r/BG3 3d ago

Bg3 Hot Take Edition

I'm feeling spicy and I want to hear some of your hot takes about the game. Perhaps, I'll see the game from a fresh perspective and/or learn something new.

There's no limit to the hot takes you can share.

I'll go first.

Despite Araj's negative reputation, I think she's one of the best merchants in the game. In act 2, she carries the risky ring and the ring of free action, which is already amazing. But she also offers unique elixirs in act 2. In act 3, she sells sanguine explosives, which is basically a level 4 fireball that you can buy for less than 20 gold. Getting the unstable blood condition from her in act 3, can also be powerful if you build around it. The +2 to strength is super powerful if you're willing to torture Astarion, but even without that, she's still an amazing npc. She's a little pushy with Astarion, but she ultimately accepts his no. So, I don't stay mad at her.

I don't think completing a "good run" automatically makes your character good aligned. Basing your decisions around not making your favorite npcs sad is not a sound moral compass. I think there are more morally neutral people out there than people are willing to admit. It isn't a bad thing to be morally neutral. Jaheira is canonically true neutral in the older games, and people love her.

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u/moistwaffleboi 3d ago

Oh, I've got so many.

I have a massive dislike for Astarion. I will never understand why people like him. He's rude, abrasive, and just overall annoying to be around. I'm not one of those people who kills him every playthrough because I recognize that he can be useful, but I just really don't enjoy him as a character.

Wyll is super underrated and doesn't get as much love as he should. He's so lovely and kind, and he's really great in combat if you build him correctly. I will never understand why people find him boring.

I also really like Halsin. He's super chill, handsome, and sweet. I don't understand the dislike toward him whatsoever.

Out of all the builds I've done (I've played every class at least once), cleric and ranger are the most fun. They're both super underrated classes, and I never see anyone choose them. Ranger especially can be super overpowered if you build it correctly.

Lastly, I'm not sure how much of a hot take this one is, but I really wish there wasn't an option to play as an origin character. I just really don't get why it's an option. It's supposed to be an RPG where you create a character who you can make into whatever you want them to be. Playing as a character who already has a fully fleshed out story is completely pointless, especially if you've already played the game as a Tav or Durge. There is almost nothing special in origin playthroughs. Also, Larian could have put more effort into other parts of the game if they didn't implement them.

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u/Accomplished_Area311 3d ago edited 3d ago

Re: Astarion - it’s personal taste and being able to relate to his arc, at least for me. Sexual abuse survivors are so often shown as “perfect victims” in media, I love seeing how unapologetically messy he is. His Spawn route is very healing for me… Especially when I romance him as a Resist Durge.

Re: Playable origins - this was a thing in Divinity: Original Sin 2, so I’m assuming Larian carried that pattern to BG3. Astarion and Lae’zel’s origins have exclusive content, Shadowheart’s does too at the end of Act 2 (you get to experience the punishment/chastisement from Shar). Karlach’s origin run isn’t playable for me though, she never shuts the hell up 😭

EDIT: Lae’zel’s worst ending - and the rarest ending in the game - is only available through her origin run. It’s so rare only 34-35 people have seen it. I want to finish a Lae origin run specifically for that ending.

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u/KingKayvee1 3d ago

I watched Lae’Zels worst ending on YouTube after seeing the statistic and… yeah, it sucks from a narrative POV.

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u/Ladyfriday1 2d ago

Hi, where did you get the 35 number from? Just curious!

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u/Accomplished_Area311 2d ago

I couldn't remember if Larian's stats said 34 or 35. Turns out it's 34, I just wasn't sure. But it's here, scroll down just a bit: BG3 Anniversary - Player Statistics - Larian Studios forums

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u/Accomplished_Area311 2d ago

Here's the screenshot, if the link I posted ends up not being allowed. I couldn't remember if it was 34 or 35 so I said both because of that.

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u/Shellfyre 3d ago

I’d absolutely argue that there is tonnes of unique content in origin runs, I’ve completed a Gale run and Shadowheart and they have unique dialogue, interactions and you can tailor their story to what you want. Shadowheart has a whole extra cutscene with Shar that is very cool. Origins being playable works because not everyone wants to create a brand new character every game, sometimes they want to just pick one and start playing

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u/Whiteguy1x 3d ago

My co op run was an unoptimal half orc strength based beastmaster ranger.  The orc was a powerful warrior, but having the beasts is so useful, especially as they level and get powerful.  My only complaint is you can name them yourself lol

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u/sadhagraven 2d ago

I started the game as a massive fan of Astarion. I loved his snark, his character development, and his storyline. Let's just say 1.7k hours later, the charm has worn off and I get the anti-Astarion folks now. I'm not at stab-bro level, but he really is a prick, isn't he.

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u/moistwaffleboi 2d ago

Same here! I went into the game thinking I was going to love him. I romanced him on my first run, and I liked him for a while, but he just really started to get on my nerves after a while.

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u/echoingpeach 2d ago

i think of playing as an origin the same as playing with any pre-generated character in a game of actual d&d. if youre doing something with a source book/any source materials, they probably have pre-gen characters.

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u/AdditionalMess6546 Bard 2d ago

I've never had a "chill" Halsin

It's always a "nice pants, let's fuck" with him lol

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u/InfamousChibi 2d ago

I haven't seen anyone who dislikes Halsin, as far as I know everyone loves him

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u/TheCrystalRose Sorcerer 2d ago

You apparently haven't been here very long or have been very lucky to have missed the random Halsin hate threads. But now you can say that you've met someone who very much does not like the horny ecoterrorist of a bear.

Maybe my first run was simply cursed, it was primarily pre-Patch 4 which fixed a lot of issues, but when Halsin showed up I super excited for a Camp Dad. Because seriously the camp needs someone to be the responsible adult and it was for sure not going to be my Durge. But what I got instead was a sex pest with horrific timing for his unwanted advances and the audacity to respond with "but... you treated me like a lover (by letting me stay in your camp, healing the Shadow Curse, and barely speaking to me)" when I said "no, I do not want a third wheel in my relationship."

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u/AdditionalMess6546 Bard 2d ago

Ah, I see where you screwed up

As a Druid, Halsin has no concept of "wheels" or even "numbers"

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u/TheCrystalRose Sorcerer 2d ago

Oh, yes! That makes perfect sense! I should have told him I was a wolf that has already found their mate, then he might have actually understood.

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u/PervyelfTahk 2d ago

Playing as him would be nice, but as a straight dude he doesn't bring anything to my table lol.. so not hate persay, but don't exactly love him either lol

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u/Full-Peak 1d ago

A lot of people don't care for romance in these games, those are the kind that don't care for Halsin, myself included. Just give me combat, violence, loot and XP !

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u/AnotherBookWyrm 2d ago

I have seen complaints about how some people are uncomfortable when Grandpa Halsin wants to get frisky with seemingly no lead up.

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u/Mautea 2d ago

I don't dislike Halsin. I just don't think about him at all.

He does give me creepy uncle vibes sometimes, but mostly he sits in camp until he takes his sewer vacation.

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u/Diraelka 2d ago

I don't. He's doing nothing for me, just too boring and always stays at camp

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u/KathKR 2d ago

I don't know if I'd say I dislike him, but I'm not a fan.

He worked fine as a temporary camp follower, but I don't think it was the right move to turn him into a full companion, or at least not for the reasons they did. He has virtually no content in Act 3 despite romance content and a couple of complaints about the treatment of refugees that don't go anywhere unless you count his epilogue party scene.

If they had expanded his story once they decided to expand his role then that would have been fine. As it is, by Act 3 he's just the guy who starts reading romantic interest into past interactions and flirting with my partner right in front of me. It doesn't endear me to him.

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u/Narrator667 2d ago

I quite liked him when I first rescued him from the Goblins and how he handled the Druid grove situation afterward. I was impressed with his line that sometimes even a Druid can efficiently dabble in playing politics from time to time. It's just strange how many times you're given the chance to romance him, so I rejected him about three times. Once at the Tiefling party, again a few days later when my character apologized for acting strangely at the party (it was a completely normal conversation), and then again dozens of hours later he confessed to me again in Act 3 when I was already one on one with Shadowheart.
From the way I played the game, he just spends SO much time in Camp and then at last light Inn. He joined my camp when I was about 15 hours into the game right? And the way I played, I went from doing every possible sidequest in Act 2 room by room, curing the shadow cursed lands with Oliver, going to Shar's temple, then fighting Kethric. So I didn't talk to him in my camp until I already beat Act 2, and he joined up with me the same time as Jaheira, when I was 75 hours into the game. It just put a bad taste in my mouth.
It wasn't til I beat the game and started browsing here did I see all the memes about Shadowheart lusting after him, more than she ever does for you.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/Nektotomic 3d ago

The condition that isn’t an issue after giving up three items you’ll never use?