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And it also depends on what type of player you are. OG BG1 had companions, yes. But they had zero banter and just had some small audio one liners. They also had barely any interactions with your char. It's when Bioware/Black Isle released OG BG2 they introduced living and breathing companions. Companions who talk to you or other party members. Companions with companion quests. Companion who won't just stay with you, because you are the main character. If your group does too many evil deeds and the group's reputation plumpets then a morally good companion will leave eventually. Oh and group conflicts. And romance.
BG2 has a more of a hub like approach when it comes to their quest givers. The maps feel much more dense, the story is also much tighter.
If you are like me then you play BG1 once or twice (in my case I played it with BGT and BG1 NPC mod after stopping halfway through, because I wanted the benefits of the BG2 engine and I wanted my group feel alive) and then never touch it again.
While I'm typing this I know that there are other BG players who are the oppostite of me and prefer BG1. In the end it's better to read up on every opinion you will be shown here and then make your decision.
The first game ends around level 8-10 depending on class. You can continue into the second game your player created characters, but the story companions will be reset to game defaults. The second is much more complex, with many more levels to reach and high-level abilities.
Be sure to skim over the huge PDF manuals for these games.
I highly recommend starting with BGEE for the full experience, the semi-open world in the first game and for working up all the way from a weak nobody to a true hero.
Thank you for your elaborate answer, I really appreciate you taking the time to write this down. I agree the answer to this question is probably down to personal preference, but I'd like to hear some opinions on this.
I'm all about immersion I guess, so what you're saying about the banter and interactions between companions would be a very good reason for me to go for BG2 over BG1. And TBH, I don't feel like fiddling with mods all too much. I'm looking for as nice, smooth and easy an experience as possible, in a world that's believable and alive. I like the idea that the companions will make decisions and do things as a result of what the player is doing.
Thanks for your advice. So I understand that the games (even GB2EE) do not have much of a built-in tutorial that teach you the ropes then, and it actually assumes you read the manual to learn how to play the game?
Also, how is replayability in these games? Let's say I did start with 2 but I fall in love with it. Would it be viable to go back to 1 and do another playthrough of 2 with the character created in 1? Are these games meant to be replayed at all, or do you normally just carry on with the cahracter you have, getting higher and higher in level? Sorry for the noob questions here, but like I said, I don't have a lot of experience with these kind of games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB_fvWq9bhI
but the rules are too complex to be covered in a tutorial. So, looking up things in the PDF manuals is highly recommended. Additionally, the Wiki.
Sure. Just keep in mind, that the story continues in 2, so if you start with 2, you cannot avoid spoilers. 1 is where the story starts. The story of your player character, and the story of other protagonists that will be part of 2, too.
Replayability is high, because you are unlikely to discover everything in a single playthrough. And there are too many character/party building options anyway. Classes, reputation, alignment, companions, choices, ...
Some points about the first game: It is very rudimentary compared to the second. Almost zero dialogue between companions. Side quests are for the most part quite straightforward and simple. Most maps consist of very empty meadows, crags etc. with few landmarks. I would say that this game is mostly about the CRPG combat gameplay and less about an immersive overarching story.
However, as D'amarr from Darshiva says, this game takes you from level 1 to 8-9 and this is important in the setting of this game. Think of it like this; you know how in many games there is an early game stage where you are relatively weak and dealing with local, somewhat insignificant problems? Well this entire game effectively serves as the early game for your character. That means for the better part of this game you will only be dealing with bandits, goblins, kobolds etc. in a countryside setting. The second game on the other hand allows you to make a high level char, and this time you will be making your mark on the world, wielding legendary swords, casting ultra powerful spells, wrestling with dragons and doing magical duels with liches in a more urban setting.
So by skipping game 1 you will be missing out on gameplay and narrative that are unique to it. You can never again in the series fight more down to earth enemies like wild animals, or tackle smaller issues like bringing down a small crime ring or helping a village of gnomes. I would think of this series as one huge game split into 3 parts instead of just sequels. In that way, playing the first game can make it feel more complete and in a true rpg way it feels pretty good seeing your character grow from barely surviving a lowly bandit to threatening literal demigods.
Aside from all that, you may find the first game lacking in some qualities. Game 2 is way more narrative driven, with tons of dialogue with and between npcs and better visuals. If you have reservations about 1 and end up liking 2, you can just do a 2nd playthrough, or even make a new character halfway through and that time you can start from the first game, because the game is very replayable if not a bit too long.
1)Since you're new to the entire concept, it'll help you learn the game mechanics better than two will.
2)The attribute raising tomes are only found in the first game(Unless you use cheats), if you skip the first game, you miss them. Trust me, you'll kick yourself if you skip them.
3)this one comes to personal preference, but if you like exploring, it's more fun in the first one. There's WAY more to explore.
4)everyone needs to steal a pair of golden pantaloons at least once in their life :P
I'd highly recommend starting with BG2. It's the much better game and if you are unsure as to if you truly like the series or not it's going to give you a better first impression. BG1 is a slow burn and you'll be 15-20 hours into the game before it starts getting enjoyable. I've had several friends over the years try BG1 or BG1 EE and quit within the first 10 hours. A couple of those same friends I convinced to try BG2 EE and they ended up not only completing it, but going back to play BG1. (Though to be fair I don't think any of them ever finished BG1.)
BG1 has a weaker story, less character interaction, and the combat generally breaks down to "everyone had a ranged weapon and kites." Before level 3-4 nearly any character can die in a single combat round due to bad rolls. It's not a great experience for getting invested in the game. BG1 picks up around level 5 but it's still a lot less polished.
My suggestion is as follows. Do a "good" playthrough of BG2 and don't look up any guides or info on the game. If you make it all the way through then go back and treat BG1 like a prequel. Either recreate your character in BG1 or make an entirely new character and carry it over into SoD.
Personally I think BG2 -> ToB and BG1 -> SoD is the way to go. You really don't want to take SoD characters into BG2 as they'll be outleveled for much of it. And again BG2 is the better game, if you are unsure if you'll stick with the entire series then it's IMHO best to play the best of the lot first.
As an added bonus as you meet some of the returning cast from BG1 in BG2 you'll be asked if you remember them or not, and you'll know which ones are alive in BG2. This actually helps you make it's a single continuous story. You'll be able to level them correctly and make sure the ones that appear in BG2 are still around and alive. You can also ensure that they live through BG1 :P
From a purely RP perspective I really think BG2->BG1 makes the most sense.
Also fair warning try to avoid reading too much on the game, and avoid all the power gaming advice. It's pretty easy to make yourself "too OP" which really reduces the overall enjoyment of the game. Try for a character roll of around 85-89, keep in mind that typically stats above 15 have bonuses and that charisma only matter for the character in the first party slot. Avoid Human Dual-Classing for you first playthrough as those typically are more targeted at power gamers and for long periods of the game aren't very fun.
Last suggestions:
Don't be afraid to set the Difficulty to Insane as long as you check the box for "No Difficulty-Based Damage increase." All these really does is add some more enemy variety into the game.
Consider playing with "Max HP on Level Up" unchecked. Particularly in BG2 you'll find the PC will end up with far more HP than the companions do for the reason that the game maxes your characters HP rolls on creation, but not the levels the companions already have before you meet them. For me personally this was immersion breaking.
Avoid mods for your first playthrough. Many of the players suggesting mods have played through the base game half a dozen times or more. Many of the mods add things that you just don't want to or won't be able to deal with as a new player. Some of them make certain classes/kits super OP or add enemies that you need to cheese to beat. Or there are designed for solo character challenges.
I'll obviously try to avoid spoiling the game as much as possible, but I think I'll definitely need to go through the manual first to at least understand the basics about races, classes and the game mechanics in general. I've seen lot of the terms used before (like elves and orcs and paladins and mages), but I don't really know what they mean. Seeing as the games don't appear to 'take you by the hand', I assume I'll better have some basic understanding of these things, in order to have at least some idea of what I'm supposed to be doing.
It seems a lot of the terms in these games are derived from the (Advanced) Dungeons & Dragons rulesets they are based upon. That would explain why I keep seeing these same races and classes and such turn up in other comparable games/franchises. I often wondered how that came about, and asked myself at what meeting this all was decided -- and now (I think) I know. See, I'm learning already.. ;-)
Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 || Icewind Dale are 2e.
Icewind Dale 2 and Neverwinter Nights are 3e
Neverwinter Nights 2 is 3.5e
e = edition ruleset.
The only thing is BG 1 starts out really slowly. I replayed it recently, and I'd forgotten how slow it was. Modern RPGs tend to progress you pretty quickly through the first few levels and to slow down later, but with BG 1 I played for several hours before getting to second. The rate of leveling picks up as you go, however. It is kind of amusing (and frustrating) to be swinging at kobolds and missing over and over and over again when you start out.