BAlDUR’s GATe
™
: DARK AlliAnce
™
BlAcK Isle STUDios
- 7 -
HOW TO START THE GAME/
MAIN MENU DESCRIPTION
The opening movies can be skipped by pressing the START button or
the A button on the controller.
MAIN MENU
On the opening menu, you will be presented with four options:
Start New Game: Select this option when you are ready to begin
playing. When selected, you will be asked to choose either a one-
player or two-player game; if you are interested in transferring a
character from another game into your game, jump ahead to
“Transferring Characters from Other Games,” p. 9.
Once you have selected a new game, you have an option to select the
game difficulty: Easy, Normal, or Hard. Play on Easy if you're just
getting your bearings; Hard if you're looking for a challenging
experience.
After selecting the difficulty level, you (and the second player if you
are playing with someone else) will be taken to the Character Selection
screen. Use the directional pad to cycle through your three choices:
the Human Archer, the Dwarven Fighter, and the Elven Sorceress. A
small icon will appear above each character as you cycle through the
choices.
The advantages and disadvantages of each choice are listed under
“Heroes,” on p. 8.
Load Saved Game: This option will allow you to load a previously
saved Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance game from your hard disk.
Options: Select this option if you want to customize your controller’s
configuration, adjust sound options, and other game options.
Credits: Selecting this option will allow you to see the creators and
contributors to Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.
Press the A button to select an option, and the B button to go back.
BAlDUR’s GATe
™
: DARK AlliAnce
™
BlAcK Isle STUDios
- 6 -
WELCOME TO THE REALMS
If this is your first foray into the fantastic world of the F
ORGOTTEN
R
EALMS
®
campaign setting, then welcome. Black Isle Studios and
Snowblind Studios are pleased to bring you Baldur’s Gate: Dark
Alliance, the first Dungeons & Dragons
®
game to appear on the
Xbox™ video game system. The challenges in the game are great, but
so are the rewards, and many hours of challenging gameplay await you
and your friends.
If you have played any of the Baldur’s Gate games for the PC (Baldur’s
Gate, Tales of the Sword Coast
™
, Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
™
,
and Throne of Bhaal
™
), then you are no stranger to the F
ORGOTTEN
R
EALMS
. Black Isle Studios and Snowblind Studios bring you another
title set in the F
ORGOTTEN
R
EALMS
, a console role-playing experience
you may undertake either alone or with a friend. Baldur’s Gate: Dark
Alliance is an epic that puts the fate of the F
ORGOTTEN
R
EALMS
in your
hands – countless lives depend on you, and it’ll only be through your
blood and perseverance that Baldur’s Gate... and all the Realms... may
be saved.
Welcome to Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.
BALDUR’S GATE
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance takes place in the world of Abeir-Toril
(The phrase “Abeir-Toril” means “cradle of life” — the world is most
often known by its shortened name, “Toril”). Your exploits in Dark
Alliance will be centered in Baldur’s Gate, a port city upon the winding
Chionthar River.
Baldur’s Gate is a city recently plagued by a growing evil. Members of
the city watch have been found dead, townsfolk are afraid to leave
their homes, and unsettling rumors of a thieves’ guild civil war beneath
the streets runs rampant through the taverns of the city.
Your arrival has placed you in the middle of this cauldron of danger.
A young hero, fresh to Baldur’s Gate and fresh to the world of
adventuring, you’re carrying little else except a blade and a small purse
of coins. You’ve come to the city to seek your fortune.
That is, if the danger that threatens Baldur’s Gate doesn’t claim
you first...