Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General How big a factor is the ruleset in claims that BGIII doesn't feel like a BG game?

It's hard to pin any one thing as the reason why BG3 feels like a shadow of what it should or could have been. You could go on for hours about what's done right, what's done wrong, and everything in the middle. Not everyone will agree. I don't like this game, but I don't understand the criticism about how 'serious' it is. BG3 takes itself quite seriously. I just think Larian is laughably bad at writing anything serious.

Neverwinter Nights and Temple of Elemental Evil used the same edition (3rd) but feel like completely different games, while Icewind Dale II and BG II use different editions (2nd and 3rd) and feel much closer to one another than to either of the other two. I think it has to do more with what you do with that ruleset rather than the ruleset itself. BG III has turnbased combat, but that's only part of it. In many ways, the cinematic conversations, the more linear story and character roster restrictions, it reminds me much more of Neverwinter Nights. Granted, I like all of those games, so I wouldn't necessarily say this is a demeaning comparison to make, just an observation that it is designed as a different style of game than the Original Saga.

There's also a fair bit of DOS2 DNA in the mix, again, not a bad game (one of my favs, actually)-but it is a *different* game in many ways-gameplay, story, tone, etc than BG. Combine these differences, and It's easy to see where some disappointment may come from, there's a lot in BG III that's just different from what people might expect, might want from a BG game.

Me personally, I'm not just looking for a rehash of the Original Saga. I'd be fine with that, but I do like a lot of the 'Neverwinter Nights' touches in the game. However, There are certainly some things I'm not looking forward to in regards to the sequel to my favorite rpg series, and additionally just in a Forgotten Realms game in general.

BG III is a 5th edtion game, but it's also set in the 5th edition Forgotten Realms setting. That means it carries with it all the baggage of 4th edition and 5h edition metaplot advancements. Some players are no doubt looking forward to playing a Dragonborn or whatever, but for me it's very much a bittersweet romp through a Realms that's been gutted of a lot of what I used to love about it. I'm not looking forward to seeing dragonborn, because every time I see one, it'll remind me of the Spellplague. Lord knows every time I see a Tiefling I'm reminded of the retcon to their appearance. I love being able to play a drow, but dread running into the retcons that 5th edition has brought to the dark elves. etc etc. I could go on, but point being, it's just not the setting I fell in love with, the one I got to play around and adventure in with Infinity Engine games. That's not something Larian can really help tbh, but it something that reduces my enjoyment of the game nonetheless.

In terms of gameplay, there are a couple of 5e-isms I don't care for. I don't like Warlocks-lorewise never really made a lot of sense IMHO, and I don't like the forced class specialization that 5e has. (what if I don't want to be a sorcerer who's a wild mage or dragon disciple? etc. (monk will be even worse in this regard if you want to play an appropriate subclass for the realms I imagine) But other stuff? The magic items sets that strongly encourage you towards pidgeonholing your characters towards certain playstyles, the MMO style reward pop-up boxes for completing quests (that when combined encourage you strongly to complete quests certain ways so you don't miss out on parts of your complete 'set') The way all of this is given away like candy-that's a criticism

But the writing, the pacing, the tone, that's another thing for me. I have no problem at all saying that I don't like how the game seems in such a rush to thrust us into Realm-shaking events involving chosen and gods and everything. How almost all of the Origin characters are incredibly special protagonists in their own right. That worked for DOS2, I don't like it in my Realms, or in my D&D games. There's no chance to explore and savor the setting, build up towards the grander threats. We are already fighting an adamantine golem at level 4, for heaven's sake. I don't like how the game seems to be hurling towards some sort of multiple deicide thing with the dead three(why even bring Myrkul and Bhaal back for the setting if you are just gonna fight and kill em?) I am very fearful that the plot is going to turn into kudzu with all the 'mystery box' stuff flying around and that it won't have a satisfying conclusion.

With all the reactivity Larian is programming into little things like stealing lutes or killing main quest npcs, all the ways Larian encourages players to think outside the box and do things like abuse stealth cinematic conversation etc, all the 'sequence breaking' antics players can get involved with, the limitations where they do not give players options, where you might be forced to chose one or another option where others might seem obvious or likely but are unavailable-seem more glaring. Playing through the game as an evil character I found many of these. How helping Kahga and/or joining the Shadow Druids seems pointedly removed as a meaningful option for evil characters (particularly druids) or the fuzzy logic and writing revolving around the option to join the goblins, the writing in may areas 'off the beaten path' feels much less refined and satisfying-like a DM who didn't expect you to enter a certain building or parlay with a certain character and has to make it up on the fly. Combine this with all the the crazy stuff hinted at in EA Act I or the datamines, and I *am* worried how they are going to pull it off if there are already much talked about issues in Act I that have yet to be touched upon by the devs. Maybe they can pull it off, but again-I am worried.

They can't - or won't - attempt to capture that late 90s/early 00s zeitgeist.

BG2 got me at the beginning when the first companion convo fired up. It was a novelty for the 13yo me back then and got me into every companion-based RPG ever since. That was a defining factor for "what a BG game feels like" for me for years. Hells, even waited with playing the first BG and both Icewind Dale games until a companion mod was available.

Now, the 35yo me will tell you that the overall tone of BG3 is... off. Don't get me wrong, BG2 had a lot lighthearted moments and whole comic relief companions, but the main theme of the game was dark, gritty, mature.

Here I feel like it's the opposite - we have a dire situation made light of and only sprinkled with the seriousness it desperately deserves. It's good, but not what I would expect from a BG game. Waiting until full release to see if it will take a turn.

Or it's just nostalgia speaking and I'm getting old.

Edit:
tl;dr
I don't care about the ruleset, I'm just happy it's D&D.

I vote for can't. It requires a great deal of skill, and no small amount of luck to create a game (or anything else) that people are still talking about with reverence 20 years later. The odds of BG3 hitting that level are very low, because the odds of ANY game hitting that level are very low.

My experience is similar to your's with regards to the games. However, I was thirty when BG2 came out, so my memories of it are certainly not childhood nostalgia. It was just that good.