This is not a walkthrough, just some useful information to help you on your adventure.

When creating your character, you can re-roll and adjust the abilities as much as you like. All characters benefit from high strength and constitution as well as the abilities your character's class requires. 18 Charisma is also useful as everyone gives you things even if your party is evil. Strange but true everyone even liked my evil party as long as my reputation didn't drop below 5.

In the enhanced edition you can now make your own party by clicking create party instead of accept when you have created your first character. The first character you make will be always mentioned in the game. If you create less than 6 characters people will stll be able to join your party. There may be a glitch where your created character will not re-join so save before letting them go.

If you havent got time to make 6 characters, I will be making some soon that you may wish to use in your game and I will also be making portraits.

Useful information

Don't forget to explore areas fully and go off the map at all sides as new areas will appear. You don't actually have to leave the area, you can go straight back but the new areas will remain accessible.

You can pause/unpause the game at any time by either pressing spacebar or by clicking/touching on the compass in the bottom left corner.

In the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate, if you press the TAB key it will highlight containers or items on the ground to pick. Use it often as treasure hides where you least expect it to. In the Android version, there is a magnifying glass button to press that will highlight all containers, items to pick and doors or stairs. You know if it's pressed because all the characters will display their hit points and names.

You can kill any people who want to join your party without affecting your reputation so you get their stuff. Always be sure before you kill them though as they can never join your party. It is worth it as Neera has a gem bag and Dorn has a fantastic sword for evil people.

Baeloth (Enhanced) demands to sleep at an inn but he's just being cheeky. He will quite happily sleep wherever and whenever your party does. He is a very good sorcerer and will stay in any party regardless of alignment as he's an escaped slave. There may be a slight fault if your reputation gets too high he will leave but you can get him to stay by saying he's whined enough he can stay. He is a fabulous character and is well-worth keeping despite this. He's in Larswood if your main character is level 5 which is possible early in the game if you play on insane. You can always turn the dificulty down when the monsters appear.

If you steal anything, you can only sell to dishonest people: Erdane in Durlag's Tower area as you arrive or in the Shop of Silence in Baldur's Gate. It's next to the tavern in the Eastern part of Baldur's Gate city itself. Once you have paid 5 gold pieces at the Shop of Silence, you can buy and sell items and rest there for free.

In the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate, you can mark the area map anytime by right-clicking on the area and then type in the box; you can delete them later. It's very useful so that you know where something/someone important is.

If you find the game too difficult or too easy, you can change the difficulty at any time in the game options. (If it's on easy you will get less experience in the original game but not the Enhanced version).

Save before going into the backpack, as the original game it isn't paused so you may be attacked. If the Enhanced Edition it stays pause if paused to start with.

A note about weight allowance: up to a point the characters can carry more than their weight allowance but they will be a lot slower. You'll know when you have overdone it because they will be walking on the spot.

Save before writing any spells as they may fail and will be destroyed.

Until you sort out Nashkel Mines, your weapons can break so carry spares (or a club/quarter staff). As far as I know, if you have a magical weapon, once it's identified it won't break.

Talk to Thalantyr as soon as you enter the main building in High Hedge, otherwise his Golems will attack you. He sometimes tells you to leave but talk to him again, nicely. He sells good spells and magical items, including arrows etc and he also buys ordinary stuff for a decent price.

Make sure you have a wizard in your party who can identify as this will save a lot of gold. Main building in High Hedge sells Identify Scrolls.

Noober in Nashkel is a really annoying character; talk to him many times and eventually even he will run out of things to say. You could kill him for a very small amount of experience but if you keep talking to him until he runs out of things to say you'll gain more experience.

Resting

Save before resting anywhere as you never know where your enemies are lurking.

You can rest anywhere outside in the Friendly Arm Inn area for free.

In Beregost you can rest in a house near the Smithy for free.

You can rest anywhere for free in Nashkel Carnival but save first as enemies may attack you.

Enhanced only: Baeloth demands to sleep in an inn but he's only being cheeky because he will sleep wherever you want to.

Gaining gold and items

When selling for the first time, group same items (eg, all long swords) in one person's backpack as they usually sell for more this way. Also, it pays to sell at different places as you may get a better price.

You can sell Winter Wolf pelts for a decent price in Nashkel Store; talk to the storekeeper each time and he will buy them.

Don't forget to pick up wyvern heads as you can sell them. Take one to Beregost Temple to gain 2000gp. You can then sell them at various places but for much less gold.

Save bandit scalps until you've completed Nashkel Mines, then take them to Officer Vai in Jovial Juggler, Beregost. She will buy them for 50gp each but make sure you only talk to her if you have something to sell, otherwise she will leave. When she has left you can sell them at various place for less gold. You gain reputation points when she leaves.

You can take Ankheg Shells to the blacksmith in Beregost. I recommend you make 1 lightweight full plate armour for 4000gp first. You can use a ring/cloak of protection with it too. You can then sell every shell you come across for 500gp each. In the enhanced edition he buys one shell every time you talk to him, In the original game he buys the lot for the price of one shell unless you only have one in one person's backpack (put the rest on the floor). In the original game he doesn't buy them once he's made the armour put the shells in a chest somewhere as you can sell them once you get to Baldur's Gate. Fentan in a locked house in Western Baldur's Gate will buy them for 250gp each. /p>

In the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate, treasure hides in the most surprising places; you can even find a suit of Ankheg Platemail near the farm in Nashkel. In the Enhanced Edition, you can even use a ring or cloak of protection with the Ankheg Platemail.

You can steal from Thunderhammer Smithy in Beregost at night between 21pm and 3am. There is a bastard sword +1 which is well-worth the 100gp to identify it if your wizard can't yet. so that it doesn't break. If you have Imoen, she will need more lockpick skill than she starts with. Alternatively, a character with high strength may be able to force the lock by attacking it with a sword.

Some very useful items in the Enhanced Edition: You can gain a gem bag if Neera joins your party in Beregost which you can keep even if you don't keep Neera. Also in Beregost, you meet Firebead Elvenhair again in his house. The book he wants you either can steal from the house next door or buy from Feldpost's Inn. Once you give the book to him you gain a scroll case even if you're evil. Finally, you can buy a potion case from High Hedge main building.

Before pickpocketing make sure you save because if you fail they will turn red and may attack you. If so, you will never be able to talk to them again and if it's a merchant you won't have access to the items for sale.

You can pickpocket Drizzt and gain a scimitar +3 once you've helped him, but before speaking to him again. Save first because he will attack you if he notices. Drizzt is in the second area below high hedge, south-southwest of Beregost. Garrick is useful for picking his pocket in the original Baldur's Gate but not the Enhanced Edition.

Unfortunately in the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate, pickpocketing Drizzt's Scimitar or the stone to flesh scroll in Nashkel Carnival requires a higher skill, so you probably won't be able to gain them early in the game although potions of perception or Master thievery may help.

If you pay to identify items save first, as sometimes it's better to wait for a wizard and buy an Identify scroll. Neera and Baeloth can identify. Also, cursed scrolls are worthless once identified.

Good or bad, they all benefit

I've discovered some things that benefits your party without affecting your reputation.

You can kill all people who wish to join your party and gain their loot. Some of it is very good: Neera in Beregost (enhanced) has a gem bag and Dorn in Friendly Arm Inn has an excellent sword for evil people. Rasaad in Nashkel has some boots that make you faster, Baeloth in Larswood (once your main character is level 5) has excellent robes for an evil mage.

Borda (rocky area west of Nashkel) sells only cursed scrolls and potions but you can just kill them and pick their stuff up. I believe they are a mage so I recommend saving before you fight. Not all their stuff is cursed but perhaps save before using any of it. A pink potion of healing is cursed but you can sell it.

Fahrington (east of Larswood) wants his "scroll of wisdom" from an ettercap on the eastern side. I recommend you complete the quest and if you are quick enough you can kill Fahrington. You gain experience and loot but be careful because some of the scrolls are cursed. Again, you don't lose reputation.

Arkushule (lighthouse area called Seawatcher in Enhanced: two down from Candlekeep or south-west of High Hedge) will offer to read your palm for gold. Agree to it and demand all their wisdom so you can kill them without losing reputation.

Playing the evil way

If you are fed of being heroes sometimes being evil can be fun. I play my game EVIL but to my party's benefit. Sometimes a little good will get you further. If your character has 18 charisma people give you more even though your reputation is low.

For the game to stay enjoyable make sure your reputation doesn't drop below 5, that way guards won't attack you. If it does the next town you go to is Friendly Arm Inn. At the Temple of Wisdom in the grounds you can donate gold to bring your reputation high enough.

Dorn has a fabulous sword for evil people. It becomes quite fabulous for 24hrs so long as you don't change weapons. You first meet Dorn inside Friendly Arm Inn, but he won't join you then. If you don't want him in your party you can kill him to steal his sword but if you want him talk to him there first. He will join your party in a waylaid area on the way to Nashkel Mines. If you already have 6 characters but don't want to lose any then before going to Nashkel Mines reform party at an area you can return to.