Bg3 Hot Take Edition

[u/Feeling-Classroom729]

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.

[u/MentalEnergy]

The game is very big but was meant to be bigger. Many unfinished things in game (craft, puzzles, plots...) show the exhaustion of the team and it really makes me sad sometimes. For instance the weapon you found under Cazador's prison, I can't go there now because it's just a pile of "unfinished stuff but hey here's the reward anyway". I dunno, it's depressing.

[u/layered_dinge → u/MentalEnergy]

My tinfoil hat theory is that it was supposed to be 2 games, but Larian got fed up with wotc and instead just extended the game into what it is now.

The game was at one point in ea unexpectedly extended from level 8 (or 10?) to 12.

Larian is completely opposed to dlc or a sequel. Not the usual pr “anything could happen” you might typically get from such a collaboration. No, a very clear “we’re done with this ip forever”.

The end of act 2 could work as an end to bg3 leading into bg4. You face off against the big name that’s been talked up the whole game, you discover the secret weapon that’s been talked up the whole game, you have an epic showdown with an avatar of a god.

Then act 3 feels more slapdash than the rest of the game. Bugs, rushed storylines, unfinished quests, weird pacing, etc. A lot of games are like this though, so it’s not really meaningful by itself.

Anyway, like you say, it’s sad. Sad that wotc seems to horribly manage such a beloved ip. Sad that something so great could have been even better.

[u/CaptainXplosionz → u/layered_dinge]

I could potentially see an Act 3 DLC with WOTC being amiable, but definitely not another full game. Leaving the game with expectations of another wouldn't work well with the story that was crafted.