Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Romance trigger and reactivity problems (formerly "Add a 'no horny' option PLEASE)

Romancing is optional. Sex scenes are avoidable as much as I know. At least nobody jumped on me until now...
Also I use the "censored stuff" option in the settings, just to be sure, lol.

And in real life, half these characters would be written up for sexual harassment if we worked with them. Anyone in real life who is so socially inept as to think “you’re welcome” is flirting needs to be whacked with a newspaper and told no. Alas, in this game, part of the problem is we aren’t given the option to whack some of these people with newspapers. With Halsin, one friendly misstep and all of a sudden *you the player* can’t back out without flirting with him, which is NOT realistic at all. No “slow down buddy”, no “1. Leave.”, just flirt or flirt harder.

That is not realistic and it’s on Larian for making alt+F4 the only way to get out of such an uncomfortable situation.

I'd definitely encourage anyone who comes across something like this, where there isn't a dialogue option that it looks as though there should be, to take a screenshot and submit it and probably their savegame to Larian as a bug. It's possible that they're per design, but I've certainly noticed plenty of other non-romance conversations where there look to be missing dialogue options, including some that I'm pretty sure were there in EA, and given the complexity of the dialogue trees it seems entirely possible they're just broken in some places.

I do plan another play through, so should I get to it, I’ll do that Red Queen. It’s a bit back from any conveniently located saves now. I’m very open to some of this issue being chalked up tp flag or busted tree related and not by design.

Gale interaction definitely needs some tweaks the weave stuff I have no issue if it leads to a more intimate moment with him but given its so early in game either put it later when you actually had built more time with him or allow the player be more clearer hey lets do this shit as friends! Hocus Pocus with friends

And even when I noticed oh the weave is making this intimate and I backed off, after I was with Karlach, Gale was jealous as if it we had something previously? I think his relationship given his background is really badly done and it was a wrap up hasty process compared to other companions.

Halsin seems to suffer the same but I think its due I choose the option hey sorry for going hard on you. But I thought it was something along the lines of Act 2 storyline and I thought probably I was too harsh with the old man? So it would require a better fleshed out response or at least be more intuitive that you are choosing a romantic option with that companion.

yeah, "non-romance" campaign would be great. These romances are tedious and infantile. Moreover, every character treats you in that weird uni-sex way. Every interaction is designed in that way to potentially touch romance no matter which gender anyone is. sick.

If I'll do a second run it definitely will be a solo run.

Reading through this conversation, Halsin and Gale seem to be bugged for sure.

the weave scene where Gale shows you how magic works, gives an extremely definitive fork in the road, with a clear "pursue romance" and "dont pursue romance" path, but for some reason it seems like choosing to not pursue romance seems to be bugging for a lot of people

It's sad how much this game embraces sexual harassment. This game makes Pepe Le Pew look well behaved. Doesn't add much to the game, and it makes it something I wouldn't not buy for my 12 year old nephew.

Could it be possible the 'no horny' dialogue option isent triggering the 'oke no horny dialogue now' voicelines?

Seem to recall they had some problems with triggers actually....well registering in the game about halfway through the EA.

It really shouldn't be a big mystery why.
It's the way it's framed.

I shouldn't have the need to tell Gale "It can't work between us, darling" or anything like that when the man was never even supposed to be remotely in my radar as a romantic interest.
And it should never come to the crossway "It's time to choose me or her!" for the same exact reason: I never (knowingly and willingly) led Gale to believe we shared anything more than friendship and the game shouldn't act as if I did.

That's the sense I'm getting. In case it helps work out what's working and what's not, with respect to Gale ...


I get the sense that some of the romance problems are manifesting later in the game for people, so I'll watch out for them.

I second that completely. Companions should refuse romantic advances on the mere basis of that person having a penis or vulva. It makes no sense to have everyone in Faerûn being bisexual.

It breaks immersion for me too.

That then only leaves SH for most men seeking women, you're aware? I can't imagine the mob if they went through with Karlach being butch. I'm guessing they'd make Astarion gay, Wyll and SH bisexual and Gale straight because that's how stereotypes tend to be implemented

...It's an M rated game, it should be clear that it's not appropriate for 12 year olds.

We've been over this on the forum. The benefits of versatility that come from playersexuality seem to outweigh the costs to immersion. Imagine if there was one heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual option per gender of companions, and it wasn't the one you were interested in for your playthrough. Now you're railroaded if you choose the one prescribed for you, or railroaded into changing your character to the one that is viable for the playthrough you have in mind.

We've already been round this off-topic loop once in this thread once, let's not do it again.

The topic here is whether companions are overly insistent about starting sexual relationships and/or whether we can have satisfying non-sexual relationships with companions in the game.

If people want to give feedback on the handling of companion sexuality/approach to giving players a wide variety of romance options in the game, can I request that they start a different thread?

This has always been how it was though. And if people are bi, thats fine. If theyre gay thats also fine. However straight people are also a thing.

The npcs treatjng the player like the preferences will change if they just pester them enough is a tad creepy. The npcs trying to romance the player regardless of their sex is what most people who bring this up have a problem with I feel.

We dont accept this behavior (harassing someone even after they express no interest) in real life so why would we accept it ingame? People have preferences. Just nagging you constantly wont mean those preferences magicly change....

I agree. I tried a new strategy with Gale: I accepted the last romance scene and choose the "I like you as a friend" option. Gale has been a pest lately without me romancing him. I were of this stop things.

Anecdotally when the moonrise captain proved my thoughts to check my faith in the absolute I had the option to...flood her with my romance with gale??? So clearly the gale had registered an interest for gale that wasn't there somehow.

So again: gate clearly the romance tag with a [romance] and check for bugs because some things are odd with the current build

Yeah, unfortunately the mob prefer dating sims.
I do not like the concept playersexual companions. I find it boring and immersion breaking.

I cut off that scene with Gale earlier than that (I selected the option you did not and ended it there) and while Gale himself has been behaving (I’m about where you are I think) at the party I had the option to go to sleep thinking of Gale, so I don’t think the *game* knows I noped out when things looked like they were turning more than friendly. Which is another reason I suspect an incorrectly set flag is causing some of these issues. Perhaps accepting that scene sets a flag but ditching that scene with Gale early when things look heated doesn’t unset the flag.