Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II - Gameplay

Gameplay

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is a real-time hack and slash action role-playing game presented in a 3D perspective, with a rotatable third-person overhead view. The battle system in the game is simplistic but flexible. Character statistics at the beginning of the game are preset, and the player may only customize their character's stats through gaining experience points from winning battles. At specific levels, the character gains new ability points to spend on enhancements specific to their character class. The ability choices affect the subsequent fighting style of the character. After completing their own unique side-quest, each character in the game will level up into a prestige class.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II gives players the ability to create custom weapons, armor, rings, and necklaces through the shopkeeper. Players could increase these items by +1 to +5 (or +15 in extreme cases, although this can only be done with necklaces, rings, and boots) using runestones, which were needed for all customizations and increased the item's power. A player could also use gems to add special effects to the items. Two different types of gems, in addition to the required runestones, could be used on one item. There are several different kinds of gemstones and each has a different effect on different types of item.

The game gives the player the non-optional ability to use companions in certain levels. For example, the characters Karne and Jherek fight alongside the player in the fight against Mordoc SeLanmere. These companions can not level up or gain any abilities. There are also a number of characters that help the enemy fight zombies during the Mordoc's Gate levels, but these are non-distinguishable unnamed NPCs.

Unlike the first game, in which Baldur's Gate was a location that was only featured during one act, the city of Baldur's Gate appears in all but the prologue act (which is set on the Trade Way leading to the city). The city acts as a hub, from which most quests are begun, although few actually take place within the city itself. Rather, they are commissioned from the city, and it is from Baldur's Gate that the adventure's travel to and fro during their adventures. The city also allows access to a world map from which players can go to various locations and participate in sidequests. This gives the game a semi open-world environment.

The game's ruleset is based on a limited set of the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rule-set; it includes many more features from the ruleset than the original, such as the implementation of sidequests, a world map, item creation, companions and more enemies from the monster manual.