Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing video game set in the Forgotten Realms. It was a commercial success, selling over one million units across PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube.
Development[]
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was developed by Snowblind Studios and released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, with versions for the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube released in 2002. A Game Boy Advance version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was also released in 2004, by Magic Pockets. The sequel to the game, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, was developed by Black Isle Studios for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, released in 2004. A reissue of the original with added 4k support was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in May 2021, then later on PC on December 17th 2021.
Gameplay[]
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a real-time hack-and-slash action role-playing video game that employs three-dimensional graphics, featuring a rotatable isometric three-quarter top-down viewpoint.
Gameplay in the game follows a linear structure, requiring that each main quest be completed sequentially in order to advance the plot. Although some side-quests exist, they must be finished within the same act in which they are introduced, though they do not necessarily need to be completed immediately upon receiving them. The game includes relatively few non-player characters, and only those involved in a quest or side-quest can be interacted with.
Equipment, such as weapons, armor, and items, is exclusively available from a single shop at any given stage of the game, with prices and item potency increasing as the narrative progresses. The heads-up display (HUD) allows players to choose between a transparent map occupying much of the screen, a mini-map, or no map at all.
The game also includes a cooperative multiplayer mode, allowing two players to progress through the campaign together. Both players share a single screen, restricting how far they can move apart. In co-op mode, experience points are distributed unevenly, with the player who lands the killing blow receiving 60% of the experience, while the other player gains 40%. Gold distribution is not shared—whichever player picks up a dropped gold piece receives its full value, while the other player gains nothing.
The game features four difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme. The Extreme difficulty setting can only be unlocked after completing The Gauntlet, a special mini-dungeon that becomes available once the player finishes the game on any difficulty level. The Gauntlet is exclusively playable with Drizzt Do'Urden. Extreme mode functions requires the player to import a previously saved character from another playthrough.
Characters[]
At the start of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, players select from three preset race/class options:
Each character’s initial statistics are fixed, but can be customized further through the accumulation of experience points obtained by defeating enemies. Whenever a character gains a level, the player receives a number of upgrade points equal to the character's previous level. Additionally, for every four levels advanced, one ability point is granted, which may be invested in any of the six core attributes: strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution, or charisma.
Each of the three playable characters features a distinct combat style and a specialized array of spells and feats, resulting in varied strategic approaches for each. Kromlech, a fighter, emphasizes raw strength and durability, including abilities such as sweeping weapon strikes and ground-slamming attacks to damage nearby foes. Vahn, who favors ranged combat, concentrates on enhancing bow power and acquiring unique arrow types—exploding, ice, or multi-shot. Adrianna, a sorceress, expands her magical prowess through spells like finger-fired ice or fire, lightning projectiles, and even meteor summoning.
Successfully completing Extreme mode permanently unlocks Drizzt Do'Urden as a playable character in the main campaign.
Plot[]
The game begins as Vahn, Adrianna, and Kromlech arrive in Baldur's Gate, where they are immediately ambushed by a band of thieves led by Karne. Before they can be overwhelmed, the city watch intervenes, rescuing the trio and escorting them to the Elfsong Tavern to recover. There, the tavern's bartender, Alyth Elendara, enlists their aid in clearing the cellar of a rat infestation. However, while investigating the cellar, they discover that the thieves have been using the tavern's sewer entrance to infiltrate the city.
When Ethon, a tavern employee, follows them into the sewers and subsequently goes missing, the trio sets out to rescue him. They find him in the hands of the thieves and, upon freeing him, learn that one of the criminals was heading toward the nearby crypts. Inside the crypts, they encounter Fayed, a priest of Ilmater, who requests their assistance in stopping the Orb of the Undead, an artifact that has reanimated hordes of skeletons and zombies. After destroying the orb, they uncover that the thieves, operating as Xantam's Guild, were responsible for placing it there.
Ethon introduces them to Jherek, a member of the Harpers, a secretive organization dedicated to safeguarding the realms from evil. Impressed by their abilities, Jherek invites them to join the Harpers and aid in the destruction of Xantam's Guild. Accepting the offer, the trio follows Jherek to the guild's hidden entrance within the sewers.
After navigating a perilous gauntlet of traps, the adventurers confront and slay Karne. Pressing deeper into the hideout, they encounter the guild master, Xantam, a powerful beholder. Following a fierce battle, they succeed in defeating him. With Xantam dead, Jherek instructs them to enter a portal that the beholder had been guarding.
The portal transports them to the Sunset Mountains, where they arrive at a dwarven mining village under the oppressive rule of drow forces. In an effort to rally support, the adventurers ascend a nearby peak and ignite a signal fire, summoning reinforcements from neighboring dwarven clans. With aid on the way, they enter the mines and begin their assault on the drow occupiers. Eventually, they face and defeat a drow priestess, liberating the village.
During their campaign, they rescue a captured dwarven Harper, who reveals the presence of another portal hidden in the mountains. He warns them that an army of monsters and soldiers is preparing to use these portals to infiltrate Baldur's Gate, launching an assault from within the city. Determined to prevent the invasion, the adventurers proceed to the portal, only to find it guarded by the formidable ice dragon Ciraxis. After a grueling battle, they slay the dragon and pass through the portal, emerging in the treacherous Marsh of Chelimber.
In the Marsh of Chelimber, the adventurers encounter Sleyvas, a member of the native lizardfolk. He informs them of the Onyx Tower, an ominous structure nearby, and its occupant—Eldrith the Betrayer, a vengeful figure who has sworn to bring ruin upon Baldur's Gate. Sleyvas also reveals that his kin, under the leadership of the lizardfolk warlord Sess'sth, have pledged their allegiance to Eldrith.
Determined to weaken Eldrith's forces, the trio battles through waves of lizardfolk, ultimately confronting and slaying Sess'sth, thereby crippling the lizard army. With their path cleared, Sleyvas guides them toward the Onyx Tower. To gain entry, they must first navigate a detour through the Elemental Plane of Water. After overcoming the challenges within, they enter the tower itself, where they witness Eldrith's final preparations for war. Fighting their way through the tower's many levels, they battle through legions of her loyal soldiers as they ascend toward their ultimate confrontation.
On the penultimate level of the Onyx Tower, the adventurers encounter the ghost of Keledon, the first captain of the Company of the Westering Sun. He recounts the tragic history of Eldrith the Betrayer, once Baldur's Gate's most renowned general. She had led a crusade against the Black Horde, successfully defending the city. However, in defiance of orders, she pursued the retreating enemy into a ravine, where they proved far stronger than she had anticipated. When she pleaded for reinforcements, the city refused, abandoning her forces to their fate. Though Eldrith survived, her army was destroyed. Enraged by the betrayal, she gathered her remaining soldiers and turned against Baldur's Gate, attempting to exact vengeance. Her rebellion was crushed, and she and her followers were hunted down and slain in the Marsh of Chelimber. However, her fury transcended death, allowing her to return as an undead warlord. Through her rage and will, she forged the Onyx Tower, granting her access to the portals that connected distant regions of Faerûn. Seeking ultimate retribution, she orchestrated the attacks on Baldur's Gate, forging an alliance between Xantam's Guild, the drow, and Sess'sth's lizardfolk.
Keledon warns the adventurers that if they succeed in slaying Eldrith, the Onyx Tower will collapse, freeing the spirits bound within. However, as the tower is their only means of escape, their own demise is almost certain. Undeterred, they ascend to the tower's summit, where they confront Eldrith, who stands guard over another portal. She reaffirms her intent to annihilate Baldur's Gate, but after an intense battle, she is finally defeated. As she lies dying, she experiences a moment of remorse, repenting her actions before vanishing.
With the Onyx Tower crumbling around them, the heroes leap into the portal, uncertain of their destination. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Sleyvas had been manipulating them all along, ensuring Eldrith's downfall for the benefit of his unnamed master. Reporting his success, he assures his master that the adventurers have perished within the collapsing tower and that Eldrith is no longer an obstacle, allowing them to move forward with their enigmatic plans.
Elsewhere, the trio emerges from the portal into an unfamiliar forest, only to find themselves surrounded by shadowy creatures, leaving their fate uncertain.
Index[]
Characters[]
- Playable
- Adrianna • Kromlech Bruenghor • Vahn • Drizzt Do'Urden
- Other
- Alyth Elendara • Bartley • Branoch • Brogan • Ciraxis • Eldrith • Ethon • Fayed • Ilivarra • Ipswitch • Jherek • Kaeira • Karne • Keissen • Keledon • Kolgrim • Lortimer • Nebbish • Osala • Sess'sth • Sleyvas • Torrgeir • Xantam
- Referenced only
- Saint Sollars
Creatures[]
- beholder • bugbear • bulette • displacer beast • drow • dwarf • elf • fire elemental • frost giant • gas spore • gargoyle • gelatinous cube • ghost • giant rat • giant spider • gnoll • golem (blue steel • brass, bronze • iron • onyx • steel) • half-elf • huge spider • human • ice spider • imp • kobold • lizardfolk • minotaur • ogre • ooze • rat • riding lizard • skeleton • spider • troll • umber hulk • undead • white dragon • will-o'-wisp • winter wolf • wolf • yeti • zombie
- Referenced only
- carrion beetle • goblin • hass-caw bird • mudviper • orc • rostfish • serpent (Sket'kah) • snake • vulture
Languages[]
Locations[]
- Buildings & Sites
- Black Forge • Chamber of Ashes • Chelimber's Crown • Crescent Port • Easting • Elfsong Tavern • Hall of Rememberance • Onyx Tower • Shrine of Suffering
- Referenced only
- Dosias Cleft
- Dungeons
- Sewers of Baldur's Gate
- Planes
- Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Plane of Water
- Regions
- Sword Coast • Underdark
- Roads
- Adderspine Road
- Settlements
- Baldur's Gate
- Referenced only
- Amn
- Wilderness
- Burning Eye • Marsh of Chelimber • Sunset Mountains • Water Stair
Magic[]
- Items
- amulet of dexterity • amulet of intellect • amulet of protection • amulet of regeneration • amulet of strength • ring of constitution • ring of intellect • ring of protection
- Potions
- healing potion • potion of extra healing • recall potion • rejuvenation potion
- Spells
- ball lightning • burning hands • fire shield • fireball • lightning bolt • magic missile • Melf's acid arrow • meteor swarm • Mordenkainen's sword • Otiluke's freezing sphere • snowblind
- Weapons
- Icingdeath • mace of disruption • Twinkle
- Weapon qualities
- defense • disruption • flaming • flaming burst • frost • icy burst • keen • shock • shocking burst • speed • wounding • masterwork
Miscellaneous[]
- Armor
- boots • bracers • chain mail • half plate • helmet • leather armor • padded armor • plate mail • scale mail • shield • studded leather
- Events
- Battle of Bones
- Referenced only
- Crescent Port siege • Great Betrayal • Great Drowning • Sundering War
- Food and Drink
- fish • wine
- Gemstones
- diamond • emerald • onyx • ruby • sapphire
- Materials
- adamantine • bronze • darkwood • gold • leather • mithral • iron • silver • steel
- Weapons
- axe • bastard sword • battleaxe • bow (and arrows) • club • crossbow • dagger • greataxe • halberd • hammer • handaxe • light mace • longbow • longsword • mace • morningstar • scimitar • shortbow • short sword • spear • staff • sword • throwing knife • warhammer
- Misc
- ballista • battering ram • catapult • poison • venom • shaman • trebuchet • torch
- Referenced only
- drums
Organizations[]
- Black Horde • Bruenghor Clan • Harpers • The Watch • Xantam's Thieves Guild
- Referenced only
- Company of the Westering Sun • Grand Dukes
Religion[]
- Clangeddin • Dumathoin • Ilmater • Lolth
Gallery[]
Credits[]
- Producer: Darren L. Monahan
- Line Producer: Kevin Osburn
- Lead Programming: Ezra Dreisbach
- Programming: Ryan Geithman, Paul Haugerud, Raoul Said
- Art Director: Brian Sostrom
- El Presidente: Feargus Urquhart
- Audio and Localization Producer: Fred Hatch
- Design: Chris Avellone
- Lead Character Artist: John Van Deusen
- Senior Artists: Jason Wiggin
- Artist: Chris Donovan, Tami Foote, Joel Payne, Javier Rodriguez
- Music: Jeremy Soule, Will Loconto (Elfsong Remix)
- Music By: Will Loconto (Elfsong Remix)
- QA Project Supervisor: Harold Kim
Appendix[]
See also[]
Further Reading[]
- Will McDermott (June 2002). “Silicon Sorcery: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance”. In Jesse Decker ed. Dragon #296 (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 110–114.
- Bobby MacPherson (2015-06-11). D&D Videogames (Web). In Matt Chapman ed. Dragon+ #2. Wizards of the Coast. p. 6. Retrieved on 2017-07-16.
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance article at the Baldur's Gate Wiki, a wiki for the Baldur's Gate games.
Connections[]
Other settings
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse • Planescape: Torment (Enhanced Edition) • Ravenloft: Stone Prophet • Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession • Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace
Collaborations
Dragonheir: Silent Gods • Stumble Guys
| Dark Alliance series | |
| Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance • Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II • Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance • Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance III (cancelled) | |