Dungeons qne Dragons: Dark Allianceis currently in development, the spiritual successor toBaldur’s Gate: Dark Allianceand its sequel. Many fans of the old games and ofDungeons and Dragonsin general are waiting to see what this newDungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliancehas in store.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceis a third-person RPG featuring characters fromR.A. Salvatore’s seriesof novelsThe Legend of Drizzt; its four playable characters are Drizzt himself, plus Catti-Brie, Bruenor Battlehammer, and Wulfgar. And luckily, there are a few games that players can explore in the meantime to prepare for the release ofDark Alliance.
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Baldur’s Gate
First up is theacclaimed gameBaldur’s Gate, which has anEnhanced Editionthat recently became available on consoles including the Switch, in addition to PC and Mac. As such, even though the game first released in 1998, it’s extremely accessible for the gamers of today.
Baldur’s Gateis the first installment of a three-game saga following the Bhaalspawn; the child of a god who seeks to understand their nature and stop one of their half-siblings from starting a war to end all others. It comes with a colorful cast of companions, including the irreplaceable Minsc, and contains quite the epic narrative. Not only that, butBaldur’s Gatehas remained well-loved through the years, which is why, despite its age, it deserves to be remembered and played now, and in the future. Plus,Drizzt Do’Urdenmakes an appearance in the game, and the player character can assist him in his quest. It’s a nice introduction toDark Alliance’s main character through the video game format.
Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amnblows the original out of the water. With all the fantastic RPGs that have released in the years since this one,BG2is still lauded as one of the best RPGs of all time, and rightly so. Therefore, those sold onBG1should absolutely follow it up withBG2, which follows the Bhaalspawn in an even more desperate and high-stakes venture: a quest to save their immortal soul.
New and returning characters inBG2are better than ever, and one of the returning characters is, in fact, Drizzt. He andhis companions(the same companions who will be playable inDark Alliance) have a cameo in the game, and can even end up assisting the player character ofBG2in fighting one of the main enemies of the game. It’s a fun venture to take with Drizzt, and a solid continuation of his introduction inBG1.
Neverwinter Nights
There’s no Drizzt cameosinNeverwinter Nights, but that’s no reason to disregard it.NWN, like the previous two games, takes place in the same world asDark Alliancewill, theDungeons and Dragonsworld of Faerun, and it too has an enhanced edition that’ll work perfectly on today’s PCs and Macs, despite the game itself originally releasing just two years afterBG2in 2002.
Neverwinter Nightsfollows the story of the player character as they seek the cure to a horrible illness that has brought the city of Neverwinter to its knees, the Wailing Death. It’s great fun, and theEnhanced Editioncomes with both of its expansion games, as well as a toolset that allows players to create their own adventure modules usingNWN’s engine and assets.
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Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment, though it’s anotherDungeons and Dragons-based game, doesn’t take place on the same plane of existence as the other three. Rather, this game uses the Planescape setting, and takes place largely in the planar city of Sigil. It probably has the least to do withDark Allianceon this list, but it’s aD&Dgame all the same, and it’s another game, likeBG2, that is lauded as one of the best RPGs ever made.Tormentreleased in 1999,and its incredible story helps it to endure through the years; now,Tormenthas anEnhanced Editionthat players can purchase to play the game using current-generation technology.
Icewind Dale
Finally, there’sIcewind Dale. The main appeal of playing this game beforeDark Alliancereleases, besides the fact that it’s another game based onDnDrules, is that it’s actually set in the same area thatDungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliancewill be. Drizzt’s original stomping ground is located to the far northwest of Faerun, in anarea called Icewind Dale. While Drizzt isn’t the focus of the gameIcewind Dale, it’s a great introduction to the region that’ll be featured inDark Alliance.
Icewind Daleallows players to build their own party of adventurers, and confront an evil stirring underneath the Spine of the World. Thus, anyone who wants to get to know the setting ofDark Alliancebefore actually playing it should check outIcewind Dale, along with the other games on this list.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceis set to release for PC and consoles sometime in 2021.
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