Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback The Sacred Flame Issue

I fully expected them to dive a bit deeper on cantrips, since in the last time there was a Baldur's Gate game cantrips didn't even exist as a distinct concept in Dungeons & Dragons. The game doesn't really tutorialize spellcasting in a meaningful way though. Like I'm struggling to recall if the game ever even explains what the differences are between a Cantrip and a levelled Spell.

Compared to other damage dealing cantrips, Sacred Flame is less intuitive. If you understand the system, then it's possible to parse out it's situational uses, but many will not get that far under the hood. They'll probably assume it's just a radiant version of fire bolt or something like that, and then be puzzled about why it's less reliable and uses a different targeting scheme.

I think there's another issue in that Cleric was the default class for almost the entirety of EA (the first option displayed), and Shadowheart was the first character we encountered after hitting the beach. Trying to teach the player how to use a spellcasting class or a support role is trickier than Fighter, but I think it needs the same approach, because the Priest archetype is sort of the intro to spellcasting after you've got your head around Melee and whatnot.

I think an easy solution to help flatten the learning curve there would be via itemization. For example, an item that improves Sacred Flame rather than changing how the default cantrip works. Doing it that way you can avoid unintended knock on effects while still achieving the simple goal. This is very similar to the Ring of Holiness in BG1, which was an early get and clearly added with Clerics in mind to make them more compelling in a BG context. I thought the Ring of Holiness was an example of a solid use item that didn't upend the rest of the framework. A negative example would be something Edwin's Amulet, which was absurdly OP and made playing any other Wizard pretty lackluster cause they just couldn't compete.

In other words, if they added a buff to Sacred Flame for Shadowheart's Circlet, then at least let the player steal that circlet so it can be used on anybody. Basically the same way Mulahey's ring could be used by any priest character in BG1. The other advantage of doing it via itemization is that then you can set up a situation where the item phases out eventually, eclipsed by a better fit. But you could still have an early boon so the Sacred Flame can have it's time to shine, but perhaps where the item is less useful later on (not the case with the Ring of Holiness in BG1, which remained equipped at all times once you found it, after completing the first major Dungeon lol.) But that's another possible approach.

ps. I honestly thought that the reason why they were pursuing Origins as an idea, was to then use those characters to teach the basic class mechanics of D&D. I legit thought there would be 12 Origins and that each would have an optional prologue that instructed players on how to play the game - as their associated class archetype. I think they could still do something like that actually, even at this late stage.

Lae'zel teaching us how to Melee with precision. Karlach doing the rage-y version of the same, more off the cuff. Astarion showing us how to bust locks and be sneaky. Wyll explaining how to blast and pact proper. Gale giving us a long winded description of Mage Magic in over-exacting detail. Shadowheart to take us there (just like a prayer!) etc. Basically all the mains doing their bit on that one. I think they could do this in-world and in-narrative, and it would add a ton of flavor to the game, while still allowing the new player to get their crash course and a primer in the basics. The systems in D&D remain notoriously complex and that's still a barrier to entry, though not perhaps what it once was. Rather than changing the rules though, I think they should just teach us the rules and how to play in a way that's really engaging.

The game already does this, but it's free form and autodidactic, whereas I think what they need is more of a guided approach. A little guidance and a hand up to help the player find their footing, more or less. Anyhow, just a ramble ramble. I voted for number 1 cause that was my experience. Basically if escaping the Nautiloid teaches us anything it's that Guiding Bolt kicks ass and Sacred Flame is pretty meh, but if Shadowheart let out a little bark to tell us when the right time was to use it, then the player could pick up on those cues and learn all the ins and outs for that one. I like a Circlet for a boon, cause at least that can be hidden. Otherwise I'd say a cape maybe. Or if they gave us belts, then they could have new slot that doesn't need to compete with the existing items, which would be fun. But I think that idea of using Origin companions as teacher trainers has promise, since we're all very familiar with them by now, and a lot could be handled via dialog that way rather than just an encyclopedia or a in-game sourcebook/wiki, which I'd also like to see as well hehe.