Hot Take: I really don't like Baldur's Gate 3

[Brampton_Boy]

I don't game very much these days, but with two weeks off for the Christmas break, I decided to give BG3 a try. I was a fan of BG1 and 2 way back in the early 2000s, but didn't play Divinity Original sin.

First off, the camera, controls and pathfinding are atrocious..... like painfully bad. My party never follows me, elevations in the terrain make it difficult to spot things and the map offers very little useful direction for how to find the next waypoint. I found myself constantly having to use game guides to figure out what I was supposed to do next.

My second biggest gripe is Act 3 - it is long, tedious and lower city simply has too much filler. There were so many fetch and retrieve quests, and I ended up using a Trainer so I could just power through the game to see how the story progressed.

The story is a mixed bag - I actually think the main quest line is really interesting, and it was what kept me going when things got frustrating. However, the ending was botched - I won't spoil anything, but it felt like it just ended abruptly without any opportunity to learn more about what happened to my companions or the city.

I know I am in the minority with this opinion, but this feels like an unpolished gem. 6/10.

 

[Bob Gray]

 

[deviake]

I ain't mad at that opinion. I took a break in Act 3 but want to get back into it. I like it but it's definitely not perfect and drags for me at times, something just doesn't fully click the way I was expecting. I've been far more engaged by other RPGs, but I'm also almost 40 and don't enjoy deep diving on games much anymore unless they're particularly engaging

 

[Brampton_Boy]

I don't even know what this means.

 

[Zazen]

I was scared off because I heard people are playing this game for over 100 hours just to beat it. I cant play any game for more than 50 hours unless i love the gameplay loop and this type of gameplay just wont appeal to me over that course of time. I need something that has action and isn’t as long. I’m sure it’s great for those that don’t mind these things but as I get older I really appreciate the games that average 15 to 20 hours instead and are perfectly curated experiences with little padding

 

[Brampton_Boy]

I was scared off because I heard people are playing this game for over 100 hours just to beat it. I cant play any game for more than 50 hours unless i love the gameplay loop and this type of gameplay just wont appeal to me over that course of time. I need something that has action and isn’t as long. I’m sure it’s great for those that don’t mind these things but as I get older I really appreciate the games that average 15 to 20 hours instead and are perfectly curated experiences with little padding

I agree with this sentiment 100%.

The older I get, the more scarce my free time. I no longer have evenings and weekends to spend hours gaming like I did when I was younger.

While others really seem to love the open world style that focuses on freedom and exploration, I find that I prefer a more closed system with clearly defined objectives.

 

[My Spot]

Someone should remaster the PS2 Baldur's Gate game.

 

[Sycho Sid]

I tried it, and had some fun, but I found combat way too tedious. Used to love crpgs, but I don't think they are for me anymore.

 

[NoSmilez]

I giggled because there are tons of cheating in Baldur's Gate.

 

[Rorschachxx]

I've tried Baldurs Gate 3, Wrath of the Righteous, Divinity, Pillars of Eternity, Shadowrun, even the classic Fallout games and never made it past a few hours in all of them.

I had to come to the realization I just don't like CRPG's. Everything about them sounds interesting to me until its time to actually play them.

They're just not made for me.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

I've played through BG3 twice, and I like it but I don't love it.

What I do absolutely love about it is : Larian, the developer, having absolute dedication to make the absolute best game they could possibly make without considering the years of development or budget. They've continued to improve it for 18+ months past it's official release date with numerous free DLCs. They even upload mods to be able to be playable on consoles.

I love the layers and layers of player choice which result in multiple consequences for the world and individual characters.

Love the Mass Effect like conversations which I heard there's more in BG3 than the entirety of the Mass Effect Trilogy, though its impossible to see them all in one playthrough of BG3.


What I don't like, at all -
*The Dungeons & Dragons Asthetic, World, and Tabletop Gameplay. When it comes to fantasy, if Lord Of The Rings is cigarettes, then D&D is meth.
*The maps are far far too tiny... too dense... for everything on it.
*The story, overall. You and everyone in your party have worms in your brains that will kill you...

 

[Zer]

I was scared off because I heard people are playing this game for over 100 hours just to beat it. I cant play any game for more than 50 hours unless i love the gameplay loop and this type of gameplay just wont appeal to me over that course of time. I need something that has action and isn’t as long. I’m sure it’s great for those that don’t mind these things but as I get older I really appreciate the games that average 15 to 20 hours instead and are perfectly curated experiences with little padding

I just started BG3 the other day and my first impressions are fine, and I loved the first two BG games. But I'm the same where at 39 now I look at games that will take 100+ hours and it sounds like a tiring commitment, and I'm naturally reluctant about them and have to force myself into playing/starting them. But that said I can still be hooked by these games. Last year I spent 100+ hours on Cyberpunk for example. Hopefully BG3 hooks me too

 

[Plissken]

I think a lot of the praise was due to it being a breath of fresh air at the time. It still is in many ways, but a lot of faults get ignored early on. Tears of the Kingdom was the same way, tons of high marks early on but a year and a half later and people see the faults with greater clarity.

A lot of times that happens in the opposite way, a game gets a lot of criticism early on, but over time people find a lot of positives about it.

 

[Zazen]

I've played through BG3 twice, and I like it but I don't love it.

What I do absolutely love about it is : Larian, the developer, having absolute dedication to make the absolute best game they could possibly make without considering the years of development or budget. They've continued to improve it for 18+ months past it's official release date with numerous free DLCs. They even upload mods to be able to be playable on consoles.

I love the layers and layers of player choice which result in multiple consequences for the world and individual characters.

Love the Mass Effect like conversations which I heard there's more in BG3 than the entirety of the Mass Effect Trilogy, though its impossible to see them all in one playthrough of BG3.


What I don't like, at all -
*The Dungeons & Dragons Asthetic, World, and Tabletop Gameplay. When it comes to fantasy, if Lord Of The Rings is cigarettes, then D&D is meth.
*The maps are far far too tiny... too dense... for everything on it.
*The story, overall. You and everyone in your party have worms in your brains that will kill you...

That story sounds interesting. Is RFK Jr a playable character?

 

[method115]

That story sounds interesting. Is RFK Jr a playable character?

lol took me a minute to understand what you were even trying to say here.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Goofy takes accept for the act 3 criticism, but everyone can have their own opinion

 

[ssBaldy]

Act 3 is the least polished of the 3, it's objective truth. However I can't relate to other problems you found.
Map for me was intuitive, the only instances where companions would not follow were where there was a long jump not all my team could make, and I did not find the combat tedious - thankfully, enemies are not spongy.