Baldur’s Gate 3
Discussion
25 hours in and not evel left Act1 yet 
I'm playing on Balanced and despite being a BG1/2 and DOS veteran, I'm finding this pretty tough!
Regarding rulesets, I don't understand it either, only the basics (AC) and dice rolls (chance to succeed/hit) but the nuance is kinda lost on me overall with the newer rulesets so I don't read too much into it.....
If you just like the idea of the game (turn based RPG) but don't want to get too in depth, then just drop the difficulty to the easiest. If you're even slightly interested in this kind of game, it's a must-buy.
I'm playing on Balanced and despite being a BG1/2 and DOS veteran, I'm finding this pretty tough! Regarding rulesets, I don't understand it either, only the basics (AC) and dice rolls (chance to succeed/hit) but the nuance is kinda lost on me overall with the newer rulesets so I don't read too much into it.....
If you just like the idea of the game (turn based RPG) but don't want to get too in depth, then just drop the difficulty to the easiest. If you're even slightly interested in this kind of game, it's a must-buy.
I am not a big gamer and I have XSX but in my youth I was an early player of original Dungeons & Dragons 3-Volume Set and then AD&D so I want to play BG3. I have purchased my PS5 in anticipation of the release date.
Previously I purchased a PS4 which was used only to play Last of Us 1 and so now I am playing Last of Us 2 while I wait for BG3.
I have just noticed that Quake 2 has been released on Game Pass for XSX and I have no idea when I will have time to play Starfield when it is released next month on the same day as BG3.
Previously I purchased a PS4 which was used only to play Last of Us 1 and so now I am playing Last of Us 2 while I wait for BG3.
I have just noticed that Quake 2 has been released on Game Pass for XSX and I have no idea when I will have time to play Starfield when it is released next month on the same day as BG3.
Edited by Actual on Sunday 13th August 11:56
Stevil said:
Not sure why it would put you off, you've essentially got a sandbox of spells and possibilities to play with. You'll have a much harder time if you don't get creative with it and experiment with spells and abilities, as the combat is tough and you need any edge you can get.
If anything the D&D rule set adds to it as you can often think of something and it will be possible within the bounds of the game. I'm sure there will be videos - just like in DOS2 before it - of people 'cheesing' boss encounters by utilising spells in ways most people wouldn't have thought of.
The randomness of dice roles will very possibly annoy me .If anything the D&D rule set adds to it as you can often think of something and it will be possible within the bounds of the game. I'm sure there will be videos - just like in DOS2 before it - of people 'cheesing' boss encounters by utilising spells in ways most people wouldn't have thought of.
franki68 said:
Stevil said:
Not sure why it would put you off, you've essentially got a sandbox of spells and possibilities to play with. You'll have a much harder time if you don't get creative with it and experiment with spells and abilities, as the combat is tough and you need any edge you can get.
If anything the D&D rule set adds to it as you can often think of something and it will be possible within the bounds of the game. I'm sure there will be videos - just like in DOS2 before it - of people 'cheesing' boss encounters by utilising spells in ways most people wouldn't have thought of.
The randomness of dice roles will very possibly annoy me .If anything the D&D rule set adds to it as you can often think of something and it will be possible within the bounds of the game. I'm sure there will be videos - just like in DOS2 before it - of people 'cheesing' boss encounters by utilising spells in ways most people wouldn't have thought of.
I've started this, about 19 hours in so far, have not even seen Baldur's Gate yet. The game is good, but I don't think it's GOTY material, let alone being one of the 'best games ever' (based on the metacritic score). I think a lot of the hype is coming from the fact that it's a complete game, of extremely high quality and polish, with no microtransactions and it works properly on release. The positive reviews for this game and so much of the pro-BG3 press seems to be around the fact that this game lights a fire under the arses of AAA developers and publishers who keep farting out half-based slop as opposed to people being absolutely in love with the game itself.
It is good, don't get me wrong and I love turn-based games, but I wouldn't get too hung up on the combat since it's such a small part of the game, at least early on. At a guess, I'd say <10% of my game time so far has been in combat, many combat encounters can be avoided with the right dialogue choices too and often it's not really in your interest to fight. Case in point, a goblin hideout early in the game. If you try and fight your way in the front door as soon as you can reach the place, you'll be crushed even on the easiest difficulty. Instead, you can sneak in or talk your way in and complete your objectives quietly, then you can start wiping out the goblins to make some XP later once you've levelled up and found some better gear.
The thing you will do the most is opening burlap sacks, collecting potatoes and rotten tomatoes. On the one hand, this is boring, on the other it means that you'll never be short of camp supplies that you need to heal up and most crucially, recharge your spells. Probably the most "feels bad" thing about the D&D rules the game is built on is the spell slot system, spells have different levels and you can only cast so many spells of each level with a given character before they need a long rest (return to camp and sleep type affair) to recharge. Warlocks recharge on short rests (instant health refresh in the field) but not wizards, annoyingly. What this system means is that you need to be careful about when and where to deploy your best spells unless you like burning resources to rest all the time, which in turn means even more collecting potatoes to fuel your rest stops. I understand the reason for doing this, as some of the spells are very powerful, but having so many limitations on them doesn't feel super fun or empowering.
On the subject of combat, as others have mentioned, an inventive approach is often best. I had a fight on some high gantries which I nearly ended in a single turn, thanks to casting a thunder spells that includes a force knockback that sent me enemies tumbling to a lower level. The shove action is very good for this too, fall damage is absolutely devastating and you can shove many, many tough enemies to their doom, should you need to, but you often won't be able to reach their corpse afterwards. This is worth considering as most of the more dangerous foes carry special magical items which you really want to collect, if you can.
On the note of inventiveness, utility spells are often better than outright damage spells. While it seems tempting to pick a loadout of explosive fireballs and lighting bolts, often you're better off blinding the enemy, paralysing them with fear or turning them on their allies with mind control. Enemies generally have maximum damage output until the moment they die, but a goblin warlord rampaging through his own ranks will not harm your characters at all, allowing you to take out his friends then focus on him once he is alone, etc.
If it feels like I've focused a lot on magic and not a lot on melee combat, it's because melee combat is comparatively very simple. Damage resistances and weaknesses aside, you just pick the stick with the biggest number and hit the enemy with it, not a lot to it really.
If anyone really wants to see the game and experience the story, I'd recommend considering a mod to remove the player-side RNG, basically it will set the dice roll to land on the maximum value so you never fail any checks or miss any attacks. You will remove a lot of what enriches the experience but it's definitely going to be the fastest and least painful way through, if this type of gameplay isn't for you.
It is good, don't get me wrong and I love turn-based games, but I wouldn't get too hung up on the combat since it's such a small part of the game, at least early on. At a guess, I'd say <10% of my game time so far has been in combat, many combat encounters can be avoided with the right dialogue choices too and often it's not really in your interest to fight. Case in point, a goblin hideout early in the game. If you try and fight your way in the front door as soon as you can reach the place, you'll be crushed even on the easiest difficulty. Instead, you can sneak in or talk your way in and complete your objectives quietly, then you can start wiping out the goblins to make some XP later once you've levelled up and found some better gear.
The thing you will do the most is opening burlap sacks, collecting potatoes and rotten tomatoes. On the one hand, this is boring, on the other it means that you'll never be short of camp supplies that you need to heal up and most crucially, recharge your spells. Probably the most "feels bad" thing about the D&D rules the game is built on is the spell slot system, spells have different levels and you can only cast so many spells of each level with a given character before they need a long rest (return to camp and sleep type affair) to recharge. Warlocks recharge on short rests (instant health refresh in the field) but not wizards, annoyingly. What this system means is that you need to be careful about when and where to deploy your best spells unless you like burning resources to rest all the time, which in turn means even more collecting potatoes to fuel your rest stops. I understand the reason for doing this, as some of the spells are very powerful, but having so many limitations on them doesn't feel super fun or empowering.
On the subject of combat, as others have mentioned, an inventive approach is often best. I had a fight on some high gantries which I nearly ended in a single turn, thanks to casting a thunder spells that includes a force knockback that sent me enemies tumbling to a lower level. The shove action is very good for this too, fall damage is absolutely devastating and you can shove many, many tough enemies to their doom, should you need to, but you often won't be able to reach their corpse afterwards. This is worth considering as most of the more dangerous foes carry special magical items which you really want to collect, if you can.
On the note of inventiveness, utility spells are often better than outright damage spells. While it seems tempting to pick a loadout of explosive fireballs and lighting bolts, often you're better off blinding the enemy, paralysing them with fear or turning them on their allies with mind control. Enemies generally have maximum damage output until the moment they die, but a goblin warlord rampaging through his own ranks will not harm your characters at all, allowing you to take out his friends then focus on him once he is alone, etc.
If it feels like I've focused a lot on magic and not a lot on melee combat, it's because melee combat is comparatively very simple. Damage resistances and weaknesses aside, you just pick the stick with the biggest number and hit the enemy with it, not a lot to it really.
If anyone really wants to see the game and experience the story, I'd recommend considering a mod to remove the player-side RNG, basically it will set the dice roll to land on the maximum value so you never fail any checks or miss any attacks. You will remove a lot of what enriches the experience but it's definitely going to be the fastest and least painful way through, if this type of gameplay isn't for you.
Mastodon2 said:
I've started this, about 19 hours in so far, have not even seen Baldur's Gate yet. The game is good, but I don't think it's GOTY material, let alone being one of the 'best games ever' (based on the metacritic score). I think a lot of the hype is coming from the fact that it's a complete game, of extremely high quality and polish, with no microtransactions and it works properly on release. The positive reviews for this game and so much of the pro-BG3 press seems to be around the fact that this game lights a fire under the arses of AAA developers and publishers who keep farting out half-based slop as opposed to people being absolutely in love with the game itself.
It is good, don't get me wrong and I love turn-based games, but I wouldn't get too hung up on the combat since it's such a small part of the game, at least early on. At a guess, I'd say <10% of my game time so far has been in combat, many combat encounters can be avoided with the right dialogue choices too and often it's not really in your interest to fight. Case in point, a goblin hideout early in the game. If you try and fight your way in the front door as soon as you can reach the place, you'll be crushed even on the easiest difficulty. Instead, you can sneak in or talk your way in and complete your objectives quietly, then you can start wiping out the goblins to make some XP later once you've levelled up and found some better gear.
The thing you will do the most is opening burlap sacks, collecting potatoes and rotten tomatoes. On the one hand, this is boring, on the other it means that you'll never be short of camp supplies that you need to heal up and most crucially, recharge your spells. Probably the most "feels bad" thing about the D&D rules the game is built on is the spell slot system, spells have different levels and you can only cast so many spells of each level with a given character before they need a long rest (return to camp and sleep type affair) to recharge. Warlocks recharge on short rests (instant health refresh in the field) but not wizards, annoyingly. What this system means is that you need to be careful about when and where to deploy your best spells unless you like burning resources to rest all the time, which in turn means even more collecting potatoes to fuel your rest stops. I understand the reason for doing this, as some of the spells are very powerful, but having so many limitations on them doesn't feel super fun or empowering.
On the subject of combat, as others have mentioned, an inventive approach is often best. I had a fight on some high gantries which I nearly ended in a single turn, thanks to casting a thunder spells that includes a force knockback that sent me enemies tumbling to a lower level. The shove action is very good for this too, fall damage is absolutely devastating and you can shove many, many tough enemies to their doom, should you need to, but you often won't be able to reach their corpse afterwards. This is worth considering as most of the more dangerous foes carry special magical items which you really want to collect, if you can.
On the note of inventiveness, utility spells are often better than outright damage spells. While it seems tempting to pick a loadout of explosive fireballs and lighting bolts, often you're better off blinding the enemy, paralysing them with fear or turning them on their allies with mind control. Enemies generally have maximum damage output until the moment they die, but a goblin warlord rampaging through his own ranks will not harm your characters at all, allowing you to take out his friends then focus on him once he is alone, etc.
If it feels like I've focused a lot on magic and not a lot on melee combat, it's because melee combat is comparatively very simple. Damage resistances and weaknesses aside, you just pick the stick with the biggest number and hit the enemy with it, not a lot to it really.
If anyone really wants to see the game and experience the story, I'd recommend considering a mod to remove the player-side RNG, basically it will set the dice roll to land on the maximum value so you never fail any checks or miss any attacks. You will remove a lot of what enriches the experience but it's definitely going to be the fastest and least painful way through, if this type of gameplay isn't for you.
I don’t know what the stats are but removing dice roll should not mean you hit everything 100% of the time ,whatever the equivalent accuracy stat is should determine your chances of a hit as per many turn based games .It is good, don't get me wrong and I love turn-based games, but I wouldn't get too hung up on the combat since it's such a small part of the game, at least early on. At a guess, I'd say <10% of my game time so far has been in combat, many combat encounters can be avoided with the right dialogue choices too and often it's not really in your interest to fight. Case in point, a goblin hideout early in the game. If you try and fight your way in the front door as soon as you can reach the place, you'll be crushed even on the easiest difficulty. Instead, you can sneak in or talk your way in and complete your objectives quietly, then you can start wiping out the goblins to make some XP later once you've levelled up and found some better gear.
The thing you will do the most is opening burlap sacks, collecting potatoes and rotten tomatoes. On the one hand, this is boring, on the other it means that you'll never be short of camp supplies that you need to heal up and most crucially, recharge your spells. Probably the most "feels bad" thing about the D&D rules the game is built on is the spell slot system, spells have different levels and you can only cast so many spells of each level with a given character before they need a long rest (return to camp and sleep type affair) to recharge. Warlocks recharge on short rests (instant health refresh in the field) but not wizards, annoyingly. What this system means is that you need to be careful about when and where to deploy your best spells unless you like burning resources to rest all the time, which in turn means even more collecting potatoes to fuel your rest stops. I understand the reason for doing this, as some of the spells are very powerful, but having so many limitations on them doesn't feel super fun or empowering.
On the subject of combat, as others have mentioned, an inventive approach is often best. I had a fight on some high gantries which I nearly ended in a single turn, thanks to casting a thunder spells that includes a force knockback that sent me enemies tumbling to a lower level. The shove action is very good for this too, fall damage is absolutely devastating and you can shove many, many tough enemies to their doom, should you need to, but you often won't be able to reach their corpse afterwards. This is worth considering as most of the more dangerous foes carry special magical items which you really want to collect, if you can.
On the note of inventiveness, utility spells are often better than outright damage spells. While it seems tempting to pick a loadout of explosive fireballs and lighting bolts, often you're better off blinding the enemy, paralysing them with fear or turning them on their allies with mind control. Enemies generally have maximum damage output until the moment they die, but a goblin warlord rampaging through his own ranks will not harm your characters at all, allowing you to take out his friends then focus on him once he is alone, etc.
If it feels like I've focused a lot on magic and not a lot on melee combat, it's because melee combat is comparatively very simple. Damage resistances and weaknesses aside, you just pick the stick with the biggest number and hit the enemy with it, not a lot to it really.
If anyone really wants to see the game and experience the story, I'd recommend considering a mod to remove the player-side RNG, basically it will set the dice roll to land on the maximum value so you never fail any checks or miss any attacks. You will remove a lot of what enriches the experience but it's definitely going to be the fastest and least painful way through, if this type of gameplay isn't for you.
Anyway I have bought it currently downloading and looking forward to it .
franki68 said:
I don’t know what the stats are but removing dice roll should not mean you hit everything 100% of the time ,whatever the equivalent accuracy stat is should determine your chances of a hit as per many turn based games .
Anyway I have bought it currently downloading and looking forward to it .
There's a to-hit roll which is modified by things like your elevation to enemies, if you're threatened (someone close by trying to hit you) and any status effects on you/the enemy, so that shows up as your chance to hit that enemy. Anyway I have bought it currently downloading and looking forward to it .
Then you get a damage roll after that where if your sword is say 2-7 (1D6 +1) damage you'll roll to see how much of that you do, critical hits will do a bit more than that.
So yes, making every to hit roll guaranteed would remove all tactics from the game as you could snipe an elevated enemy from a compromised position and need to put zero thought into the buffs or debuffs you apply.
Stevil said:
There's a to-hit roll which is modified by things like your elevation to enemies, if you're threatened (someone close by trying to hit you) and any status effects on you/the enemy, so that shows up as your chance to hit that enemy.
Then you get a damage roll after that where if your sword is say 2-7 (1D6 +1) damage you'll roll to see how much of that you do, critical hits will do a bit more than that.
So yes, making every to hit roll guaranteed would remove all tactics from the game as you could snipe an elevated enemy from a compromised position and need to put zero thought into the buffs or debuffs you apply.
Ok but I’m not asking about making every hit roll guaranteed I was asking about removing the dice roll element to remove that element of luck (as per se divinity original sin 2) .Then you get a damage roll after that where if your sword is say 2-7 (1D6 +1) damage you'll roll to see how much of that you do, critical hits will do a bit more than that.
So yes, making every to hit roll guaranteed would remove all tactics from the game as you could snipe an elevated enemy from a compromised position and need to put zero thought into the buffs or debuffs you apply.
It’s no problem ,just wondering .
franki68 said:
Ok but I’m not asking about making every hit roll guaranteed I was asking about removing the dice roll element to remove that element of luck (as per se divinity original sin 2) .
It’s no problem ,just wondering .
Yeah I was sort of agreeing with you, but I see what you mean, I think what you need to roll on the dice will be based on the other factors though, so you can't remove it. It’s no problem ,just wondering .
A roll of 1 is always a critical miss and a roll of 20 will always hit.
Then think about a giant stood 10 meters away whilst you're in an elevated position, the DM (or game in this case) will factor in the size of your target, your skill with the weapon, any buffs/debuffs and perhaps say that you need a roll of 3+ on a D20 to hit, giving you a 90% chance.
Then consider an enemy 50 metres away, who is higher up than you, you're surrounded by threatening creatures and aren't particularly skilled with the weapon, it might decide you need to score a roll of 19 or more on that same dice.
I'm sure someone more Au Fait with DnD rules can correct me, but that's my understanding of what happens under the hood.
RizzoTheRat said:
How much performance does this need to run ok? My i5-8600k and GTX1080 is above the minimum spec but below the recommended, would I need to turn the graphics down so far it looks s
t on a 2k monitor?
I’m running it on a laptop with a i7-8750 and a 1050Ti, it runs fine.t on a 2k monitor?It did default to very low quality graphics but auto detecting in the settings raised them up and it still runs fine.
Mastodon2 said:
On the note of inventiveness, utility spells are often better than outright damage spells. While it seems tempting to pick a loadout of explosive fireballs and lighting bolts, often you're better off blinding the enemy, paralysing them with fear or turning them on their allies with mind control. Enemies generally have maximum damage output until the moment they die, but a goblin warlord rampaging through his own ranks will not harm your characters at all, allowing you to take out his friends then focus on him once he is alone, etc.
As a great example of 'inventive magic' (at least until Larian decide to plug the 'cheat') 
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-owlbear-orbital-strik...
frisbee said:
RizzoTheRat said:
How much performance does this need to run ok? My i5-8600k and GTX1080 is above the minimum spec but below the recommended, would I need to turn the graphics down so far it looks st on a 2k monitor?
I’m running it on a laptop with a i7-8750 and a 1050Ti, it runs fine.t on a 2k monitor?It did default to very low quality graphics but auto detecting in the settings raised them up and it still runs fine.
Not bad so far. Currently wandering around the Emerald Grove looking for Nettie.
This is a very complicated version of DOS2 , I’m a few hours in a struggling with some stuff .In my party I have a wizard who has sleep spell but I can’t use it ,I am not doing something obvious but it’s driving me mad .(party is fully rested and recharged ).
Click on sleep spell and then what ?
Click on sleep spell and then what ?
franki68 said:
Forgot to say I paid £22 for this game , you buy a pre loaded steam account and I was sceptical but it works and you just link your new account with your actual one (via family share)
Sadly those throw away accounts are usually setup using stolen card details. Great you got the game cheap but you could potentially lose it at some point. HRL said:
Sadly those throw away accounts are usually setup using stolen card details. Great you got the game cheap but you could potentially lose it at some point.
The company I got it through seems pretty reputable ,been going a long time and massive positive feedback .Recommended by someone who has used them for a few years with no issues .
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