involve pillar animations, such as Call Lightning have been remastered into a single animation sequence rather than several stacked animations
  
• Chaos Shield | Chaos Shield and Improved Chaos Shield now use graphics distinct from Miscast Magic
  
• Chaotic Commands | Chaotic Commands now use the correct projectiles at all levels
  
• Cloud Projectiles | Updated Cloud Projectiles so they are cleared by Zone of Sweet Air
  
• Cloud Spells | Several Cloud Spell visual effects have been updated to match their color descriptions (including Cloudkill, Stinking Cloud, Death Fog, and Incendiary Cloud)
  
• Club Proficiency | Club proficiency now displays correctly on character records
  
• Fire and Cold | Fire and cold graphics of numerous items, spells, and abilities have been recolored to appear more realistic
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | Fire shields and similar effects no longer display text feedback if the striking creature is out of range of the struck creature
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | Damage suffered when striking a protected creature now ignores mirror image
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | These spells may now be refreshed before their durations expire
  
• Fireball | Updated visual effects for the Fireball spell and for items that use Fireball style explosions
  
• Haste Scrolls | Haste Scrolls now correctly target an area rather than a particular creature
  
• Hit Dice | Spells affecting creatures based on their hit dice now work as expected
  
• HP Drain | Spells that drain HP now work as expected, and cannot drain more HP than available from a target
  
• Invisibility, 10' Radius | Invisibility, 10' Radius now no longer affects enemies and uses a 10 foot radius area of effect
  
• Lightning Bolt | Restored Lightning Bolt to behavior in the original games: the bolt continues in a straight line beyond the initial target, hitting all in its path and bouncing off obstacles
  
• Magic Resistance | Spells such as Glitterdust, Contagion, and Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere no longer bypass magic resistance
  
• Melf's Minute Meteors | Updated damage type from piercing to missile
  
• Movement Effects | Movement effects from spells such as Entangle now relate properly with stacking or counteracting effects from spells or the environment
  
• Non-Detection | Spells blocked by Non-Detection will no longer play visuals or sound effects on targeted creatures
  
• Physical Mirror | Physical Mirror effects now have consistent duration and dispel behavior
  
• Poison Immunity | Creatures immune to poison no longer visibly recoil in combat when hit by poison or disease effects
  
• Polymorph Self | Fixed inconsistencies, casting time and minor issues with Polymorph Self
  
• Power Levels | Corrected the power level of several items and spells to make sure they interact properly with spell protections, such as Spell Turning or Globe of Invulnerability
  
• Power Word and Symbol Spells | audio and visual spell effects will only play if targets are actually affected by the spell
  
• Projectile Speeds | Updated projectile speeds so they are more consistent
  
• Projectile Speeds | Thrown darts and dagger speeds have been sped up to appear more realistic
  
• Priests of Tyr | Divine Favor and Exaltation now play expected graphics and sounds
  
• Priests of Tempus | Chaos of Battle now plays different animations on allies and opponents
  
• Psionic Blast | Description for Psionic Blast now appears in the innate ability menu when you shapechange into a Mind Flayer
  
• Raise Dead & Resurrection | Raise Dead and Resurrection type spells can no longer be cast on living targets, only dead targets
  
• Recurring Effects | Spells and items with effects that refresh each round now reapply the recurring effect properly
  
• Regeneration | Updated Regeneration status icon used on portraits
  
• Repulse Undead | Aligned School of Magic for Repulse Undead’s parent and child spells
  
• Saving Throws | Corrected saving throw messages and functionality on a handful of spells and magic items
  
• Shaman Spirits | The spirit animals summoned by shamanic dancing are now correctly dispelled when they reach the edge of the shaman’s visual range
  
• Shamanic Spells | Shamanic spells and abilities now play consistent visual effects with “shamanic themed” colors
  
• Shapechange | Fixed inconsistencies, casting time and minor issues with Shapechange
  
• Simulacrums | Simulacrums and Projected Images no longer incorrectly inherit temporary abilities from casters
  
• Sleep & Unconsciousness | Fixed a few minor issues in the Sleep and Unconsciousness effects; status icons on character record screen now differentiate between Sleep and Unconsciousness
  
• Spell and Potion Icons | Added or updated portrait icons to portray suitable magical effects for several spells, potions and abilities
  
• Spell Protection Removal | Spell Protection Removal spells may now be cast onto invisible creatures
  
• Spell Target Glow | Creatures targeted by spells now glow consistently
  
• Spellstrike | Spellstrike now uses projectiles and visuals consistent with the other spell protection removal spells
  
• Spirit Armor | Spirit Armor saving throws now work as expected
  
• Spirit Fire | Aligned School of Magic for Spirit Fire’s parent and child spells
  
• Time Trap | Trap projectile for thieves’ Time Trap ability now plays audio
  
• Wish and Limited Wish | These spells now behave correctly as level 9 and level 7 spells when interacting with spell protections

• Missiles | Corrected a handful of labelling inconsistencies for missile ids
  
• Missiles | MISSILE.ids now accurately label projectiles
  
• SPLPROT.2da | Added labels and standardized SPLPROT.2da across Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions

• Added French (beta) text localization
  
• Note: We consider the new French text localization to be a beta release. We welcome feedback from the community!

• Black Blade of Disaster | Fixed an issue where after casting Black Blade of Disaster, the record screen would not update your player stats until you made an attack
  
• Burning Hands | Burning Hands now correctly casts as an area of effect spell, rather than targeting one creature
  
• Chaotic Commands | Chaotic Commands now use the correct projectiles at all levels
  
• Chant | Detrimental effects play graphics and sound on opponents
  
• False Dawn | Updated graphical effects of False Dawn to match its listed description more closely
  
• Implosion | Implosion will no longer bypass Hold Protections inappropriately
  
• Incendiary Cloud | Incendiary Cloud now uses consistent visual effects, regardless of the caster’s level
  
• Level Drain | Reported levels and actual levels drained now align correctly
  
• Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere | Allies no longer need to roll saving throws or magic resistance checks
  
• Polymorph | Corrected icon and damage for Brown Bear Polymorph
  
• Spell Shield | If Spell Shield is active you are no longer blocked from receiving a discharged copy of the Rift Device

• Absolute Power | Fixed an issue where the ‘Absolute Power’ achievement would sometimes not fire as it was tied to Nalia’s rejoining dialogue; Nalia could sometimes use her generic rejoining dialogue instead of the one specifically for the completion of this quest

• Dorn | If you kill Dorn in the Temple district, he will no longer respawn after you gain more experience
  
• Mairyn | Mairyn now remains to deliver quest dialogue instead of teleporting away and causing the ranger stronghold quests to stall
  
• Radiant Heart | The entrance to the Radiant Heart is no longer on impassable terrain.
  
• Story Mode | NPCs (non-player characters) who leave the party now lose their invincibility, as expected
  
• Story Mode | The crushing trap in the Spellhold Maze no longer kills characters in Story Mode
  
• Suldanessellar | If loading from a Suldanessellar auto-save the chapter number will no longer get bumped to Chapter 8
  
• Tutorial | Fixed an issue preventing Belt from moving to the next floor in the tutorial.
  
• Waukeen’s Promenade | Fixed a crash when checking area background in Waukeen's Promenade
  
• Wild Forest and Watcher’s Keep | You can now use links to travel directly between the Wild Forest and Watcher’s Keep
  
• Windspear Hills | You can no longer walk too far around the rock to access the small hidden cache container at the entrance to the Windspear Hills

• Black Pits II | A visible barrier has been added to the Black Pits II when you approach the forbidden area
  
• Black Pits II | Adjusted the camera angle to fix some Black Pits II cutscenes that had some action happening offscreen
  
• De’Arnise Keep | Removed an info trigger in the de’Arnise Keep basement
  
• Jaheira | If Jaheira is removed from the party when she is cursed by Baron Ployer, she now uses the right rejoining dialogue if you finished the quest without killing Ployer.
  
• Salamanders | Fire and Frost Salamanders now have correct race/class values set
  
• Sahuagin City | Prevented double text strings from sometimes displaying when clicking on the exit from the Sahuagin City to the Underdark.
  
• Sharran Guard Ovidiu | Sharran Guard Ovidiu can no longer be killed during the cutscene (e.g. with thief traps), leaving the game softlocked
  
• Shadow Temple | The Shadow Dragon encountered in the Shadow Temple and its breath weapon now appear shadow-like
  
• Spell Sound Effects | Less intrusive sound effects play for numerous area of effect spells
  
• Spiders | Spiders have been updated with coloring from Baldur’s Gate
  
• Throne of Bhaal | Yxtrazzal can no longer be killed during the cutscene in Throne of Bhaal (e.g. with thief traps), leaving the game softlocked
  
• Throne of Bhaal | When being ambushed in Throne of Bhaal, the party will no longer be moved into the area incompletely, causing the cutscene to hang
  
• Ust Natha Bar | Prevented a superfluous icon to appear in some game modes in Ust Natha Bar

• Black Pits II | Removed duplicate gear from the arena floor when initiating the Black Pits II finale
  
• Bolts | Bolts +4 now give the proper +4 bonus instead of +3
  
• Bolts | Before being identified, Kuo-Toan and Paralytic Bolts now use the proper descriptions
  
• Potion of Clairvoyance | The potion now correctly acts as a 10 round duration Detect Invisibility, rather than True Sight
  
• Wand of Glitterdust | Effects of the wand now match the spell of the same name
  
• Winch in Firkraag’s Lair | Fixed the granting of multiple unique items from the winch in Firkraag’s Lair
  
• Shrouds of the Unproven | Fixed the granting of multiple Shrouds of the Unproven from Rabi’ah

A new Beta for Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is available now, and we want your feedback. Are we ready for the big release? Go on an adventure and share your thoughts!

- This is NOT the last update for BGII:EE
- 2.6 will not fix every issue— but we hope to improve the game in future updates
- Here's what we've focused on for this patch: 2.6 Patch Items[forums.beamdog.com]
- System Requirements have changed:
Minimum: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 64-bit, OS X 10.9, Ubuntu 18.04 or equivalent
- Please check your device meets the updated System Requirements before testing
- Make sure your device supports 64-bit games

- Playthrough some quests
- Tell us about *new bugs (the beta shouldn't add any issues) - comment below!
- Tell us about major issues affecting saves, visuals, sound & quality - comment below!
- VOTE on the release, and include your OS (Windows, macOS, Linux)

• Yes, Release the Patch!
  
• No, it's not ready! (Please explain)

*You can also participate on the Beamdog Forums![forums.beamdog.com]

• Please make sure you're using a clean (unmodded) install. Clear your override folder before testing the beta build
  
• In your Steam Library, Right-Click Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition and choose “Properties”
  
• Click on the Beta Tab
  
• Choose the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu
  
• If you don't see the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu, please restart Steam
  
• In-game, on the main menu, you will see that the build is 2.6.2.0

The 2.6 Patch will add new French Text Localization to Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

We won't move forward with a 2.6 Patch release until we hear feedback from enough Windows, Linux & macOS players for each game included in this update:

• Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (New Beta Available!)
  
• Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear (New Beta Available!)[forums.beamdog.com]
  
• Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
  
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (New Beta Available!)

Check out testing progress on the Beamdog Forums![forums.beamdog.com]

Is the 2.6 Patch ready to release?

• Yes, Release the Patch! [Windows / macOS / Linux]
  
• No, It's not ready! [Windows / macOS / Linux]

Greetings Adventurers!

We're working on the next BIG patch for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale enhanced editions— and we need your help to test out the 2.6 Beta! The patch will add scores of fixes, plus 64-bit upgrades, so we want to check in with you to make sure we're on the right track.

• Right-Click on Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition in your Library
  
• Click on the Betas Tab
  
• Choose the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu (if you don't see this, restart Steam, and it should appear)

• Let us know if you can Launch & Save the 2.6 Beta
  
• Let us know which system you're on [Windows / macOS / Linux]
  
• Vote below! [Yes! Windows | Yes! macOS | Yes! Linux] or [No (please explain)]

You can also vote on the Beamdog Forums[forums.beamdog.com], if you prefer!

Huge thanks to all our beta testers for your enthusiasm & support!

The 2.5 update for Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is finally here!

We’ve made over 500 fixes and features throughout the 2.5 Infinity Engine updates and now this much-anticipated update for Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is coming to Beamdog, Steam, GoG, Google Play, and the App Store!

Stay tuned for more information about the Mac App Store release.

If you don't see the BGII:EE 2.5 update, please be patient as some platforms are slower to update than others.

• Simplified Chinese
  
• Korean
  
• Russian
  
• Polish

• German
  
• Italian
  
• Polish

• Road to 2.0 community portraits added in-game
  
• Tablet dialogue buttons added
  
• Added the Priest of Tempus kit
  
• "Take All" button added to containers
  
• Improved multiplayer stability
  
• Hexxat is now able to survive the final Throne of Bhaal encounter
  
• Importing a ranger allows the selection of a Racial Enemy
  
• Tenser's Transformation no longer disables innate spells

Check out the full list of bug fixes and features on our blog (please, note that this list does not cover the general Infinity Engine tickets, these will be published when the 2.5 patch series is completed):

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/06/baldurs-gate-ii-enhanced-edition-25.html

It's time for more ... experiments! The beta of the 2.5 patch for Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition has just received a new build.

Over the last few months, we’ve made over 300 fixes and features throughout the 2.5 Infinity Engine updates. And now, we’re adding a number of asked for language and V/O updates!

New Localization:
- Simplified Chinese
- Korean
- Russian
- Polish

New V/O:
- German
- Italian
- Polish

Top features:
- Road to 2.0 community portraits added
- Tablet dialogue buttons added
- Added the Priest of Tempus kit
- "Take All" button added to containers
- Hexxat is now able to survive the final Throne of Bhaal encounter Improved multiplayer stability
- Importing a ranger allows the selection of a Racial Enemy
- Tenser's Transformation no longer disables innate spells

Check out the full patch notes here: http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/05/baldurs-gate-ii-enhanced-edition-25.html

Find the full list of patch notes here: http://blog.beamdog.com/2017/12/the-25-update-beta-is-here.html

To try the 2.5 update beta, right-click on the game you'd like to try the beta in and select Properties. Go to the Betas tab, and choose the bg1_beta, bg2_beta, or iwd_beta option. The beta will then begin downloading.

If you've already tried the beta, we’ve written up a quick survey to find out what your experiences have been like: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWSFP8trFnh1WI_ldYahKr-cKP6I1H_0vT5-_U1yrRyJrgcQ/viewform

Please include any information you have so far about any crashes and other issues you may have encountered during the beta. We'll be accepting survey entries until Jan. 15.

Today we're pleased to bring you the full soundtrack to Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. The digital package contains the original soundtracks for Baldur’s Gate II and Throne of Bhaal, composed by Michael Hoenig, Inon Zur, and Howard Drossin.

The Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition Soundtrack also contains 15 new tracks by Sam Hulick, composed for the enhanced edition of the game, making 81 tracks in all. This includes 34 previously unreleased tracks, now available for the first time. All tracks come in both MP3 (320kbit) and lossless FLAC format.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/467620/

Today's update also brings a hot-fix for tooltips on Macs, as well as achievements localized for Brazilian Portuguese and a minor crash fix on the Options menu.

Enjoy!

Today we're pleased to bring you v2.3, with fixes for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition, and Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. Read the full release notes here[s3.amazonaws.com], a master document that also includes the release notes from v2.0, v2.1, and v2.2!

Highlights of v2.3 include:
-Tooltips now display a stylized scroll background that dynamically resizes with the amount of text displayed  
-The Candlekeep tutors’ dialogue no longer displays placeholder text when a non-English language is selected (BG:EE)
-Turkish UI strings no longer appear in English (BG:EE)
-Story Mode protections now apply to the player’s Familiar as well as party members
-multiple dialogue fixes (eliminating repeated lines, removing incorrect lines, and closing dialogue loops)
-multiple gameplay fixes and interface fixes
-multiple quest and achievement fixes

We are continuing to make improvements to the game all the time based on feedback from the community and beta testers. Hop over to the official Beamdog forums[forums.beamdog.com] to join the conversation!