I agree with a lot of the points made here about the story, I just finished my first run last night so I’m still processing it all, but the problem I was afraid of for the story back during the EA happened. BG3’s world feels more like a mega-dungeon than a independent setting. Everything going on in the world has to do with the Absolute so rarely is anything really allowed to rest or occupy a different tone. But that’s a natural consequence of a world ending doomsday plot, nothing sucks the oxygen out of a story like giant nearly inconceivable stakes, add to this the confluence of two or three doomsday cults and you’re not really dealing with compelling antagonists either. Sarevoks end game was causing war, Irenicus wanted revenge for being exiled, neither of which really come into play overtly until late into the game. I wouldn’t really say the story in WotR did it much better but it had a slightly more interesting twist. I think this is a trend with big RPG stories, the main plots are often the least interesting partof them, with a lot of the stakes and motivations coming from your, and your companions personal stories.
Baldur’s Gate itself is wonderful though, I don’t want to sound like an ingrate because I loved the city but I would have liked to have more, and without the Absolute plotline’s overriding influence on it.
Gortash is given “emergency executive powers to safeguard oligarchy” as we enter the city. And well he should, the giant host we just slipped past is hot on our heels. an army that I don’t think we’ll ever see again
I can’t comment on the reactivity after Act I, I encountered a gratifying amount of it and in some places I feel like there’s more going on but won’t really know until a second playthrough where these things are really apparent.
I like a genre mashup but I get the feeling Larian had a great idea: Mind-Flayers meet Bhaalist but couldn’t quite work backwards from there to a coherent scheme.
Elder Brains are the type of entity the inner workings of which should be incongruous with the simian experience, but anytime I interacted with one, the monosyllabic patter came across more child with block, than 5th dimensional intelligence. Also the whole evolving from Elder Brain to Nether Brain…a bit anime for my tastes. Speaking of, I feel conflicted being forced to kill my old waifu. It’s actually a fun choice on Larians part to let us kill 2-4 of our old companions
Still loving the game, I’ll probably get back in soon, or maybe after the first patch, I had a few bugged quests and possibly bugged moments Maybe my thoughts will be a little more organized after a second run.
