Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Why does acid lower your AC?

I tried to play as a Xenomorph draconic sorcerer and found Acid to be pretty pitiful as a damage/resistance type.

It's marginally better than poison I guess, but suffers from a similar issue in that there just aren't enough enemies who are vulnerable to Acid damage, and too few who use it as a damage type themselves to make the resistance feel worth it. Compared to Cold and Lightning, and to a lesser extent Fire, which have a ton of utility throughout.

It's also weird cause every acid spell causes a splash puddle, which is not generally what I want in close quarters, esp. if it's going to splash over and screw my characters' AC too. Again, poison puddles are kinda similar.

And then the only real Acid spell for a workhorse, is Chromatic Orb, since it can be upcast, twinned, distant spell etc. but that's a bit underwhelming compared to say an Ice Storm, or a Lightning bolt. i think they might have given the Acid splash some form of grease, so it could at least be competing with the Chromatic Orb Ice in knocking enemies prone.

I think the off brand Draconic Sorcerers need a spell more like Glyph of Warding, or just some form of Fireball that can work like an AoE spell for the associated element, just so it isn't all Chromatic Orb all the time. Like at least the Green Dragons get Cloud Kill, even if all the cloud spells are usually eclipsed by better direct damage stuff, but you know Acid is just never going to compete there.

Smacking with the Chromatic orb is highly satisfying, but it's pretty one note. I don't know maybe Acid might cause blindness?

Or maybe it produces an effect similar to heat metal, but working the opposite way? You know like where it's more effective vs Leather and Cloth than Metal, so it could mirror that spell just at the other end. Depending on the enemies.

Maybe the Goblins and Barbarians should kinda freak out and do a mini Otto's dance, you know cause it's acid.

Same deal for the Dragonborn breath attacks I think, where some are just clearly a lot better than others. Like Fire and Ice and Electricity can all have knock on interactions, but Acid doesn't seem to do anything.

Like is it really Acid, or is this more like white wine vinegar? Cause sometimes it feels like the latter heheh

I mean I don't know, maybe there needs to be some sort of Baking Soda & Vinegar Volcano thing going on here, like to mirror the way Ice acts with wet surfaces, or fire can set off explosions. If it's corrosive enough to have it's own plague imps, it might handle locks and doors or do something like that.

Maybe it intereacts with "Brine" in some sort of crazy way?

I feel like the terms Brine and Acid are used sorta interchangeably, when the former suggest Salt and something base and the later it's exact opposite. So who knows, I mean those barrels do exist, so maybe Acid could like counteract that, or have additional utility in those ways. They could do the same for poison probably with an extra interaction. I thought it was kinda funny they got those stinky gloves that add noxious fumes to the acid, but that seems a bit more like a poison thing to me. Like maced to the face. But I don't know, perhaps doing more with the fumes lol