Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Build Discussion Larian please revert some of the changes to 5e ruleset!

One thing they could do is to make those "red map zones" where you can't fast travel or go to camp more common, at least on Tactician. It won't fix short rests or potions, but it would help bring some tension back. On Tactician, that should probably be the default state in "hostile areas" like the Goblin Camp. So without doing a full retreat from the area, you'd only have your short rests. And they could just tie it to the difficulty, because then it wouldn't necessarily make things worse for those who just want an easier experience.

Another thing that could be done is to make a lot of spells / elixirs last "until the next long or short rest", so short resting would require you to reapply your buffs. And make Angelic Potions "corrupted" or "spoiled" on Tactician.

Of course, I do think that fixing a lot of the broken, overpowered and underpowered (mostly just human, admittedly) options in the game would also make it easier to improve the balance.


Resting has always been a very weird thing in various games using or inspired by D&D and rarely function all that well, be it in the player's or enemy's favor. BG1 is terrible with resting, while BG2 feels like it is expecting you to rest a lot.

I legit think systems like those in the Dragon Age series are fairly reasonable though. In DA: Origins and DA2, you regenerate everything (health, stamina, mana, cooldowns etc) automatically after combat, save your "wounds" and consumables, but in return the game also builds encounters on the assumption that you're always at full strength.

The other side of that is DA: Inquisition, which doesn't let you heal without consumables at all (save some very rare abilities), limits how many healing consumables you can have, but you get everything back while camping. However, just about every enemy respawns and you can only rest in specific locations (camps, fast travel points) and you'll just have to go through the same enemies to get to where you were. So while resting is "free" and super convenient, it does reset your progression. The only way to rest and progress is to find camps and fast travel points. You can also find "supply caches" that'll let you use your potions with a free refill, but these are single use.

Its interesting how different people experienced BG1/2 resting and traveling...I found that I weighed up every rest I took outdoors - I recall resting in Nashkel mines, there was a safe room, but other places, you would be swarmed. And rightly so. I didn't simply reload though (unless I died) - I would fight and then rest if I was attacked. It may not be a good system, but certainly added tension. Also, Bg1/2 are *ancient* games - we should be able to do a lot better in creating such tension now.
I just feel what BG3 offers on this front is simply poor. Resting anywhere (almost) + insta travel + insta port loot to camp - these are all things I hate. They are convenient, sure, but not explained in game (at least in DOS1, you had the pyramids). How can I port from the depths of the underdark - not even near a "portal" - to my camp (or anywhere on the map) and then rest? Almost like the daft NWN1 systems where you 'knelt' down to rest (*literally outside the next encounter*) It simply doesn't work for immersion - this was commented on a lot in EA, there was a megathread too...but I suppose for those who prefer convenience over immersion, it doesn't matter. Sadly that doesn't work for me - I want an experience similar to table top in terms if tension. I remember epic D&D sessions where we really had to husband resources and you weren't sure if you'd make it. BG3 is terrible at creating that kind of tension. l I was so happy when I saw there were 'red zones' where you couldn't rest (cool I thought, they listened!)...and then, lo, there was a potion that fakes rest, or as in House of Hope, a pool that acts like rest etc.

I think DA:I was quite good, except for respawning *everything* ....

Bg3 hasn't much of resting system at all. You don't need to rest very often and it doesn't cost you much if you do. So it's mostly about the camp interactions, but sadly from act 3 on my companions didn't have anything to say anymore and everyone was just standing in their corner.

I liked the well thought through resting mechanics of WotR. Different tasks, risks, limited resting in unsafe areas, ... But even if the purpose of resting is mainly to unfold the social dynamics in the group, I'd like to see more of that especially late game.

Yep, I forgot about WotR - I thought that worked quite well...and there you had to contend with corruption, which was a bit painful, but certainly encouraged you not to just rest willy nilly.

I'm a fan of how campaigns like Temple of Elemental Evil and NWN Swordflight have handled rest, which is that you aren't going to safely do it in hostile zones. BG1/2 Swordcoast Strategems does the same. D&D without rest restrictions is just jumping from encounter to encounter, going Nova, and never feeling any pressure at all.

BG3 doesn't have many dungeons per se, but there are hostile areas that should be rest restricted - they exist already. I would just increase the number of them with higher difficulty.

The map of the camp changes based on where you are. So I'd assume that you don't port from the depths of the Underdark to your camp, but instead, you camp in the depths of the Underdark. Probably not right where you're at (most of the time), but a "safe location" you found nearby, where Withers, the hirelings, and some other camp followers you have picked up along the way have secured the area. And realistically, such places would exist most everywhere, otherwise, travel and trade would be impossible.

Of course, that doesn't fit all situations. It makes sense if you are wandering around the Underdark, thumping some random critters and such, but not if you are busy wiping out the Duergar, goblins, or Gith. Those are collectives of intelligent critters, who would A) notice that some of their fellows aren't around anymore in that 8h+ and naturally blame the outsiders, B) hunt for you to get payback and/or C) Prep stronger defenses for when you came back. But alas, the limits of computer games.

I don't think it's a case of weak will and over optimization that is the issue here. A lot of the changes nerf playstyles that aren't high damage into the ground. The game isn't particularly difficult, but if you run a party focused on control spells or defensive tactics it jacks the difficulty WAY up. It also leads to dissatisfaction when your spells don't work as intended/advertised. I'm playing coop with my fiance on PS5 and we actually have had a lot of difficulty because the builds we chose were more utility/control focused, and many features are unnecessarily nerfed compared to tabletop.

Meanwhile when I play on PC solo I have no issues because I have learned to avoid a lot of subclasses and features which are pretty much dead weight.

One of 5E's big triumphs compared to previous editions was that it allowed pretty much any party composition to function without overshadowing other party members or causing difficulty to skyrocket or plummet. BG3 while mostly an easy game is actually quite hard if you run a pick up game with newer players who pick suboptimally.

The power gap is so high that you can have your fun taken away from playing suboptimally just as much as playing too optimally. And it's a serious problem. Control spells, hazard spells, and many combat utility spells are borderline useless. It's either damage spells or buffs that increase damage of your martial characters. Likewise healing outside of stacked buffs like that blade ward on heal effect is even weaker than tabletop, because enemy damage is so high.

A good example of this is the Auntie Ethel fight. Her illusion phase doesn't really have an answer besides "more damage". If you go in blind with a control or defense focused build you get annihilated. If you go in with high ranged damage and blasting spells(especially magic missile) it's trivial. Too many fights are especially punishing to controller or defensive builds.

I usually play what I want and don't optimize. But in multiplayer I feel like I *have* to optimize or at least adjust my power level to match my other players, or we won't have fun. That hasn't been the case in tabletop DnD since 3.5e.