I don’t even really know where to start with this one. My intention is not to write a classic review (for a classic RPG) that covers the individual aspects of the game. You know, story, characters, progression, combat, all that juicy stuff. I’ve shifted away from this format in an attempt to focus on how a game affects me, how it makes me feel. Take Wall World, for example. This little indie gem got its hooks into me so hard that I couldn’t stop playing – a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long while. But how do you do that for a game so expansive and so beloved as Baldur’s Gate 3? Because I do have feelings, though a hot take they might be and very different from Wall World, and I don’t just want to blurt them out. I’d like to weave a narrative, encase you in a web of connected threads. Threads that convey my feelings, my experience, starting with the honeymoon phase, covering the disagreements and fights between me and the game, and, finally, the reunion.

Thing is: I’m not much of an author, so… I’ll have to wing it. I just hope you fail a perception check and actually come out convinced of the opposite.

The Honeymoon Phase

My relationship with BG3 started almost exactly two years ago. I was full of joy and excitement to go on an adventure with a new group of… friends? It’s the kind of feeling every new game evokes. Since I’ve enjoyed Larian’s previous works in coop, I had high hopes for Baldur’s Gate 3. The group of people we traveled with in Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2 was as important as the lore and the story. As such, I expected a rich and emotional, sometimes even silly world. And that’s what I got, and that’s also the primary reason I finally pushed myself to finish the game during the past couple of months.

(Yes, it took me two years to finish one of the best cRPGs ever made.)

But it was a long way to get there, and that’s because Baldur’s Gate 3 and I had a bit of a lovers’ spat. We disagreed on things like hit percentages, spell complexities, and the fact that I only had one real action. Where did the action points of the previous games go, and where was my choice to use them as I saw fit? At first, these differences of opinion only resulted in fewer interactions between me and the game, but it went so far that the spat turned into a separation.

Not even the story and companions could fix the differences of opinion that had formed. The thing is, I didn’t connect with all the characters that had joined my party. As early as I still was, the interconnectedness of the numerous side and companion quests and the main story hadn’t developed yet. Nothing was really pulling me forward. Quite the opposite, in fact. The combat was pushing me away. And it succeeded.

Romantic Dispute

You see, I’m a bit of a dum-dum, and I don’t play as much as I used to, like 5 – 10 years ago. All the complexities that can make the gameplay so immersive and engaging were lost on me. It was just like in-game. Intelligence and perception were covered by other characters.

As I said, I have played a couple of Larian’s previous titles, so I was aware of what I was getting myself into. Despite this knowledge, figuring out the right combination of skills and items and whatever else to leverage synergies during combat effectively eluded me. And, of course, retaining that knowledge for the next session a week or more later. How in the hells of Avernus are you supposed to keep track of 10 – 15 or more spells that mages or clerics can learn? And I had both in my party. I barely recall the last thing I was working on last when the weekend is over. And no, that’s not because I regularly indulge in potions of liquid fun.

Please bear with me for the next brief paragraph. I’m going somewhere with this.

Thing is, I’m dealing with complex systems at my job, often trying to figure out why sh!t doesn’t work. TLDC (Too long, don’t care): My patience has grown thin over the years. Experimenting with deep gameplay systems feels more like a chore than something that’s enticing and engaging. I’m really sad that my hobby is affected this way. I just might be at a point in my gaming life where heavy pushback of a game’s mechanics simply puts me off.

And that’s where I landed with Baldur’s Gate 3. This would be a great moment to continue with the phrase “If you recall…”, but what are the odds you actually watched my Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 benchmark + review combo-video? Because that was exactly the same situation: Great game, not too fond of the gameplay in the long run.

It wasn’t the game. It was me. So I walked away.

But why come crawling back then? Why seek forgiveness?

Remorse. After all, I paid for this relationship, so ima see it through, dammit!

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a great game. Period. I recognize that. Dropping it like Oblivion Poorly Remastered would have been a sin. There was too much good content in BG3 that I still wanted to see. Although… the final boss was a bit of a… well… choice?

Happily Ever After

Thanks to the modding community, I was able to continue in a way that drastically reduced the friction. Merely changing the difficulty setting wasn’t enough. Scouring the Internet for help revealed how divided players are on this topic. Many, like me, consider the combat quite challenging, while others think the exact opposite.

What helped me get through it was a mod called Underwear of Ability Scores. And before you start giggling like a teenager: this is not a euphemism for hot lingerie. This mod added a passive +30 to all abilities and simplified combat so much that it was tolerable. Waiting for the enemy’s turns still was a thing I could not speed up – impatient and all – but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

With the combat problem solved, I could finally focus on the main and side stories and enjoy my time with the companions. Baldur’s Gate 3 shone brightest in how it connected side quests and companions to the main narrative. Not all companions were actually that interesting, but the way many seemingly isolated story threads often led to something bigger was well done. I greatly enjoyed that aspect of the game. Especially toward the end, when many of these threads started coming together.

Ignoring the game’s intro and first steps on the Nautiloid, which were quite dramatic and thrilling, the first half of BG3 was rather unexciting. Since the gameplay’s Charm Person spell failed on me, I had a hard time staying engaged. But as soon as I installed the mod and made tangible progress every time I sat down, the story slowly but surely unfolded and revealed its quality, keeping me coming back for more. Note, though, that it took me a long while to get to this point. Think 50 hours or more.

With a bit of save-scumming and looking up quest outcomes online, I finished Baldur’s Gate 3 in a way that I would call a Happy Ending. I defeated the Big Bad whatever that was, rescued people, forged friendships, got meself an ashen-haired Waifu, and lived happily ever after.

Famous Last Epilogue

Over the span of two years, starting with when I purchased a license (ugh) for the game to about a month ago, my total playtime was 91 hours. If it weren’t for the not-hot-lingerie mod, that playtime would’ve either shot way past a hundred hours due to the additional difficulty or not gone past fifty hours because I dropped the game entirely.

Baldur’s Gate 3 certainly was emotional – in more ways than one.

Now, as someone who is not versed in the D&D universe and Baldur’s Gate Lore, I have one question: What the actual F was that final boss supposed to be? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna spoil it. As I said earlier, it was a choice. A choice I found quite ridiculous and immersion-breaking. Even if that thing was rooted in lore, it’s weird lore. It really messed with ye olde brain of mine.

Anyway.

A couple of housekeeping notes to finish this off.

I published a performance analysis not too long ago, showing how Bazzite Linux, CachyOS, and Windows compare in the city of Baldur’s Gate. Overall, the game ran great and without issues on Linux. There’s even a Linux-native version specifically for the Steam Deck. Interestingly, Steam also installs this version on non-Steam Decks. In terms of performance, there’s no downside. If you intend to install Windows-native mods from Nexusmods, though, you will be disappointed. But by enforcing Proton emulation in Steam’s compatibility menu, you can get the Windows version on Linux, which should solve this problem.

Lastly, I’d like to acknowledge the incredible voice cast of all NPCs in this game. There wasn’t a single dud that I could find. Everyone was at the top of their game. Neil Newborn was maybe a notch above, hence the Award, but that’s really just the icing on an incredibly tasty cake.

If I were to distill this report down into a few sentences, it would be as follows.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is an insanely vast cRPG that will not take you by the hand and often punch you in the guts with surprises and kill your characters in hilariously frustrating ways. Be ready to invest time learning the mechanics of… well… everything. If you are patient and love experimenting, BG3 can be seriously rewarding.

Thank you for Reading. I hope you have a wonderful day wherever thou might be.