Siege of Dragonspear Walkthrough Guide Cheats, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition

Siege of Dragonspear Walkthrough Guide

Welcome to my 16-part Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear walkthrough guide. The following posts cover Beamdog's Siege of Dragonspear expansion in its entirety and as I have played it: on Core Rules difficulty and with the party I previously took through the main campaign.

This interquel expansion takes place a few weeks after Sarevok's demise in the Baldur's Gate walkthrough, treating the period of time between Baldur's Gate & Shadows of Amn.

 

Siege of Dragonspear Preparation

The following write-ups can help newbies as well as rusty veterans get to grips with Siege of Dragonspear very quickly.

Baldur's Gate	Baldur's Gate Races	Baldur's Gate Spellcasting
Best Classes Baldur's Gate	Baldur's Gate Items	Baldur's Gate Dual-classing
Best Spells Baldur's Gate	Baldur's Gate THAC0	Baldur's Gate Specialist Mages
Best Weapons Baldur's Gate	Baldur's Gate Armor Class	Baldur's Gate Weapon Proficiency
Best Companions Baldur's Gate	Baldur's Gate ApR	Baldur's Gate Thieving

Companions and itemization are also covered in accompanying write-ups:

• Companions Siege of Dragonspear
• Siege of Dragonspear Item Code List

Siege of Dragonspear Guide Index

• Part I: Siege of Dragonspear Interlude, House of the Dead
• Part II: Baldur's Gate Chapter 7, Ducal Palace, Companion Overview, Three Old Kegs, Minsc & Dynaheir
  
• Part III: Siege of Dragonspear Quests: Elfsong Tavern, Sorcerous Sundries, Iron Throne & Flaming Fist HQs, Departing the City, Safana & Viconia
• Part IV: Baldur's Gate Chapter 8, Siege of Dragonspear Dwarves of Dumathoin, Corwin, Glint & Edwin
• Part V: Coast Way Crossing, Coast Way Forest, M'Khiin, Baeloth & Rasaad
• Part VI: Baldur's Gate Chapter 9, Siege of Dragonspear Boareskyr Bridge, Jaheira & Voghiln
• Part VII: Forest of Wyrms, Siege of Dragonspear Temple of Bhaal
• Part VIII: Siege of Dragonspear Bridgefort,  Dorn, Neera & Khalid
• Part IX: Baldur's Gate Chapter 10, Siege of Dragonspear Coalition Camp
• Part X: Dead Man's Pass, Dragonspear Castle (courtyard)
• Part XI: Bloodbark Grove & Underground River (approach)
• Part XII: Siege of Dragonspear Underground River
• Part XIII: The Warrens, Siege of Dragonspear Hephernaan & Coalition Camp
• Part XIV: Baldur's Gate Chapter 11, Siege of Dragonspear Castle
• Part XV: Baldur's Gate Chapter 12, Avernus, Siege of Dragonspear Belhifet
• Part XVI: Baldur's Gate Chapter 13, FINALE, The Trial, The Escape & The Ambush

Siege of Dragonspear Overview

Many aspects of Siege's cRPG Design draw from the Icewind Dale series, as should stand out to anyone who has played Black Isle's two epics. From Siege's combat to its linearity and a few of its quests and characters; it's blatantly obvious. Even some of the sprites and sound effects have been ripped from IWD and IWD2! That is not to say that Siege is completely unoriginal; far from it: some of its cRPG reactivity, its scripted waylays and its itemization are quite unique, in no small part thanks to aVENGER.

Very well written [walkthrough]. Looks like you found all of my infravision and random encounter zones but still missed a couple of the harder Spectacles of Spectacle fights.

BTW, you seem to be an experienced tactical player, so I was a bit surprised that you didn't play SoD on Insane with the extra damage modifiers turned off. That would have given you the hardest combat encounters and the best AI without granting enemies any unfair advantages. As an example, during the final battle Belhifet casts Dispel Magic on the party at the start, just like he does in IWD and has more powerful allies. - aVENGER of Beamdog.

Siege of Dragonspear Experience Point Cap

The experience point cap (XP cap) has been increased from 161,000 (BG:EE) to 500,000 for Siege of Dragonspear, meaning that Fighters, Barbarians, Monks & Clerics can expect to reach tenth level, Paladins & Rangers ninth, Thieves, Bards & Druids twelfth and Mages, Sorcerers & Shaman eleventh.

The XP cap means that all classes should gain 1-2 levels over the course of the campaign. That obviously isn't a whole lot but power progression is more dramatic when we consider Siege of Dragonspear items.

Siege of Dragonspear User Interface

The UI has received a major overhaul and modernization for Siege of Dragonspear, and I'm currently getting to grips with the changes that Beamdog have made. 

I don't like the inventory lag and how they replaced the unfurling scroll tooltips with flat, grey panel ones. I also don't like the Sprite Outlines and the reversal of cancel/confirm; and I prefer the grey stone aesthetics of the original UI to the Dragonscale reskin, but the EE UI features additional functionality such as quick-weapon switching.

Siege of Dragonsear Dragonscale Reskin

How to Play BG:EE in Windowed Mode

Go to baldur.lua in My Docs:

• SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Full Screen','0')

Siege of Dragonspear 4:3 Aspect Ratio

To play Siege of Dragonspear in resolutions of 4:3 aspect ratio, simply add the width and height of the resolution in pixels:

 

• SetPrivateProfileString('Window','w','1280')
• SetPrivateProfileString('Window','h','1024')

Remove White Fog in Siege of Dragonspear

Help! I can't see anything on my playing field because of all this white fog. Someone make it stop! Ok, to disable the fog you must disable Weather in Options → Gameplay. Yes, it disables ALL weather. I didn't care, though. I just wanted the fog gone.

Disable Sprite Outlines in BG:EE

Help! The sprite outlines are disgusting! How do I get rid of them? Uncheck Sprite Outlines in Options → Graphics.

Disable Health Bars in BG:EE

Eww, health bars. I can't see my guys and what they're killin'! Help? Uncheck Health Bars in Options → Graphics.

Inventory Lag in BG:EE

Oh god. The inventory LAGS. I have played BG since it came out in 1998, and on lots of different PCs in that time. The user interface NEVER lagged; at least, not like this. It's now 2016 and there is LAG? What can I do? Nothing, but it's on Beamdog's to-do list.

Sprite Movement Blurry: Enhanced Edition

As far as I can tell, as of 2022, we can do nothing about the blurriness of the Baldur's Gate sprites when they move. Note that original Infinity Engine sprites didn't go blurry when they moved: I could focus my vision on them clearly as they moved on the playing field at 60 AI updates per second. 

I'm surprised people haven't mentioned this; maybe they don't notice due to having poor eyesight, or aren't bothered by it?

Movement too Slow in BG:EE

Change the 30 to a 60 in this line of baldur.lua:

• SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Maximum Frame Rate','30')

Dialogue can be very quickly skipped through by hitting a combo of the Esc-key and 1-key. 95% of scripted and FMV cutscenes may be skipped with the Esc-key, too. This feature is very welcome for replaying the campaign.

Siege of Dragonspear Cheats

To use cheats in Siege of Dragonspear, we must first activate the console. To activate the console navigate to your Documents\Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition folder, open baldur.lua, and add this line in the Program Options section: 

SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Debug Mode','1') 

(Save the file.)

List of Siege of Dragonspear Cheats

Ctrl + Space will call up console mode in-game, into which field you may type (or copy-paste) various commands; for example:

• C:ExploreArea()
• C:SetCurrentXP("x")
• C:AddGold("x")
• C:CreateItem("x")

cf. BG1 Item Code List & Siege of Dragonspear Item Code List.

Siege of Dragonspear Walkthrough Introduction

Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resist. - Plutarch.

Only weeks ago the malevolent Sarevok brought the city of Baldur's Gate to the edge of destruction. You, like him, are a child of Bhaal: the dead God of Murder. Bhaal foresaw his own death and sired mortal children in an effort to bring about his return. Sarevok intended to become the new Lord of Murder. You put an end to Sarevok's plans and slew your half-brother. With his passing you became known as the hero of Baldur's Gate.

Now, a new threat casts a shadow over the city: a massive army on a holy crusade has thrown the Sword Coast into turmoil. Little is known of the crusader's leader, the charismatic warrior Caelar Argent. Those who follow her revere her as the Shining Lady but her background and goals are shrouded in mystery. Some say she is divine: a hero sent by the gods to crush evil no matter the cost; others whisper that she is another spawn of Bhaal intent on following the same path as Sarevok. One thing above all else is clear: if the Sword Coast is to find any measure of peace, Caelar Argent must be stopped.

Note the narration: Kevin Michael Richardson - the voice actor who narrated the original campaign, voiced Sarevok in the Bhaalspawn Saga, and is perhaps most famous for a single line (YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH) - has reprised his role for Siege of Dragonspear. Beamdog have done well to hire KMR (and other actors) for their respective role reprisals, as their voices are nostalgic and give an air of authenticity to the expansion.

THE SITUATION

Upon defeating Sarevok in the Temple of Bhaal (Baldur's Gate walkthrough) you will transition directly to Siege of Dragonspear for an Interlude that takes place between Chapter Six and Seven. You may also import a save-game or start afresh with a new CHARNAME. Starting afresh means you begin at sixth level and receive appropriate equipment for your class and a decent amount of gold. You will also receive a party based on your alignment and your companions will be suitably equipped for the adventure. This is obviously a sub-optimal way of going about things, but it's entirely up to you.

Interlude: House of the Dead: Korlasz Family Tomb

AR BD0120. A scripted cutscene shows two followers of Sarevok lamenting his demise and their current predicament: they are being hunted down by the Flaming Fist authorities and have put all their faith in Korlasz, a female wizard who is the only capable follower of Sarevok remaining. Suddenly, the two followers hear a sound and hurry off to report it to Korlasz.

The sound they heard was that of the heroic party dropping down a rope to arrive in what appears to be a series of tombs: The House of the Dead.

Beamdog should have blocked the interaction cursor to the rope because some players may think to climb it (they used the "manipulate" cursor instead of the "block" one). You can't climb out until you have dealt with Korlasz, but that is not made clear.

Imoen

The party is accompanied by the loveable Imoen, a childhood friend of Charname, who is leading a contingent of the Flaming Fist, a "back-up party" (of sorts) that is scripted to tail the PC at intervals and offer assistance; e.g, pitching in during battle, occasionally healing the party, and explaining some lore. Newbies should remember to talk to Imoen at intervals for various flavor dialogues and tips.

Important Events - Find Korlasz and deal with her

The object of this segment is to explore the undead-infested catacombs and track down Korlasz, slaying any straggling Sarevok followers along the way.

At this point I suggest you ensure your party is equipped appropriately and that you have relevant spells memorized and ready to cast: AoE disablers and debuffers such as Web and Slow; direct damage AoEs such as Skull Trap and Sunfire; and stock-standard buffs and cures that keep you on your feet and fighting during the longer combat encounters. Self-buff with Mirror Image and Stoneskin to mitigate damage entirely.

Remember to scout ahead of the party using conventional stealth or Invisibility so that you know what's coming; then, have your tanks attract and absorb the aggro so that your squishy party members are free to cast spells and fire projectiles from the back row.

Remember also to regularly tap the Tab key to highlight interactable objects on the playing field such as doors, containers, NPCs and items on the ground. You could also toggle on the Reveal Details button located beneath the portrait panel - content is EZ to miss, otherwise.

I recommend you turn on Auto-pause: On Enemy Sighted. It can be a lifesaver if you're a bit slow to hit the spacebar.

If you play on difficulty levels higher than Core (i.e, Hard & Insane), consider turning on the No Difficulty-based damage increase option. That way you still get the larger mobs but they will all play by the rules.

Ready to rumble? Ok, exit the entry chamber and head north a bit to encounter Porios, an enemy wizard who teleports to the other side of a chasm to mistakenly reveal to the party that a sword is already gone. Undoubtedly he refers to Sarevok's Sword of Chaos, a wield you will not actually recover until the Prologue of Shadows of Amn. No matter how you respond he retreats to safety, unreachable for the moment.

Tome of Great Value

Make your way east to the burial chamber and speak with Ammon, an independent wizard who is not allied with Korlasz. Instead, she is simply attempting to conduct an alchemical experiment and requests you find her some Cobalt Moss. We'll keep an eye out for some. Yes, you may slay Ammon now if you like but I don't recommend it! In fact, that goes for any Interlude NPC that offers to give you a quest.

Ammon: +350 Exp, Identify scroll, Dart of Wounding (20), Dart +1 (40), Wand of Monster Summoning (2 charges).

The Orders from Korlasz are found in a broken strongbox: a revealing missive from Korlasz to Porios.

Loot: Gem Bag, 147 GP, bottle of wine, elixir of health, scroll of Identify and Protection From Cold, History of the North I.

Note: I won't be listing trivial loot from Part II onward.

On-rest spawn: Skeleton x6 (+65 Exp ea). Respawn mobs differ slightly depending on the section you're in.

Head north through the door, disturb the sarcophagus and slay the undead that spawns from it.

Tattered Skeleton: +400 Exp.

Take the bridge to the other side of the chasm and slay the motley crew of aggro guarding the entrance to Porios' chamber. I like how a colony of bats flit their way over the bridge as you cross it; a nice touch!

Followers of Sarevok x2 (+300 Exp ea), Iron Throne Soldier x2 (+400 Exp ea), Iron Throne Commander (+750 Exp), Ogre (+270 Exp), Mercenary (+150 Exp).

Porios

Enter the Supply Room to catch up with the loud-mouthed wizard, flanked by a variety of minions. Talk them down or take them out and loot Porios' corpse for a key and cloak.

Porios (+750 Exp): Tomb Key, Cloak of Minor Arcana (Caster Level +1, Lore +10, create random third circle arcane scroll, 10 charges).

Follower of Sarevok x2 (+300 Exp ea), Elite Mercenary (+500 Exp), Mercenary x2 (+175 Exp ea), Ogrillon (+175 Exp).

Loot: Basic armors and weapons.

The door to the south is barred from the other side and cannot be opened at this point.

The Mummy's Orders

Use the Tomb Key to unlock the door in the north that leads to Fanegonorom's Resting Place. Disturb the sarcophagus to spawn Fanegonorom, a non-hostile mummy. You can either destroy him outright or accept his request to remove Korlasz from the House of the Dead.

Fanegonorom (+5,000 Exp), Skeleton Archer (+250 Exp ea).

Sarcophagus: Emerald, Pearl Necklace, 221 GP.

Take the stairs down to the catacombs.

The Catacombs

(AR BD 0130)

I can't wait to be d-done with all this. The constant d-d-danger has st-started to wear on me. - Khalid.

There are proximity traps and trapped containers in this area that result in minor experience point boosts when disabled by a thief. You do have a thief, right?

Head south to a circular chamber packed full of undead and headed up by a Shadowed Soul, a specter that drains life from your party and heals its allies.

Shadowed Soul (+1,100 Exp), Armored Skeleton x2 (+750 Exp ea), Tattered Skeleton x2 (+400 Exp ea), Skeleton Archer x3 (+250 Exp ea), Skeleton x2 (+65 Exp ea).

Enter the nearby Library and loot the Crusader Pamphlet from the desk, an advertisement for Caelar's crusade.

Loot: Freedom of Movement and Protection From Poison scrolls, History of the Dragon Coast, History of Tethyr.

Take the southern passage and cross a stone bridge to find an assortment of cadaverous undead standing around a sarcophagus. Be careful they don't immobilize you - Free Action status is your friend.

Wight x3 (+1,000 Exp ea), Ghast x4 (+650 Exp ea), Zombie x6 (+65 Exp ea).

Loot: Wand of Fire, Potion of Defense, Jade Ring, Tiger Cowrie Shell Necklace, Detect Evil, Arrow +1 (20), Potion of Healing.

Just north of here is a small cave infested with beetles. Hold onto the Wooden Staff found in here; it's a quest item (though not plot critical).

Fire Beetle x5 (+35 Exp ea), Boring Beetle x2 (+175 Exp ea).

Loot: Wooden Staff, 267 GP, Morningstar +1, Plate Mail.

Unsleeping Guardian

Head south along the corridor and you may notice murky liquid swirling within globes that are hanging to the sides. Shatter one to spawn two slimes (i.e, click on a globe twice). Ochre Jelly x2 (+270 Exp ea).

You will arrive in a chamber haunted by ability-draining spectral undead, including a wraith that inflicts on-hit cold.

Unsleeping Guardian (+4,000 Exp), Shadow x8 (+420 Exp ea).

Loot: Emerald, Chaotic Commands scroll, 171 GP, Bolt +1 (20), Armor scroll, Buckler +1 (AC +2), Antidote, Silver Ring.

Colored Torch Puzzle

See the colorfully lit torches on the eastern wall: yellow, red and purple on one side, but only red and yellow on the other? Hit the Tab key to highlight a bracket on the floor containing a Burnt-out Torch (x=2200, y=2490). Take the torch north to the room where you fought the cadaverous undead and light it with the purple brazier (i.e, click on the brazier). Now, take the purple torch back to its origin and place it back into the bracket to reveal and open a secret door leading to a hidden chamber (+1,500 Exp).

Sarevok's Secret

In this chamber you will find a Page of Sarevok's Notes on the table. The journal entry simply says "I should watch for an old temple of Bhaal on my travels". This page is used in Part VII.

Unlock the two chests but be careful: looting either of them will animate a mob of undead.

Bladed Skeleton (+1,000 Exp), Shadowed Soul (+1,100 Exp), Armored Skeleon x2 (+750 Exp), Bonebat x2 (+975 Exp ea), Skeleton Archer x2 (+250 Exp ea). The bonebats use Planescape: Torment's vargouille sprite.

Loot: Helm of Unwavering Purpose (AC +1, Immunity: Confusion), Sword of Ruin +2 (Two-handed Sword, Critical hit chance +5%, +2d4 slashing on crit), Potion of Invulnerability, Potion of Fire Giant Strength.

Cross the lava flow to the north and slay the mob of mercs waiting for you on the other side. There is a rope here but don't climb it yet.

Mercenary x3 (+150-180 Exp ea), Follower of Sarevok (+450 Exp), Ogre Berserker (+650 Exp), Elite Mercenary (+500 Exp), Gnoll Slasher (+150 Exp).

Loot: Wand of the Heavens, Control Undead scroll.

Destroy the bone-mage in the north along with its burning skeleton minions that wield flaming swords and shoot fire from their bows. Prioritize the mage lest it unleash noxious, incapacitating fumes.

Skeleton Mage (+900 Exp, Scroll of Protection From Petrification), Burning Skeleton x5 (+300 Exp ea).

Loot: Battle Axe +1.

Shattered Staff

Cross the bridge to the east and a Restless Spirit will request you retrieve a staff. We need to find the headpiece in addition to the Wooden Staff found earlier.

Corpse: Potion of Clarity, Potion of Defense, 112 GP.

Restless Spirit (+3,000 Exp), Bonebat x3 (+975 Exp ea).

Return to the chamber with the rope and head west to interrupt two mercs havin' a chit-chat. You can let them go for +400 Exp or slay them on the spot and loot their corpses for minor treasures.

Mercenary x2 (+400 Exp ea).

Another Crusader Pamphlet may be found on the desk.

Manipulate the strange machine to open the gigantic door leading to Korlasz's sanctum.

Korlasz

So here she is, the wizard we've been trying to track down! A fight is inevitable no matter how you respond, but once Korlasz takes enough damage she will surrender; at which point you may accept or decline her offer. If you accept she and her lackeys will drop their loot and walk out of the sanctum to hand themselves in to the Flaming Fist, waiting just outside. You will also receive experience points for every enemy unit that would have otherwise been slain in the battle (and get to slay her in Chapter Seven, too!) Prioritize Korlasz if you choose to go with the violent solution, as arcane spell-casters are not to be trifled with.

Mercenary x4 (+150 Exp ea), Elite Mercenary x3 (+250-500 Exp ea), Tattered Skeleton x2 (+400 Exp ea).

Korlasz (+2,500 Exp): Korlasz's Key, Cloak of Protection +1, Knave's Robe, Bracers of AC 6, Minor Globe of Invulnerability and Vocalize scrolls, Quarterstaff +1, Dart +1 (80).

Chest: Ornate Headpiece. This is the other part of the Shattered Staff.

Tables: Magical ammo and potions.

Korlasz's private chambers: Bhaal Research, Korlasz's Journal, 3,000 GP, Pearl Necklace, Minor Sequencer, Secret Word and Animate Dead scrolls.

Take your leave of Korlasz's sanctum and Imoen will request you meet her in the crypt's entry chamber. (Completed Quest: Important Events - Find Korlasz and deal with her, +5,000 quest experience points for each party member).

But first, head back to the Restless Spirit and disperse it by placing the Wooden Staff and Ornate Headpiece into its sarcophagus (Completed Quest: Shattered Staff, +3,000 Exp).

Reward: Waterstar Gem x10, Shandar Gem x8, Water Opal x5.

Climb the rope back up to the House of the Dead and you will arrive in the chamber that was previously barred to you. Disturb the cracked sarcophagus, slay the skelly that spawns from it and then loot the sarcophagus for the Cobalt Moss.

Tattered Skeleton: +400 Exp.

Slay the undead that spawn when you attempt to loot the adjacent sarcophagus.

Unsleeping Guardian (+4,000 Exp), Angry Spirit x5 (+420 Exp).

Loot: Protection From Poison scroll, Potion of Fire Resistance.

Now that you have dealt with Korlasz, return to Fanegonorom and the mummy will reward you with one its prized possessions: 

Shield of Egons +2 (AC +3, Turn Undead Level +2 for Priests of Lathander and Undead Hunters; +1 for everyone else).

The mummy will disperse and you may safely loot its sarcophagus for gems, jewels and gold.

Sarcophagus: Emerald, Pearl Necklace, 221 GP.

(Completed Quest: The Mummy's Orders, +3,000 Exp.)

Lastly, deliver the Cobalt Moss to Ammon and she will concoct her potion. She will explain her plan to apply its contents to a Netherese tome in order to reveal secret writings on its pages. However, the tome is hidden in the Candlekeep Library and you may recall their draconian entry conditions; so, sign a letter of endorsement to increase her chance of admittance, and she will prepare to leave for the citadel.

Reward: 50 GP, Wand of Monster Summoning (3 charges).

(Completed Quest: Tome of Great Value, +3,000 Exp).

This concludes the Interlude: the Korlasz family tomb has been cleansed of undead and other unsavory types, including Korlasz herself. We're finally done with the Siege of Dragonspear starter dungeon. Return to Imoen in the entry chamber and take your leave of the House of the Dead!

Part II