Suggested playing order for BG/IWD games

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A while ago I was given some "old games" by a relitive that was moving. It included Baldur's Gate 1 (no Tales of the Sword Coast add on though), Icewind Dale, and Icewind Dale II.

I'm almost done playing Baldur's Gate, but aside from testing the Icewind Dale games, I haven't really done either of them yet. Now, I just was able to get my hands on Baldur's Gate II. Are there any suggestions on which one I should play next? I understand that they were released in the order BG1, IWD, BG2, IWD2. Should I play them in that order, or a different one?

Also, I've seen quite a bit about this "Tutu" thing. What's the benefit of using it, and should I abandon my BG1 game and start using this Tutu? At this point, due to hard drive space, I haven't tried BG2 yet. I'll have to remove something first, and I'm asking which game I should play last to decide which one to remove.

Oh, one final question. I've seen conflicting things about Tales of the Sword Coast. Some say that it should have been included with Baldur's Gate, others say that it was sold separately. Which is the case? If it was separate, where can I obtain it?

 

You probably won't find Totsc in stores, try amazon.com. Play BG1, BG2(its the sequal), and get TOB as it concludes the saga. I have never played IWD so i wouldn't know. Tutu is a mod that links BG1-TOB, you should first play though the BG series with out Tutu and on your second time through it you can.

 

TotSC was initially released by itself. Later on BG1 was re-released on 3 CDs, called "The Original Saga", and this included TotSC. TotSC is very good, so if it's not included in your BG1 game (if you've got the 5-CD version then it's not, if you've got the Original Saga then it is) you should consider getting it.

It doesn't make much sense in playing the games in their release order. And it doesn't matter whether you play the BG series or the IWD series first, as the series are completely unrelated. It does make sense to play the games within the series in order though (ie, BG1 with TotSC, then BG2:SoA, then BG2:ToB. Similarly for IWD, play IWD1, then HoW and TotL, then IWD2)

Do not worry about TuTu or any other mod for any of the games for now. I think you'll get much more enjoyment your first time through without any added mods.

Remember not to delete your saved games when you finish one game, as you can (mostly) import you characters into the sequel.

 

TotSC was an add-on to BG1, but in later packaging, you could get BG1: The Original Saga which included TotSC. Don't worry about not having it. The game is playable without it. The only ways I know to get TotSC are to check online (amazon.com through SP) and look for the Ultimate Edition or whatever it's called, which should include TotSC in a 3 disc set.

As for playing order, (and limited harddrive space) I would play BG1>BG2. Note: you can export your BG1 character and play him/her through BG2. I would save a copy of the appropriate files in another, safe place if you wish to play through with the same character. Play without Tutu at least once.

IWD>IWD2. They don't have much in common except for the name. They have different rulesets; IWD is 2e and IWD2 is 3e.

Hope this was what you needed/wanted to know. Welcome to the Boards!

 

Don't bother about TotSC, it's not worth the trouble.
You get only 3 extra quests and you could finish it in a few hours if some battles weren't difficult or -to be more precise- unfair.

But if you like save and reload orgies instead of roleplaying then get it.

TotSC doesn't add anything to the story line, it's just an addon for profit.

You don't need Tutu.

BG2 is the sequel to BG1 with improved graphics and some other improvements. You can play it with your BG1 character.

Icewind Dale 1 has the same graphic engine like BG1 (unless you have the HoW-Addon) but some spells are different and you have to create your whole party. It feels different from BG1 and BG2.

If you want to keep the same athmosphere like in BG1 and just to play on, than play BG2 first.
If you need a break from this grave, dark storyline, than play IWD1 first.

IWD2 has totally different rules than the other games, so you'd better play it last.

 

The Dragon is right! (naturally) ToTSC is great. Play it.

 

Even if you have trouble with the new quests (like me), TotSC is worth it for 2 reasons: higher experience cap (161,000 iirc and what can I say; I'm an XP pig) and Greater Malison.

These quests were designed for a fairly, high level party (around levels 7-8), so I wouldn't be worried about them until very late in the game (Chapter 6 or so).

 

Actually, chapter 6 would be the ONLY one in which you cannot tackle those quests

TotSC's quests are, for the most part, really good, and a lot of fun. Some combats are indeed very tough, but they really make you think in terms of tactics rather than go-in-and-bash, and are very rewarding if you complete them. The expansion's definitely worth getting.

 

Well, I should mention that I do NOT have Tales of the Swoard Coast. Nor do I have Heart of Winter for Icewind Dale. I take it from what I've read on the site that I can't get Trials of the Luremaster without it. There IS a CD labeled "Throne of Bahal" and "Bonus CD" in the BG2 package. Like I said previously, I haven't tried it previoiusly because of HD space constraints.

From what I've gathered here, I take it the suggested order would be to try Baldur's Gate II before going on to the Icewind Dale series?

If I remove Icewind Dale I and II, I should have enough disk space for Baldur's Gate II.

BTW, I'd like to ask another question, without inviting any spoilers. Baldur's Gate I and II both come with 5 CDs. The Icewind Dale games are 2 CDs each. Does that mean that the Icewind Dale games are going to be that much shorter and take that much less time to complete?

 

Compression techniques got more advanced as the games went on (as you can see, since the Original Saga edition of BG with expansion is 3 CDs instead of 6). And BG 2 + expansion is 4 CDs, that bonus CD is not for the game but has addon material.

Though I think the IWD games are a bit shorter.

 

I would suggest playing the games in the order they were released except do install addons before playing the original game.