Originally Posted by Zebico
Thank you OP for voicing your thoughts. I played about 10 hours and decided that the current combat systems weren't for me. You have definitely expressed why the dnd mechanics don't work really well.

I don't mind having a new system, or changes, as long as they work well and create a fun experience. The current dnd influences with the 1 action, 1 optional action, and rest points make for a bland experience.

Although, I prefer the new movement system, as that's easier to use, and more forgiving of miss clicks. Having shadows show how the movement will happen is nice.

I believe that most people coming to this game had expectations that this was just another baldur's gate game with a new story. Of course that's not the case, as Larian is a completely different developer, and this is their spin on the franchise. I see so many posts saying BG3 is basically DOS3, and that shows they haven't played DOS games before. The worst posts are the ones asking for surface effects to be removed, because dnd doesn't have them, and no other rational reasoning for their request. I don't think that removing more functionality and mechanics would be best.

Personally, I love the DOS complexity, diversity, and freedom of choice. BG3's dnd changes strip that away, and deliver a worse experience. OP gives a good reason: because dnd is a table top game, and that setting works, but not in the context of a turn based rpg video game.

From what I have seen, there are more dnd voices than non-dnd. That's why I refunded my purchase, as Larian is known to listen and make changes. If the majority wants a more dnd game, strickly, then they will most likely do that. But OP's post has given me some hope.

I will be following the games progress, and if the game's changes look good, I will repurchase at full release. It's true I have been itching for a new turn based rpg with a skill and class system like DOS, and I shouldn't demand that if I'm the lone voice in a sea of DnD fans.


As someone who has played Divinity: Original Sin 2, I can say it plays almost exactly like DOS2 apart from the Movement>Action>Bonus Action instead of AP, and the Armor system being different.

Now, let me tell you why everyone is upset at surface effects, it's quite simple. See, they work in DOS2 because the armor system in that game protects you from damage when you get hit, so say you walk through a pool of fire and take 3 points of damage, but since you have 20 armor it doesn't even touch your HP. The problem with this is, that isn't how armor works in D&D 5E and BG3. Instead, we have the AC system, which determines how high you have to roll to hit the target. So if the target has an AC of 15, you must roll a 15 or higher to hit them. The problem this causes with surface effects is that the surface effect completely bypasses the AC system, it just damages you straight out without having any chance of missing, so when basically every elemental spell or cantrip in the game causes a surface effect, that means you don't even need to hit the enemy.

For my favorite example of this, the cantrip Firebolt. In D&D 5E RAW, it deals 1d10 fire damage, and can set objects that aren't being worn or carried on fire (so say you shoot it at a wooden chair, it will light it on fire). Now BG3 reduces this to 1d6 damage, and sets the enemy on fire. This would be fine if it was balanced, but it isn't. Firebolt will burn you even if you miss your attack, and it deals damage instantly and at the start of each turn while you're burning. Then, it creates a fire surface under you, which causes more damage when you move out of it or stay in it. There also is no action you can use to put out the fire and stop the burn damage, so you just have to suffer until it goes out.

Showing the math on this should really drive it home though. In D&D 5e, the max damage a firebolt can do (before modifiers and such) is 10 damage if you get a lucky roll. In BG3 at the moment, the max damage firebolt can do is 18. The firebolt itself can do a max of 6 damage when it hits, while the instant burn damage can do a max of 4, then at the start of the burning characters turn they can take another 4 max damage, then the fire surface can cause yet another 4 max damage. That damage is on par with a 1st level spell, and this is a cantrip you can use as many times as you want without limitations. And if you miss the attack, it still burns you, meaning it can still do a max of 12 damage, and that is from an attack that should have done 0 damage. Do you see the problems with so many ground surfaces now? I'm not saying get rid of them completely, but limit them a lot more for sure. Cantrips should not cause surfaces, higher tier spells like fireball should though.

Another reason that DOS2 mechanics don't work here is that in DOS2, if there were bunches of surfaces you needed to get rid of then a quick Rain spell would do the trick for most of them, and it only cost a cooldown timer. In BG3, that costs a spell slot. With so many surface effects and so few spell slots, it's a massive waste of resources, especially if there is a boss fight at the end of all those surface effects and traps. Congrats, you made it to the Red Dragon, but your cleric is all out of spell slots so I hope you don't need to be healed!

I wanna end this by saying I would absolutely love to get a DOS3, in fact I hope it's the next game Larian makes! I loved DOS2 and am itching for another. But this is not it, this is Baldur's Gate 3. It is titled after a very famous D&D video game series and literally a location in the D&D universes Forgotten Realms. It was marketed and sold to us as a game following the D&D 5e rules. But instead, it plays like DOS2, and rewrote a lot of the rules for the worse. I don't have only complaints about the game, I love that they made using a healing potion a bonus action for instance, it's a very common house rule people use because it keeps the combat fluid and efficient, without forcing people to choose between healing themselves and helping their team. I even believe that the firebolt change could be good if it didn't make a surface effect and if the burn damage only applied at the start of the burned persons turn. Also, add an action to put out burns.