Baldur's Gate 3 News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Based on a recent series of tweets from Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, it doesn't sound like Baldur's Gate 3 will be coming to any subscription service like PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass anytime soon. Vincke's discussion comes shortly after discourse surrounding a Ubisoft CEO saying fans should get used to not owning their games was shared in many online circles; in short, it seems Vincke wholeheartedly disagrees.

Unlocking some of the Adamantine Forge weapons and armor in is an excellent way of gearing your characters up with well-crafted items in the game's early stages. The Adamantine Forge is an important part of Act 1, though accessing it is completely optional. It is a part of the Underdark’s Grymforge region, where you have to deal with True Soul Nere. If you continue to explore Grymforge and delve deeper, you may encounter the Adamantine Forge, some scattered items, and the area’s special boss, Grym.

The best Backgrounds in will match your chosen character’s class, giving you a basic backstory and extra Proficiencies for passing skill checks. Picking a Background is just one of several important decisions you will need to make in the character creator. Without the best Background, your character may struggle with skill checks, leading to bad outcomes for everyone involved.

Baldur's Gate 3 players can now roleplay as a Jedi or Sith in the game as the hit RPG has received a Star Wars mod that adds working lightsabers. The person behind the project, who has created other non-lore friendly weapon mods in the past, also already has a new release for the title.

Being based on the fifth edition rules of, it's not surprising there is a fair amount of dice rolling in . Whether for skill checks, saving throws or attacking the enemy, success or failure can come down to the roll of a die. Baked into, and by extension,, however, are a number of ways to manipulate dice rolls. Luckily, the game is filled with some great buffs that can help tip the odds back in the party's favor.

The Baldur's Gate 3 creative director, Swen Vincke, stated that acquiring good video game content might be more challenging if subscriptions become the dominant model in the industry. The Baldur's Gate 3 creative director's comments were in response to recent statements from a Ubisoft executive who suggested that gamers may need to adjust to not owning their games as video game subscriptions gain popularity.

The new Xbox firmware update has seemingly fixed the Baldur's Gate 3 save bug that was causing players to completely lose their characters. Xbox fans had to wait months to get their hands on the award-winning Baldur's Gate 3, and while many have been able to enjoy the massive adventure with no hiccups, some players have unfortunately lost their save progress due to a strange error that wiped their characters from existence.

A recent Reddit post has gone viral on the BG3 subreddit proving that most players haven’t found this crucial note about the Absolute, revealing a huge twist in the narrative.

Over the last decade or so, the entertainment industry has seen many rises and falls across all brands. These changes have affected music, TV, movies, and even video games. Things “for sure never going to fail” started to fail. Then, things that “could never work” have done well and made many wonder if things could go further down that path. One such path is that of the “game subscription service,” which was punctuated by the Xbox Game Pass, which has done wonders for Microsoft. However, Larian Studios isn’t on board with this notion, nor with notions of such services made by fellow game developers.

Given how many award shows have happened in various media over the last six weeks, you might feel things are “finally done.” But you would be wrong! There’s another significant award show for the gaming year that was, which won’t arrive until March! We’re speaking about the Game Developers Choice Awards, or the GDC Awards for short. This is when the industry itself comes together to recognize and honor the best games of the previous year and give awards for their outstanding achievements. As revealed by ComicBook.com, the nominations have gone live, and the titles with the most nominations are Baldur’s Gate 3 and Tears of the Kingdom.

In, the Camp is a place where you can rest after a hard day’s adventuring and gather around a roaring fire with your companions and camp followers. As you explore the Sword Coast with your band of misfit adventurers, you can expect many new characters to visit your camp, some of whom may even join your entourage permanently.

When fighting in movement plays a very important part. How much the party can move around the battlefield and how they choose to do that can make all the difference in difficult fights. While a character’s movement speed is often determined by their class and race, there are other ways the party can boost this to gain the advantage in battle.

One Baldur's Gate 3 player has found a way to reliably save scum in Honour Mode by filling up the game's save slots. While the accidentally discovered exploit defeats the whole purpose of Baldur's Gate 3 Honour Mode, it also presents a tempting option for players who have been struggling with overcoming the game's ultimate challenge.

Although I’ve put in over 100 hours into BG3, I’ve yet to learn about this mysterious weapon. One Baldur’s Gate 3 player has found an extremely rare Greatsword as early as Act 1.

Join us as we count down the weirdest tricks of 2023.

There are many easy-to-miss quests and events to see in the first Act of , which may require a checklist to keep track of things. Most of the main cast join the team early on, and each has many requests. It can be easy to get lost and wander into places at too low of a level or even too late to see what happened.

uses dice rolls to determine more than the order of attacks, which strikes hit, and how much damage they deal. Combined with the right choices, a successful dice roll can help the party avoid entire battles. For an Honour Mode playthrough, skipping both boss and non-boss fights can be crucial to surviving.

The Sword of Chaos is a powerful greatsword that you can get in by defeating one of the strongest servants of Bhaal in the game. This Very Rare magic item can cleave through your enemies and recover some of your Hit Points when you hit hostile creatures. Although there are limitations to which characters can use this weapon, the Sword of Chaos is an excellent weapon.

doesn't give Tav's companions plot armor, and that means there are multiple ways to kill them throughout the game's three acts. However, killing companions isn't the only way to lose them. Certain choices made during main story quests or as part of their companions' quests can result in the companions leaving Tav of their own free will. And once they leave like that, they can't be brought back to the party.

A newly noticed hidden dialogue in helps players delve deeper into one of the main character’s daddy issues. The award-winning RPG by Larian Studios was critically acclaimed due to its depth, both in terms of gameplay mechanics but also its branching narrative and sense of freedom when making choices. Many of these important decisions in are directly connected to the companions that venture alongside the player’s custom character, should they have created their hero or villain instead of using an origin character. Creating a custom character is the best way of getting to know these companions, should the player’s decisions not drive them away.

allows Tav – the default name for a custom protagonist – and their companions to gear up and prepare for battle in a variety of different ways. Because is based on the systems in , it uses Armor Class as a way to decide if an attack hits the targeted character. As a result, having a higher AC means that fewer attacks will land, and careful character building can result in a near-invincible Tav.

There's no shortage of ways to get the edge in combat, but one of the easiest to use is also one of the easiest to forget about. With long lists of spells and items to wrangle, it doesn't take much for tools kept in the recess of an inventory to slip the mind. In more difficult encounters, however, wasting anything that could be used without repercussions can hand the victory to the enemy for no reason at all.

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If the Wizard Gale has fallen in , there is a way to resurrect him by using a special item. This special item is the Scroll of True Resurrection; however, acquiring it is not as easy as it may seem. The Scroll has a magical security protocol to prevent misuse. Initially, a projection of Gale will rapidly list a lengthy set of instructions for using the Scroll, which can be hard to follow.

Multiclassing is one of the best ways to master magic as a Wizard in augmenting your formidable magical abilities with powerful features from other classes. Wizards specialize in different schools of magical thought, learning new spells through study and relying heavily on the Intelligence stat. The most powerful Wizard multiclass builds synergize with other caster classes, such as Sorcerer, to create the ultimate magic user.

has added Honor Mode for any Tav who wants to test their mettle against the threat of permanent death in the event of a total party kill and bosses with Legendary Actions. The risks of Honor Mode can also make parties reconsider courses of action that they maybe wouldn't give a second thought otherwise. However, that also means that there's the possibility that parties will make decisions that they end up regretting, especially if they result in a total party kill, or drain the group of a lot of resources that could've been saved for other encounters.

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There are many challenging battles over the course of expansive campaign, but a low-level spell can trivialize one of the final encounters. Developer Larian placed a level cap of 12 in part to avoid addressing spells from levels seven through nine. Players who have experimented with the spell list have likely found many favorites, but some of the best spells are those that do not sync up with their canon 5e counterparts. The overpowered Haste spell is a prime example, but an even lower-level spell allows players to essentially circumvent the penultimate battle altogether.

The Bhaalist Armor is a rare gear in , but only if your character follows a dark path. This magic Light Armor comes with two strong abilities that could be incredibly useful in tough battles throughout your journey. Not everyone can don this symbol of dedication to the god of murder if their faith in taboo deeds wavers even a little.

Many merchants in offer a wide selection of wares to support your adventure. Most of these merchants openly acknowledge their position as merchants and run shops in some of the big urban areas of the game. Others, however, do not come across as merchants upon first meeting or have more to offer than at first glance. While you can trade with most NPCs, they aren't necessarily merchants.

As someone who is guilty of not realizing this myself, this is a PSA to all Baldur’s Gate 3 fans to release the pixie inside the Moonlantern.

There's a lot of backstory behind some of the most obscure events in , but one NPC might have the weirdest lore of all. Taking place in the Forgotten Realms setting, which has spanned multiple editions of, there's a ton of arcane lore going to the very center of its story. The uninitiated might not know it, but characters like Volo, Gortash, and Elminster have long, detailed histories in the tabletop setting. Major events like the githyanki-illithid war are well documented, and each member of the Forgotten Realms pantheon has a defined dominion, and a devoted contingent of worshipers.

The Barbarian is a strong melee fighter in , and by introducing multiclassing, they gain a lot of versatility beyond just pure damage dealing. However, you want to be careful not to delay — or even fully miss out on — their key features.

With powerful spells for buffing their companions and debuffing their enemies, Bards have much power at their fingertips in , and multiclassing can make them even stronger. Faerun’s musical magicians are powerful, with a versatile set of subclasses and abilities that allow them to thrive in many different roles. However, a careful multiclass build can shore up weaknesses and make them even more formidable.

The smallest details can provide a wealth of context in , and sometimes, that context can be incredibly disturbing. It's a masterwork of environmental storytelling: there are little details scattered everywhere throughout the game, and they're not always obvious. From Easter eggs most players miss to hidden mechanics to secret ways to complete otherwise obvious quests, it keeps the player guessing throughout.

A fix for the save-deleting bug that has blighted Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox is coming next week, as Microsoft has apparently found the root cause for the issue in the Xbox Series X|S system software.

Dealing with Lorroakan's interest in Nightsong is a major piece of side content in Act 3 of , and choosing which party to ally with is a decision that can have unclear ramifications. This particular scenario is teased early on in, as the mercenary Aradin who can be found outside of the Druid Grove mentions the reward that a wizard called Lorroakan has offered for anyone who can find an artifact called the Nightsong. The tiefling Rolan also mentions the wizard, as he's particularly excited about an apprenticeship that Lorroakan has offered him.

You can rescue Zevlor in , provided you follow some conditions and make the right choices. You will encounter this Tiefling Prince near the end of Act 2. Depending on your choices earlier in the game, the quest involving Zevlor may not be available. However, to free Zevlor, you will need to fight some lethal enemies that can instantly kill you and your companions if you aren't careful.

To unlock Illithid Powers in , you will need to find Mind Flayer Parasites that can be found in various locations. While it might be natural for players to resist the parasite inside their characters, some might want to collect as many Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens as possible and unlock new powers.

A fix for the save-deleting bug that has blighted Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox is coming next week, as Microsoft has apparently found the root cause for the issue in the Xbox Series X|S system software.

Shadowheart, the half-elf cleric, is one of many romance options in . She worships Shar, a neutral evil goddess of the night and forgetfulness. Players can recruit Shadowheart to their party early in the game. She is an excellent companion but can also be a romantic partner if they play their cards right.

The commercial success and critical acclaim of marks the end of a lengthy drought of well-received video games based on the license, but it is too early to tell if this marks a resurgence in successful video game adaptations, or a one-off before another bleak period. The original was released in 1998 following a decade of DOS-based games, most of which used the Gold Box Engine, a system which catered to dungeon crawler gameplay over in-depth storytelling. ushered in an era of beloved video game classics, but the momentum did not last.

In order to get the Cruel Sting in , you will have to progress a fair amount into the game’s campaign and then accomplish a very specific task. Cruel Sting is categorized as a Rare Longsword in Larian Studios’ critically acclaimed turn-based RPG. The weapon does not only provide a fair amount of damage for its wielder (1d10 (1d8) Slashing) but can also inflict Psychic damage. It even has some very useful special abilities for increased damage output and even crowd control. Granted, Cruel Sting does not match the firepower of some Legendary weapons in , but it is a good option when first found.

Microsoft has confirmed that they are handing out Xbox account suspensions and bans to users whose auto-uploaded screenshots and video clips feature mature or explicit content. This most notably extends to Baldur’s Gate 3 where nudity can feature in a number of scenarios.

In a series of cryptic and non-specific X posts, Swen Vincke has alluded to a new project coming from Larian Studios with no definitive information as to what or when.

To aid in the quest to save all of Faerûn from mind flayers, gives its players many powerful tools. Few are more potent than the vast array of spells available that cover all manner of situations, both in and out of combat. However, as the game progresses and the spells become more powerful, it becomes even more important to know which should be added to the party's arsenal.

As the party traverses the world in they are bound to pick up their fair share of loot in the form of powerful weapons, awesome looking armor and many, many spell scrolls. However, with all that gear crammed into their inventory, finding what is needed can get a little tricky. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks that can help even the biggest hoarders manage their supplies.

offers players tons of spells to choose from, ranging from cantrips all the way up to level six. However, for those new to the game, especially if they've never played, it can be a little overwhelming to be met with a list of magical options. While it's hard to go wrong with spell choices in, there are some early-game spells that it's best to keep an eye out for.

Microsoft has confirmed that they are handing out Xbox account suspensions and bans to users whose auto-uploaded screenshots and video clips feature mature or explicit content. This most notably extends to Baldur’s Gate 3 where nudity can feature in a number of scenarios.

BG3 players are discovering new things every day, it seems. On Reddit, this one Baldur’s Gate 3 player realizes that you can talk to the Chosens’ Gods, which are the Dead Three.

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Larian Studios has enjoyed stupendous critical and commercial success with Baldur’s Gate 3, so it’s only natural that all eyes are going to be on what the developer comes out with next- though as you might expect, it will be a while before we hear anything about it.

A Baldur’s Gate 3 player found themself in a bit of hot water for accidentally posting explicit content, and the developers at Larian Studios are now looking into the matter themselves. 

The enormous freedom offered in means that it's possible to kill just about anyone in the game, but there's a small selection of characters who aren't intended to be so easily offed. A high fantasy world naturally features some creatures and beings that are more powerful than others, and immortality or something close to it isn't always out of the question. Thanks to the complex array of systems in the game, however, even a couple of characters that shouldn't be able to bite the dust can be permanently eliminated with the right trick.

Eldritch Knights are one of the most versatile subclasses in all of . The primary class is Fighter, which is dedicated to mastering various weapons. But, the Eldritch Knight mixes in some limited spell knowledge allowing for extra protection, destruction, or utility outside combat.

Customizing a character at the start of the game can be a daunting task, but this initial round is only the first foray into a world of rich choices and extensive freedom to tweak and retool. Some of the later ways to edit characters are obvious, like selecting new spells and feats when leveling up, but others can be a little easier to miss. Most importantly, it isn't only a custom Tav protagonist that can be the recipient of major overhauls, as offers opportunities to overhaul the whole party according to personal preferences.

Although is a game centered around a party of heroes, there are plenty of players who have taken up the challenge to complete the story solo. This can be done for a variety of reasons and provides an extra level of difficulty for a playthrough. Playing solo isn't for the faint of heart, and having the right character build is even more crucial without having a party for backup.

The Spellsparkler quarterstaff can be acquired early in 's Act 1, albeit it will require some exploring. The quarterstaff is a two-handed melee weapon meant as a gift for a cleric of Mystra. The Speellsparlet also gives d6 Bludgeoning damage with one hand and 1d8 Bludgeoning damage with two hands, making it an essential weapon to have for magic builds.

Although has now been fully released on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, one major issue is causing some players to lose large amounts of progress on certain platforms. First released on PC in August 2023 after a lengthy early access period, faced some delays when being ported to consoles, especially regarding the Xbox version of the game, which didn't launch until December 7 the same year. And although is an especially large and ambitious RPG, the game still has a few major issues to iron out, especially for some console versions.

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You may think that you’ve seen every part of Baldur’s Gate 3, but you’re wrong. One BG3 player on Reddit shared a discovery of rare dialogue between Astarion and Shadowheart.

One of the many puzzles in can be solved in Act 1 of the story within the Emerald Grove, which involves four unique runes placed near a statue in Nettie's Library. Two hidden rewards can be obtained if you take the time to find a special key held by a specific NPC. Like many secrets in the game, you'll have to make a few decisions or talk to the right people to find what you're looking for.

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Spiders can be summoned to fight for your party in as unexpected allies during a difficult fight. These friendly creatures only appear if you throw a specific item found in the forested areas of Act 1. Although these surprise companions are not permanent additions to your party, they could protect you from dangerous encounters found throughout your adventures.

has tons of amazing equipment for the party to hunt down to make sure they are at their very best when taking on mind flayers. However, that's not the only tool at their disposal, as among the other brilliant features of the game is the alchemy system, which allows all manner of potions to be crafted. From boosts in battle to an alternative to spells, there are some potions and elixirs in that every party should keep an eye out for.

The 2023 Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3 , has had a few issues surface lately, one of which can get players banned by Xbox. 

Here’s a Baldur’s Gate 3 PSA to anyone who has Karlach a lot in their party, don’t forget to use those Soul Coins! How often have you been using these special items?

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takes place in a troubled world, and there's no shortage of dark implications and grim fates that the game can conjure up. The triggers for some are particularly obvious, as making a choice that sacrifices innocent lives or urging a companion to turn their back on redemption are unlikely to proceed without consequences. In other cases, though, minor instances of neglect or basic decisions about what company to keep can end up having unforeseen ramifications that may not even be discovered without a bit of investigation.

It’s no secret Baldur’s Gate 3 took the gaming community by storm once released. Whether it was the intense turn-based battles or the immersive storylines and dialogue , Baldur’s Gate 3 took the victory as Game of the Year during the Steam Awards 2023. 

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features a wide variety of magical abilities to use throughout an adventure, and this consequently means that not every supernatural effect or interaction works exactly as expected. Figuring out powerful combinations or unique exploits for spells and features is part of the fun for many, even if developer Larian Studios has taken care to patch a number of major issues to achieve a more proper ideal of balance. Some magical side effects offer no mechanical advantages at all, however, making their mark through the game's amusingly incorrect handling more than anything else.

Steam has unveiled the winners of its annual fan-voted awards. Headlining the categories is the Game of the Year award, which predictably went to Baldur’s Gate 3. The RPG was up against Hogwarts Legacy, EA Sports FC 24, Resident Evil 4, and Lethal Company. Baldur’s Gate 3 also managed to walk away with the Outstanding Story-Rich Game award, where it was in competition with Lies of P, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 4, and Love Is All Around.

Even in today’s modern age, video games are an often underappreciated art form when it comes to wider society. The majority of gamers know the impact and value that video games can offer, but folk who aren’t interested in games often miss why they’re so special to fans. 

The companions of are among the most memorable aspects of the game, but one of the best characters to have around isn't even a companion in the traditional sense. Although the word «companion» can mean a lot of different things in real life, it specifically refers to potential party members in , who fill out an adventuring group in the same way that players would at the game table (or in a multiplayer campaign). It's consequently no surprise that companions tend to be some of the most interesting characters in the game.

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After playing Baldur’s Gate 3, some players now realize why Scratch is the best summon to have. There are a few different creatures you can summon throughout your playthrough, depending on your choices.

doesn't include every race found in the Forgotten Realms as a playable option, but it still offers a bit of variety with the inclusion of non-human and -elf races like githyanki and dragonborn. While a lot of information about these races isn't included due to the limitations of the game's design and the abundance of other content it contains, there are fun hints about different races, their histories, and cultures that parties can find if they look deep enough. And what the party learns might leave them with a new view of romance and what love and relationships mean for different races.