Baldur's Gate III Announced - ...and it's coming to Google Stadia and PC

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Just discovered, if you go into the Underdark and free the gnomes before ever meeting Barcus, then you automatically find him dead in the Blighted village. Shame, I was thinking I'd get some different dialogue choices for freeing him from the windmill if I went this route. But, nope, he is just dead.
 
What's your honest opinion on Karlach? I tried to use her on an all paladin run and she was alright. I think she's more of a Mary Sue than Gale. Gale is the punching bag of the group in game and in real life. Everyone wants to bang Karlach. I don't think her personality suits her backstory. If she were acted like and older experienced woman maybe I'd like her more. Her rage scream is pretty weak too. Or maybe it's just me. Out of all the party members I tend to favor the rogue more, since they're pretty versatile in and outside combat and my Tav is usually the barbarian.
 
soda pimp said:
What's your honest opinion on Karlach? I tried to use her on an all paladin run and she was alright. I think she's more of a Mary Sue than Gale. Gale is the punching bag of the group in game and in real life. Everyone wants to bang Karlach. I don't think her personality suits her backstory. If she were acted like and older experienced woman maybe I'd like her more. Her rage scream is pretty weak too. Or maybe it's just me. Out of all the party members I tend to favor the rogue more, since they're pretty versatile in and outside combat and my Tav is usually the barbarian.
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Her racials pair better with a Paladin, Warlock, Bard or Sorc build since they scale off Charisma. Barbs can't cast spells or concentrate on channeling while enraged which more or less renders two of her Zariel Tielfing racial abilities less than effective. Even Thaumaturgy seems redundant when Barbarians get quite a few Advantages on Intimidation checks just for being Barbarians.

Now, if you do respec her, there's another slight issue that occurs if you want to make the best use of the Soul Coins. Soul Coins only work if Karlach has less than 25% of her health left or if she is enraged. If you respec her, the only use you get out of Soul Coins is if Karlach is nearly dead.

Astarion says something to Karlach in Act III which sounds insulting but is still very true: that she is defined by her engine. Gortash basically made her into the person who joins your party. Astarion doesn't even apologize when Karlach notes how hurtful it is because he knows it's absolutely true. When you first meet her to one of the foremost initial dialogue is Karlach talking about her engine and how you can't touch her, etc. Almost everything about who she is truly is governed by the engine. There's really no knowing what kind of person she was before the engine. I think the game even acknowledges this, somewhat, and remarks on the tragedy it is.

Everything about Karlach pivots on "let's make it quirky" except for her beef with Gortash. That's really the only time she "breaks character" so to speak, and I think we see the real Karlach. And then...even then, I just don't buy the VA's ability to project it. The VA just doesn't match Karlach's size and want to be bombast and I think you're spot on when you say her Enrage roar is kinda lackluster.

Where this falls apart for me is the fact that, in a world full of impossible magic, she outright rejects Dammon's proposals to find out if her heart can even be fixed just because she doesn't want to go back to Avernus. In other words, Larian is dead set on doing the Milion Dollar Baby thing with Karlach. Why this is stupid is that, in a world full of impossible magic, the solution is obviously to find whatever miracle will solve her problem. But, at every corner, Larian seems to be telling the player, "No, there is no solution. Plot needs to happen."

If you're wondering why Karlach can't just live at the House of Hope after you liberate it from Raphael, she makes it out like demons will just come and invade it again. If that's the case, it's still no excuse not to remain since Hope would probably prefer the extra protection.

Aside from that, the Mary Sue attribute is appropriate given Karlach's quirks are often meta. She sometimes says "honk, honk" when you click on her despite the fact that cars don't exist. She responds with, "Swish!" when talking with Astarion despite the fact that basketball doesn't exist. She also says "fuck" a lot too, but in a way that obviously trying too hard to promote her as edgy and quirky. Astarion, in contrast, says "fuck" far more naturally.

She knows who Jaheira is and turns into a giddy fangirl over her and Minsc yet has never heard of Elminster. I've remarked previously that this is reminiscent of Rey of the Star Wars sequels fangirling over Han Solo. In either case, what's being factored into the character's worth is their appreciation for popular characters within the same franchise.

After a time, it all becomes very grating. Her meta stuff and fourth wall breaks push a less than immersive experience overall.

...but she is far more preferable than Halsin. Dude is just "bear sex" and that's all there really is. Yeah, no thanks.
 
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Halsin has a line where he's discussing things he whittles, "Ornaments, utensils - and ducks. I like ducks."
Fine whatever.

Then I read the description of Jaheira's underwear. I have questions.
 
FatalTater said:
Halsin has a line where he's discussing things he whittles, "Ornaments, utensils - and ducks. I like ducks."
Fine whatever.

Then I read the description of Jaheira's underwear. I have questions.
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It is funny that out of all the returning companions, Jaheira is really the best written. Unlike what happens in the Murder Tribunal, the callbacks to BG1/2 with her is very tasteful (and likely the first to be made), and never in your face about it. I'd actually rate her as better than half the OG crew you get in Act 1, even.
 
Just, something in hindsight to everything I posted earlier, but this ending that they came up with Karlach also frustrates me:


So, the literal moment the plot requires it to happen, Karlach's engine starts throwing a fit? Convenient...

But that's not even the half of it. They do the whole cigars thing and, like...was she just holding them there the entire game? Like, why did she decide to start carrying around a couple of cigars? Just because? Like, WTF? The scene seems so out of place in a DnD fantasy setting and comes across like more of an 80s action film. But maybe that is exactly what they were going for: just turning the fantasy setting into a moment absolute shlock because...Karlach.

Needless to say, there's a huge tonal dissonance going on here. My sense of immersion is aching.

Only other thing is Karlach also reveals the possibility that her engine can be fixed which just goes to show all her fears were for nothing and she could have just found a solution had she just chosen to wait it out while Tav and the others helped her search for it. So I'm not sure what kind of sentiments Larian wanted to induce beforehand by doing a Million Dollar Baby to the question.

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I want that spell, it would be useful.
You already got spells on it.

They could say Karlach's special heart is cursed or something and it can't be taken out.
 
Male Idiot said:
I want that spell, it would be useful.
You already got spells on it.

They could say Karlach's special heart is cursed or something and it can't be taken out.
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True Resurrection. Wish. Regeneration. There are multiple avenues. One of her friends can end up a fucking god and you're telling me he can't fix that shit? Hell, they could even make Astarion mortal again and give Wyll his eye back.
 
soda pimp said:
What's your honest opinion on Karlach? I tried to use her on an all paladin run and she was alright. I think she's more of a Mary Sue than Gale. Gale is the punching bag of the group in game and in real life. Everyone wants to bang Karlach. I don't think her personality suits her backstory. If she were acted like and older experienced woman maybe I'd like her more. Her rage scream is pretty weak too. Or maybe it's just me. Out of all the party members I tend to favor the rogue more, since they're pretty versatile in and outside combat and my Tav is usually the barbarian.
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I hate her.
Not only she's mechanically poor as her race and class don't mesh at all but also her personality is extremely bland. It's like they wanted to make her cool but had no clue how. She can't swear at all, she's unfunny, and her entire personality is le wholesome big chungus.
If it was not for a fact that I need someone to become mindflayer, I'd decapitate her on the spot and give her head to Zariel's hitmen.

In a 2023 setting, [Karlach would] roll in on a Harley with shades and a cigar between her teeth, blaring Sabbath - a diesel-soaked dynamo with a heart of gold. She seeks justice for the oppressed, camaraderie, and revenge on the bastard who sold her to Hell.
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Source
 
40 Year Old Boomer said:
The real reason levels stop at 12 is because a 13th level cleric can easily solve Karlach's problem.
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If I were running the game as tabletop and wanted to make sure the infernal engine problem couldn't be fixed by said spell I'd probably explain that her soul really isn't free. Something about the soul being tied directly to the engine and hell, which is probably a better explanation than "the prime material isn't hot enough" in the first place. Hell being the only place warm enough is dumb, there's an elemental plane of fire too and if you're really picky I bet Nidavellir in Ysgard, a place with a river of fire, would work just fine too. That place probably has some kind of legendary dwarf smith that could fix the problem after a quest or some shit.

I don't know, anything to get past the lame ending is all I'm saying.
 
Far and away the best Barbarian rage roars are Astarion and Shadowheart. Of the player voice options, Male 1 is the best (sadly, none of the women do a great job). Gale's is hilariously shit.


As for Karli, I like her as a character. I think her arc is little underwritten, her story shares the same theme we see in a lot of party members of "in the thrall of one or more abusers" but unlike for example Astarion she seems to still be trapped in the cycle of looking for someone to serve rather than stand on her own two feet. Which is fine, some people are just like that, but she seems to undervalue herself. I never quite understood what exactly was the deal with her infernal engine, maybe later updates will add more material to that storyline.

I never viewed her as a real romance option because of that lost-child quality, she comes off as kind of asexual to me. Dammon is clearly hopelessly in love with her, if he survives he sends a letter to her basically pleading for her to write him back, which I found very cute.

The cigars were funny, though I would have liked to see them earlier. Similarly, I would also have liked to see a bit more development in her relationship with Wyll in the same way we see with Shart/Lae'zel; it would have made the payoff of them buddy-comedying down into Avernus in the end a lot more sweet. Between his dad and Mizora, Wyll is pulled in a lot of directions emotionally whereas Karli is a lot simpler.
 
I like Karlach, don't really have complaints about her other than that her accuracy is kinda shit most of the time and I don't find her abilities all that useful. Did find it pretty cheap that the epilogue reveals she may be able to permanently fix her engine after all but eh.

A Sentient Cloud said:
Dammon is clearly hopelessly in love with her, if he survives he sends a letter to her basically pleading for her to write him back, which I found very cute.
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Dammon was going to be a romance option for origin Karlach before they cut it, so that checks out.
 
The Fair Lady said:
I like Karlach, don't really have complaints about her other than that her accuracy is kinda shit most of the time and I don't find her abilities all that useful. Did find it pretty cheap that the epilogue reveals she may be able to permanently fix her engine after all but eh.


Dammon was going to be a romance option for origin Karlach before they cut it, so that checks out.
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You can fix all of Karlach's accuracy issues with a pot of giant strength. (Wear +1 attack gloves if you must, but the typical add d4 to weapon damage gloves are better if your to-hit is capped).

Aside from that, yeah. I expected some level of suboptimality with companion's canon stats but Karlach is hilariously up there in "what the fuck is this race/class combo list".
 
Kane Lives said:
Aside from that, yeah. I expected some level of suboptimality with companion's canon stats but Karlach is hilariously up there in "what the fuck is this race/class combo list".
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Given the reddit tier dialogue everyone seems to be accusing her of - I haven't had a chance to really play the game, computer is bad and I'll be damned if I play a CRPG on a console - then I wonder if she isn't just one big joke. I mean, I've read stories of redditors that bitch and moaned about not being able to play as X with Y, which is why 5E now allows you to basically be any race and choose whatever stats you excel in. Wizards is catering to those people and I wonder if Karlach isn't just a mockery of them.

I say this because Larian is very weird. I can't really get a bead on them.
 
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