Baldur's Gate 3

This is one of the most immersive games that I've ever played. The role-playing elements are on point, and as close as you are going to get to role playing in a real-world DnD session with a Dungeon Master.

Incredibly polished game with an intriguing story shaped by your choices.

I bought Baldur's Gate 3, like many others, caught up in the wave of hype surrounding its release. At first, it didn't grab me.
With no prior experience playing Dungeons & Dragons and not being a fan of turn-based combat, I struggled to connect with the game. The mechanics felt foreign, and I found myself drifting away to play other titles.

But something about Baldur's Gate 3 kept pulling me back. I gave it another shot, and then, it clicked.
I started to enjoy the combat, figuring out how to use the environment to my advantage, and I realized just how much influence you can wield outside of battle. Conversations, choices, and strategies became just as important as swinging a sword or casting a spell.

I became invested in the characters, more than I have in any other game. Well, most of them — I don't like Wyll. His story just felt underwhelming compared to the others. Each companion had depth and complexity that kept me hooked. The freedom the game offers is truly unparalleled. I could shape my own story in ways that felt meaningful. I found myself losing track of time, wanting to know what would happen next.

Fast forward 150 hours(!), and I’ve just finished my first playthrough. Without a doubt, this is the best game I’ve ever played, and I’ve played a LOT of games. The sense of emptiness it leaves behind is almost painful. All I want to do is dive back in and start a new run. (Taking suggestions on what character or class to try next)

In summary, yes, I wholeheartedly recommend Baldur's Gate 3. It’s an unforgettable experience that sets a new standard for storytelling and player agency in games.

PS: Be warned, though; after playing Baldur's Gate 3, other games may feel linear and their characters shallow in comparison.

I fucjed the squid :)

I love this game, and would say this is worth every cent of the 60 euros and even more. With the added mod manager this game allows for even more creativity and freedom, which was already an extraordinary amount. Excellent replay value! I have over 200 hours as of writing this review and I still find new things constantly. If you do not care for playing through a story line or don't care for roleplay, I can imagine this game could be a bit lacking. But it still offers a fun challenge for people who like complicated and strategic combat, and exploration. DnD mechanics are integrated into the game very well, in my not so expert opinion, and it helped me understand the mechanic of DnD better.

And also, because of course we cannot ignore it, the romance is a lot of fun. I also believe, contrary to what other seem to complain about, that the romance is not forced onto you or obnoxious. Once you reject a character they won't pursue you and you still get to have their emotional story through a platonic POV.

All in all, recommend this game a 100% and I want to thank Larian for bringing out my obsession of the past months!

Simply one of the best games ever made. IF i finish a game, i rarely go right back in with another character....im doing just that in BG3. Immediately after credits rolled, i rolled another character.

I can truly say that this game has become my favorite in the short about of time I've been playing it. I love the depth that it has, the amount fof games you can have and still find something new every time. There's so much you can miss if you only play it once. Overall, the story and companions are what make the game, and it's truly amazing. Thank you Larian for putting your heart into this game. I can see myself playing this for years!

Amazing story and characters, not to mention the fun combat and atmosphere, I recommend

No microtransactions
No in-game purchases
No paywalls
No battle passes
No preorder exploitative content
No internet connection needed to play.

Lots of content and highly detailed world on a loved and tested concept.

Games fun. Has one too many bugs, some that are game breaking, others just extremely annoying. The final Act is where the worst and most annoying bugs appear. That entire ending fight was dumb.

Greatest game in the history of the universe.

Definitely one of the best games to have ever been made.
That's glossing over its horrendous performance issues, though... xD

Story is fantastic! There are so many options and ways for you to go about the game. Never have I felt so free in failing at something, successfully. Couldn't beat a particular foe - realized I can just disguise myself as one of them. I felt like an absolute genius.

There's a lot of depth to your choices and the companions, and whether or not you succeed at a dice roll. I can see so many things going in a variety of ways, and I am already on my second playthrough to discover more such things. The companions, while all extremely lovable, didn't have quite the same depth as Bioware games - hence why I am placing this game as second to DA:O in terms of my favorites. I kept finding myself constantly wanting for them to have more things to say, ways for me as the player to keep engaging, bantering or flirting with them - but no such luck. Wanting more however is a good indication of how how good the companions are.

I'm also just a liiiittle bit disappointed at some things that were available in alpha/early access, but aren't anymore. Your dream visitor used to give you visions of war, trying to seduce you to be "evil" and could even make out with you (like, very early on in the game) - but they changed that and instead the dream visitor became something else entirely. I kind of preferred what they were originally going for, it was way more mysterious and allowed you to RP a secret lust for power (which would make an evil ending make way more sense). And while the dream visitor we got now is still interesting, and you can romance him/her later on in the game... I will never get over the heartbreak of what could've been. T_T

The fights do get increasingly harder and by act 2-3 I was consistently struggling, which certainly didn't help the burnout I was feeling with everything act 3 had to offer. Now that I've finally finished it though, all the side quests and things to do don't seem quite as daunting as a lot of the quests sort of tied into each other. I don't think I'll get quite as overwhelmed on a second playthrough now that I know that and what to expect, but I empathize with those who are still unable to finish their first playthrough. It took me about a year to do so, myself - but I'm so very glad I finally removed my thumb from the unmentionable place and completed it.

It was well worth the effort, and I immediately began on my second playthrough after finishing the first. I couldn't help myself... I just want more. That's how you know you've stumbled upon something really special.

I am a D&D enjoyer and huge DOS2 fan. This game undoubtedly deserved GOTY and is 100% worth every penny. It is one of the best games I've ever played. Is it the best game ever made? Not imo. DOS2 is better. Do I think you should play it? Fuck yea I do

Tried to save a halfling strapped to a windmill. pressed the wrong leaver... the windmill catapulted him in to the horizon. 11/10 will play again.

My first playthrough, I rushed through the game in 45 hours. My second playthrough, I took more time, did more exploring, and finished in like 50 hours. I just recently started my 30th (guestimate) playthrough. Its a good game.

Very fun game where choices and decisions actually matter and that allows for many different approaches to situations. This is one of the only games where I feel like you can actually roleplay and where the game doesn't force you onto a certain path. There's almost endless freedom to do anything you want and there are consequences for everything you do. Great writing, a fitting soundtrack and very good voice acting for all characters complete the whole experience. I can't recommend this game enough.

One of the best games of all time, a near perfect game!

After 350 hours over 4 playthroughs, (Good, Dark Urge, Honour Mode and one final run to get the "No one left behind achievement) I officially feel exhausted with this game.

Its amazing don't get me wrong, i love to see how the game can change by your choices, even on my fourth playthrough I was discovering new things and there's still a lot I haven't seen.

While in my first playthrough I played the good guy, the second I tried to be as evil as possible. This game really surprised me with some of the fucked up shit you can do.

My third playthrough was my Honour Mode run which was actually not too bad. I spent most of the time planning fights, researching builds and item locations just to make the game as smooth as possible. The Bethesda player in me was really struggling without the quick saves.

My final run was a sort of speed run just to get one achievement. Didn't realise I had to finish the whole game. Such a slog.

So much of this game is just perfect; the writing, the characters, the combat, the story, the graphics. I could probably go on and on but despite all of this, no game is perfect and I experienced some small problems with it:

• Skills don't always react how I expect, for example a lightning bolt could target an enemy, however nothing happens.
• Companions walking into traps or fire, enemy vision etc despite it being revealed. I get this must be some sort of AI issue but its just frustrating.
• Descriptions for items and abilities are just poor and don't always tell you everything you would like to know.

Thanks for reading!

I dont normally write reviews for games... but I have to for this one. I've never played anything turn based or dnd before, ive always liked games that are fast paced and very linear, but this is something else entirely. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of work needed to make a game of this size and complexity function as well as this one does.

This is the best game I have ever played, it blows everything else out of the water.

I don't know how I will ever be able to play another single player game without comparing it to this.

before i bought this game i was very hesitant on if i would like it just because of the combat style but after playing through a full save i believe this is one of the greatest games i have ever played. You can play the game however you want and there is always loads of content no matter which direction you go. i believe everyone and their mothers should play this game at least once. 10/10

One of the best RPGs of all time. Nearly endless replayability, engaging storylines, likeable characters, fun turn based gameplay - the list goes on. There are some things that I do miss from Divinity Original Sin 1/2 and I wish the player character talked more, but overall this game is just about perfect.

最高なゲームを作ってくれてありがとう。
ニールさん、アスタリオンというキャラクターに命を吹き込んでくれてありがとう。

Larian Studiosに感謝。ニールさんに感謝。
すべてに感謝。

When it comes to RPG games this game is one of the peaks, the roleplaying in this game is fantastic.


And is a game I recommend to anyone if they love RPGs. Though I do understand if the turn based combat turns people off.

Words cannot begin to describe how much I love this game.

800+ hours into the game and I am still uncovering new dialogue, cut scenes, strategies, and much more. I have introduced friends to Baldur's Gate 3 who also enjoy the game and hearing about the lore behind companions and my playthroughs.

I am eager to play more campaigns as my own Tav's and as the companions to uncover more pieces of the game.

The soundtrack is beautiful as well. Very submersive throughout the entire game. Same goes to the amazing and talented VA's who have brought the characters to life.

I have very little experience with DnD, and have only participated in a couple tabletops. However, this game is a great way to lean into DnD - of course tabletop has different regulations, but it's still a friendly introduction for those who are not too knowledgable in DnD!

I am still a little shocked I spent over 700 hours playing this game. Despite critical acclaim and awards I mostly got it because I beat the first 2 and the trailers made it look like a worthy successor. If you have played Larian games before then you know the kind of detail they put into mechanics such as destructible backgrounds and blending damage types like water and electrical attacks. I have owned Their Divinity games for awhile but really haven't played too far into them. This is not their fault, I just felt intimidated by the level of play that existed. I have been gaming since the early days of computer game so the mechanics I am used to are simple by comparison. I must have restarted this game so many times that most might have been tempted to put it down for good. But I was never bored and I could not have been more engaged. Trying out new character specs or races or play styles, and each time I would find some small treasure or new trick to make things go differently. 5/5 stars for replayability. At one point I got all the way to the third act and then... I actually decided to restart because I found a new spec I wanted to stick with and I wanted to try out Dark Urge to make it feel more like a BG game from the old days. And I was not bored one second going through it all to get to Act 3 again. But then Act 3 made me stop. Finally getting to the big city was just overwhelming. So many people, so many side quests, so many things to do and I just stopped. I eventually went back to it then I was in the home stretch of beating it, and then I stopped again. I didn't want to beat it. Maybe it is different for most players but the part members were all great and well acted and I didn't want it to end. But I did just recently. If we think of all 3 of the BG games as a trilogy then it was a perfect end. Lot of emotion, lot of adventure. Not sure what your play will be like but I wouldn't ask for any of those 700+ hours back. Enjoy and cheers.

Would have been my game of the year too if I had played it sooner.
BG3 is fantastic and this is coming from someone who always avoided strategy turn based games.

I bought this game after completing one full playthrough through my brother's account, because it's definitely worth every penny. Started my second playthrough and still thoroughly enjoying it.

Not gonna say anything about the contents of the game as many have already said what needs to be said. What I have to admit about BG3 and Larian is that they brought people, who would normally not play turn-based or strategic games or video games in general, together and that's an achievement all and in of itself.

Baldurs Gate 3 is by far one of the best games I've ever played in my life so far...I could stop there but I'll elaborate. This game just warms and hugs my D&D nerd heart...for this a game made for fans of D&D and every fantasy lover out there. The game lore is rich with so much details and bit and bobs to discover, the story is epic and will stay with me for the rest of life. Some of the best turn-based combat I've ever seen in a video game you have so many options of what you can do and you don't have to simply attack you can throw shit, jump, shove, light your sword on fire, throw a barrel of explosives, heal your ally by throwing a potion at them (it just works lol) and etc. It's so intricate and so well crafted...and lastly there's one other thing I wanna talk about...the companions...I will start with the order I met them don't worry I will be using spoiler texts. I really worry I may repeat shit for various characters lol

Lae'zel is an absolute unit, besides that she comes across as rude and not exactly friendly it's more like she comes from place where everyone had the attitude or that outlook and by all things that may point to the contrary...Lae'zel is the nicest githyanki alive..she's got a heart of gold under that armour, she's brave as all hell and she can be quite socially awkward and I love her...and she also happens to my favourite..whether she be dispatching foes as a fighter or the times I've changed her into a Paladin...god does she wreck people as a Paladin...

Shadowheart was the character I romanced with my first character and by god am I glad I did, Shadowheart is such a sweet person and she's very witty and the absolute best...like my god her story is so well done and I love watching her transform as a person throughout and various moments of quiet spent along her are moments well spent..and my god does she mess people up with that spirit guardians...favourite thing to do just sprint past enemies with spirit guardians up and just watch em all die...or wait for them to come to you lol

Astarion is my favourite vampire spawn arsehole...not a spoiler literally everyone who plays the game can tell he is one..he's funny as all hell and very sarcastic and I just love this jackass and watching his story and my gawd his story was so fucking good like I can see why so many people on ArchiveofourOwn are obsessed with this man! (still don't get the love for Gortash thou...that man be evil) And my god is it good to always have a rogue at the handy!

Gale is charming as fuck...like my god the man could wax poetic shit and talk about magic and I'd listen to every word...god I really gotta romance the fuck out of this Bearded Wizardly Sage! Not much else to say besides I love him and I wanna romance him...

Wyll is the fucking best. Everyone whose ever said he's boring can go fuck off to Avernus! He's a folk hero to the truest he's got charm, he's got the sense of humour, he's got a sense of duty, he's got shady deal with an otherworldly patron (warlocks am I right?) and I just love this man...like I can't see why people dislike him. Wyll, Shadowheart and Lae'zel usually were my go to team throughout the game (mainly my first playthrough I'm mixing things up with my other playthroughs) like he is such a fun character and so useful my god...warlocks man Elderitch blast go brrrrr

Karlach is an absolute cinnamon roll and like oh my gawd I'd take the second degree burns to give her a hug. I remember hearing somewhere she gives off autistic vibes and as someone with autism since I was 4 I was like...OOOOHHH that's why I get her so well LOL! But yeah she's the fucking best and having her by my side and just tanking so many hits and also dealing so much fucking damage was an absolute treat!

Now we get into spoiler territory companions who I'll spoiler text here and there for!

Act 2 Companion Spoilers
Halsin is a giant man of muscle and meat and he's awesome, he's useful in battle no matter what and I love how caring he was for various things from nature to whittling wooden ducks. Also got to romance him alongside Shadowheart my first playthrough! Hurrah for Polyamory! Also god dam did having a man who can turn into an owl bear on your side at any moment help!

Minthara could step on me and I wouldn't complain lol! Her voice my god...also awesome character. She's serious as but also very stoically funny and she has so many good lines from the one about the Drider wedding to various other hits. She's so handy and it's very elaborate way to recruit her in a good play-through by the knocking her out in act 1 while in battle and freeing her act 2 in moonrise but apparently I haven't gotten to see it myself it's easier now after patch 7...can't wait to look more into that but yeah she's awesome Paladin in BG3 is...very OP and it's always good to have her on hand...admittedly I did kill her first playthrough (didn't know at the time) but every other playthrough I did knock her out...

Act 3 Companion spoilers! Again don't read this if you don't want to be spoiled
Jaehira is blast to have on your side, having a wise and cranky old hero but still wisecracking is such a treat and I would never say no to two druids on the team. Not much else to say but she's awesome and she's a fun addition to the team I couldn't live without.

...I would die for Minsc...he is the best...I understand why people love him...cause I agree....he is...so fucking funny and he's also such a badass and I just...god I love this himbo and his space hamster...and that sentence alone is wild but just...he's the best he's so fucking awesome and Matt Mercer voices him to and oh my gawd..

And uhhhh yeah that's....well my long rant about the companions too...I can't think about what else I wanted to talk about like yeah the music is also amazing, the choices in this game matter and there is...so many of them my god...like...this game really is basically videogame D&D...pretty close to it anyway...I....I'm gonna play this a lot more to see what other things I can discover...from quests or plot-hooks or romances (especially the romances my god I wanna see the Lae'zel romance play out cause it is GOOD) and I still have yet to touch any of the online co-op which will change in about a couple weeks really excited for that and yeah....fucking amazing work Larian I know your not working on BG4 and while I adore this game I don't really mind because I can't wait to see what you all come up with next! If you have the money to spare and the time whether it be after work or school or on the weekend or during the holidays...I highly recommend playing Baldurs Gate 3...

This was the first time I got to properly role play in an RPG.

This game is a gem and if you don't mind the turn based combat, this is a must play. I wasn't sure about the turn based combat initially and if you are the same, I would say give it some time, it's a little complicated but once you get the hang of it you can make some really cool builds and combos that encourages creative thinking when it comes to defeating your enemies. By the end of the game some of my party members were so powerful, it felt amazing!

As for role playing, it does a lot: tons of choices with consequences (some of them really dark, so be careful!), class and race specific dialog options, very interesting companions, lots of other memorable NPCs, and the D&D lore and background it's built upon. The world feels very immersive, too immersive in fact - I can't get myself to do an "evil playthrough"!

I first made my character Gaal, specifically for this game and now i am writing a book with Gaal as the main character in it. i love bg3 so much!

if you've ever wanted to play dnd without the annoying aspects of irl tabletop (scheduling, DM/player issues, etc), play this instead!

This game studio is a rare breed in the current market, dominated by corporate greed. This game is a tribute to times when games were made by gamers, and not by people in finance department. :D

I very rarely have the patience for single player games but this sucked me in and scratched an itch I never knew I had.

I'm on my 5th playthrough (3nd playthrough on 'Honor Mode' which is the hardcore difficulty) and I can't see myself playing any other single player game for a few years!

The level of detail and love that was put into this game is phenomenal. There is no 'set way' to solve any puzzle, any challenge, any mission. You want to go in and kill everyone? You can do that. You want to try and talk your way through? That also works. I've never experienced the level of freedom that you get in this game in any other game.

Gameplay: 9/10

Graphics & Sound: 10/10

Narration: 9/10

✔️ Excellent narrative depth, with a huge amount of player agency.
✔️ Varied and intriguing companions with a big deal of character growth.
✔️ A very rich world to explore, with little to no filler content - every character has a story, every locale has something of value to find.
✔️ Despite the pretty poor D&D game system, Larian managed to allow for a pretty huge amount of build options by creating a lot of unique magical items with build-defining effects.
✔️ Seamless multiplayer gameplay.
✔️ Extremely clean turn-based tactical combat implementation, with a lot of environment interactions.
✔️ Nice character customisation options.

💭 The game suffers a lot from being based on D&D ruleset - while the developers did a lot to try and erase the flaws of the system, it can't evade those entirely. You have to deal with a rest system that is difficult to integrate in a natural game flow, the hit/miss mechanics that can make you play entire turns with no result, and a progression system that makes you choose between straight up improving your character or getting access to minor fun options. None of those make the game bad, but it makes you wonder how good the game would have been if it wasn't tainted by D&D.
💭 Narratively it also suffers from being set in Forgotten Realms due to how much the worldbuilding relies on there being "evil" races to justify having default antagonists the player won't feel bad about killing. The game tries to timidly tackle the subject a few times, but all the goblins you see are still evil raiders, and it is never questioned.

❌ There is one major dissonance between what the narration conveys and what is expected from the player - the game sets up a huge feeling of urgency right from the start, pushing the player to hurry up and take as few breaks as possible, while a lot of the game's events actually need long rests to occur, and there are no downsides to resting (apart from possibly running out of resources, but that isn't really a factor either, you find a lot of food). Just know that there is no hurry, and you need to rest quite often to not miss interesting narrative content.

Overall, Baldur's Gate 3 manages the feat of being a wonderful game despite being based on a mediocre game system and being set in a mediocre fantasy setting - you actually feel the amount of effort it took to swim against the current here and produce something so good in the end. It makes me even more optimistic about the next game by Larian Studios - if I could get any more optimistic after Divinity Original Sin 2.

Just finished my first playthrough with 172 hours. As someone who has never played turn-based or anything D&D-related, here is my review:

I saw this game a year ago and was hesitant to try it due to the turn-based combat and having absolutely no prior experience with D&D. I gave in recently due to wanting a new game to play, and oh boy was I wrong. This is truly a masterpiece; the level of depth in this game is insane. It has completely changed my perspective on this style of game and D&D as a whole.

At first, the abundance of options during character creation truly overwhelmed me, resulting in me spending 6 hours on it alone. But I'm glad it's there because it just makes it that much more replayable. This level of choice continues throughout the game, ensuring your experience is what you want it to be.

Most of these longer story games end up tiring me out, so I just rush through to the end to not feel like I've wasted the time I spent on it already. BG3 is an exception to that; despite being the longest game out of all of them, I truly enjoyed the whole journey.

Before I even finished the game, I already couldn't wait to do another playthrough with mods and different choices. Now that I have finished the game, I can confidently say that the feeling hasn't changed, and I'll be doing another playthrough in the future, probably an evil one...

I love literally everything I have no complaints. The devs always listen to our needs, adding mod downloading directly from the game, more evil endings, more romantic scenes. Honestly to spend up to 60 euros for this game and have EVERYTHING, no paywall whatsoever, is a luxury.

As someone with close to no prior knowledge of DnD and these types of games, yes it was overwhelming at first, but yes it was absolutely worth it. My first playthrough took about 120 hours, and still I missed a lot of content in acts 1 and 2. So I'm on my 2nd now and it just keeps giving, even after all the streams and youtube videos I've watched, there has been content I have never seen before. The writing is also a 10/10. I will never forget Baldur's Gate 3 and honestly it has opened my eyes as to how little freedom you get in a lot of other games.

Cheaper than a crack addiction but somehow even more all-consuming than one!
Act 3 burnout is too real otherwise 10/10.
Will waste another 200 hrs of my life on it again soon!

love the game and it is honestly amazing.
HOWEVER with major patch #7 anyone with mods that isn't authorized by larians partner mods.io will not work. (aka nexus and the rest) it will refuse to load any save that has "3rd party" and if you try it will send you back to the title screen. this will also happen if you try and start a new game..

i hope it is fixed but i don't expect it to be. i just hope i am wrong. the modding community was great and wild. unfortunately if this continues most modding will not exist anymore and any chance of it growing instead will be very unlikely.

A MASTERPIECE WORTH EVERY MINUTE!

Like, I literally can't say this any louder! I’ve been absolutely blown away by this game. After investing over 370 hours, I can confidently say that it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in my +16 years of gaming!

As someone who’s relatively new to games like Baldur's Gate 3, The game has done wonders in introducing me to the complexities of D&D within a digital realm. The adaptation of traditional tabletop mechanics into a seamless and engaging gameplay experience is nothing short of remarkableness.

From the very beginning, the world of Faerûn feels alive and immersive, thanks to the stunning visuals and meticulous attention to detail. The narrative is very engaging and full of twists, making each decision feel meaningful and impactful. The voice acting and character interactions are absolutely top-notch! Bringing the story and its inhabitants to life in a way that’s truly memorable.

What really sets Baldur’s Gate 3 apart is its depth. With hundreds of quests, countless choices, and a variety of playstyles, there’s always something new to discover. The replayability is off the charts! Each playthrough can be a completely different experience! The flexibility in character creation and party dynamics allows you to craft a unique adventure every time.

If you’re a fan of RPGs in general or just looking for a game that offers a rich, engaging experience, Baldur’s Gate 3 is more than worth your time. My 370+ hours are a testament to its insane quality and replayability. This game has completely set a new standard for the genre! And I highly recommend it to anyone!

That said, if there is one "downside" that I could possible think of that is worth mentioning about Baldur's Gate 3, It has to be the fact that it may not be the most welcoming for players who are completely new to the D&D aspect of the game (Like me!) . The depth and complexity of the D&D mechanics can be daunting quite a bit at first, and it takes some time to fully grasp the nuances if you’re unfamiliar with the system. However, this challenge is also a blessing in disguise. It pushes you to learn and appreciate the intricacies of D&D, enriching your overall experience and deepening your understanding of the game’s mechanics. If you’re like me and are very excited to dive into the beauty of RPG with a truly remarkable blend with D&D, The feeling of immersion is something to totally embrace!

ALSO!

I’m incredibly excited to see what Patch 7 has in store and how it will further enhance this already amazing game! A huge shoutout to Larian Studios and everyone who worked on this project. Your dedication and passion have created an absolute masterpiece and This game is a testament to your incredible talent and hard work, and I’m grateful for the unforgettable adventure you’ve given us all!

From the bottom of my heart. Thank you SO SO much! ♡

I usually shun major AAA games in favor of small indie publishers. So when this game first came out and got a lot of attention, I ignored it, thinking it was overrated. Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give Baldur's Gate 3 a try. Boy, have I been missing out.

Game play and game mechanics are similar to Dungeons & Dragons. There are nice tie-ins to the series that D&D players (including myself) will appreciate, such as certain races like elves and half-elves having dark vision, critical successes and critical failures, and classes like bards, wizards, and fighters. One key difference between the game and D&D is that in Baldur's Gate 3, instead of rolling initiative at the start of each turn, initiative is rolled only once and remains locked in for the rest of combat. Knowledge of D&D isn't required to play though, as there are tutorials for your first play through and game play is intuitive.

Where the game really shines is all of its content. There are so many classes, paladin, barbarian, fighter, druid, cleric, bard, and monk, and just as many races too. Many classes and races also have sub-classes or sub-races, which allows in-depth customization of your characters. The only problem with this is customizing your first character (assuming you don't choose a pre-made one) can take a very long time, especially if you're indecisive like me. My first character Daelis, was a Wild Magic Sorcerer, and I had a cleric, fighter, and rogue in my party. Each class felt distinct and was fun in their own way.

The story was very enjoyable (no spoilers here!). You are forced to make many tough irreversible decisions with far-reaching consequences throughout, this did raise my blood pressure at times but it also made everything feel more consequential. I liked how my party members' backstories diverged and intersected with the main story. Each character was well-written and fully-fleshed out, which made it feel like a real D&D campaign. There isn't much replayability when it comes to the main story. You can make different decisions, which can affect the ending but the overall story line remains the same. Unlike D&D there is only one campaign. Things that surprised you in your first play through will be expected in the second. Replayability is instead found in game play and quests. It's impossible to complete every quest, especially every party member's unique quests, in one play through. All the different races and classes also give the game more replay value. You can also recruit different party members than last time, resulting in new character interactions.

My only complaint is saving in the game. There is an auto-save system, but it only activates after you enter important areas. You're forced to manually quick-save most of the time. I eventually got the hang of it, but it was annoying at first when I forgot to quick-save and lost progress. I played on the Balanced difficulty, which is essentially normal, and struggled during many fights. I had to reload old saves because my party kept dying or failing. That's more of a skill issue on my party than a problem with the game though. If you play a lot of casual games and don't have experience with RPGs, I'd recommend the Narrative or easy mode. Things will still be challenging, it's just your blood pressure won't spike as much.

Overall, this is a good game for anyone who likes D&D or story-rich RPGs with lots of content.

Best Game I have ever played.

I knew about D&D before playing this but I didn't enjoy it because of my lack of imagination, but this game did a tremendous job at getting me to like the world of D&D more even with my lack of imagination I now see why so many people love D&D and I'm even considering to learn more about it outside of this game.

If you enjoy story driven games you must give this game a chance, that's the only reason I did and I don't regret it.

Looking forward the update for the mods to go for another campaign.

Independently of whether you like the game or not, this is by FAR the most complete RPG ever created.
The sheer amount reactiveness this game has is just insane, most of every action you take will be taken into account by the game. You might find here and there some illogical response or event the game throws at you because you did something so rare and out of place that it wasn't foreseen by developers. However, the overwhelming majority of the stupid things your brain might come up with to mess with the game logic has been taken into consideration.
And considering the gigantic of amount cutscenes in existence, this is truly a manga opus in modern days.
Overall Positive aspects:
- Awesome non-limiting gameplay
- Great characters with many diverse personalities
- Good story with multiple satisfying endings
- Gargantuan level of interactions that feel limitless

The bad:
- Companions are a bit too horny or romantic, they certainly do NOT wait for you to take the first step (ALL OF THEM)
- Many bugs: This isn't bugthesda, but it certainly felt close to it at launch. There are still many lying around...
- This game isn't exactly well-balanced, some feats/items/spells are pretty 'meh', some others are completely broken.

I never write reviews and I'm sure you don't need yet another positive review on this but still this is one of the most fun games I've ever played. Very little to no bugs which is rare in this time of games lol. Everything has been thought out, everything is interactable, everything you do has effect on the story and people. Even for those who are unfamiliar with DND this is a very enjoyable game. You can play at your own pace, think out all your actions, save and go back if you need to. The story is very fun and there's some cool conflicting choices to make. Probably never bought a game worth more it's price than this. The first run through will take about 100 hours and then you'll wanna do it again to change the story. xoxo 10/10 game.

Awesome game, but I held off playing it because of the top-down/isometric camera - didn't like the camera in DOS2 either. Then I found the "Native Camera Tweaks" mod on Nexus Mods.

This totally changes the game, allowing you to use standard 3rd person camera controls, and actually see what's ahead when moving up-hill.

It turns out all outdoor areas have sky boxes (including sun and moon), and almost all interior areas have ceilings. Trust me, you'll hardly notice the few times a ceiling is missing or "pops in", unless you're looking for it. And there's no performance hit that I've noticed.

Makes me wander why Larian didn't give an unlocked camera by default...

Also you have full control over zoom/pitch/FoV/invert axis/dead zones etc through the mod's configuration file.

[b][i]EDIT: The mod has been updated (8 SEP 24) to work with patch 7. Many thanks to Ersh for updating it so promptly!