Topic: Baldur's Gate 3

@Ravix Four mean girls = your Tav, Lae’Zel, Minthara and… Karlach? She’s really sweet, except when she’s enraged. Shadowheart? Also mean but in a self-righteous sort of way rather than merely brutal. Jaheira? I think she’s recruitable but I’m not that far yet. She definitely had a mean edge to her.

@Thrillho Thanks, it’s been fun trying to strategize my dice checks during conversations. With enough advantages, even passing a 30 is not impossible.

As far as parties, I wonder if I should try to do some parts without Gale. I’ve grown dependent on having magic for ranged and situation/elemental damage, but honestly once you burn through the higher level spell slots, he becomes fairly useless. If I forget to rest or recharge before an encounter, often Gale is merely running around trying stay alive and not contributing much. He goes from really OP to baggage really quickly once he’s spent his spells.

@Th3solution Tav, Shadowheart, Minthara and Lae'zel would be fun, yeah. Some of Shadowheart's lines are absolutley more brutal than the rest combined, at times, too. Although you know my thoughts on Shadowheart, she's just a little emo with her defences up, one that you wound up by being too prying instead of letting her be 😛 maybe you'll pay for that. Maybe you won't. Who knows 😛

It is also cool how you are so far in to the game, and nearly all of the best companion stuff is yet to come. I still think SH, Karlach and Astarion are some of the most interesting characters in any video games, the slow burn thst turns into a raging fire of storytelling and character development. Delicious.

Also. You can use Astarion as a ranged stealth and he can do what Gale does for you without the magic. He can get multiple turns and usually first roll, and has advantage on rolls 90% of the time. SH was my one permanent, and Astarion, Gale, Karlach and LZ got pretty equal share the rest of the time, in various combinations depending on whether I needed more magic or might. I'm not necessarily missing Gale in my dark urge playthrough either tbh, apart from his silly voice and goofiness, and the occasional big boom spell.

If you are only using a few, remember to keep fresh what the others can do if you need them for their specific storylines. And always check back at camp with the ones you leave out, even Wyll, bless him, who I didn't even bring along for his own storyline haha.

@Th3solution I will admit to a bit of savescumming to see what the “Nat 20” rolls would get you on some of the high level checks. But often enough in the later game you can beat most checks with someone if needed.

And I had that issue with most spellcasters. That’s where some of the respec and multiclassing can seem to sometimes help though to try and got more abilities that don’t need resting etc. but I pretty much left everyone as they were.

Speaking of which, Larian announced some fun stats recently, including some of the most common respec classes for the companions (minor spoilers in here I guess);

@Thrillho come on bards, where are you? Let's be havin' you!

I don't do trophies, couldn't give less of a sh** about them 😅 but I still got 100 gold from performances through my sheer natural playstyle as a Bard first time. It is so chill to end a battle by playing melencholic music over the corpses, when entering a new area to gather a crowd, joining in with other bands so it syncs the music with different instruments. Loved that we could do that.

I really might have to do an 'everyone is a Bard' playthrough 😅 the Lightly Tadpoled Travelling Band. Easier to organise than a 4 player co-op bard run, too.

I will ask the room, for all companions: who plays which instrument. Is Karlach a born drummer or will she just stand there whistling so she doesn't burn everything 😁

@Ravix I imagine Gale as a violinist. Not sure why, but I see it.

@Ravix I have to agree that the characters are really becoming a highlight. I think you asked me early in my playthrough what I liked most about the game. At first I was lukewarm on the characters and story in general, and more impressed with the sheer customization and adaptations and depth of the game and narrative choices, but as time has gone on I’ve really come to enjoy each character and become invested in them as people who live in this world.

I think if I had played BG2 and BG1 and been a tabletop D&D fan then I would have enjoyed the characters and story sooner. But as a newbie to the lore and characters, I had to get to know them.

————

And as far as my BG3 Band, I’m not much of a music aficionado but —
Tav - lead vocals
Gale - keyboard
Karlach - drums (it’s gotta be, right?)
Wyll - bass guitar
Minthara - lead guitar
Shadowheart and Astarion - backup vocals

@Kairuuu correct assessment. Such a violinist. Probably hard with only one hand, mind. And a bit annoying that I can't do a full bard party respec on the durge playthrough due to not having all companions 😭 maybe I have an old midgame save on my first character, that could work...

@Th3solution oh no, you've gone full real world band, I see 😅 I meant using the instruments available to bards and musicians in BG3 haha, so Lyre, Violin, Lute, Flute etc and speccing everyone into various Bard builds, and changing the tone of the main story significantly. It was fate, brought together by an invasive tadpoling procedure that made them all randomly learn an instrument, now these brave souls tour Faerun, trying to reach Baldur's Gate to play one last stadium show, wowing audiences along the road, and sometimes murdering those that do not appreciate their unique sound.

Glad you are starting to see them this way, almost like real people with real motivations, aspirations and histories, rather than fill in characters to move your own story along. It was inevitable, and I knew you'd get there (hence the mock teasing about it) because of the character writing and performances throughout. And it doesn't really matter that it takes time, as it is a long road you are on, and it feeds in nicely as you journey together in a pretty natural way.

@Ravix 😄 I’ve got images of a rock ‘n roll tour through Faerûn. 😛

Getting attached to the characters does make me want to play through the older games. I know not every character is a carryover, but apparently many are. Would you ever play BG2 or BG1? I’m not sure I could tolerate the retro style presentation, but I’ve heard the game is just as intricate and interesting.

@Th3solution it's a weird one. I downloaded the first games recently, possibly made a character, but then didn't actually start. But I am not a great gamer, I can't put multiple hours into multiple games at once, I see some people's 'WAYP' entries and think "how?!" So, I either play one serious playthrough of a game at a time, possibly alongside casual/sports games, flit between games never really getting anywhere, or, which is the current scenario... play nothing. But, it is summer and that is often the case. I am technically 'currently playing' Cyberpunk, but I haven't had the consoles on for over a week so it is kind of a paused playthrough (but I am committed to finishing it, God damnit, and it will be what I play when I next play something)

I would definitely like to attempt to see how the BG games hold up, slightly weird being a different studios games, so I would also like to try Larian's Divinity series too, but if I ever do it will likely be in winter when i'm more likely to sink more time into gaming overall. But I will still find it a little hard to sink 100 hours into BG1 if I have to also play Ghost of Yotei which will itself take me a couple of months~ 😅

This is why I wish I was a better gamer. Other people can tick off many many games a month, and i'm like one game for two months, and longer if it is something like BG3, and then some weird gap in between as I recover and don't know what to play next.

@Ravix I don’t suppose there’s a wrong way to play games, so you needn’t feel inadequate. My max seems to be three — if I try to juggle more than three then it gets too much and something suffers. Two games simultaneously is more the norm for me. One main game and one diversion to dip into if I need a break from the main game. BG3 has been special because it has demanded my full attention and my second game, Lost Records, just came to a complete halt. I did peck away about an hour of it last week just to keep my memories current and I still want to finish it, but all I could think about was BG3.

As far as BG1 and 2, I’m curious and motivated to try them now but I probably won’t. I’m more likely to play Divinity Original Sin 2 as my next CRPG. It will probably be a while though.

I decided to start a new playthrough/character this morning. I chose to be a barbarian dwarf, and I’m loving it. Funnily enough, I never get to Act 3 because I never want the game to end and ultimately create a new character, but I’m determined to see it through this round.

@Kraven wait, you never get to act 3 at all? 😱 Act 3, despite some people saying otherwise, is absolutely massive and full of awesome stuff well worth doing, too. You just have to avoid going to one specific area at the very far side if you don't want it to lock in to the full ending, right? And even then it will warn you with a pop up.

@Ravix Yeah, I’ve never technically been to Act 3, just on the cusp of it. I think it’s because I typically put 100 hours into the game by the time I get to that point and I get fatigued. And then I hear how expansive the third act is that I get intimidated, put the game down for months and months, and then restart the journey all over.

I think I’m close to Act 3…? Maybe?
Currently in the Mind Flayer Colony. I freed Mizora, and freed Zevlor. I’ve beaten Kethedric once and now on my way to do it again, I think.
But I’m exploring along the way and so I’m not sure exactly how big this area is.
Also successfully recruited Jaheira. I left her behind for this section, but she was willing to come along and so I’m hoping she’ll be an option going forward.

I’m flush with companions, for sure. But I enjoy having a full camp.

@Kraven Act 3 can be pretty overwhelming as there is so much to do in a slightly smaller geographic area than acts 1 and 2 but it also some amazing sections. Plus, it is nice to actually see some of the companions stories through to completion.

@Th3solution Yes, you’re nearly there! One of my few memories of that section was the puzzle that no one on console can figure out what controls to use to solve it (IYKYK etc).

@Thrillho I guess I know as I played on console, but I also don't know. Do I know? Let me know 😅 probably just forgot what specific part you mean.

@Kraven are you sure you don't have a fear of completion? It can be a thing, although maybe i'm making it up. You really do need to see a few companion stories through, at least. They are superb! And I love the setting, it is what the whole journey has been about, after all. I assume you have some saves at a point where you could start Act 3? Don't you want some of those characters that are stuck in limbo to see it 😛

@Ravix It could be that I’m afraid of completing it—it really is a masterpiece. I remember finishing Shadowheart’s story—my romance partner, too—and being blown away. I do have old saves ready to go. Maybe I’ll get accustomed to the controls again and reload one of my old files up and proceed from there!

@Ravix It’s connecting the nodes in the brain puzzle. I think you have to press L3 or something for a free view on the screen; something you can literally go the entire game without having to do otherwise!

@Thrillho i'm drawing a blank on that 😂 oooh, the colourful thing with streams of light or whatever! Mildly difficult, but I think human error got me first time, rather than not being able to control it properly.

@Kraven yeah, pick you're favourite character to finish with, as then it is like the canon run for your experience, and everything else is alternate realities 😁

@Ravix Yeah, I might to that! I definitely want to see how Astarion’s story concludes!