Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Act 3 is rushed -- Main story is lacking -- Feedback

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 nr 1 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?

- If you sneak in and kill Gortash on first meeting, no NPCs will react. And people will still be talking as if he is about to be crowned, even when killed in front of them.
FIX: Integrate plot devices affirming your actions.

- Exploration rarely rewards you. All I have ever gotten from exploration is something like 40 gold, a dagger and an apple. Certain books also have nothing in them except "this book is about X".. Come on..
FIX: Give us , permanent power ups, lore that no one else got, character progression no one else got, items that actually feel valuable (you really need to make a second pass on this , 95% of all items in act 1-2 are junk)

- We are told to keep the spear of Selune, but nothing comes of it? Is this cut content? Or unfinished content?
FIX: Integrate a use for the Spear of Selune.

- Companions almost never have conversations companion to companion which makes it feel like they have no relationship with each other. Notable example of this is when Wyll says "I can not watch someone I love die" (referring to Karlach)
Yet, Wyll has barely said a word to Karlach all game.
PArty dynamic is also completely absent from the game, the party never does anything as a group.
Many times the companions feel as though they are almost not there during quest scenes.
FIX: YOu need to integrate scenes where companions are building relationships among themselves without the MC. Also integrate group activities, meals together, drinking together, drunk dance offs, story sharing by the fire, play cards/lanceboard together etc etc

- Sometime in act 3 Gale randomly states his intention is to take the crown of KArthus for himself in a conversation with an NPC, at this point no discussion on this with MC has taken place. 3 hours later Gale proceeds to tell us why he is interested in the crown of Karthus as if the scene described be for has never taken place.
FIX: Go back and check plot progression triggers.

- Yenna, after getting kidnapped acts like nothing traumatizing ever happened. "do you want some soup?"
FIX: Go back and integrate scenes that make sense.

- Act 3 needs to be more steamlined. When I reach this point I feel like I am bombarded with quests that want me to run in opposite directions or back to places I have already been instead of dealing with Gortash and ORin directly.
FIX: You need to go back and replay this for yourselves, I honestly think you can't have done it.



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.

- Why can't I join the githyanki guard? Orpheus even berates the MC for this. Bro I tried, the game won't let me..
FIX: Integrate path where we can ditch the Emperor on first meeting.





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

- Romance plots feel cheap as this game throws romances in your faces, making it feel like it is impossible to fail at seducing someone, making characters feel shallow in this regard. Example: "Ah, you slept with someone else? No problem!
FIX: Make it so you have to take more care in seducing someone, and keep them after.

- End game items can not have been properly tested. For example the way Greater amulet of health is implemented means you can dump constitution on melee characters and still get away with it. Which means builds are void. Especially considering there are several items that break the game to this extent. You can be a wizard with 8 strength, 8 con, and 8 dex and still go full melee with only items you found in the house of hope.
FIX: New implementation? +4-6 con instead of set con to X

The House of Hope, gave my body to a succubus with MY ROMANCE IN THE SAME ROOM, defeated a devil, and when going back to camp, literally no one said anything. Not even my romance about how I basically screwed someone else in front of him.

Ravengard is bugged if you try to go slightly non-standard way and kill Gortash at once. His story then falls apart.

If you side with Orpheus, Emperor summons dream visitors to fight you. What??? Make up your mind, Larian, they are either illusions OR living being, who are they then?

Emperor shows his true self if you reject his romance and then acts like it never happened.

Both Emperor and Orpheus reject Gale's option for no reason at all.

There should be an option to convince Emperor to side with Orpheus, no need to turn anyone else to illithid.

Orpheus shouldn't have a power to transform without a tadpole. And he doesn't, if we go Gale's route -in this case he uses the tadpole Emperor gave to us. It should be the case in all scenarios where he transforms.

1. After killing Ansur, we are supposed to talk to Ravengard, even though if we still didn't free him (according to the journal)

2. After freeing Ravengard, Wyll is telling us to hurry up and free him (in camp)

Blew up the steel factory with Minsc as a beast master in my party and after getting out, the wolf (his companion) is still stuck inside.

I hate that the whole fireworks situation is disintegrated in the game. You blow everything up as the only solution - ok, thats not a 10/10 game solution, but ok, I can live with that, fine, but having to deal with guards afterwards is another thing. I mean, it's doable and I didn't aggro the whole city this time, but it's overall a very annoying quest, the most annoying one.

My wish is that this quest gets turned into something more meaningful, where there is a different solution, like with Kagha in act 1, for example. Not "just kill everybody blindly".

When Karlach is informed she will die by Dammon at Last Light Inn, some companions have comments, but notably Astarion says nothing about it. Moreover, the comments that exist about her dying are all the companions accepting it and just “enjoy your time left”. I feel like at least someone would be more distraught, feels quite cruel. On the same note: if you play Karlach Origin, this scene and reactions remain the same. You also do not get to touch anyone of your choosing and the entire thing is swept under the rug. Horrible reactivity.

FIX: Rewrite the reactivity and add for those characters who don’t have any. For a play as Karlach origin, the entire scene should be reviewed and Dammon should not be a creep and ‘steal’ the moment.

In my endgame, Karlach died during the battle with the elder brain, but during the ending scenes and epilogue she was there - burning to death and all. I also faced the same issue as OP: I wanted to choose going with Karlach to hell, but that broke my ending/epilogue with the origin I was romancing (Astarion). When choosing to go with Karlach without her being your romance partner, there’s no “Avernus” epilogue scene - just fade to back and credits.

FIX: Coding fixes for the non-dead issue. Allow player to ask romanced companions to come with to aid Karlach if they choose to go to hell with her - the timing of Astarion running away too should be reviewed as it would break the scene in that case. Then, allow non romance partners of Karlach to choose to go with their friend and get the epilogue nonetheless.

I robbed and killed Raphael in his own house, killing also all his servants and a lover on the way, all 9 hells are talking about it, yet there are no interactions with Mizora.

We can leave an astral prism in Shadowheart possession till the quest at Githyanki Creche. She is very protective of it all the time during all dialogues. Despite that, during said quest the prism will "magically" move to your MC (to be honest, it will move the first time you dismiss Shadowheart from your party, if I recall correctly). Aaand... Nothing. No reaction from Shadowheart, not immediately, not later. Never. You'd think such an important plot element would have at least minimal comments.

Hope can be killed during the battle. But she is considered an ally, so you can still resurrect her with a scroll or a spell. All dialogues goes normally then, however, the quest log states we failed at saving her. DESPITE that we can still have a dialogue with Karlach about Hope creating a place to live in Avernus.

You touched on companion lacking any type of reactivity to your actions and in act 3 it's blatantly obvious with Dark Urge's showdown with Orin and choosing to reject Bhaal. Aside from our romantic interests having absolutely no reaction whatsoever after Bhaal offs us like rushing to our corpse, shouting, crying, shaking our arms, trying to resurrect us, anything at all! I found something truly... not game-breaking, no. Something truly CHARACTER BREAKING.

It is known that companions who have 2 distinct paths react differently to events - eg. Sharran SH vs Selunite SH (during Astarion's quest Sharran SH will approve of ascension while Selunite will try to talk both Astarion and the player out of it, to make it stop). Same goes for Lae'zel - her 2 paths are Vlaakith-sworn and Orpheus-sworn and she will have exactly the same reactions as SH (worded differently of course) to Astarion's ascension. Wyll and Karlach are 'goody-two-shoe' characters that will always condemn Astarion for ascending, so does Jaheira and Minsc. Gale is more pragmatic but on the good path of his (siding with Mystra over usurping Karsus' power) he will be strongly against Astarion's ascension. Then there is Halsin who's against it too and Minthara who's all for it. From character standpoint and their alignments (and alignment shifts) it makes perfect sense.

Now that we got that out of the way, it's clear ascended-Astarion and spawn-Astarion have 2 very differing outlooks on life post Cazador. Best exemplified here - in Astarion's reaction to Ailyn vs Lorroakan.

Asended Astarion has this to say:

While spawn Astarion has this to say:


Perfectly in character, right? Astarion has these varying responses to many of the encounters and quests in act 3, if he doesn't pitch in during them, he certainly does have something to say afterwards - best examples are - Araj Oblodra, Haarlep the incubus among many many others. And I am sure SH and Lae'zel have some of path specific reactions too. But then comes the Durge's personal quest which if you reject Bhaal plays out the same no matter what Astarion (spawn and ascended say exactly the damn same thing, no differences) you've got with you:


Alright then, maybe in the conversation afterwards he'll have something special to say that depends on his current path, no? WRONG AGAIN, have fun spotting the differences between these 2 screenshots:



He doesn't even deliver any of these lines differently (like he does with Haarlep). Lazy, incredibly lazy Larian. Shame on you.

Now I encourage other Durge players to try and see if your LI reaction (especially SH, Lae'zel and Gale) to this event is any different on the path chosen. I will be laughing my ass off if it turns out Selunite and Sharran SH has exactly the same things to say, just like Astarion does here.

But yeah, I am sure as hell ascended Astarion would berate Durge for risking their life like that. Like legit, it's this moment I realized that Durge must've been a pretty late addition to the game and has not been properly playtested for different scenarios like that.

Would also love seeing companions enter romantic relationships with each other if not actively romanced by the player as long as you drag them places and their romantic banters fire off. Loved seeing Dorian and Iron Bull hit it off in DAI for example. Or Sera and Dagna. The most obvious candidates for that, imho, would be Wyll and Karlach, heck, they even flirt in banters in act 3 and then that goes nowhere...