I'll keep playing it. I think I just needed a break especially after the negativity I've been reading on the forum here about both BG3 and DOS games. It's hard sometimes to feel very motivated to play a game people bash to pieces so much.
I'm playing a Rogue named Brin - so Custom Character. I couldn't help it. I REALLY like custom characters, and there was no one that I thought, "I really want to play that person's story." I figured that I'd play as a Custom and then if there are any Origin Characters I really like I'd go back and play as that person to get the full impact of their story. That's kinda my plan for BG3 too.
Yeah... maybe that's backwards as you can't really BE that person on a second playthrough, but whatever. Honestly, I've been a DM for so long, and I have developed stories/characters on the fly so many times that I've gotten pretty good at putting myself in just about any character's shoes to act as I think that character would act - as if I don't know what's coming in the story. So, it probably won't change my future gameplay much.
My party is Lohse, Ifan and Beast. So far, they are the only characters I even remotely like, and the jury's not in yet on any of them. Lohse is my favorite, though, but her being possessed by some crazy evil spirit thing - whatever it is - has me a bit hesitant to want to get too close to her too. I'm thinking she might knife me in my sleep. Ifan too. He's some crazy Lone Wolf guy who's hunting what now? Oh yeah... ME! And Beast... I don't know enough about him other than he's a pirate. So...
I can't help but think of the song "Professional Pirate" from Muppet Treasure Island when it comes to Beast. "Some say that pirates steal, and should be feared and hated. I say we're victims of bad press, it's all exaggerated. We'd never stab you in the back [pirate gets stabbed in the back with a knife right in front of him]. We'd never lie or cheat. We're just about the nicest guys ya'd ever want to meet." Smiley winky face!
So Lohse's my second in command, basically. I buff my main first and Lohse second. Then Beast and lastly Ifan. Beast is my physical fighter/tank and Lohse is my magic DPS. Ifan is my ranged huntsman support person.
I'm almost done with Fort Joy, I think. About to face Alexander. Game's glitched a few times in weird ways. For example: some seer lady in the Seeker camp was dead for no reason, so I couldn't ever talk to her even though it gave me the quest to do so and people told me to. She's laying dead right in front of them, and they're like, "Talk to her."
The item management is what's getting me the most right now. I feel like all I ever do is pick things up and sort them and try to figure out what's good and what's not. I've given up on crafting altogether because I don't need to, so I have a lot of crafting items that I don't really need and I'm thinking if I just sell them it'll make me happier. Too much inventory clutter. Gives me no hope for BG3's item management at all. I had the same issue with BG3 when I got to the Underdark. Suddenly, I started not caring about picking up anything, even magic items. I already had everything I needed and often vendors sold things that were better than anything I picked up. So why bother?
You just got Phalar Aluve. It's a super special magic sword that they made a big deal about. Checks inventory. "Um. I already have weapons that are way better. Guess I'll sell it." Wha wha!
I'm experiencing the same thing in DOS 2. Picks up new gloves from a secret chest. Armor is only slightly better than what I have and the gloves I have allow me to teleport people. Sigh. Add it to the pile to sell.
Speaking of teleport, though, I DO love that spell. I also love the levitating items to wherever I want. Then I got to thinking. "Why the heck didn't they implement Mage Hand just like the whole levitating items thing in DOS 2? From a distance you can levitate items to spots you want them to go to with a glowing hand animation or you can use it to open doors, pull levers, etc. Then, if you're an Arcane Trickster, there is no animation, but the mechanics are the same - adding picking locks and picking pockets to the possible options of what you can do with it. Why'd they come up with a weird hand minion who can fight instead?"
Anyway. I liked the silver dragon, but I hated the witch part associated with it. She was nasty, and what I didn't like was that I wasn't given very good dialogue options. Also, none of my companions came to my rescue to stop her from kissing me and spewing insects or whatever into me. So, I didn't have a choice but to be weirdly and creepily messed with, and no one thought to come to my aid. I did NOT Like that scene at all. I was pretty mad that I didn't even have the option to just plain attack her (unless, of course, I triggered the attack without talking to her at all).
I DID like the choices, though, like whether I should put the crucified out of their misery or leave them to see if I could save them for later. I put them out of their misery. Then I found out a way I could have potentially saved them. Nice. That's the kind of stuff I like. You sit there and wonder, "Am I making the right choice? Should I do this? Should I not?" I don't like when choices are obvious. That's kinda my biggest critique of Solasta. VERY obvious choices, if you even have any.
Finally, I found some crazy door, and all I could think of was Necromancer's Lair in BG3. Really? Way too similar. This is part of what's making me so worried now about BG3. How many OBVIOUS things are they going to just copy/paste from DOS 2? Astarion/Sebille, Escaping being a prisoner on a ship in the prologue, animals that are all rude and sassy, surfaces, party of 4, no day/night, etc. etc. etc.
Anyway, that's my update.
