The Dialogue System is Antithetical to D&D


With the way the dialogue system works in Baldur's Gate 3, it is extremely antithetical to Dungeons & Dragons and to party-based games in general.

When I think of D&D, I think of a group – a party working together towards a goal and each offering their unique skills and expertise to each other when the situation calls for it.

A Rogue will help spot and disarm traps, use their roguish trickery and sleight of hand to pickpocket or trick certain NPCs.

A Wizard will help the party with their knowledge of the arcane, or a Cleric with religion. The more stronger built Fighter or Barbarian can contribute their strength when it's needed, and could even intimidate certain NPCs into submission.

It's quite common for a party in D&D to have what is called a “face” of the party – the one who is the more charismatic of the group and adept in persuasion to do most of the talking and diplomacy with the various NPCs the group will meet on their adventure.

We often rely on one another for their various skills and expertise granted by their background and class. When diplomacy begins to break down or appear to be at a standstill, it is not uncommon for one of the party members to jump in to aid in the conversation. A Wizard could jump in when arcana knowledge is needed, a Rogue could make a sleight of hand check to pickpocket the NPC while distracted. These are things that often happen in a game of D&D. It's a party-based game after all that relies heavily on teamwork.

However the way the current dialogue system of Baldur's Gate 3 works, we can do none of these things with our different companions during dialogue.

The dialogue is solely restricted to the one who instigates the conversation with the NPC, or (arguably the most annoying) the one who happens to be closest to an NPC who triggers a dialogue with you. This often happens at the end of battles when the final enemy is defeated.

Once we are in a dialogue with an NPC, we are locked into it and can only rely on our individual skills. So if Shadowheart ends up being locked in a dialogue triggered by an NPC, my charismatic Tav who specialises in persuasion cannot aid her in a persuasion check. She can only rely on her own persuasion skill.

I've seen some others comment on how we should be able to switch between our various party members during dialogue, so we can utilise everyone's various skills when needed. That would definitely be a welcome improvement and help make the dialogue system more closer to how a typical game of D&D works with how the party interacts and helps one another.

But I haven't seen anything else about this issue, nor have I ever seen Larian comment on the issue. Compared to how often people left feedback in the beginning and after patches released, it seems to be getting quieter and quieter, and yet this issue with how the dialogue system works against a party working together persists.

With seemingly no intention being shown whether to ever address it.

We can have certain companions aid us in dialogue with various spells and scrolls, such as Shadowheart casting Guidance, but we cannot use her skills of religion or sleight of hand to help us when the option is available during a dialogue. Granted it is possible to switch character to someone who is not in dialogue and then use them to pickpocket an NPC you are talking to. However I am talking about all the skills that are available to be used in the context of being in dialogue with an NPC.

As a D&D game – as a party-based game, we should be able to make use of everyone's various skills to help out when conversing to NPCs. This happens outside of dialogue quiet often, for example when failing the religion check to identify the statue in the crypt, Shadowheart can succeed where you may likely fail (if not proficient in religion) and then she will speak aloud on what that statue is, where your character had no idea.

So we do have that feeling of working together as a party in Baldur's Gate 3, but just not inside of dialogue with NPCs due to how the current dialogue system works.

If Shadowheart can succeed in a religion check outside of dialogue where you failed, then she should be able to offer her expertise on religion when it is required during dialogue, and anyone else in your party with their various expertise.

That is one of the biggest features of playing a party-based game is it not? All of us working together and offering our own unique skills and expertise?

Perhaps switching characters talking to the NPC may be too much of a pain? Then what about simply having the same character talking, but when selecting a skill check during dialogue where a companion is better suited for, we use their skill to roll for it instead? That way the party would still be working together, pooling their skills and expertise for the group.

The Dialogue System is More Antithetical in Co-op Multiplayer

The reason why I made this post to begin with is because I recently tried co-op for the first time with a friend, and I ended up being even more disappointed with the dialogue system than I already was when using it in single player with a party.

The dialogue system is even worse when playing with a friend, because you cannot utilise any of each other's skills or expertise in conversation with an NPC.

I played a Cleric, and my friend could not select my Guidance cantrip during dialogue or whenever skill checks were in the middle of being made.

Companions under our control could not contribute anything to the other player, only to ourselves.

I could understand not being able to use each other's skills if we were not together, but we were together all the time, and every time he initiated dialogue with an NPC, I would join in immediately.

How are we supposed to work together as a party if we cannot make use of each player's skills during dialogue?

I had a group of 4 friends who were interested in playing a 4-player co-op game of Baldur's Gate 3 where we each would have a role to play in the party. But now we learn we cannot do that because the way the dialogue system works is completely antithetical to that kind of play, both in single-player and in co-op.

Will this issue ever be fixed? Has it even been acknowledged? Does anyone even care?