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

[A Sentient Cloud]

You felt like it was unsettling? I thought it was pretty cathartic.

Hate the faggot all you want but honestly his VA deserved that award. The crying scream he unleashes after killing Cazadore is on point.

I found it pretty unsettling, yeah. Part of it was that Cazador wasn’t developed as a character and his relationship with Astarion was entirely offscreen, so all I was seeing was my fun gay bestie doing a primal scream and plunging a knife into his father figure’s chest over and over again. I get that he’s set up as a Super Bad Guy, but that doesn’t make it any less visceral. And Cazador dies realistically, like a human, not like a vampire - he’s choking, convulsing.

I found the VO to be just okay.

 

[Mega Black]

Part of it was that Cazador wasn’t developed as a character and his relationship with Astarion was entirely offscreen, so all I was seeing was my fun gay bestie doing a primal scream and plunging a knife into his father figure’s chest over and over again.

Father figure? The guy brutally raped and tortured Astarion for a full century. Even if this happened off screen you see plenty of evidence of his evil first hand. If anybody deserves to get violently torn apart by his own spawn it was definitely the absurdly evil Vampire who is about to sacrifice 7,000 unwilling and innocent souls to an eternity of suffering for even more power.

Regardless, I am probably going to start a Durge run for my second playthrough in a month or two. What would be a good build that isn't just smacking shit with a sword? I was tempted to do wizard but it doesn't feel quite 'right' for a character that loves murder.

 

[Kane Lives]

Like others mentioned with the spells, the action economy just swings wildly in the favor of players and to make encounters last more than one turn they would need to be made tedious as fuck.
The game already does this with the amount Sanctuary and Darkness in Act 3 but every fight would have to have 4 guys spamming Dominate Person or other CC to keep at least one of your characters out of the fight every turn. My MC was asleep for the entire duration of the Cazador fight but even with 3 characters he was dead before being able to start the ritual. Every humanoid boss would have to be immune to prone and all mental effects so that they got even a single turn in a 3 round fight. 5e just becomes catastrophically unfun at 13 and beyond and you can already start to see it at 12.
Even the harder optional bosses like Raphael and Ansur are just going in there and casting Globe of Invulnerability, Planar Binding or Hold Monster respectively, and then just mopping up.

EDIT:
On top of all that, you can already have a Light Cleric at your camp give your entire party Heroes Feast, Freedom of Movement, Aid, and Longstrider every day. So not only are you shitting on everything in one turn you're now immune to: fear, paralyze, poison, difficult terrain, and disease. While also having: 35 extra health on everyone, advantage on all wisdom saves, and practically limitless movement (God forbid anyone in your party is half illithid so they just fly anywhere for free).

5e encounter design is very much antithetical to any sort of large, menacing boss types, unless you want to be that DM and just make the boss immune to everything and take away half of your player's tools. In theory, lair actions and legendary resistance/actions is supposed to mitigate this, as you can see, not even legendary resistance can save you against a well-timed Hold Monster.

Regardless, I am probably going to start a Durge run for my second playthrough in a month or two. What would be a good build that isn't just smacking shit with a sword? I was tempted to do wizard but it doesn't feel quite 'right' for a character that loves murder.

If you haven't, bard Durge. Very, very fun. All the bard types are very viable too, so there's no wrong answer of what flavour of bard you choose.

 

[A Sentient Cloud]

Father figure? The guy brutally raped and tortured Astarion for a full century. Even if this happened off screen you see plenty of evidence of his evil first hand. If anybody deserves to get violently torn apart by his own spawn it was definitely the absurdly evil Vampire who is about to sacrifice 7,000 unwilling and innocent souls to an eternity of suffering for even more power.

Father figure, mentor, whatever. And I have some bad news if you think people in those roles are incapable of abuse. Either way, that was my reaction, obviously you're allowed to have a different one.

 

[Neurotic]

I was seeing was my fun gay bestie doing a primal scream and plunging a knife into his father figure’s chest over and over again.

Father figure?

There was an instance in that battle where Astarion said something like, "You are going to pay for what you did", yelling it far across the arena to Cazador. Cazador, who was laying flat on a patch of ice at the time, responds with "I've had to live with you for 200 years, isn't that punishment enough?"

I had to walk away from the screen because I was laughing so hard. All I could imagine was some angsty gay teen and his tired dad shoveling a snowy driveway, having an argument.

Father vibes are there, intentional or not.

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

In act 2 I have only the meat hole left to explore and Shar's room which has the "finish sidequests because shit about to get fucked" message (I rescued the refugees without fighting the warden ans the guard). Is it safe to go there now? Also does the dialogue you have with Shart beforehand matter? It seems like making her a dark justiciar is a bad idea.

 

[Soylent Dora]

In act 2 I have only the meat hole left to explore and Shar's room which has the "finish sidequests because shit about to get fucked" message (I rescued the refugees without fighting the warden ans the guard). Is it safe to go there now? Also does the dialogue you have with Shart beforehand matter? It seems like making her a dark justiciar is a bad idea.

As long as you are satisfied with the quest round-up you've done you should be safe to go forward. As for Shadowheart, the next part will determine how her path plays out.

 

[Cheeseknife]

Father figure? The guy brutally raped and tortured Astarion for a full century. Even if this happened off screen you see plenty of evidence of his evil first hand. If anybody deserves to get violently torn apart by his own spawn it was definitely the absurdly evil Vampire who is about to sacrifice 7,000 unwilling and innocent souls to an eternity of suffering for even more power.

Regardless, I am probably going to start a Durge run for my second playthrough in a month or two. What would be a good build that isn't just smacking shit with a sword? I was tempted to do wizard but it doesn't feel quite 'right' for a character that loves murder.

It was one of the few times in the game that Astarion's true self comes out. Most of the time he just pretends and acts like a fool. But there's moments intermingled when he talks about what Cazador did to him and his usual sarcasm mellows out.

It's funny how his background trait is directly tied to how much of a pretender he is. His gay mannerisms were a front for his trauma and his expertise in Deception checks are quite literally the result of his being abused.

Another crucial moment is when you refuse the Drow lady in Moonrise Towers. Back at camp, Astarion gets real with you for and that's where a romance can really start to hit off.

Also, with regard to your Durge, why not make a Warlock? Seems appropriate for Durge. In the future I want to RP a Durge GOO Warlock who is having to wrestle between his patron and Bhaal.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

It was one of the few times in the game that Astarion's true self comes out. It's funny how his background trait is directly tied to how much of a pretender he is. His gay mannerisms were a front for his trauma. The guy's expertise in Deception checks are quite literally the result of his being abused.

Another crucial moment is whrn you refuse the Drow lady in Moonrise Towers. He gets real with you for a moment and that's where a romance can really start to hit off.

Also, with regard to your Durge, why not make a Warlock? Seems appropriate for Durge. In the future I want to RP a Durge GOO Warlock who is having to wrestle between his patron and Bhaal.

Yeah, between how surprised he was about Tav not making him bite the lady and the conversation you have afterwards, that’s when you really get a good view on Astarion as a person.

 

[Cheeseknife]

I found it pretty unsettling, yeah. Part of it was that Cazador wasn’t developed as a character and his relationship with Astarion was entirely offscreen, so all I was seeing was my fun gay bestie doing a primal scream and plunging a knife into his father figure’s chest over and over again. I get that he’s set up as a Super Bad Guy, but that doesn’t make it any less visceral. And Cazador dies realistically, like a human, not like a vampire - he’s choking, convulsing.

I found the VO to be just okay.

Cazador was developed as a character, but completely through Astarion's anecdotes. In that sense, Cazador is less "human" and more like a sinister force that Astarion must surmount. This works well because it puts more focus on Astarion himself.

In retrospect we're not meant to feel anything for Cazador as a person but more as a proverbial demon holding Astarion back. In other words, by conquering Cazador, Astarion is symbolically murdering himself--his past self before the tadpole.

This is also why denying power is important. By ascending, he would be killing Cazador in body but not in spirit. By refusing ascension and liberating the other spawn, Astarion's vengeance has a greater purpose than appeasing his own vanity.

I feel like this is a bit like Count of Monte Cristo where there's two drives for vengeance--petty and righteous. Astarion is largely driven by vanity but in the end he can make it a righteous endeavor.

It's funny to think that the only reason he didn't want to save the grove was because the goblins would have thrown a better party. Astarion is completely amoral and (as far as I can tell) he won't actually free the spawn unless the PC persuades him.

Everything changes the moment right before you enter Cazador's chamber and Astarion has to look at all the imprisoned vampires. Before all that, he was ready and raring to ascend. Then, when confronted with the cost, he suddenly has second thoughts.

Note Cazador never factors into any of this other than as another obstacle. The real final boss Astarion needs to fight is, essentially, himself.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

nd (as far as I can tell) he won't actually free the spawn unless the PC persuades him.

To be fair to him, if you pass the insight check, it tells you that between the sheer amount of blood everywhere and his fear of being used or captured again, he’s in the worst possible mindset to think clearly.

 

[derpherp2]

I found it pretty unsettling, yeah. Part of it was that Cazador wasn’t developed as a character and his relationship with Astarion was entirely offscreen, so all I was seeing was my fun gay bestie doing a primal scream and plunging a knife into his father figure’s chest over and over again. I get that he’s set up as a Super Bad Guy, but that doesn’t make it any less visceral. And Cazador dies realistically, like a human, not like a vampire - he’s choking, convulsing.

1. If you were actually abused as a guy you're not going to tell everyone "hey I was sodomized by this powerful guy, also he's a pedophile/vampire"
2. Play Astarion Origin if you want to see cazador's "development"

Regardless, I am probably going to start a Durge run for my second playthrough in a month or two. What would be a good build that isn't just smacking shit with a sword? I was tempted to do wizard but it doesn't feel quite 'right' for a character that loves murder.

It's dnd what else are going to do in combat that isn't smacking people with a sword/monster/barrel/spell? Especially as a murderhobo?

You could go wizard with the expanded 5e spells mod, one of it is a melee attack cantrip, mix it with bladesinger and watch you do more dpr than a fighter.

 

[Mega Black]

It was one of the few times in the game that Astarion's true self comes out. Most of the time he just pretends and acts like a fool. But there's moments intermingled when he talks about what Cazador did to him and his usual sarcasm mellows out.

I like that Astarion's true self is something that is slowly teased out over the course of the game and that the shitty aloof gay stereotype he is at the beginning is very much an act. It is a good payoff.

This is also why denying power is important. By ascending, he would be killing Cazador in body but not in spirit. By refusing ascension and liberating the other spawn, Astarion's vengeance has a greater purpose than appeasing his own vanity.

Breaking the cycle of violence and abuse at the end of Astarion's quest feels like the appropriate conclusion to his arc, unlike Gale, where ascending to Godhood felt like it was meant to be 'bad' in more of a forced way.

 

[Cheeseknife]

I think its due to how much insane shit Wizards and other magical classes get at level 13 and beyond. Level 13 opens up your first 7th level spell slot which gets you things like simulacrum which would be interesting to see, to say the least.

I really wish they had added Contingency to 6th-level spells and you tailor your own Reaction effect. Like automatically casting Stone Skin or Blink if you're about to be hit by a melee attack. Chain Contingency would get really crazy.

 

[Male Idiot]

Cazador is clearly more of a bad guy than a father figure. Viconia is more of a father or rather mother figure for Shart.

Though, I'm so happy that Rogue Trader has its own morality system, the Imperium lines are almost always pragmatic.

 

[Cheeseknife]

Well, I did it! Completed Honor Mode as Shart Origin.

That final fight was almost lost. Got extremely lucky with the dragon: Hold Monster worked the first time and after that it was just a matter of nuking it down with melee attacks from Lae'zel. When I went through the portal to fight the brain, every platform was destroyed except one final slab. Absolute had 100 hp left and I was forced to shoot at the brain with ranged attacks. Luckily Karlach, as an Ilithid, had like three or four extra attacks that did the trick.

Spoiler: Epilogue

I sent Lae'zel off to fight Vlakkith and her projection was at camp. She had this to say:

Very satisfying to see this play out. They were at each others' throats in the beginning, but Lae'zel ends up calling Shart a friend in the end.

I let Karlach become a squid since it was the only way to "save" her. Funny how I've seen online how she asks to be turned into one but that choice never came up. Not sure what triggers it, but I made sure to talk to Orpheus with Karlach in order to make it happen. Based on what Withers says, it isn't the real Karlach, though. It's just her memories.

Also told Gale to give up the crown to Mystra and he did. Elminster's letter seems to indicate this was the right choice as well.

I wanted to save Wyll, but since his father died at the Iron Throne, I decided to let him give his soul to Mizora to save his father. Now he is out fighting demons in Avernus.

Romanced Astarion. He and Shart are helping the spawn in the Underdark.

Overall, Shart feels like she's the best stand-in for MC among the other origin characters. Her mission to retrieve the artifact is central to everything else that happens in the story in addition to her even carrying it in the first place.

I love how she and Lae'zel go from hating each other to becoming friends. When you first free Lae'zel she refuses to say thank you, but when you save her from Orin she finally concedes and says "thank you" sincerely. Again, this feels far more impactful when you're a Shart origin given how the characters started out. For whatever reasons, Lae'zel never tried to take the artifact from Shart. I know this can trigger sometimes, but it never did in my playthrough. Not sure why not.

Shart/Astarion romance also felt more appropriate to me. I think this was because of the parallel between Shart's forsaking Shar and Astarion's forsaking Cazador. I actually completely Shart's personal quest first, so it made it more thematic to have her push Astarion to make a similar choice in self-reconciliation.

Overall, very happy with my Honor Run and my golden die!

 

[SIMIΔN]

Breaking the cycle of violence and abuse at the end of Astarion's quest feels like the appropriate conclusion to his arc, unlike Gale, where ascending to Godhood felt like it was meant to be 'bad' in more of a forced way.

Yes, I think Gale becoming the God of Ambition/Motivation is the best choice.
Yes, Elminister and Mystra disapproved, but they asked him to suicide bomb the brain, you can't lean on past friendship after something like that.
Mystra is even more hypocritical, part of her essence comes from an ascended human wizardess.
Tara disapproving has more weight, but only as an indicator he's losing track of his old life. Hopefully the party will remind him he still matters to his friends and family.

It's also the only hope of a happy ending for Astarion. If he breaks the cycle of abuse, then he'll be stuck in the shadows, unless his bff choses to give him godhood.

Well, I did it! Completed Honor Mode as Shart Origin.

Congrats, Honour mode isn't easy.

 

[soda pimp]

Is it just me, or does Wyll have a bigger ass than Laezel?

 

[Cheeseknife]

Is it just me, or does Wyll have a bigger ass than Laezel?

Githyanki are pretty scrawny. All muscle and zero fat.

 

[CharcoalChkn]

Slightly on the topic of durge bard. I was hoping to start a run and play into the "musician makes a deal with the devil" trope.

Does taking Raphael's offer when you first encounter him actually have any impact or is it a fake "choice".

I don't need any more details than a yes or no, I just don't want to commit to that character if it's a no.