History YMMV / BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear

** The inclusion of Mizhena, a minor cleric of Tempus who reveals that she is transgender depending on your dialogue choices. Supporters praised the inclusivity and important message she delivers. Detractors accused her of being a TokenMinority and asked why being trans would be a big deal in a world with artefacts that can instantly change your sex. Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing in the character's favor, but many ignored his opinion for various reasons.
** Beamdog gave Minsc a click-on quote taking a jab at the [=GamerGate=] controversy. The line was removed, but it contributed to accusations that the devs were needlessly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical politicising the franchise]] (see below for more on that).

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One of the big sources of the BrokenBase was the perception that the developers were inserting [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece then-current]] [[AuthorTract socio-political issues]] into the franchise, such as refugee crises, [[CorruptCop police corruption/brutality]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} gender identity]], and other such things. While such issues are not completely absent from the Forgotten Realms setting, whether these messages were intended or not, how well they were handled, and whether they had any place in the game was all hotly debated, to the point that many people [[OvershadowedByControversy only remember the game through the controversies that surrounded it at release]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One of the big sources of the BrokenBase was the perception that the developers were inserting [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece then-current]] [[AuthorTract socio-political issues]] into the franchise, such as refugee crises, [[CorruptCop police corruption/brutality]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} gender identity]], and other such things. Whether these messages were intended or not, how well they were handled, and whether they had any place in the game was all hotly debated, to the point that many people [[OvershadowedByControversy only remember the game through the controversies that surrounded it at release]].

* CaptainObviousReveal:
** [[spoiler:When it's revealed Caelar Argent wants to open a portal to Avernus, it becomes painfully evident this is some sort of scheme orchestrated by devils. And, big shocker, it turns out to be the case.]]
** [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} in the case of The Hooded Man. While one would expect a last-minute unsurprising revelation that he's actually Irenicus, nothing of the sort happens, leaving his identity secret.]]

** While her character throughout the campaign is merely divisive, Corwin's actions at the end of the game are so widely despised that she winds up in this territory. More specifically... [[spoiler:She claims to have seen the player kill Skie, but this is not true in any version -- a vision shows it was actually done by Irenicus, and she didn't show up until after the fact. She then tells the player that they should commit suicide to give Baldur's Gate peace because the city is in turmoil over the question of whether they're innocent, even though its ''her'' fault that's happening.]][[note]]The only way to avoid this is to romance her, and even that won't stop her from [[spoiler:trying to prevent your escape during the final chapter if you can't convince the dukes to smuggle you out of the city instead]].[[/note]] At the very least, the player character is able to [[TakeThatScrappy throw her "suggestion" right back in her face]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: A common quibble of the original games is how nonsensical the reputation system is for evil companions; they will object and complain [[StupidEvil as if being well-liked in the eyes of the public is a negative thing]], when really the most efficient and pragmatic evil [=PCs=] will be played as [[VillainWithGoodPublicity Villains With Good Publicity]] and enjoy all the benefits such a thing entails. [=SoD=] goes a way to justify this behaviour, as evil companions will actually explain ''why'' they each want to avoid a heroic reputation when the meter gets too high. Viconia, for instance, believes that drawing too much attention to the group will get her imprisoned or killed.

* ThatOneBoss: The FinalBoss is far and away the toughest enemy in the game. He hits like a truck and shrugs off damage from all but +3 weapons, [[GuideDangIt which there are not that many of and which are rather difficult to track down without a guide]]. For some party combinations, taking him down on higher difficulties relies on [[spoiler:Caelar]] doing most of the work. Assuming, of course, that [[spoiler:[[FromBadToWorse she didn't join him before the battle started...]]]] The [[CombatByChampion one-on-one duel with Ashatiel]] can also become this depending on the Bhaalspawn's class, and how much you're willing to cheese.

** While her character throughout the campaign is merely divisive, Corwin's actions at the end of the game are so widely despised that she winds up in this territory. More specifically... [[spoiler:She claims to have seen the player killed Skie, but this is not true in any version -- a vision shows it was actually done by Irenicus, and she didn't show up until after the fact. She then tells the player that they should commit suicide to give Baldur's Gate peace because the city is in turmoil over the question of whether they're innocent, even though its ''her'' fault that's happening.]][[note]]The only way to avoid this is to romance her, and even that won't stop her from [[spoiler:trying to prevent your escape during the final chapter if you can't convince the dukes to smuggle you out of the city instead]].[[/note]] At the very least, the player character is able to [[TakeThatScrappy throw her "suggestion" right back in her face]].
--> '''Charname:''' I take it back, Schael. You're not a traitor. I can handle treason. You're worse. You're an idiot.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One of the big sources of the BrokenBase was the perception that the developers were inserting [[WereStillRelevantDammit then-current]] [[AuthorTract socio-political issues]] into the franchise, such as refugee crises, [[CorruptCop police corruption/brutality]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} gender identity]], and other such things. Whether these messages were intended or not, how well they were handled, and whether they had any place in the game was all hotly debated, to the point that many people [[OvershadowedByControversy only remember the game through the controversies that surrounded it at release]].

* CompleteMonster: [[TreacherousAdvisor Hephernaan]] is supposedly a cleric in service of the Shining Crusade, but is in truth the servant of powerful devils. Manipulating the Crusade's leader [[AntiVillain Caelar Argent]], Hephernaan made her think she could save her uncle Aun from the Abyss, inspiring her to raise an army under the false belief of storming the Nine Hells to liberate the souls of the victims of the first Dragonspear War. Hephernaan oversaw the deaths of thousands and a near-catastrophic war on the Sword Coast as [[TheManInFrontOfTheMan a member of Caelar's inner circle]], but his ultimate plan was to lure Gorion's Ward to Castle Dragonspear. [[EvilGloating Gleefully gloating]] as he reveals his plans in the final chapters of the game, Hephernan uses the player's divine blood to re-open a long-closed portal to [[FireAndBrimstoneHell the plane of Avernus]], intent on opening Faerun and all Toril to a Baatezu invasion at the hands of his master Belhifet that would see every living thing killed or enslaved to devilish torment forevermore.

* CompleteMonster: [[TreacherousAdvisor Hephernaan]] is supposedly a cleric in service of the Shining Crusade, but is in truth the servant of powerful devils. Manipulating the Crusade's leader Caelar Argent, Hephernaan made her think she could save her uncle Aun from the Abyss, inspiring her to raise an army under the false belief of storming the Nine Hells. Hephernaan oversaw the deaths of thousands and a near-catastrophic war on the Sword Coast to lure in the Bhaalspawn to use their divine blood, intending on opening Faerun and all Toril to a Baatezu invasion that would see every living thing killed or enslaved to devilish torment forevermore.

** The inclusion of Mizhena, a minor cleric of Tempus who reveals that she is transgender depending on your dialogue choices. Supporters praised the inclusivity and important message she delivers. Detractors accused her of being a TokenMinority and asked why being trans would be a big deal in a world with artefacts that can instantly change your gender. Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing in the character's favor, but many ignored his opinion for various reasons.

** The ending. Some consider it a good or at least decent ending that properly explains the "grim circumstances" Charname and the party left Baldur's Gate under while also explaining how Irenicus captured them, while others hate it, claiming it contains blatant RailRoading, completely ignores your past accomplishments in favor of [[spoiler:one accusation of murder]], and gives you barely any opportunity to [[spoiler:defend yourself, and it doesn't even matter if you ''do'', because anyone who believes you gets overwhelmed by Skie's father who is mad with grief over her death]].

* BrokenBase: The ending. Some consider it a good or at least decent ending that properly explains the "grim circumstances" Charname and the party left Baldur's Gate under while also explaining how Irenicus captured them, while others hate it, claiming it contains blatant RailRoading, completely ignores your past accomplishments in favor of [[spoiler:one accusation of murder]], and gives you barely any opportunity to [[spoiler:defend yourself, and it doesn't even matter if you ''do'', because anyone who believes you gets overwhelmed by Skie's father who is mad with grief over her death]].

* FanDislikedExplanation / FanonDiscontinuity: Put simply, a lot of people did not like the idea of ''this'' being what happened between ''Baldur's Gate'' 1 and 2. Others have argued vehemently in favor of it being canon. As is usual with this sort of thing, its a BrokenBase.

* ThatOneBoss: The FinalBoss is far and away the toughest enemy in the game. He hits like a truck and shrugs off damage from all but +3 weapons, [[GuideDangIt which there are not that many of and which are rather difficult to track down without a guide]]. For some party combinations, taking him down on higher difficulties relies on [[spoiler:Caelar]] doing most of the work. Assuming, of course, that [[spoiler:[[FromBadToWorse she didn't join him before the battle started...]]]]
** The [[CombatByChampion one-on-one duel with Ashatiel]] can also become this depending on the Bhaalspawn's class, and how much you're willing to cheese.

** The inclusion of Mizhena, a minor cleric of Tempus who reveals that she is transgender depending on your dialogue choices. Supporters praised the inclusivity and [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped important message]] she delivers. Detractors accused her of being a TokenMinority and asked why being trans would be a big deal in a world with artefacts that can instantly change your gender. Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing in the character's favor, but many ignored his opinion for various reasons.

** The inclusion of Mizhena, a minor cleric of Tempus who reveals that she is transgender depending on your dialogue choices. Supporters praised the inclusivity and [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped important message]] she delivers. Detractors accused her of being a TokenMinority. Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing in the character's favor, but many ignored his opinion for various reasons.

* ScapegoatCreator: Among the game's developers, Amber Scott got the worst of the heat. She took credit for writing Jaheira and Safana's character bits. She also wrote a post on the forums proclaiming she put as much diversity as possible into her writings, which led to her receiving a great deal of online harassment.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The game is mostly remembered for the obnoxious political arguments it brought to the fandom than for its actual merits or failures. Specifically:
** The inclusion of Mizhena, a minor cleric of Tempus who reveals that she is transgender depending on your dialogue choices. Supporters praised the inclusivity and [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped important message]] she delivers. Detractors found her a badly written TokenMinority who doesn't make sense (changing your gender in the Forgotten Realms is as easy as casting a spell or putting on an enchanted belt so [[FridgeLogic why doesn't she just do that?]]) and is just there to [[AuthorTract push the writers' views]]. Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing in the character's favor, but many ignored his opinion for various reasons. [[SilentMajority Most]] found the whole thing stupid and thought both sides of the argument were annoying. Such is life.

* ScapegoatCreator: Among the game's developers, Amber Scott got the worst heat, though she arguably [[SelfFulfillingProphecy brought it on herself]]; she actively and publicly took credit for many aspects of the game (like writing Jaheira and Safana's character bits), while also proclaiming that she put as much diversity as possible into her writings, leading to her getting the brunt of blame amongst the game's critics.

* OvershadowedByControversy:
** The inclusion of Mizhena, a transgender cleric of Tempus. As a minor NPC, Mizhena would reveal that she was transgender if the player selected a certain combination of dialogue options. Despite that, many forum posts and Youtube videos were made, deriding the developers for the character's inclusion, often exaggerating how prevalent Mizhena's gender was. Forgotten Realms founder Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing that the character's detractors were being too close-minded about a setting where changing one's gender is as simple as casting a spell or putting on an enchanted belt, though many ignored his opinion for various reasons. Players bombed the Steam page with negative reviews accusing the developers of forcing political propaganda, drowning out reviews that included actual criticism of the game's technical problems and divisive writing.
** Beamdog gave Minsc a click-on quote taking a jab at the [=GamerGate=] controversy. The line was removed, but accusations that the devs were needlessly [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical politicising the franchise]] lingered.

* ScapegoatCreator: Among the game's developers, Amber Scott got the worst of the heat. She took credit for writing Jaheira and Safana's character bits. She also wrote a post on the forums proclaiming she put as much diversity as possible into her writings, which led to her receiving a great deal of online harassment.

** While her character throughout the campaign is merely divisive, Corwin's actions at the end of the game are so widely despised that she winds up in this territory. More specifically... [[spoiler:She claims to have seen the player killed Skie, but this is not true in any version -- a vision shows it was actually done by Irenicus, and she didn't show up until after the fact. She then tells the player that they should commit suicide to give Baldur's Gate peace because the city is in turmoil over the question of whether they're innocent.]][[note]]The only way to avoid this is to romance her, and even that won't stop her from [[spoiler:trying to prevent your escape during the final chapter if you can't convince the dukes to smuggle you out of the city instead]].[[/note]] At the very least, the player character is able to [[TakeThatScrappy throw her "suggestion" right back in her face]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: One of the first issues tackled in the game is an ongoing refugee crisis, complete with several CorruptCop Flaming Fist enforcers persecuting helpless migrants. However, despite the fairly bleak presentation of authority in this conflict, the player ''is'' given the choice to side with the Fist and put their foot down on the chaos; in such a Charname's own words, [[GreyAndGrayMorality personal tragedy is no excuse for breaking the law.]]

** The inclusion of Mizhena, a transgender cleric of Tempus, elicited InternetBackdraft. As a minor NPC, Mizhena would reveal that she was transgender if the player selected a certain combination of dialogue options. Despite that, many forum posts and Youtube videos were made, deriding the developers for the character's inclusion, often exaggerating how prevalent Mizhena's gender was. Forgotten Realms founder Ed Greenwood himself weighed in, arguing that the character's detractors were being too close-minded about a setting where changing one's gender is as simple as casting a spell or putting on an enchanted belt, though many ignored his opinion for various reasons. Players bombed the Steam page with negative reviews accusing the developers of forcing political propaganda, drowning out reviews that included actual criticism of the game's technical problems and divisive writing.

** Safana. Despite being pushed as a default party member (and the developers' stated intent to flesh the character out), she's actually irrelevant to the plot and rather than being given a little more depth or CharacterDevelopment, if anything she comes across as [[TookALevelInJerkass much more of a bitch]] than she was in the first game, where she was merely considered a mediocre but harmless and tolerable party member. Her underwhelming and anticlimactic romance is also seen as the worst in the game.

** Caelar and her lieutenants (other than [[DragonWithAnAgenda Hephernaan]]) are generally considered to be underutilized and under-developed. WordOfGod is that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen there would have been an option for Charname to join Caelar]] that presumably would have fleshed them all out, but in the finished product the lingering hints to this path are instead an AbortedArc, with Charname being {{Railroad|ing}}ed into conflict with Caelar regardless of which dialogue options they pick. There were also those who felt that Caelar's ultimate fate [[UnintentionallySympathetic was not deserved]], with plans for a mod for ''Baldur's Gate II'' that would bring her back and make her playable again.