Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Story: inconsistency/pacing/choice and consequence feedback compendium

Inconsistencies/Pacing/still EA:

- The Emperor. Confesses to me that he has basically mindcontrolled stelmane and everyone else. Then afterwards he acts like this conversation never happened.
FIX: The Emperor should act like a villain after showing himself as one or scene reworked if not intented

- The Emperor being Balduran makes no sense, but this has been discussed elsewhere.
FIX: This should probably just be removed, it feels tact on last minute for added impact, and simply does not work

- Ending for Dark Urge tells me I have killed Shadowheart ( I didn't), but then 5 sec later, I am talking to her.
FIX: Simple coding fix

- Shadowheart does not say a word as I leave to help Karlach in hell. Does she want to come? Does she want to stay? We were in love??..
FIX: A conversation befitting of lovers

- Orpheus has the power to nullify the Netherbrains nr1 strength, telepathic connections. Why on earth do we need him or anyone else to be a mindflayer? Because it calculates everything? Come on. It does not matter what it calculates when it cannot use its base function.
FIX: Orpheus should be the no mindflayer route

- Tanner ( the gordian) tells me he is sad his daughter died and that we will avenge her by blowing up the factory. I clear the path and go back to get him. "I warned you
of the consequences but you had to interfere. My daughter is dead because of you" That is a great bug.
FIX: Coding fix

- Ansur quest (see above)
FIX: Make relevant to main quest or remove alltogether. We should be able to recruit Ansur or he should vow to defeat us/impose a debuff/ something else?

- Multiple times in act 3 the same conversation gets repeated. Ones I remember: Karlach conversation after she tells you to find her later runs 2 times. I have to tell Minsc 2 times to stay in camp.
FIX: Coding fix

- The Emperor does a 180 and joins the Netherbrain at first sight of an impasse. What he dedicated his entire life to avoid.
FIX: This needs to be written differently. Emperor is willing to listen to Orpheus?

- I believe 3 min flat conversation on the docks is not a real ending. I believe it was stated somewhere that the game will have a 20 min epilogue. We want it. And the celebration.
FIX: Proper ending to such a game should at least include the celebration with fun scenes like maybe arm wrestling with Minsc(strength check),drinking competition(con check?), and similar stuff just for fun. + 20 min ish epilogue.

- For pacing of story, we need an END THE NIGHT QUEUE for the camp. It seems many people are missing story moments because they are simply not resting enough. For RP reasons it makes no sense to rest more than necessary at the start of the game.
FIX: Therefore the game needs to queue ALL CAMP END THE NIGHT SEQUENCES so that they can be watched on a single rest. Too much rest interrupts flow of narrative

- Why do companions let me make all their decisions for them? Even without persuasion checks?
FIX: Your ability to influence the choice should be gated by approval. Maybe checks?

- In dark urge route, Shadowheart(or other romance) says absolutely nothing as you are murdered by bhaal, or when you are lying on the floor dead. Tone deaf. Completely destroys immersion.
FIX: Romance should be running to you, holding you, crying, screaming, etc

- Trim side questing that does not tie into main story. Lack of pacing? Personal experience 10-8 ish hours between story progressions. Game frequently leads you unto side stuff that has no bearing on story if RPing too hard.
FIX: Add cut content that ties into main story? `Remove side quest material that does not tie into main story? Or make clear if a quest will have no bearing on main story?




Choices (we would like to see)

- One choice that really sticks out to me was when I found Mizora in the pod. Perfect moment to extort a devil for power. I am only allowed to break Wylls pact or free her? Make this make sense in a game where they have talked about choice and consequence in every single panel from hell.
FIX: Seems like the perfect opportunity to get that + 2 permanent ability score.

- We are being railroaded into making someone a mindflayer, despite some of us playing the entire game for this not to happen. So much for choice.. X mindflayer, Z mindflayer, or Y mindflayer.. Remove tadpole and someone still has to be a mindflayer? Why does Orpheus turn without a tadpole???
FIX: Orpheus route involves no mindflayer/kill both route?

- When I play fantasy I am always into power. Why cant I reforge the crown of karsus instead of Gale(in the case MC is also a wizard/sorcerer/warlock)? This really annoyed me tbh.
FIX: Option to take the power of the crown for yourself. Without needing the Netherbrain.

- Shars mirror is a good example of RPing for power, but, it is never clear what is actually happening. Will I fail a check if I do this? Does it carry no consequence later?
FIX: Clarification
- Karlach's infernal engine does not get fixed, no matter what.
FIX: People want the ability to fix this. Deal with X devil. Soulcoin bargain. Gondain technology. God interference?

- Why am I not allowed to take the Wyvern poison instead of becoming a mindflayer during the "you are found scene" with the netherbrain? Why did I say yes at all.
FIX: Suicide option

- Astarion ascension/ gale crown scenario. Hijack ascension instead of Astarion/Cazador? (TO add on to crown scenario above). Seriously it makes no sense as MC to just watching everyone else gain power and have no option yourself.
FIX: Add different scenario for player character? Hijack ascension/steal crown/anything else?

- Cannot save Gur childern no matter what? Why is this even a quest? There is no way to succeed..
Fix: An actual option to save the Gur children.





Consequences (we would like to see)

- I tried so hard to not use Illithid powers after they kept talking about choice and consequence, turns out, I was only trolling myself, oh well there is no REAL consequence.
FIX: Consequence, loosing sense of self, not remembering, brain eating urge?

- I brought Karlach to the house of hope without thinking, when she spoke I thought to myself. Oh S***t. I shouldn't have brought her. Zariel is gonna take her. Or something. Turns out, nevermind. Mystra knows we opened a book but Zariel does not know Karlach is in hell?
FIX: Something like you have X rounds until X companion is lost would be nice.

- I feel like facing off with someone like Raphael should have consequence for a lvl 10-12 party. Someone dies or is imprisoned?? Unless you are able to bypass him on the way out? YOU ARE IN HIS LAIR.
FIX: Something like you have X rounds until X companion is lost would be nice.

- Dark Urge route, early choices have 0 consequence. Yes you might kill some companions but what effect does it have on the Dark Urge ending? Nothing. You get option resist urge or option give in to urge regrdless. Being evil all game should lock out your chance to resist urge. And vice versa.
FIX: Add more variations?

Many people have wanted better end game content for Minthara, Karlach, Astarion etc. (imo it is all companions).
FIX: Implement better content. But completing maybe some of them makes it harder to complete the others. Should be possible to complete all if necessary checks are passed and proper quest routes taken. Punished if not.

- Orin kidnapps companion no consequence? Simple persuasion check not enough?
FIX: If you take too long to save X companion. Companion dies. Looses a hand? etc

If we completely ignore the plot hole that is the Emperor giving up to join the Netherbrain (he should have at least attempted to convince Orpheus to help the cause, which he probably would have agreed to considering he himself volunteers to become a mind flayer should the player refuse), we still have the strange detail of not having Lae'zel offer to make the sacrifice. It doesn't fit her character to let Orpheus basically kill himself to save the world when Lae'zel could have done it, become the hero of her people and liberate the prince of comets. If not that, Voss. Where's he? Where are the honor guards he had assembled? When Orpheus for some reason (did I miss the explanation for how that's possible?) can turn non-tadpoled people (himself) into mind flayers, he could have just turned Voss, or any of his honor guards to mind flayers and finish the fight. I mean, even if having a tadpole is a must, there are plenty to be found around the place. Just go kill a random person and there's probably one there they can use.

Like he says the masterful build up just goes flat. The Dark Urge is a good example of this. It is building up and then you hit act 3. Boom "you are suddenly hit with a rush of memories, you were formerly the greatest assassin of Bhaal". Ah.. Did the two guys talking about buying apples jog my memory? Great..(Literally happens in the Wyrms Crossing in plain day light)