Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 Pre-Release Thread [EARLY ACCESS RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Curratum]

Swen is such a great guy. I hate him, but he is cool.

I feel exactly the same way. I hate the games he and his studio make, but I love his personality, at least what I've seen of him in videos and interviews.

 

[pomenitul]

Swen is the new Todd Howard.

 

[Silly Germans]

Swen is such a great guy. I hate him, but he is cool.

Is this a new form of the Stockholm Syndrome ?

 

[pomenitul]

Yes, it's called Ghent Syndrome.

 

[Bara]

what's this thing?

Depending on the release of the game goes it's either the book of exalted deeds or the book of vile darkness.

 

[Gyor]

View attachment 13885

what's this thing?

Whatever it is, I want it. I've heard it speculated it might be an Art Book for BG3. My speculation is it's a 5e splat book tied into Baldur's Gate 3, with things like variant rules inspired by BG3 for table top 5e, D&D.

 

[Prime Junta]

BG3 is looking really good! I admit I wasn't all that hyped for it because of DOS2, but the gameplay video they showed earlier was super promising, combat looks rich and fun and verticality is clearly more than just a cute scripted gimmick.

Also, I dug the d20 rolls on skill checks. Now where have I seen that sort of thing before ... ?

 

[Heroic Liberator]

BG3 is looking really good! I admit I wasn't all that hyped for it because of DOS2, but the gameplay video they showed earlier was super promising, combat looks rich and fun and verticality is clearly more than just a cute scripted gimmick.

Also, I dug the d20 rolls on skill checks. Now where have I seen that sort of thing before ... ?

Story is probably going to be abysmal though.

 

[Thac0]

BG3 is looking really good! I admit I wasn't all that hyped for it because of DOS2, but the gameplay video they showed earlier was super promising, combat looks rich and fun and verticality is clearly more than just a cute scripted gimmick.

Also, I dug the d20 rolls on skill checks. Now where have I seen that sort of thing before ... ?

First thing I see after your return and it's an endorsement of BG3. Well deserved communist #1.

 

[Prime Junta]

Story is probably going to be abysmal though.

Most likely, but who cares? It's a DnD romp in the Forgotten Realms, all it needs is a McGuffin to chase. The rest is in pictoresque locations, cool maps, well-crafted encounters, and character build variety. It's not like any IE game other than PS:T had much going in the story department either.

 

[Lacrymas]

I wouldn't expect much in the way of build variety. 5E is pretty rudimentary in this aspect. We will have feats and mutil-classing, though, so it won't be suuuper barebones.

 

[Thac0]

I wouldn't expect much in the way of build variety. 5E is pretty rudimentary in this aspect. We will have feats and mutil-classing, though, so it won't be suuuper barebones.

5e has more build variety natively than 2e. Due to heavy racial restrictions and dual/multiclassing rules a lot of heroes get only a single choice on level up (in 2e), to take another level in their main class.

 

[MajorMace]

Yes, but MINIATURE GIANT SPACE HAMSTER. That's all there is to the BG series, and nothing else.

Why do people have to lose their shit whenever the whacky and zany stuff in BG is brought up ?
Nobody said it's all about this kind of shit, but there's a lot of whacky crazy stuff in the game. What about we accept it and move on ?

 

[Grunker]

Story is probably going to be abysmal though.

Most likely, but who cares? It's a DnD romp in the Forgotten Realms, all it needs is a McGuffin to chase. The rest is in pictoresque locations, cool maps, well-crafted encounters, and character build variety. It's not like any IE game other than PS:T had much going in the story department either.

I'm not so sure about the story tbh. The writing certainly seems like a mix between hopw roewur ne and mediocrity, but the themes and plotlines seem better than BG1+2 on paper tbh. D&D is (often, not always) best when it is high concept, cheesey, pulpy, creatively weird and digs deep into the geeky monsters, planar antagonists etc., and that intro video with the Mind Flayer controlling a nautilus-ship with a tentacle-harp was pure goodness on that front. As long as much of the game past the intro toys around with that kindda shit rooted in the game's best aesthetics concepts, I will probably be more entertained by the story than I expected giving the somewhat... basic bitch-writing we've seen so far.

I'm expecting some fairly shitty writing but I also hope for some wonderfully planescapey (the setting, not the game) D&D lore romping.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

Yes, but MINIATURE GIANT SPACE HAMSTER. That's all there is to the BG series, and nothing else.

Don't fortget about other zany hijinks:
-Gender-bending belt
-Edwin turning into a woman
-Jan Jansen <-hilarious gnomish companion, almost as funny as Minsc
-Lilarcor - this sword just can't shut-up
-Larry, Darryl, and Darryl - they'll even give you an autograph
-"Be aware, Mazzy, I've something long, hard, and low to the ground ye're free to touch and fondle. Child, no need to glare! 'Twas me axe I was referring to..." <-I laugh every time

 

[Prime Junta]

Eh, we'll see when we'll see. It could always surprise positively. In any case I'm looking forward to it big time and not for the story, if it's good then so much the better.

FWIW I don't even remember what the story in DOS1 was all about, but I still remember having fun playing it. If BG3 manages the same I'm happy, and from what Swen has shown it looks quite likely it will.

 

[Grunker]

Eh, we'll see when we'll see. It could always surprise positively. In any case I'm looking forward to it big time and not for the story, if it's good then so much the better.

FWIW I don't even remember what the story in DOS1 was all about, but I still remember having fun playing it. If BG3 manages the same I'm happy, and from what Swen has shown it looks quite likely it will.

both dos1 and dos2 have fantasy stories of the worst kind: zaney, cringe-worthy zoomer-stuff with sporadic bouts of THIS IS VERY SERIOUS PEOPLE dripped in. The first one has you talking to squirrels about nut politics one moment and then EVIL SPACE GOO OF RAPE COLLECTED WITH SLAVERY the next. Pure, horrifying lack of atmospheric cohesion, framed writing or anything else but "what does the writer arbitrarily feel like writing in this moment."

Fortunately, it was easily ignorable. The worsened gameplay of 2 was less so, but the story was also much worse because it played a much bigger role and they doubled down on the "stylistic choices" borrowed from shitty animu.

 

[Grunker]

I definetely hope BG3 will be much better gameplay-wise than DOS. DOS was fun for the first half or so, DOS2 was pretty terrible.

 

[Avarize]

Being TB this is pure incline over the originals. I have faith that the established setting will mitigate Larianisms.

 

[Swen]

BG3 is looking really good! I admit I wasn't all that hyped for it because of DOS2, but the gameplay video they showed earlier was super promising, combat looks rich and fun and verticality is clearly more than just a cute scripted gimmick.

Also, I dug the d20 rolls on skill checks. Now where have I seen that sort of thing before ... ?

Story is probably going to be abysmal though.

Wtf does the codex here even know about good writing or story?

Autists here will bash it regardless.

 

[MajorMace]

established setting

What exactly do you think the established setting will bring to the table ?

 

[Avarize]

established setting

What exactly do you think the established setting will bring to the table ?

Tabletop roots might improve their character build and combat design. Forgotten Realms is much more interesting of a setting than Larianland and the established lore might guide their storytelling to a better direction. Of course we have a mountain of official material in FR that's utter shit but it's always easier to write fanfiction than original.

 

[MajorMace]

You said it yourself, FR include a lot of stuff, good but also slightly less so.
If Larian really sucks at writing, the established setting won't help, I believe.

I actually think BG3 will be better delivered for several reasons : tone, style etc. But I doubt most of the improvement will actually come from the setting.
I've read the BG campaign for D&D5, which as far as I can tell is the closest you can get to what he established setting feels like for BG3, and I don't see anything particularly solid.

 

[Avarize]

I know nothing about D&D after 3.5 and I haven't read any of the official novels after 2005 or so, but I assume that era, or earlier, is the one they are seeking inspiration from given that it's supposed to be a sequel to a 2nd edition game.

 

[NJClaw]

FWIW I don't even remember what the story in DOS1 was all about, but I still remember having fun playing it. If BG3 manages the same I'm happy, and from what Swen has shown it looks quite likely it will.

Basically there's some evil thing that wants to destroy everything, but the most important thing about the plot is that a sorceress transformed her cat into a human because she wanted to have fuck with him.