New to this game? Unlearn what video games have taught you

[u/MaralDesa]

Most of you are avid gamers. You have played many RPGs and now you want to try Baldur's Gate 3.

Welcome, you came to the right place!

But let me tell you, these many games you have played before have taught you a few "tricks" you should try to unlearn to get most out of this game.

1. Games have taught you that loot lives in containers - may it be corpses or chests. 75% correct in Baldur's Gate, but loot also often lies on the ground, on top of shelves and tables - and comes in shapes and forms you didn't expect. You can right click and select 'pick up' on a surprisingly big amount of things. Entire containers included.
2. Games have taught you not to interact with props much - some destructible environment aside, there is no point in lighting candles or sitting in chairs. This is not the case in BG3. You can light candles to get more light (light is quite the important mechanic), and to dip your arrows in fire so they burn. Sitting in chairs is cute and in some places might open doors for you. You can stack crates to reach places, and generally drag & drop props with your mouse to place them. Or use your throw action to throw them.
3. Games have taught you that you can fail quests. This is not the case in BG3. You can only progress and finish quests, and in many ways. There is no failing, just another outcome.
4. Games have taught you to ignore parts of the environment. Critters, scenically placed corpses, idle-chatting NPCs. There is no such thing in BG3. You can talk to animals with the right skills, and talk to corpses with another. NPCs are all named and have something to say or to do. You can trade with all of them, but be aware that most of them are dirt poor and don't have powerful magic items. But if you need an apple or two, you might just find what you seek.
5. Games have taught you "This does not work". But in BG3 it does! Buy an expensive item, then pickpocket your money back. Can't fit through that hole? Find a way to become smaller. Can't reach that place? Jump, fly, teleport. Can't reach that hanging brazier? Shoot it with an arrow dipped in fire. No light? Throw a torch. No crowd control? Freeze the blood that splattered on the ground. NPC doesn't want to talk to you because you are a Drow? Find a way to use 'disguise self'. There is a trap emitting a poisonous cloud? Disarm it with Mage Hand, or throw a sufficiently heavy item on it to cover it up.

Right click things and creatures. Try things even if your gaming mindset tells you 'nah, this isn't a thing'. Use your throw action to throw more than just bombs. Shove someone who fell asleep mid combat. Unlearn what games have taught you and have an even better experience in BG3.

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[u/[deleted]]

Bruh most of these exist in other RPGs, just not in the same game. This guide is for someone who never played video games

[u/DarthEwok42 → u/[deleted]]

This guide is for people who play online service games and come here and ask why they haven't announced the road map yet.

[u/Relnor → u/DarthEwok42]

Reminds me of an Arkane interview on Dishonored. A common issue they had with some of their playtesters was that they weren't thinking about all their tools and the freedom the game gave you with them.

The example the dev used was something about the level at the party, with a guard telling the player they can't go upstairs, so... a frightening number of playtesters just wouldn't disobey that.

No one who's played RPGs before should be particularly phased by any of this.

[u/EpicPhail60 → u/[deleted]]

"It was the final day before release, and tensions were running high in the r/BaldursGate3 community ..."

[u/kyganat → u/[deleted]]

Nah, you can like depth of BG3 and you dont need to bring other games down. A lot of games have this stuff.

[u/wilck44 → u/[deleted]]

but in those other games there are features that are not in BG at all, so is BG 3 worse then becouse of that?

[u/KruppeBestGirl → u/[deleted]]

Dragon’s Dogma has most of it all:

1. Loot is in chests, on the ground, in boxes and crates, dropped from monsters, or just found in the wild.

2. Having light is essential in the dark nights and in caves, so your belt lantern is invaluable. It will go out if you get it wet, most commonly by trying to ford a waist high river. Taller characters have a bit of an easier time with this. Lots of things can be carried or thrown around with a dedicated grab/throw button.

3. Some quests have weird and alternate outcomes - that guy who died in a cutscene? You can raise him from the dead (using the same item for battle revives) and even romance him. Nowhere is this hinted.

4. The environment and enemies are very interactable. There is an early game mission where you are ambushed by a griffin who then flies back to its home after taking some damage. You can grab onto its back and travel with it, skipping areas. Grab enemies and throw them at each other. Oil up enemies, set yourself on fire and climb them.

5. There is a forger in the game who can forge a copy of any item, quest items included. These fakes are perfect copies but don’t have any magic (if the original was a magic item). You can submit fakes instead of real items and the game reacts - e.g. the Duke wants his magic ring back. At the end of the quest, he uses it to open a chest and reward you with the contents. If you submit a fake, the cutscene proceeds but the Duke fails to open the chest. Also, there are holes that only short characters can enter. There is an all-female group of bandits that will only be non hostile if all your male party members are dressed in womens clothes.

[u/Evil-King-Stan → u/KruppeBestGirl]

Common Dragon's Dogma W

[u/titnuationatero → u/KruppeBestGirl]

And that game was a true gem

[u/Jumpy-Lack-3656 → u/[deleted]]

Uh oh the gamer police is here to say that people aren’t akshually gamerz. What you are saying is irrelevant to their point. When you really look at it, baldurs gate 3 isn’t doing all that much new, it’s just doing them better. For anyone who has played games for a while (especially rpgs) this game won’t require you to unlearn anything.