Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback My Personal Playthrough and Thoughts as I play

So here some background on my experience with PC based Isometric RPGs here a list of all the games I've played and completed in age order
BG 1 and 2 with expansion Orginal
NWN 1 and 2 All expansions
DA: Origins with expansions
BG 1 and 2 Enhanced
Pillers Of Eternity was a backer was an ok game
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
300h+ on all of them.

I have played both Divinity original sins but never completed their stories I just not a big fan of the turn-based style for me it breaks the emersion and the 4 man party limit was like meh and the chain system, not a fan I like being able to set my own formations.

Ok so I was hesitant buying this game and I even at one point considered a refund so I gonna be upfront about that from the start but I decided to keep at it to see if it grows on me and it has.

So First thing First I chose to go for a Ranger class with animal companion aiming to be my 2nd line Damage dealer at Range and Melee

So my Squad is Warrior(LAE'ZEL), Ranger(ME), Rogue(ASTARION), Cleric(SHADOWHEART)

So at the prologue, I found 3 Brains jars that don't have an image yet, and of course, Shadowheart I could not release even tho I found a pod key hmm I think they're gonna be a way to release them but not implemented yet was the a-ok introduction to the game and very cinematic all tho I hope they sort the lip-syncing out before release.

So we start from a crashlanding first NPC to meet is the one in the pod who turns out to be a Cleric banging on the door I then go take on the Walking Brains choosing to shoot arrows from range taking one down before combat begins interesting mechanic allows you to pick units before combat but passing through reck I meet my next NPC Astarion the Twilight vampire Sorry but yer not a fan of this chr, to be honest, but I like having a rogue in my party for all my trap disarming and lockpicking needs while adding some decent damage from range or close.

I then meet 3 people trying to save my captor I had Shadowsheart in the lead so had to roll a 13 and passed so they ran off after a short dialogue I then switch to my main and win some rolls and crush its head and pass that I meet gale a wizard who pops out of a wall from a glyph I let him in my party making 4 but I was not keen on my balance I found him to be a bit stuck up because I ain't a wizard but meh next I found a hanging cage with one of my prologue chr in it I used deception to send the Tiefling away and released her and recruited dismissing gale so now my party is how I wanted it.

At this stage, I gonna give you what I think at this stage I not loving it the only chr I liked so far is Lae'zel and Hate the Twilight Vampire sigh and there some intrigue with Shadowheart and Lae'zel is straight forward prob my Favorite character I feel they captured Githyanki culture.

So here the number one question I've been thinking about is it, Successor, to Baldurs Gate and I have to say Nah I sorry Larian but nah this is a good game based in Faerûn but no RTWP no 6 man squad it feels like a Divinity game with 5e DnD rules slapped on top.

was at this point I was like do I want to continue with this and I decided yes even tho I never completed a Divinity game I would continue this Huge game if this is just ACT one so moving on I meet a small goblin raider party fighting three people outside saving two out of the three in this tiefling village I pick up some quest and meet the druids and know I need to deal with the goblins I also get some Wyvern Poison to kill myself with nice instead I can coat my weapon and do huge damage.

I backtrack to some ruins and release a talking skeleton wakes up all the dead skeleton that I looted so a bunch of no weapon skeletons get slaughtered this did make me chuckle

I then meet two people around a body that turns out to have a tadpole in his head that I squish I get them to go home and I go down to a cave and kill the owlbear but not the child that eats the owlbear mother as a Ranger I have cast to speak to animals cast at all times I have also take both spear parts

So I hit a village and intimidate my way through and free a gnome and find a well filled with spiders at the bottom and encounter some tough battles hmm poisons hurt and I did not have much anti-poison so had to use a lot of healing but just managed to come out on top after this in one of the house there an anvil and I find you can rebuild the spear I give it to Lae'zel.

At this point, I have slept a few times and met the Demon and now have a talking skeleton who offers his services to capture my fallen comrades for 200g I mean that nice of him no idea what his angle will be tho and elbowed a hungry vampire who I decided to let him have a nip.

And hit the Goblin Camp and choose my method to release all the prisoner I can with gold and persuasion release the druid then I leave him there use the wyvern blood to instakill the priest then go see some ritual with a mind flayer but manage to guide the questions getting myself some information then get sent to the Drow who I destroy the war drum starting the fight but means only between those two winning with ease I then grab the druid and fight my way to the main boss room at this point I blow a horn I got from hiring the ogre's interesting note seems after u win the ogres will go fight the druid so I had to kill the last one standing other died beforehand as it was a tough fight but they absorbed a lot of damage for me I got my hiring gold back so that was nice.

After this I teleport back to druid camp and finish up the quest and get the party at my camp oh should mention I get a visiting owlbear so hoping I can get that as a pet for my ranger would be nice in this party I found out I need to go to the moon tower and there 2 paths over one where there shadows and one through the Underdark I had actually all ready unlocked the Underdark in the goblin camp and would be my choice anyway I mean it where mind flayer live as well as drow and that sounds good to me.

So I have to say at this stage I am enjoying the game is very challenging only thing missing is a few riddle puzzles but yer this game will be insane and on a scale, I don't think I've ever seen if this is just ACT One I mean the way it's going this could be a Legendary game but I will reiterate this it is not a Spiritual Successor to Baldurs gate it is it's own thing and you know what that is fine but a tad misleading and I still would have pref an RTWP and 6 man party as I feel 4 is very limiting but I can cope with Turn-based but I would like a formation system instead so your peeps move around in a formation you set rather than the chain system gah I hate it.

Well once I progress further I'll update again I kept this as short as possible for any questions I'll try to answer if I can.

Thank you for your overview, it's been enlightening.

There's a lot of people arguing for a bigger party than 4 and almost as many people being disappointed in the turn-based system, so you're not alone on those points. GL on the rest of your play-through!

To be Fair Main reason I am disappointed about it being turn-based is that the Name and mantle they have taken upon themselves kinda leads to expect certain things.

Four-man is workable but the issue with bigger is I do not think the chain system would fair well as I find it suffers at times now for party grouping, Also it kinda forces you to min-max your party more so I could for instance just use my ranger as a tank and not have a 2nd warrior maybe switch in the warlock or mage for a bit more balance with out losing anything but then I would lose the story Element Laz-zel brings to the game I would like maybe an increase of one slot would be nice as then even a new player who might need that extra tank would have a better time of it at current I think many newer people will find it much harder I mean I finding some bit hard and I am quite experianced.

Hell, I just met Laz-zal Patrol and got my ass handed to me so there a battle I need to retreat from right now and come back once I lv up a little as there lv5 my party is still only lv4 even tho I killed every goblin going feel the patrol may be a tad too strong for there current position in the game? Or I need to find another way to deal with it.

You won't be able to reach level 5. The EA is capped at level 4 so you can try the gith patrol again. It's one of the hardest combats.

Feel free to check the mega-threads and add your voice there.

Here's the link to the party size thread :
https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=679595&page=49

Here's the link to the chain mechanic thread :
https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=679414&page=29

I guess the more we are, the more they'll consider it.
There are many good reasons to increase the party size at 5 (or more) and to change/improve the chain.

Well thank you for the info I will look into those threads..

I have finished this playthrough as I feel for EA after goblin camps feel like the natural end zone

So gonna do a quick summary of how feel about this game

It is very good I really quite like it
I would still like to see some changes tho
Party size and method of controlling party not a fan of the chain system and party size is gonna make it a tad too hard for new players A thought occurs that I've seen in other games when exp is gain the larger the party the less exp the party gets as a whole but I'll but my idea in that other thread.
More NPC I feel they're not enough options for a good party when it comes to rogue/thief or even a frontline fighter unless your main is gonna be your tank.

And as for the NPC hmmm I not keen on the vampire as I said he too much based on the kinda vampire diaries or twilight or interview with a vampire take on vampires and personally not a fan of this style I actually prefer the original take on BG2 where they just give an air of superiority and consider you beneath them attitudes but that just my feel I am sure there peeps who love him as a chr.

Shadowheart I am still undecided on, to be honest not a bad NPC and has some intrigue to here
Gale Meh like him for wizard support he adds but eating magic artifact that is useful to my party kinda sucks
warlock did not have him in a party yer so not really seen enough of him to decide but know about the devil inside aspect thanks to tadpole ability
Laz-zel Is pretty but how I imagine gith to be a bloodthirsty warrior with a straightforward attitude quite like this chr even tho she would not like my choices much kinda make me want to try it her style and to me, this is how you know you got a good NPC.

But after some talks with some NPC later seem there is the option to add a new NPC later like the devil for who I killed the paladins for.

Now for my main question does it deserve the name BG III...
Sigh No I not interested in arguing this it is not BG3 I a big fan of the Bioware games and I was happy with the ending in TOB while It would be nice to see some story element from the bhaal saga played out in this game it still does not make this BG3 it's its own game and as I said before that is fine but reason, why I say it not a successor, is a playstyle and feel I would have preferred Lariun to leave the name Baldurs Gate alone and have started a new franchise with there own name as I feel the potential for this game to become its own franchise name is here.