[ Download Link ]

Mod author: Lava Del’V0rtel

Version used for review: 2.93.

“This mod introduces a brand new part of the Athkatlan sewers. You may now use the originally inactive grate in Slums to enter a locked part of the sewers and discover its dark corners. Gather your party and visit the Ooze’s Lounge, a special place with special wares, locked from most commoners, yet opened for adventurers like yourself, Bhaalspawn.“

The second installment of the Athkatlan Grounds series, Ooze’s Lounge introduces a collection of merchants tucked away behind a three layer extension to the Athkatla sewer system, located in the Slums after the appropriate key has been located.

There’s nothing that says Baldur’s Gate like trudging around in the sewers, so I’m always happy to welcome new sewer-content into the game. Ooze’s Lounge is not a particularly large mod, but it packs a lot of punch for its size. During the Bridge district murder investigation, the player may stumble across a slime covered key. There’s no prompt telling you what it opens, but you will likely have already stumbled across the newly interactable grate in the Slums, outside of the Jansen household.

The sewers introduced in this mod don’t intersect with those accessible from the Copper Coronet, and they’re entirely self-contained. The areas are put together well, and everything visually meshes with the original game just as I’d want it to.

The titular lounge is a thoroughly uncomfortable looking place containing a couple of benevolent eccentrics who are more than happy to grant you a quest, sell you items, or just chat for a bit. I found all of the dialogue to be well written and generally enjoyable to read. There’s a bit of wit to the interactions and item descriptions that feel reminiscent of the classic BioWare tone.

The quests that the mod introduces are largely self-contained and easily completable with an eighth level party. I found them appreciably short, and you’ll likely complete most of them in one visit. There’s only one that requires you to leave the sewer, and it’s more of a bonus than anything.

I’m glad that the Ooze’s Lounge doesn’t involve any sprawling epics. Considering how easy it is to access so early into the game, I appreciate how low-key it is. It’s believable as a hidden nook in Athkatla that the player just so happens to stumble across, and the characters, quests, and areas tie the experience together in a way that feels quite premium.

The new items that the mod introduces are quite interesting as well. There probably isn’t much that you’re going to be taking late into the game with you, but there is stuff here worth consideration without being too overpowered.

It’s always nice to have a reason to use clubs, since they often get pushed aside in favour of scimitars, and these two make an excellent case for their use. All of these items are fairly expensive, so don’t expect obtaining these to be easy.

Probably the most interesting among the new items are the consumable ones. There is a limited collection of oozes and berries that you can purchase, and some of them are well worth it.

Some of the oozes have their merit, but I would never recommend anyone voluntarily sacrifice 10% of their HP and their Save vs. Death, even for additional strength. Then again, I would never recommend anyone consume colourful ooze in general — virtually or otherwise.

The green and brown oozes are probably the most useful, and all of the fruits are generally handy. There’s also a berry that lets you shapeshift into a wolf. Neat.

After Chapter 5 has been completed, a new merchant will appear in the Ooze’s Lounge. This newly introduced character is the only voiced character in the mod, and the voice work is excellent — the inclusion of custom voices and portraits can be very hit-or-miss, and Ooze’s Lounge surpassed my expectations. Much of what is included here feels like it could have been in the original game.

That is the greatest praise I can give Ooze’s Lounge. It’s a great addition to Shadows of Amn that doesn’t intrude on existing content in any way, and it’s a small way to expand the city and give the player more options. These are things I can always appreciate, and it manages to do them in a way that feels pretty seamless with the unmodded game. I’ll likely be including Ooze’s Lounge in my games from now on as a fun addition to an already sprawling city.

Thanks for reading.