alice_ashpool
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So my take home at the moment is that on Ultra the game looks sick as hell, mostly smooth apart from the odd micro-stutter and very short delay texture pop-in. Load times are fine from an SSD.
No chance to play yet, how's it feel???
- Thread starter inryu13
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So my take home at the moment is that on Ultra the game looks sick as hell, mostly smooth apart from the odd micro-stutter and very short delay texture pop-in. Load times are fine from an SSD.
I see you are toying with Us
Have fun, Alice, you're in for a treat!
alice_ashpool
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Tactician difficulty so far: not hard, but then that is mostly to do with the availability of resting as was an extensive part of EA feedback. Wiped once so far in that early tomb and that was purely to do with being completely out of spells and deciding to "have a go.". As was a part of my EA griping 5e just doesn't lend itself to extensive pre-planning, but since the end product appears so fine I can't really complain. I didn't go monk in the end, but cleric, which afaik is a much more powerful class. Thunder domain is fun. Drow dex thunder+lightning cleric bringing that lightning goddess feel - since being able to cast a maximised Shatter just feels so good. I'm playing Dark urge because you just knew I would.
The other reason its easy is because I hae played all these fights many times before. Overall I think there would be a benefit to a harder difficulty mod and with the shear playercount I expect as such. Really I'm just stoked to play a dnd game that is "feature complete", while also feeling very 2023. I am harking back to the Solasta > BG3 and laughing a little bit since Solata was a 5e recreation that was feature complete but very "2000 and late".
It's really nice to see some critical views itt since everyone else out there seems to just be gushing. Will echo the, "where the 'ell are all the heads" critique, since 8 is about 92 too few considering the range of hair-styles. But my supposition is that this was about the rigging for the cut-scenes and there was some issue about making sure the facial expressions didn't go up the wazoo on head number 72 during cut scene 854 or what have you. This would likewise apply to providing sliders: I would simply guess that Larian were very hampered by their commitment to the cut-scenes. That being said, the number of times my protagonist grimaces is 1000x too many, what's with the grimace expressions? The silent protagonist doesn't bother me all that much, but an actual voiced protagonist would be wild, like actually (in goku voice) to go further, beyond.
The other reason its easy is because I hae played all these fights many times before. Overall I think there would be a benefit to a harder difficulty mod and with the shear playercount I expect as such. Really I'm just stoked to play a dnd game that is "feature complete", while also feeling very 2023. I am harking back to the Solasta > BG3 and laughing a little bit since Solata was a 5e recreation that was feature complete but very "2000 and late".
It's really nice to see some critical views itt since everyone else out there seems to just be gushing. Will echo the, "where the 'ell are all the heads" critique, since 8 is about 92 too few considering the range of hair-styles. But my supposition is that this was about the rigging for the cut-scenes and there was some issue about making sure the facial expressions didn't go up the wazoo on head number 72 during cut scene 854 or what have you. This would likewise apply to providing sliders: I would simply guess that Larian were very hampered by their commitment to the cut-scenes. That being said, the number of times my protagonist grimaces is 1000x too many, what's with the grimace expressions? The silent protagonist doesn't bother me all that much, but an actual voiced protagonist would be wild, like actually (in goku voice) to go further, beyond.
alice_ashpool
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So on the subject of the dark urge, it's pretty messed up that larian wrote this.
If you ever wanted to role play a Camellia from wotr now is your time 
m7600
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I'm gonna wait. I haven't played the Early Access version, and I'm going to wait anywhere from a few months to a few years before trying out BG3. Probably the latter. I wanna see how the game holds up beyond the initial enthusiasm / honeymoon period. Besides, there's a lot of other games I wanna try out first, like Subnautica: Below Zero : )
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I've completed all the content that was available in Early Access (some of it I only saw now for the first time). Steam shows 113 (!) hours for the areas just from Early Access alone. The game is massive.
Finding little secrets, looting, discoveries of interesting creatures and NPCs, combat--these are still the best parts of the game. I reached lvl 6, and the variety of options available to me is quite huge. Larian gives you tools, you just need to use them. E.g. I have so many items offering neat spells for free, and I need to be aware they exist in my inventory. Feather Fall for example. I see more and more areas where reaching them via this spell is much better than going another route.
The main story and companion stories are still unclear to me.
As for @alice_ashpool, if you can actually play through as the Dark Urge, that's impressive. I wouldn't dare, at least without finishing the game first and knowing all ins and outs about companions, stories, etc.
Finding little secrets, looting, discoveries of interesting creatures and NPCs, combat--these are still the best parts of the game. I reached lvl 6, and the variety of options available to me is quite huge. Larian gives you tools, you just need to use them. E.g. I have so many items offering neat spells for free, and I need to be aware they exist in my inventory. Feather Fall for example. I see more and more areas where reaching them via this spell is much better than going another route.
The main story and companion stories are still unclear to me.
As for @alice_ashpool, if you can actually play through as the Dark Urge, that's impressive. I wouldn't dare, at least without finishing the game first and knowing all ins and outs about companions, stories, etc.
Zaxares
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Yeah, I think I'm going to have to take the plunge and upgrade my PC too. I've been researching parts and components over the last week. I'll probably make the purchase tonight.
This is SUPER helpful to know. Thanks!
Zaxares
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I couldn't keep him alive in the fight with Commander Zhalk (in fairness, I TOTALLY used him as a meat shield) and now I miss my little brain puppy.I see you are toying with Us
alice_ashpool
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Main critique currently is that the inventory system is dire. I mean WotR's was pretty sub standard, but this is much worse imo, which is sad because if the game is going to throw zounds of loot at you then you really need some sort of dedicated system built for it. afaik this is just the DoS(2) system with very little modification. I think it really lets the game down, but then I don't think I've encountered an inventory tetris system better than BG2, which only worked because loot variety was less and loot quantity was less: Equip-ables, Gems, Scrolls, special items, potions, ammunition, with gem, scroll, potion and ammunition bags + bag of holding.
inryu13
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too busy to get a lot of gaming done but so far... I want to have certain Companions in my party forever XD, and for that I need to ditch Astarion.. but I need his rogue things for non-combat stuff like lockpicking and disarming (
I chose Warlock for my Tav hehe. You guys think I could pick up Rogue with it or even Assassin? I mean I know anything is viable and I should just do what I want but that being said in terms of my rp I see my Tav as wanting to become a really strong /Warlock/ while controlling his urges so I find it kinda counterintuitive if the multiclass choice makes we weaker T^T
baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com
side note, I really like Fextralife's pages on the classes and stuff it's such a good overview . What resources do you guys use?
(I chose Warlock for my Tav hehe. You guys think I could pick up Rogue with it or even Assassin? I mean I know anything is viable and I should just do what I want but that being said in terms of my rp I see my Tav as wanting to become a really strong /Warlock/ while controlling his urges so I find it kinda counterintuitive if the multiclass choice makes we weaker T^T
Warlock | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki
Warlock is a Class in Baldur's Gate 3. All BG3 Warlock Classes, Subclasses, Features, and level progression guide to make the best possible Warlock.
side note, I really like Fextralife's pages on the classes and stuff it's such a good overview
. What resources do you guys use?
Juk0
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I don't actually own the game but i've watched my partner and friends play it recently, one of my friends that was playing had said she really likes to look into the features and traits of the class/ race shes playing so she can have an ideal playstyle with her character. Is anyone else like this? She uses this site to look at the list of features so help her if anyone was wondering. 
baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com
Traits and Features | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki
Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki Guide with Walkthrough, weapons, armor, quests, skills, abilities, maps, crafting, companions and more
Juk0
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My friends use Fextralife too! i've seen some hate towards them on a reddit post a while back but i genuinely dont think their that bad? their site is easy to read and easy to followtoo busy to get a lot of gaming done but so far... I want to have certain Companions in my party forever XD, and for that I need to ditch Astarion.. but I need his rogue things for non-combat stuff like lockpicking and disarming
I chose Warlock for my Tav hehe. You guys think I could pick up Rogue with it or even Assassin? I mean I know anything is viable and I should just do what I want but that being said in terms of my rp I see my Tav as wanting to become a really strong /Warlock/ while controlling his urges so I find it kinda counterintuitive if the multiclass choice makes we weaker T^T
Warlock | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki
Warlock is a Class in Baldur's Gate 3. All BG3 Warlock Classes, Subclasses, Features, and level progression guide to make the best possible Warlock.
side note, I really like Fextralife's pages on the classes and stuff it's such a good overview
Black Elk
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I have a similar feeling towards inventory management. I sold a bunch of stuff, sent a bunch to camp, threw a bunch of stuff into some bags, but its hard to stay ahead of the curve there. I tried to tidy up at each long rest and keeping Gale fed but I'm still awash in stuff lol.
At the moment we're supporting Astarion in his necromancy hat wearing phase....
so we're spreading scrolls and robes around, but yeah it's a lot of stuff lol
I went with the standard difficulty which is still pretty entertaining for the wrecking ball. We crashed the party pretty hard at the Goblin camp, just shattering the vibe there with thunderous storm clouds outside. Killed everything in sight and showed up at the Temple gates in style. We immediately earned Minthara's trust and hatched a scheme, to kill everyone else as soon as she left, blaming it on Halsin in case one of the Goblin kids got the word out. Hit pretty hard with the thunder clap, we rushed to 20 at the tea house and hit lvl 5 mopping up Gnolls. Two companions already dipped, cause they couldn't hang with our level villainy on this one I guess, which makes for a pretty tight crew now in the interlude. Still haven't found a pair of robes I like better than the starting duds, but I was lockbusting anyway with the Urchin background so cats grace is nice. I'll switch out Astarion probably since his kit is redundant, but I put him on poisoning detail for now.
Vertical hotbar is managing well enough at lvl5, but I wish we could just rearrange the UI and move the elements around a bit more. When I go to manage the inventory it'd be nice to minimize everything else to free up the max screen space for that.
For the inventory screen itself, I wish the top rows could be reserved, so they wouldn't fill up unless you put something there manually. Basically having the top rows for the managed inventory and the lower rows for temp hording. You know so you could lock the top rows of the inventory similar to how the hotbar is locked. Just to keep it orderly. I'm constantly reorganizing by the filter tabs just to fill in the gaps after moving stuff around hehe. So hoping for a mod for that eventually, cause it could use some love for sure lol.
Anyhow, for the main hotbar I should probably go to 4 rows tall at this point instead of 3, just to get used to that look and arrange the icons again, while Lae'zel puts her shoes back on. Cause there's not too much difference there between 3 rows and 4 rows compared to the narrow attack profile of 2 for the hotbar and I find myself just using the hotbar sliders mostly. It'd be nice to expand/stretch wide instead and just move the status portrait. I haven't had to do too much hotbar management yet, but probably about time to get it sorted I guess and then lock back in. It's better than what I recall from EA, but still kinda unwieldy.(Tried 4 rows tall for the hotbar but didn't dig it, too tall, went back to 3 hehe.) Its anoying that it wont lock the icon positions when expanding the bar so stuff wouldn't move around when doing that. Took like 20 minutes to get it figured.
Having fun though, blinked a whole weekend just doing the completionism angle to see what changed. Pretty good time thus far overall. I kinda love it! hehe
ps. found some better gloves already. Left the cat's threads for Shadowheart... Back to the regular storm robes hehe. We're in uncharted terrain now. I think 3 rows is pretty good for a while on the hotbar. Probably going to blink out a whole month now. Catch you all on the other side!
pps. Setting up my Act II pin cushion hehe. It does feel different than EA soon as you get to recruit someone who wasn't available in EA.
I wish there were like a dozen more companions to spread the loot around.
At the moment we're supporting Astarion in his necromancy hat wearing phase....
so we're spreading scrolls and robes around, but yeah it's a lot of stuff lol
I went with the standard difficulty which is still pretty entertaining for the wrecking ball. We crashed the party pretty hard at the Goblin camp, just shattering the vibe there with thunderous storm clouds outside. Killed everything in sight and showed up at the Temple gates in style. We immediately earned Minthara's trust and hatched a scheme, to kill everyone else as soon as she left, blaming it on Halsin in case one of the Goblin kids got the word out. Hit pretty hard with the thunder clap, we rushed to 20 at the tea house and hit lvl 5 mopping up Gnolls. Two companions already dipped, cause they couldn't hang with our level villainy on this one I guess, which makes for a pretty tight crew now in the interlude. Still haven't found a pair of robes I like better than the starting duds, but I was lockbusting anyway with the Urchin background so cats grace is nice. I'll switch out Astarion probably since his kit is redundant, but I put him on poisoning detail for now.
Vertical hotbar is managing well enough at lvl5, but I wish we could just rearrange the UI and move the elements around a bit more. When I go to manage the inventory it'd be nice to minimize everything else to free up the max screen space for that.
For the inventory screen itself, I wish the top rows could be reserved, so they wouldn't fill up unless you put something there manually. Basically having the top rows for the managed inventory and the lower rows for temp hording. You know so you could lock the top rows of the inventory similar to how the hotbar is locked. Just to keep it orderly. I'm constantly reorganizing by the filter tabs just to fill in the gaps after moving stuff around hehe. So hoping for a mod for that eventually, cause it could use some love for sure lol.
Anyhow, for the main hotbar I should probably go to 4 rows tall at this point instead of 3, just to get used to that look and arrange the icons again, while Lae'zel puts her shoes back on. Cause there's not too much difference there between 3 rows and 4 rows compared to the narrow attack profile of 2 for the hotbar and I find myself just using the hotbar sliders mostly. It'd be nice to expand/stretch wide instead and just move the status portrait. I haven't had to do too much hotbar management yet, but probably about time to get it sorted I guess and then lock back in. It's better than what I recall from EA, but still kinda unwieldy.(Tried 4 rows tall for the hotbar but didn't dig it, too tall, went back to 3 hehe.) Its anoying that it wont lock the icon positions when expanding the bar so stuff wouldn't move around when doing that. Took like 20 minutes to get it figured.
Having fun though, blinked a whole weekend just doing the completionism angle to see what changed. Pretty good time thus far overall. I kinda love it! hehe
ps. found some better gloves already. Left the cat's threads for Shadowheart... Back to the regular storm robes hehe. We're in uncharted terrain now. I think 3 rows is pretty good for a while on the hotbar. Probably going to blink out a whole month now. Catch you all on the other side!
pps. Setting up my Act II pin cushion hehe. It does feel different than EA soon as you get to recruit someone who wasn't available in EA.
I wish there were like a dozen more companions to spread the loot around.
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alice_ashpool
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The WotR fextralife wiki was pretty dire, which generated a lot of frustration - considering the Kingmaker Fandom one was pro, combined with their auto-playing videos and the like; the BG3 one is much better.
Nimran
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Which companions do you like? The companions are the best part of the game, imo. My favorites are Shadowheart, Karlach, and Gale. I really wish there were more to choose from.too busy to get a lot of gaming done but so far... I want to have certain Companions in my party forever XD, and for that I need to ditch Astarion.. but I need his rogue things for non-combat stuff like lockpicking and disarming
I chose Warlock for my Tav hehe. You guys think I could pick up Rogue with it or even Assassin? I mean I know anything is viable and I should just do what I want but that being said in terms of my rp I see my Tav as wanting to become a really strong /Warlock/ while controlling his urges so I find it kinda counterintuitive if the multiclass choice makes we weaker T^T
Warlock | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki
Warlock is a Class in Baldur's Gate 3. All BG3 Warlock Classes, Subclasses, Features, and level progression guide to make the best possible Warlock.
side note, I really like Fextralife's pages on the classes and stuff it's such a good overview
Depending on which companions you want to bring along, you could multiclass one of them into a rogue if that’s better for you.
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Regarding the inventory discussion, I'd really think it much better if they had made a single party inventory screen instead of individual inventory for every character. Just add your entire party carrying capacity and use that to limit what you are carrying. Assume your characters are smart enough to distribute the weight between them. Add diverse ways to sort your itens and filters. I really dislike playing the inventory game in a modern RPG.
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One word of advice: rest often, and I mean, take full rests. There are many party interactions and if you don't rest often, you might miss out on some really important conversations explaining a lot about your companions. I tried to minimize rests due to RP reasons (with a tadpole in your head, you kinda don't need to rest every couple of meters) and gameplay reasons (I prefer so that the game could challenge me when I'm not full with ideal spells, etc). Due to this reason, I had to spam-rest 3 (!) times after completing all the content of Act 1 just to watch the remaining interactions, one of them was very important for Lae'zel, another-- for Shadowheart, and also for one camp pet - the owlbear cub.
125 hours only for Act One, wow. I posted a few screenshots in the dedicated thread, check them out (the description has an explanation of what you can see in the appropriate spoiler, so don't worry much, you can click the spoiler only if you feel comfortable with that description).
alice_ashpool
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I got to act 2 then I restarted, the lure of full martials is too much! Dual Wielding Gnome fighter is go.
But then the first thing I did was to re-spec Shadowheart out of trickery cleric (boo!) into tempest Cleric (Yay!), and min-max her stats. Martial Weapon Proficiency! Heavy Armor! Thunder Wave! Shatter! Lightning Strike! Maximised Thunder and Lightning Spells! It's the only cleric domain4me.
But then the first thing I did was to re-spec Shadowheart out of trickery cleric (boo!) into tempest Cleric (Yay!), and min-max her stats. Martial Weapon Proficiency! Heavy Armor! Thunder Wave! Shatter! Lightning Strike! Maximised Thunder and Lightning Spells! It's the only cleric domain4me.
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Yay for the respec button. But... not really sure Shadowheart should be respec-ed due to the story/character development reasons I'm now aware of.