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transgenderastarion · 7 months

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hello baldurs gate 3 community again: This time im talking about modding!

hello adventurers and shifty-eyed people, I bring to you some important stuff. Mod compilations! Below the cut, if you are interested, I have compiled a few things for what I think the bg3 tumblr modding community wants (based on me being in the tag for a month straight). Things I have compiled include: - Super basic install of baldur's gate 3 mod manager (and a bit of vortex) (9 Easy Steps!) - My OWN special "Computer helper" mod bundle with super easy installations (helps it run on my piece of crap laptop who hates me so much but I love her <3) - Companion and player mods (visuals only, and like de-ab-ing and stuff, I'm not going around adding all the extra eye colour mods) INCLUDING TRANS TOP SCARS AND DADBOD MODS + MORE - Some personal favourite mods that really helped enhance my experience. Enjoy! (if you enjoy bg3 modding, please consider reblogging because I think posts with links are still shadowbanned in the tag lol)

HOW TO GET THE MOD LOADER FOR BG3 IN 3 EASY STEPS

go to the github download page and scroll down until you see the first downloadable file that reads "BG3ModManager_Lastest.zip"

extract the file into an accessible area (your downloads folder should work fine, I just put it on my desktop) (just anything that won't require you to give admin permissions to download it. I would also keep this off Local Disc (C:) for convenience) You can use any free extractor program, 7zip works, i used to use Peazip and now I use Breezip and that works well.

Tada! You should have an open folder in your extracted location. 2 things may happen here: You will get the extracted folder with the other documents inside. Congrats, you're done! If you have an extracted folder with ONLY the .exe file in it, go back into the zip file and drag the other files into the folder. This should fix the problem, all files from the zip need to be there to work.

(OPTIONAL) you CAN use Vortex mod manager to manage your bg3 mods on there, in which case any nexusmods mod will have a direct download button for you. Personally I have my subnautica mods loaded from there so bg3 is unavailable.

HOW TO MOD BALDURS GATE 6 IN EASY STEPS + SCRIPT EXTENDER

Make sure you have Baldur's Gate 3 Installed. I have it on steam, I don't know how to help with EA, sorry.

open your file explorer/documents. Go to Admin -> AppData -> Local -> Larian Studios* -> Baldur's Gate 3 (leave launcher alone). Create a mods folder if you don't already have one, but one should have been created on your first bootup. DO NOT CLOSE THIS TAB. THIS TAB STAYS OPEN UNTIL YOU ARE DONE MODDING. * I also just search Larian Studios in Local Disc (C:) but that does take some time to load

Congrats, you're ready to mod! Now, most good mods will need something called the Baldur's Gate 3 Script Extender. You can find the download page here, and this time you're going to hit the green "code" button. Ignore everything else. Hit download zip

Extract the file again, but this time into Local Disc (C:) -> Program Files (86x) -> Steam -> Steamapps -> common -> Baldur's Gate 3 -> bin* ** * MAKE SURE to extract it to the bin folder. Some other mesh and texture mods use the data bin, so confusing them is bad. ** you CAN directly extract the folder to the bin, but I personally find it easier to extract the zip back into downloads, then open my other file explorer and click and drag the whole extracted file into the bin folder

The fun part begins! Go find some mods you like (nexusmods mostly, gamebanana MAY have some). Extract folder to your mods folder in larian studios -> baldur's gate 3 -> mods. ONLY DRAG THE .PCK FILE. YOU DO NOT NEED ANY OTHER FILES UNLESS THE MOD MAKER SAYS SO.

USING THE MOD LOADER: you are done with file explorers! Go ahead and boot up the bg3modmanager.exe file from earlier. Any INACTIVE MODS must be CLICKED AND DRAGGED over to the ACTIVE MODS side. If you don't see any mods, hit the blue circle refresh button. After that, hit the "export order to game" button right beside "export". If you see a green popup at the bottom, you are good to go!

All done! You are now on your modding journey! (if you have any outlying problems, my dms are open and there is a whole host of modders out there with answers!)

NOW TO THE FUN PART: MOD PACKS!

My own Game Optimizer Pack (basic): includes General Fixes (general bug fixes), Improved UI & Improved UI Assets (necessary for customization mods), and Mod Fixer (necessary for mods to work) *you CAN download all of these files individually from https://www.nexusmods.com but this is basically. a short version of that.

My own Game Optimizer Pack (deluxe): includes all previous mods as well as 5e Spells (spell fixer), Additional Backgrounds, Customizer Compendium, Show approval ratings in dialogue, Purchase camp clothes from merchants, Tav's hairpack

COMPANION MODS:

No Abs for companions/pcs

"oops all futas" (all female companions have penises, if you want like an all transfem run or something)

Customizable Origins (lets you customize if you play as an origin character)

Astarion:

Astarion Moles and blemishes mod

Vampire Ascendant (ability fixer mod)

TAV MODS:

Freckles and Moles as Tattoo replacers

Trip's Accessory Collection (has glasses & monacles)

Ophelia's Body Shop (top heavy/bottom heavy/chubby body alternatives)

Stronger Tav - Muscular Upper Body Mod

Top Surgery Scars

Alternate Top Surgery Scars mod for bodys 1 and 3

Strongfat body - humans and half orcs

Tav's Dadbod Mod

Softie Body - Tiefling 2

New Eye Colours and Blindess for all eyes

Transmasc Clothing options

Actually feminine and lore friendly dragonborn legs

Femme obese dragonborn body (no clothing options developed yet)

Chubby/thick/bbw body mods and clothes

Big gut dragonborn (male)

Female muscle mod

Less defined abs for male bodies

Game Enhancing Mods that I recommend! (if I have one marked starting spoiler! just. just download it and ad it just trust me dont look to far into it I promise it will be good. If I have one marked late spoiler! you can look at it and decide if you want it or later)

Faithful & Faithless - no mandatory choice of god

Mundane Blindfold (one eye cover)

No Romance Limit (polyamory mod)

highlight everything tooltip

Party Limit begone

No more spiders (all spider models replaced with dogs)

Ritual spells for rp fun

Colourblind friendly spell slots

Camp event notifications

Autosaver/Save timer (GET THIS IT SAVED MY LIFE SO MUCH)

Histories & Occupations - new backgrounds

Scratch colour variety (late spoiler!/not spoiler heavy)

Just Story (for those who just want the story. every enemy has 1 hp)

Wyll's Devil Form (starting spoiler!)

Eyes of the beholder (eye alts + scleras)

#lying flat on my back after typing this i think it took like 3 hours to compile everything #my neck hurts OTL #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 mod #bg3 mods #baldurs gate 3 mods #modding #mods #modblr

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tantalizingtopi · 5 months

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Snow

Gortash x The Dark Urge

NSFW

Word count: 1110

Disclaimer: characters belong to Larian Studios and Baldur’s Gate 3

The Dark Urge discovers an intruder in their private oasis during a blizzard.

I’m longing for my bitter cold winter storms and wanted to pen a little something with two characters that live rent free in my brain. Enjoy!

The white comes in droves, the wind whipping the minuscule crystals into a raging silent blindness. Markings of those who may have ventured out into the abyss vanish almost as quickly as they appear. The streets of the city are devoid of any life as I make my way home, having quickly found my own place away from the temple so that I am not always consumed by my work, worship and surroundings.

Nothing special, a small one room house just barely in the outer city. Sceleritas had a fit when he discovered where I had been spending a fair share of my evenings. He had fretted, “Milady, this shack is so beneath your status, what will the others think of their vile leader if they knew you were staying here?”

I had slid my knife beneath his throat. “Then you will make sure they don’t find out, won’t you? You will stay away from this place, or I will cast you off.”

He had not returned for fear my threat may not be idle, and no one had mentioned my little hideaway. I had secured a more prominent residence in the Upper City as well, for dealings and clout. But my dirty little hole in the outer city is special. My little secret. Well, one of my little secrets.

So when I see the soft glow of the fire through the white, lashing out at the cold through the cracks in the doorframe, I stop short, electric alarm streaking down my spine. Someone unwanted in my space. My sacred space. Fury clamps down around my throat, my hand reaching into the folds of my cloak to pluck my knife from its strap. Flashes of beautiful blood spattering in the white snow, the heat of it melting into the white leaving behind stains that none will find until spring gnaw at my vision.

I fling open the door, intent on murderous happenings, only to freeze my blade centimeters from my partner's neck. He smiles. “I thought you might come here tonight.”

Maim, kill, destroy, murder, your spot your sacred spot your safe place violated, kill him kill him kill him! Do it now do it do it! My urge demands of me. My hand trembles, urging me to dig in, my heart screaming at me to stop. My eyes widen in fear as I fight against my nature, against what I know is best. I shudder out a noise akin to a displacer beast in agony.

His fingers wrap against my shaking wrist, pulling it away from his throat, where I can almost see his pulse thumping. His eyebrow quirks skyward as he watches my expression, his remaining neutral, if not almost pleased. He takes his other hand and pries my little finger from the handle and jerks it backwards, forcing the dagger to fall to the floor, sticking into the wood. He immediately laces his fingers with mine, quelling the shake, and bringing it to its original position, he presses his lips to the back of my hand, a flirtatious grin on his face.

A shuddering breath I didn’t realize I was holding escapes my lips, and I feel my body relax slightly, having been successful at defying the urges within. For now. I let this man lead me further into my own home, closing the door against the white sheets of snow behind us. “How did you find this place?”

“It’s merely good business sense to be aware of any and all assets my partner possesses,” his dark eyes lock onto my pale ones. “And anything that may possess them. I’m trusting you’re feeling… better now?”

“I am,” feeling the heat from the hearth beginning to warm the chill from my bones. “You are incredibly foolish, coming here, surprising me. If I don’t slay you, your dimwittedness will.”

He chuckles as he begins to put more wood into the fire, stirring errant sparks. “You find me just as brilliant as I find you.”

“That is the harshest insult I think I’ve ever received. You wound me, Gortash.”

His laughter booms throughout the small home, warming me more than the fire ever could. He finishes tending the fire and stands up, closer to me than before. He plucks at the hem of my cloak, his voice dropping lower. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”

My tongue is suddenly thick and unmoving in my mouth, and all I can do is nod imperceptibly, dropping my gaze slightly. I move to pull the length of fabric from around my neck, but his fingers beat me to it, his hands skimming over my shoulders as he lets the cloak pool on the floor at my feet. He clucks his tongue. “These are wet too, just how long were you out in this weather dear?”

“I—“ My sentence dies in my mouth as he takes two fingers and pushes an errant strand of hair from my face, then trails them down my neck, running them along the collar of my top, feather light against the top of my breasts. He lets them drift down farther, hooking them into the top of my corset and pulling me forward, closer to him.

My eyes catch his again, deep dark pools of desire reflecting my image back at me. In a flash, our lips find one another, the months of coiled tension releasing. We make quick work of one another’s clothing, and his hands grab at my thighs, hauling me up and around him as he brings me to the small bed tucked in the corner. He drops me onto it, himself following right behind, hands and mouth marauding my skin, setting me aflame.

The unrelenting onslaught of his tongue against me has me shattering to pieces beneath him, and when he finally slots his hips against mine, I dig my nails into his back, earning a groan from him. He moves ruthlessly against me, pinning me between him and the mattress. I sink my teeth into his shoulder, attempting to drown my cry of pleasure with his flesh.

“Fuck,” he snarls, twisting a hand in my hair and jerking my face to his, his lips bruising my own. He bites my lower lip and metallic taste blooms over my tongue, and we come apart together.

Outside, the snow continues to fall, wrapping around the one room home, blanketing our indiscretion. Tomorrow I know we will have to face what we have just done, but tonight, tonight I let Enver Gortash hold me close and whisper sweet nothings into my ear as I drift off, completely relaxed for the first time in recent memory.

#fanfic #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 dark urge #bg3 durge #dark urge #durgetash #gortash smut #gortash x durge #lord enver gortash #pre tadpole #baldurs gate gortash #baldur’s gate durge #snow #cozy

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satansleftnutcheek · 8 months

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Just had like the biggest brain realization about Astarion bear with me I think I'm onto something here. Spoilers ahead for those who don't know about his "condition" or haven't heard about his tragic backstory™

I think people generally overlook the bite scene in favor of focusing on how it reveals Astarion being a vampire, how it can benefit the player if you're trying to romance him, or find an easy way to get him out of your party. I would like to note that there’s nothing wrong with this response! I did the same in my play through because I already knew he was a vampire due to spoilers. I just saw the scene as Astarion looking for his equivalent of a sandwich when it happened.

But why does Astarion bite Tav of all people?

The obvious answer is because Tav's the protagonist. Any important character scenes will happen to or involve them because they're the player character. It's the nature of how RPG stories are told. However, Larian Studios has put a lot of thought into this game, so why not dig a bit deeper?

Assuming Tav has everyone in their camp when this scene is triggered, Lae'zel and Shadowheart are off the menu purely because if things go wrong they'd immediately kill Astarion. Not good! If things go wrong with Karlach he could possibly smooth talk his way out of it. After all, she's a very kind person who goes out of her way to help people. But she's also twice his size and could snap him like a twig, which is not a risk worth taking.

Wyll isn't nearly as much of a threat as the other three, if it came down to it, Astarion could probably take him in a fight. The main problem here is that Wyll happens to have a habit of killing monsters, which would make talking things out really difficult. Astarion's relied on skills like persuasion for the past 2 centuries so he'd probably want to have his best skills be viable options if things go awry. Halsin, much like Karlach, is twice his size and could kill him with ease. Hard pass on that! This leaves Gale as the last, and really only, viable option. I mean look at him, he's frail as hell, always having the lowest HP in the party, and his weapon is a stick. Worst thing that could happen to Astarion is a bonk on the head.

So then why Tav? Why are they the one Astarion bites?

Now Tavs come in a lot of varieties. The player could be doing a Dark Urge run, they could be playing as the embodiment of pure evil, the kindest soul that is second only to Jesus, or somewhere in between. However, the one thing that unites them all is their power. They're the leader of the party and the others (to varying degrees) respect them. Tav is the one that chooses where the party goes, who they help, who they kill, and even how they'll have the tadpoles removed. In a way, Tav controls the party.

Remind you of something that Astarion openly talks about wanting?

For two centuries Astarion hasn't had autonomy, respect, freedom, resources, or control. What he's learned from those centuries is that power always gets you what you want. If you want freedom you need the power to control others. So while biting Gale would be the easy answer, it doesn't have the perk that biting Tav does.

If Tav wakes up during his biting attempt, Astarion could smooth talk his way out of it. If things go okay and Astarion gets to keep his head, he'll have gained more of Tav's trust. This in turn would give Astarion greater power over them as they'd be easier to manipulate, which in turn gives him more control over the others. If he ends up killing Tav then that technically would open up a power vacuum in the party. Whoever fills it would have all the power and control that Tav has. I don't think any of the other characters would let that happen though. Astarion's the person who you don't want to be the leader because he's clearly performing this role for his own self-centered reasons. Also seeing as this scene generally happens early in the game, nobody likes him enough to just let him become the leader.

Now if Tav lets Astarion bite them things get more interesting. It's a possibility that never occurred to him, but he isn't going to turn it down. First of all, it establishes Tav as an easy food source. Astarion has a consenting snack that in the future, might let him bite again. If that happens then Astarion's food source becomes far more reliable and surviving becomes significantly easier. Tav's consent also reveals how much they trust Astarion. From his perspective Tav's shown too much of their hand. Astarion's simple plan to manipulate Tav for the sake of his security has become child's play at this point.

All this being said having Astarion choose to bite Tav over Gale reveals so much about his character. While Gale is the safest choice to make, Tav's position of leadership is what entices Astarion to bite them over Gale. After experiencing two hundred years of mental and physical abuse, Astarion values power so much he'd be willing to risk his ability to not become a mind flare, and his life, in order to gain it. All because this is what he learned from being Cazador's slave for 200 years.

#slaps astarions head #THATS A LOTTA DAMAGE #you think you understand the story and know know how deep his trauma runs but then you write an essay and suddenly youre crying AGAIN #astarion please god get some help #somebody give this boy a hug #larian studios if you thought of this then i hate you for being so good at what you do how DARE #i havent even finished act 2 yet and astarions story is only getting sadder and richer and damn its written so well but OW #fuckin OW #astarion bg3 #astarion baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate iii #baldurs gate three #baldurs gate astarion #astarion #im officially gone there is no me only bg3 #is now when i admit that ive never written an essay analyzing something i love unless it was for class #the brainrot has never been so real

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catt-nuevenor · 9 months

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No prizes for guesses what I've been playing...

I'm going to put the Read More split really early in this post so if folks want to see absolutely nothing from Baldur's Gate 3, be that for personal preference or spoilers reasons, then they can easily avoid it.

That said, I won't be putting any screenshots in that would spoil important plot points, just my favourite shots of my character up to shenanigans.

In brief, the game is an absolute triumph, both of craft, and of writing. Well done Larian Studios, my hat off to you with the utmost sincerity.

Beware minor visual spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3 below:

Now, let's have a look at my girl, shall we?

Umrae, so named after another morally good aligned drow from the D&D universe. Did you really expect me not to do some background research before making a character? She's a Four Elements Monk.

I highly recommend giving a drow playthough a go if you're umming and ahring about it. It's a point of personal pride for me when a NPC starts by going '*screaming* DROW! She's come to kill us all!' and Umrae offers them a cookie instead.

I've been taking screenshots like an absolute (no pun intended) mad woman, so if there's an interest for folks to see what else I've been up to in the game, let me know. I've got so many to share.

#non story content #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 screenshots

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sinfulwunders · 11 months

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𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔲𝔯'𝔰 𝔊𝔞𝔱𝔢 ℑ𝔫𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔗𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔐𝔞𝔨𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯 2.0

Hey everyone, so as some of you may know, I was in the process of making a baldur's gate inspired townie save a while ago, but due to needing a mental break I never got to finish. I am once again resuming the process of making this save again (including the sims that were made for me previously last time I did this)

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔲𝔯'𝔰 𝔊𝔞𝔱𝔢?

“Baldur’s Gate III is an upcoming role-playing video game that is being developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third main game in the Baldur’s Gate series, itself based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system.“ (via wiki)

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔓𝔲𝔯𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔚𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔄𝔠𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔡

The purpose of me doing this was out of pure curiosity and my love for these games

In this, I will be taking submissions (everyone accepted) for sims (occult or human) to live in this modern day Baldur’s Gate themed town where I will be sharing gameplay and poses for all the sims included

*here is the list of races/species in baldur’s gate*

By the end of this we will accomplish making and populating a town based on a MODERN DAY Baldur’s Gate :)

More below if you’re interested :)

ℜ𝔞𝔠𝔢𝔰/𝔖𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔲𝔯'𝔰 𝔊𝔞𝔱𝔢

Dwarf

Elf

Halfling

Human

Githyanki

Half-Elf

Tiefling

Drow

Vampire or Vampire spawn (just a vamp xD)

𝔒𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 ℜ𝔞𝔠𝔢𝔰/𝔖𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔑𝔬𝔱 ℑ𝔫𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔦𝔫 𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔲𝔯'𝔰 𝔊𝔞𝔱𝔢

Fairy

Mermaid

Werewolf (they’re kinda in there but not really)

Other

𝔖𝔬𝔠𝔦𝔞𝔩 ℭ𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔲𝔯'𝔰 𝔊𝔞𝔱𝔢

Cleric - “representatives of the gods they worship, wielding potent divine magic for good or ill.”

Fighter - “have mastered the art of combat, wielding weapons with unmatched skill and wearing armor like a second skin.“

Druid - “channel the elemental forces of nature and share a deep kinship with animals. Mastery of Wild Shape allows them to transform into beasts from all over the Realms.”

Ranger - “are unrivalled scouts and trackers, honing a deep connection with nature in order to hunt their favoured prey.“

Rogue - “With stealth, skill and uncanny reflexes, a rogue’s versatility let’s them get the upper hand in almost any situation.”

Warlock - “Bound by a pact to an all-powerful patron, warlocks trade their loyalty for supernatural abilities and unique magic.”

Wizard - “Wizards master the arcane by specializing in individual schools of magic, combining ancient spells with modern research.”

𝔚𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℭ𝔞𝔫 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔇𝔬? / ℌ𝔬𝔴 𝔱𝔬 𝔖𝔲𝔟𝔦𝔱

create a sim or family of any of the races/species listed above (or another species you think I may have missed)

be creative and go wild(if you want to)!

this is a modern day baldur’s gate inspired theme so please dress is modern clothing (It’s fine if you don’t if it matches them well)

pick a social class for your sim above

base aspirations and traits off of the classes and race/species listed above (click on the links for the races/species and classes to read more into it)

can be any gender/age/sexuality

maxis match/mix cc (no alpha hairs tho and I might tweak details on sim to match the theme/my game style, but I will never tweak their facial/body features)

only cc for everyday outfit

make a post with at least one picture of your sim and a brief description of them (like what race/species they are and what social class they’re in)

descriptions don’t have to be descriptive if you don’t want them to be, they can be brief.

tray files including cc (xD) sent to me or public dl (choice is yours) :)

no deadline for now

tag @ sinfulwunders and #baldursgatesimsedition2.0 in your post in case I miss the notification

#ts4 #sims 4 #baldursgatesimedition2.0 #town makeover #sim submissions: open

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lunarbard · 6 months

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After a 6 hour download due to bad internet, I finally got around to playing the Baldur's Gate 3 epilogue. And it feels like yet another piece of a game that fails to be more than the sum of its parts.

I'm a fan of Larian studios - DOS2 is one of my favorite games - and I appreciate how much work went into Baldur's Gate 3. I also ran seven playthroughs in that first release month; I've probably run through that game more than 90% of its players today, let alone given the timeframe. But BG3 had already been the biggest push for me to move away from D&D 5e in my tabletop games just from the Early Access, and I went into the release knowing I would find the combat rather insufferable (especially after a month or so of playing Wildermyth, which probably has my favorite simple tactical combat in a crpg I've played). And the application of skills in general. But honestly the cinematics / story delivery (and promise of consequences later) in EA had me wanting to see the rest of the game.

And the game does have its moments: Karlach's monologue & Dark Urge refusing their blood are fantastic. But those are all that really stood out in their entirety,

I stopped playing the game because the seventh playthrough was my tactician run for the last achievement at the time, and ironically it was the first time I actually got Dark Urge's special good ending (my four other Dark Urge runs I went to Avernus with Karlach). And the game gives this little somber note of reflection for Dark Urge, and it's an incredible moment that gives more closure for the whole game than the default endings and epilogue combined.

Then it's rather strangled the moment you reflect on the rest of the game, because the game doesn't allow itself much space to breathe. And it's all the tadpoles' fault.

If there's one thing missing from BG3 (which is being generous), it's adventure. The tadpoles have a lot of game design uses, but perhaps their largest impact is how they allow the game to yoink you on a single track towards its conclusion. So exploration is limited, and typically just rewards you with the equivalent of a pile of necrotic needles & a blighted shambling mound digesting you (all with a 30 perception check required to not be surprised, mind you). Or you accidentally skip half an act because you wandered into a tomb.

But I digress on why Act 2 is a wad of melting glue desperately trying to bridge the gap between the two actual halves of the game.

DOS2 and BG3 are both built out of wide area maps set in linear chains. There seems to be this philosophy that single, completely interconnected maps are just better than traveling between smaller areas via a world map even when those maps make the story make less sense, like the goblin camp being a ~10 minute walk from the grove down a straight road.

I want you to imagine what Act 1` might look like if the map was instead properly split up into distinct locations across an overworld map:

Your arrival in the grove is timed with the goblins attacking Waukeen's Rest; if you look through the telescope, you see their banners marching in that direction.

That gives you a marker on your world map to travel to, which takes a few hours overland and you find the place burning after the raid and can help the people there.

Here you could get two leads: the Zhentarim sending you down the road to the toll post to check on their shipment (with the flind & gnolls being a set encounter when trying to reach there) and tracks that lead to the blighted village.

In the blighted village you encounter some goblins, get the location of the goblin camp (likely from a dead or alive goblin), and head to that marker to find the warband returned from the inn and celebrating. (or maybe you find information on the Selunites here, and follow the indications of a Selunite temple in hopes of finding a healer, only to find it ruined with goblins in it).

Area divisions - whether short loading zones in old Monster Hunter or a dotted line for travel across a world map - give a ton of space to state or imply time & distance without needing to accurately render them. Pathfinder: Kingmaker did a great job of also throwing in some party banter for companions when you rested, which, with a good budget, could do wonders for providing those little companion interactions a good chunk of bg3 players appear to crave.

Those are some of the breathing moments the game needed. Little bits of connection, reflection, and companionship. I want more small moments for Dark Urge where you get to have them think on their affliction - really think! not "kick cat: Yes / no / normal dialogue." I want more urges that are actually urges and you have to resist, or actively save someone, and build this narrative anywhere other than your head because the game treats the Dark Urge as "here's a really evil option. You're good for not picking it."

Which sums up 95% of the game's "moral" choices too.

The one thing BG3 does better than any crpg I've played is its graphics, cinematics, and letting you make an explicitly trans character.

And I think that's why the epilogue felt so flat to me. You walk around and talk to people, then watch everyone give a toast. For all I've come to dread the thought of playing this game, I would pay a good amount to get an epilogue that's like DOS2, but with cinematics instead of character art.

#ttrpg #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers

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callioclops · 4 months

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A short while ago I was prompted to explain why I didn't particularly enjoy Baldur's Gate 3, and it led me down an interesting rabbit hole of thought about RPG progression. Stepping away as much as I can from my personal preference, I want to take a moment to talk about the pros and cons of what I've started referring to as 'Buffet' or 'Menu' progression systems.

So a quick explanation of what I mean by this, say you're eating out and you go to a restaurant that's hosting a buffet. As long as you have room on your plate, you can take anything you want from the buffet in any combination you want. The things you choose may not compliment each other very well, but it's your choice to make.

Now take another restaurant, this one without a buffet, instead you are given a menu. You have a selection of curated dishes, already picked out for you because the ingredients are believed to compliment each other. You may have some customisation, extra bacon on a burger, a choice of condiment, but there are limits to how much you can do.

I'm going to relate these metaphors back using the two games I've played from Larian Studios: Divinity Original Sin 2, and Baldur's Gate 3. Divinity is very much a buffet system. There are presets in character creation, but these can be completely ignored if you wish. Every skill can be upgraded at every level, there is never a moment where you're locked out of improving your rank in Necromancy or Dual-Wielding, etc. The only limitations on your character building are the limited points you have to allocate.

Baldur's Gate 3 on the other hand is (primarily) a menu progression system. You pick a class, and are given a curated list of things you are allowed to do based on this. You can pick your choice of spells, stances, and some other parts, but the overall strategy stays largely similar for most of these changes, you're just changing the seasoning.

Now I say primarily for BG3 because like most things, this is a spectrum and not a dichotomy. I think that BG3 leans towards a menu system, but it doesn't embody it. That prize I think goes to a lot of early JRPGs, where you don't get any customisation at all, you are just given party members that gain the same stats and learn the same abilities at the same levels on every playthrough.

Acknowledging my biases at this point, I think my wording has made menu progression sound entirely negative, so let's go over some of the benefits: It creates a more streamlined play experience, less fussing over the intricacies of a build allows people to experience the story and gameplay at a much more rapid rate. From experience, I have spent 15 minutes deciding on what to do for a level up in Divinity, which can definitely detract from the pacing if the need to allocate points arises at a crucial story beat. Reduced options also makes the game more approachable and enjoyable for casual players, who may not necessarily have the desire to understand the minutia of the mechanics (To be clear, I'm not using casual in a derogatory sense here, play games how you want to play them I'm not here to gatekeep). Finally, reduced choices in a build path is easier to balance from a game design perspective, and can make the utilisation of these mechanics more interesting in combat. If focus is taken away from what you use, much more emphasis is placed on how you use it, which for some people is much more satisfying when done well.

And with that out of the way, my personal list of pros for why I love buffet progression systems: Firstly, it encourages creativity. This is an obvious one, but I feel it deserves to be elaborated on. In Divinity, while I said you could ignore the presets entirely I don't think that's a good idea. Because the presets are very good starting points for a better, more whole build that you could create yourself. Taking Enchanter as an example, it primarily uses air and water skills to dish out AoE damage and stun opponents out of their turns. You could stay entirely in these two skills, but there are other things that could improve this game plan. Polymorph has access to Spider Legs which you can use to web opponents and stop them from moving, maybe allowing for more enemies to group up. Necromancer can give you access to Vacuum Touch or Vacuum Aura when combined with Aerothurge, letting you shred through magic armour so you can apply your status effects earlier. Divinity in particular I think is very good at leading you down a path without forcing you to stay on the trail, but of course any open ended system would encourage experimentation to find an optimisation.

I think buffet systems also allow for a lot of replayability. BG3 obviously has this for all of the different story paths you can go down, but in terms of mechanics, a more open system tends to give me the feeling of "oh what if I did this" or "I could maybe combine these together" which I just didn't feel at all in my time with BG3. Finally, and most importantly to me, buffet progression rewards knowledge of the systems far more than menu progression does. By understanding the interactions that occur in the game, you're able to put together these incredibly powerful combinations that don't necessarily trivialise the game, but feel like a significant boost from using the preset paths prepared for you. A great example of this is my favourite build I've ever made for Divinity that I nicknamed the Firebomb. Feel free to skip the next paragraph if you don't want a brief rundown of the build.

The essence of this build is that I would use Aero skills such as Teleport and Nether Swap to gather up a lot of enemies in one place, then use skills like Supernova, hitting everyone around me and myself. I was mitigating the damage however as I have points in Necromancer which give you lifesteal, and the talent Living Armour which converts a portion of healing into magic armour regeneration. I could then use Fireball on myself after casting Deflective Barrier. DB is a skill that after being hit with a projectile will launch it back at the source. Since I cast Fireball on myself, it gets deflected back at me, effectively doubling the damage as it triggers twice. Once again, hitting everyone around me. This resulted in a huge amount of fire damage in a single turn, and could often solve a minor fight all on its own. There are more details like the fact that I have to compensate for low physical armour and what I do when those abilities are on cooldown, but I don't want to bore you with the minutia.

So am I saying one method is better than the other? No, not at all. I may prefer buffet, but menu has its merits and its audience. The correct method depends on the game that the developers want to make. I think both of these examples with Larian made excellent choices in regards to the game they built for their respective systems, it just happened that one of them wasn't for me.

#callie's rambles #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #divinity original sin 2 #dos2 #game design

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neu-apostolisch · 5 months

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I’m so confused about how you could reply to that other anon’s post about Gale, list all of the narrative reasons why the game’s writers included killing Gale a possible ending, and then ended your post by saying “it’s offensive” for them to do that, instead of taking the thought one step further, and thinking “well, maybe some people will want to choose an ending that provides an interesting narrative arc rather than a perfectly happy ending, and the devs wanted to give them the choice to do so”

I really think you’re missing something for not accounting for genre. BG3 is a role playing game for a reason — the game is meant to provide players with many, many options, and some people might not want to metagame. the character they’re role playing wouldn’t know that there is a chance for a happy ending, so why wouldn’t they let their wizard friend detonate the dangerous magic orb in their chest in order to save the world if he volunteered? and some people love a tragic story, no matter what genre.

and on the subject of genre, D&D is born of the high fantasy genre. a big heroic act where a character uses the plot device they’ve carried with them the whole time, a plot device that turns their previous self centered ambition into a way to protect other people? that is textbook high fantasy. and many people I know, when playing D&D, would jump at the chance to sacrifice the character they created sacrifice themselves in a grand, selfless way. Gale sacrificing himself isn’t included in the game for its shock value — it’s pretty standard for the kind of story they’re offering players to act out

the point is, no one from Larian Studios is ever going to show up at your house and make you choose the options in game to sacrifice Gale. but BG3 was not created to be a “make your favorites characters happy” simulator. a player can play the game that way, but that doesn’t change the fact that the devs had entirely different intentions

hi anon, thank you for the ask! this was interesting to think about and respond to.

i agree with your statement that BG3 is a role playing game and that the crpg and high fantasy genre is defined by player choice, and i think for the most part you see that in what i said in that other reply, so i won't delve too deeply into establishing why i understand xyz structurally about the genre (but i'm happy to do that, i just have limited space) i also play actual d&d, and have done so as a DM and as a PC. and admittedly, my statement of taking offense has less to do with the story and more to do with the nature of the comments made. i didn't do a good job of delineating that, so that's on me.

i fully agree with you as well that players need to have the space to construct an interesting story. if you want to have a story where you or someone you care about and love sacrifices themselves to the world in a grandiose or gory fashion, that's incredibly compelling. and a really powerful moment from a narrative perspective! i totally see where the writers were going with that. there's a ton of opportunity in the game to kill all of your friends for different story reasons, and it's cool that the game lets you do that and play it out--but also very cool that the game lets you reject your fate, as it were. i still think that BG3 is masterful at this, and is one of the best games of this genre ever made, if not the best. you are always enabled to write, for yourself, the story you want to hear.

however, i think from a structural perspective, you then have to lend credence to the impact of player choice as part of the narrative you're constructing as a storyteller. i'm not going to get into "death of the author" too much here, but i think that concept is highly present in a game that you directly incorporate player action/consequences into. larian devs can set out to tell a specific kind of story, and then that story can get consistently derailed by player action, and that is how the game manifests. therefore, i think it's presumptuous of them to come out here and say "yeah this is the right ending." in many ways, it's a super interesting ending (especially if you end it at act 2 instead of 3!) but i'm teasing out the concept of "rightness" here, from the mouths of the writers. is it interesting? yes. is it "right"? it's poetic and fitting "in many ways", but right? i think that's a different sort of thing. i could genuinely just be being picky here, and i'll acknowledge that.

let's touch briefly on interesting storytelling and its relation to gameplay. orin in act 3 stealing one of your companions. that's so cool, honestly, and it's an amazing narrative device. originally she was meant to prioritize the character you were romancing which is really cool, but they had to scrap that because players would beeline for orin and get beat up by the difficult fights on the way. that's an example of the cool narrative construct having to give way to what the player will ultimately do.

BG3 wasn't created to be a "make your favorite characters happy" simulator, sure, but the game facilitates that kind of play, provides rewards (both narrative and tangible) for doing so, and generally encourages players to make interesting (but ultimately positive) choices. this is what i mean when they say that larian boxed themselves in narratively. you create a situation where a lot of players will want to strive for goodness, and where that is possible, and unfortunately, that's going to start railroading the experience of a story you want to tell. they are constantly in tension with each other. even without metagaming the other anon brings up the salient point of "why wouldn't you want to save everyone you can--including your own friends?" and yeah, saving everyone, being The Hero, that's part and parcel of high fantasy too. i myself always thought there'd be another way, and you can openly tell your pals that.

ultimately, i do agree with most of what you said. but to address the confusion you mentioned--my criticism doesn't stem from the inclusion and accommodation of player choice and telling an interesting story. it comes from the way they decided to tell a story in the crpg context and the way their story construction resulted in them viewing certain characters as less whole, less interesting, and less meaningful on their own merits. they're not writing a book, they're stage-setting an rpg experience with a focus on character narratives. you can't have both a static conception of story elements/characters and also be writing a crpg. i think it's fair to point out when those character driven narrative experiences are uneven or feel stilted, and identify why that might be the case.

i love this game and its writing btw and i don't want that to get lost at all. i'm just trying to add some zest to the discussion, as it were. i may have left some stuff out, but hopefully i didn't put you to sleep. thanks again for the ask, it was fun to think about and i appreciate it.

#gale dekarios #oh yeah! we were talking about gale! (lol)#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 critical #larian critical #gale bg3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #bg3 spoilers #asks

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thessalian · 3 months

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Thess vs The Patch/Hotfix Cycle

So ... okay, much as I love Larian, and how much they've grown and developed as a studio between Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 ... does anyone else feel like we're still somehow in early access, just because of the Patch/Hotfix Cycle?

It's like ... they do a patch. And these patches are huge, with big quality of life improvements, and that's great and everything? But the more they tinker with the code, the more chance you're going to have of coming out with a game-breaking bug somewhere along the line. Patch 6 in particular, with all of its significant QOL changes, somehow brushed up against a change in ... *checks* ah, yeah, Patch 5 ... and completely broke the game for some of us in the process.

See, there's a condition that you can pick up - "Enemy of Justice". It's supposed to be for killing a guard or something. I'm assuming some kind of criminal activity. Thing is, even if you're not doing any criming, you can pick this status up - specifically if you want to try to recruit Minthara on a good playthrough. Because if you kill anything before you knock her unconscious (including, apparently, the 5hp Scrying Eye which'll get you everybody's attention if you're not careful, and the low hp goblins everywhere), whoever struck the knockout blow gets Enemy of Justice. Which I guess makes sense. You assaulted her and killed her guards. She's going to take issue with that, and probably know that you're not as devoted to the Absolute as you pretended to be early on. (Though why anyone should believe her at that point, no idea.)

The problem is ... apparently Enemy of Justice doesn't discriminate. If you killed any kind of guard, anywhere, and left a witness ... everyone will be after you. Look, I first found this out because Lady Esther over in the Rosymorn Monastery literally attacked me on sight. She doesn't know jack from shit about the whole Absolute cultist bullshit, and probably doesn't care because it's not her assignment. So she has no valid reason to attack me. However, Enemy of Justice says that I am Public Enemy Number One for ... killing minions of the big bad, okay. And somehow everyone in Faerun knows this.

And I mean that literally, as some people have gone into Act 2 and found that everyone in the entire zone wants them dead. The Harpers at the Last Light Inn and the Absolutists at Moonrise Towers will both auto-aggro if you've got the bug that sticks that fucking Enemy of Justice to you. It's a pain in the arse, and basically makes the game unplayable. I mean, the worst part is, this only seems to really come into force when you come out of the Underdark and into what's ostensibly Act 2-adjacent content, so you go through the Underdark thinking all's cool and then boom! Just ... everyone hates you. Apparently it all goes away when you kill a certain Big Bad at the end of Act 2, but ... I mean, how do you get to that point if everyone wants to kill you?

So ... yeah, sometimes it feels like we're still in early access, because we're still seeing such massive patches that, just because of how much the code's being tinkered with, is an open invitation for more game-breaking bugs. I do love Larian trying to polish the game to make it the best game it possibly can be. But ... I mean, I would like to be able to play it at some point. And I can't do that if I'm stuck just a bit before the Grym fight, unable to continue because if I'm going to kill Lady Esther (and make no mistake - I am going to kill Lady Esther), I want Lae'zel approval for it. Which I don't get if she just runs at me screaming.

Larian ... please. Make it actually playable, and then stop trying to polish it. Let it be finished. It's a great game. Stop breaking it trying to make it somehow better. We can't play it when you do this.

#Thess plays video games #Thess liveblogs Baldur's Gate 3

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bmaxwell · 8 months

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Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate was my first-ever PC game. I came home with a shiny new PC a coworker built for me, and stopped at Best Buy to pick up the MicroProse Magic the Gathering game and Baldur's Gate. The game was positively mind blowing. It used AD&D rules (my first tabletop system) it had gorgeous isometric graphics, and FIVE (5) discs. Console gaming had nothing like it.

5 years later I was burned out on the genre* and maybe the rest of the world was too, because that style of game stopped being made. Years later when Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, and Divinity Original Sin came along, I spent time with each but was never truly enamored with them. I figured that, like RTS games, Metallica, and kart racers, CRPG's were something I used to like.

So when Baldur's Gate 3 released in early access, I largely ignored it. I'm not going to spend time playing an unfinished story-centric game, and even if I did? I haven't finished One of These in some 20 years. It's a bad bet.

However.

I'm like an alcoholic that drives past every bar in town every day. I listen to video game podcasts, and I talk games with friends. A couple of friends' enthusiasm for the game was infectious and, near release, Larian Studios announced that they were upgrading standard preorders to the Deluxe Edition for free. Well, if I ever do want the game I'll want the deluxe edition, and I can get that upgrade for FREE now? I'm basically losing money if I don't buy it. Right?

Buy it I did, and I was immediately hooked. I even spent an eternity in the character creator,** mostly debating my race and class. I get major FOMO with games like this. I want to see everything there is, and that's just not possible. I can't pick every lock AND smooth talk every conversation AND be a follower of every god, and so on. I finally settled on a Tiefling Warlock, a patron of The Great Old Ones.

Oh Aremon. I have so much I need to warn you about. But alas, I cannot.

It turns out there's a lot more than your character and class keeping you from seeing everything Baldur's Gate 3 has to offer. The game gives you an incredible amount of freedom. The studio touted the game's "17,000 endings" which seems nonsensical. After putting a hundred hours into the game I can believe it now. There are choices and events - big and small - whose outcomes ripple out into what feels like an ocean of possibilities.

The game reacts to everything you do. I've played a few saves and have friends playing their own campaigns, and the way we swap Baldur's Gate 3 stories feels like the old days on the playground. "Oh, you saved the druid grove? Well I heard you can assassinate the leader and there's a war and the whole GROVE is basically destroyed! Billy says he went and saved their missing leader and Susie says she helped an evil Drow elf raid the grove and burn it down!"

Susie that bitch.

And that's all true. Every action you take, every quest you follow through on or ignore, every area you miss altogether - these all have tendrils that spread out and touch every other thing in the game. It feels like there's a DM with a folders full of wrinkled papers of hastily scrawled notes alongside their binder of carefully written world lore that the players may never see.

The story revolves around mindflayers, opening with your character being restrained and infected with a gruesome parasite. It's a pretty good impetus to set you off on a quest to get that teethy little tadpole out of your head. No one needs to tell you that the kingdom is in danger, you have your own personal stakes in the form of unwelcome parasite in your brain. You can just watch that opening cutscene again if you need reminding of the situation's urgency. *shudder*

Or, perhaps not. Maybe this tadpole gives you cool powers. If one tadpole is good, more must be better!

Right?

As of now I am into chapter 3, exploring the titular city of Baldur's Gate, and I have no idea how this is all going to play out.*** The shades of grey and the way the game subverts expectations speaks to the quality of its writing. Dungeons and Dragons is some 50 years old now. Creative works carry the world view of their makers - hopes, fears, sense of justice, and prejudices are all along for the ride. They HAVE to be.

It's a black and white world where the monsters are evil and the heroes are heroic. The black skinned Drow are born evil and cruel, orcs are wild, savage, dumb, and violent. Mind flayers are cruel, thriving on enslaving others for their own ends. Thankfully the writers have gone outside the tired stereotypes pretty often with Baldur's Gate 3.

It makes me happy that I have a female Tielfing demonic barbarian who is somehow big hearted and vulnerable while also being powerful and kickass. My cleric is worships Shar, goddess of darkness. She's not necessarily evil per se, but she's definitely not about holy water and rays of holy light shining down from above.

And those mind flayers? Maybe they're not so bad. Not all of them. Some of my best friends are mind flayers! Or maybe that's my tadpole parasite thing speaking. I've met monsters who were not monsters at all. It's a lot of shades of grey and I DIG that.

The game gives you some weighty choices. I've had a handful of moments where I had to sit back and ponder for a few minutes, and these usually involve my party members. Each party member I've recruited (I have missed a few that I know of also) has been wonderfully written and voice acted. They each carry their own baggage and their own backstory that they will eventually share with you. We're all in the same parasitic boat together, but we each have our own demons.****

I have a vampiric theater kid, a spunky demon lady, a melancholy mage, a heroic warlock, an emo cleric, and a fearsome warrior traveling with me. Well, had. I ended up killing one of them when their morals went too far off the rails for me. It's not a choice I made lightly and I do not regret it. My friends have had their stories play out differently. The world reacts to your decisions and so do your party members. They're not just blank ciphers to blindly follow in whatever you do. They'll make their opinions known up to the point of leaving or even attacking you. I've seen their stories play out in very different ways based on who was in my active party at the time of a key story event.

Video game stories are very hit or miss for me. With RPG's I'm usually there for the combat and systems as much as the story. Baldur's Gate 3's main story is engaging and kept me invested from start to finish. Every party companion felt like a fully fleshed out character who I wanted to learn more about and hear more from. Even some of the game's side plots were engaging - one involving a hag comes to front of mind. There's just so damn much DETAIL here, and none of it feels extraneous. The developers have clearly played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, they know the sorts of things players want to do, and they made a game that says "Yes, actually you CAN do that" surprisingly often.

That freedom extends to the game's combat as well. You can throw objects, ignite pools of oil or alcohol, electrify water, push people off ledges, and on and on. My concern was that I'd get overwhelmed like I did with Larian's previous game Divinity Original Sin 2, but the combat threads the needle of being challenging without typically being overly long (spending an hour plus in combat only to lose and have to start over feels bad).

I can't close this review without mentioning that Larian did a great job replicating the act of rolling a die, a key component of tabletop games. The die clatters about and settles on its number in a satisfying way, and the excitement of a natural 20 on a long shot or the deflation of a crummy roll are intact here in this digital translation. The game handles luck streaks too - there's an option called Karmic Dice that you can toggle in the system menu, which prevents long runs of bad die rolls. After all, the dice add some welcome randomness but they should never play a huge role in determining how things play out.

The inspiration system is also wonderful - the game grants characters an "inspiration point" that can be spent on a reroll either in combat or in a skill check. These points are earned by essentially roleplaying your characters; smooth-talking Astarion will get inspiration points whenever you lie, persuade, or otherwise bullshit your way through a situation while no-nonsense bruiser Lae'zel is inspired whenever you mop the floor with foes in battle. The game is full of these thoughtful little touches.

The game writes a LOT of checks in the opening act, and somehow manages to cash them all. Choices you've made, people you've helped or hurt or ignored will come back around to you in the final act. Major events will play out wildly differently based on who is in your adventuring party. When it came down to the end, I made choices that felt right for the people in my party. It felt more like an ensemble cast rather than my character being the star of the show and everyone else supporting him. I'm writing this the morning after finishing the game, and I'm debating whether to reload my final save to see how other options play out. On one hand, I'm curious; on the other, it feels like the ending I got was my canonical ending, and playing tourist with it would feel dishonest.

As someone who hasn't seriously played D&D since 3rd edition (and not at all with the 5th edition ruleset used in Baldur's Gate 3) I'm not sure which elements are from the tabletop and which are unique to the video game. All I know is that, while no videogame can wholly replicate the experience of spending a Saturday afternoon at a table rolling dice, talking in bad accents, and poring over rulebooks and character sheets with friends, Baldur's Gate 3 does a better job than any game before it. *After Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Planescape: Torment, and Baldur's Gate 2 **At least 15 minutes! ***I've since finished the game ****Figurative and otherwise

#video games #baldur's gate 3

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utopianoverlord · 2 years

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is it worth getting baldurs gate 3 early access or should I wait, I really can't decide

I would say if the question’s been weighing on your mind for a while, and you really want to experience Act 1, then yes, Early Access is very much worth buying. The races, classes, character paths and story content currently available gives Act 1 a high replayability, which to me is already worth the $60. BG3′s EA has given me joy that no large-scale RPG’s done in several years. But if you're worried about ruining the purity of experiencing a fully released game vs. getting a sneak preview more so than the game's price tag, there are a few things I'd like to mention which might help you make a decision: 1) Early Access means seeing fundamental changes with each update, which can be exciting! When I bought BG3, Early Access was on patch 4. Over the past year, some characters received appearance or personality makeovers. Lighting, animation and cutscenes have been overhauled. Dialogue has been added, removed, and added back again. There’s a certain fun in the mystery of not knowing what the next patch will bring! But it isn’t fun for everybody. It’s not to say that the full release v1.0 will be the exact same as later versions of the game will be many years from now, but if you’re someone who’d prefer to play the complete, ideal vision Larian Studios has for BG3 as opposed to a heavy work-in-progress, then waiting would be the better option. 2) Early Access also means that if you want to experience each newly released patch, you'll have to leave your previous saves behind. Mods made for previous patches will also be broken, although the modding community for BG3 is very dedicated and quick to update their works, bless them. So if you’re too attached to your characters but want to experience new/updated content, you’ll be frustrated. Thankfully, there will probably only be 1 or 2 more patches before the game leaves EA. 3) Playing early gives you an easy, head start on understanding game mechanics and deciding what race and class interests you most. As someone who’s clocked 300 collective hours into BG3 so far and knew close to nothing about D&D before that, I’m personally thankful for the time to learn up on literally everything. There’s plenty of helpful videos out there (by WolfheartFPS in particular) to acclimate you to lore, spells/attacks and solid character builds if you need them. 4) The target release for v1.0 is planned for 2023. While it’s not set in stone, if you choose to wait for the official release you (hopefully) won’t have much longer to go. On the flip side, if you take your time and play through Act 1 now, your excitement for the launch will multiply tenfold and you’ll burst into candy when the day comes! While not the greatest addition to the list, I’d also mention that I’m at a point in life where delaying gratification is saved only for certain things. If a piece of entertainment looks fun, and it’s available right now, you can bet I’m going for it. (I’m writing this having bought Slime Rancher 2 within the same hour it launched today lmao) If you’re in the same boat, definitely get it now and enjoy it. ✨ @rosewaterhag made very good points about the same topic in her post as well, which I'd highly suggest considering, too. I hope this helps!

#thank you for the ask!#Baldur's Gate 3 #mailbox #for the record I originally bought the game for Astarion but I stayed for the everything

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celestialheal · 5 months

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𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔.

hi, psyche here (30+, they/them, GMT-3) this is an independent, private, selective and extremely low activity account for my original character, nienna surana, created firstly as the warden for dragon's age: origins back in 2012 when i first played the game. a few failed dnd campaigns later and baldur's gate 3 has revived my interest in the fantasy genre as a whole, so here we are.

at the moment of writing, this is my only rolepaying account, so i'm very open to interactions and following new people. every single person who follows me is very welcome to reach me via private messages or asks, so we can discuss possible ships or relations. and if you are shy, you can always send memes so we can see what happens.

this account is multiverse and multiship meaning that, unless explicitly talked beforehand, all ships will occur on separate universes. nienna is demisexual and panromantic, so she can be shipped with characters of any gender presentation. i am a shipping whore; if you want to ship our muses i will probably be down with it, but that said, other kinds of bond like friendships, mentorships or queerplatonic bonds are more than welcome and would be heavily appreciated.

this account will present mature themes either in the form of sexual encounters or violent ones. threads related to injuries, blood, medical procedures are bound to happen, as they are subjects of my muse's background. in the same spirit, ocular trauma is a recurrent visual within baldur's gate 3, so may be addressed here.

my only triggers are graphic descriptions and graphic content of back injuries (scars i can handle, but open wounds or medical procedures related to a person's back trigger me a little) ; everything else, i can handle. if you have any triggers of your own, please let me know so i can tag them accordingly. every trigger warning will look like this: “ // SPIDERS ” I’m not exactly into writing explicit sexual content too often, but when i do, it will be tagged as " // SUGGESTIVE " i won’t tag everything right from the start, but then again, if you need anything tagged, please let me know.

you already know the basic rules of roleplaying etiquette, right? no godmodding or powerplay. if you need or want to move the plot forward, you can reach me via private messages, asks or discord and we’ll sort it out, but do not move my muse without my permission. there is a few exception to this rules. i trust my mains enough to follow their lead, but overall i rather you asked me. also, out of character drama won't be tolerated.

i love, love, love plotting! i enjoy plotting out a basic dynamic and adjusting or deviating from it depending on muse interaction! still, if anyone does not feel comfortable enough to come and talk right away, memes are the best way to develop character and create connections. If we're mutuals, please send me memes. if we're not mutuals, send them also and maybe we can start a something.

lastly, i am in no way associated to wizards of the coast, larian studios or anyone related to the forgotten realms' creation, i just took their world and i'm using it an non-profitable way, hoping you all just enjoy my takes. all the graphics here were made by me using resources from @somresources, bansheepsd acvdemias and sometimes, even myself.

#* rules.

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tantalizingtopi · 5 months

Text

Perhaps, Part 2

The Dark Urge x Gortash

NSFW

Word Count: 3607

Part two of Perhaps.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they are Larian Studios and Baldur’s Gate 3

I jolt awake with a gasp, adrenaline pulsing through my veins. “I said you weren’t going anywhere, love.”

Gortash grins, relaxing in the chair in front of me. Thanks to the scroll of revivify that he used, the sparkling dust of it now mixing in with body fluids on the floor, I’m feeling less variable. My friends, no my family, are still dead though, and my heart feels like it’s been cleaved in two. I see Astarion’s—yes definitely Astarion—form on the ground, his red eyes open but vacant, as I test my fingers, pressing each one to my thumb as I rove my eyes around the archduke’s office.

“Eyes on me, Draela, spare your softened heart the pain of it. I tried, didn’t I? They’re literally all over the floor though, poor little spawn.” Gortash’s own gaze flickers to Astarion. “You two bonded over that, I suppose. By freeing him from his master, it gave you the courage to face your own, didn’t it?”

“Fuck you,” I growl. Gortash flinches like I’d just slapped him.

“Okay, you’re right, that was a little harsh. I’m sorry sweetheart, I know they meant a lot to you. Their loss is regrettable. But we can’t have them messing up our grand plan, can we? Really, I’m giving myself too much credit, this was your brainchild afterall, I just helped make it a reality,” his dark eyes hold mine, and I can’t detect a hint of deceit. Did he truly wish they could be spared?

I try not to allow myself to hope, but it takes root anyway. Karlach, Astarion, and Shadowheart are gone now, but what of the others? Will Gortash just lock them away?

“Drae, while I can just take the two netherstones from you, I truly don’t want to do this alone. I mean, I can of course, but it was always supposed to be you and I ruling, and I still want you by my side, despite all your efforts to derail our destiny.” As he speaks, he stands and slowly walks around me.

“Me as the Archduke, and you as my duchess.” He places his hands on my shoulders, gently on the one that is clearly out of place, his breath curling against my ear. “I still want you, and I know you want me too.”

A shiver of excitement coarses through me, and I feel the same way I felt eating the dead spider. No, this is much more than that. His soft chuckle against my flesh, his finger trailing down my neck. Gods what is wrong with me? His teeth graze my ear and a soft moan falls out of my lips before I can stifle it.

His touch trails down my skin, following nearly the same path as my blade had all those months ago. His deft fingers slide inside my battered armor and brush against my nipples, already hardened and needy for his touch. My body betrays me, arcing towards his hands, begging for more. Pathetic that I am, I nearly whimper. His breath in my ear again, his voice a husky growl, “there’s my girl. I’ve missed this body.”

He ghosts his fingers over them again, and this time I can’t bite back the whine. He sucks in a breath, clearly enjoying himself. He strokes my breasts, getting nearer and nearer to their awaiting peaks, and I feel like I may explode. He finally relents and his skilled fingers work my nipples over as I cry out in pleasure. “That’s right, that’s my girl, you do remember.”

He drives me swiftly to the edge pinching and squeezing and touching my nipples in a way only he could. In a way only a familiar lover could. “Cry out my name, sweetheart, and cum for me.”

“En-ver!” I cry, my pussy throbbing as I orgasm, able to fight my dark urges but helpless to his commands. He promptly moves away from me, but not before slipping a hand down my trousers and a finger between my folds, just barely grazing my clit before pulling it out, causing me to gasp in pleasure. Sticky and glistening, he comes back around me before he puts his finger in his mouth and gives his own moan of pleasure.

“I tell you, Drae, there is nothing on this plane that tastes as good as you do,” Gortash says, winking at me as he flips his chair around to sit properly, his erection evident. “I would taste you morning noon and night if I could.”

I bite my lip, staring at the bulge in his pants. He notices and his grin widens. “Oh? Do you want this?”

He gestures, I nod. My hands twitch against the bindings that hold them.

“How do I trust you though? You’ve lied to me, tried to kill me—not for the first time but this time you were really serious—and now you want me to give something to you? You want me to fuck you, to make you see stars as you come apart around me, over and over again?”

This is lunacy. I am bruised, wounded, broken. I should be mourning the loss of three members of my found family. I should be trying to kill the man before me, but all I want right now is his length inside of me. I have gone completely mad.

And he has too, or he is incredibly foolish. Who the hells wants to have the person who has attempted and successfully destroyed his plans to be by their side? Worse, to be their lover? I drag my eyes along his form to meet his. “You’re foolish if you do, but that won’t stop you. It’s never stopped you before.”

“That’s true,” he says, adjusting himself. “I only seem to be reckless and foolish when it comes to you, though. You bring everything out in me, good and bad.”

He leans towards me again, pulling a small tube from his pocket. He begins to fiddle with it and I watch with interest as the artificer moves with technical precision. “You’ve taught me a lot over the last couple of years, did you know? Some valuable life lessons, especially when dealing with that bitch sister of yours. One of those being, always have a contingency plan so you can get the drop on your enemy. It’s why I was so surprised to see you— well, gone.”

“I don’t remember,” I say. He nods.

“In the interest of full transparency, this tube contains a concentrated dose of both antimagic as well as a paralyzing agent that allows you to move but unable to get away, as very much exertion will completely tire you out. You will be fully healed, but your strength completely sapped. Should you agree to it, I’ll inject you with it and we can safely engage in whatever we please.” He taps the tube and a needle slides out, ready to strike.

“And if I refuse?”

He grimaces. “Love is a terrible burden, Draela, one that I had hoped to never have to experience. But here I am. I can’t bring myself to kill you, I can’t let you go. I won’t let you kill yourself. I was lost without you, going through the motions because what else could I do? I hate everyone, hated Orin, all these stupid weak minded and weak willed people. It was the only emotion I had left. Anger and hatred, rule the world and make everyone suffer the way I suffered without you. Seeing you, knowing you were out there, knowing you would eventually come back to me, changed or not, no matter your goal, gave me purpose again. If you refuse, I will inject you anyway, and you will never be far from my presence. I don’t just want you, Drae, I know now that I need you. I am yours and you are mine.”

He leans back and lifts his shirt, showing me the mark I left on him so many moons ago. A part of me longs to trace my fingers over that mark, trace my tongue along its white lines. Reforge it if it fades. I feel fresh tears welling in my eyes and close them to keep them from falling. “What about them?”

Gortash is quiet, and I open my eyes again to find him looking thoughtfully at the bodies of my friends. “The only way to keep them alive is to give them the same fate. Otherwise they pose too much of a threat.”

“Is this injection reversible? Will you ever trust me enough to give me myself back?”

“Hypothetically, yes it is reversible. I haven’t tried to make a cure.” He shrugs. “I was too busy trying to perfect a way to keep you.”

“You promise you’ll figure out a way to reverse it?” His gaze holds mine, his expression earnest.

“My love, I want nothing more than to trust you. I want nothing more than to know you’re with me, fully and willingly.”

“I agree.” He nearly tips my chair over as he crashes his lips to mine, the words barely out of my mouth. I feel the sting as he plunges the needle into my neck, the effects of his concoction kicking in almost instantaneously as the light I had conjured in my palm fizzles out.

His knife makes quick work of my bindings and he is hauling me up to him, wrapping my legs around him and moving us to his desk. In one sweeping motion he clears off and roughly sets me down, his lips never leaving mine. My fingers fumbled at the lacings of his trousers but he rips them down, his shaft finally released. I stroke him and he groans, pulling away to tear off my own clothes.

He forces himself inside and I gasp, grabbing at his jacket and pulling him closer to me. I bite at his lower lip and he growls, pulling himself almost completely out before slamming into me again. He pushes me against the desk and bends over me, worshiping my skin with his mouth as I move to meet his hips with mine. My hands find purchase under his shirt and my nails dig lightly into his back and he groans in pleasure, his pace quickening.

I wrap my legs around him as the pressure builds, urging him on. He brings his face to mine, kissing along my jawline, then my lips. “Look at me.”

My eyes find his dark orbs as his fingers brush my hair away from my face. He nuzzles his nose to mine, parting his lips to say something but then thinking better of it, he buries his face in my neck biting me instead. I gasp in surprise and scrape my nails down his back before digging them into his ass.

“Fuck, Drae,” he groans. “Cum for me right… now.”

I cry out, my body instantly complying, clenching around him. He raises himself up and keeps going, throwing one of my legs over his shoulder. Every thrust is another crashing wave and when he drags his teeth against my calf, his name falls from my lips like a plea.

“That’s my good girl, say my name and cum for me again.” He roughly grabs my ass and sinks the metal of his gauntlet into my flesh.

“Enver! Oh gods, Enver!” I spasm around him and he hisses in pleasure, slowing as I struggle to catch my breath.

He pulls out and I hear my wetness drip onto the floor in the silence. I whine at the emptiness, at him not cumming himself. “Shh shh shh.”

He leans over to kiss me, his fingers already teasing my folds. “Don’t worry darling, I’m not through with you. Far from it.”

He buries his face between my legs, working me over with his tongue and his fingers, his nose rubbing up against my clit when his tongue plunges inside, and his fingers replacing his tongue when he rolls it against my clit instead. “Cum on my tongue, sweetheart, let me taste how much you want me.”

I come apart again, my fingers in his hair as I grind against his face. His own pleasurable groans escape his lips as he tastes me. He pulls away momentarily, probably to catch his own breath, once again working his fingers against me and I can’t take it anymore. “Please, Enver.”

His face registers surprise. “Please,” his voice is husky, filled with wanting, but the word sounds as if it’s foreign to him. “Please, what?”

His fingers rub against my g spot and I moan in delicious agony. “Please, Enver, I need you.”

I must imagine the heat creep on his cheeks as he barks “Turn around.”

He grabs me before I can begin to respond, his hands rough as he spins me around and presses me against the desk. My feet can barely keep me upright but it’s no matter for him. A sharp sting as he slaps my ass before rubbing the spot gently. A flash of a flash of a memory of me telling him that his softness in bed disgusted me early on in our relationship; in my old life. He pushes my legs further apart, while pulling my hips to him, grinding himself against me before slowly, agonizingly slowly, easing into me. I sigh, delighting in the satisfaction of being filled by him.

He begins slow, steadily increasing his speed. “You cum when I tell you, alright? You can take it, I know you can.”

As he thrusts hard and fast, his fingers twist in my hair, pulling my head back and to the side so he can see my face. I rock my hips to meet his and his hand resonates against my ass. He pushes me gently down against the desk, my head still turned so he can see me. He groans, closing his eyes for a moment. “Gods, you’re exquisite.”

I push back against him and he growls, moving even faster as his grip on my hips tightens. Just as it is reaching its crescendo, he curses and pulls out. I collapse against the desk, my legs weak. He helps me back onto the desk, turning me again and coaxing me even further onto it, his body following mine. I gaze up at him, taking in his features. The face of evil, the face of a man I once loved, the face of a stranger. His voice is low, “I need to see you.”

I nod, and he rocks himself into me again, lowering himself onto his forearms so he can be close. He kisses me, and my lips part to let his tongue in. His hand cups my breast, his fingers playing with me, teasing my flesh. I moan against his lips and his pace picks up. He pulls his mouth from me as the pressure builds and stares at me. I do my best to keep my eyes on his, but my vision is hazy with lust. His fingers dip down to stroke me. “Enver—“

“Now, cum now,” his groans and I call out his name again as I break into a million pieces with him. He calls out mine like a prayer on his lips.

“Mmmm,” I purr against his neck a few minutes later, pressing my lips to it. I feel deliciously, completely full. He rests above me, his frame against mine but still maintaining some resistance to crushing me against him and the desk. He twitches still inside of me, and I run my tongue against his collarbone. He twitches again and this time I playfully move in response, earning a growl from Gortash. He gently lifts himself off of me and slowly pulls out of me as he climbs off the desk. I watch as he looks at the mess he made with satisfaction. I struggle to stretch my legs out and together, my muscles aching from tension and release.

“Don’t move,” he says, wagging a finger at me before he disappears for a moment. I turn my head towards the bodies of my friends, knowing they’d be absolutely horrified if they had witnessed the scene that had played out mere feet from where they’d been slain. My stomach twists and nausea overwhelms me and I have to turn away, rolling over to my side to face away from them. Gortash returns with bowl and a towel.

“What are you—?” I begin as he shushes me again.

Gently, he eases me onto my back once more and parts my legs. I throw my arm over my eyes, suddenly self conscious with the way he is looking at my pussy. He runs a finger gently down my folds, making me gasp as I spasm. I listen as he wets the towel and wrings it out, carefully pressing it against me and cleaning me. The water is warm, and the gesture is so intimate, I want to recoil from him, lash out. Instead, I bite my lip and let him continue.

When he is done, he scoops me up into his arms and carries me to his private quarters. He sits me on the bed and rubs his hands together, a gesture I recall he would do when he was extremely nervous. “I had a few things made for you, and if you don’t like them, we can find something else. I want you to be comfortable and dressed in only the best.”

He opens the closet, and I take in the dozen or so pieces, each exuding status and wealth. A memory of pink satin, stained in blood, my fingers feeling the fabric between my fingers and vowing to dress more elegantly. I move to the clothes, admiring each in turn, noting the dark color scheme, with the exception of two, one predominantly teal. I take it down and Gortash offers to help me into it. I accept, first pulling on the matching undergarments, feeling his gaze on me. He helps me step into the dress and then makes quick work of the lacing, keeping the bodice form fitting and flattering without sacrificing breathing and mobility.

“Enver, I’m not going anywhere, you do know that?” I ask, watching him in the mirror as he finishes lacing.

His gaze meets mine in the mirror, hurt flashing across his features. “I just want to make sure you’re really you, is all. You’re so different from the Draela I fell in love with; yet so much of you is the same. Orin tried many times to trick me into believing she was you.”

I turn, one hand in the hair at the nape of his neck, the other against his cheek. He leans into my touch as I rub small circles into the base of his scalp. “I’m not the same, that’s true. Orin made sure of that when she made mincemeat of my brain. But I’d like to think that I’m someone a bit better, someone out from my father’s thumb.”

He takes me hand and presses a kiss to my palm. “So far, I like what I see.”

————

That evening, I lay in his bed, tucked into his side, plotting. I feel his chest rise and fall, tell that he is sleeping and sleeping soundly, probably the first truly sound sleep he’s had in awhile by how quickly he was able to relax. Whatever he injected me with, he trusts it will be enough to keep him safe. He isn’t the only one with ‘lotions and potions’ as that hag would say.

“Enver?” I rise onto my elbow, looking at him, and his arm around me tightens for a moment. This seems to stir him awake and he pulls me on top of him, his arms wrapped around me and pushes a kiss to the top of my head.

“So beautiful,” he murmurs into my hair.

“If you could have just one of your desires, what would it be?��

“You,” he says without hesitation. “Without you, I’m nothing.”

“You’re sweet,” I say, earning a chuckle from him.

“Or stupid,” he says as I lift my head to look at him. He opens his eyes and meets mine in the darkness. “What are you plotting, my virago?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.” We assess one another for a moment, before he laughs again, shaking his head. “You know what? I don’t even care. End me if you must, just promise me that your face will be the last I see. Grant me that, at least. Let me die by your hands.”

“If it comes to that,” I press my lips to his, and he returns the kiss eagerly. “But you should know by now, there’s always another way.”

He holds me to him, languidly moving his mouth against mine. “A million ways to murder me, you mean? You’ve told me in great detail.”

I wait for the desire to come, to have to fight myself to stay present, but nothing comes. I grin against his lips. “I have no desire to describe your end to you.”

He pulls away. “Truly?”

“If I can reject and be rejected by my god, perhaps…”

“Hush,” he snaps, fear shining in his eyes. He further quiets me by crushing his lips to mine, roughly positioning my legs around him, his arousal pressing against me.

Later, spent from being lost in one another, I begin to drift off, nestled against him. He shifts me gently as he places a hand behind his head, pulling me closer to him with his other. He waits to see if I stir, and when I don’t, he lets out a slow breath. “Perhaps.”

#fanfic #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 dark urge #bg3 durge #dark urge #durgetash #gortash smut #gortash x durge #lord enver gortash

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