Baldur's Gate: Durlag's Tower Analysis by Extra Credits

[eXalted]

Baldur's Gate: Durlag's Tower - #1 - Design Club

It seems the folks from Extra Credits are doing 5 series of game analysis of Durlag's Tower in Baldur's Gate, which by their words is "one of the finest examples of dungeon design in all of gaming".

So yeah, just thought you guys might find it curious.



Just in case, I am in no way connected to the people of Extra Credits. It just appeared in my YouTube Subscription feed.

 

[Neanderthal]

Yeah like the dumbfuck twats've played it, my arse.

Should stick to "emotional engagement" o their shitty walkin simulators.

 

[Baardhaas]

Not impressed. One of their points is that the designers made a good design choice by letting you stumble early upon the dungeon. Yet they don't mention that there is a whole questline and introduction attached to this dungeon which starts, just like the rest of the TotSC-content, in Ulgoth's Beard. The designers made a clear effort of deterring a low level party from entering more than a small part of the first map by placing unavoidable tough enemies (battle horror's).

Also, that voice. It's like the audio is playing twice with a split second lag in between. Makes him sound like the evil demon-nerd form hell.

 

[pippin]

Durlag's Tower is fun, but that's because it's like a dnd theme park. While BG2's big dungeon was ok too, I find that a bit lacking.

 

[Infinitron]

Summoning Lilura

 

[Jezal_k23]

Yet they don't mention that there is a whole questline and introduction attached to this dungeon which starts, just like the rest of the TotSC-content, in Ulgoth's Beard.

Not to really defend the video itself too much, but to be fair, they do mention that there's a quest that leads you there.



@ 5:54

 

[Johannes]

I recall that you can't access the lower levels before meeting up the guy in Ulgoth's? The upper part is open for everyone, but there's not actually that much there, just 1 simple questline, some undead, traps and loot (but nothing wrong with that).

 

[Baardhaas]

Not to really defend the video itself too much, but to be fair, they do mention that there's a quest that leads you there.

My bad, I didn't watch the whole vid and jumped to a conclusion.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

My main beef with Durlag's tower wasn't the tower itself, it was the fucking demon fight in Ulgoth Beard after you cleaned the tower. When I first played ToSC on release I spent at least a couple of days to beat that fucker. The tower itself was quite fun in comparison, but Lukas Kristejanson, or whomever designed the tower was a little too much enamoured with his story about simple doppler invasion. Given that my party already slaughtered at least a couple dozens of doppelgangers in main campaign, they just didn't click with me as a horror element. The idea was solid, but face changing shenanigans are really hard to implement into isometric form, at least as a horror element when you don't see characters' faces and the writing isn't very descriptive.

 

[Infinitron]

Lilura's analysis of the analysis: https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgate/comments/51btau/still_traumatized_by_durlags_tower_ec_is/

Here are my issues with the vid:

It explains one method to learn of the existence of the Tower but only mentions the second method as an afterthought, downplaying it.. But the second method is arguably just as fun as stumbling upon the Tower through exploration, if not moreso. Why? Because of Ike's sensational theatrics and bardic recitals of Durlag Lore. Plus, Demonknight appearance.

It also calls this second method "handholding"?

It implies that Durlag's Tower was put where it is so that people could find it early, or to give them a difficult area early, or to give them something to "aspire" to. I think they are just side effects. Primarily it was put there simply because that's approx. where its location is in Realmslore (southern end of the Wood of Sharp Teeth, east of Beregost). To put it up north with the other TotSC content would simply be wrong.

Also, at least for the vast majority of players, the enemies in Durlag's Tower remain threats even if the party is maxed level (8-10). Greater Ghouls and Greater Doppelgangers don't suddenly drop like Xzarts just because you gain a few levels, as implied by the vid.

 

[Thor Kaufman]

What I really liked about Durlag's Tower is you get a "helm of opposite alignment" from the Uberboss if you kill him the first time he appears in the ground level.

Spoiler

Haste your party, Otiluke's sphere the dude, punch him till he's unconscious and hit him with normal/magic weapons as soon as the otiluke's sphere disappears

 

[Wayward Son]

The designers made a clear effort of deterring a low level party from entering more than a small part of the first map by placing unavoidable tough enemies (battle horror's).

To be fair, with some thought, perseverance and energy drinks, one can beat the battle horrors at early-ish levels. (I believe I was level 3-5 in my party when I fought them the first time)

 

[pippin]

3 to 5 sounds like mid game to me, but yeah, fighting them is pretty fun.

 

[Wayward Son]

3 to 5 sounds like mid game to me, but yeah, fighting them is pretty fun.

Iirc, my fighter was 3, cleric 4, fighter/thief 4/5, Mage 2, and one other character at 3. Two of them died in the final attempt, I believe it was the F/T and the cleric

 

[Dux]

Durlag's Tower is one of the few dungeons in mainstream RPGs that genuinely made me feel oppressed or whatever you want to call it. It had a sinister quality to it - that you were always knee-deep in trouble and it was only going to get worse. Whenever I successfully get through it all, I feel both elated and exhausted. It really doesn't fuck around and you'd best be ready. The story of the tower itself and its doomed dwarven clan is quite interesting too.

 

[Sensuki]

Primarily it was put there simply because that's approx. where its location is in Realmslore (southern end of the Wood of Sharp Teeth, east of Beregost)

Yeah I was like umm, this guy hasn't read a Forgotton Realms Campaign Book before has he.

 

[Jick Magger]

Extra Credits

 

[taxalot]

I never completed that tower.

 

[Mexi]

Yeah, I don't think I've played a better dungeon level than that one. I've played through it countless times. The story about the tower and the finale are great.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Extra Credits are insufferable hipster faggots.

edit: oh, they're playing EE. the icing on the cake.

 

[Joevonzombie]

From the idiots that tried to argue that Fallout 3 has a better story than New Vegas. Fuck this shite.

 

[Fargus]

I never completed that tower.

Honestly, it's fucking tedious. I tried to complete it but got stuck in labyrinth level 3 because of some broken script when you supposed to be teleported. Never tried it again after that. Waste of time.

Multi-level dungeons are trash anyway.

 

[Volourn]

FUCK OFF FARTU THE TROLL.

 

[laclongquan]

I dont know how high DT should stand but it's good shit.
Proof? I abandoned BG1 so many times, even to this day, even in BGT state. I completed DT everytime I run across it.