Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Anyone else feels like animals are too intelligent?

Animals in DOS2 spoke exactly as you have indicated you'd prefer. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that some humans are simply not as smart as some animals, at times. Especially where politics are concerned...;)

Yes animals seem to intelligent sometimes...

I think the smart animals with good communication skills is in part due to the "Rule of Cool" or because it is "Fun and quirky" that seems to be a major thing in many aspects in BG3. Animals with cheeky comments, or jokes, or whatever is funny and entertaining to some.

Those super intelligent animals are part of DOS humor. You meet them all over Divinity. Of course it’s a pure coincidence you meet them here too because we all know this isn’t dos3 it’s a true dnd game.

Scratch does seem to be able to articulate his thoughts a bit better than I imagined a dog. I expected Doug from “Up”.

Just wait till we talk to Boo!

Oh yes, I am really eager to be able to speak with Boo, what an amazing perspective ! (I am sure that Larian will be good on that)

With Boo, I'm actually kind of concerned that Larian will deice to draw back the curtain on, and make a confirmation of, something that has throughout the history of D&D been a running mystery/uncertainty. As much as htey could play if for laughs, I wouldn't want that.

The conclusion of BG3 will show that Boo is actually the final Baalspawn - and he's been secretly preparing for his triumphant rise all these years.

Bad idea and poor implementation.

I wish they had used the resources for something more meaningful.

When I noticed one of the phase spiders had an intelligence score to rival one of my rangers, I was scared, disappointed, and intrigued.

Agree with OP.

I think the issue I have is that they all talk.

In Neverwinter NIghts 1 it had some animals you can "talk" too. But the animals SHOW it. Mostly through decribing their actions. On the one hand you have dogs trying to mate with the towns bitch. For a female dog that never says a word she's surprisingly polite.

On the other hand you got rats telling jokes. Somehow. Without them actually saying anything. The text just states "It's telling a joke about" and leaves the rest for you to imagination. I chark it down to "mental images" myself. Picking up on thoughts, feelings and what's on an animals mind. That makes more sense to me then "Oh, yet another animal with speech".

There was also some magical deer with a whole quest that acts as a silent guide. Yet clearly trying to show you something. It's hard (impossible even) to get that when animals always talk.

Don't mind some talking. But some of the magic is missing if they all talk. So have some talk yet others show.

I agree. The animals in BG3 are VERY smart. But it's fun, so...

A squirrel who makes watches? Well, yeah, you know ... what else do they have to do during winter?

I would not expect full dialogs with regular animals, but rather more an exchange of sensory information from things they saw, or heard, or smelled. "Oho, I just got a whiff of unicorn dung from yonder fork in the road! Let us proceed quietly."

Larian is about making systems that allow for silly/fun, even exploitative gameplay - and speaking to a plethora of animals (and dead) is part of that. I believe they like to refer to that as promoting "player agency" -- in which realism, immersion, balance and other concerns are of secondary importance.

You have a similar issue with "fire dipping" weapons. Instead of accepting the D&D framework which allows for many ways to achieve a similar effect (ie. cantrips, spells, expandable resources), Larian had to make it an universally accessible single system and thus make an already dauntingly complex system needlessly more complex. Same thing with barrelmancy, show/throw or pickpocketing, really.

Their thinking is that if you don't like a mechanic, just don't use it. Problem is when these systems become so prominent, not using these systems feels like losing out on a lot of content (resources that could be put to arguably better use) or even consciously nerfing yourself (which is opposed to the fundamentals of RPGs). That said, talk to animals/dead is one case where I feel this design philosophy really shines and does not infringe too much on realism and immersion.

This question have actualy quite dark answer ...
Squirrels usualy spend whole year creating stashes of food for winter, in case they forget where they are ... then they usualy forget and die starving anyway. :-/

Strange animals if you ask me.

Just recently I learned that they are also omnivores. Buggers aren't as cute and innocent as I thought. Apparently they don't have a kill instinct either. So if they find young birds they will start eating poor buggers without killing them first.

OP, this entire thread should have been under a spoiler label because now you've gone and done it. You've spoiled the whole game for everyone by revealing the true plot of the game!!!