Vales of the Stored Toast

[Mellagar]

**THERE MAY BE SPOILERS SPEWED, SO HIKE IF YOU DON'T LIKE.**
-
-
-
-
-
-
----> For those of you who thought Tales of the Sword Coast was an excellent addition for the Baldur's Gate game, I must say that I was not at all impressed. Having played Icewind Dale, Durlag's Tower seemed a petty reminder of some hack and slash saga where everyone comes out bloody and grinning. Werewolves, cocaine-induced-crazy-like dwarf dungeons, zombie ridden farms, and rambling drunkards irritating one with idiotic quests and questions are all I seemed to look forward to. Well if that don't beat the mousey bandit I don't know what does. Furthermore, if you thought defeating Sarevok was annoying the first time round, now there's more. He's faster moving, with Tazok being able to cast Stinking Cloud, along with other ridiculous additions to previous characters, and such. The description on the box said that there would be more interaction between the characters who are able to join your party. Well perhaps they forgot to take their speech classes, because there didn't seem to be heavy dialogue spoken anywhere to anyone. We were the Mighty Mimes of Mayhem and Mortality. Granted there were more baddies to fight, more loot to snag, and more dangers to charge blindly into, there just wasn't any beef to it. Where's the beef?!

[Pirengle]

I like TotSC because it updates the graphics a bit (but not as much as Tutu). Ulgoth's Beard is decent, but you're right--Durlag's Tower is hella'nnoying.

I enjoyed the challenge of Sarevok. I usually beat him by making him chase my tank while my other party members are bombarding him with arrows and spells and fast melee attacks. And a well-thrown Oil of Firey Burning can put Tazok out of commission before the battle even really begins. ^_^

[mad=dog]

I must admit I like the TotSC addition more that the ToB expansion to SoA. I guess part of the problem is the persistent XP inflation that hit the series. I just felt ToB was so forced on me. It starts out by the heads telling you to expect a traitor in the midst and then let you bite your knuckles until you can finally call Melissans bluff. At least the TotSC can be initiated and left at will.
Watchers Keep and Durlags Tower are very very similar. Ultra hasted monsters to boost difficulty and annoying maze riddles all build on the story of an ancient evil lurking below. I guess they just feel that such a place should be part of an expansion.
Shame that the Isle in the Trackless Sea has such a limited plot development. It's still a neat story to me and a fairly good quest, though I would have liked the island to be bigger and perhaps some more interaction. The keen eye will spot Dradeels recipe fetish there allready.
As for the final battle. Well you have reload power and more companions than Sarevok. He needs to be all over the place. I cannot remember clearly, but I think his resistencies are set to counter trap spells so you cannot just make him run into a swarm of sculls to finish him off. Nor can I remember if they made his AI able to acknowlegde Otilukes so he won't aggro on an invulnerable target while being pelted with spells. It's been a while since I tried to use it.

[timothy trotter]

i was very dissapointed in totsc, i reckon it should have followed on after sarevok, like it should have been the link between bg 1 and ng 2