Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Why not implement customizable difficulty options?

Advantage is not the only bonuses highground could give (and it shouldn't give advantage).

Highground has to matter even if it definitely shouldn't be a god mode. Delete the whole concept of verticality and positionning for the sake of "D&D 5e" is a bad idea.

The starting point should be a balanced homebrewed campaign, not a 100% RAW campaign.

The whole maps are designed with verticality. It has to matter whetever the game difficulty but obviously it shouldn't give advantage for many reasons.

Highground should be another bonus they can decrease when the difficulty increase. Highground should also always increase the range of ranged weapons.


These things should be a part of the foundations I was talking about for many reasons. This shouldn't be exclusive to a D&D game mode. This does not prevent the "funny cheese" and this would help to balance the game and make it a better tactical TB game.

Potions as bonus action is a rules many DM use so that's not a problem.

The game should be better balanced arround the rules its using but not for the sake of D&D's fans and their D&D RAW mode. It should for the sake of BG3 and players that want to enjoy a tactical TB game with tons of possibilities and choices that also allow "funny things".

And the point is, like he stated, the difficulty would be "D&D 5E mode" which would entail, implementing 5e rules, height giving Advantage not being one of them.

In his scenario, f you still want to play the game with Larianisms, play on story mode.

That 100% unfair because most players don't care playing a 100% RAW game. There's something between RAW and the "cheap" combat system that is now in the game.

His scenario only give solution for those usually called the "D&D purist" and that's probably a very small part of players.

I'm 100% for a game that is closer to 5e for many reasons as I said in many threads but these difficuty level suggestions are only thinked to satisfy :
- a minority of players that say "the game is perfect"
- another minority saying "the game should be 100% RAW".

This is why fully customizable difficulty settings is best. The game could recommend difficulties with preset toggles (e.g., Full Larian, D&D Raw, etc) but you can freely adjust each mechanic to be what you want.

Height Bonus Options
Advantage / +2 / Only Range Increase / No Bonus
(Alternatively, to-hit bonus and range increase can be 2 separate settings)

Yeah it works (+-) for highground but what about things being an action or a bonus action ?
What about AC/HP that should be RAW in one mode and "Larian" in another one ?

I'm not a game devs but I never saw a game in which you can custom action economy or ennemies abilities ("80% damage" custom the damages, not individuals abilities of every creatures).

Again, I'm 100% fine with many options to custom the experience but according to me, what GM4 and many here suggested is mods inside the game. Not custom difficulty options.

Nah. My preference is what you suggested, Custom Difficulty. That would be, hands down, the best solution that would make everyone happy.

My Game Mode suggestions is more like, "Please at the very least give me something. If Custom Difficulty is too hard, or you really feel that the current cheese factory we have is what a lot of players actually want, at least give me something." Shoot! I'd settle for even just 2 Difficulty Settings: Larian Homebrew Mode and 5e Mode.

The point is that there does seem to be enough people who like the system as is or at least similar, so fine. Let them have their quasi DOS gameplay. Just, at least, let me have something better.

I got back to spider lair. The fight was ridiculous, and I'd forgotten just how bad it was. And the amount of issues I had trying to play by something close to 5e rules... So frustrating. It's as someone said in one of the other posts. You can't really even play close to 5e even if you try because your enemies are cheesing the rules so hard.

I mean, one playthrough, a phase spider just let my Drow Fighter sit there at a distance and continue to fire at it and kill it just because somehow she was stealthing it from higher ground. Combat didn't even start until it died.

Even still, Mama Spider just one taps two of my level 4 characters in one spew of poison, both my Drow Fighter and Lae'zel. Just ports across the board, spews her poison, bye 40 something hit points. Then she hits my ranger and same. One taps.

Then the opposite happened. Another playthrough, her babies just sat there the whole time doing nothing. They just let us kill Mama. We got her down to her rage moment, and then she went all psycho and killed my team anyway in like one round.

It's so unbalanced. One minute I'm wailing on everything and killing everything so easily. The next...Im dead. I get that RNG can do that, but there is too much of that right now because the game is not given a proper rule structure. It's all over the place.

Anyway, so Custom Dif is my preferred with maybe preset Modes. At the very least, though, give me too modes:

1. Larian HB Mode
2. True 5e Mode

I will bet you, though, that if they started with True 5e Mode and THEN tweaked it a little, they'd balance the whole dang game real fast. They wouldn't even really need d if settings.

Highground : no more advantages and disadvantages.
- Ranged increased (range weapons only)
- Options : Flat bonus (0/+1/+2/...)
=> Solved issues : useless features/spells/possibilities
=> Solved issues : missing too much

Backstab : Flat bonus
- Options : (0/+1/+2/...)
=> Solved issues : useless features/spells/possibilities
=> Solved issues : missing too much

Simplified flanking rules implemented
- Advantages if 2 creatures are engaged with 1 (no matter if they're on both sides)
=> Solved issues : lack of synergies between characters

Shove (to push) is an action
- %to hit depending your strength
- distance depending your %to hit
=> Solved issues : shove is too OP and works as a win button

Shove (to prone) is implemented as an action
- %to hit depending your dexterity
=> Solved issues : classes that have 0 strength have a specific actions that could help them to disengage and/or create synergies with other characters

Ready action implemented as an action
=> Solved issues : increase the tactical possibilities

Dodge action implemented as an action
=> Solved issues : increase the tactical possibilities

Hide is an action
=> Solved issues : everyone use hide like a rogue

Disengage is an action
=> Solved issues : melee ennemies have a proper zone of control and our position really matter. Being engaged has real consequences.

Jump is a part of your movement and only cost speed
- Distance depending your strenght (if you can jump further than you can move, you're stuck after you jumped)
- If you jump 5m your speed is reduced by 5m
- Jumping if you're engaged is not possible
=> Solved issues : jumping to move further.
=> Solved issues : jumping like kangaroo for everything

Eating in combats is not possible
=> Solved issues : immersion breaking
=> Solved issues : eating is better than healing potions
=> Solved issues : healing outside combat is easier

Changing equipment from inventory is not possible in combat
=> Solved issues : everyone has a shield during our ennemy's turn
=> Solved issues : everyone can use the best weapons at each turn

Weapons slots fully customizable (no more "1 melee and 1 range")
=> Solved issues : characters that don't want a range weapon can have 2 melee sets

Surfaces damages always trigger a ST
=> Solved issues : concentrations spells are broken too often
=> Solved issues : surfaces damages can be too powerfull

Ennemies don't always have surfaces arrows or potions
=> Solved issues : concentrations spells are broken too often

Arrows +1/+2/+3 are implemented
- We can find/buy them by stacks and some ennemies may have some
=> Solved issues : missing less often with ranged weapons

Surfaces arrows
- No surfaces if you miss
- Better option : you can target a creature to deal elemental damages or target the ground to create a surface (the accuracy should be a thing, you should miss the ground you targeted)
- Less surfaces arrows in the game
- Option : more or less surfaces arrows in the game
=> Solved issues : concentration spells breaked too often
=> Solved issues : no more damages even if you dodge

Proper reactions
- Options : popup / auto trigger
=> Solved issues : players can have a better control on their actions

Using consumables is a bonus action
- A real "bonus action button"
=> Solved issues : there's no more "bonus action buttons!"

Diping require two step
- Using a consumable + dipping in a fire surface (not on items)
- It last 1 more turn than poison
=> Solved issues : dipping is way too easy and way too OP
=> Solved issues : so much immersion breaking


That's something I did very fast so everything is not perfect but this looks to me like better balanced foundations.
It's not Raw and nearly no one would care. I guess even those some could call "D&D purists" would agree with this list.

It would increase the tactical value of the game, it would increase the synergies between our characters, it would open the game to many overshadowed features and spells.

Would players still be able to shove ? Yes, they could even create strength builds to.
Would players still be able to create cocktails inside boxes ? Yes
Would players still be able to use barrels ? Yes
Would players still be able to equip a shield on his characters after their turns ? Yes (if they have a weapon slot that has a shield)

What are other cheeses people are asking for ? Solo'd the game without any lone wolf mode ? No one care.
Even players that only play to cheese the game would still play the same as now.

We don't have enough action / turn in this system ? Just add another slot in the party size.

According to me it's not a matter of "raw" or "cheese" fans.
The game is not balanced at all and everyone's experience suffer from this (too hard, too easy, missing too much, lack of creativity because many options are suboptimal...).
Good foundations with things that can reasonably be custom is what this game need for the sake of all of us.

The "D&D players" and "DoS players" thing harms all of us and won't help BG3 to be a better game

Difficulty options :
- Flat bonus on some mechanics more or less
- Damages more or less
- AC more or less
- HP more or less
- Unlimited rest or not
- Random encounters or not
- ...

This is options that can apply to every game mode and that doesn't require to rebalance everything.

Want a story mode :
- +2 to higround
- +2 to backstab
- ennemies deal 50% damages
- ennemies AC reduced by 2
- unlimited rest
- no random encounter
- +120% HP

Want a normal mode :
- +1 to highground
- +1 to backstab
- ennemies deal 80% damages
- ennemies AC reduced by 1
- 3 short rests / long rest
- random encounters (or not)
- 100% HP

Want a D&D mode :
- +0 to highground
- +0 to backstab
- ennemies deal 100% damages
- Ennemies AC = Larian's base AC
- 2 short rest / long rest
- random encounters (or not)
- 100% HP

Can we have a post-upvote button ?

I may not agree with, or even care about, every single suggestion written in Maximuuus' post. But everything is clearly presented and motivated. And it's also a good summary of a lot of the discussion that usually takes place around combat.


ps : I don't know how much I think that accuracy should be a thing, but accuracy is currently a bit ridiculous. Take a Dexterity-16 character with a bow, with proficiency, with Archery Fighting Style, aiming at large enemies like Ogres, from a moderate distance, while unseen (invisible, etc) and thus having Advantage : you have a chance of missing. Take a Dexterity-8 character with a bow, without proficiency, aiming at a war drum or the rope that prevents a big rock from falling and killing half your enemies : 100% chance of hitting.

Ok, Max. You win. Well written.

So, let's call copy/paste what he wrote and spam Larian with it until they get sick of it. 😄

Seriously, I'd be REAL happy if they implemented all of that. LARIAN, please do this. Shut is all up please!

If a significant portion of players have to use a mod, the same mod, to achieve a higher level of satisfaction from the game = bad game design.

For DOS2 players, you will remember in the Definitive Edition that Larian ended up officially adding some of the things from popular mods to the purchased copy of the game. No one wants to wait over a year or more after BG3 release for them to realize and add these features to the game.

Some people care about Steam achievements. If you have mods, you cannot get achievements. Mods are also unstable after updates and may require constant updating after every patch and every hotfix. It could also be cumbersome for some to initially install.

It is the easy way out for someone like Swen to flat-out say that they will rely on mod support for certain issues, i.e. things that people do not like.

I just hope dificiulty settings will be the same as video settings ...
Profiles: easy / normal / hard / hardcore / custom ... (no matter if you want to call it easy, or story mode ... w/e)
And then there will be things that you can adjust to your liking.

I mean, i really like some ideas, but i borrow and example here:
So i could choose "story mode" for dificiulty profile ... and then, when i decide that is not exactly what i had in mind ... i would disable AC reduction, set damage back to 100%, etc. etc. ... and yet keep things as unlimited rests, or no random encounters, etc. etc.

I certainly hope there wont be just single button to set everything without any chance to interfere. :-/
I hope game industry evolved since that was standard.

Once again, Maximuuus creates an excellent & comprehensive summary post. Can we get a Megathread that only contains Maximuuus's summary posts on the various topics? As in, no one else is allowed to post in that thread (but can of course submit suggestions for Maximuuus to edit their posts). RtwP, Difficulty Options, Party Movement, Camping & Resting, Class Balance, Dialogue...everything.

Suggested changes to Maxiumuuus's settings

How is that "unfair"? Larian is creating a rule, that employs a 5E mechanic, Advantage, and applying it to ranged-combat from high ground. It's not about being "purist", as they are misapplying a 5e mechanic itself; it's unnecessary.

There is not some universal truth that having high ground, makes ranged combat more accurate, especially when firing into melee combat. Which I'd also point out, that Larian has yet to implement the +2 cover defense for targets engaged in melee, who are attacked from range.

If anything, Larian giving ranged combat from height 'Advantage', but not giving the +2 cover defense to the melee combatant is "unfair".

To be fair, Larian's addition of Height (and Backstab) Advantage does technically follow RAW.
BG3 is a video game where you can't ask the GM to grant advantage on a case-by-case basis, so it's perfectly reasonable for Larian to code certain things to always grant (dis)advantage.

However, while it's not unreasonable to claim that height should give some type of mechanical bonus (e.g., bird's eye view, removing effects of cover, disadvantage from low ground because looking into the sun, etc), height's prevalence in BG3 combined with the strength of capital-A Advantage is too overwhelmingly powerful. Typically, getting advantage from the GM in PnP requires some creative thinking and/or special circumstances. Larian's Height&Backstab require neither.

It is unfair because everyone doesn't want to play OR a story mode OR a RAW mode as you suggested in the previous message.
But anyway I won't argue more about this because it's not very constructive.



About advantage / backstab and highground
- According to me having a lot of possibilites to increase its %to hit is awesome in tactical TB games.
D&D is deep and has 2 layers to increase it : flat bonuses (very limited, mostly bless or equipment) and the advantage/disadvantage mechanics (many possibilities).
Increase the variety of the "flat bonus layer" would add more depth to the game and it would increase our possibilities/the meaningfullness of our decisions (not sure "meaningfullness" is a real EN word..)
Should I also try to have an advantage or not ? Is my %to hit good enough ? What would it cost to increase it even more ?

On lower difficulty level, the advantage layer would be the cherry on top of the cake.
In higher difficulty levels I think it could be VERY interresting because players would have to think about many things to have a satisfying %to hit against higher AC creatures.
This would require a good knowledge of BG3 and of D&D... and according to me that's what higher difficulty levels should rely on.

- From a game devs point of view, which I'm not at all so maybe I'm totally wrong... I guess if they implement a flat bonus, they can easily tweak it.
Advantage is another system and I'm not sure it's as easy to implement "another mechanic for the same things" as it is to change a single value.
I may be 100% wrong but this is something I also had in mind while I was writing the previous message.

About jumping I was thinking about the spell "jump".
- I'm not sure how it works in D&D and in BG3 but if I remember well with this spell you're allowed to jump further than you can move.
That's the only reasons why I wrote "if you can jump further than you can move". I may be wrong.

- Jumping while engaged... yes, I guess it would be the same as moving without jumping if it trigger an AOO.
But you're right, it could be interresting especially to get out of surfaces.

Another related question : Should we be limited to 1 jump / turn ? If it only cost movement, could I jump 3 * 3m if my speed is 9m ?

You're 100% right about surfaces arrows. It doesn't make sense to be able to dodge the damages 2 times.

About shove your opinion is probably more accurate than mine because you know the rules better so... Why not

About flanking, why not for the "advanced flanking". Obviously it would be cool.
About the flat bonus, how would it work with backstab ? Will you have the +"x" for backstab AND the +"x" for flanking ?

And that still does not make removing it "unfair"; just because you like a broken mechanic, doesn't mean that fixing it, is making the game "unfair".

You, like Larian, seem don't seem to understand the significance, that Advantage gives in 5e, that's why it is applied sparingly in combat scenarios.

As it stands now, the only thing that applying Advantage to ranged attacks at height succeeds at is, overbalancing ranged combat, and creating a scenario where getting to high ground is paramount in every encounter.

Please, read the previous messages before assuming things^^
I'm shouting in every threads about combats that they should remove advantages from highground and backstab (and I did it on this page once again).

On the other hand if many players have fun with barrels and shoving, why should we ask Larian to remove their fun ? And why should those players settle for a story mode ?
Just open your mind, there's something beautifull between RAW and BG3.

https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=770676#Post770676


Godly list. <3

I pray to all gods on Faerun and beyond that Larian implements these things. <3

Interesting thoughts. If there was an Enemy AC (& ST) slider, then it might be more useful to have flat bonuses instead of Advantage at very high enemy ACs

To your first point, I think technically (and according to Jeremy Crawford) it's not allowed. But I think that's a bit dumb. If your jump distance is greater than your movement speed of 30 ft, it makes perfect sense that you can jump more than 30 ft.

To your second point, there should probably be a 1 jump/turn limit? If only to make things simpler and less mario-like. Even in rare cases where jumping 3x would be preferable, I think the tedious-ness introduced by doing so outweighs the positive benefit.

I vote that they shouldn't be simultaneously allowed options. "Backstab Advantage" will be the most lenient form of flanking
This would probably require 2 toggles (Backstab / Adjacent Ally / Flanking) and (Advantage / +5 / +4 / ... / +0) but that's fine.