Baldur's Gate - Chapter 1 - Friendly Arm Inn

Wilderness

1) After the cutscene and the intro you'll be pestered by Imoen, who joins your party. You might as well take her along for now, even if you don't plan to keep her. The advice in the prologue is sound, heading to the Friendly Arm Inn should be a priority. To go to new areas, you simply have to reach the edge of the map and click when the icon turns into a wheel... assuming you're at an edge that actually goes somewhere. Naturally that means in every area you're in, you'll want to explore at least to the four edges and click to leave from each applicable edge, as this is how you 'discover' new areas, which appear on your map after attempting to leave from a side in an adjacent territory. In any event, there's not all that much to do in this area. You'll get bothered by an inexperienced hermit named Kolssed as you head east along the road. Xzar and Montaron are further along the road, and you might as well loot your foster father's body, and the bodies of his assailants (x=3150, y=1370). They sure aren't going to be needing their stuff anymore. On Gorion you'll find a note warning Gorion of unspecified dangers, signed by one old 'E' (who could THAT be? duhr...). He'll also drop the Belt of Antipode, a... mixed bag that makes you take double fire damage, but in return grants you 100% cold resistance. There are areas where cold damage will appear, but fire is a much, much more common element. As you wander around the map you may run afoul of Wolves and Gibberlings. Gibberlings are cheese, but Wolves can be surprisingly brutal to an unprepared character. If you're in trouble, just use Sleep to settle things. Also, Imoen comes with a Wand of Magic Missiles, which... well, it might come in handy. If you exit via the eastern edge of the map you'll find another wilderness area  if you exit via the southern edge of the map you'll discover High Hedge . We'll head to High Hedge soon enough, but not just yet.

****ENHANCED EDITION***

The encounter with the 'Armored Figure' is a bit different now. In the Enhanced Edition, the Armored Figure, Tamoko, and the two Ogres are now joined by two Thugs. In the original version it was Tamoko who injured the protagonist (by casting Flame Arrow) before you ran off. Flame Arrow only dealt paltry damage, when it should have been enough to kill you outright... but that's not the point, the idea was you were in danger and needed to get the hell out of there. Again, this makes better sense, since a minimum 5d6 damage Flame Arrow now no longer inexplicably does one damage for the sake of the story. On the other hand, having an anonymous 'Thug' damage you might start an even nerdier 'who shot first' with the Baldur's Gate franchise. There is some incentive for us not to hold a grudge against Tamoko later, and by having her NOT attack the protagonist at the beginning of the game, it might serve to make her less offensive, story-wise. Still, in the original it WAS Tamoko who attacked the protagonist, now it isn't. Also... note some of the new spells Gorion casts! Stoneskin, Protection from Magic Weapons... things we originally wouldn't see until the sequel. It's enough to make a gamer playing a multi-class Fighter/Mage squeal with delight (or maybe it's just me?) In any event, Gorion puts up a much better show for himself this time around. Previously he was bound to the limited selection of 1st-3rd level spells common in the original game. He was supposed to be a pretty damn powerful Mage, but his most effective attacks against the Armored Figure was a string of Magic Missiles. Finally... note how the Armored Figure takes out Gorion in the Enhanced Edition-with the 'Deathbringer Assault' ability. This is a nod to all the gamers out there who knows what awaits us in Throne of Bhaal...

2) To the east Xzar and Montaron await at (x=4500, y=2700), and they'll be friendly enough, even handing over a Potion of Healing if you accept their aid. They'll then try to get you to head to Nashkel with them, which is a destination you'll be heading to eventually anyways. Regardless of your alignment pick them up for now. Make sure to relieve Montaron of his potions, and Xzar of his scrolls. You'll put them to better use. You can go around and explore the area if you want, but there's not much point. You'll find a whiny noble in the west, and some Black Bears who will probably make your life miserable if you get too close. You should, however, grab the Diamond hidden in a tree at (x=4420, y=1960), not far from where you met Xzar and Montaron. I'll admit, I've played this game through countless times, and I've never found this before. Thanks to Mr. Rozzo for this (and other) obscure treasures. When you're done exit along the eastern side of the map to unlock another wilderness area. Keep in mind that when you travel between areas there is always a chance you'll run afoul of a random encounter. At low levels, these can be, well, devastating. If it happens just reload your autosave, which the game makes every time you leave an area. How thoughtful, eh? After your trip to the Friendly Arm Inn, your first priority will be to assemble your party, which I will discuss at the appropriate time.

Wilderness

3) Upon entering this area you'll be bothered by an 'Old Man'. Answer him as you please, and head north-east, where you can find a rock which has a hollow containing a Ring of the Princes +1 (x=1005, y=1115). Another treasure brought to my attention thanks to Mr. Rozzo... it's a decent little Armor Class booster that'll become obsolete once we start getting enchanted armor. In the meantime, however, wear it, love it. Once you're done, head east until you find a road, then follow it north. If you come across Aoln, just answer him however you please (he's entirely inconsequential) and continue north. There's more to do here, but first we really need to gather up our party. Exit to the north and you'll discover the Friendly Arm Inn.

***ENHANCED EDITION***

The Ring of Princes +1 was originally called... well, just a Ring of Protection +1. For the Enhanced Edition, however, Overhaul Games decided to rename many magical items. Items in the original game typically had a common, sensible name, and in the item description they had a more detailed name... you know, for flavor. I find this incredibly annoying for two reasons. First, it makes me have to rename nearly every damn item in the game arbitrarily. Second, it's just stupid. Call a Ring of Wizardy a Ring of Wizardy. Call Gauntlets of Dexterity Gauntlets of Dexterity.

Friendly Arm Inn, Exterior

4) Watch the movie. Yay. Now head east. Before you enter the Inn, there's a little trinket worth grabbing. At precisely (x=2553, y=3761) there's a Ring of Wizardry hidden in the terrain. This baby doubles first level Mage spells, and is good for your main Mage. For me this either goes to Edwin (when we get him-if I'm evil)-or to my protagonist until Imoen can use it. It's particularly devastating on Edwin, who will have eight first-level spell slots at level two, allowing me to memorize enough Sleep spells to pacify a small army. Now head across the drawbridge. Just after you enter the exterior of the inn, there's a house to enter at (x=1520, y=2500).

Joia's House /House

5) Talk to Joia at (x=250, y=260). Pick dialogue option #1 and she'll give you a quest to go fetch a ring for her from some Hobgoblin thieves north of the inn. Accept her offer. You'll get to this in a bit. Don't forget to loot her house while you're here. When you're done, there's another house to the north for you to search. Loot it, leave the house and head to the east.

6) When you get near the stairs leading to the inn, you'll be approached by a Mage named Tarnesh, who will end up attacking you. Just one of many bounty hunters after your head that you'll meet in the game, Tarnesh can be a real pain, which is why we brought along Xzar and Montaron. He likes to cast Horror, and follow up with damaging spells. At level one, you can't really weather too much, so keep your party together and make sure to get on him fast. If you can interrupt his first spell (having Xzar quickly cast Larloch's Minor Drain is a great interrupter) he'll fall with no problem. If he gets his spell off, you're in for a fight. Loot his body for a Scroll (bounty hunter notice), a Scroll of Shield, a Scroll of Magic Missile, a Scroll of Burning Hands, and 58 gold. Thanks, Tarnesh, I needed that Magic Missile. This should go without saying, but hold onto copies of spell scrolls you find. Imoen will need them when she dual-classes, and Edwin will need them when you find him. A Mage is only as good as their spell arsenal. Now head up the stairs into the inn (x=3500, y=1900).

Friendly Arm Inn, 1st Floor

7) A commoner named Jopi will initiate dialogue with you, complaining about the two central points of the early game: the iron shortage, and the bandit raids. You'll be hearing about these a lot. Sounds kinda questy, no? Also near the entrance you'll find Dorn (x=1120, y=720), who'll mistake you for a servant, and dismiss you just as quickly. Be sure to talk to him, so we can get his quest-line rolling.

8) Head to the north-west of the inn to find Jaheira and Khalid (x=300, y=710) and (x=330, y=660). Jaheira is a pivotal Baldur's Gate character, but she really comes into her own in the sequel. I include her in just about every party I play... not so much because she's terribly powerful in the first game (in the sequel though...) but because... I have a bit of a game-crush on her. I don't know why, maybe it's her deep chick voice, or her general surliness? In any event, I take the both of them along with me, but Khalid's days are numbered in my party (die!). In any event, these two are heading towards Nashkel too. Kind of a theme... Jaheira has a Potion of Invisibility she doesn't need, and Khalid comes with a Potion of Healing and a suit of Splint Mail that can be reassigned to his lovely wife.

9) Finally for this level, you can buy some things from Bently Mirrorshade (x=420, y=490), if you need arrows or something. Before we go on, I'll pass on a few notes about stores. Their prices are dictated by how much the shopkeeper likes you. This is largely a function of a 'reaction' roll made when you talk to NPCs, and it is dependent upon your Charisma score and your Reputation. The higher the two of those are, the lower prices will be. Also, Baldur's Gate puts into effect market saturation. The more stuff you sell to a merchant, the less that item will be worth. If you sell a Two-Handed Sword to a merchant one time for 25 gold, the next time it might not be worth that much. The way to maximize your profits is to sell a number of similar items at the same time-and hence at the same price. So if you happen to have a dozen Short Bows in your inventory, give them all to the same character and sell them all at once. Sometimes the price disparity between reputation scores makes it worth donating to a temple to raise your reputation; this is especially true when buying very expensive items. For example, buying a suit of Full Plate Mail might cause over 7000 gold for a neutral party, but a party with a higher reputation may only have to pay 5000. For big-ticket purchases, it can be worth it to donate a couple hundred gold to raise your reputation and lower prices. You'll know when a donation raised your reputation, as the dialogue with the temple's donation screen will tell you. Donation amounts are NOT cumulative. If you donate 100 gold and it doesn't raise your reputation, you just wasted 100 gold. Therefore it's a good idea to save/load between donations, which are effective in increments of 100 gold. If donating 100 gold doesn't work, donate 200, if that doesn't work, 300, and so on. Of course, it's cheaper to raise your reputation through quests, but that's not always convenient.

Friendly Arm Inn, 2nd Floor

10) Go talk to a Gnome named Unshey (x=1190, y=750) who will tell you about a 'rogue Ogre with a belt fetish to the south'. You'll deal with this later. Head upstairs when you're done looting.

Note: It's very possible that you won't be able to open some of these containers, whose difficulties range from 40 to 70. Even if you can, you might not want to bother running from the guards right now. Without an absurdly high Strength score or a very high Open Locks skill, you have no real way of getting some of this loot. Your options 1) return when you have the 2nd-level Mage spell, Knock, or 2) ignore them, because most of the gear here isn't worth much anyways.

Friendly Arm Inn, 3rd Floor

11) In the middle of the main room on this floor is a Gnome named Landrin. She'll ask you to clear out the spider infestation in her house in Beregost and return some possessions to her. If she likes you, she'll even hand over some Antidotes (or you could always just steal them.) Also, in a room to the north is a nobleman who will demand you launder his Golden Pantaloons. If you're a sneaker, you can take his knickers. If you've got a high Charisma he'll give you some coins, as well. If you have these in your character's inventory when you export to Baldur's Gate 2 you will find them in the sequel, allowing you to fabricate the Big Metal Unit in Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal. Something to keep in mind.

12) Leave the Inn, cross the drawbridge to the south, circle around the Inn to the west, then head up around to the north. Your mission? Kill Hobgoblins and loot them until you find Joia's Flamedance Ring. Return it to her when you find it for your reward. When that's done, exit the map from any direction and head to the wilderness area south of the Friendly Arm Inn.

Wilderness

13) We've skirted around this area, but now that we have a full party, let's finish it off. Unshey's 'rogue Ogre with a belt fetish' is at about (x=4650, y=1650). An Ogre can be... painful... at this point in the game, so use Jaheira to Entangle it and take it down with missile fire and spells. You really don't want to melee at Ogre at levels 1-2 if you can help it. When it dies it'll drop a Morning Star, two belts, and 38 gold. It would be best if you identified these belts before putting them on. The larger one is a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity, and it will change its wearer into the opposite gender. Unless you like the change, you'll need a Remove Curse cast to get it off. It'll be a while before you can cast it, and it'll cost money to get it done at a temple. The other belt, however, is a Girdle of Piercing: Elves Bane, which confers a +3 Armor Class bonus against piercing weapons. This is the girdle Unshey wants back, and you can certainly return it... but why would you give it back? Strap this on a front-line character, especially one who might be sent out in front of the party to draw the fire of archers. This will make their survival all the more likely. Still, if you decide to give the belt back, the reward is below. If you change your mind later, the only way to get the belt back is to kill Unshey, which will cause your reputation to plummet and turn the entire level of the Friendly Arm Inn Unshey is on to turn hostile.. likely lowering your reputation further. For me, this belt always goes on Jaheira-she'll have the worst Armor Class of any front-liner, and could use the missile defense.

Note: The Ogre's position my vary a bit, as I've found him in slightly different positions before. He should, however, be in this general area.

Other than that, there's not much in this area besides random encounters and some ruined caravans. Head south to Beregost when you're done exploring.