Topic: Baldur's Gate 3

@KAIRU I know exactly what you mean. What I did was stopped the blades, saved, and then reloaded, just to see what happens if I accelerated matters 🤣 I mean, there must be two levers for a reason, right 😁

Also, my evil playthough that I have in mind will be a Drow Paladin of Vengeance or something like that. I'm probably gonna be too evil for even the drow to want me on their side 🤣 and make sure to select all options like "stand back and watch" before absolutely melting both people involved in arguments 😁 problem solved, everyone wins via the "no problems when your dead and gone" rule

@Ravix I found it funny because I didn't even realise there were two levers until after I sent the poor fella flying to his death. I was laughing for a solid ten minutes when I done it. I did reload a save to actually save him though. 😂

@KAIRU aha yeah, I wish I'd messed up like that. It's a great little addition by Larian, as a lot of people will have got the full on moment as intended when clicking quickly to save the guy haha. I'm sure there will be many more moments to come xD

What im doing right now is trying to work out if my Bard, who likes a good fight, and is acting as second main Melee in group, as well as jack of all trades, face of the party, inspiration and taunter of foes, can handle taking a dip into Fighter class. On the surface it would just help with everything I'm doing anyway, boost my AC for shield and lead to medium armours if needed. But in the menu it has a star next to strength, and I'm not sure of that means it will override charisma. My strength is 8 lol, but my charisma and dexterity are 17 and 16, which is what I cast and melee with. Hmm.

The only problem with my bard is I'm seriously lacking in bonus actions. I might have to go back into the respec, and see what's available otherwise. Everything I unlock is an action, very annoying 😅

@Ravix I picked the Thief subclass for Rogue, so I got an extra bonus action. It's really handy to have if you end up dual-wielding melee weapons. I feel like Assassin would have been quite good too but the extra bonus action was too good to pass up!

I'm trying really hard to not 'lone-wolf' the whole thing and be miles away from the rest of the party in combat. I do like to scout ahead a little bit to see if I can find a vantage point and to maybe pick off some enemies.

@KAIRU yeah, they do seem the most universally fun, the old rogue duel wielder is always popular for obvious reasons lol.

What I mean is, none of my bonus actions are worth a damn for my build, everything I use costs an action apart from Flourish, which can obly be used once per short rest. I have healing word, too and that's it (other than the bog standard push) so it means if I cast a spell like dissonant whipsers, or do a sword based action, I have no others options unless someone is hurt, as I need to save my bonus action flourish for important moments. Even simple cantrips cost a whole action ;((( Maybe I just need to learn to short rest more 😅

Otherwise I guess it will just have to be my main flaw for this playthrough. It is a bit tricky only having one move per round most of the time

@Ravix Yeah, it would be quite nice even if the consumable spell scrolls and stuff were a bonus action, rather than an action. It would definitely be a bit more of an incentive to use them. Maybe there is a way that you'll be able to find a solution at some point but I'm not so sure!

@KAIRU I do actually have a skill that let's the entire party short rest without having to short rest, which is cool. Full HP and all slots return. I'll have more of an experiment. I feel if I can stick one or two levels into Fighter and still cast with Charisma, and melee with Dex, then I could be onto something that suits my style quite well. I'm already a skill check beast, and the only real flaw is intelligence and religion based things, which Gale and Shadowheart make up for.

The fact that I can seemingly send advanced wizarding parties ahead to take up good positions and distract the enemies by blowing one of them up, so I can sneak or slice my way in, mid combat, feels really cool.

@Ravix Yeah, the variety in ways to play is absolutely awesome. I guess it's a staple of the RPG genre as a whole, but I really like how your choices actually mean something.

I love trying to deceive NPC's and pick a few pockets in some of the more populated areas. It's such a thrill trying not to get caught. I'm worried what's going to happen when I fail the skill check on an attempted pickpocket though... 😅

@KAIRU yeah, they might not react too well to old tadpole head stealing their belongings. and I doubt there is a KCD-like skill check for "don't you know who I am?" Spoken with noble pomposity. Or "I'm on a secret mission" 👀

I've only pickpocketed once, as I'm saving it for npcs I dislike, so maybe Wyll hahaha, what an up himself kn*bhead 😅 "oh hello, I'm immensely great and noble, and definitely nothing going on other than me being the perfect white Knight. Did I mention I'm amazing and noble?" Yeah, yeah, stay in camp ya nonce and save the poor helpless fire from going out.

The one I pickpocketed was the previously mentioned Pandrina, and that was an absolute nightmare, as I tricked her into thinking I was the new "box guardian" and she was relieved of duty, and then cured her so she could walk off. Then she just sat back down in the corner acting like I hadn't relieved her of duty and she was still the storage room guard. And after all that, including a good few reloads, because it was breaking my immersion that she forgot my skill check to make her leave when she had the ability to, (I made shadowheart learn a new spell just to help her ffs lol) after allllllll that. All I got was a rusty key to please a talking rat, and I have no idea why I actually did any of it to start with 😂😂😂

I didn't have to kill her and stuff her in a camp box like @Tjuz though, so that's progress, I guess 😂

I gave up on the Aunty's Ethel qiest last night too, it's really cool, and I was loving it, but I got to a section with lots of noxious gas, and I was too tired and probably not levelled up enough to try and get through, so I rolled back to a previous save and I'll just do the whole quest again another day haha.

I also realised I'm taking a stupidly long way round to find Karlach, as I thought the river was impassable 🤦‍♂️ but I did meet another fella, who invited me to tea 👀😅

This game is so good 😅 I think I've now started or concluded every available quest in emerald grove (some look like they will span all 3 acts, but no more can be done in that particular area for now) And the best thing is, I've probably missed some things. I mean, I just met a very sad bear, who is missing his master/friend. I hope they didn't just go to Baldur's Gate and not tell him, as that would be sad
but it was pretty much my last visit to an area that I'd been to a lot, and i hadn't noticed tbe path down to him before. And that wasn't even well hidden 😅 who knows if I will ever meet a person, or corpse, who used to be friends with a bear. But I'm glad I met the bear 😁

I'm pretty much fully embracing my half wood elf, making sure to check in with as many of the local animals as I can, and it's leading to some simple, but awesome moments 😁 playing my lute for a wolf isn't even a dialgue interaction, but they howl along to the music 😁

I think I'm finally in a position to go and search out the fabled Goblin camp, as it has multiple threads nicely tied to it now, the search for a druid, some treasure/weapon, clearing goblins to provide safe passage to Baldur's Gate for all who want it etc. Oh and something about a parasite xD

I also picked up a very nice crossbow while searching for a swamp location related to my Emerald Grove wood elfy druid investigations, do I feel bad about how I acquired it? Yes. Does it suit my build perfectly, also yes. But us head parasites have to stick together, and some people have chosen inherently dangerous professions...

The game looks bloody lovely too 😍

@Ravix It seems like the game is really clicking for you (and for most everyone) which is great to see. How many hours have you put into it up to this point, if you don’t mind my asking? I’m curious because it sounds like you’re being really thorough in your exploration and speaking with everyone, which is the style I tend to follow in these open games, so I was wondering what I could be in for. I suspect many players could just run to the goblin camp straight away versus spending time opening up all the side quests and optional interactions.

I'm about 20 hours in and thinking about restarting the game or starting a 2nd playthrough. When i started the game, the tutorial was broken, but i think it is fixed now, since yesterday I had my first tutorial pop-up. And as someone who isn't really familiar with CRPG and didn't play much D&D this game can be pretty tough to understand, especially if the tutorial is broken. I managed to kill a lot of people I feel I shouldn't have killed, especially as a Palladin So I'm considering starting over with a new character and making different choices to see how they pan out. And also hoping I understand a bit what I'm actually doing now that the tutorial seems to be working.

The game looks absolutely stunning though, love the ability to switch the camera from top down view to over the shoulder view and the voice acting is absolutely great. Especially the narrator's voice is amazing. Glad to see they seemed to have fixed most of the bugs. I encountered quite a few, like sound dropping off out of nowhere, but the last few days it seems to have improved and haven't encountered bugs or performance issues anymore really. Now the game slowly starts to grow on me.

@Th3solution oh it's definitely clicking 😁 although the combat is the worst element for me, even that I'm getting the hang of and beginning to quite enjoy, and as it's such a good rpg you have the increased desire to learn the combat anyway. And with exploration and questing comes the real joy of the game, and usually a chance to practice combat while you're at it.

It's a game that if you love RPG's you have to play at some point, for sure. And I know you do. It's such a great one to explore.

As for time, I've probably put maybe 25-30 total. I know my first save was at two hours and that was just the character creation (I can't help myself with those. And I spent time reading up on mechanics and abilities whilst designing lol)

I imagine if I explore on my way to the goblin camp (which, yes you could probably just head to as soon as the marker appears) there might still be distractions on the way, but again, that's the fun of it.

If you do end up getting it, give me a shout and I'll probably have a few tips I've learnt just to help understand how the game works, if you're new to this exact format, I know I wasn't sure of some stuff until a eureka moment

@Ravix Thanks for the offer! I might take you up on that.

I’m still undecided as to when I want to take a plunge with this, but I for now the plans are to wait until I’ve cleared a few backlog games. But I have been trying to just play what I want to play and not be beholden to a schedule, so I could just jump into BG3 at any moment out of sheer FOMO! 😂
The real temptation will probably be when the first discounted sale price comes, which may very well be Black Friday, and that’s what… only a little over 2 months away.

@Lavalera I'm not sure the tutorials are that much help anyway tbh, but it's a game that can be learnt as you go. One main thing was getting a grasp of the short rest, long rest, visit camp mechanics, for me. As I started on easy I wasn't really going to camp, but then I switched to normal, and had to short rest to recover after fights, and then long rest when I'd run out of spells etc. And visiting camp is a great way to advance companion stories, and learn more about the game.

And in combat, you just have to test everything out a few times, and then you get used to what to use and what to save for more important encounters. Splitting the party (I don't think there was a tutorials for that) is a great feature, so if it's a fight you know is coming because you can see enemies, you can position your party individually before entering combat, to gain advantage, and to save movement costs that you'd have to spend every turn if you all start bunched together.

Hope it clicks for you soon 😁 as I said to TheSolution, any questions you have, for someone who is learning it all for the first time, and can maybe understand things from a more beginner standpoint, feel free to ask. Anything advanced, save that for others. But I know when I ask someone who is really experienced, they will use terms that us newbies might not have fully grasped the meaning of, so the learning process is easier with people who have a shared starting point, I feel 😅

@Th3solution the game is a backlog killer 😁 I feel I've gotten my moneys worth already, the base game is sub £60 from release anyway (I actually got the deluxe edition because I used my left over bonus funds and it was cheaper anyway) but if you get the base game, via voucher code, you can probably get a good discount right now. Not that you have to play it right now, but you know... 👀😁

I'd say just watch a YouTube intro gameplay video to get a taste, but I know it's much better when you're playing it yourself anyway, especially as some of the game requires thinking time, and peoples thought processes don't really come across in gameplay videos 😅

@Ravix I am playing on the easiest mode, but had to use short and long rests a lot. I know long rests will reset your skills usages and short rests is needed sometimes after battles when my party members were low on health. But that might also be because i was at places at which i shouldn't be yet for my level. Or at least that feels like it. I know i save a lot in between just so I can redo certain sections. There were parts with traps where I didn't know how to get past. Later i found out Astarion is great at detecting traps and i have to use trap disarming tools to disarm them.

Like you say it is a lot of trial and error. I try to read and test skills sometimes, but I still seem to focus to much on using as much damage as possible in a short amount of time and that doesn't always seem to be the best tactic haha. That's also why i treat this playthrough as my test playthrough to learn more about the game and the tactics i have to use during gameplay. Thanks for the advise on the split party that's a tactic I didn't think of yet. So i'll try that and see how it works.

I'll keep in mind if i have any questions to post them here Thanks for the offer.

@Lavalera aha, yeah I avoided a lot of fights early as easy mode made being a convincing Bard quite easy to skill check past people, confuse them with wit or deceive them outright. I.e "you'd better run away, that there is an invasion force/a ship full of monsters"

Also, the one tough fight I had, I reloaded anyway, so that negated needing to rest, as second time I just blew up some powder kegs and hid haha.

So yes, maybe more me avoiding stuff early led me to rest less. But I'm glad I'm now using more of what is available and developing a party tactical style.

I'm still trying to force myself to learn the buff/debuff side of things a lot more, because like you, attack seemed a good option, at first, but if you miss your one big shot, you then have to wait a turn and risk being slapped about, but if you get a buff/debuff, you're less likely to take a big hit, and can waste the opponents turn for them, and then yiu can go on the offensive when you have more of an advantage with your next turns or other party members 😄

So far I've still been relying on attack, as I've cunningly using split party positioning to get an advantage in fights though. One example, is at a location I won't say, as it might spoil a quest. But it's basically in a building, and I split off and used Asterion pre fight, and left him in the rafters, awaiting an opportunity, and then split Shadowheart to do similar (outside of the red markers that show enemy perception during stealth) I then went for a chat with the target with my character my last companion as a two person grouping. We initiated combat, and I instantly switched to Shadowheart and hit the main threat with a guiding bolt, with advantage, and melted some of their HP (shadowheart is listed as joining combat at this point, so 3 out of 4 are listed in the turn order that shows at the top of the screen) I then could do the same with Asterion with a stealth ranged attack if I had wanted to. But instead I switched to the engaged party, and hit two melee attacks on the main threat with my duelist bard, then it was the next companions turn, and I killed the main threat outright (second turn of the entire battle, as shadowheart attacked for free). Asterion could then join in via the L2 character switch, and I went about clearing up the other enemies with a few mistakes, but nothing too costly. Just one of them kept hiding so I never got a chance to jump on their head with Asterion and i had to enter a different room which cost me some turns and hits haha.

Next time I play I've already decided I'm going to make sure shadowheart has more buff/debuff spells, and just one short range and one long range attack spell, and try to focus on getting her into good positions to cast from afar and see how those spells affect the outcome for my other 3 attacking party members. Things like "Bless" or "Bane" and "Sanctuary"

And also maybe rotate her with Gale, as I added an "Enlarge/Shrink" buff that I haven't tested yet (I just thought, maybe rotating spell casters is a way to get free spell slots, as I wouldn't have to rest, just go to camp and replace whoever is out of slots for someone that has all their spell slots) 👀

Clever positioning, and keeping some of the party out of the combat turn list and able to move freely and attack when desired seems to be the number one way to get a good advantage early in fights though 😄

I think I shall take a slight break from BG3 now, and by that I mean for no longer than a day probably, and I'll still end up drawn back in late tonight, I imagine. But as there's so many tangents all coming to a head, it's very overwhelming. And I need to step back and reassess just to make sure I'm doing what I want RP wise.

I'm pretty sure there is no other option, for me, than to absolutely go in on the goblins now haha. I tried to find a diplomatic solution, and I tried to deceive so I wouldn't have to murder absolutely everybody, but as I am one with nature, and have already sorted out the druids problems, and also have a whole town worth of Tieflings relying on me, there seems to be no other way. But I just want to let it all sink in in the back of my mind, before I fully commit to any extreme acts.

I imagine there will be a lot of chaos, and I imagine a little toot on a certain Ogre horn could lead to quite a fun resolution 😁

Love that I'm having to consider my actions though, very nicely played Larian.

This game nails such small aspects really well. After tying up all loose ends in the Goblin Camp that, of course, meaning killing absolutely everyone that remained there, apart from those two stupid siblings that were following the orders of the absolute, Brynna and someone, they seem pretty harmless now, and they can, for all I care, take full control of the old Selune temple haha. This was after dispatching Minthara and Dror Ragzlin, with a combination of stealth, cunning and brute force. All of this was absolutely fantastic in its own right. I had to literally fight my way out of the goblin camp in stages, with waves of attackers who aggro on the death of Dror. It was a proper massive scale battle to escape the camp from behind enemy lines. Truly EPIC. And I didn't have to use the Ogre horn yet, I managed it with just my infitration party

I made my way back to the Grove and spoke to absolutely everyone who was relying on me for a solution, and was able to take in just what my actions had meant for each NPC. As a Bard, I delighted in them singing my praises one after the other, swelling my ego, ready for my next adventure. But it really felt like a worthwhile ending to the path I took and there was so many reactions, every single NPC cared for what I had done in their own way, even the pompous one who said that he could have easilly done it, but sometimes its best to not tarnish a master blade when you can simply use a butchers knife, haha. And I've yet to go to camp and celebrate properly 😁😁😁 it's just so well done, and the people and the world feel meticulously crafted for proper immersion into your RP.

Also, at one point I set up camp within the Selune Temple itself (great acoustics) and dear Volo, who I'd set free earlier, did a little medical examination to see how I was faring. And I do not regret my actions, one bit 👀😁