https://www.cybersport.ru/games/articles/prekrasnaya-rpg-v-kotoruyu-ne-stoit-igrat-pervye-vpechatleniya-ot-baldur-s-gate-3

The storyline campaign of Baldur’s Gate 3 begins on the ship of the illithids, and the heroes are their captives, who manage to break free thanks to the attack of the Gityan women. If the above did not seem to you complete nonsense, then you are at least a little familiar with the universe of “Dungeons and Dragons” and in the world of the game you will feel quite comfortable.

Those who are far from board role-playing games and did not know that bones can have more than six faces, you will have to learn a little bit of materiel. Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t tend to chew on lore for newbies – it is assumed that you are already familiar with it or can learn the basics along the way. Therefore, the beginning of the plot, which immediately rushes off the bat, may seem a bit chaotic to you, but very soon the pace of the narrative calms down.

The hero and his companions were abducted by the illithids – this is a race of Cthulhu-like humanoids that reproduce by introducing larvae into the brains of other creatures. Over time, the parasite completely subjugates the host and causes a mutation that turns the host into an illithid. And this is exactly what threatens the protagonist and his team.

The introduction of the originality of ideas does not shine, but this is an absolutely understandable step – at the beginning of the adventure, only small-town problems await you, but in their solutions hints of future epicness will already slip. Companions dilute the situation. There are not many of them, but they are very well developed and leave the impression of living personalities, and not just dummy lemmings.

The Gityan warrior embodies all the stereotypes about the Amazons, but behind the bravado and straightforwardness of the soldier there is a secret – why is she with you, and not with her relatives? The rogue elf turns out to be a vampire, and the local hero, as it will soon become known, has made a deal with a not very heroic entity. And here’s a tip: let the mage die at least once, his farewell message is worth it.

A special party member can be called a maggot in the protagonist’s brain. In order for the protagonist to survive, it is necessary to get rid of it. And, as befits any good RPG, the game provides us with several options for solving this problem. You can rescue a captured druid, trust bloodthirsty goblins, make a deal with the devil, etc. However, before you have time to complete at least one of these quests, you will understand that the parasite has its advantages in its head.

Periodically, he will appear in your dreams, trying to seduce you with the prospect of becoming an illithid. The developers will even let you choose the appearance of one or one who will fascinate you. And in order not to be limited only with words, the larva will provide unique abilities that significantly affect the gameplay. Someone may even wonder whether it is worth getting rid of the parasite. For example, with its help, you can subdue some enemies, escape from death, or even completely avoid combat scenes. Of course, if you are lucky.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is roughly 90% skill and luck checks. They are everywhere – in dialogues, in battles … The game tests the attentiveness of your characters even during peaceful exploration of locations. However, unlike the strict check that Fallout fans are accustomed to, when it is enough to have the required number of points of a particular characteristic, randomness reigns here.

For example, you need to convince an NPC to give you loot without a fight. It is not enough just to have ten points of strength, wisdom, or something else. The game will roll a twenty-sided die, and if the desired or greater number falls out, then your action will be successful. That is, in theory, with proper luck, even a frail sorcerer will be able to lift a heavy burning beam. However, it is better not to rely on blind luck: each hero has its own strengths and weaknesses, which give bonuses or penalties to the dropped numbers. So let the warriors pull the beams and the dark arts masters intimidate. You need to build your character and his line of behavior very carefully, not forgetting to select those in the party who will compensate for his weaknesses.

The specialization of characters is primarily influenced by their initial setting. Baldur’s Gate 3 already has a very impressive character editor, with which you can customize the race, subspecies, class, subclass, origin, etc. By the time of release, there will be new options for customizing the hero, as well as the ability to play as one of the companions. These characters will have a special story and unique quests. This solves one of the problems of an RPG in which user-created characters end up as some kind of aliens in this universe. Companions, on the other hand, have more scenario connections with the virtual world, and therefore their adventures turn out to be more holistic, albeit less unique and free, which is a bit contrary to the spirit of the game.

At the heart of Baldur’s Gate 3 is freedom of choice – at least in the early hours. The user can be very free to dispose of his adventure, starting with character customization and ending with the approach to quests. Without violence, you can go through not only individual tasks, but also seemingly inevitable skirmishes with enemies – for this, some will then be allowed to turn into allies. And if you don’t like fraternizing with everyone around you, no one forbids you to choose a more destructive style: even in some peaceful dialogues, there is an opportunity to attack the interlocutor.

This is the beauty of role-playing games – you can be whoever you want and do as you see fit. In Baldur’s Gate 3, I initially decided to stay on the good side but act as dishonest as possible. I managed to trick the trolls on their employers by deceit, get into the trust of the goblins, and then interrupt them one by one and even force one of the monsters to devour himself.

After the first shows of the gameplay for Baldur’s Gate 3, the nickname Divinity: Original Sin 3 was fixed. There is definitely a similarity – the ability to play as companions, unique abilities: Source and larva, ship wreck in the introduction, search for a blacksmith / doctor in the first act. Even the appearance of the locations and the world here as a whole strongly resembles the previous game Larian. Someone quite rightly may not like this, but such a move by the developers cannot be called an unambiguous minus. The studios are constantly using their past developments, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a wonderful game that is not at all shameful to look back at. In addition, Baldur’s Gate 3 has its own characteristics.

In Divinity: Original Sin 2, the combat system is based on action points, which are responsible for movement and other maneuvers like attacks. In Baldur’s Gate 3, battles are fought in the same turn-based style, but instead of AP, so-called resources are used – action, bonus action and movement. They can be used in any order and combination. For example, you can move away from the enemy (move), shoot a bow (action), and take a potion (bonus action). Or jump onto a rock (movement and bonus action) and shoot from there.

In general, the system is not very different from the usual turn-based tactics, but in practice it turns out to be a little more complicated. The rest of the battle has absorbed the best from DoS 2. Positioning is of great importance: long-range attackers should occupy hills, and tanks should block approaches to them. You can also use the environment: set fire to oil, freeze water, destroy bridges, etc. As always, it is important to maintain a balance in the party so that the warriors cover the magicians, and the skills of the characters complement each other. A special element of tactics is brought by abilities that use unique class resources, such as spell slots for wizards. They are often much stronger than others, but their uses are limited. To use them again, you will need to rest at the camp.

Not to say that the camp is a unique feature of the game, which has never been found anywhere, but it is implemented in an unusual way. Typically, a camp is a hub between chapters or locations where you can trade and craft. Here, it serves not only to recharge special abilities, but also to advance the plot. Many events important for history take place during sleep in the camp, so do not bypass it, especially since you can get there from anywhere.