Take awhile to get used to bg3?

I’m in the beginning of baldurs gate 3. I just killed some goblins or something and entered a little city. At first I was getting killed in every battle. I’m doing a lot better now but still feel there is still a ton to learn. Did you guys feel this way and did you get a lot better the longer you played?

At first I wanted to give up because I felt I wouldn’t like the game because it felt too intimidating ( I still don’t understand the diff between long rest and short rest and why don’t you just long rest everytime after a battle instead of short rest?). Is it because it uses up your supplies?? But back on topic I feel like the more I play the more I’m starting to understand the game and the more I’m starting to enjoy playing it. Did you guys feel the same way early into your play through?

Compared to a lot of streamlined games Larian does present a steep learning curve for sure.

Outside the ruleset it plays very similar to Divinity: Original Sin II so didn't take me long to click, I also played in Early Access. Now I'm exclusively playing on Tactician just so it evens the field.

I can give some small tips that should be spoiler free, last one is a spoiler though so I'll add the blocker-

• Always good to have a buffer/ debuffer. Bless & Bane are good across all three Acts. Just keep in mind these are concentration spells, a party member can only cast one of these at a time.
• For melee party members it's always best to jump at the beginning of your turn to close the gap. Focus on ranged targets as well with melee. Because if you get close they have disadvantage and have to waste a turn fleeing if they want a good hit. You may also get opportunity attacks as well and possibly kill them during an enemies turn.
• For bartering and trading use your party member with the highest Charisma. They get more money and better deals.
• Speaking of ranged don't sleep on the Ranger, Rangers are extremely powerful in this game dealing tons of damage, with certain oils and arrows they make for some of the best in the game for any situation. In many cases I've found Rangers flatout better than Wizards.
• Potion of Speed is powerful, you can get one at the beginning of the game and are easy to make once you've gotten to the Gnolls in the north, takes three ears and any salt to make the potion.
• Before chugging your healing potions consider having a short rest. Bards also have an ability that gives an extra short rest.
• Don't need to be at full health or even with all abilities at hand for battles. Just plan ahead, split up the party and position how you would like before actions start. In these cases I recommend all party members be in stealth.
• Be open to experiment, you can always respec your build if it's not coming together.
• Don't sacrifice Gale in the Underdark of Act 1. Can't stress this enough, it may not get patched so be wary if you sacrifice Gale to Boooal it hard locks that save and all saves moving forward after two full rests to a non preventable Game Over screen.

Yes, i'd say its a pretty complex game with a lot to learn. As someone who has a lot of experience with Divinity 1 and 2, BG3 took me a long time to learn the mechanics because i was 100% D&D virgin. But whjen you do, its superior to what's on offer in Divnity, and i absolutely want the next Larian's game to use the same combat system. And yes, long rest uses supplies AND progresses certain events. Sometimes you might have 3 days to save someone, and if you long rest 3 times without saving it, that thing might be dead.

Short rest restores up to 1/2 of your missing health and also resets some skills - for example if you have a bow or crossbow equipped and you use your Piercing Shot skill, you need to do a short rest (or long) to restore it. You get two short rests for every 1 long rest you do.

Long rest is required for a wizard to regenerate his/her level casting slots. When starting out you may be able to cast a level 1 spell 2 times and that's it until you do a long rest. A short rest does not restore the ability for a wizard to recast spells. I do believe a Warlock can get spell casts back from a short rest.

So, you need to be a bit mindful of what skills/spells you use sometimes.

@RSM-HQ said:

@RSM-HQ:

Thank you for all the info and everyone else!! I got a question on concentration? How does that work? I was in a battle and a bunch of my spells said I couldn’t do them because of concentration. How does that work?

Also, I recently fought the owl creature with the brother and sister and after beating it I walked down the path and found a glowing chest. While down near it ( this also happens at other times) I will hear the sound of a dice rolled and then above my character who has the talk to the dead spell it popped above his head. What does that mean? I tried doing that spell thinking it was a hint from the game from passing some skill check from dice roll but there was no dead people to do the spell on.

@tpz4sheezy: if this is your first "traditional" D&D-style RPG, then yes, it can take a while to get used to the mechanics. I play real D&D on tabletop and BG3 still gives me a hard time despite my familiarity.

I would suggest reading guides, if not about the encounters, then at least about your class.

There's also some easier classes to play as, in addition to how you build your party. Bard is really fun because you can just talk your way through so much and buffing your party is fun, and paladin is likewise pretty good because it's a beefy class with decent damage and can also talk a good game.

Keep in mind that there is no traditional party build to D&D, there isn't a one tank, one healer, and two damage type of formula. You need to spend some time making your party well-rounded.

And above all else: be creative! Try new things. If you're familiar with the soulsborne-style of trial-and-error, BG3 can sort of be like that, only it's with various encounters and not necessarily a single boss.

Oh and save often. Like...constantly.

*And one last thing: each party member is their own, unique character. Every bit as significant as the player character. Make use of them. If one has a higher charisma, then use that one for talking. If one has better dexterity, use that one for sneaking. Play to your strengths. It's not about the player character and the party for support; the entire party contributes equally.

1. Concentration only works on one spell. Think of it as a sustained spell; as long as you are sustaining (concentrating) on that one spell, you can't cast another spell that require concentration without losing the first spell. If you do, you lose the old spell and have to concentrate on the new one.

Additionally, if you are attacked while concentrating, you have to roll to see if you pass or fail. If you fail, you lose whatever spell you're concentrating on.

It can be tricky with some classes, especially druid, because a lot of spells can be concentration-only. This is why it's good to have a diverse list of spells. Some that use reaction, some use action, maybe one or two bonus action spells (misty step is super handy!), and then one or two concentration spells.

2. That dice roll you hear is your passive perception. That's more or less how observant you are at noticing things in the world. So like if you're walking around and are about to step on a trap, the game would automatically do a perception roll for you and if you pass, you would discover. If you fail, you don't notice it and you step on the trap.

In BG3, they can be used as a hint. Since each party member get's their own passive perception check, if you hear the dice rolls pause the game and/or stop walking. If the first character doesn't pass, walk them to the back of the group and then move other members of your group forward so they can each get a passive perception check.

So after the passive perception I previously wrote about, why did it have speak with the dead above my characters head??? Btw thank you again for all the tips and hints. Btw if anyone was wondering I am completely new to D&D so that’s why I’m pretty lost. I did enjoy divinity original sin. I dunno how but I somehow managed to beat it. I’m finding this much more difficult.

@neatfeatguy: Nothing quite as broken as knockdown arrows from D:OSII within BG3 luckily. But Accuracy Coating does make the Ranger a constant beast.

Oh yeah, I recommend this too. lol

Not that I like save-scumming in games (usually against it in many cases), go with what the game has dealt you I think makes for a more rich experience. However, Larian craft areas and events that your group simply ain't prepared for, and you really don't want to load back an auto save from 3 hours prior because the game told you this area is overwhelmingly threatening.

This is very common in many P.C. games I've found. They're not balanced in the same manner as games designed for home console platforms. Some would call it cruel, I call it keeping the player alert.

Few RPG games make scattered resources like apples and wine matter in the way BG3 does.

Not to mention on Tactician you need 80 supplies for a full rest over the usual 40.

Rest isn't the only thing that pushes events forward, it's what you do, how you approached, and in what order. Overall just a very clever system just as they had in D:OSII; makes it so no two people are really going to have the same experience.

Do you guys tend to pick up every item not nailed down so that you can later sell? I find myself picking up bottles; rotten fruit, skulls, etc so that I can sell it. Even if it’s only 1 dollar I still pick up nearly everything and once my characters are nearly over encumbered or I need money I then sell what I’ve found. Do you guys do the same?

The more I read this thread the less I want to play this game.

If you're not a fan of resource management/ strategic gameplay and prefer more streamlined systems in your video games? well then don't.

Contrary to belief gaming is an entertainment hobby, play whatever you want to play not what you feel pressured and obligated.

Just because BG3 is being raved and praised by a large sum as the best game of 2023 doesn't mean it's the only game that released this year. Plenty of high quality games released in 2023, and enough to satisfy various gaming preferences.

BG3 certainly deserves all the praise it's getting, but it's still a required taste.

Avoid things like rope, water and bottles but yeah I grab everything. So long as you have a member with high strength it's usually never an issue.

@RSM-HQ: I do like all kinds of games and will certainly play BG3. Hopefully for every thing that rubs the the wrong way there will be stuff that makes up for that. I have to see what all the hype is about, I'm not really feeling It but I might be surprised.

@kathaariancode: All preferences I find. Not all games fit me no matter how much they get hyped. Cinematic third person games have become a no-no for me for a while now, and I state that as someone who plays my PS5 fairly often.

If you are going to play BG3 regardless, I would say just go in with an open mind, don't lock yourself into the ''if it's not the best at everything it's already failed'' mentality.

What is the best selling point of a Larian RPG? Probably that it gives your playthrough a lot of player freedom and variety.

All the tips and trail-error suggestions here are only for those who feel the need.

However the game rewards experimentation and curiosity. And for a first playthrough I do think going blind is the most fun.

You will find and figure stuff out other people here won't, your playthrough will be different from any of mine, and I personally think that's Larians strength.

@RSM-HQ: so should I not sell rope and bottles??

@tpz4sheezy: I mean you can, they're not worth very much that's why I don't pick them up.

It took me quite a while to get used to the mechanics of short and long rests. Also, depending on your character and party composition, it may take a while for you to have no problems with combat. And I haven't used many of the mechanics offered (just straightforward combat and resting). On second difficulty level, I only began feeling powerful from level 6.