This info will likely go to the 'swords not words' thread when
@bengoshi gets around to it, but for anyone wondering what happened while they slept, here are the main points:
- Siege of Dragonspear starts two weeks after the defeat of Sarevok, Charname is hailed as hero but suspected of a shared lineage with Sarevok.
- During this time, a holy crusade is rising in the north, besieging dragonspear castle for supplies. They're led by a woman named Caelar Argent (or 'the Shining Lady'), whose origin is shrouded in mystery but could possibly also be a bhaalspawn. The Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate ask you to end this crusade on their behalf, and you go north leading an army of mercenaries.
- 70 new areas, 25 voice actors with several returning from BG1/2, hundreds of new items, spells and abilities.
- Over 25 hours of new story and a bunch of side content. "Riddled with crannies" according to Phil Daigle.
- New class, shaman. Able to summon "an almost unlimited number of ghostly allies", but is rooted in place while summoning - a shaman NPC will be available.
- Meant to be more accessible than previous games without sacrificing tactical depth: new interface, journal pop-ups that deliver concise journal information (longer entries with more lore are still available); combat health bars (optional); inventory highlighting that suggests which characters to give items to.
- New difficulty modes: story mode (easy combat); "legacy of bhaal" difficulty, similar to heart of fury, for veteran players.
- Combines open-world exploration of BG1, iconic locations from BG2, art and combat from IWD.
From UI and character creation demos:
- Many parts of the UI can be modified drag/drop style from within the game.
- Colour slider options during character creation, increasing the number of available hair, skin and clothing colours.
From the Q/A:
- New level cap is 12, unclear if it's for all classes.
- No new Noober character.
- Will ship when ready.
- There will be multiplayer.
- Interface improvements will be ported to the other EE games.
- Pantaloons quest unchanged.
- Dorn, Neera and Rasaad will return.
- Starting party if you don't import, dependant on your alignment - three different canon starting parties. Can import your full party from BG:EE.
- Equipment you have in BG:EE carries over to SoD.
- Romances from BG:EE carry over.
- No multiclass shaman.
- No stronghold.
- BG2 will be updated so shaman characters can be imported.
- SoD NPCs can't be taken into BG2.
- Modding is supported.
- IE pathfinding has been improved.
- Will be supported for devices that support the EE games.
- BG2 start will be modified to a limited extent, such as SoD items possibly carrying over.
- Easier switching between ranged and 2H/dual weapons will be implemented.
- No Saemon Havarian in SoD.
