D&D General BG3 Massive Spoiler Thread

[Gladius Legis]

Some info on patch 2:

Baldur's Gate 3 - Community Update #24: Looking To The Future - Steam News

Hello all, Since launching last month, a lot of tweaks and updates can already be seen in Baldur's Gate 3. Over the past few weeks we've chased down bugs, polished up some cinematics, and used your feedback to help organize our thoughts and inform our plans going forward. The first major patch...

store.steampowered.com

Not really buying the "oh we thought the epilogues were too long!" lol.

Yeah. And even if they were, so what? After a 100-hour or more game?

I sat through hour-long cinematics that happened in the middle of Final Fantasy XVI, a game that was never even half as good as this one. I'll certainly live if BG3 has cinematics that long at the end of it, and I wager most would say the same.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Anybody finding that AOE magic is much less useful.

Ice Storm is the 4th level spell in BG3. Big AoE plus crowd control. But you can use a barbarian tank to gather up enemies into a cluster for fireball.

Summon Minor Elementals is pretty good too.

 

[TheSword]

I would have liked XP to be split between active characters as in the original BG’s. With the option to over-leave by having less characters. That would have been a fun option.

 

[Ondath]

I would have liked XP to be split between active characters as in the original BG’s. With the option to over-leave by having less characters. That would have been a fun option.

I'm actually quite happy everyone levels together. The old games' rule meant that I'd like taking some companions with me, but they'd be underleveled (also AD&D 2E rules meant that no class levelled at the same rate, but still). This way, I know that every character will be able to pull their weight from the get-go.

The only thing that bothers me is Halsin and Jaheira supposedly being archdruids, but having the same level as me. I'd much rather if they were limited to being camp NPCs, or special companions that don't follow regular character rules.

 

[MarkB]

I'm actually quite happy everyone levels together. The old games' rule meant that I'd like taking some companions with me, but they'd be underleveled (also AD&D 2E rules meant that no class levelled at the same rate, but still). This way, I know that every character will be able to pull their weight from the get-go.

Yeah, in particular Imoen in BG2. The real ticking clock on the rescue operation was that she's sitting there not earning XP, so if you want her in your party you have to reach her before you gain too many more levels.

The only thing that bothers me is Halsin and Jaheira supposedly being archdruids, but having the same level as me. I'd much rather if they were limited to being camp NPCs, or special companions that don't follow regular character rules.

Yeah, with other characters like Gale and Wyll they make it explicit that they've been de-powered by their tadpoling, but that isn't a factor for the druids.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Thinking of turning Astarion into a Shadow Monk/Rogue Thief. Mostly Monk, just Thief for the bonus bonus action.

Killed some Fish men minding their own business on a secluded beach and later met a nice Illithid who gave me a magic ring. Off to slaughter some dark dwarves next for harassing Deep Gnomes.

 

[Ondath]

Killed some Fish men minding their own business on a secluded beach and later met a nice Illithid who gave me a magic ring. Off to slaughter some dark dwarves next for harassing Deep Gnomes.

I personally love the kuo-toa and use them in every campaign that I can, so seeing them was really wonderful!

 

[Sacrosanct]

Just finished House of Hope. Wasn't as hard as I've heard.

Spoiler: spoiler

I actually took out the gem guardians before taking the hammer, so once I got down the hatch, there was nothing there to stop me. Simple and easy. Using the long rest bath in between levels made it pretty easy. Persuading the demon to fight for you against Raphael helps too

I'll add this. Summoning spells are the best spells. Not only because of the extra creature on your side, but the enemy likes to target them and not you. That's the biggest benefit I've seen so far.

 

[TheSword]

Yeah, in particular Imoen in BG2. The real ticking clock on the rescue operation was that she's sitting there not earning XP, so if you want her in your party you have to reach her before you gain too many more levels.

Yeah, with other characters like Gale and Wyll they make it explicit that they've been de-powered by their tadpoling, but that isn't a factor for the druids.

Ok but arguably in the BG3 all the main companions are with you early on.

So it would be a choice. I’m sure for the few key latter NPCs they could start at an appropriate level for the stage in the game. It is 5e after all.

The game is pretty well gated by the Acts.

 

[Ondath]

Ok but arguably in the BG3 all the main companions are with you early on.

So it would be a choice. I’m sure for the few key latter NPCs they could start at an appropriate level for the stage in the game. It is 5e after all.

The game is pretty well gated by the Acts.

But what would we gain by making such a change? If anything, I think it would be a step backwards in terms of Quality of Life. It'd most likely lead to something like the Starter Syndrome in Pokémon games: You like your starter, so you mostly fight with them, so they end up getting most of the XP and being ahead of your team (and even more ahead of your boxed Pokemon). Then you hit a fight that hard counters your starter, and suddenly you find that your other Pokemon are underlevelled, so you have to go back and grind them (and that's the best case scenario, you might softlock yourself by getting to an area where going back and grinding other Pokemon is no longer possible, and your team can't handle the challenge, so there's no clear way out). And this problem would be exacerbated in BG3 since there isn't really an area of infinitely-summoned enemies for you to "grind" underleveled party members. So you just lock people in to their active party for little to no benefit.