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Mod author: Lava Del’Vortel

Version used for review: 2.4.

Out of all the companions in Baldur’s Gate, Skie Silvershield is probably the one used the least. She’s a good thief with decent ability scores, but for many players, it’s too little too late. Only after having recruited the notoriously useless and disgustingly smarmy Eldoth Kron and lugging him as dead weight all the way to the city of Baldur’s Gate will you even have the opportunity to recruit Skie. That’s Chapter 5 of a 7 chapter game.

Although this mod shares an author with the Baldur’s Gate II mod, Skie: The Cost of One Girl’s Soul, the two mods are not directly related, though neither do they contradict one another. You can install The Vanishing without ever playing The Cost, and vice versa.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Skie. Somehow, likely due to curiosity, she ended up in my party I took to fight Sarevok the first time I ever completed the game. Sure, she can be a little irritating sometimes, but her whining “Oh, I mussed my hair” is so much more bearable than Safana’s sultry “Mm, I feel so… sensual.”

Such is my luck, then, that this mod does exactly what it says on the tin, and it does it well. Eldoth has a new plan, one that accounts for the fact that Wyrm’s Crossing is closed due to the bandit issue. Does he plan to stop them? No, of course not. He’s devised a method of snatching Skie away from her father by relying on people more capable than himself — and who are victims of his past endeavors, of course.

Eldoth joins you right outside the gates of the Friendly Arm Inn, which can be a little sudden, but if you’re interested in installing this mod then that’s probably not an issue for you. It can be helpful to have a convenient hand to take down Tarnesh on harder difficulties. It’s also worth noting that the popular Tweaks Anthology mod will grant players an option to relocate Eldoth to a more convenient spot. To ensure compatibility with this mod, that option should not be downloaded.

I do think it would feel a little more natural were Eldoth located within the walls rather than standing beside the gate, but I digress.

After joining you, Eldoth will have you steal a figurine of a head from the top floor of the Friendly Arm Inn. Supposedly, the owner is a drunkard who spends all his time at the bar. Unfortunately, after you pilfer the statuette, the man walks up the stairs and catches you red handed. You get a few responses to try and convince the man that the situation is not what it looks like. It’s not difficult to do so, but I enjoyed the moment anyway. It’s a fun way to add flavour to a very minor action that could have easily been a basic fetch quest.

The figurine is to be delivered to a halfling in Beregost that owes Eldoth a favour, who will reluctantly smuggle it into the Silvershield Estate in the city. After the task is complete, Eldoth arranges to have the two of you teleported to the figurine’s location.

Following through with this will put you into the Estate at nighttime. It’s dark, and you’re unable to leave the second floor of the building, but you can loot what few containers are located nearby. And, of course, you will end up recruiting Skie.

This can all be done as soon as the player reaches the Friendly Arm Inn, making both Skie and Eldoth a much more accessible duo. There’s no combat involved, so it’s safe for low level parties, and both of them join as Level 1 NPCs.

This mod doesn’t change anything regarding the gameplay of Skie and Eldoth. They have the same ability scores and abilities as their original appearances, though Skie receives a unique jacket to differentiate her from the numerous other thieves at this point in the game.

While you help enact Eldoth’s grand plot, a number of companions will occasionally interject with their thoughts on the situation. They are written with a deft hand that suits the minimalistic design of the original game, and helps give the quest a little more weight than it would otherwise.

The other most substantial change occurs many hours later, after the player has reached the city and now has access to the Silvershield Estate from which they plucked Skie from a few weeks ago.

With Skie in company, the servants and guards won’t bother you, but Entar Silvershield, Duke of Baldur’s Gate, will enter a scathing argument with Skie. It doesn’t have any consequences mechanically, but it does lend weight to the way that Skie feels about her father in Siege of Dragonspear. Eldoth, of course, also gets an occasional word in.

This is a mod with an exceptionally simple goal, and it achieves it marvelously. If you’re a fan of the character, or just want to try a different party composition in the early hours of the game, then I recommend this mod.

Thanks for reading.