On September 25, 2000, Black Isle Studios announced an expansion package for Icewind Dale called Heart of Winter. It shipped in February 2001 and has the following features.
Main Features
- 800x600 resolution support (which works on the original game as well).
- Drop away interfaces to play in fullscreen like in BG2.
- New character Portraits and Sound Sets.
- Improved OpenGL 3D support.
- New "Heart of Fury" Mode for harder monsters and more experience points.
- Gem bags and scroll cases.
- 59 new spells for wizards, clerics, and druids.
- More than 80 new magic items, even refinements to items in the original game.
- A higher experience point cap, set at Level 30 (8,000,000 XP) allowing for mega-high level characters.
- Hotkeys for showing items on the ground and doorways.
- The expansion takes you to the northernmost fishing village of Lonelywood, one of the Ten Towns in the region. Native barbarians have been organizing hordes of warriors to sweep across the region razing each of the Ten Towns in their wake. A mysterious traveler enlists the aid of your party to help stop what he believes is a grave mistake.
- The expansion should add 15-25 hours of gameplay.
- New special abilities for Rangers, Paladins, Bards, Thieves and Druids.
Details
- You may not leave Easthaven straight into the expansion. You either access it after finishing the game or through Kuldahar. You will probably access the expansion through the magical, locked door in Kuldahar. You will have to meet certain level requirements to enter the expansion areas. Once you're there, it's hard to go back.
- The plot centers around a character with a particularly "frigid" personality, hence the title of the expansion.
- There are new paper dolls for female gnomes and dwarves, courtesy of Dave Pursley.
- In terms of number of screens, it's about 220. I believe Lower Dorn's Deep was 210.
- New spells: Cat's Grace, Lance of Disruption, Mordenkainen's Force Missiles, Shout, Vitriolic Sphere, Contact Other Plane, Lower Resistance, Sunfire, Darts of Bone, Soul Eater, Trollish Fortitude, Seven Eyes, Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting, Great Shout, Iron Body, Power Word: Blind, Cause Light Wounds, Sunscorch, Alicorn Lance, Beast Claw, Cause Moderate Wounds, Cause Disease, Circle of Bones, Cloudburst, Exaltation, Holy Smite, Mold Touch, Moonblade, Spike Growth, Storm Shell, Unholy Blight, Blood Rage, Cause Serious Wounds, Cloud of Pestilence, Poison, Smashing Wave, Star Medal Cudgel, Thorn Spray, Unfailing Endurance, Wall of Moonlight, Animal Rage, Cause Critical Wounds, Greater Command, Magic Resistance, Shield of Lathander, Slay Living, Undead Ward, Blade Barrier, Harm, Spiritual Wrath, Whirlwind, Destruction, Earthquake, Greater Shield of Lathander, Holy Word, Mist of Eldath, Stalker and Unholy Word.
- New monsters: A few of the new monsters you will find are barbarians, remorhaz (polar worms) and wailing virgins (undead).
- New magic items: A few of the new magic items you will find are The Ring of the Will-o-Wisp, Vexed Armor, Feyr's Halberd, Icon of Power (halberd), Sceptre of Tyranny, Ulcaster Academy Ring, Evil Spider Crusher of Doom, Amaunator's Legacy, Trollslayer and Bracers of Blasting.
- Can buy multiple items from stores.
- Areas: Lonelywood, Barbarian Camp, Burial Isle, Sea of Moving Ice and Gloom Frost.
- There is a good chance of a dragon being in Heart of Winter.
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