Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Non-Lethal Damage - No good deed goes unpunished

Dear Developers, Dear All,


I think the addition of the Non-lethal damage option is really nice, however if you get into a fight with someone by a mistake, and you decide not to kill them, actually introduces even more issues later.

For example, when you meet the (almost dead) Dwarf, and the two absolute worshippers just outside the Druid's grove, and you do a wrong dialogue choice, and they attack you...
Then you decide not to kill them... (as you are such a nice player).

Later when you enter the Goblin Camp where the party is, they will still be hostile, and the whole camp turns on you...
Took me 4-5 reloads until I was able to beat them finally...


So maybe this behaviour could/should be changed a bit, so that if you are a nice guy, and don't kill everyone on your way, maybe those spared should not consider attacking you again

Well, they attacked for a reason (bcs you are survivor of that crash) ...
And unless you somehow stopped being survivor of that crash, the reason still apply to you ... they recognized you, they attacked you ... and since whole goblin camp know that they are with them, they joined them ...

Seem perfectly reasonable to me. O_O

I agree with you in general, but I don't think the example you use needs to be changed. The absolute worshippers are just that, worshippers. If you reveal that you're a faker and leave them alive, it makes perfect sense that they'll report you. The world reacts in a believable way to your decision. Although potentially, in this situation the goblins should initiate dialogue with you, where you have the option to decry those two human worshippers as liars and traitors.

For most basic cases, enemies who were taken out via non-lethal damage should have an interaction similar to if they believe they're stolen from. The next time you enter the area, the NPC comes up to you and initiates dialogue. The player then has the option of convincing the enemy to stand down via a charisma check, bribe, and/or choosing the right dialogue options. For certain important enemies (e.g., Minthara), this could lead to interrogating the enemy.

Basically, knocked-out enemies shouldn't always remain hostile upon returning to locations. But there also should be some reaction to the initial combat/hostilities. NPCs shouldn't just stand there like nothing bad happened.

Yes.
However, on 1st playthrough you do not know these information, you do not yet know anything about the Absolute, and so on.
And it totally ruins the encounter at the camp.

So yes, it would be reasonable, however, it pretty much presents a situation that is ruining the rest of the experience.

Great point.
I second your idea.

Marginally related, but did someone here manage to knock out the two Mayrina brothers and then speak to them later?

You dont? O_o

They tell you about the absolute ... goblins were praising the Absolute while attacking the Grove (mentioned by Volo, if you talk with him) ... if you read Halsin notes you can find mentioning about the Absolute cult ...
They call you and the dwarf true soul ... from previous mind-conversation with dwarf you know he was tadpoled ...
And the bald one tells you that the Absolute wants them to "find crash survivors ... one way or another" that seem pretty clear to me, that their intentions are not exactly friendly ... also they attack you once you tell them that you are survivor ...

Seems to me like you can have all the information you need.
Unless ofcourse you avoid all those chances, run towards them blindly and say them that you are survivor as first thing ... then you will probably be quite surprised ... but i still believe that in this scenario, everything makes sence and story should never altern itself by how many player allready discovered.
The pieces of the puzzle always fit together in the end.

Oh! You mean that you dont know that they will be in camp, corect?
Well, i gues its surprise then.

I knocked them off, but they were gone when i returned (i didnt find their corpses in swamp tho) ...
Not even sure what would i tell them, since i let Ethel to run with Marina in exchange for +1 to Dex (wich didnt worked, btw).

I know that this isn't going to happen, but it would be really cool to be able to interrogate knocked out characters. A main reason for me to knock out characters and not kill them is to interrogate them. Another option could be that you imprison them in a special location of your main camp.

as cool as that would be, i can see way too much time being invested into these side activities that start to take away from the main story. Speaking with animals being another one. If it was just a simple conversation where they gave you some money, or showed you where a stash was or just gave you some lore that'd be okay, but anything more than that is going to get way too cumbersome imo.

I tried knocking out the 4 masks. Now, after beating Ethel and Long Resting, they're jist gone. No talking to them.

Im assuming they'll bring these characters back in somewhere, maybe in Baldurs Gate, but who knows.

As for Eds siblings alerting the camp, first playthrough or not, if you spared them and they told all their cultist friends about it, that's on the player.

I also love that aspect of the game and want more of it. Actions with different consequences. I also love that there are multiple ways to continue the story. So what? You can't just waltz into camp? [spoiler]Go to Risen Road, near the mountain pass, jump across, sneak in from the cliffs. Or, sneak in through the Underdark via Ethel's lair or the Whispering Depths.[spoiler] There are so many paths. After EA, you will even be able to skip the goblin camp altogether of you want.

So no. Don't take that away please. That kind of thing makes replaying SO much more fun. If anything, I want more. Use too many long rests, Tieflings get kicked out and the grove is sealed. Goblins attack. Time to save the Tieflings OUTSIDE the grove. Stuff like that would make the game even more awesome.

But there still are some hints that something simmilar is planned ...
Besides of HUGE amount of ropes we find around.
- If you finish Auntie, and reach Connor's corpse, he have "tied up" (i believe that was the word, not sure tho) condition applied on himself.
- If you pick bounty hunter specialisation for your Ranger, there is specificly told "creatures you restrain have harder time escaping" ... even tho that can be just odd way to tell us that enemies who try to break your entanglement will have dissadvantage.
- There is cage in your camp.