Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 RELEASE THREAD

[gurugeorge]

So imma remove this from inventory just to check it out a bit.

Won't play it for long, just curious to see this shit with my own eyes lmao.

Whatever you can imagine in terms of degeneracy, it's ten times worse lol, with the constant pressure to "either progress these 'adult relationships' we're offering you or be an asshole" in camp dialogue options being the worst - but on the other hand, combat and exploration, and even some of the story and character development, are quite good.

IOW one wants to hate the game because of the first aspect and everything it portends and reminds one of, but just nosing around in the virtual world is addictive enough that one can't stop playing.

It's basically Loverslab Lite with a half-decent game tacked on. Abandon all hope.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Can we finally say Bioware's romances in BG2 ruined story fag RPGs forever?

No, the romance in BG2 was very low key and immersive. It would trigger dialogues at long intervals so you really feel like there was enough time for some companionship to develop. For me it was a nice experience to get them in some wilderness or dungeon, the music changes and we get to know the love interests backstory some more. And it was actually romance.
How people are describing BG3 romance sounds like an orgy at every long rest, everyone trying to jump on your dick or put their dick inside of you. Just a total coomer shitfest. To me there's another bioware game that seems to be a clear predecessor to this crap, and that's Mass Effect.

Aerie review of BG3. Waiting for Viconia review now.

 

[Orud]

Still better than open world garbage.

Different flavor that is not innately bad. There's plenty of good open-world games and bad linear games, and vice versa. It's all about how the entire package comes together, which is why I never bemoaned the loss of a day/night cycle by itself.

 

[Gradenmayer]

So what's the consensus on the companions' alignments?

My take on what I've seen so far (9 hours or so):

Lae'zel - lawful evil;

Shadowheart - neutral good;

Astarion - neutral evil? Judging by the introduction, after which I told him to get lost.

Wyll - haven't had him around much, but seems like the classic lawful neutral non-entity?

Karlach - chaotic good.

Haven't met the drow paladin yet, but her being a drow suggests a certain character, heh.

Shadowheart is more of a chaotic good. Loves when you manipulate, deceive and trick people.

Wyll is in-between neutral/lawful good.

 

[Child of Malkav]

My map is completely black. As well as the minimap. Like, there's no map visible. Any fix for this?

 

[SharkClub]

Welp, just encountered a horrendous bug. Enemy AI completely turns off in every combat encounter if a certain party member that you have has had some buggy interaction with being downed/helped up in a previous encounter (at least that's how I've sussed it out after checking 2 year old larian forums threads and reddit threads reporting the issue in early access). It's absolutely game breaking and forces you to roll back to an ages old autosave before you unknowingly triggered the bug. People offered solutions that seemed to work for some people years ago like killing and reviving the party member but for me that doesn't work, I was able to figure out which party member was at fault by killing each of them one by one and running into a combat encounter, and it's my main character so I can't even switch him out for someone else.

The only saving grace is that I know which combat it was that ended up breaking it, because the combat right after was bugged and I just brushed it off as a one time thing, three hours on from that combat I came to realize it was in-fact not a one time thing, so now I need to roll back. How does a bug this game breaking survive minimum 2 years of the early access?

 

[gurugeorge]

Welp, just encountered a horrendous bug. Enemy AI completely turns off in every combat encounter if a certain party member that you have has had some buggy interaction with being downed/helped up in a previous encounter (at least that's how I've sussed it out after checking 2 year old larian forums threads and reddit threads reporting the issue in early access). It's absolutely game breaking and forces you to roll back to an ages old autosave before you unknowingly triggered the bug. People offered solutions that seemed to work for some people years ago like killing and reviving the party member but for me that doesn't work, I was able to figure out which party member was at fault by killing each of them one by one and running into a combat encounter, and it's my main character so I can't even switch him out for someone else.

The only saving grace is that I know which combat it was that ended up breaking it, because the combat right after was bugged and I just brushed it off as a one time thing, three hours on from that combat I came to realize it was in-fact not a one time thing, so now I need to roll back. How does a bug this game breaking survive minimum 2 years of the early access?

Interesting but could you tell us (in spoiiler ofc) which character/interactions it is please, so we can be wary of it?

 

[Zarniwoop]

My map is completely black. As well as the minimap. Like, there's no map visible. Any fix for this?

Try new graphics drivers. Or switch to DirectX if you're using Vulkan.

The Vulkan version is an unstable POS, despite that being the one Larian recommends.

 

[jf8350143]

The lack of auto save starts to get annoying. You failed a persuation check, now the NPC is agreesive, and if you load you lose two hour of content because fuck you we only auto save when you camp or on major story bits. I'm just walking around the city and talk to npcs and even then I need to press f5 like a crazy person?

 

[Grauken]

The lack of auto save starts to get annoying. You failed a persuation check, now the NPC is agreesive, and if you load you lose two hour of content because fuck you we only auto save when you camp or on major story bits.

I always shut off auto saves, one of the worst inventions of modern gaming. Learn to save manually

 

[AwesomeButton]

The lack of auto save starts to get annoying. You failed a persuation check, now the NPC is agreesive, and if you load you lose two hour of content because fuck you we only auto save when you camp or on major story bits.

You've got quicksave that's 25-entries deep by default.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Zarniwoop I'm on dx11 anyway. As for drivers....eh I had some bad experiences with them before and now I got one that's super stable so I'd rather not toy with them especially since the game is more than playable as it is. Any cache or folder that would need clearing though? This problem wasn't present for me in EA.

 

[Fedora Master]

This works with potions btw

 

[gurugeorge]

Let's not get into another one of those arguments about the costs/benefits of various kinds of saving lol

But does anyone else get a thing where saving just takes aaaaaages and interrupts gameplay (particularly noticeable as characters glide back to their places in camp as it autosaves after you wake up from a rest)? I'm thinking it's happening (for some reason) just because I'm playing with an old, weak CPU, but I'm wondering if anyone else gets it.

 

[Vic]

View attachment 39700

This works with potions btw

also works with short rest

 

[Child of Malkav]

gurugeorge Yeah I have some 4-5 seconds saving. Not anyone gliding though.

 

[gurugeorge]

gurugeorge Yeah I have some 4-5 seconds saving. Not anyone gliding though.

Hmm, thanks. Yeah for me saving definitely interrupts gameplay for a few seconds (characters can move while the game is saving, but they glide, and they can't interact with anything). DOS2 did it a bit too, but it's much worse here.

*looks sadly at old, below min reqs i3 cpu"

 

[Fedora Master]

Spoiler

What did Larian mean by this?

 

[SharkClub]

Welp, just encountered a horrendous bug. Enemy AI completely turns off in every combat encounter if a certain party member that you have has had some buggy interaction with being downed/helped up in a previous encounter (at least that's how I've sussed it out after checking 2 year old larian forums threads and reddit threads reporting the issue in early access). It's absolutely game breaking and forces you to roll back to an ages old autosave before you unknowingly triggered the bug. People offered solutions that seemed to work for some people years ago like killing and reviving the party member but for me that doesn't work, I was able to figure out which party member was at fault by killing each of them one by one and running into a combat encounter, and it's my main character so I can't even switch him out for someone else.

The only saving grace is that I know which combat it was that ended up breaking it, because the combat right after was bugged and I just brushed it off as a one time thing, three hours on from that combat I came to realize it was in-fact not a one time thing, so now I need to roll back. How does a bug this game breaking survive minimum 2 years of the early access?

Interesting but could you tell us (in spoiiler ofc) which character/interactions it is please, so we can be wary of it?

As far as I know it's not specific to any encounter, at least according to all the different forum posts I've read about it dating back years. It just randomly seems to happen when a party member gets downed and then the game fails to tick 0 over to a 1 when they get helped back up during that encounter, then every following encounter is broken and enemy combat AI is turned off entirely. But for me specifically:

Spoiler

It was in the swamp. I fought the mud sprites or whatever and ever since that encounter, every combat I have entered has been bugged with the enemy AI off. I thought it was a one time thing when I was killing the red caps in the Hag's cabin so I continued, only to find out at the actual Hag fight in her arena that it was in-fact not a one time thing. My closest savegame that is before the mud sprite battle is an autosave from right before entering the swamp which is 3 hours older than the latest quicksave, it's probably only like an hour of gameplay if I rush it but I do explore pretty thoroughly on the first time through a place.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

My map is completely black. As well as the minimap. Like, there's no map visible. Any fix for this?

Known issue that will be fixed in the next patch apparently: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1086940/discussions/0/3808408328761175096/?ctp=2

Try switching renderers at the start for now and see if it fixes it. If DX11, switch to Vulkan and vice versa.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

The lack of auto save starts to get annoying. You failed a persuation check, now the NPC is agreesive, and if you load you lose two hour of content because fuck you we only auto save when you camp or on major story bits. I'm just walking around the city and talk to npcs and even then I need to press f5 like a crazy person?

It does have autosaves. Just not everywhere. Because that would cause issues, since saving is kind of intensive compared to a lot of modern titles. Causes my PC to pause for a few secs.

 

[Reinhardt]

civilized pipo are so puny. it's so easy to scare them away with my superior barbarian status.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I think ton of fun people and me get is simply pure system changes which explain to my why i like so much BG3 combat/gameplay vs Pathfinder/Pillars. It reminds me so much of 2nd edition of DnD which was the most fun i had with DnD.
lvl 5 atm. So far 5e is super fun system to play compared to 3e i hated (I loved 2e)

Then on top of those changes there is Larian design which further enhances that by properly supporting each class and proper RP and giving plenty ways to use situational gameplay.


- Each level feels meaningful and you never have this "if I multiclass in this i lose X for pretty much nothing ?" Good example of this was choosing rogue lvl2 over fighter lvl2. Yes fighter lvl2 gives me extra action but rogue gives me 3 skills dash/stealth/something and movement seems to be more important for my character than just pure damage as bolt in mage head is more important most of the time than even few swings of sword. Each level seems to give something specific and useful.
- casting in armor is logically funneled into whatever you are proficient in armor or not. As long as you are proficient in X armor type you can cast. So if you want to roleplay fighter/mage you can roleplay fighter mage. You lose 1 lvl of mage but you can wear anything you want. Above class levels there are other stuff to choose and depending on how you build your character it can be fighter that only uses 2-3 spells or full combined fighter mage or mage that works more like cleric etc. There is incentive for mages to stay pure and pick other feats than armor as well so it is balance of choice.
- simplicity. You don't need to study your character feats and traits to play and almost nothing is situational from class point. Which means you think more about actual combat and RP than remembering all stupid traits you build around. It reminds me a lot 2nd edition which i loved. It is complex where it matters and simple to play. It cuts bullshit waste.
- flatter number scaling, hp bloat isn't as huge as 3rd edition and combining with Larian environmental and situational combat means lvl 1 character still can win against high level character provided tactics are involved and some big brain thinking. This also means that even cantrips are pretty powerful if used right which further means that losing 2-3 levels of wizard for say fighter or something else isn't as that bad. Going pure has benefits as well but experimentation isn't as bad as it used to be in 3rd edition i hated.
- short/long rest is great mechanic combined with supplies. Short rests are great if you just want some heal between fights while long rest is strategic. Companions also work as replacement. So if someone in your party is tired etc. just swap him for someone else. This means longer plays between rests.
- feats are mostly general and powerful instead of being weak and specialized. Gone are the days of 3rd edition one million feats that worked on sundays but not on thursdays. When I first saw on my mage feat list I really struggled to pick something because they all were very beneficial rather than my 3rd edition experience where I mostly picked just general AC or damage as most of feats were too situational.
- there are no dump stats. Due to 5e + Larian design every stat has some use on every character and because damage and hp is much flatter your +2 to damage from strength isn't really that much needed. I play right not DEX+CHA fighter, something i normally wouldn't consider at all in other dnd game like pathfinder. Even WIS+CHA fighter makes sense, solve problems, don't do a lot of damage but you are effectively anti mage fighter add mageslayer feat as well.
- traps,lockpicking seems pretty easy at start but soon you realize that without dedicated "thief" you will quickly run out of tools and those tools cost money if they are available at all.

You are absolutely right. I was never fond with D&D mechanics, but now I can fully appreciate second edition. Fifth has only gimmicks, dice drops between tiefling role-playing.

A'propos de role-playing, I'm disappointed how Larian changed Shadowheart from evil and malice cleric to accordant visual-novel girl. I because tester are pussies and afraid rejection from a wench?

I always liked second edition best because:

1) It respected lore archetype. The rigid nature of the system, the fact only humans could be paladin or could dual class, the fact you were often locked in a single class, this wasn't a "limitation", but a point of attraction as it made the world feel more substantial. Sure some things could have used some work, but i always hated the "everything" goes mentality of 3E.

2) You didn't have to spend an hour theory crafting every time your character leveled up. More is not always better, and i'm sure leveling was made simple and inuitive specifically not to boggle down the game in a table top session.

Also, one thing i liked about DnD in general was the spell system and the spells themselves. Keep in mind i don't have a lot of experience with table top systems, all my RPG experience comes form video games, and DnD is one of the few settings i experienced where spells weren't just boring variations of the same pew pew shit. The way spells were designed made it really feel like magic was a science in this world, each spell being something a mage discovered which is why it worked in a certain way and had its own unique characteristics which occationally also factored in how you ended up using the spell.

Honestly i just liked how "lore" heavy in a kinda of Tolkienesque way the whole thing was. I dislike systems where nothing matters but the meta and lore is just pointless empty fluff.

 

[Fedora Master]

Oooookay, there is a serious fault in the combat engagement system. You absolutely CAN lure individual enemies away so you can murder them one by one.

 

[Shaki]

Welp, just encountered a horrendous bug. Enemy AI completely turns off in every combat encounter if a certain party member that you have has had some buggy interaction with being downed/helped up in a previous encounter (at least that's how I've sussed it out after checking 2 year old larian forums threads and reddit threads reporting the issue in early access). It's absolutely game breaking and forces you to roll back to an ages old autosave before you unknowingly triggered the bug. People offered solutions that seemed to work for some people years ago like killing and reviving the party member but for me that doesn't work, I was able to figure out which party member was at fault by killing each of them one by one and running into a combat encounter, and it's my main character so I can't even switch him out for someone else.

The only saving grace is that I know which combat it was that ended up breaking it, because the combat right after was bugged and I just brushed it off as a one time thing, three hours on from that combat I came to realize it was in-fact not a one time thing, so now I need to roll back. How does a bug this game breaking survive minimum 2 years of the early access?

Interesting but could you tell us (in spoiiler ofc) which character/interactions it is please, so we can be wary of it?

As far as I know it's not specific to any encounter, at least according to all the different forum posts I've read about it dating back years. It just randomly seems to happen when a party member gets downed and then the game fails to tick 0 over to a 1 when they get helped back up during that encounter, then every following encounter is broken and enemy combat AI is turned off entirely. But for me specifically:

Spoiler

It was in the swamp. I fought the mud sprites or whatever and ever since that encounter, every combat I have entered has been bugged with the enemy AI off. I thought it was a one time thing when I was killing the red caps in the Hag's cabin so I continued, only to find out at the actual Hag fight in her arena that it was in-fact not a one time thing. My closest savegame that is before the mud sprite battle is an autosave from right before entering the swamp which is 3 hours older than the latest quicksave, it's probably only like an hour of gameplay if I rush it but I do explore pretty thoroughly on the first time through a place.

Also had this bug, seems like it's not so rare