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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jan 2024
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I'm extremely unimpressed by the changes made to Gale in Hotfix 17. The man has a bomb in his chest, is about to devastate a good chunk of the Sword Coast if he doesn't get a magic artifact to consume, and now we can just string him along indefinitely? It's as if Larian has forgotten that this is a role-playing game where you actually have to play roles and live with the decisions you make. It was perfect the way it was before, and listening to the whiniest portion of the fanbase will only lead to a defanged and pointless game experience. I've tested it, and he doesn't leave no matter how many long rests you take without giving him anything, and no matter how many times you say "I'll give something to you later." It's completely out of character and makes his entire storyline meaningless.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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I agree, honestly. He should eventually leave! That’s what makes sense within the context of the game.
I don’t know why they keep fixing things that don’t even need to be fixed while there’s stuff that is desperately in need of attention.
Last edited by Ecc2ca; 15/01/24 11:06 PM.
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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jan 2024
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Absolutely. They really need to sit down and discuss the priorities here because every single hotfix there's something ridiculous and unnecessary in the patch notes. They've won GOTY and still want to keep changing the very things that made their game good.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2023
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How long did he wait before? I have always kept my favourite travelling companion well fed, so I wouldn't know.
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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Jan 2024
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Before, if you didn't want to give him something or didn't have something you needed to pass a low persuasion check (10) to get him to wait. Now, they've completely bypassed that, and he waits forever.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2023
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That's stupid ... I might be wrong, but doesn't (or didn't probably) his debuff last a day before? The persuasion check sounds about right, he does tell you to keep stuff at hand well before he actually needs it after all.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Dec 2020
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Yeah, that doesn't make sense. Was anybody complaining about giving him three potential worthless items anyway? I saw some memes, but that was the extend to it. After making Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Astarion softer over time, this is a bit ridiculous.
"We are all stories in the end. Just make it a good one."
Doctor Who
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addict
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addict
Joined: Sep 2023
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They were perfect in EA. I was so happy to have companions that don't take shit from me, especially Astarion and Lae'zel.
Poor Gale though, isn't he supposed to explode if he doesn't get to consume something for long enough?
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2023
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I think Larian at this point makes those "improvements" based not on actual feedback, but on their own ideas.
It's patch five and I've got the old bug with Karlach where her approval resets to neutral, so you can't start her romance. Minthara was completely bugged when I've recruited her. But Gale gets a hotfix that fixes a non-existent issue.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2022
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Interesting, because I always starve Gale for several days for his 3rd meal until I get the [The Ever-Seeing Eye] and I honestly never ever saw him go boom or complain about it. At a certain point he just asks directly if I can give him something, so I persuade him and he just waits patiently forever.
In fact one can go straight to ACT 3 without ever giving him a single unique and that was even before this hotfix.
Not sure why they're throwing out hotfixes though, unless they really are doing what I said they might do - preparing that romance megapatch for Valentine's Day.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2023
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I usually feed him the designated Gale snacks (the colorspray ring, the boots nobody needs and the locket from Arabella's parents) pretty soon. I do very much love the version of events in his Origin though, where you are low key forced to consume a very nice ring after your first long rest. I hope they haven't changed that at least. It's nice when for once the only items at your disposal to destroy are actually good ones. And if they want to fix things for Gale - I can think of a few things in his Origin that would need fixing.
I was wondering about all the hotfixes too but I hadn't thought about Valentine's Day coming up, so that's an idea.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2009
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I think Larian at this point makes those "improvements" based not on actual feedback, but on their own ideas.
It's patch five and I've got the old bug with Karlach where her approval resets to neutral, so you can't start her romance. Minthara was completely bugged when I've recruited her. But Gale gets a hotfix that fixes a non-existent issue. It probably is based on feedback. Sadly what is driving sales and also development are not rpg player but simps who don't care about story and gameplay but just want fanservice and wish fulfilment for their romantic and sexual fantasies. They are, sadly, the main target group for Larian since mid-late EA which explains all the "streamlining" of the game and why the companions were all changed to be more shallow and willing with no rough edges.
Last edited by Ixal; 16/01/24 11:53 AM.
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member
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member
Joined: Nov 2023
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It probably is based on feedback.
Sadly what is driving sales and also development are not rpg player but simps who don't care about story and gameplay but just want fanservice and wish fulfilment for their romantic and sexual fantasies. 1000% this. Remember when Patch 4 released, and those of us on PS5 AND PC were complaining about how SLOW and unplayable Act 3 got for WEEKS? That bug was patched, but upon that hotfix release what they were concerned about was "Astarion's Kiss, now aligning." It truly feels like we are playing two VERY different games. Those of us playing a cRPG, versus those who never finish the actual game and treat it like a dating simulator. Larian has forgotten that this is a role-playing game where you actually have to play roles and live with the decisions you make. It was perfect the way it was before, and listening to the whiniest portion of the fanbase will only lead to a defanged and pointless game experience. Agree. Feels like Larian is bending over backwards to make EVERYONE happy, without realizing listening to one subset, angers another. Reminds me of the time they put hair on His Majesty, only to shave him again. These past few weeks, I can't even say how many Playstation 5, Error 544 bug reports people have posted. That bug is literally game breaking to the point people are losing 300-400 hour PLAYTHROUGHS. And what was being worked on? Making sure Gale can't leave if users choose to never give him magic items...
Last edited by Lillith; 16/01/24 01:27 PM.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2022
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Updated info to clarify what the fix actually was for; [Fixed] Gale will no longer permanently leave the party if you don't offer him any magic items while talking to him – unless you're abundantly clear that you don't plan on ever doing so.
This is a temporary bug fix that aims to avoid Gale immediately leaving the party when players are unable to hand over an item. In Hotfix #16, we began the process of updating a player’s ability to access certain quest-related items, even if they were in the camp chest, or in the inventory of a companion waiting at camp.
However, the UI through which items can be donated to Gale has not yet been updated, which meant that the dialogue could be triggered if the items were available elsewhere, but would not show in the UI to be donated. This risked placing players in a situation where Gale expected an item from them, and they were unable to provide one.
With this initial fix, closing the UI or using any line other than “I’m not giving you anything. Not now, not ever” will prevent Gale from immediately abandoning your party, until the UI logic has been updated.
If you’re keen to give Gale the boot, and don’t have an actual shoe to share in your inventory, selecting “I’m not giving you anything. Not now, not ever”, will still cause Gale to leave your party, permanently!
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member
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member
Joined: Nov 2023
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Honestly, it felt like a very annoying gimmick on my first run. He starts to beg very early in the game, while you have like one or two magic items, and after a long rest he's hungry again. Especially on a first run it can be a chore to make a decision on which item to sacrifice. You don't know yet which of these magic items with weirdly specific effects are worth keeping.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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You can read the descriptions of the items and assess how useful they will be to you. For example, giving him the gloves of thievery, which gives you an advantage on stuff like lockpicking, would be a terrible idea, while giving him the ring of color spray, which offers you a level one spell that I personally never use, would be a smarter decision. And the gloves that Zakrug drops during the battle outside the grove seem almost tailored to Gale. Because you have to have the “absolute brand” on you for them to work. And probably only a tiny percentage of people will let themselves be branded… I don’t have any problem at all with giving him three items, considering the massive skills that he brings to the table as a wizard. I mean, have you ever used a chain lightning? Lol. What he can do makes it more than worth it.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2021
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Gale's hunger triggers in certain locations.
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I mentioned this in the hotfix thread, but just to say it here, I do get the feeling that folks are occasionally overreacting to some of this stuff.
*
Anyway, if I had my druthers, Gale would constantly need to feed on magic items. He'd never get the help from Elminster, but instead would have to draw upon items to even use his spells.
I prefer the idea that Gale has been entirely cut off from the weave and that he can only use magic because he's drawing on the power of the orb, which needs to constantly feed on items to power his magic.
I would also give Gale a unique, once per long rest, counterspell. Something where the orb reaches out and sucks away a magical spell before it has a chance to take effect, thereby negating that day's need for a magic item.
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Sep 2023
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I honestly think that the high emotions are not even about Gale? I think that many people are just frustrated with a lot of the bugs they’re finding, and how they are impeding their enjoyment of the game. You know? So I think threads like this point to a deeper frustration. At least, my reaction does point to a deeper frustration. And I think that frustration is completely valid.
Last edited by Ecc2ca; 16/01/24 07:23 PM.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Oct 2021
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I honestly think that the high emotions are not even about Gale? I think that many people are just frustrated with a lot of the bugs they’re finding, and how they are impeding their enjoyment of the game. You know? So I think threads like this point to a deeper frustration. At least, my reaction does point to a deeper frustration. And I think that frustration is completely valid. There will be no frustration in gaming!
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member
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member
Joined: Nov 2023
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You can read the descriptions of the items and assess how useful they will be to you. For example, giving him the gloves of thievery, which gives you an advantage on stuff like lockpicking, would be a terrible idea, while giving him the ring of color spray, which offers you a level one spell that I personally never use, would be a smarter decision. And the gloves that Zakrug drops during the battle outside the grove seem almost tailored to Gale. Because you have to have the “absolute brand” on you for them to work. And probably only a tiny percentage of people will let themselves be branded… I don’t have any problem at all with giving him three items, considering the massive skills that he brings to the table as a wizard. I mean, have you ever used a chain lightning? Lol. What he can do makes it more than worth it. I'm talking about a first run specifically. NOW I know what to give him, but that wasn't always the case. The moment you get the Gloves of Power you don't know what an "absolute brand" is, and the description of the benefits looks inviting. It even has a +1 to Sleight of Hand. Most of the early magic items are in the "maybe I will need this a bit later" or the "better than what I already have" category. This sacrifice could have been worthwhile if Gale was more than a generic wizard. There is nothing special about him from a gameplay perspective. You are better off with the blank hireling wizard Withers provides. He doesn't even have a proper personal quest.
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