Baldur's Gate 3

[Acrux]

Might as well get this out of the way.

I haven't followed this closely at all. Convince me to buy this game. Or ignore it.

Here's one thing I'd like to see, but I know will never happen: It looks like the install size is 150GB. I wish a smaller install package would be made available for the people who don't care about the motion capture cut scenes.

[MadPreacher]

It uses Wizards of the Woke's Generic Fantasy RPG 5E. That should be a good enough reason to give it a pass.

[GhostCow]

I was extremely butthurt about this one for a long time leading up to it and for a while after. After playing the early access, it actually seems pretty good. I'm expecting the game to have a ton of reactivity. More than we've seen from a game in a long time. I never lasted long trying to play Larian's previous games because I can't stand their writing, but this one I quit early on because I don't want to ruin my enjoyment of the first act when the full game comes out.

[Lhynn]

It uses Wizards of the Woke's Generic Fantasy RPG 5E. That should be a good enough reason to give it a pass.

5e in itself is not awful, there are many sound ideas and about as many retarded ones.

Concentration, advantage/disadvantage, bounded proficiency. These are all good ideas that id like to see somewhere else.

I believe that a AD&D game implementing those things in a 1 to 12 progression would be great.

The worse things about 5e, the ones that ruin the system to me are:

- Cantrips
- Ranged supremacy
- Unarmed rules being a clusterfuck
- Effortless armored spellcasting for wizards
- Warlocks, just as a concept in general.
- After down 3 strikes till death, and no consequences on being healed.

[The_Mask]

- Unarmed rules being a clusterfuck

Basically what you're trying to tell me is that I'm not going to get my monks, am I?

[Lhynn]

- Unarmed rules being a clusterfuck

Basically what you're trying to tell me is that I'm not going to get my monks, am I?

I have no idea what they were trying to do with monks in 3.5 and 5e. They literally warped rules so thoroughly to keep monks from being any good, and it feels like it was on purpose.
The reason improvised weapons arent considered weapons unless you have a feat, or the reason martial arts dont work when wearing armor but magic does. Or why foregoing all monk abilities to wear a heavy armor makes for a better monk than actually playing to the classes strengths, its just so fucking bad.

I have no clue if theyll make them good in BG3, but in the base system they suck.

[Gregz]

I have no idea what they were trying to do with monks in 3.5 and 5e. They literally warped rules so thoroughly to keep monks from being any good, and it feels like it was on purpose.

[Shillitron]

I have no idea what they were trying to do with monks in 3.5 and 5e. They literally warped rules so thoroughly to keep monks from being any good, and it feels like it was on purpose.

Monks are amazing in 3.5E (as a single level dip)

[rusty_shackleford]

Extremely good.

[rusty_shackleford]

I can see a good argument for it being both on-topic(edition wars are inherit to D&D, and this is a primary D&D product) and off-topic(BG3 is 5E, nothing to discuss).
Let me know if you guys want it split off into a D&D editions war thread.

[GothGirlSupremacy]

Monks are stupid.

Bards are gay.

5E is shit.

Tell me when Shadowheart has more porn.

[The_Mask]

Monks are stupid.

Technically, yes. INT *can* be a dump stat.

But I like going full Bruce Lee Return of the Dragon in my RPGs.

* * *

On a more serious note, a proper RPG has to have 2 decent things to be thorough: a decent magic system for Wizards, and a decent H2H system for Monks. You can immediately tell if you're playing a decent game or not, just by those factors.

[NEG]

The game itself is decent. Characters are done well. Choices and consequences done well enough etc. There are many skillchecks, and they make sense and aren't simply there for flavor.

Ruleset is crap, but you weren't getting actual D&D anyway.

People are going to be butthurt about it no matter what, since many autists who grew up on BG as their first RPG gravitate to these topics.

End of the day, you need to understand that D&D is dead and ask yourself whether or not you want to play a modern RPG that's designed well apart from that or not. If so, BG is a good game. If not, play AD&D. (3.5e was spreadsheet garbage, so your argument is invalid if that's what you like.)

[rusty_shackleford]

Has top-tier exploration/environment interactions/goal-based quest design/reactivity. I only played the early access at release and got over 100 hours in two playthroughs that ended at different paths to the next act, both playthroughs saw way different content, not even realizing how massive the underdark was on my first playthrough, or how many different ways there are to access it.
Didn't even do an evil or drow playthrough which supposedly have a lot of exclusive content — I could definitely see how, though.

[The_Mask]

[The_Mask]

Community Update #18: Baldur's Date
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on August 31, 2023 for PC, Mac, and PS5.
Hello and howdy, dear readers!
What’s it called when the long-awaited third installment in a beloved RPG series finally gets a proper release day announcement? That’s Baldur’s Date.

Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on August 31, 2023 for PC, Mac, and PS5.

Earlier today we unveiled a brand new gameplay and story trailer during Sony’s State of Play livestream. Fret not, our PC-focused friends, as you will still want to see this trailer:



Meet General Ketheric Thorm, a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead towards the city of Baldur’s Gate. Ketheric isn’t the antagonist, but one of three main antagonists that your party will need to contend with if you ever want to get those tadpoles out of your head (maybe even if you decide you don’t ).

Ketheric’s plans for the people of Faerûn are as complex as his motivations, and so we knew his role would benefit from the kind of depth and gravitas that renowned character actor J.K. Simmons could provide. One take at the recording booth and we knew we’d made the right call. Take a look behind the scenes:



We’ll introduce you to two more antagonists over the coming months, so keep an eye out (but close them if someone approaches with anything… wiggly).



Those of you who prefer to navigate the world using analogue sticks and buttons may have caught a glimpse at what full controller support for Baldur’s Gate 3 will look like for launch. With split-screen co-op, too, you’ll be able to experience the entirety of your adventures in Faerûn with another player on the same device!



Baldur’s Gate 3 will also support cross-progression between PC, Mac and PS5, allowing you to transfer your saves between platforms and continue your adventure wherever you purchase the game. Personally, we’ll be taking our experience on the road with the Steam Deck, and then venturing home to enjoy the cinematic experience of interrupting an ogre’s horizontal tango from the comfort of our sofa. Don’t forget the popcorn!



There’s more: Baldur’s Gate 3 is getting a Digital Deluxe Edition on launch. Here’s what you can expect to find within:

Divinity Bard Song Pack - Astound audiences by performing this special set of new songs from the Divinity series
Paintings from Rivellon - Discover a new collection of paintings across the Forgotten Realms
Adventurer's Pouch - Receive a collection of camp supplies and potions to help get your journey started
Digital OST - Enjoy the music of Baldur's Gate 3 from composer Borislav Slavov
Digital Artbook - Explore the art and design of Baldur's Gate 3 in this digital artbook, written by Larian
Digital Character Sheets - Peruse a set of four-page D&D character sheets for each Baldur's Gate 3 origin character


Bring a little bit of Rivellon to the Forgotten Realms with these Divinity-inspired artefacts:

Mask of the Shapeshifter: Allows you to change race and appearance on the fly, inspired by Fane
Cape of the Red Prince: Cloak inspired by the Red Prince
Lute of the Merryweather Bard: Playable instrument inspired by Lohse
Needle of the Outlaw Rogue: Dagger inspired by Sebille
Bicorne of the Sea Beast: Headgear inspired by Beast


We’ll have more to share later, but here’s a little peek at the Mask of the Shapeshifter in-game. No faces were ripped in the creation of this mask! (Technology really has come a long way since DOS2.)



Do you already own Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC? Are you planning to purchase it in Early Access before launch? You’re going to get a free upgrade to the Digital Deluxe edition on launch day! Same goes for owners of our Collector’s Edition (available to pre-order via our website for both PC & PS5 while stocks last!) – here’s a reminder of all that’s inside:



Filled with tangible treasures we’re sure you’re going to love, and now it comes with the Digital Deluxe Edition – so even more value in that rather large box. If you want the full run-down of what you’re going to get with each edition, check out this handy chart.



With today’s news, we’re just over 6 months away from Baldur’s Gate 3’s release day. It's been quite the journey so far, and we still have plenty of surprises to talk about before we get there. Including [Redacted], [Redacted] being able to [Redacted] into a [Redacted]. Wow, it feels good to say those ones out loud, they’ve really been eating away at us!

A note on Minimum System Requirements
One last thing: Baldur's Gate 3's graphical fidelity and complexity has improved quite a bit as it's grown throughout Early Access. We've been keeping an eye on its minimum system requirements, and as the game nears release we've raised the minimum system requirements listed on Steam to better reflect the realities of the launch version.

Baldur's Gate 3 may be playable on systems below these minimum suggested specifications, but we believe this may hinder the player experience. Check our store page for the latest specs.

That's all from us, until next time!

[rusty_shackleford]

Official support for the Steamdeck, neat.

[MadPreacher]

Just might as well call it Negro Gate with the amount of blacks in it.

[Segata Sanshiro]

Just might as well call it Negro Gate with the amount of blacks in it.

What do you mean, Orcs have always been a staple of the genre

[MadPreacher]

Just might as well call it Negro Gate with the amount of blacks in it.

What do you mean, Orcs have always been a staple of the genre

[The_Mask]

Just in case anyone is 100% lazy, and they want to see the updated specs for BG III, here they are:

MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space


RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space

[Gregz]

Just might as well call it Negro Gate with the amount of blacks in it.

As long as I can mod them out I don't care.

[Atlantico]

I own most of the Larian games, bought on gog for cheap, but every single one of them suffers from being very very boring. This isn't going to be a day one purchase for me.

If it's good, great. If it is the typical Larian fare, well I'll pass.

[agentorange]

Then you were playing it wrong. Leather is strong for a thief and bard classes. They get more benefit from it due to having a high Dex than any other armor.

Leather gives a +2 AC which drops you from 10 to 8. Add in the -4 Defense Adjustment for 18 Dexterity your character now is AC 4.

Wasnt easy to roll an 18 in anything back then. Unless you went with 4d6 and drop the lowest, so I wouldnt count attributes as expected to be part of anyones defense.

I played characters with a bunch of 12s and maybe a 14. Some died, some thrived.

This is definitely true. If rolls are done legit and no re-relling or "practice rolls" allowed then getting a single 18 score would be rare, and a real 18(00) was something people would see maybe once over decades of play.

Having a character with mid-range stats is way more interesting. I think CRPGs are partly responsible for giving people the idea that 18s should be expected on every character, rather than being exceptions, since in a CRPG there is no reason to not re-roll over and over and most CRPGs are made in a way that you are expected to have a numerically optimal character because unlike PNP there isn't have any room for improvisation or role-playing some ingenious solutions beyond the binary skill check the game offers you.

[rusty_shackleford]

Then you were playing it wrong. Leather is strong for a thief and bard classes. They get more benefit from it due to having a high Dex than any other armor.

Leather gives a +2 AC which drops you from 10 to 8. Add in the -4 Defense Adjustment for 18 Dexterity your character now is AC 4.

Wasnt easy to roll an 18 in anything back then. Unless you went with 4d6 and drop the lowest, so I wouldnt count attributes as expected to be part of anyones defense.

I played characters with a bunch of 12s and maybe a 14. Some died, some thrived.

This is definitely true. If rolls are done legit and no re-relling or "practice rolls" allowed then getting a single 18 score would be rare, and a real 18(00) was something people would see maybe once over decades of play.

Having a character with mid-range stats is way more interesting. I think CRPGs are partly responsible for giving people the idea that 18s should be expected on every character, rather than being exceptions, since in a CRPG there is no reason to not re-roll over and over and most CRPGs are made in a way that you are expected to have a numerically optimal character because unlike PNP there isn't have any room for improvisation or role-playing some ingenious solutions beyond the binary skill check the game offers you.

RPG devs seem to hate making content that isn't accessible by everyone now, so the odds of even seeing things like dumb dialogue is low let alone seeing things like quests for a midwit wizard that are unavailable for wizards that are too smart.

[Ratcatcher]

I'd like to make it perfectly clear I'm eagerly waiting for this game, mainly to make fun of Rusty.

If it turns out it's actually good and there isn't much to troll him with, I'll be extremely disappointed. Fortunately, looking at misc fagmpires and random Owlbears, it looks Larian has me covered.

[Kalin]

Ugly shit game for sub-human scum.

[Dead]

Newer Larian games are only popular because there's a dearth of modern CRPGs with high production value

[Tweed]

Can I nose rape the gith yet? If no, then there's nothing to discuss.

[NEG]

Isn't there only one black companion revealed so far?