Baldur’s Gate 3 happens over a hundred years after the previous game. That time distance is not the same between Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2; in fact, barely a month or even a week passes between games. As such, many revelations and characters from the original Baldur’s Gate are considered common knowledge when going into the second entry.
This doesn’t happen in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can play that game from beginning to end and not have a single thing spoiled about the other two. But that left a lot of players wondering, what happened in the other titles? Was the story as intricate in Baldur’s Gate 2?
Spoiler Warning!
Who Is The Protagonist Of Baldur’s Gate 2?
The protagonist is the same one for both Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2. They’re a Bhaalspawn, an offspring of the Lord of Murder carrying his divine essence.
This is why Sarevok, another Bhaalspawn, wanted to kill them; when only one Bhaalspawn remains, the Lord of Murder would be reborn.
The protagonist manages to foil Sarevok’s plans and ultimately kill him, ending his rampage of terror. But celebrations would have to wait, as they get kidnapped shortly after by a hooded figure.
Notable companions at the beginning of the adventure are Minsc, Jaheira and Imoen, the main character’s childhood friend.
Who Is The Villain Of Baldur’s Gate 2?
The villain this time around is Jon Irenicus, a formidable elven wizard. He was a respected figure in his city of Suldanessellar, but his greed for power knew no limits.
Aided by Bodhi, his supposed sister, he performed countless experiments to attain godhood. He always failed, and his defiant acts had both him and Bodhi cast out from the city.
They weren’t simply expelled; they had their elven heritage removed. While exactly what that entailed is unclear, the effects include less pointy ears and a shorter life span. To combat this, Bodhi turned to vampirism, while Irenicus continued his experiments on himself.
This didn’t stop Irenicus in his pursuit of godhood, but he always lacked a way to attain some form of divine spark. When word reached from Baldur’s Gate of a feud between Bhaalspawn, he knew he had to seize this opportunity to achieve his ambition.
What Happened In Baldur’s Gate 2?
Knowing of the protagonist’s divine soul, Irenicus kidnaps him and some of his companions, taking them to his fortress within Amn. During his experiments, he realized that Imoen was also a Bhaalspawn, giving him more tools to work with.
Irenicus orchestrates a situation where Imoen attacks him, luring the attention of the Cowled Wizards, who take both of them to Spellhold. Irenicus knew his power couldn’t be contained even in a prison meant for wizards, so he took over Spellhold with ease.
He needed both Imoen and the protagonist to feel immense anger, triggering their divine spark. He also needed the resources found in Spellhold to complete his evil ritual. While breaking Imoen alone was easy, he needed the protagonist to go on a longer journey.
Bodhi was sent to offer aid to the protagonist in infiltrating Spellhold, without showing her true allegiances. Even if the protagonist doesn’t use her help, they get to Spellhold anyway and are once again captured by Irenicus.
This time, Irenicus manages to remove the divine spark from both the protagonist and Imoen, taking a piece for himself and giving one to Bodhi. With the spark combined with his essence, he just needed a final part of the puzzle; the energy from the Tree of Life, located in Suldanessellar.
The protagonist and his party pursue the evil duo, and are first confronted by Bodhi. They dispatch her, and on her death, the divine spark goes back to Imoen.
They confront Irenicus at the Tree of Life, and kill him also. While that stops his plans, his death doesn’t return the spark to the protagonist; instead, it drags them to Hell as well.
A final battle ensues, and the protagonist is victorious once again. With the help of their allies and the elven mages of Suldanessellar, they return to the Material Plane, escaping the Hells and putting an end to the mad elven wizard once and for all.