Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Why are all of the origin characters attributes so bad?

Aside from one or two of them none of them are optimized builds. Not even close. Is there a reason why Larian chose to do this?

Because typically, pre-made characters aren't designed to be min/max characters.

Not only is it somewhat unrealistic (Typical people aren't hyper specialized in their attributes), but it also keeps them from being way stronger than the average new player who has no experience in build optimization.

Also, honestly, most of them aren't that bad. Most of them have reasonable primary stats and a splash of CON to stay alive. The only exception is Shadowheart who truly has abysmal stats with her weird STR and DEX values...

I've encountered much worse pre-made character stats before (For example, Path of the Righteous has some obscenely bad companion stat distributions) and unlike other games, BG3 lets you fully respec companions so you can change their stats if you wish.

Because Larian's way of changing the game's difficulty is simply making dice rolls fail more often.

The first thing I do is respec everyone. It's just completely stupid that this is necessary.

They seem to default to their class default stats when you recruit them. Especially Minsc, when I first got him his stats were abysmal. Then I came back later and examined his character while he was under control of Orin. His stats there are much more accurate. His stats actually change when you save him.

Respec all your charecter with Withers.

Here is the problem with that.

You typically dont pick up a rapier unless you are pretty sure you can put the pointy end in the bad guy. With Wylls attributes I am not sure he could walk and chew gum without hurting himself with that dex.

1) Wyll's stat distribution is biased towards him being a Warlock so it favours CHR making him better at his class (Especially if you go Pact of the Blade and replace weapon scaling with CHR)

2) 13 DEX isn't inept. That's still a positive attribute score. Honestly, the most questionable thing is how is an athletic adult male 8 STR?

Wyll is one walking mess of a fuckup in all possible ways. As to his stats I explain them to myself that he got nerfed by the "meet your new brain inhabitant" experience. He even says that once he could wrestle owlbears bare-chested (j/k) and now he'd be beaten by a one armed Goblin.

DEX 13 ain't THAT bad. Give him Athlete and +1 DEX, which boosts his AC, attack rolls with finesse weapons AND makes his jumping distance reasonable (usually).

Yeah, the three male Origins have a combined STR of 24 (twenty four), less than two of the less athletic ladies ... someone at Larian studios was channeling the dude who wrote Familiar oif Zero, where wimpy bishounens are beaten up by their waifus?

Well, this tracks, considering how "cuckolding is ok" in the romances.

This has always bothered me, and I can't help but feel like it was done on purpose. All the men are physically weak whereas all the women are physically strong.

Consensual polyamory is okay in the romances. That isn't the same as cheating.

The problem with optimized builds is that they usually only work with a specific build and often require the use of specific items. So using optimized builds on companions would make the game harder for unexperienced players while experienced players who care for optimization would probably still respec them because thier optimal build is slightly different.

Well, what an „average” strength score of 10 represents is up to debate. Presumably none offer adventuring party is weak by casual standards - they are all fit for adventuring afterall.

That said from variety standpoint, I do find it rather dull how every single NPC is a shredded hottie. Just makes the whole bunch feel less distinct and relatable.

The only real issue I had were characters characterised by physical strength not getting appropriate attribute spread (aka Halsin, Minsc). But it has more with BG3 lack of integration of narrative and systems more than anything else.

Shadowheart has a similar discrepancy between narrative and mechanics as it is explained at that the Sharrans went through training in disguise and subterfuge, and Shadowheart has...8 charisma and no proficiency in deception or persuasion. Though,I suppose maybe the fact that she openly walks around with a sharran circlet goes to prove that she is actually terrible at disguise and subterfuge. Maybe she was just a poor student in that particular class.

I've gotten to the point where I immediately respec Shadowheart, making her start as a rogue then switching to cleric at level two. I also give her a higher charisma.

My biggest complaint is always when the mechanics don't match the flavor.

Well... Technically, Shadowheart is
So it can make some sense that her attributes aren't wholly reflective of Sharrans. She has the Trickery domain like a Sharran might, but without the attributes one would expect.

She has some influence of training, with her increased Str score.

While her CHR score does seem to reflect her personality. Given her vitriol towards Selune (Which is even more pronounced if your PC is a Selunite at least, until a certain point).

Besides Shadowheart running around flauting symbols of a cult which has a standing "kill on sight" order in many jurisdictions, Larian "ruined" her with her Background. In EA "Urchin" worked with her "Miss Agent 007" backstory. Charlatan would had worked as well (or even better). Making her an Acolyte was IMO a bad move.
She was kidnaped as a pre-teen - her stats are due to whatever training she got at the local Sharran Shaolin&Jedi Temple.

Acolyte makes perfect sense for her. She likely was devout before becoming Sharran (Given the religious connotations of what was occuring during her flashback) and still was afterwards.

Charlatan would make zero sense, given that unlike normal Sharran, she is not particularly prone to deception or persuasive techniques (I mean, she spills the beans about being Sharran when you just ask her what's wrong... That's as decidedly non-deceptive as you can get)

Urchin also doesn't make too much sense. She wasn't living on the street. She was with her family in their religious temple and then she lived with the Sharrans in their religious temple.


To a point. A characters stats are partially shaped by their genetics not just their experiences.

This would be even more prominent for Origin characters/PC's due to the effects of the tadpole causing a reset of power (Hence why people like Karlach and Wyll who have lore that they were excellent and skilled fighters suddenly struggling to 1v1 a worthless goblin) whereby training they received and powers they were given are dulled and their natural genetics will be the basis for much of their starting stats (But with influences from other sources still being there, just not as prominent as it might have been at their pre-tadpole powers)

I know that she didn't live on the streets but in a boarding school. I see Urchin Background as representing her training. Lying and undercover work.
The Head Mistress took the Not One Child Left Behind craze too much to heart, refused to see her for the meathead she is and did not channel her into the Cult Enforcer (i.e. Dark Justiciar) Course ...
Yeah, Shadowheart does show Baghtru levels of Chaotic Stupid at times. She makes Lae-zel look subtle by comparison ...

By that logic, Karlach should also have Urchin as a background because she used to be an orphaned street urchin.

Truth be told many of the companions should have had their own custom origins. Shadowheart as the Daughter of Darkness with proficiency in Insight and Deception, Karlach as the Slave of the Hells with Proficiency in Athletics and either Insight or Perception and Wyll should have a background known as the Fraud of the Frontiers with proficiency in Survival and Persuasion.

No, by that logic Karlach should be a Soldier, as that is what she was shaped into by her training on Avernus. Also, as a young criminal she seems to have been the thug, and not a thief. Outlander does not make sense for her, unless she was trained asn used as recce/skirmisher, and not as part of shock troops.
Slave of the Hells? Arcana - she knows how to destinguish between various types of infernals (and best ways to kill them) - and Athletics (hit'em till dey stop movin'!).
Fraud of Frontiers?!? LOL! A good one! Wannabe Witcher :P