Baldur's Gate 2 Online Walkthrough - Chapter 2 (2024)

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• Walkthrough by Montresor

OVERVIEW OF CHAPTER 2

Officially, Chapter 2 begins when you enter the Slums District in Athkatla and accept Gaelan Bayle's offer. Unofficially, for the purposes of this walkthrough it begins at the point where you escape Irenicus' Dungeon and arrive in Waukeen's Promenade. Don't worry, the difference is minimal.

Chapter 2 takes place in Athkatla, capital of the land of Amn, and the surrounding lands. You emerge from Irenicus' Dungeon only to witness a battle between Irenicus and several hooded figures. Once he has disposed of them, he turns his attention to you. A short, scripted exchange between Irenicus and Imoen follows, after which they cast spells at each other without doing much harm.

Several hooded wizards teleport to the scene and declare Irenicus and Imoen to be law-breakers for casting spells within the city of Athkatla. After an exchange, where Irenicus kills several of the cowled mages, he and Imoen are taken into custody. You now have your work cut out for you: Free Imoen, and find Irenicus to learn what he wants from you.

What Happens in Chapter 2?

Once you have investigated Waukeen's Promenade and leave the area, the only area you can go to is the Slums District where you run into a man named Gaelan Bayle. You don't know him but he knows you and your plight, and he also knows a powerful group who can help you find Imoen and Irenicus. The sting is in the price tag: His friends need 20,000 GP before they will help you. Gaelan Bayle suggests that you can raise this huge amount of money by selling off some surplus items, and by working for others in Athkatla. Depending on your class, he suggests that you seek out different people:

• If you are a Fighter, a Barbarian, or a Monk, he suggests that you look for a young woman called Nalia in the Copper Coronet in the Slums District. Nalia is more than eager to give you the The De'Arnise Hold Has Been Invaded quest.
• If you are a Paladin, Gaelan also directs you to the Copper Coronet, where a nobleman named Jierdan Firkraag is looking for a band of adventurers to clear out the monsters that have invaded his lands. He gives you the Journey to the Windspear Hills quest.
• If you are a Ranger, Gaelan suggests that you go speak to a boy called Denim in the Government District. Denim asks you to help his village in the Umar Hills, giving you the Deaths in the Umar Hills quest.
• If you are a Mage or a Sorcerer, he directs you to a man called Madeen in the Government District. Madeen asks you to speak to Tolgerias in the Council of Six building, who in turn will give you the Find Valygar quest.
• If you are a Cleric, he suggests that you look for work in the Temple District. Going there you will soon be involved in the Unseeing Eye quest.
• If you are a Druid, he directs you to the City Gate District where a man named Flydian needs help. Flydian gives you the Animal Trouble in Trademeet quest.
• If you are a Thief, he suggests that you go look for work in the Docks District where the local branch of the Shadow Thieves holds sway. Go there, enter the Shadow Thief Guild in the left side of the district, and speak to Renal Bloodscalp for the Find Evidence Against Mae'Var quest.
• Finally, if you are a Bard, he directs you to the Five Flagons Inn in the Bridge District where a woman named Raelis Shai needs a band of adventurers to solve a problem for her. She will give you the Find Haer'Dalis quest.

Each of these quests can end up giving you a stronghold, depending on your class. It is worth noting that you can do all the quests if you like, as well as a wide variety of other quests. You just won't gain any strongholds except the one corresponding to your class.

Once you have earned 15,000 GP, a woman named Valen will seek you out once you go to any outside area in Athkatla. She suggests that you seek out her mistress in the Graveyard District some time after dark. After Valen leaves, Gaelan Bayle's nephew Brus approaches you and asks you to come back to the Slums and speak to Gaelan, who is now also prepared to lower the price to 15,000 GP.

You are now faced with a crucial choice: Will you work with Gaelan Bayle and his contacts, who are obviously Shadow Thieves, or will you cast your lot with Valen's Mistress, a very creepy lady called Bodhi? Believe it or not, the Shadow Thieves are the Good choice here, and Bodhi is the Evil path. Your choice affects what happens in Chapter 3.

Most good-aligned NPCs will be very hesitant if you side with Bodhi. Keldorn and Mazzy will even leave your party permanently.

Once you cast in your lot with either of them, it concludes Chapter 2. Don't worry if you have any pending quests; you can still do them in Chapter 3, or you can go after Imoen and clear up your remaining quests once you return to Athkatla in Chapter 6.

About Quests

As you can see, there are plenty of quests to work on. For some of them, particularly the NPC specific quests, you are working against a deadline. But don't worry! In the general case you can accept a quest, travel around half of Amn, explore Athkatla and its sights, and return to do the quest in a few weeks, or months even. As mentioned above, you can even complete Chapter 2 and go after Imoen and then return to Amn in Chapter 6 to finish the quests you haven't done yet. In fact, if you are planning to have Imoen in your party, I recommend that you go after her as soon as possible and then return to Amn and tie up any loose ends. There is nothing to stop you from doing other quests than you class-specific quest, go look for Imoen, and then return to claim your stronghold.

For a complete overview of quests in Chapter 2, please see the Quest List.

About Arcane Magic

As you saw following Imoen's and Irenicus' battle, arcane magic is strongly frowned upon in the city of Athkatla. As a matter of fact, it is illegal to use magic within the city, and ironically this prohibition is enforced by a group of magicians; the Cowled Wizards. If you use magic in any outside area of Athkatla, a Cowled Enforcer teleports in to issue a warning. If you transgress again, you will be facing a group of Cowled Enforcers and Guards. You were warned...

However, if you are deemed "worthy", you can use magic without repercussions. But how does one become one of the "worthy"? Well, Athkatla is known as the "City of Coin" for a reason. Everything has a price, and the price for "worthiness" in this case is 5,000 GP. Go to the Council of Six Building in the Government District and speak to Corneil. He will be happy to sell you a license to use magic and the party can now safely cast arcane spells anywhere in Athkatla.

The NPCs

During Chapter 2 you can meet all the NPCs available in Shadows of Amn, except for Imoen, whom you will find again in Chapter 4. Here is a brief overview of where to find them:

• Aerie: Is in the Circus Tent in Waukeen's Promenade.
• Anomen: Is in the Copper Coronet in the Slums.
• Cernd: Is in prison in the cellar of the Mayor's Home in Trademeet.
• Edwin: Is in Mae'Var's Guild Hall in the Docks District.
• Haer'Dalis: Can be found by going to the cellar of the Five Flagons Inn in the Bridge District and doing the Find Haer'Dalis quest for Raelis Shai.
• Jaheira: Should be with you from the start. If you have dropped her from the party, she will be standing outside the Galvarey Estate in the Docks District.
• Jan Jansen: Is in the Government District selling turnips and illegal inventions.
• Keldorn: Is in the Sewers beneath the Temple District.
• Korgan: Is in the Copper Coronet in the Slums.
• Mazzy Fentan: Is trapped on Level 1 of Temple Ruins Dungeon.
• Minsc: Should be with you from the start. If you have dropped him from the party, he will be in the Copper Coronet.
• Nalia: Is in the Copper Coronet in the Slums.
• Valygar: Is in his cabin in the Umar Hills.
• Viconia: Is about to be burned at the stake in the Government District.
• Yoshimo: Should be with you from Chapter 1. If you have dropped him, he will be in the Copper Coronet.

You should be aware that many NPCs have an agenda of their own. For example, Korgan joins the party only if you promise him to find a book somewhere under the Graveyard District. If you don't do this within a reasonable time, he will begin to grumble and, in the end, walk out on you!

About Strongholds

Depending on your class, Gaelan Bayle directs you toward a class-specific quest that will earn you a stronghold. Each stronghold comes with some benefits, but also with a number of Stronghold Quests:

• Fighters, Barbarians and Monks become lords of the De'Arnise hold and surrounding lands and must make decisions on how to rule their estate.
• Paladins earn a room in the Order of the Most Radiant Heart and have to do some noble deeds on behalf of the Order.
• Rangers earn a Ranger cabin in the Umar Hills and have to protect the village of Imnesvale from various threats.
• Mages and Sorcerers become masters of the Planar Sphere in the Slums and are asked to help train young Mages.
• Clerics gain a room in the Temple corresponding to their alignment and their duties consist in helping those who seek the temple's advice and serving the temple in other ways. Good Clerics work for the Temple of Lathandar, Neutral Clerics for the Temple of Helm, and Evil Clerics for the Temple of Talos.
• Druids earn a place in the Druid Grove near Trademeet and get to do a couple of minor jobs for the grove. When they reach Level 14 (1,500,000 XP) they must also challenge for leadership of the grove.
• Thieves get to run a Thief Guild in the Docks District.
• Bards become the proud owners of a theater under the Five Flagons Inn where they get to set up a play.

Note that mismanaging your stronghold can lead to your losing it. For example, a landlord who over-taxes his peasants and refuses to help them after disasters may be facing a revolt. A Cleric who offers bad advice to people seeking council at the temple will be booted out. And a Paladin who fails in his tasks will not be a member of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart for long!

Multi-classed and dual-classed characters have to choose which stronghold they want to go after. For example, a Mage/Cleric can go after the Planar Sphere or the Temple. But you can't get both - you can only have one stronghold. If you already have a stronghold and you do another class quest, you will not be offered the stronghold, even if you are the right class.

There is one exception to this rule, though - if you are playing a multi- or dual-classed Fighter, Nalia will offer you lordship of the De'Arnise Keep even if you already have another stronghold. But it doesn't work the other way around. Once you have accepted the De'Arnise Keep, you will not be offered other strongholds.

Random Encounters

When you travel between areas in or outside of Athkatla, you will occasionally hear the message, "You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourself!". You then find yourself in a dark alley with said enemies, who are generally rather weak gangs of bandits or slavers. You could simply bolt for the district exit and leave them behind but why not take them out? They generally drop some enchanted weapons and a few scrolls that can either be memorized by a mage, or sold off to a merchant for cash.

One of these random encounters sets off a string of quests, the Harper Hold quests, which are particularly interesting if Jaheira is in your party. This happens when you run into a gang of bandits who have poisoned a man named Renfeld who, after you have killed his attackers, asks you to take him to the Galvarey Estate in the Docks District. These quests tie in with the Jaheira romance.

Worse than these are the ...

High-Level Encounters

If you are spoiling for a difficult fight, there are plenty to be found in Athkatla! These encounters are not for a party fresh out of Irenicus' Dungeon:

• The Lich in the City Gate District: Enter the Crooked Crane Inn and find the hidden door into the Lich's room. Not for parties with no +3 weapons as the Lich will try to gate in a Pit Fiend. Not for low-level parties in general, as a Lich is just too much for you at this time!
• The Pirates in the Sea's Bounty Tavern: Enter the tavern in the Docks District and find the hidden door on the lower level. Enter to be greeted by a band of pirates. Arr! Doable for low-level parties.
• The hiding Clerics in the Bridge District: Also a fairly difficult fight. But doable, even for low-level parties. They are hiding in the unmarked building at 8 in the Bridge District.
• The Twisted Rune: If you believe you can take on a Lich, a Beholder, a Vampire, an Assassin, and a high-level Mage - and if you have a Rogue Stone in your inventory - to the Bridge District you go! I really recommend that you postpone this one for Chapter 6! Unless you have a death wish.
• Mencar Pebblecrusher and his merry monsters: Found on the second floor of the Den of the Seven Vales in Waukeen's Promenade. But just because it may be your first stop after exiting Irenicus' Dungeon doesn't mean it should be your last. ;-) Wait until you are level 10 or thereabouts.
• The Bandits in the Temple District Sewers: If you take the northern bend through the Sewers, you're really asking for trouble. Here waits a band of high-level Fighters, Clerics, and Mages. Prepare for a hard battle, unless you are high level.
• The Rakshasa and the Goblins: Right in the middle of the Temple District Sewers. Doable for low-level parties.
• The Mind Flayer Area in the Temple District Sewers: Well, you need to come here if you want to lay your hands on one of the best weapons in the entire game, Throne of Bhaal included. To enter, you need a key which you have to take from one of Sarevok's old lieutenants in the Windspear Hills, so you should be a seasoned veteran when you get here. Still, Mind Flayers are pretty awesome enemies. I don't recommend this one for the faint of heart or low of level.
• The Guarded Compound in the Temple District: This place is home to a gang of Slaver Lords and they have gathered a lot of very neat items - but they are also prepared to defend their ill-gotten loot! On the first floor you will be facing an assortment of high-level monsters, including a Glabrezu. On the second floor wait the Slaver Lords themselves; an even harder fight! Doable even for a fairly low-level party, but only with careful planning, skill - and a bit of luck!