Advice for a Baldur's Gate newcomer

KraniX

KraniX

KraniX

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Really keen to play BG3 as it looks great and the reviews across the board have been excellent.

But I've not played the earlier BG titles and never really been into turn based games. I have no love of the old Pokemon games, always found that style of play quite repetitive, and I didn't get on great with things like Civ, but love so many great RTS's and city builders when it's real time.

I'm really surprised there isn't a physical disc version available (barring the sold out deluxe one), especially now it's about a year later. I dont really want to spend 50 quid on a digital game I'm not keen on.

I can't find any confirmation a disc release is on the horizon, has anyone heard anything?

Given what I said above would you recommend BG3 to a turn based newbie?
 
I played both BG1&2 on release on PC but never completed either yet enjoyed what time I did spend with them.

I've also been on the fence as turn-based stuff is always more challenging and requires time commitment with understanding all of the game-play mechanisms etc. However, I'm getting the game as soon as the next sale appears on PS5 and have been watching numerous beginner quids on yt for extra advice and guidance. I've no doubt, I'll find all of the nuances challenging and make an absolute hash of things on the first play through.
 
I found it way too hard probably because I Cba to go that in depth and learn all its systems. I just wanted to force my way through and, well, it seems you can’t. Dropped it quite early on, twice. Great looking game though just not a style I am used to and I know nothing of the genre of rolling dice etc so that was a bit of a surprise to me.
 
I have feint memories of the OG Baldur’s Gate back in the day. Can’t say I ever really played it though.

Regarding BG3, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I was put off by it because I had played a bit of Divinity Original Sin and found it a bit of a chore.

I downloaded the BG3 demo on PS5 to have a go, and on the strength of the demo I bought the game.

I’m not into D&D and BG3 is not my usual sort of game. However, I really took to it and ended up loving it!

I ploughed something like 220hrs into my play through and I’d go so far as to say one of my favourite game experiences in a long time.

Knowing nothing of D&D lore or gameplay mechanics didn’t seem to hinder me. I just found what worked for me and went with that. I did do a lot of exploring and spent time mopping up side quests and maybe that meant I levelled up more to help with the main story. There is a lot of dialogue in the game and you can skip through it or absorb yourself in the lore and story.

Some of the fights were insane though, and took a while to figure out what to do and get through it. But you can also be under levelled and so sometimes you just need to go off and do something else.

The general gameplay is realtime but all combat is turn based. I didn’t mind that and it gives you the time to look over your character and powers/attacks etc and that made getting to the combat a bit easier as you can take your time.

FYI BG3 is still on game trials on PS+ if you have the premium subscription.
 
Difficult to say whether you'd enjoy it or not. Personally I think the game is better suited to PC with mouse & keyboard. Inventory management and map navigation are both pain points using a controller ( even with M & K ). Furthermore, the game is quite unforgiving to someone who doesn't know anything about the ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons ; this can make the opening Act especially quite challenging. In my opinon, the best way for you to figure out if this game will "gel" with you is to buy one of Larian's earlier titles ie. Divinity: Original Sin 1 or 2. You should be able to get these cheaply, especially on sales. If you get on with those games you'll enjoy BG3, if you don't then stay away. Finally, I think BG3 is a bit overrated - yes it's a good game, but it has a number of flaws, both technical and pacing wise. What you do get is a lengthy RPG with excellent writing and a mass of content. That said, I prefer the original Baldur's Gate games ... I've completed both multiple times over the years. Not sure I'll play BG3 again.
 
Also re difficulty there’s a raft of difficulty levels and so you should be able to find the difficulty to match your capability. Also there’s custom difficulty setting with tons of settings you can tweak.

I’d also disagree with @xaldub as I hated divinity original sin but loved BG3.

Horses for courses I guess!
 
Cheers all for the comments and feedback.

I didn't realise there was a 2 hour game trial, I don't have PS+ at the moment but if I can get a cheap 1 month premium code that probably seems like the best option. And I can try a few other games and trials too.
 
Awesome game. Loved every moment. Think I spent over 100 hours on my playthrough. It’s been a while so I don’t fully remember. Fantastic writing. Fun combat albeit turn based.
 
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