#and rich people don't give a shit. we're just NPCs to them

[msviolacea]

There's a lot of "oh, Baldur's Gate, isn't that game all about sex?" out there - I've seen it on the internet and heard it in conversation - which is fair, that's what the mainstream articles have been about, and let's not lie, most of us around here are all about the sexytimes with pretty people. (Me included, 100000%. And my "romance doesn't make an experience less interesting or serious" rant will be saved for another day.) But anyway ... it's Monday, and I'm avoiding work, so I figured I'd list as many things as I can think of right now that make the game amazing that have nothing to do with actually having sex with someone.

GINORMOUS areas to explore.

There are lore books literally everywhere. If you like reading random bits of in-universe texts, you'll be spoiled.

Have you ever played D&D and wished certain spells had more utility - like Grease, or Sleep, or Create/Destroy Water? You're in luck here! Anything that can either create a ground effect or temporarily distract/take enemies out is OP!

Animated, voiced cut scenes with nearly every single NPC you run across.

At the same time, most of them are not required. Some will give you interesting side quests, extra approval/disapproval from your companions, or interesting information that will give you more options in a future quest, but you don't have to spend hours talking to people unless that's your jam.

In character creation, you don't pick male/female as a gender. You pick from four body types (two small, two large, two with breasts/more slender, two more broad/slightly larger), three sets of pronouns (he/she/they), and several different sets of genitals - mix and match all three categories to your hearts' content. I'm sure there are other things they could have done, but it's the most inclusive character creator I've seen in a major game for sure.

The turn-based combat is a blessing for anyone who struggles with real time combat. Take your time, consider your options, look at things from all angles, sort through your spells and attacks to find the right one.

Or you can remember you picked up that barrel of smoke powder three rooms back, climb up into the rafters of the room, and chuck it into the fire pit in the middle of the room for maximum effect. I cannot overstate how fucking satisfying that is.

Big fucking tiefling horns. Of a variety of shapes!

Your female companions are the tanks/hearty warriors. Your male companions are all delicate fucking flowers, at least until you get Druid Daddy who can turn into a bear.

While optimizing your 4-person party to bring the usual configuration - one tank, one healer, a couple of DPS - is useful, it isn't always necessary. There are some fights where bringing four ranged options is a great idea, as long as you give them some survivability spells or plenty of potions. Sometimes bringing four people who can just barrel their way into a pile of ogres is satisfying. Mix it up!

Okay every companion thus far (I'm still only through act 1 yet, listen I have two games and my partner didn't feel well enough to continue the game where we're the farthest this weekend so I spent my time catching my solo game up) is absolute gold, no duds in the bunch, and the next few bullets will be one awesome thing about each one of them that has nothing to do with romance.

Astarion with the Thief subclass at level 3 literally cannot fail most lockpicking or trap disarming checks unless he rolls a nat 1. He is invisible when stealthed. He can one-shot most low level goblins with sneak attack arrows from range. He is a very bitchy fancy-lad Super Rogue.

Wyll is the Goodest Boy - the speed with which he goes from "I am oathbound to kill you demon!" to "well shit you're just a tiefling guess I'll deliberately fuck up my very dangerous warlock oath for you" is wonderful. He's noble and impetuous and wants to be more than a rich boy and gives nearly everyone the benefit of the doubt. I would die for him.

Karlach does the ADHD idle dance of "I could not stand still if you paid me all the gold in Baldur's Gate" and has the best puppy dog eyes. Also the story tie-in to her rage mechanics is really great and excellent storytelling.

Lae'zel is nigh unkillable if you give her the right stuff. Speccing her as Battlemaster is amazing for controlling the most powerful combatants on the field. Trip Attack has saved my ass so many times, you have no idea.

On paper, Gale should be absolutely insufferable. But somehow the writing and voice acting managed to hit just the right notes of humor and good nature and wizard geek. I'm very impressed.

Shadowheart is a very interesting combination of amoral/self-involved but also compassionate and I find myself fascinated by it. She clearly contains multitudes, and thus far the story is doing a good job of doling out pieces of her at a satisfying pace.

And speaking of interesting moral dichotomies, I absolutely adore that Halsin is both the good influence authority figure and also utterly ruthless when things run afoul of his strongly held belief system. Also thicc, broad-shouldered elf supremacy.

The tieflings you meet in Emerald Grove are directly tied to the D&D adventure "Descent Into Avernus" - as is Wyll! (And I'm sure it has a lot of context for Karlach's story as well, I haven't finished reading it yet.) I'm sure there's more when you get to the actual city of Baldur's Gate, but I'm not there yet. It's just fun to have that as an option to read for backstory about some of the game's characters and situations if you want. It's not required reading, though - cough, Bioware/Dragon Age, cough - everything that happens with them is perfectly understandable without any additional context!

The "Balanced" combat difficulty is a really good mix of fights that take a LOT of strategy and ones that can be easily cheesed.

Have you ever wanted to shove someone off a cliff even though you have like 8 strength? Listen, a 30% chance is STILL A CHANCE, and you have limited bonus action choices. TAKE YOUR SHOT.

... feel free to add your own. I'm still pretty early in the game and can't wait to get to more.

(edited for some slightly better phrasing about the character creation gender options, hopefully)

[thegreatfraud]

It was always gonna end one way

In a ditch and so close to death as Huey luck finally ran out.

Everybody lose sooner or later. No matter how good Huey is. At the end of the day he just some dude with a wooden sword and powers don't work as it was a knife wound to the shoulder and a shot to the back from a bloody CHILD that caught him off guard. The kick to the bottom of the ditch as hell don't help as luckily the kids not a professional or he wouldn't even have time to realize what happened.

Street gangs using bloody CHILDREN to get back at him. Huey sigh as the kid being green helped him survive this. He can...MAYBE get up and climb out this ditch. With effort and a lot of pain. He gonna have to push himself harder then before in this city. Them blood lost not a joke,

But why should he?

What the point in all this? The struggling and the fighting for life. Not like you have anyone you love. Your partner gone. You friends are gone. Your business idea is ruin and your alone. Why fight so hard?

You should just die. You know better then anyone you been nothing but a nuisance. The Radiale be better without you in it. Your a killer and a liar. They either celebrate your death or don't give a shit. You desire to make your name stick in this city a joke.

"I can call Eidan." He a nice guy. Sure he don't like me. But he come and at least drop me off to the nearest hospital...

You really think he want to help you? After your black mailing? Nobody want you around Huey. Why struggle in this city without meaning? Just embrace it. The cold. The emptiness...maybe you can see William again. You never dies here yet have you?

"I have people that rely on me."

NPC who lives will continue even without you in the story. Your run a bloody smuggling ring and dish out justice to the highest bidder for christ sake. Your not running a thing people will miss. So what is the point of Huey Ponzi? Why struggle when your life have no meaning to it? It be much easier to die.

What is the point of Huey?

Huey realize his strength sapped half way out of the ditch as he lay on his back just a little to catch his breath. Damn he should have got a full lunch. What is the point? Not like he got anything to live for. Why climbs up the hill when there nothing waiting for you in the end? You have no love, no friends, no family, no job.

Your a loser and nothing. Even Aury at least have Klaus. You die as intended. A nobody in some random ditch in the middle of nowhere nobody would miss.

Huey close his eyes. Maybe it is better to just let the system do it's thing. Maybe it's just.....Better to give up.

Yet the body refuse even when the mind fails. Even if his ego is almost nonexistent....the Id refuse to give up on him.

A memory of cuddling with the weapons from another world who accepted him and his ugly side.

A memory of drinking with a friend who raised as a terriost.

Even if they are not here anymore. It wasn't all bad. Even if he have nobody now. The time they had was real. He HAVE made real bonds.

The memory of two brother sharing a drink in a dingy bar after the younger brother first returned job success. A precious memory. Of party, loud music, good food and good people, Money was thrown everywhere as it was the first time in a long time Huey felt alive.

Chasing down evil, taking from evil, spending money with people he love...the never ending party. It's not about making the world a better place. It's about having fun with people while pissing off the standard. The riches? The riches come and go all the time.

Huey eyes shot wide open. Strength returning back tot he limbs as he climb painfully.

Even if there no meaning he want to carry on. It's human nature to persist. Huey might be giving up in his head but his soul refuses.

"Lifes not always about the gleaming success...remember how many of our jobs we scarp by the skin of our teeth? You don't always get to look cool. In this work of ours we're not here to be liked or understood. Remember that first brief case of cash for that old lady? We tried being thief because when we took from those who have their dreams stolen. We were happy weren't we? It was fun. This isn't like last time. I'm not Robin hood. I care more about who I'm hurting then the victims. Because we never seen what we do as heroics. I'm selfish, egotistical bastard. If it helps someone by accident that fine. I came back because one job stealing from mobster was more fun then 3 years of studying for a boring ass exam."

My justice the thing that killed you after all William. That hunger for justice killed you. My obsession with bringing good into this world with our work. I promised myself i never once again wave the flag of righteous. What a joke....thieves claiming to be chivalrous. Yet i still don't wanna robbed from those who don't have it. There no joy in robbing from those who dreams are stolen.

I am a lowly maggot. I only steal because i want to steal. It's not just because i care. It's because above all else i chase the thrill. I forgotten that.

"Yeah there nobody in the Radiale that miss me when i'm gone. But..."

Even if there is no meaning to it now. Even if it's painful and lonely i wanna continue to struggle as a boring lowly human being.

"For the greatest victory. That impossible jack pot. Let's win William. Let's finally win for once and big time in this city. It make all this worth it no? That one moment of absolute victory. Let our story be forever told here. Even if the start of the story is a confusing, self pitying frustrating mess. Let's just keep going till we win."

That one moment when you win it all. When nobody bet against you and you win it all. So what if your a loser nobody with no bonds and no meaning to you? Oh it sucks for sure now.

You persist. You keep going for that final win. When you can win it all. You put up whatever mask it is to hide the truth. Faking it till you make it. Turning one lies into reality.

Hope. Even if you don't believe in it. You keep lying to yourself and putting in more effort till one day with hope comes victory.

"Oh.....i finally made it to the top."