Reichhaltig

As if Soule had heard my criticism of the main game's OST, in the second and final add-on The Hordes of the Underrealm he no longer relies on a mixture of gloomy action pieces and quieter tracks that drown in the dull monotony, but reverses the ratio. At this point I would like to quote a review from the Steam product page of the soundtrack:

This is easily amongst Jeremy Soule's best work, right up there with Oblivion and Skyrim's soundtracks. The man was tasked with creating a soundtrack to accompany what is essentially a fantasy game toolbox. He could've easily phoned it in to mimic the open-ended descriptor that is Neverwinter Nights as a whole, but he did anything but. Soule is truly an expert at ambient tracks that set the scene and create an understated life in what are essentially digital geometric corridors.

The battle and dungeon tracks, on the other hand, are not really his strong suit here.. but then, that's probably not why you'd pick this up.

Groover about Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Official Soundtrack

Games from the Dungeons & Dragons-series

Neverwinter Nights (2002)

Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006)

Although the user is referring to the entire Enhanced Edition album, in this case it underlines my point quite aptly. Hordes of the Underdark starts strongly and - at least at the beginning - focuses much more on set pieces that have their own identity. Where it is difficult to recognize notable melodies in the main game, almost every piece feels unique in the addon.

I particularly like that Soule largely breaks away from comparability with the previously named Knights of the Old Republic and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . Admittedly, Queen of the Shattered Mirror sounds very much like The Sith-motif, but Waterdeep, City of Splendors is a touching and magical piece that is somewhat reminiscent of Jesper Kyd's later work for Assassin’s Creed II . Or Zorvak’mur, in which the Supreme Commander ideas shine through. Lith My’athar , on the other hand, has the adventurous charm of Guild Wars 2, which is why the track is right at the top of my list. Overall, the composer has achieved a renaissance with the OST, which adds the right nuances to the comparatively interchangeable score of the main game.