Finally! Baldur’s Gate 3 is here. It’s been ten years since the last edition of Balder’s Gate 2. Was it worth the wait…yes…f@#k yeah, it was worth the wait. Let me tell you why! It’s a beautiful game. Visually stunning, especially the cut scenes, rivaling any fantasy story out there. Dare I say, it looks better than Amazon’s Rings of Power, where their budget went to most of the special effects. However, if your PC is a little older, you’re going to want to run it on Moderate or Low graphics. Don’t let that stop you from playing the game and some of those issues will be probably fixed by the times it’s released on PlayStation 5, hence why it was delayed a month for the console release.
Here are the first things I have noticed right off the bat that make this game great for better or for worse. You Can only multiclass on Balanced or Tactician difficulty. So, if you want to multiclass, you can’t play story mode. Easy modes are good for some games to fully experience the story, but in Baldur’s Gate 3, you get the best experience by not playing on story mode. This isn’t meant to be an easy game and that’s a good thing because sometimes when you play an RPG you miss the finer points of the game that makes the game great. Larian Studios did good with this. Also, I should add they are not shying away from this being an adult game. It’s not for kids. You have multiple penis options in character creation. No, I’m not kidding.
Let’s talk about the gameplay.
For my first run through the game, I played a Half-Elf. Multiclassing Fighter 2/Warlock 2/Sorcerer 8. He’s a Master Blaster. At level 6, I can hex someone for 1D6 per attack…Quicken Spell Eldritch Bolt to cast it twice. Then Action Surge to cast it again. Each casting gives me 2 bolts. Each rolled separately. So, I can the extra D6 from Hex each time. Plus, I get a +3 to Eldritch Blast from Agonizing Bolt. Meaning, if all 6 bolts hit, I’ll do 6D10 + 6D6 + 18. That’s an avg of 66 DMG in one round. At level 6. And I can do that once per short rest so 3x per day. The point is like any D&D campaign you have to build up your experience to do some serious damage. That’s the beauty of the game and what makes it a great RPG.
This is a long game as should be to get your money’s worth. It Could take 100 hours to get to the end. There are over 174 hours of cutscenes. (now, you won’t see all of that in one play-through.) There’s a lot of choice-driven stuff. But, consider, 174 hours is longer than all 8 seasons of the Game of Thrones. Voice acting is great, adding to a wonderful story that’s better than some of the fantasy on TV or streaming services. Spell effects look good, even on reduced graphics options.
Also, all the companions can be played as a premade character sheet if you don’t want to create your own. And it can be played online with 3 other friends. So, you could have this act as an online D&D game if you wanted to. This game would still be good without the multiplayer, but having the multiplayer aspect just makes Baldur’s Gate 3 even better. Having an online D&D game in Baldur’s Gate 3 is very cool and certainly worth the price of the game.
I know I will put a lot of time into this game because there are few other builds I want to try out. The Storm Sorc/Tempest Cleric and a Mix of Gloomstalker Ranger, Assassin Rogue, and Way of the Shadow Monk is basically the ultimate Ninja. Yes, the Game is difficult, even on story mode. It doesn’t pull punches and it shouldn’t to be a good RPG. As much as I love the game, one of my biggest complaints, there is no mod where you can multiclass in story mode. It’s okay if gamers play on story mode so they can actually enjoy the game without constantly getting angry at how hard it is to play the game. Gamers should be able to enjoy all the mods in story mode. Hopefully, they get rid of that restriction. It’s stupid and the only misstep Larian Studios have made so far.
My grade…a perfect 10. That’s right, a 10! Baldur’s Gate is a genre-redefining experience. It has engaging storytelling, a great quest design. It has an enormous open world that hides secrets everywhere, boasting deep combat and crafting systems which are easy to jump into, but will take a while to master. That’s where the fun begins with Baldur’s Gate 3. And it’s great on the PS5 where I can continue my play from PC. I can switch between PC and PS5 thanks to my steam account…that makes it great for the PS5!
A Final thought!
This game has exposed the lack of effort, care and creativity in the AAA RPG space. The consumer now knows what a REAL AAA RPG looks like and developers across the industry should be taking notes, rather than spouting off on Twitter about how we shouldn’t expect this every time. Yes. We. Should. And telling us we shouldn’t just makes them look petty and small. You can’t produce shit and call it cake. Larian Studios has exposed your cake is a lie. Baldur’s Gate 3 proves you can properly develop a game, not take any shortcuts, not rush the development to fill your bottom line, and more importantly, make a perfect game.
