Heya! It's me, Imoen!

It’s time to reveal the winners of The Faces of Baldur’s Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions Contest: Ashley Rich & Andrew Lim! Congratulations, Ashley and Andrew, you’ll get your portraits transformed into the art style of Baldur’s Gate by Mike Sass!


Big Congrats to the winners and finalists of the Baldur's Gate portrait contest!
It’s really exciting that D&D seems to be having a renaissance, with the new movie and games coming out. We are delighted that there is a loyal community around the BG games and we are happy that together we keep the franchise alive.
There were hundreds of portrait submissions for this contest. I went through them all and made a shortlist of about 20 that were great options for turning into BG characters. It may seem like the winners were chosen because of costuming and props, but that's totally not the case. Two of my favorites were simple faces with hand gestures, which had good expressions and contained the feel and attitude of the old illustrations. While we appreciated the efforts to gather props and costumes, this was not the biggest factor in determining the winners. The winning entries were a consensus by myself and Beamdog, and had a level of uniqueness, effort and surprise that grabbed our attention.
Ashley Rich: What a great, well-considered pose! Ashley has conceptualized a character that has lots of potential in a fantasy world. The overlap of the hand and gem are a great way to keep the details inside a closely-cropped small portrait format. And of course, the eye-glass element is really cool. Great job, and congratulations!
Andrew Lim: Wow! This submission demonstrates perfectly that the props are helpful, but not what makes a winner. His firm expression, hand gestures and complexity of pose are the big thing here. Andrew has a great look that can't be ignored, congratulations!
Again, thanks to everyone that submitted to this contest. We could literally show dozens of great entries that all had usable aspects and were perfectly good. We appreciate all the considered efforts you took; The winners were not easily chosen and there were many others that I am disappointed I could not use. However, the winners deserve the accolades, and we hope you agree!

~Mike Sass


Want to learn more about Andrew and Ashley's character backstories? Read below.

Andrew Lim:
My character is a human barbarian of the Uthgardt Bear Tribe. Hailing from the Cold Wood, he stands as one of the vigilants of his tribe that protect their people from the dangers of the untamed wilds therein. Warriors of the bear venerate the animal not only for its strength and majesty (particularly owing to the dire bears in the region), but also for its ability to endure in the harshest of climes. He fights to protect his tribe as well as to earn the favor of the Great Bear, which is its "blessing"--contracting lycanthropy in order to become one of the Great Bear's chosen that maintains the bear's noble heritage and bearing in order to better protect the tribe. Like the rest of his warrior kin, he constantly pushes the borders of his rangings, riding on a knife-edge of danger that may earn the recognition of the Great Bear, or claim his unworthy spirit into the depths of the Cold Wood, never to be seen again.

Ashley Rich:
Feldy (Feldspar) is a human rogue from the Merchant Guild - specifically, her job has been that of gem cutter/appraiser. She greatly enjoyed her moderately comfortable life in the guild, but was recently sent out on an expedition whose purpose was to restore a late mage's abode. Discovering all she could about the runestones there and possibly bringing some back was supposed to fastrack her apprenticeship, but of course, nothing ever goes to plan...

Hamsters and rangers everywhere, rejoice!

The Faces of Baldur’s Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions Contest was such a success that it took us and Mike Sass a little bit more than 3 weeks to go through the submissions and pick the winners. You definitely rolled 18 Charisma for your CHARNAMEs! We’re so humbled by the number of participants and the quality of your photos, stories, and character concepts—that we might have something extra in store for a few additional finalists! (Boo says: Squeak!)

Please check out the letter by Mike Sass below and stay tuned to our socials (Twitter & Facebook[www.facebook.com]) in the upcoming weeks to find out who rolled a critical hit!
Wow! What can I say. We are overwhelmed by the almost 360 submissions to this portrait contest.
We have looked through all the photos now and have chosen the winners.
I mentioned to Beamdog that there are so many good ones that it would make sense to call some out and add some "finalists" to the contest, with a little prize for them, so we are going to do that. I really appreciate the time you guys took, so thought we should expand the accolades. It's a lot of effort to get dressed up and take photos, and your efforts were very much noticed!
I have to laugh at how many pets were included in the photos. A lot of cats, and even a guinea pig!
I'll call out some non-finalists that were super duper close to being winners...
Richard Farrelly... with your bird pet. It's possible that you have a perfect face for a fantasy character. I suggest you get an agent, dude.
Thomas Nimbus Kirk... Super good job with this photo! The angles of your head and the mug, and the way you have it held close to your head are ideal. Love the soap suds in the mug for the extra effort!
St1ng... Man, I fought to use you, and you were my top photo. I wanted to make you a magic user with glowing floating runes around your hand. But alas, I can only pick one male, and had to leave you. Sniff.
Johann Mahinay... If I had the space for an orc you would have been him! Totally usable picture just a matter of balance... sorry!
Emma Peterson... Perfect as well. Your look, the pose, it's all very BG! Give me a few more portraits and you would be one; it's a numbers thing!
Kori-Shea Dupasquier... It's all there! This is ready to paint and you have planned out a good character. Top 3 female! (Get a license plate that says that.)
julia.del... Great hair, hand, and face. This is a quintessentially good reference; the perfect pose and look to build on.
Janusz Komorowski... The BG portraits could use another straightforward warrior male, and you are my choice! Your hair and expression work well, alas, I can only choose one.
jpsimmons and Henry Lindeman... You guys know what's up! You guys have the look!
Glen McKnight... Great job with the colored side lighting. Are you a photographer? You did a bang-up job with the expression and look. I consider this a perfect reference, so great job here.
Marcin Oczesała... You are doing exactly what is needed here… Your hands and knife have been posed perfectly and I wish I could use your photo as you have hit the mark!
Garret... Legolas. Drow warrior. Great look and perfect pose. I don't know what to say, I can only pick one!
Stay tuned for the finalists!

This year we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of Baldur’s Gate, a game by BioWare that is so dear to all of us at Beamdog! In 1998, a legend was born, and this legend continues to live today thanks to an amazing community of Baldur’s Gate players.

And just this past November we celebrated our own small anniversary – 10 years since the release of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition. All these years YOU (yes, YOU) have been with us, sharing stories about your adventures on the Sword Coast, providing feedback, and showing how much Baldur’s Gate means to you. We want to give you something special in return, and at the same time pay respect to the original game.

We reached out to Mike Sass, the original artist who had created all the portraits of your beloved Baldur’s Gate companions: Minsc, Dynaheir, Jaheira, Khalid, Edwin, Viconia, the list can only go on! Mike kindly agreed, and now we want to give back to you, the players. We want you to define and be the Faces of Baldur’s Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions. Our community members are the true faces of the Baldur's Gate world and we want to honor that.

Starting TODAY, we'd love it if you submitted your Photo to [email protected] for a chance to be selected as one of two community members immortalized in a character portrait by Mike Sass. He will create your portrait in the original Baldur’s Gate style and your face could be added to the games! In your email, answer the following questions for Mike to draw inspiration from when creating his portraits:

1. What is your character’s race, class, backstory?
   
2. What is your most proud accomplishment in the 10 years of playing Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition?
   
3. If you played the original game over 20 years ago, how did it feel coming back to the Enhanced Edition?

Feel free to add/attach any additional materials, design concepts, and more.

*By submitting your Photo, you grant us, without any compensation of any kind to you or others, the exclusive right and license to use, copy, distribute, display, publish, perform, sell, sublicense, modify, edit, adapt, translate, transmit, create derivative works from, and otherwise exploit all Photos in any form, medium or technology that we elect, whether now or in the future. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree that, without further approval from you, we may exercise the rights you grant us herein for any and all purposes we deem appropriate, including, without limitation, for the promotion, marketing, and publicizing of our services and products. The right and license you grant us is perpetual, irrevocable, exclusive, royalty-free, unrestricted, worldwide, and transferable without your further consent. You understand and agree that we have the option, but not the obligation, to use the Photo you submit to us, and that if we exercise our license rights, we may also use your User Information in conjunction with such Photos. You agree that we and our third party service providers may use your email address to contact you about your Photos and for other administrative purposes related to your obligations and our rights.

The submission period is from February 13 to March 06. The photos we select are at our sole discretion. If Mike Sass chooses your portrait, he has the absolute creative freedom to design it away from your description.

Here are guidelines to consider when submitting your photo:

• Every photo must be your original work
  
• We accept photos in digital format only
  
• One submission per person
  
• Photos must use a neutral/light background & match the lighting below

We will not use the following:

• Photos depicting persons that are identifiable
  
• Copyrighted material
  
• Photos that contain elements that are unlawful or that we may not lawfully use or publish
  
• Photos that contain your name or nickname, any other symbol or device that identifies you to others, or a copyright legend
  
• Photos that contain personally identifiable information such as, but not limited to, email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
  
• Digital image files that contain anti-copying or tracking devices
  
• You must be at least 18 years old to submit a Photo to us

Please check out the letter by Mike Sass below—it has more recommendations to increase the chances of your photo being selected for the in-game portrait! Good luck, adventurers!


Hi Everyone!
I'm excited that Beamdog has asked me to revisit Baldur’s Gate and and create two new portraits of community members for the game.
25 years ago, BioWare was lucky to get the D&D license from Interplay to attach to the “Battleground Infinity” demo and create a special game that re-invigorated fantasy PC gaming.
Back in the day, as a 90s startup based in Canada, most of the BioWare employees were generalists, and we were all learning on the job.
When I started at BioWare my tasks included concepting and texturing 3-d models. Baldur's Gate needed some character portraits, and various employees tried their hand at photoshop-painting these characters. Since none of us were experienced artists at that point, nobody could seem to craft a professional-looking painting. Using photoshop version 3, my attempts seemed to be passable, so I became the portrait artist. Little did I realize, BG would be a hit, these images would resonate and I would have a 25-year career painting art for video games!
The BG1 portraits were my first digital paintings ever. Back in the day, there was no standard to copy, no instruction to follow and no inspiration to aspire to. This was the first project for all of us, and we just used intuition and experimentation for everything. Illustrative game art in the early 90s was sometimes created by the programmers or outsourced to traditional advertising agencies. In-house art talent wasn't really a thing.
In 25 years, I have learned much about traditional portraiture and digital painting techniques. These two new portraits give me the chance to create quality images using the knowledge of a seasoned professional. (To me, this is like going back to college when I'm 50 and correcting mistakes from my youth. Haha.) The past number of years I have focused on painting card art for Blizzard's Hearthstone game. I now use Corel Painter, and have a totally different process and standards. It will be interesting to see how this new portraits compare and if they even look like the same artist did them!
As you likely know, the original BG portraits were based on real people. I had taken some photos for reference for various projects in college and knew this is what professional artists did to inform their paintings. So I asked around the office for people to pose for the BG characters. I also used wives and girlfriends, as BioWare was probably 90% male. I didn't even consider using actual, paid models as it seemed like a big ask to get the bosses to pay for that. It’s also weird to go around telling random people that you want to photograph them for your fantasy project.
In retrospect, I think people like the BG1 portraits because the dialogue and voices combine with a living, realistic picture of the character. Taking photos of specific poses and expressions allowed me to break from generic stereotypes and portray these characters in a manner where the portrait communicates a character's motivation or background. I aimed to have the model's hands be in the frame holding, doing or expressing something that furthered their character.
With new BG portraits, I intend to use the successful aspects of the original BG1 set. I would like an object, prop or gesture to be included in the frame. (not totally necessary) These elements have to be close to the face so it can be cropped tight and consistent. (holding something in an outstretched arm to the side won't work) The main thing is I need faces that look like fantasy characters. There is a need for all types, from a portly dwarf to a delicate elf. I can change colors and add whatever details are needed. I will be enhancing the characterization a bit more this time, so it won't be verbatim the photo you send in. Don't photograph too dark or too light and washed out. Keep lighting simple and descriptive.
The original portrait references were taken with a film camera and lit by a table lamp indoors. The lighting should match the mood of the figure. Take photos with a neutral/light background to avoid confusing detail. Get some basic costume, a good prop, even a hamster!
If you are inspired to be included for posterity in this game, go ahead... take some photos, become your character and see if you can make it to be one of community-sourced models.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Mike Sass

Greetings everyone!

The long-awaited 2.6 Patch for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions launched to PC, Mac, and Linux in April. Today we're following that up with the 2.6.6 Patch to squash a few more bugs in these classic RPGs.

Thanks again to our heroic community members who tested out these fixes ahead of today's release.

Together, we are bug-kicking for goodness!🐹

Read on for full patch details...

• Clicking Sounds | Prevented extra button click sounds from playing in the User Interface (UI)
  
• Lightning Bolt Traps | Lightning bolts from the lightning mephit trap and mephit attacks will no longer bounce
  
• Melf's Minute Meteors | Fixed the removing of Melf's Minute Meteors (and any similarly implemented spell) when a character moves in Multiplayer
  
• Multiplayer | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where a newly added party member was not visible or controllable
  
• Multiplayer | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where the 6th slot characters were having the HP and inventory inadvertently changed
  
• Multiplayer | Fixed a rare issue where clicking on Multiplayer would crash the game
  
• World Map | The World Map no longer reopens when travelling to the same location

• Tremain | Tremain will now successfully revive his son
  
• Yeslick's Dispel Magic | Yeslick's special ability Dispel Magic no longer applies the continuous graphical effect
  
• Siege of Dragonspear | Fixed a crash when travelling to the Coalition Camp
  
• Siege of Dragonspear | Fixed a Linux crash after a dialogue with Corporal Duncan, near the end of Chapter 10
  
• Siege of Dragonspear | Fixed a crash in the music system during the Neothelid fight in the Ritual Chamber

• Creature Sounds | Right-clicking on creatures will once again play their default sound

• Boring Beetle Pincers | Fixed pincers on the druid boring beetle form
  
• Spirit Wolves | Fixed a crash when using Spirit Wolves by Totemic Druid

Greetings everyone!

The long-awaited 2.6 Patch for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II & Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions on PC, Mac and Linux launched successfully! Our community testers played a HUGE role in this success, and everyone on our team is here humbled by your support and feedback.

We've identified a few issues introduced by the patch that require an immediate fix. This is why we're calling for your help again— testing a 2.6.6 Beta before it's released as a stable patch!

WHAT CHANGED in 2.6.6
All Games | The World Map no longer reopens when travelling to the same location
All Games | Prevented extra button click noises from playing in the UI
All Games | Lightning bolts from the lightning trap and mephit attacks will no longer bounce
All Games | Fixed the removing of Melf's Minute Meteors (and any similarly implemented spell) when a character moves in Multiplayer
All Games | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where a newly added party member was not visible or controllable
All Games | Fixed a Multiplayer issue where the 6th slot characters were having the HP and inventory inadvertently changed
All Games | Fixed a rare issue where clicking on Multiplayer would crash the game
BGI | Tremain will now successfully revive his son
BGI | Yeslick's special ability Dispel Magic no longer applies the continuous graphical effect
BGII | Right-clicking on creatures will once again play their default sound
SOD | Fixed a crash when travelling to the Coalition Camp
SOD | Fixed a Linux crash after a dialogue with Corporal Duncan, near the end of Chapter 10
SOD | Fixed a crash in the music system during the Neothelid fight in the Ritual Chamber
IWD | Reinstalled pincers on the druid boring beetle form
IWD | Fixed a crash when using Spirit Wolves by Totemic Druid

How to Participate:
- Playthrough some quests & VOTE on the release
- Tell us about *new bugs (the beta shouldn't add any issues) - comment below!
- Tell us about major issues affecting saves, visuals, sound & quality - comment below!

How to opt-in & verify you're using the correct version on Steam:
- Please make sure you're using a clean (unmodded) install. Clear your override folder before testing the beta build
- In your Steam Library, Right-Click on the game and choose “Properties”
- Click on the Beta Tab
- Choose the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu
- If you don't see the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu, please restart Steam
- In-game, on the main menu, you will see that the build is 2.6.6.0

Join the Beta & Vote Below!

We just launched Patch 2.6 for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, Siege of Dragonspear and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions.

This 🐲massive patch upgrades the games to 64-bit systems, fixes hundreds of bugs, and adds brand new portraits & voice sets to customize your heroes— including two sets from the legendary Mark Meer (voice of Commander Shepard in Mass Effect)!

🙏Huge thanks to our heroic community for their tireless adventuring in beta builds for this mammoth patch. Thank You!

Note: Patch 2.6 won't fix every issue in the games, but don't worry— we're still working on future updates!

Check out full patch details below...

• Upgrade to 64-Bit | A much needed upgrade for modern machines— this improves system compatibility
  
• 7 New Character Voice Sets | New player voice sets, including two from the legendary Mark Meer reprising his roles as Alveus Malcanter and Baeloth Barrityl
  
• 11 New Character Portraits | New character portraits to customize your hero’s look
  
• Hundreds of Bug Fixes | Includes scores of fixes to spells and hero abilities
  
• Improved Pathfinding | Smoother party movement and navigation
  
• New Localizations |
  
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition | Added French text localization (beta)
  
• Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear | Added French (beta), Italian, German, Ukrainian and Polish text localizations
  
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition | Added Brazilian Portuguese and Chinese (Simplified) text localizations

• New System Requirements | 32-bit operating systems are no longer supported. Check out the updated system requirements below, or visit game pages for details.
  
• Crossplay with Mobile | Crossplay between computers and mobile devices will not be available until we release the 2.6 patch for iOS and Android (this is in the works!!).
  
• OpenAL | Some windows users encounter launch issues due to OpenAL. If your game fails to launch, try reinstalling OpenAL— the installer "oalinst.exe" can be found in the root of the game install folder.
  
• Multiplayer Latency | Some players report multiplayer latency (delay in communication between game clients)
  
• French Localizations in Beta | We consider the new French text localization to be a beta release. We welcome feedback from the community!
  
• Haste Spell | The spell works correctly, but the combat log doesn't reflect the correct double speed/damage that is taking place

These updates appear in Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions. Updates that only appear in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition can be found further down the list

This upgrade improves system compatibility, including the 64-bit requirement for macOS. 32 bit-operating systems are no longer supported.

• 11 New Character Portraits | New character portraits to customize your hero’s look
  
• 7 New Character Voice Sets | New player voice sets to customize your hero's battle cries
  
• Mark Meer | The legendary Mark Meer reprises his roles as Alveus Malcanter (the most major of minor mages) and Baeloth Barrityl (The Entertainer of the Black Pits)
  
• CEO & Co. | You'll also be treated to the barbarian battle cries of Beamdog CEO, Trent Oster (who
  lost his voice for a few days after the recording session), plus four more Beamdog team voices!

Mark Meer voiced the Enhanced Edition characters, Alveus Malcanter and Baeloth Barrityl. New voice sets let you use these character voices for your hero! (Images left to right: Alveus Illustration, Baeloth Illustration, Photo of Mark Meer as Baeloth)

• Area Names | Area names now display correctly on multiplayer saves
  
• Character Imports | Fixed issue with multiplayer character imports, specifically thief skills
  
• Chat Hotkey | Added a hotkey for multiplayer chat: hit “T” to open the chat
  
• Crash Fixes | Fixed several multiplayer crashes
  
• Client Connection | Fixed a few conditions preventing client connection
  
• Error Handling | Improved internal error handling
  
• Host Reload | Hosts reloading no longer cause clients to get stuck in level-up
  
• New Characters | New characters joining multiplayer sessions no longer receive default equipment
  
• Player Familiars | Player familiars and their stat blocks now load correctly in multiplayer games
  
• Time Played | Fixed error in multiplayer time played information
  
• Troubleshooting | Improved multiplayer troubleshooting by adding a network.log file and a fix to how the jingle.log file resets

• Character Imports | Advanced AI now loads correctly with character imports
  
• German Font | Fixed German text font size in menu for character voice selection
  
• Item Comparison | You can now disable item comparison
  
• Map | Fixed visual issues in map area backgrounds
  
• Text Input | You no longer need to click before typing in text inputs— the cursor will remain active

• Aid Bonuses | Aid bonuses to hits and damage now display correctly on the inventory screen, and the status icon displays on the character record screen
  
• Bigby’s Hand Spells | Updated spell graphics and fixed saving throws for Bigby’s Clenched Fist and Bigby’s Crushing Hand
  
• Breach | Breach now uses projectiles and visuals consistent with the other spell protection removal spells
  
• Detect Illusion | Corrected the casting range on Detect Illusion
  
• Call Lightning and Pillar Spells | Effects that involve pillar animations, such as Call Lightning have been remastered into a single animation sequence rather than several stacked animations
  
• Chaos Shield | Chaos Shield and Improved Chaos Shield now use graphics distinct from Miscast Magic
  
• Chaotic Commands | Chaotic Commands now use the correct projectiles at all levels
  
• Cloud Projectiles | Updated Cloud Projectiles so they are cleared by Zone of Sweet Air
  
• Cloud Spells | Several Cloud Spell visual effects have been updated to match their color descriptions (including Cloudkill, Stinking Cloud, Death Fog, and Incendiary Cloud)
  
• Club Proficiency | Club proficiency now displays correctly on character records
  
• Fire and Cold | Fire and cold graphics of numerous items, spells, and abilities have been recolored to appear more realistic
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | Fire shields and similar effects no longer display text feedback if the striking creature is out of range of the struck creature
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | Damage suffered when striking a protected creature now ignores mirror image
  
• Fire Shields and Blade Barriers | These spells may now be refreshed before their durations expire
  
• Fireball | Updated visual effects for the Fireball spell and for items that use Fireball style explosions
  
• Haste Scrolls | Haste Scrolls now correctly target an area rather than a particular creature
  
• Hit Dice | Spells affecting creatures based on their hit dice now work as expected
  
• HP Drain | Spells that drain HP now work as expected, and cannot drain more HP than available from a target
  
• Invisibility, 10' Radius | Invisibility, 10' Radius now no longer affects enemies and uses a 10 foot radius area of effect
  
• Lightning Bolt | Restored Lightning Bolt to behavior in the original games: the bolt continues in a straight line beyond the initial target, hitting all in its path and bouncing off obstacles
  
• Magic Resistance | Spells such as Glitterdust, Contagion, and Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere no longer bypass magic resistance
  
• Melf's Minute Meteors | Updated damage type from piercing to missile
  
• Movement Effects | Movement effects from spells such as Entangle now relate properly with stacking or counteracting effects from spells or the environment
  
• Non-Detection | Spells blocked by Non-Detection will no longer play visuals or sound effects on targeted creatures
  
• Physical Mirror | Physical Mirror effects now have consistent duration and dispel behavior
  
• Poison Immunity | Creatures immune to poison no longer visibly recoil in combat when hit by poison or disease effects
  
• Polymorph Self | Fixed inconsistencies, casting time and minor issues with Polymorph Self
  
• Power Levels | Corrected the power level of several items and spells to make sure they interact properly with spell protections, such as Spell Turning or Globe of Invulnerability
  
• Power Word and Symbol Spells | audio and visual spell effects will only play if targets are actually affected by the spell
  
• Projectile Speeds | Updated projectile speeds so they are more consistent
  
• Projectile Speeds | Thrown darts and dagger speeds have been sped up to appear more realistic
  
• Priests of Tyr | Divine Favor and Exaltation now play expected graphics and sounds
  
• Priests of Tempus | Chaos of Battle now plays different animations on allies and opponents
  
• Psionic Blast | Description for Psionic Blast now appears in the innate ability menu when you shapechange into a Mind Flayer
  
• Raise Dead & Resurrection | Raise Dead and Resurrection type spells can no longer be cast on living targets, only dead targets
  
• Recurring Effects | Spells and items with effects that refresh each round now reapply the recurring effect properly
  
• Regeneration | Updated Regeneration status icon used on portraits
  
• Repulse Undead | Aligned School of Magic for Repulse Undead’s parent and child spells
  
• Saving Throws | Corrected saving throw messages and functionality on a handful of spells and magic items
  
• Shaman Spirits | The spirit animals summoned by shamanic dancing are now correctly dispelled when they reach the edge of the shaman’s visual range
  
• Shamanic Spells | Shamanic spells and abilities now play consistent visual effects with “shamanic themed” colors
  
• Shapechange | Fixed inconsistencies, casting time and minor issues with Shapechange
  
• Simulacrums | Simulacrums and Projected Images no longer incorrectly inherit temporary abilities from casters
  
• Sleep & Unconsciousness | Fixed a few minor issues in the Sleep and Unconsciousness effects; status icons on character record screen now differentiate between Sleep and Unconsciousness
  
• Spell and Potion Icons | Added or updated portrait icons to portray suitable magical effects for several spells, potions and abilities
  
• Spell Protection Removal | Spell Protection Removal spells may now be cast onto invisible creatures
  
• Spell Target Glow | Creatures targeted by spells now glow consistently
  
• Spellstrike | Spellstrike now uses projectiles and visuals consistent with the other spell protection removal spells
  
• Spirit Armor | Spirit Armor saving throws now work as expected
  
• Spirit Fire | Aligned School of Magic for Spirit Fire’s parent and child spells
  
• Time Trap | Trap projectile for thieves’ Time Trap ability now plays audio
  
• Wish and Limited Wish | These spells now behave correctly as level 9 and level 7 spells when interacting with spell protections

• Missiles | Corrected a handful of labelling inconsistencies for missile ids
  
• Missiles | MISSILE.ids now accurately label projectiles
  
• SPLPROT.2da | Added labels and standardized SPLPROT.2da across Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale Enhanced Editions

• Added French (beta), Italian, German, Ukrainian and Polish text localizations
  
• Note: We consider the new French text localization to be a beta release. We welcome feedback from the community!

• Burning Hands | Burning Hands now correctly casts as an area of effect spell, rather than targeting one creature
  
• Chant | Detrimental effects play graphics and sound on opponents
  
• Chaotic Commands | Chaotic Commands now use the correct projectiles at all levels
  
• Confusion | Confusion no longer causes Sarevok to become invincible
  
• Darkness 15’ Radius | Darkness 15’ Radius' visual effects now blend to make it appear more realistic
  
• Death Ward | Death Ward now blocks the special version of Power Word: Kill used by the Death Knight
  
• Ethereal Retribution | The effect message for Ethereal Retribution now displays as expected
  
• False Dawn | Updated graphical effects of False Dawn to match its listed description more closely
  
• Immunities | Fixed several spells so they no longer affect creatures who are supposed to be immune
  
• Incendiary Cloud | Incendiary Cloud now uses consistent visual effects, regardless of the caster’s level
  
• Level Drain | Reported levels and actual levels drained now align correctly
  
• Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere | Aligned school of magic for Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere parent and child spells
  
• Polymorph | Corrected icon and damage for Brown Bear Polymorph
  
• Polymorph Self | Casting Polymorph Self into a brown bear no longer causes crash if a record screen is open
  
• Summon Monsters | Monsters summoned via wand will now behave the same as those summoned directly via spell
  
• Tiax | Fixed an issue where Tiax would sometimes fail to search for traps when the option was selected

• Water, Water Everywhere | When flooding the mines at Cloakwood, you will now receive the 'Water, Water Everywhere' achievement if you open the plug via dialogue with the miner.
  
• Fisherman’s Foe | Fixed an issue in Tenya's area that prevented the 'Fishermans Foe' achievement from being awarded

• Adoy’s Enclave | Added experience reward when killing Magreb and completing Adoy’s Enclave quest
  
• Adoy’s Enclave | Adoy's Enclave is now accessible from the Gullykin to its north on the world map.
  
• Adoy’s Enclave | Fixed an issue where nearby goblins would sometimes attack and kill the bear in Adoy's Enclave
  
• Bassilus | Bassilus’ skeletons now correctly attack along with Bassilus when players choose any of the hostile dialogue options
  
• Black Pits | Splitting slimes in the Black Pits can no longer kill the party in Story Mode
  
• Black Pits | When replaying the Black Pits battle with Llyrk (Tier 1, Battle 3), his Crumbling Skeletons will no longer die immediately
  
• Beregost | Fixed a bug preventing players from entering a home near the Red Sheaf in Beregost.
  
• Doppelgangers | Doppelgangers at the Seven Suns no longer lose their loot when transforming out of their human disguises
  
• Doppelgangers | Aldeth now recognizes when you have completed the quest to clear out the doppelgangers at Merchant’s League
  
• Dorn | Dorn is no longer too easily killed when you meet him in his initial ambush
  
• Dorn | When approaching Kryll, Dorn will no longer jump to a new position before initiating dialogue
  
• Dradeel | Dradeel should now remain dead if you kill him in his hut, and will no longer turn up later as you try to escape the island.
  
• Drizzt | Fixed an issue where players could stand close enough to activate gnolls attacking Drizzt without activating Drizzt to fight back
  
• Drizzt | Drizzt will now properly acknowledge the player's help in the gnoll ambush
  
• Ducal Palace | The entrance to the Ducal Palace is now only available once the bars are open
  
• Durlag’s Tower | A handful of traps in Durlag's Tower and the Dark Moon temple are no longer flagged as already discovered
  
• Durlag’s Tower | Fixed an issue in the basement of Durlag’s Tower where killing the initial fission slime prematurely sent the party to the chessboard
  
• Dynaheir | Dynaheir no longer comments on Edwin’s death if he is killed before you meet her
  
• Elfsong Tavern | In Chapter 7 in the Elfsong Tavern, Husam no longer appears and disappears repeatedly
  
• Nashkel | Fixed an issue where killing Brage would not result in his body being dropped, which prevented players from being able to collect his bounty in Nashkel
  
• Mutamin | Fixed an issue occurring when Mutamin is hidden: one of his basilisks could be attacked and killed without turning hostile and fighting back
  
• Prism | If you complete the Prism quest before talking to Oublek, he will no longer list Prism as an outstanding bounty
  
• Ramazith | Ramazith now returns inside if he finds himself coaxed outside his home during the completion of his quest
  
• Rasaad | The female monk in Rasaad’s quest no longer uses a male avatar and some male sounds
  
• Rasaad | Fixed an issue during Rasaad's quest where the party will encounter Gamaz but not 'officially' kill Gamaz, so he would never be added to the party stats (such as the 'most powerful vanquished')
  
• Scar | Reworked Scar’s rewards for completing the investigation into the Seven Suns
  
• Story Mode | NPCs (non-player characters) who leave the party now lose their invincibility, as expected
  
• Tazok | If you join the bandits with Kivan in your party, you will no longer get trapped in a loop if you choose to attack Tazok in the Bandit Camp
  
• Tenya | Reworked Tenya’s rewards for returning her bowl
  
• Tutorial | Fixed an issue preventing Belt from moving to the next floor in the tutorial.
  
• Waukeen’s Promenade | Fixed a crash when checking area background in Waukeen's Promenade
  
• Items
  
• Arrows | In Chapter 6, Arkanis and Deder now carry normal arrows, not special arrows
  
• Baeloth’s Ring | Fixed message displayed when clicking Baeloth’s non-removable ring in his inventory; message now correctly reads “This item cannot be removed”
  
• Blinding Powder | Removed redundant combat feedback when using Blinding Powder
  
• Dwarven Runestones | Multiple copies of dwarven runestones can no longer be pickpocketed from Ike
  
• Eldoth’s Poison | Eldoth’s Poison Arrows no longer do 50% more damage than expected
  
• Elemental Bullets | Elemental Bullets of Fire, Ice and Electricity now use unique icons to distinguish them from other bullets
  
• Elemental Bullets | Increased the price of elemental darts due to their higher damage potential over +1 darts
  
• Rilsa’s Ring | Added Rilsa’s Ring item description
  
• Shield of the Falling Stars | Multiple copies of the unique item Shield of the Falling Stars can no longer be looted from Varci
  
• Journal Entries
  
• Dorn | Failing to discover Gorion’s letter in Candlekeep no longer prevents the journal entry for Dorn’s quest from closing; the entry now closes with the death of Simmeon
  
• Melicamp | Melicamp’s journal entries are now filed together under one header, rather than separate quests
  
• Kagain | Interrupting Kagain’s dialogue when he finally sees the destroyed caravan no longer causes the journal entry to remain open
  
• Rasaad | Several notes from Rasaad's side quest are now flagged as critical so they will no longer disappear from ground piles and prevent the completion of the quest
  
• Rising Tensions with Amn | The journal entries filed under 'Rising Tensions with Amn' now close as expected once you complete Chapter 4 and discover the true source of the conflict
  
• Tandem in Extremis | The “Tandem in Extremis” journal entry will now close when you meet Winski at the end of the Thieves Maze, rather than remaining open.
  
• Tazok and the Bandits | Informational journal entries for “Tazok and the Bandits” journal entries now appear in the Info section of the journal, rather than the quest section
  
• Display, Dialogue & Audio
  
• Adoy’s Enclave | Added the missing footstep sounds in Adoy’s Enclave and Dark Moon Temple
  
• Ambush Cutscene | Cutscene of Gorion’s ambush now correctly shows the player’s familiar fleeing along with the player
  
• Baldur’s Gate Creatures | Some hidden creatures in the City of Baldur’s Gate in Chapter 7 no longer display a string of code when they disappear
  
• Baeloth | Fixed an issue where Baeloth’s dialogue after the Margarine of Evil fight could interrupt the party’s return from the arena, breaking the campaign
  
• Bruel | Bruel’s retort now displays correctly
  
• Dialogue Choices | Dialogue choices now display correctly, without cutting off longer text blocks
  
• Gandlor | Removed superfluous dialogue option causing conversation with Gandlor to repeat
  
• Fog of War | Fog of War and map features now reset as expected when players reenter the area where Dorn gets ambushed
  
• Inn Screens | Inn screens now display properly in the center of the screen
  
• Iron Throne | Fixed missing weather on the Iron Throne roof
  
• Neera | Fixed an issue where Neera starts her post-fight dialogue despite remaining enemies
  
• Play Button | Corrected code for the “Play” button when choosing a character voice
  
• Thieving Message | When caught thieving, the message “Someone has noticed you! You hear the guards being summoned” will now only appear when guards are actually summoned
  
• Russian TLK Table | Added Russian Female TLK table to resolve some grammatical issues
  
• Spell Sound Effects | Less intrusive sound effects play for numerous area of effect spells
  
• Waylay Areas | Fixed missing combat music in many waylay areas

• Fixed crash when players attempt to load after idling

• Aec’Letec’s Death Gaze | Fixed an issue where if the player mods the game to allow the protagonist to die, the game would still end if Player1 is turned into a ghast via Aec'Letec's death gaze

A new Beta for Baldur's Gate:Enhanced Edition is available now, and we want your feedback. Are we ready for the big release? Go on an adventure and share your thoughts!

- This is NOT the last update for BGEE
- 2.6 will not fix every issue— but we hope to improve the game in future updates
- Here's what we've focused on for this patch: 2.6 Patch Items[forums.beamdog.com]
- System Requirements have changed:
Minimum: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 64-bit, OS X 10.9, Ubuntu 18.04 or equivalent
- Please check your device meets the updated System Requirements before testing
- Make sure your device supports 64-bit games

- Playthrough some quests
- Tell us about *new bugs (the beta shouldn't add any issues) - comment below!
- Tell us about major issues affecting saves, visuals, sound & quality - comment below!
- VOTE on the release, and include your OS (Windows, macOS, Linux)

• Yes, Release the Patch!
  
• No, it's not ready! (Please explain)

*You can also participate on the Beamdog Forums![forums.beamdog.com]

• Please make sure you're using a clean (unmodded) install. Clear your override folder before testing the beta build
  
• In your Steam Library, Right-Click Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and choose “Properties”
  
• Click on the Beta Tab
  
• Choose the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu
  
• If you don't see the road_to_2.6 in the drop down menu, please restart Steam
  
• In-game, on the main menu, you will see that the build is 2.6.2.0

We won't move forward with a 2.6 Patch release until we hear feedback from enough Windows, Linux & macOS players for each game included in this update:

• Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
  
• Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear (New Beta Available!)[forums.beamdog.com]
  
• Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition (New Beta Available!)
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition (New Beta Available!)

Check out testing progress on the Beamdog Forums![forums.beamdog.com]

Is the 2.6 Patch ready to release?

• Yes, Release the Patch! [Windows / macOS / Linux]
  
• No, It's not ready! [Windows / macOS / Linux]

Greetings Adventurers!

We've released a new Beta for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition to prepare for the BIG 2.6 Patch! We need your help to test out this build, and tell us if it's ready for release.

The first bit of feedback we're seeking is a simple Launch & Save Test.

How to Participate:

• From your Steam Library > Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition > Properties, Switch to the 2.6 Beta
  
• Install the 2.6 Beta
  
• Launch the 2.6 Beta
  
• Save your Game in the 2.6 Beta
  
• COMMENT below!
  
• ***Please share your System [Windows / macOS / Linux], Launch [Success/Fail] and Save [Success/Fail]***

For more details on our planned updates in the 2.6 Patch, check out this article on our forums[forums.beamdog.com].

Huge thanks to our amazing community for the great feedback we've received on our forums so far[forums.beamdog.com]!

A fair wind favors the Sword Coast today as the 2.5 update arrives in Baldur’s Gate! After weeks of waiting on becalmed seas, our swashbuckling team of developers have released a patch filled with features and fixes. Beyond the city gates, adventurers will find enhancements to the Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition expansion, Siege of Dragonspear!

Find the full list of patch notes on the Beamdog blog:
http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/08/updates-to-baldurs-gate-enhanced.html