Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General How big a factor is the ruleset in claims that BGIII doesn't feel like a BG game?

I want to start off by saying that I really like BGIII. I've enjoyed it immensely so far.

One claim I have seen made by a few people though is that it "doesn't feel like a Baldur's Gate game". I've kind of had that feeling a few times myself and I can't quite put my finger on why. One thing that has been running through my mind is the ruleset. I played AD&D 1st and 2nd Editions for years but I never played 3rd Edition or anything later. The rules in 5th edition really feel like a completely different game to me. As a game, I don't know enough to say whether 5th edition is better than 2nd. I can say though that it feels completely different. When playing BG3 it doesn't feel like the D&D that I know. This means that it feels more like a D:OS3 than BG3 at times.

None of that is a bad thing per se, but I just wonder how much the change in rules used is a factor in the "feel" issue that some people experience?

I couldn't tell you specifically about it feeling like a BG title, but I can say, as the flip side of your experience - I'd complain that it struggles to really feel like a D&D game, speaking as someone whose majority experience is 5e itself; it really has only a ships-in-the-night passing acquaintance with the 5e rule set, and it's still very visible that this game was built on the D:OS2 engine, and has had elements of D&d shoe-horned into that, rather than having an engine made for the game.

I think it will vary from person to person. Clearly for some abandoning of RTwP system is crossing the line in itself. For myself, combat in BG1&2 was just means to an end, so while I do have issues with combat when to how it plays as a game, the change itself is something I welcome.

I don't really think of it as Baldur's Gate game, never had, but if I did I would take more issues with tone and overall sloppiness of the narrative side of the game. Even ruleset aside, there is just very little BG DNA in BG3. And then you add Larianisms in the ruleset, which don't align with D&D fundamentals.

I'd be thoroughly dishonest if I claimed the lack of 2e rules didn't bother me in the slightest; however, the rules are a relatively small contributing factor in this discussion. The reason why Larian's attempt doesn't feel like a true Baldur's Gate experience is thanks to the writing (e.g., the bizarre humor and general tonal disharmony).

See more here -> https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=795069

I don't miss the 2nd ed rules, honestly. I think it preserves the important part of BG which, honestly, wasn't that developed: "How much are you willing to give up for power?"

AD&D 2e was and is awesome; feel the shame.


"Y'know, it wasn't really that good/developed."

A classic strategy: tearing down the classics in defense of a new contender. I've seen this a million times before (hyperbole, but not by much) and I expect I will see it again.

I don't know about it feeling like a Baldur's Gate game as I never played the older titles, but as someone who only has passing knowledge of the Forgotten Realms setting due to a tabletop campaign taking place way up in the north at Waterdeep, BG3's portrayal of it isn't really any distinguishable from any other generic fantasy setting. It feels like a lot of very epic things haphazardly stapled together without any real identity, until you reach the Underdark.

The Underdark route being so heavily featured and tested does make me curious as to how the other two routes will even compare.

The opening is very Michael Bay-esque (especially compared to the original games).

BG3 certainly hasn't earned its way to classic status yet. That's for sure.

In all fairness, Divinity: Original Sin is inspired by Baldur's Gate, and so is Pillars of Eternity. So I find it funny and ironic when people get mad at the game being similar to the game that got inspired by it.

In other words...

(Divinity: Original Sin being like Baldur's Gate) Fans: "Ooh, nice!"

(Baldur's Gate being like Divinity: Original Sin) Fans: "Baldur's Gate is Baldur's Gate, it should not be like Divinity: Original Sin! WTF?!"

The problem with your comparison is that the latter games (DoS and PoE) aren't 1:1 analogues; there may be some inspiration here and there, but both games are very different beasts. In other words, it's like getting an "okay" novelization of a great film...and then making a film based on the aforementioned novelization; something will got lost in translation.

This is not an accurate analogy at all.

Is it? How exactly? I see little similarity between the two outside being top down party based RPGs which is a very wide subgenre to be a part of. I would even go as far as to say that Divinity: Original Sin is defined by how not Baldur's Gate it is, while other competitiors focused on trying to recapture magic of the 90s/early 20s.

To me BG3 feels like Dragon Age, a more modern take on BG, which I think is great!😊

Ooh, a bubblehead!

I have the same feeling : A game that feel like a BG game, with less complexity compensated by technical evolution. The question here is, do we expect a Baldur's Gates feeling or a Forgotten Realms/Dungeons&Dragons feeling ? Because if I indeed do not recognize the old Baldurs' Gates games of my childhood, the Forgottens Realms vibes of the books, tabletop stories or illustrations are here. In my opinion at leats.

I am an old turnip. To me BG2 is the king. It had it all at 200%.
Its like games like Chrono Trigger. Yea you have games now with better dialogue, or graphics, slick interfaces etc...but has a whole experience it is something truly special.
I have yet to feel I am part of this world, in BG3. I do not feel grounded in the world atmosphere/ building. I really hope Larian will work on that aspect. Right now it is like playing a very fun boardgame with friends in my living room. What I want more is to be immersed in the game with my character. I just don't feel anything special from this world they have created right now...lack of lore? day/night? Too static?

Let us take a moment to appreciate that nothing will ever truly live up to Chrono Trigger.

I agree! I actually like BG3 far more then any of the Dragon Age's game, though my personal opinion of those series is very low.

haha. Geez, I need to finish this one. A colleague of mine conviced me into buying it on iOS. To be honest I enjoyed it so far, just don't use my iPad for gaming much since I build a new PC.

I don't think it's because of the 5e (the game does not really follow the ruleset anyway), I think it's the approach. And the approach boils down to the game not taking itself seriously. It tries way too hard to be cool self-aware almost-4-th-wall-breaking meta and fun, while original BGs, while having humor in them, still treated themselves as serious rpgs.