One of Baldur's Gate 3's pioneering map modders is recreating the opening area of Baldur's Gate 2

GamesRPGBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate 3One of Baldur’s Gate 3’s pioneering map modders is recreating the opening area of Baldur’s Gate 2When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Larian)

BG3 Oathbreaker Knight appears to fallen paladin in black void lit by red glow.

Lotrich, a member of Baldur’s Gate 3’s nascent map modding community who has been uploading videos of their work to YouTube, has just provided a peek at their latest creation: An in-progress, but still very recognizable take onWaukeen’s Promenade, one of the opening areas of Baldur’s Gate 2.

The promenade is a bit bare at the moment, but its distinctive archways and amphitheater-like layout are immediately striking⁠—Waukeen’s Promenade always felt like someone turned a sports arena into an open-air market, fitting for the mercantile city of Athkatla. The circus tent where you can recruit companion Aerie is visible in the distance, and Lotrich includes a special treat toward the end of the video: A peek inside Ribald Barterman’s Adventurer Mart, one of the best shops in the game.

Indeed, The Baldur’s Gate Reloaded mod team has been working on recreating the OG ‘Gates in 2006’s Neverwinter Nights 2 for so long, Neverwinter Nights 2 itself is now retro. The original has long been available at theNeverwinter VaultorNexus, while BGR2 (covering Baldur’s Gate 2) happily seems close to entering a beta testing phase, at least according to aFacebook postfrom the mod team in March.

Lotrich’s Waukeen’s Promenade map definitely seems more like part of the author’s continued efforts to learn and acclimate to the still-fresh mapmaking tools⁠—their YouTube channel includes a handful of other prototype maps⁠—rather than a commitment to a full remake of Baldur’s Gate 2. That’s probably for the best⁠—I like these small dose “what if” exercises, seeing an iconic area brought to life in a different art style and from a new perspective, but overall I’m with PC Gamer news writer Joshua Wolens:Why remake a game that’s already good(and easily playable)? There are exceptions of course: I’m as excited forSkyblivionas everybody else.

For their part, Lotrich has switched to theMoonglasses Extended Toolkitfrom the original BG3 Toolkit Unlocked that kicked off the mapmaking craze⁠—Moonglasses seems like a more intentional, long-term solution than the more ad hoc unlocker. Lotrich has also started aPatreonfor anyone interested in supporting their specific projects.

Image1of7(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: BioWare)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: BioWare)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)

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(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: BioWare)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: BioWare)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)(Image credit: Larian, Lotrich)