Board 8 > No Baldur's Gate 3 topic huh?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yeah and weirdly enough these long rest events are loaded into Act 1 where you are still getting to know the characters and even unlocking game mechanics via the Guardian letting you use tadpoles. They become way less important in Acts 2 or 3. In Act 3 I've received maybe 4 or 5 nighttime events, that's it.

The time-gating problem is very unintuitive especially because at the start of the game the party is convinced they don't have long to live, which makes narrative sense but isn't actually true. And it's also a balance thing because encounters seem to be made with an assumption that you have a lot of resources, but people who are used to 5e or this type of strategy game can stretch those resources out fairly efficiently.

I think they should definitely mark time-sensitive (not progression sensitive necessarily) events in the journal, as well as just put a popup the first time you go to camp that resting gives you cutscenes.

Really enjoying myself so far, though I've had to hard close the game 3 times now because it bugged out in combat and I couldn't do anything.

there seemingly was an exhaustion mechanic that got cut from the game, which would have been a debuff that increased in severity until you rested

theres one bird in the game with the status, but its otherwise totally gone

It looks like they cut that midway through early access.

Companions still complain they want a rest pretty frequently, but a lot of times you still will have short rests available. Maybe if you only got one short rest a day or something. I'm playing a bard so actually I have 3, lol.

I've seen someone say that complaints about wanting to rest are a hint that there's new camp scenes, but I dunno how true that is.

Is it wierd that I want to respect every companion?

Not even change their class, just because their ability points are super unoptimized.

No that's definitely the play.

I feel like there's so many odd values because they want you to take feats over ASIs but screw that.

And some characters have bad default subclasses too. Mostly Shadowheart but I think Asterion's default when it unlocks was Arcane Trickster and the other two are way better.

i went War Cleric for Shadowheart the first time through, and this time Im doing the healing one

both seem good and definitely better than Trickery

Astarions been Thief both times, because I like having him dual wield and the extra bonus action is nice

then after 4 levels I multi classed him into the crit version of Fighter. It worked out pretty well

im mostly switching up classes on this second playthrough, but I really liked that Astarion build last time so he may stay that way

After like 16 hours and 4 and a half levels I have yet to change anyone's gear bedsides a couple weapons, and I feel like maybe there's something I'm missing there.

are you shopping

like all the shops have a few magical equipment items

you should at least have a green weapons for everybody by now, and probably some kind of +1 armor

and then some weird niche boots and gloves and jewelery that may or may not be useful to you

I guess I wasn't shopping much, should probably fix that. My JRPG brain tells me to never buy equipment.

I'm in a unique situation with this game where there's just so much that my usually RPG pattern of following guides to get everything is just so pointless that I'm completely flying by ear, and it's refreshing. I think it was the first time I looked at Gale leveling up that I just said of what the fuck ever, let's just go, lol.

Also, I have like a billion single use spell scrolls......and they're worth a lot of gold, but I have never used one. Ultimate item paralysis here.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

My JRPG brain tells me to never buy equipment.

How though? I feel like this only applies to specific games and not the genre. Like FFX you don't buy weapons, but most FFs you do at least early on.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I guess I wasn't shopping much, should probably fix that. My JRPG brain tells me to never buy equipment.

I'm in a unique situation with this game where there's just so much that my usually RPG pattern of following guides to get everything is just so pointless that I'm completely flying by ear, and it's refreshing. I think it was the first time I looked at Gale leveling up that I just said of what the fuck ever, let's just go, lol.

Also, I have like a billion single use spell scrolls......and they're worth a lot of gold, but I have never used one. Ultimate item paralysis here.

at some point youll probably come to understand some of those scrolls are pretty useless, and you can liquidate them

but some of the others (higher end damage spells mostly) can be really good. I was definitely hoarding a bunch right up until the end of the game, but also theres a lot of them available to purchase, so you dont need to be too careful

as for shops, most merchants in the game will have at least a few unique magical items that only they sell, so if something seems appealing you should pick it up when you can

Protip for stealing vendors' gold. Act like you're gonna barter, then split their gold stack into a bunch of small piles, exit the conversation. When you go to steal, their gold will still be split into those small stacks and you can steal it all very easily.

HeroDelTiempo17 posted...

but people who are used to 5e or this type of strategy game can stretch those resources out fairly efficiently.

Buh? People used to 5e will blow whatever they need on a single wolf, then ask for a long rest. 5e players love resting any chance they get

Hit act 3 yesterday. Taking my time because I'm going through it coop and we can really only play Sunday/Monday. My partner is also new to these types of games while im a vet.

Still a fantastic game.

Just had a horrifying realization there was an enormous chunk of the bottom of the map I hadn't even walked through yet, like the entire bottom chunk to the left of the area you first spawn into.

WHAT AM I DOING UNDERGROUND WITH ALL THESE DUEGARS

Wow getting a free cool robot eye that let's me see invisible things forever seems like a pretty sweet gig NGL.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Just had a horrifying realization there was an enormous chunk of the bottom of the map I hadn't even walked through yet, like the entire bottom chunk to the left of the area you first spawn into.

WHAT AM I DOING UNDERGROUND WITH ALL THESE DUEGARS

lol I had this same realization the first time through

I think I would need a psychiatrist to determine why I'm loving this so much so far when I just can't stand Elders Scrolls.

Maybe it just comes down to the map and the turn based combat?

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I think I would need a psychiatrist to determine why I'm loving this so much so far when I just can't stand Elders Scrolls.

Maybe it just comes down to the map and the turn based combat?

Elder scrolls has been mediocre to bad after Morrowind. This game captures everything you want in a wRPG. Your choices matter. Almost anything you think of actually works. Great voice acting. A compelling story.

If Elden Ring hadn't come out this might be my favorite game of the decade. I still have an act to go, but it's really competing for the best.

So I started up this game and feel very intimidated and lost. I know some about DnD but I've never actually played it and this game seems to just assume you know everything there is to know about it and the genre as a whole. The tutorial on how to play is basically nonexistent. Anyone got like a recommendation on tutorial videos or something of that sort?

Waluigi1 posted...

So I started up this game and feel very intimidated and lost. I know some about DnD but I've never actually played it and this game seems to just assume you know everything there is to know about it and the genre as a whole. The tutorial on how to play is basically nonexistent. Anyone got like a recommendation on tutorial videos or something of that sort?

I don't know of any videos but you should definitely find some. My coop friend had no idea what to do and even explaining opportunity attacks to him took a minute.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I think I would need a psychiatrist to determine why I'm loving this so much so far when I just can't stand Elders Scrolls.

This is way more similar to a Bioware game than it is to an Elder Scrolls. I mean, the original BGs are literally Bioware games. It just has more simulationist gameplay elements, but that's something TES shares with tabletop D&D.

I have a feeling there was probably more to that Hag quest than I got by beating her ass in her house and going to the basement.

2-D isometric games are nothing like Bethesda games outside of both of them being fantasy WRPGs. They play differently, they're paced differently, and they're written differently.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I think I would need a psychiatrist to determine why I'm loving this so much so far when I just can't stand Elders Scrolls.

Have you not played Bioware games before? A lot of them are similar to this!

MacArrowny posted...

Have you not played Bioware games before? A lot of them are similar to this!

Nothing pre Dragon Age 1...or Mass Effect 1, I forget which came first.

And obviously Bioware's recent output has been uh..........different.

I guess my most direct comparison here to how that first act of DA3 felt which I just hated, so much that I dropped it.

Well then, play them! The KotOR games are amazing, imo. Lots of people love Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 as well, though they're a bit more archaic.

I'd sooner recommend something like Divinity Original Sin 2 over the OG Baldur's Gates, and KOTOR isn't that great if you aren't a Star Wars fan. I loved Tides of Numenara but most people didn't.

UshiromiyaEva posted...

I guess my most direct comparison here to how that first act of DA3 felt which I just hated, so much that I dropped it.

DA3 is nothing like the other 2-D isometric games. It's far more the Mass Effect style. Bioware hasn't made a 2-D isometric style game since Dragon Age 1 (and only the PC version).

I'm finding this game very hard. I've already gotten a game over twice and I haven't even gotten Withers yet <_<

Waluigi1 posted...

I'm finding this game very hard. I've already gotten a game over twice and I haven't even gotten Withers yet <_<

The beginning is harder than any other part of the game I've seen so far (near the end of Act 2). It gets significantly easier.

Well that's actually pretty encouraging!

I've noticed some definite benefits from being a 5e veteran for the early game so far, though I did fall prey to a game over from a fun natural 1 very early on when you need to resist a mind control attempt, which threw level 2 Shadowheart and Astarion into a BS combat with my character just flat out dead.

Been having a bit of a blast being a Conjurer wizard and zapping people in conjured/thrown water with a chromatic orb from Gale. Also enjoying mechanics translated from Tabletop; my "IRL" L4 Conjurer uses Ice Knife a bunch, too.

Getting back around to this again finally. I see that knocked out NPCs don't disappear after a long rest anymore. Well at least the troll guarding the goblin priestess' room is back up and walking around (until I knocked her out again).

...if this is then case then I'm pretty sure this means I'm gonna have to re-fight some goblins. Though with any luck, I only knocked out the goblin vendor instead of killing him.

Finally gonna start this in a few hours. Not sure what class I'm gonna roll. Closest thing I've ever played to this is KotoR 1&2.

15-20 hours in and I finally looked at the Journal for the first time. Didn't feel a need before now, but I've filled out the map here and have reached multiple entrances that say they're a point of no return, so I need to actually look at the list.

lol there were like 5 formerly knocked out goblins waiting for me when I finally left the goblin temple. Also in the process I discovered even more goblins I didn't notice the first time.

But also I'm disappointed because somewhere along the way I slipped up and let a goblin sound a war drum, meaning by the time I made my way to Minthara, she auto-aggroed and I didn't get any kind of cutscene with her. And after killing her, Sazza just randomly dropped dead. :(

And because I took out the goblins before I talked to any of the grove druids, I've apparently missed out on my chance to confront Kagha about the letter I found in the bog. :(

I'm finding that my usual method of ignoring plot characters while doing everything else I can is not working well for me in this game.

OK just tell me if I can fight this damn Level 8 dude in the forge later because I just don't get it.

Like I understand the lava thing, but he refuses to go back to the overheated mode after the first time I crush him even when he walks through lava.

And his character model gets that red hot effect but he's still immune to everything. Starting to think it's a bug.

Probably. What level are you? You get a big power spike at 5, so if you're lower maybe do something else.

I'm not sure but I *think* you can return to the forge until you hit a point of no return late in the second act. At any rate, the journal is very good at marking off quests you can no longer do so just keep an eye on it.

if you beat that thing without using the smashy thing you get an achievement, so just murder him the old fashioned way

just make sure your characters are doing the right kind of damage and itll be fine maybe

I'm gonna hold off. It looks like it's literally the only Act 1 quest I have that I haven't done and can still do so I kinda just wanna get going.

Thinking of reclassing Shadowheart into a Shadow Monk. It still fits her aestheeirc deal from what I can tell and I'm not getting as much out of her Cleric as I'd like given that I'm already a Paladin and I've got Healing Spell gear on both Wyll and Gale.

BTW, I don't understand Wyll's Spell slot situation. He only gets to use a real spell like once or twice? Of course his cantrip kicks ass, so maybe that's the reason.

Wylls spell slots refill on short rest instead of long rest, and theyre all the highest possible level for your class level.

so he can cast fewer spells per battle, but over the course of the day he can cast 6 and theyre as strong as possible.

this also means that while with a wizard you might want to have some level 1 spells memorized to make use of their level 1 spell slots, Wyll can go all in on high level stuff.

although you may still want to keep lower level spells around, because most of them get boosted if you cast them with a higher level spell slot

That's all good to know!

I did not expect the narrator to come in and tell me not to do the Gyth quest at this temple. I mean I'm going all in on Shadowheart this playthrough and totally shunning Laezel, so maybe that's not such a bad idea!

The druid grove resolution not allowing you to confront Kagha after you've dealt with the goblins is just bizarre. It definitely feels like the sort of accusation you'd make in the aftermath when you return from your big trek, so the mechanics of the game requiring you to do it beforehand (with no indication of that) is just annoying.

I have so much gold. I took the advice and bought everything that looked remotely unique but I'm sitting on 6k. I need to find a big city or something with a bunch of shops.

I find that as you level up vendors get new stuff and at lvl 8 stuff is costing like 3k per item and now I wish I had unlimited gold

https://twitter.com/banana_qote/status/1698832316746125508?s=20

UshiromiyaEva posted...

OK just tell me if I can fight this damn Level 8 dude in the forge later because I just don't get it.

Like I understand the lava thing, but he refuses to go back to the overheated mode after the first time I crush him even when he walks through lava.

And his character model gets that red hot effect but he's still immune to everything. Starting to think it's a bug.

Yeah sounds like a bug, we beat him by summoning more lava and overheating him again. He's standing in it right?