Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Wormerine's Patch9 debriefing

Before you tell to do so, know that all written below will be sent to Larian directly as well

A rushed playthrough as I wanted to see what's new before leaving my PC for a couple of weeks tomorrow. Probably will play more once I am back, to see more of lvl5 but I think have formed impression already.



New implementation of reactions is great - it is the best scenario I could hope for. It provides automation when one wants it, but also offers control when needed. I think there are two major benefits to this new system. First one is better control over our resources - by allowing us precise control over reactions we can apply them more tactically. Especially spells like Hellish Rebuke and Counterspell would be hard to make worthwhile if automated. The second benefit is feedback - Barding Inspirations feels so much more valuable, if one knows what it contributes. Similarly, damage spells like Smite or Hellish Rebuke feel better to use, when we get to confirm their use.

Worryingly, right now it seems that only selected skills have been graced with that new systems, and quite a few old and new skills (attack of the opportunity, Protection, repelling-blast [though I don't mind the last one too much, since someone told me one can move toggles to main hotbar - though at this point it might have been implemented as a seperate skill altogether] still use the old system. I am not sure what Larian's plan is here - at first I thought they only give player control over the skills that use per-rest resources, but riposte was using the new system. Is it Larian's attempt to limit amoung of popups per-character? Or does new system need further development to support every reaction?

Eitherway - my feedback would be: allow us to use new system for every reaction available. Depending on character build having control over those mundane reactions is still valuable. For example with my Paladin having both attack of opportunity and protection it is important for me to be able to make decision on the fly which one of those he will use each turn. Also implimenting skills like sneak attack or Battle Manouvers like you did Smite would expand their functionality and allow them to interact with other skills and reactions. On top of that the new system allows to modify the settings, even if it's not that characters turn, which I think is super important.

The passive UI still might be of use, even if all reactions get updated. The current system reminds me somewhat of AI from games like Dragon Age: Origins or Pillars of Eternity2. Below I attach and image of AI editor (which is somewhat like reaction UI we have now), but then there is a button that allows us to switch between AI-OFF, AI-ATTACK ONLY, AI ACTIVE. Perhaps Passive UI could serve similar purpose. We could "program" our prefer reactions in the dedicated UI, but then through passives we could switch between ON, OFF and "programmed" (our setting from the new reaction UI)


I also think that reactions should get their own resource icon, alongside full and bonus action and class/spell resources. At this moment, there is no indication that reaction is a resource that could be consumed.

When using barding inspiration the game would ask if I want to use it, even if I rolled enough to land a hit/avoid an attack. Ideally, the game would automatically skip those, as well as situation in which adding the bonus can't cover the difference. While annoying a real issue happens during automation, as game will use up the inspiration regardless if it is neede or not. Here is Astarion rolling 20 against DC of 14, and automatic Valiant Defence was wasted.


When my Paladin had barding inspiration and landed a hit, he could choose between inspiration damage bonus or using smite but not both. Shouldn't he be able to do so?

When attacked multiple times by the same target, I only once got an opportunity to increase by defences with barding inspiration. Shouldn't I get such opportunity per-attack, rather then per enemy turn?




Yikes it is a power spike. Double damage for everyone, and some nasty 3rd level spells.

To my surprise multiattack has been implemented somewhat as per writter rules - we get to perform multiple weapon attacks per one use of a full-action. It's funtionality seems rather confused at the moment, though. I can attack or use special weapon attack, and then I can throw as an extra attack (and it doesn't have to be a weapon, can be item or granade), but not the other way around, nor can I throw two weapons - it seems that only an attack with an equipped weapon can trigger the multi-attack. I also feel that multi-attack throw should be milited to weapons only - so we can thrown thrown weapons, but not items or consumables - those should take full-action. Still, outside it's current issue it hints at a nice balance between melee classes, who get to do more per-turn, and spellcasters who get higher levels spells to play with (and upgraded cantrips!).

I feel that multi-attack availability could be better comunicated. I genuilly forgot about it, and finished first encounter after leveling up not using any of the multiattacks, because I forgot about them.

More worryingly, at the moment haste (as tested through potions - I didn't test the spell yet) grants new full action, together with new full set of multiattack. Feels already rather powerful, effectively doubling our damage output and it bounds to get more extreme as multi-attack gains extra attacks on higher level. But it is even more devastated for spellcasters. They can cast two full action spells. Here is my sourcerer pretty much singlehandedly making Gnolls dissapear in a single turn with two fireballs. That I think needs to be reigned in, and I especially don't want anything like that to be used against me by NPCs.








Stomping still so very laud. Why? It is not informative, or pleasant sound que - it's about as appealing as having character footsteps be at the front of the mix. It should be a background sound. I get that you make jump a skill, but it doesn't mean it's exciting to use, or hear 4 of your companions doing lound stomps one after another.

Hotbar still auto-adds spells on lvl ups even though I set it up in options not to do so.

Please remind players to rename their character during the character creation. I am unlikely to come up with a name before setting everything else, and I often forget about about the name after that.

Character creation and leveling screen is still rather barren - lacking class progression preview or more information on lore. I assume it is not it's final form as it lacks from expected features (like multiclassing) but when the character creator was praised during PfH I sincirely hope they were talking about character creator we haven't seen yet.

Skill checks seem to got new UI but now they are not skippable - I hope that functionality will be re-added for 1.0.

Bane and Bless still use circular AoE. Why, why, whyyyy. Do you know how annoying it is Larian, to not be able to easily pick our targets?

Please, please, at the very least rework party management UI so it won't regularly randomise the order of the companions. I send wrong people too often, because their order shifted during ungroup/groupall

I still wish for some visual seperation when accessing skills through the resource icon. That's already a lot to take into and it will only get worse.


Also, I still wish for level upcasting be available if I pick a spell through resource drop down menu.

Combat log still lacks a lot of info and can be difficult to read.

trade screen still exists, and is set as default over barter, while lacking basic functionality - like sell all wares.

Chaining is much better then it used to be, but companions still get lost - I think it happens if tere are multiple obstacles: like ladder => jump. They will do one, and get stuck on the other.

Camera is still frustrating - it doesn't follow character vertically unless it is glued to them. Aiming at higher/lower ground can be trouble some at best, and impossible to do at the worst.

The big one - I still hate how joining the combat encounter from stealth works. If one character get spotted or attacks you either need to attack from stealth with everyone else, or they will loose a full turn before getting to do anything (so in some cases it might mean two full enemy turns before you get to act. It is a system that can be easily exploited, or can feel unfair if used casually. It rarely feels right. Really, the only decent way to start engagement is openly walking up all grouped up so we all get included in the encounter at the same time. It's really not good. Please, rethink how engaging from stealth works. At the very least, if I have my characters in turn based mode and start an attack allow all of them to join the action que. As it is one of them will, and others will not only not not join the encounter but they will be put into a real time mode, which can be disasterous if some of them are still chained. It's a mess of three speerate systems, and I really believe you need to rethink how they transition into each other.




New movement meter - easy to miss at first, but better!

Class checks no longer come with free advantage!

Saves sorted by char-name!

Stealth all applies to chained character only! yay

In goblin hideout Spiders have a web ladder to get out of the pit. What is always the case? Did I just notice it? I like it! I want Spider Climb and be able to walk on walls!

Door's visions in Hags Hideout. I haven't seen those before, but it's been a while since I visited Hag. I like those! Honestly, they look much better then animated scenes - backhanded compliment, I know, but I hope they will use more of those vignettes.


Silence Sphere reads: "Create soundproof sphere". Should character under influence of Silence Sphere be able to hear Vicious Mockery?

I did Alfira's performance checks with my Paladin to learn to play an insturment. First of all, for some reason it still didn't work - he would stop playing the instrument after a second or two. Point number two - rolling in the middle of an improv felt really off. Killed the pacing of the scene. Point number three - shouldn't skills help in completing checks, not be awarded by completing the checks. Learning to play the instrument because of passing two performance checks feels off. Then again, we can learn to play an instrument on the level up, so none of it makes any sense anyway.

Did my first custom party run, and conversatino they have between each other were weird. In D:OS1 those were used to argue for quest resolution - here, not so much. For example we learn about Priestess of Gut, all three agree that she is not the solution we are looking for, but the conclusion of the conversation still is: "Let's go find her!".

Great feedback, hope this gets attention.

most of this stuff was already covered before this patch so good luck with it and reactions are indeed still half done i hope heh

That is some pretty amazing feedback. On the matter of the new Reaction System, I get a strong sense that its implementation is being deliberately limited during EA, for testing purposes, & will probably be fully implemented at full release of the game. If I am wrong about that, then I concur with you on the need to extend reactions far beyond the scope we see in Patch 9.

IF anything you would want to test AoO as reactions to see if people mind the constant popup of AoO... but you can set it to on/off in that case anyway so it's not really a problem either way if it was made the same way.

It looks like work in progress or someone didn't think of the fact that you can lose the reaction on AoO before you even get the chance to use it on smite(or other stuff) and was thinking that on/off for AoO was adequate where infact is not.

I know. But as it is likely last major feedback I will be giving I might as well repeat annoyances I wish to disappear .



Thank you! I hope Larian will agree with you.

I wish Larian was better in communicating on what their intent is. They released a build with mixed implimentation, and didn't even comment on that. My guess would be that the system is still in development and perhaps reimplimenting reactions in the new system isn't as simple as flipping the switch. With just few active reactions the spot above hotbar is pretty full, so it is possible that UI can't handle too many active reaction at the moment. I can't really imagine a reason why they wouldn't just use the new system for everything - if someone wants to automate some or all reactions as simple on/off they can still do it. At the same time they did think that automated reactions is a good idea, so I feel a need to be a little bit more proactive and not assume that they will do what I think they will do.

I usual, I strongly support your feedback.

I will give more details after I tried a bit more. In exemple I haven't experienced level 5 yet.
Here's a few quote of things that matter the most to me.

Yes. Using Bardic inspiration costs no action so can be done alongside anything else.

But TBH I'm just happy that it sounds like there's an option not to automatically spend inspiration. That was some where around a reduction to 1/4 of the chance for it change a result under generous assumptions. But it's such an easy feature to automate entirely somewhat sensibly, and really just requires a degree of failure threshold to be as customisable as you need for almost every situation.

Why are my ears burning....


Anyway, good feedback, supported, and thanks for the continuing dedication Wormerine ^.^