Review: The Natural 20s in Baldur’s Gate 3

In a perfect world, this review would have been published weeks ago. Unfortunately, the greatest role-playing game I have played since Mass Effect simply has to be produced by Larian Studios. I hope that whoever is from that incredibly talented studio reads this and realises the full impact of what they did: how my life went out of control, how my wife fell in love with a perfect-haired, digital vampire man who lived in her computer while I neglected my everyday routine, and why Shadowheart won’t just give me a chance.

considered, Larian’s work on Baldur’s Gate 3 is nothing short of a masterpiece. I would play my eighth character and end my review right now, giving it a perfect score of ten out of ten. Unfortunately, I am unable to. I have to write a lot more to express how enthralled I am with this game and how flawless Larian performed. Greetings from my crazy.

Drawn from the most well-known Tabletop Role Playing Game (TTRPG) worldwide, Baldur’s Gate 3 is totally based on the D&D 5e system. This covers all the fundamental guidelines, which made me refer back to the actual Player’s Handbook to make sure I was actually playing the TTRPG component appropriately. I concluded that I had mistakenly read a 300-page book multiple times on occasion. In this virtual format, it includes every race as well as the vast majority of classes and subclasses that are worthwhile to try out.

Still up for debate is whether Baldur’s Gate 3 lives up to expectations and transitions smoothly from the realm of pen and paper to the digital medium. Does Larian behave like the fantastic, trouble-free dungeon master we’ve always imagined? Gather your lucky charms, character sheet, and 25 pages of background information, and let’s explore why Baldur’s Gate 3 is not only my game of the year, but also the best game I have played in the previous five years.

From the Page to the Display

Players who are familiar with D&D and those who are not will enter this game in different ways. After I got used to the system, as an experienced player who has played D&D 5e for years and loves TTRPGs, I was completely absorbed by its distinct gameplay. The game doesn’t really explain itself, so those who are on the other side of the proverbial fence and don’t understand what’s going on may find themselves getting rather angry.

Exploration is key to Baldur’s Gate 3, since it plays out not just in the surrounding landscape but also in the maze of menus, spells, actions, proficiencies, and affects your character can acquire. For those who are not familiar with it, the learning curve may be rather daunting and challenging, as I covered in my “review in progress.” Nevertheless, the sensation is very exceptional and fulfilling, particularly as you begin to comprehend how it operates.

The Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons is a flexible system that gives you a wide range of tools and doesn’t care how you use them—either alone or in combination with other skills. It tries to keep you from going outside of your comfort zone and to use cruel, evil teachings, but at least it tries to steer you in the right way. You may win difficult boss encounters with ease if you take the time to consider your options, the surroundings, and the items in your backpack. You will know whether you are unfit to handle the situation.

The game’s sense of agency almost compels you to make use of every resource available to you. The most “water cooler friendly” game I have ever played is Baldur’s Gate 3, as there are numerous methods to overcome conflicts and problems. Not only has my wife, who is not a D&D enthusiast, persuaded to purchase and play the game, but she also comes to me with scenarios that I have never encountered. I haven’t really encountered this kind of kinship in any other game before.

RPGs’ Sense of Decoherence

I always push myself to provide my players with enjoyable tabletop role-playing experiences. I often find myself questioning whether the story is genuinely intriguing, even though I try to give something new and unique. Then the questions start rolling in, asking if I’m simply making this up or if the story is just a boring sequence of events bound together by a thin thread. Have I created all the necessary components to draw my players into the meticulously imagined worlds I’ve created? It is often a source of concern for me whether I am allowing my players enough freedom to make their own decisions in a video game, yet Larian managed it.

What particularly strikes me about Baldur’s Gate 3 is player agency. In some games, the narrative commands most of the attention and occasionally steals it more unfairly by employing drawn-out, lengthy dialogue that might have been significantly condensed without detracting from the immersion. Larian created a tonne of dialogue choices here so you can customise your experience to your liking. You’ll be rewarded with a wealth of lore and history as well as a strong bond with each character if you enjoy interacting with them and learning about your team.

Baldur’s Gate 3 consists of two primary elements: combat and roleplaying. Although the rules for roleplaying are very clear, the system can be just as challenging as the actual conflicts. I was readily drawn into the suspense of the drama in the heat of the moment. Not only was the globe at risk, but so were the people I have spent countless hours with. I became acquainted with their quirks, personal secrets, dreams, and goals. If one of them disappeared, the storyline would not come to an end; rather, it would cease to have a purpose in the expansive narrative that Larian had created. Not realising that their journey’s outcomes were as important as mine.

Combat, on the other hand, can be very difficult, particularly if you don’t consider all of your choices. It’s always best to use them in the heat of the moment because a single potion might easily change the tide of battle in your favour, whether they are plentiful goods or the priceless treasures you have stashed away in your pocket waiting for the big bad. Because of the D20 system, every facet of combat involves a certain amount of knowledge in addition to luck. There’s no assurance of a hit, particularly if you use Shadowheart for non-healing purposes (I apologise, don’t feel bad about it).

There’s more to roleplaying than merely talking to characters and making love moves. Let’s not act like we’re pretending; yes, you read it accurately and you already know that exists. We’re both aware that the bear sex scene piqued your curiosity—I’m not passing judgement, though. The theme of roleplaying also centres on how you affect the environment. It holds you accountable for your choices, some of which won’t become apparent until much later in the narrative.

 

The third act of Baldur’s Gate sets you up for its intricate plot, which includes deeper and more subtle tale themes. Moral conundrums, such as “save the Tieflings or let them die,” develop into even more complex problems. I put off writing this review because I couldn’t decide between two possible outcomes and wasn’t sure which would fit the plot the best. In the end, I was undecided—just like in real life—and thought about speeding through the lower city before entering Starfield.

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Combat, on the other hand, is a different component of this experience, and Baldur’s Gate 3 surprisingly makes sure that both of these aspects are well balanced. Even while the fighting and roleplaying are both enjoyable, the game still gives you the freedom to express your individuality. The game is readily skewed one way or the other. Most talks allow you to just take a shot at someone halfway through. Even though things might not work out, it is a possibility. Alternatively, boss encounters can be quickly resolved by having one player distract the NPC while another pushes them off the cliff. Yes, I may have done this twice.

 

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Along with the extra benefit of sharing in the same existential dread, the multiplayer component of the game requires some planning and scheduling even though it can be enjoyable when played with others. Indeed, organising a D&D night in real life or virtually using Foundry and Roll20 is challenging enough, so Larian has to replicate that level of organisation in their computer game.It’s still possible to play your game without your friend and ban them from the party, but having multiple characters, each with their own distinct journey, becomes quite easy when you play an adventure like this with your friends because it’s such a rewarding experience in and of itself.

 

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Performance

Lastly, the performance is my main worry with Baldur’s Gate 3. On my PC, the game worked flawlessly for the most part. However, when my wife attempted to play during the third act while streaming her experience, there were some problems with her PC (specifications will be sent later). Additionally, the game has received complete validation on Steam Deck, and as of this writing, it is also Mac compatible. Indeed, it functions quite well on my 13-inch MacBook Pro from 2022 that has the M2 chip. Although I haven’t used it myself, the PlayStation 5 version seems to function well based on what I’ve heard from others.

Some of the more obvious performance problems occur in Act III. The game chugs a little bit as you get closer to populated areas and certain cities. Most of the time, my 2060-powered PC could comfortably manage the game during the first two acts. My wife had serious performance issues when she entered the city and wandered about the streets while simultaneously streaming live to an audience. Without streaming, the game functioned perfectly.

Act III has some of the most blatant performance issues. The game slows down a tiny bit as you approach cities and other busy locations. For the most part of the first two acts, my 2060-powered PC was able to run the game with ease. When my wife arrived in the city and started to wander the streets while simultaneously streaming live to an audience, she had major performance challenges. With no streaming, the game ran flawlessly.

 

My AMD Ryzen 7 5700G fails to stream Baldur’s Gate 3 because of the PCIe 3.0 interface, which is unable to keep up with the game and 3070 Ti. PCIe 4.0 is advised for the best streaming performance, particularly with higher resolution screens. Additionally, since maximal anti-aliasing is by default disabled, turning it on is essential for fluid details.

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Regarding memory bandwidth, this is where I’ve concluded that if you’re a large multitasker, 16GB of RAM is simply not good enough. Yes, you can get a little bit more out of it if you overclock and use XMP 2.0/3.0 to modify the performance profile, but I prefer to keep my systems as stock as possible because overclocking may cause other problems in the future.In any case, this is one of the few games where the majority of the 16GB—that is, 15GB of it—is devoted to the game. Based on my experience, 32GB ought to be the new minimum if you play a lot of games and record video in any capacity.

 

For Baldur’s Gate 3, Mac users ought to have at least an M2 chip. The game runs, but it heats up devices—like my 13-inch 2022 M2 MacBook Pro—even with M1 processors. Gaming on a MacBook Air is not recommended. Use a Mac mini or Mac Studio in its place for a superior experience.

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Therefore, no, I wouldn’t recommend playing this on MacBook series systems, even though Apple says you may. If anything, you should use a configured Mac mini or Mac Studio to play this if you don’t have a Windows PC accessible.

In Summary

I’ve been so obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 that everyone I know has been sending me memes and asking whether they would want to play this game. To be honest, I’m really enamoured with this. My enthusiasm for Larian’s creations has now erupted into four pages, and I’m almost at the end of my fifth. I could have continued to list all the aspects of Baldur’s Gate 3 that I find enjoyable.

Even though I really enjoy this game, I really enjoy reading other people’s opinions. Your experience of the story will be very different from mine. The sheer beauty of Baldur’s Gate 3 lies in the fact that your approach to the open act, what you explore, and how you resolve challenging situations may be completely different from mine. It’s a magnificent adventure full of brilliant rising actions, deceit, and plenty of ambiguity that will keep you coming back for more plays. This is the first game I feel comfortable awarding a ten in my three years at Seasoned Gaming.