Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback This doesn't feel like a Baldur's Gate game (or D&D)

I sincerely hope I'm not the only one reading this thread and feeling like some of the feedback has jumped the shark.

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Sigh.

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The tadpoles are great. It's a little reminiscent of the ear worm scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but I accept that as a nod. The idea of a worm getting inside of a character's head is strong. And it becomes a powerful visual when we see it happen, as we do in the opening scene of this game.

This puts the characters in a situation where they have a condition. This is good for storytelling purposes. There's now a problem that the characters face, and conflict is what storytelling is all about.

Initially, the conflict is twofold. There's a parasite in the character's head, yes, but they also need to escape the Nautiloid. This is dramatic. It's full of action; it's wonderful. The setting is interesting, hurtling through the hells on a flaming Nautiloid, the stakes are interesting, the combat is in your face, and you can feel the heat of the flames all around. And everything is alien, even the floors, writhing underneath.

During the desperate escape, unlikely alliances are made. This is also good for storytelling. It escalates tension.

When we reach the helm, there's a sense of urgency pushing us forward. We have to fight our way forward to connect the nerves of the transponder.

--Now, some players are going to ignore the urgency and concentrate on killing the Commander to get the ever-burning blade (and the extra xp). That's a player choice, and in my opinion, it breaks the scene a little bit, but I respect Larian for leaving it in as a possibility because some players want that level of agency, to break out of the story momentarily for the reward of a small power boost. Fine, to each their own.

--But as a reminder, that is a player choice. At no point does the game demand that the character fight a Mind Flayer or a Cambion. The opening scene is about fighting imps. The Mind Flayer and Cambion are nothing more than background figures to make the scene more exciting from a storytelling perspective.

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So our opening is excellent. We have a condition, and we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere with nothing on our side but an unlikely alliance.

--I do have a small issue with how this is done. If we were knocked out of the side of the ship, how is it that we wake up right beside the ship? Wouldn't the ship be a lot farther away after having crashed? Or did it drop straight down beside us?

--That's an example of what we would call "refrigerator logic." The idea being that the logical inconsistency doesn't generally occur to us until later. Regardless, it's not the biggest deal because the essence of what's happened is clear. Personally, I would prefer that we just crashed with the ship and were thrown from it onto the beach, but if Larian feels like there's something important with the fall and the magic keeping us from splitting our heads open, fine, I can accept that without screaming about bad writing.

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We've accomplished one of our goals, which was to escape the Nautiloid. Again, we are confronted with a couple of goals.

The biggest one, of course, is that we still have the parasite in our head. We need to avoid turning into a Mind Flayer.

But we also have to survive and ideally get away from the wreckage, to find shelter and food and such.

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Basically, we always have a goal amidst conflict. That's how storytelling works, and Larian is doing a wonderful job in that regard. Things are visually interesting, and our main character conflict continues to grow and develop.

First, it's that we need to avoid turning into a Mind Flayer.

When we realize we're not turning into a Mind Flayer, we're confronted with what the tadpole is doing to us. It's giving us powers, yes, but is it also controlling us? Speaking for us? Where do we end and where does the tadpole begin? What is this dream? Is it the tadpole talking to us?

Why were we infected? Not to turn into Mind Flayers, perhaps, but what... to become a beautiful weapon? And if so, to be wielded by whom?

This mystery deepens. We are confronted with True Souls. These are people like us, infected with a tadpole, but they don't know they're infected. Why not? Ah, maybe we never finished going through the process to become a True Soul. Maybe there was another step at Moonrise Towers, and we're not fully baked. Half-done.

What do we do now? Do we confront the True Souls directly in a combative manner? Or do we infiltrate the True Souls? And then there's a third option still, which might sound crazy, but could we maybe even join the True Souls?

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Everything going on is fascinating.

There's a religious order building, shaking things up along the Sword Coast, and we are right there in the thick.

Who is the Absolute? A new goddess? Perhaps. Certainly a force to be reckoned with.

And the True Souls are her powerful disciples, leading a force in her name.

As we continue to learn more, we realize that she has three chosen, and it seems that there may be factions within the ranks of the True Souls. Only by continuing to Moonrise Towers can we learn more.

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The whole of the plot is an unfolding mystery, but we can be sure that it interconnects multiple things. Shar is somehow involved, for one. As are the Githyanki and the Mind Flayers, and the connection of all of this is evident in the artifact, the item being referred to as the weapon.

Cambions are also somehow involved. We know that the True Souls have abducted Mizora, and that may explain Raphael's interest.

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This is a setting and a plot filled with mystery and flavor.

Are there things that need to be smoothed out? Sure. Some people apparently have an issue because the plot makes them want to avoid long resting, which is keeping aspects of the story from opening up to them. That's a legitimate issue that needs to be smoothed out.

But the answer to that isn't that the story sucks.

The answer is to get across the idea that you're not turning into a Mind Flayer immediately faster. Or let the game force you into a long rest if only because of sheer exhaustion. Something to solve the problem and continue the narrative.

And yes, there's an issue with Lae'zel being so singularly focused on the creche. It's hard to accept that she would stick around to fight the goblins instead of venturing out on her own.

The solution to that isn't to throw our hands up in the air and say the story sucks.

The way forward is to perhaps tweak her character and make her at least a teensy bit more open to trying out Halsin or Gut.

Someone else mentioned that her character would never stand for having her armor taken. I agree. Does that mean the story sucks and the writers are no good? No. Personally, I would suggest that Larian locks her armor to her unless she can be talked out of it in dialogue. Something like, "We need to talk about your armor. I'm going to give you this better armor, but you need to get rid of that armor."

That said, if they don't lock her armor, I'm fine. Because I never take her armor. Because I know taking her armor isn't something that would make sense. So I don't actively do things that wouldn't make sense and then blame Larian for the things I'm doing.

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I don't know. Again, we're to the point where people are suggesting that Larian get rid of the tadpoles. In my opinion, that's insane.

Not only is such a thing not even feasible, it would completely ruin all the amazing flavor and plot we have right now.

I like the idea of the Absolute. I like the mystery. I like the terror and wonder of the tadpoles, and I'm blown away by the flavor of the True Souls, acting as disciples of a new goddess.

And that's my opinion.