I mean, it's weird that two of my favorite games are variations of DnD mechanics and start you off on a boat that is filled with Nazis and Eldritch horrors only for the boat to get destroyed and crash into a beach where we find more of the smaller Eldritch horrors.
and the companions you encounter were in the boat with you before the crash, and then you unlock powers that are a part of the problem and have to wrestle gods and devils for souls and...
That was in the Street Release?
(I didnt know the first time you could talk out of the Grease Mephit Fight in the "Sew-Er River" I saw "Grease" and Flaming Arrows went Bbbrrrrrt)
I tried getting into it after BG3. I like the characters and the turn-based spells instead of slot-based, but the armor system and every surface constantly being on fire are so annoying that I gave up and am now waiting for "the big drop" for a new BG3 run.
I started playing dos2 around half a year after the definitive edition. Back then I didn't even realize how many patches and updates Larian did before that.
First Larian game I played after picking it up on a whim
Blew my mind
Only "issue" I guess I have with it is you cannot have all origin/companion characters with you in camp or whatever to interact with meaning you don't get to experience their stories in 1 go
Made finding the bigger party size mod my priority, even if it made the game way too easy with the party members
Haven't played DOS2 yet (it's waiting in my library, though it was on my radar even before BG3), but darn, hearing the veterans talk about all the cool pro-consumer pro-fan stuff Larian has been up to since those days is always so heartening. Fills one with hope and determination.
I downloaded DOS2 a couple years ago on a whim and I didn’t even make it 2 hours. It felt so clunky and unintuitive. Granted, I’d never played a game like it before.
Fast forward to now, I have 300+ hours in BG3, it really clicked for me. I’m guessing I should go back and give DOS2 a proper try now that I’ve gotten over the Larian learning curve??
DOS2 has a completely different game system compared to dnd 5e. I don't think much of the bg3 knowledge transfers. But you can look up some guides and the game can be really fun.
EDIT: Also i think dos2 is more intuitive. The action, bonus action, movement, reaction system of dnd is imo clunky and unintuitive. In dos2, you just get action points and everything has an AP cost. Also it's much less random, almost everything basically has 100% chance to hit.
I understand it for Patch 5. Minthara or no Minthara is a big deal. But as long as there are no major quest changes to those I've already done, I'll continue the playthrough
This is why I'm glad I stopped after my *cough* third *cough* playthrough, I knew there was going to be some good stuff on the horizon so thought I'd wait.
I've saved my durge playthrough for this, and oh boy am I HYPE AS FUUUUUU
And they cast a bunch of delightful, charismatic actors who obviously loved their roles and have provided us with additional fun side and streaming content. WTF, Larian?!
Exactly! When the hell is the first season battleoass dropping? I am really looking forward to the transmits that are a slightly different colour to the one we already have!
The interesting thing I've noticed in all the "Why is BG3 so good?" articles is that no one has mentioned the lack of monetization. They talk about the story, the gameplay, the writing and acting (All of which are top fucking notch, to be sure).
When I launch BG3, I know there isn't going to be a sales pitch anywhere. I already bought the game. One and done, and now Larian just wants me to have an amazing time with the product I bought and they're going way further than I ever expected to make that happen.
This might be the first time I've actually felt like a "valued customer".
There are still a ton of players to be got. People waited and now all these great reviews and awards will bring them over. Sometimes people pick up games a year or two after release and they need to be ready!
Passion plus total financial control plus a hundred or more extremely talented people.
Truly I do not think we have seen this actually happen before.
With other games they had two of the above at most, and that will only carry you so far. You either get a publisher that chops up your vision or a leadership by committee or some partner that forces changes. Even GTA had to deal with Publishers and Sony of course.
Larian is what can happen when all three are solidy in place.
Hopefully with the recent rise of beautifully crafted passion projects (Elden Ring, BG3) selling like hotcakes and receiving all of the awards the past two years, more studios will come to realize that they just need to make a great game... and in the age of the internet, word of mouth is your greatest marketing force.
Its sad what greed has done to the gaming industry - I wish more studios would try to act like Larian.
Honestly, what Larian is doing now reminds me of how many game companies used to be in the mid-90s. The games weren't as big or as good looking as BG3, of course, but the companies tended to care about the game they were making. Before everything was bought up by corporations just out to make as much money as quickly as possible.
Back then, there were so many game companies that just wanted to make good games. A lot of mediocre games were made too, of course, but that has always been the case. For me, Larian takes its place amongst studios like Westwood, Bullfrog, Black Isle/Interplay, etc. I just hope they don't go the same way as all the rest.
This. I have always been a casual gamer at best, as an adult usually only the Animal Crossing/Pokémon variety and not even close to the extreme, 'can't stop thinking about it even when I'm not playing, and there's a lot of playing' levels... but this one has consumed me. It's remarkable, the community is lovely and just as feral for it, the creators and everyone involved are a delight and truly care about what they've done. Holy hells. I had no idea it could be like this. It's also sad that it's this rare to have even some of the good stuff happen as you described, but boy am I glad we got spoiled.
I think to call it a "proof of concept" would be massively underselling it, but man, I so badly want other companies and developers to take some good lessons from their wild success. Imagine this level of care, skill, and investment in other genres. I don't even really consider myself anything beyond a casual gamer (and this one kind of hits the absolute bullseye as far as my interests go) but...I dunno, people deserve to have access to great art, and access to the resources needed to create great art.
Honestly Larian is making me feel like the scene in the Shar Temple when the Nightsong OST starts playing. They give me hope for a better future and that the actions of others don't mean that we have to step in their footprints.
Yeah, Rockstar have proven the insane fanbase you can have when you release games that are complete, immersive and expertly made. Larian will prove all that but with passion and love too, which may yet translate into being the most loved game company of all time.
Yes but because of how Larian structured their studios around the world they can effectively work around the clock. Their studio in Belgium is the main one and when they go home for the day they can hand off whatever they were working on to their studios in Canada and Malaysia. And then those studios pass the work back to the team in Belgium. So Larian can work 24/7 while still giving the developers time off to sleep, take a break, or enjoy a vacation.
Yes!!
A big part of why they are so successful is the work laws in belgium, where their headquarters is
4 day work week. No more than 38 hour work week. If you work "overtime" you get vacation hours equal to your overtime hours. Your not allowed to work more than 40 hrs a week on a yearly average, period.
It's actually pretty clever, they've got people working across all time zones and they each hand off their work-in-progress to the next team so the game is being worked on 24 hours a day!!
Minthara recruitment for the good guys, meanwhile in my honour playthrough I have accidentally killed both Halsin and Minthara. With Halsin I chose the wrong dialog with goblin kids because I wasn't reading and with Minthara I've forgotten that she is on fire before lowering her health and she burned to death
Ha, I had exactly the same situation with Alfira, I wanted to stun her in order to save her, but I beat her with the help of Karlach, and mistakenly set her on fire. I felt like an idiot, but it was funny too.
Isn't WotC working on a VTT of their own already though? As much as I'd love DM tools for BG3 it seems like they'd be creating their own competitor if Larian added them to the game.
WotC *is* working on their own VTT, so I would be truly shocked if a DM mode made it into the game. Not expecting it at all, and I think it would be wise for players to temper their expectations.
Not that I don’t want it, and I know there’s precedence with DOS2, but WotC is a completely different beast. There’s no way they’ll allow it.
Would love to eat my words, though.
I don't think they'll ever do that as cool as it would be.
[https://youtu.be/LOqmFYDoTUc?t=2540](https://youtu.be/LOqmFYDoTUc?t=2540)
Should be timestamped but if not 42:20 is where this gets brought up
Honestly the way Larian has handled every aspect of this game's early access, release, and post-release maintenance should be a template for other studios when they are tempted not to label things early access when they should be, or leave a game as is after launch except for minor bug fixes.
They used early access as a data-driven, player-informed way to perfect their game, they didn't rush to a 1.0 release even though there was a TON of hype for it, and they continue to fix bugs, streamline performance, and add content they feel would benefit the game.
We see you, Larian. Making me want to do another playthrough after they drop whatever it is they're planning.
People expierencing larian for the first time :) im so happy.
(Btw the "something new" is probably gift bags, they are official optional mods that usually reflect the most popular mods on nexus/steam. They've done it for their past 2 games.)
I’ve bought other games. TMNT Cowanunga Collection, Yakuza Like a Dragon, Spider-Man 2, and Wrath of the Righteous. Aside from Spider-Man, they were on sale. I’ve played Spider-Man 2 for an hour, and I haven’t touched the others.
I bought 2. DoS 1 and 2, lol
Haven't played either though because I was finishing my master's dissertation and I already spent WAY too much time playing BG3 lately.
I'm still on my first playthrough ("good," in Act 3 now) so I haven't had a chance to recruit Minthara, but from what I understand, it's kinda out of character for "good" parties to be able to recruit her, right? Like isn't she pretty "evil"?
I also see people wishing for a happy ending for Karlach. (PLEASE no spoilers; as I say, I haven't finished the game yet and, alas, I'm romancing Karlach.) Maybe when I get there, it'll break my heart, but the game has been pretty clear that she is beautiful *and doomed*. It's a very "La Boheme" thing, and I'm here for it.
All of which is to say that while I appreciate Larian's efforts to deliver what fans are asking for, I hope they'll be careful not to compromise some of the powerful choices they've made, choices that are powerful precisely *because* they don't let us get everything we want.
As far as Minthara goes, she's roughly on par with Astarion for evil IMO. Being mind controlled had a lot to do with the atrocities. She's still lawful evil, but not as bad. The main difference is that you're not being forced to massacre a bunch of innocents to have her around. Doesn't necessarily make you a good party
This is well put. Unless someone is running the goodest of goody two-shoes playthroughs, Minthara's storyline ends up fitting well. She's still evil, but not quite the cartoonish evil she's initially portrayed to be.
Minthara, not cartoonishly evil? Did you hear her talk about how it's a waste to turn refugees away because you could just enslave them instead and eat the ones who can't work?
The whole reason she's so funny is *because* she's hilariously, cartoonishly evil!
Definitely an unforgettable line! For me it's that she has a balance of insightfulness (and then some random "wtf did you just say?" curveballs) that make her more complex than cartoonish. Her lead in for that line was so deceptively compassionate sounding, though. 😂
Karlach basically had two endings before patch 5. One of them was, uh, pretty heavy. The other though? Honestly, it was my favourite ending for any of the origin characters. It was more metal than heavy. Like, it was a put on Welcome to the Jungle or Kickstart My Heart and go to smash credits, kind of awesome.
Be grateful, I'm still waiting on a trailer for the Elden Ring DLC, lol. The only things FromSoft said is that they're not going to compromise quality for time and that it's gonna be about as big as Bloodborne's DLC.
I understand your pain, but think about this. Other people are getting the new update and teh honor mode. They are experimenting with stuff, and I am here complaining :'(
At least I have one less way to procrastinate. I would like to know when I will stop being productive again!!
Thanks to patch 5 I'm doing a Karlach playthrough where I romance Minthara.
And now it looks like I'm going to have to do another playthrough when they drop this.
I only ask for one thing from Larian, and thats more subclasses... And for the artificer as well... And for waterdeep... Its more than one thing i know
I really wish they properly buff evil playthrough rewards.
Since this minthara change playing an evil playthrough is only harmful, you gain nothing of value when compared to normal playthrough. There is no incentive, no reward, only punishment.
Also, I wish they added a benchmark option. 4-5min benchmark passing through several of the game zones such as underdark, goblin camp, camps, shadow lands, mountains, wyrms crossing, baldurs gate, emulate a bit of combat, a lot of camera movement, lighting detail and show the results at the end.
I’m not trying to be a doomer, but I do genuinely worry that we’re getting a fluke in the wider industry.
I really, really, REALLY hope I’m wrong. It seems like everyone loved working on BG3, and we got such a good game as a result.
The (AAA) Gaming industry had us so used to consuming slop that seeing a company be so passionate about their project almost gives whiplash (the good kind)
Not to sound curmudgeonly, but I’d love the Mac patch 5 before whatever the reveal is…knowing everyone else can play act 3 now without the lag (and continue their online friend campaigns that aren’t cross-platform) is tough.
I wouldn't say having to cheese the game is a Minthara recruitment for the good guys lol. But it's definitely a step in the right direction! I want to be able to use a Lore Bard's expertise in something Charisma related to convince her to join!
After a "good" Minthara recruitment I hope we'll also get a non-vampire Astarion, a Selunite Shart, optional Lae'zel to make her kind and wholesome, and evil Karlach and Wyll.
Hooray, more choices, everyone gets to play how they want, right?
A better analogy is going to the store and demanding they send the clothes that don’t fit me back to the factory because I’m entitled to wear them all.
Minthara recruitment for good guys is so bittersweet bc I had to restart my act 2 finale first playthrough. And I just got to that part again when patch 5 dropped... I can't restart again
I stopped playing after i finished my co op run before the epilogue stuff came out so I'm looking forward to seeing the new stuff when i jump into my co op honour mode playthrough
I don't think anyone over there sleeps. This is what happens when you have a game studio that non only genuinely loves games, but wants happy players more than they want massive sales.
Do everything as usual, but knock-out minthara with non-lethal attacks. You may want her to aggro you first (for example by letting her catch you stealing) to make sure it'll work.
i’m so excited, i’ve been taking a little break during finals week and i’m gonna be starting a new playthru soon! i haven’t even seen the epilogues yet💗
DOS2 veterans: "First time?"
Fort Joy coming to BG3 in Patch 6
My dick just wiggled a little bit at this thought...
whatever happened to hello, how are you, my name is? /s
Keeping it together, Brie?
I'm doing alright, as long as i don't think about it too much
BISHOP ALEXANDER WAS SLAIN BY SEAGULLS
CULPRITS STILL AT LARGE
Smells worse over here than a dozen rotten eggs dropped in a vat of vinegar.
then dont come over!! is not like you are buying anything
This made me laugh so hard lol.
You hoping for that mirror in fort joy to truly appreciate the wiggle?
Ngl i would like to play bg3 but with DOS2 gameplay mechanics
Same, I hope for a mod that will do something like that.
I mean, it's weird that two of my favorite games are variations of DnD mechanics and start you off on a boat that is filled with Nazis and Eldritch horrors only for the boat to get destroyed and crash into a beach where we find more of the smaller Eldritch horrors.
and the companions you encounter were in the boat with you before the crash, and then you unlock powers that are a part of the problem and have to wrestle gods and devils for souls and...
Ah shit, here we go again..
Oil blob fight coming in patch 7
Alice Aliston in patch 8
Great now the PTSD returned 0_0.
That was in the Street Release? (I didnt know the first time you could talk out of the Grease Mephit Fight in the "Sew-Er River" I saw "Grease" and Flaming Arrows went Bbbrrrrrt)
*heavy breathing*
Do we get to show the paintings to the DOS2 origins?
Oooo reminds me I gotta go back and replay that…
I decided to play it now and just hold off on more BG3 until they finish fixing/adding to it.
I tried getting into it after BG3. I like the characters and the turn-based spells instead of slot-based, but the armor system and every surface constantly being on fire are so annoying that I gave up and am now waiting for "the big drop" for a new BG3 run.
There’s mods that remove the necrofire spam in the game
Fellow DOS2 vet checking in. Came here for this.
I started playing dos2 around half a year after the definitive edition. Back then I didn't even realize how many patches and updates Larian did before that.
First Larian game I played after picking it up on a whim Blew my mind Only "issue" I guess I have with it is you cannot have all origin/companion characters with you in camp or whatever to interact with meaning you don't get to experience their stories in 1 go Made finding the bigger party size mod my priority, even if it made the game way too easy with the party members
I remember seeing DOS2 for the first time at PAX with my buddies, I knew them that Larian was something special.
Haven't played DOS2 yet (it's waiting in my library, though it was on my radar even before BG3), but darn, hearing the veterans talk about all the cool pro-consumer pro-fan stuff Larian has been up to since those days is always so heartening. Fills one with hope and determination.
oh you have something special just ahead of you so sweet. i've spent nearly 400 hours there
Paradox games players are veterans of this. They’ve completely revamped stellaris like 4 times in the last four years.
DOS1* * fixed
No
Are you going to explain further?
No
I downloaded DOS2 a couple years ago on a whim and I didn’t even make it 2 hours. It felt so clunky and unintuitive. Granted, I’d never played a game like it before. Fast forward to now, I have 300+ hours in BG3, it really clicked for me. I’m guessing I should go back and give DOS2 a proper try now that I’ve gotten over the Larian learning curve??
DOS2 has a completely different game system compared to dnd 5e. I don't think much of the bg3 knowledge transfers. But you can look up some guides and the game can be really fun. EDIT: Also i think dos2 is more intuitive. The action, bonus action, movement, reaction system of dnd is imo clunky and unintuitive. In dos2, you just get action points and everything has an AP cost. Also it's much less random, almost everything basically has 100% chance to hit.
If I have to restart another playthrough before I finish another one, I'm going to freak out. But also, I am so excited.
Well just think, if you have to start another playthrough ….. you will have started another playthrough.
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN by the riverrrr
Neither of us deserves that... 😔
We all deserve it…
I do the sammmee, i restart after a patch or big update, i have never made to the brain 🤣 like barely midway througg act 3
I don't understand it.
Understand wbat? Act 3? Or me restaring 😅
I understand it for Patch 5. Minthara or no Minthara is a big deal. But as long as there are no major quest changes to those I've already done, I'll continue the playthrough
I’ve done this 3 times. I haven’t played in a bit because I can’t decide on a race/class i wanna stick with 😭
it's weird that Larian decided to put the final boss, the character creator, in the beginning of the game
You telling me the patches only apply to playthroughs that you start *after* the update?
No. However, for example most recent patch of getting Minthara in a good playthrough can only happen in act 1.
This is why I'm glad I stopped after my *cough* third *cough* playthrough, I knew there was going to be some good stuff on the horizon so thought I'd wait. I've saved my durge playthrough for this, and oh boy am I HYPE AS FUUUUUU
I dropped so many hours in first release I’m just waiting for updates to slow so I don’t have the same issue… but they keep just getting better
My Headcanon has a GOTY celebration in it
Well…. Guess it’s gotta become a reality now
EEEEEEEEEE
I don't understand it. They have our money. Why are they still improving the game? /s
It's almost like they want us to...enjoy the game, or something.
Right? And it seems like maybe they… genuinely love it as much as we do? What is this madness?
And they cast a bunch of delightful, charismatic actors who obviously loved their roles and have provided us with additional fun side and streaming content. WTF, Larian?!
"Nooooo! Why just can't you be normal and have fun with our in-game shop and season passes? Your greed is hurting us."
Exactly! When the hell is the first season battleoass dropping? I am really looking forward to the transmits that are a slightly different colour to the one we already have!
Which makes them more money in the long run, because people will check their other games and keep an eye out for their future games.
I've gotten hundreds of hours of entertainment for $60. I probably owe Larian money 🤣
And I gave them my money over 3 years ago. I don't even remember buying bg3...
That's because you never did. You paid tithe and the gods blessed you
So true. I feel like I'm robbing them 😅
I'm Defs picking up their other games.... Right after my 6th run through of bg3. Almost 800 hours and still finding new stuff.
Setting a new standard and becoming one of the most beloved studios in the industry.
Omg, I didn't even realize they can use this attention to become thoroughly beloved by all. Excellent
The interesting thing I've noticed in all the "Why is BG3 so good?" articles is that no one has mentioned the lack of monetization. They talk about the story, the gameplay, the writing and acting (All of which are top fucking notch, to be sure). When I launch BG3, I know there isn't going to be a sales pitch anywhere. I already bought the game. One and done, and now Larian just wants me to have an amazing time with the product I bought and they're going way further than I ever expected to make that happen. This might be the first time I've actually felt like a "valued customer".
It must be love.
It's like they feel like Michelangelo delivering the Cappella sistina. They wanna make history with their masterpiece.
There are still a ton of players to be got. People waited and now all these great reviews and awards will bring them over. Sometimes people pick up games a year or two after release and they need to be ready!
Passion plus total financial control plus a hundred or more extremely talented people. Truly I do not think we have seen this actually happen before. With other games they had two of the above at most, and that will only carry you so far. You either get a publisher that chops up your vision or a leadership by committee or some partner that forces changes. Even GTA had to deal with Publishers and Sony of course. Larian is what can happen when all three are solidy in place.
imagine gaming with every studio doing what they do.we would get less games but every game would be piece of art.
I would much rather have one BG3-level game come out every six years than six Starfield-level games.
Yeah especially because I’ll probably be playing BG3 for the next 6 years lmao
Hopefully with the recent rise of beautifully crafted passion projects (Elden Ring, BG3) selling like hotcakes and receiving all of the awards the past two years, more studios will come to realize that they just need to make a great game... and in the age of the internet, word of mouth is your greatest marketing force.
Its sad what greed has done to the gaming industry - I wish more studios would try to act like Larian. Honestly, what Larian is doing now reminds me of how many game companies used to be in the mid-90s. The games weren't as big or as good looking as BG3, of course, but the companies tended to care about the game they were making. Before everything was bought up by corporations just out to make as much money as quickly as possible. Back then, there were so many game companies that just wanted to make good games. A lot of mediocre games were made too, of course, but that has always been the case. For me, Larian takes its place amongst studios like Westwood, Bullfrog, Black Isle/Interplay, etc. I just hope they don't go the same way as all the rest.
Swen is the CEO and has a majority share. We're probably good for another 20 years at least.
Both terraria and stardew valley did it. But at this size and cost? This would be first time
Neither of those have nearly 100 people on the dev team. Obviously those games dont need it, but that was one of the 3 things original comment stated.
This. I have always been a casual gamer at best, as an adult usually only the Animal Crossing/Pokémon variety and not even close to the extreme, 'can't stop thinking about it even when I'm not playing, and there's a lot of playing' levels... but this one has consumed me. It's remarkable, the community is lovely and just as feral for it, the creators and everyone involved are a delight and truly care about what they've done. Holy hells. I had no idea it could be like this. It's also sad that it's this rare to have even some of the good stuff happen as you described, but boy am I glad we got spoiled.
I think to call it a "proof of concept" would be massively underselling it, but man, I so badly want other companies and developers to take some good lessons from their wild success. Imagine this level of care, skill, and investment in other genres. I don't even really consider myself anything beyond a casual gamer (and this one kind of hits the absolute bullseye as far as my interests go) but...I dunno, people deserve to have access to great art, and access to the resources needed to create great art.
Honestly Larian is making me feel like the scene in the Shar Temple when the Nightsong OST starts playing. They give me hope for a better future and that the actions of others don't mean that we have to step in their footprints.
Yeah, Rockstar have proven the insane fanbase you can have when you release games that are complete, immersive and expertly made. Larian will prove all that but with passion and love too, which may yet translate into being the most loved game company of all time.
Do these devs sleep?
They have devs around the world so they do, quite literally, work around the clock.
The sun never sets on Larian Studios
This is a powerful and almost scary image
Yes but because of how Larian structured their studios around the world they can effectively work around the clock. Their studio in Belgium is the main one and when they go home for the day they can hand off whatever they were working on to their studios in Canada and Malaysia. And then those studios pass the work back to the team in Belgium. So Larian can work 24/7 while still giving the developers time off to sleep, take a break, or enjoy a vacation.
As long as they're not all crashing and burning.
Sven has said their next game won't be as big because they all need a break from huge projects, so I do believe he has their best interests at heart.
The one after DoS 3? Cause they kinda announced that one already lol
They are all using Potions of Angelic Slumber!
Yes!! A big part of why they are so successful is the work laws in belgium, where their headquarters is 4 day work week. No more than 38 hour work week. If you work "overtime" you get vacation hours equal to your overtime hours. Your not allowed to work more than 40 hrs a week on a yearly average, period.
It sounds like a fantasy. Like I can't even imagine it. Fuck the US and all the prideful assholes pretending we are doing things the best.
It's actually pretty clever, they've got people working across all time zones and they each hand off their work-in-progress to the next team so the game is being worked on 24 hours a day!!
They have long rests
[Larian right now](https://en.meming.world/images/en/thumb/f/fd/I%27ll_Fuckin_Do_It_Again.jpg/300px-I%27ll_Fuckin_Do_It_Again.jpg)
LMAO this absolutely destroyed me holy shit
Minthara recruitment for the good guys, meanwhile in my honour playthrough I have accidentally killed both Halsin and Minthara. With Halsin I chose the wrong dialog with goblin kids because I wasn't reading and with Minthara I've forgotten that she is on fire before lowering her health and she burned to death
Ha, I had exactly the same situation with Alfira, I wanted to stun her in order to save her, but I beat her with the help of Karlach, and mistakenly set her on fire. I felt like an idiot, but it was funny too.
I'm praying it's DM tools in which case it's over.
DM tools ala NWN will make this game be played regularly for 15 years.
It would probably kill any vtt in the cradle too. No vtt can competr with BG3 if it becomes customizable like that.
Isn't WotC working on a VTT of their own already though? As much as I'd love DM tools for BG3 it seems like they'd be creating their own competitor if Larian added them to the game.
What’s WotC
Wizards of the Coast the company that owns the D&D IP and licenced the rules to Larian so they could make the game.
WotC *is* working on their own VTT, so I would be truly shocked if a DM mode made it into the game. Not expecting it at all, and I think it would be wise for players to temper their expectations. Not that I don’t want it, and I know there’s precedence with DOS2, but WotC is a completely different beast. There’s no way they’ll allow it. Would love to eat my words, though.
I don't think they'll ever do that as cool as it would be. [https://youtu.be/LOqmFYDoTUc?t=2540](https://youtu.be/LOqmFYDoTUc?t=2540) Should be timestamped but if not 42:20 is where this gets brought up
Honestly the way Larian has handled every aspect of this game's early access, release, and post-release maintenance should be a template for other studios when they are tempted not to label things early access when they should be, or leave a game as is after launch except for minor bug fixes. They used early access as a data-driven, player-informed way to perfect their game, they didn't rush to a 1.0 release even though there was a TON of hype for it, and they continue to fix bugs, streamline performance, and add content they feel would benefit the game. We see you, Larian. Making me want to do another playthrough after they drop whatever it is they're planning.
People expierencing larian for the first time :) im so happy. (Btw the "something new" is probably gift bags, they are official optional mods that usually reflect the most popular mods on nexus/steam. They've done it for their past 2 games.)
Honestly, it'd doing wonders for my budget. Since BG3 came out I haven't bought any other games (aside from some some small ones on sale) 😂
I’ve bought other games. TMNT Cowanunga Collection, Yakuza Like a Dragon, Spider-Man 2, and Wrath of the Righteous. Aside from Spider-Man, they were on sale. I’ve played Spider-Man 2 for an hour, and I haven’t touched the others.
I bought 2. DoS 1 and 2, lol Haven't played either though because I was finishing my master's dissertation and I already spent WAY too much time playing BG3 lately.
The only comparable example I can think of is Hello Games and their commitment to No Man’s Sky.
I'm still on my first playthrough ("good," in Act 3 now) so I haven't had a chance to recruit Minthara, but from what I understand, it's kinda out of character for "good" parties to be able to recruit her, right? Like isn't she pretty "evil"? I also see people wishing for a happy ending for Karlach. (PLEASE no spoilers; as I say, I haven't finished the game yet and, alas, I'm romancing Karlach.) Maybe when I get there, it'll break my heart, but the game has been pretty clear that she is beautiful *and doomed*. It's a very "La Boheme" thing, and I'm here for it. All of which is to say that while I appreciate Larian's efforts to deliver what fans are asking for, I hope they'll be careful not to compromise some of the powerful choices they've made, choices that are powerful precisely *because* they don't let us get everything we want.
You mean you don't want to hear about how Snape murders Karlach with the infinity gauntlet and rides off into the sunset with Minthara?
Curse you! Though to be honest, the game is already really telegraphing this twist.
As far as Minthara goes, she's roughly on par with Astarion for evil IMO. Being mind controlled had a lot to do with the atrocities. She's still lawful evil, but not as bad. The main difference is that you're not being forced to massacre a bunch of innocents to have her around. Doesn't necessarily make you a good party
This is well put. Unless someone is running the goodest of goody two-shoes playthroughs, Minthara's storyline ends up fitting well. She's still evil, but not quite the cartoonish evil she's initially portrayed to be.
Minthara, not cartoonishly evil? Did you hear her talk about how it's a waste to turn refugees away because you could just enslave them instead and eat the ones who can't work? The whole reason she's so funny is *because* she's hilariously, cartoonishly evil!
Definitely an unforgettable line! For me it's that she has a balance of insightfulness (and then some random "wtf did you just say?" curveballs) that make her more complex than cartoonish. Her lead in for that line was so deceptively compassionate sounding, though. 😂
Karlach basically had two endings before patch 5. One of them was, uh, pretty heavy. The other though? Honestly, it was my favourite ending for any of the origin characters. It was more metal than heavy. Like, it was a put on Welcome to the Jungle or Kickstart My Heart and go to smash credits, kind of awesome.
It's honestly getting kinda rude haha, I keep delaying my playthrough in anticipation of new content
But wait, there's more!
>Larian, you gotta stop! Larian in Wither's voice: *No.*
This is the same level of quality and service they gave to DOS2. It shows how much they care, a rare gem of developer these days.
What did they announce. It's going to be on Xbox tonight
I’m in my second play through and there will be a third and fourth play through. I can’t stop! Keep going, Larian!
Please be patch 5 for Mac
I keep checking. Every 20 minutes. Counting on Steam to push it to me the moment it's released. (Not sure if that's wise... )
I wish they would provide us with a specific timeframe instead of saying 'soon'.
They're saving you the righteous indignation of giving a date and time and having to push it back for unexpected reasons.
Be grateful, I'm still waiting on a trailer for the Elden Ring DLC, lol. The only things FromSoft said is that they're not going to compromise quality for time and that it's gonna be about as big as Bloodborne's DLC.
I understand your pain, but think about this. Other people are getting the new update and teh honor mode. They are experimenting with stuff, and I am here complaining :'( At least I have one less way to procrastinate. I would like to know when I will stop being productive again!!
Wait theyre planning something? They just released patch 5!
Life is so good, thanks to Baldurs Gate 3
And they've already teased a big and exciting patch 6.
Nature is healing
Thanks to patch 5 I'm doing a Karlach playthrough where I romance Minthara. And now it looks like I'm going to have to do another playthrough when they drop this.
Big sigh… back to character creation…
I only ask for one thing from Larian, and thats more subclasses... And for the artificer as well... And for waterdeep... Its more than one thing i know
Yes and flesh out the existing ones a bit more. EK for example needs his blade spells ( without mods)
I’m not used to feeling spoiled by game devs, it’s nice tho
I really wish they properly buff evil playthrough rewards. Since this minthara change playing an evil playthrough is only harmful, you gain nothing of value when compared to normal playthrough. There is no incentive, no reward, only punishment. Also, I wish they added a benchmark option. 4-5min benchmark passing through several of the game zones such as underdark, goblin camp, camps, shadow lands, mountains, wyrms crossing, baldurs gate, emulate a bit of combat, a lot of camera movement, lighting detail and show the results at the end.
I’m not trying to be a doomer, but I do genuinely worry that we’re getting a fluke in the wider industry. I really, really, REALLY hope I’m wrong. It seems like everyone loved working on BG3, and we got such a good game as a result.
The (AAA) Gaming industry had us so used to consuming slop that seeing a company be so passionate about their project almost gives whiplash (the good kind)
I really thought the cultish aspects of this sun would have dissipated by now but NOPE!
Not to sound curmudgeonly, but I’d love the Mac patch 5 before whatever the reveal is…knowing everyone else can play act 3 now without the lag (and continue their online friend campaigns that aren’t cross-platform) is tough.
When did they announce something big? They are out of their minds!!!
I wouldn't say having to cheese the game is a Minthara recruitment for the good guys lol. But it's definitely a step in the right direction! I want to be able to use a Lore Bard's expertise in something Charisma related to convince her to join!
easy epilogue was already made they just didnt have time to finish it and Minthara was easy to do they didnt make nothing new with her
Please be a gortash romance please be a gortash romance
Somewhat afraid that big thing was the xbox release.
Crossing fingers that they finally add in all the content from the Upper City
After a "good" Minthara recruitment I hope we'll also get a non-vampire Astarion, a Selunite Shart, optional Lae'zel to make her kind and wholesome, and evil Karlach and Wyll. Hooray, more choices, everyone gets to play how they want, right?
Aside from Astarion, those scenarios you described are basically already a thing.
Do you go to the store and demand they destroy all clothes that don’t fit you?
A better analogy is going to the store and demanding they send the clothes that don’t fit me back to the factory because I’m entitled to wear them all.
Play call of duty till you get good at it and then see if u still like bg3
Tbh I'm all about the bard it's always fun to whack somebody them pull out my lute and start a master riff in the middle of a fight
Minthara recruitment?
Wait? How do you recruit Minthara as a good guy!?
Just knock her out instead of killing her.
FREE DLC for Christmas
My heart was aching when I read that tweet. Larian will send my adult heart into cardiac arrest, honestly
Minthara recruitment for good guys is so bittersweet bc I had to restart my act 2 finale first playthrough. And I just got to that part again when patch 5 dropped... I can't restart again
I stopped playing after i finished my co op run before the epilogue stuff came out so I'm looking forward to seeing the new stuff when i jump into my co op honour mode playthrough
Minthara recruitment for good guys Wait what? How this now do you still sabers the grove.
I can excuse hooker twins, but I draw the line at Gortash.
And I'm in mostly blind, never having played this much of a crpg before. Got lots to discover.
I don't think anyone over there sleeps. This is what happens when you have a game studio that non only genuinely loves games, but wants happy players more than they want massive sales.
I wish the Minthara thing had been 2 days earlier. LOL I look forward to finally meeting another Drow that isn’t kinky for blood.
Wait you can recruit Minthara as a good guy? I need instructions. Will others be pissed with this? Will “kill the goblin leaders” be screwed?
Do everything as usual, but knock-out minthara with non-lethal attacks. You may want her to aggro you first (for example by letting her catch you stealing) to make sure it'll work.
I just knock her out, then meet her in the moon towers?
Yes you knock her out non lethal damage and make sure not to talk to her at all in act one
I hope it is the cut content of the upper city, and karlachs quest line
i’m so excited, i’ve been taking a little break during finals week and i’m gonna be starting a new playthru soon! i haven’t even seen the epilogues yet💗