Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Baldur's Gate vs D:OS, suggestions of improvement

We have seen a few remarks about this being more a D:OS 3/2.5/... than a BG3. Here's an attempt at understanding these criticisms and suggesting small adjustments.

It's probably personal but I don't believe the engine and the environment have to look like the old BG series. The same applies to the interpretation and implementation of the ruleset - within reason! As in a tabletop game, the DM organizes the board and tells the story his/her own way, which may vary from one person to the next. And D&D rules are known for letting a part of decision up to the DM, much more so than Pathfinder. So if the grass is greener, and the player is able to shove someone off a tower, it's perfectly fine IMHO.

That being said, players like to have an immersive experience, the Baldur's Gate setting has some degree of legacy, the mood is more serious, or grave by lack of a better word, and not everything that was done in the D:OS series will fit in BG3. Here is an example:

- Please drop the unrealistic "object-jumping-from-3-metres-away-in-my-pocket". I can only take objects that are close to me, and they don't jump in the air, I grab them.

In general, that type of buffoon effect was fitting the D:OS style (or at least we had to accept it), but not Baldur's Gate's. Humour is always welcome I believe, but the setting used to have a different style of humour, not that kind of clowing, because it completely breaks the immersion. The same could be said from the combat stance:

- The way characters have a sort of swaying stance in combat. People who fight don't do that, they're more static, with nervous movements, feigning and observing their adversary's reaction. They don't heave up and down as if they were zombie-dancing at 5 in the morning.

I'm not sure the exaggerated dramatic jump effects (when landing) are fitting either.

...but but, mind powers! Seriously, though, I agree. I mean, it's nice for Larian to get to work on a familiar engine, I recon, but there are quite some things about it that just don't work in a D&D game.

Anyone saything this game plays like DOS3 clearly hasn't played any DOS games becuase BG3 is terrible in contrast to even divinity 1, so many things seemed forced and unnecessary. They are trying to bridge a gap between DOS and BG and failing on all aspects. The instanced camping system is forced and subtracts from the game the loot diversity is basically non existant, no crafting the skill system is beyond boring the entire game is a huge letdown convoluted broken mess of skilless gear check fights bad game mechanics and a hollow substancless shell of a game. Honestly with all the mechanics they added to this game how does it feel like every fight plays out the same way every time with the exception of which one of 2-3 routs you took to approach it. About half the fights in DOS2 were memorable with 3-5 being masterfull.... I've done probably 15 fights so far in this game and they were all boring as hell.. the game is absolute garbage.

I've only played the original DOS but was a huge fan of the BG/IWD/NWN games. If they can tweak dialogue skill checks and make dialogue more worthwhile, i think everything else is pretty decent for early access. Can't really smash the devs for mechanics and content of a game not even close to being finished lol. I personally like turn based combat, but they do need to fix the AI so not every creature and their mothers go after the dang wizard though.

They should be smarter indeed. They should focus the healer first, and then the wizard. It's a rule of thumb in crpgs. But on a more serious note, if they target the wizard, they are pretty smart. It's the best move you can do in a combat (weak HPs and devastating spells).

I didnt even take half my charcters into the first 20 fights they just got one shot and if they were anywhere near the fight the AI would just know exactly where they were the combat dynamics in the game are basically 80% gear checks 15% exploitation and 5% skilll like I said the game sucks its for RP lore nerds not people who value good or engaging gameplay mechanics.

i agree on the orignal post it's baldurs gate 3 not dos 3...

plus if you implement the dos ability system into it, you end up mixing a simplified setup built for balance with a complex setup set for diversity. dos is about challenge and tactics only, where you build around... wich doesn't work in a complex enviroment like it is in d&d. to build a d&d char... you need lot of customsation options to balance it for a campaign.

a very simple example deathward counters necromancers in d&d being helpless chips away heavy armored targets (actually dex based builds more likely), so freedom of movement would be nice, if you don't wanna be held in a hold person... you need that if you roll 1s often like myself... there is no 20 dice in dos stuff

it's saves, evasion, spellresistance, skill checks ect ect (u won't make the first bite a winner, if you forget the sauce)

tbh if you see the repeating rules of dnd video games, yeah it's fights are well known, i wouldn't mind an addition, but pls not the simplification route...

(edit) my point is, it is as it right now a very fight intense exploration, there aren't so many story/lore driven encounters. it has potential, i love the story but i miss the options, to explore and play around with. it feels a bit loot and xp driven. the fights themself feel a bit weird to dnd video games, but i won't argue about them as they are right now. the character still have no multiclassing implemented, so the builds do not vary much as well, usually i need a day to decide on a good build for a dnd game... this time i just click a class, maybe spells, and some skills and that's it. it doesn't matter as much, because i don't know what to expect of this kind of bg3. i cannot say the first bite was a real winner... i had high expectations and i was not even confronted with a lot of basics yet. as it is yet... it's not a dnd game which is much in love with dnd, maybe that's the reason i don't feel home at all.

(edit2) i bet there won't be any magic devices, to use in this game.

I missed BG and IWD but loved NWN, both from Bioware and Obsidian. And that's exactly the approach I mean
Perhaps the combats need to be kept within TB boundaries too, I just saw a fight with 15 characters, it's a lot. I understand the desire to show large-scale battles but are they adapted to TB?
I'm sure they'll improve the AI in due time.


I think the 5th edition already adds more possibilities to differentiate the character and is less rigid, for instance anyone can use a longbow, it's just less efficient when the proficiency is not acquired. Feats should help too, though I don't know them very well in that edition, I could be wrong.

Please no simplification indeed! (I mean the mechanics, not those spells which wouldn't make sense in a CRPG of course)

I like that they add jumps, throwing items, moving crates, and so on, it adds to the possibilities without offending the ruleset. It's a bit of the limitation of a CRPG that has been removed in a clever way, by comparison to the table-top where you could suggest those moves.

I wish I could disagree with you. DnD5e was never strong on this front, so I don't know why I am surprised. Plus, the sneaking/weapon swapping/shove/scroll exploits are way over the top. Larian has quite a way to go if they want to make this into a mechanically engaging experience.

And if they don't, here's hoping at least the story will be good.