In your personal opinion, who do you think is the better villain: Jon, Sarevok, or Melissan?

Sarevok. Irenicus is totally implausible and Melissan is only a villain for a few minutes.

I'm curious; how is Irenicus totally implausible? I thought he was the best villain of the three. I agree with you on Melissan, though; that was an a**pull if I've ever seen one.

ikr

In my opinion, each villian had its own pros and cons. Sarevok was totally big and fearsome (thanks to the intro of him beating up that Bhaalspawn). However, he was taken down way too early and easily. Irenicus was an ultimate badass and he toyed with your mind quite a bit. However, he basically enters a big nervous breakdown when you and the elven queen corner him at the end. Melisssan was easily the hardest person to fight out of the three, but she was quick to be beaten, and didn't have much of an impact on you the way Sarevok or Irenicus did. So, all in all i don't really know who's the better villain. But if I had to choose, I'd stick with Irenicus.

Definitely Sarevok. Both Irenicus and Melissan are too cheesy for my tastes.

Sarevok has also the most detailed character and agenda out of the three, and both of these are executed in a more subtle manner than Irenicus` or Melissan`s. We only get to see bits and pieces of information about what Sarevok is trying to accomplish and at the beginning, we do not even know who he is, we only see the results and consequences of his actions throughout the Sword Coast, and this alone already makes him a more interesting antagonist than the other two. The way his plans are being revealed only bit by bit and then eventually foiled by the player character creates a focused and coherent plot while also providing a driving force for the player and the enjoyment of uncovering a mysterious conspiracy behind the unusal events.

This is only a matter of personal preference, but Sarevok`s story is also a bit more "low-key fantasy" and not as melodramatic as the story of Irenicus, which is also one of the reasons why I like him best. He is a very charismatic and criminal mastermind who also happens to be one of the stronger children of the Lord of Murder and does not hesitate in trying to take up his heritage. However, if the player lets him join the party in ToB, he can also discover a more bitter and down-to-earth side of the character.

Irenicus had a few good lines, but that`s all that he had going for him, and between his hubris and Sarevok`s, the latter`s one has more depth to it.
As for Melissan, well...it was quite obvious from the first time she opened her mouth that she would be the final villain. She was simply an uninteresting and sort of an uninspired character.

Irenicus fight in the end was disappointing. TOO Easy! The one before in Suldansellar was way more challenging with Irenicus.

Sarevok is tough but not that frustrating. A challenging fight.

My pick is Melissan. Tough as Hell. I enjoyed it!

He's an elf stripped of elvenhood which already feels constructed and definitely not epic. He doesn't look realistic and it doesn't make sense that this crippled elf is to be powerful, made with so much cheese. It doesn't make sense that his laboratory is directly below the center of a big city.
His actions don't make sense and he has suffers from the recurring villain who has to be defeated again and again syndrome which fits better to kids cartoons.
It's not reasonable how he kicks ass in the video sequences, it's only cheesy.

I keep expecting Irenicus to call me "Detective", and that's breaking me out of my immersion.

The 'recurring villain' bit isn't inherently bad; when used correctly (as I'd argue that it is in BG2), it can be a good way to give a sense of progression to the characters. Your first meeting with him has him effortlessly subduing you and your party, the second battle is winnable if you get some extra help, and the final confrontation is fairly easy for you, even with his 'upgrades'. This doesn't diminish him as a villain, it only shows how much you and your party have improved over the course of the game.

As for the rest of your argument, I'd say we'll simply have to agree to disagree, since it's pretty much pure opinion. (Not to say that the recurring antagonist isn't, of course.)

It would have to be Sarevok, he towered over you in BG1, even at the end of the game. The game made it seem like he was a cut above you and everyone you traveled with, to say nothing of the fact that he kills your foster father (a powerful mage) to get to YOU. That entire game was a masterpiece of storytelling. I'm going to play it right now actually.

I agree with monster. Irenicus just feels contrived and "not real". I can't connect with him as an enemy, I don't "feel" him, so I don't feel much when defeating him. Sarevok was much more realistic and believable to me, so I got much more satisfaction interacting with his plots and machinations, and ultimately defeating him.

In terms of character development I think Jonny boy is the most well developed. I still remember when I first played BG2 I was just dying to find out what Irenicus wanted with my 'charaname'. Initially I just thought him as the generic villain on a power trip, then later I discovered that there was a much deeper plot as to what he really wanted. I actually felt a bit sorry for him in the end.

The next has to be Sarevok. He was a villain of mystery from the begining, however I did feel that the story was a bit rush at the end in an attempt to 'explain' everything.

In comparsion with the previous two, Melissan seemed to be there just because the story needed a new villain. I mean really, most players could probably smell her treacherous way the first time they met her.

However, gameplay wise. Melissan is actually the most difficult followed by Sarevok and funnily enough Irenicus is actually the easiest in my opinion

I'd say it's probably because he just boils down to a powerful mage when you've spent a whole game fighting mage after mage....

Difficulty:

Melissian is definitivel the hardest, Sarevok is pretty hard more with that low level, and the easiest is Irenicus, with big difference.

As a Character:

Irenicus for me is the best, because he has more real motivations... Sarevok is a good cliché of the superbadguy, godlike with a struggle for power... sic..., and Melissian dissapoint me because i knew she was the BAD GIRL in the first f... minute she appears to ask me for help.

My favourite is Sarevok- I think having him in Throne tends to draw players to him more.

Irenicus is a close second.

Milissian I forget about half the time.