Baldur's Gate 3

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11707 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10,228 out of 11707
  2. Mixed: 333 out of 11707
  3. Negative: 1,146 out of 11707

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  1. InMassiveDebt
    Aug 21, 2023
    7
    Score: 7.5/10

    Larian's latest game presents a perplexing dichotomy. On one hand, the studio's talent in crafting immersive worlds and compelling narratives is evident. On the other, glaring flaws significantly detract from the overall experience. The question arises: Are the glowing reviews genuinely reflective of the game's entirety? Or are they merely the impressions of those    Score: 7.5/10

    Larian's latest game presents a perplexing dichotomy. On one hand, the studio's talent in crafting immersive worlds and compelling narratives is evident. On the other, glaring flaws significantly detract from the overall experience.

    The question arises: Are the glowing reviews genuinely reflective of the game's entirety? Or are they merely the impressions of those players boasting about being "60hrs in still in act 1"? What exactly are they doing during this time? Admiring the scenery? Lighting torches in buildings they'll never revisit?

    The ending is a stark reminder of the original "Mass Effect 3" debacle – a conclusion that left fans outraged. For this game, the praise seems misplaced. The abruptness, lack of depth, and multitude of bugs make replayability beyond Act 2 unappealing. Why replay when the payoff is so unsatisfying?

    Performance issues are hard to ignore. Even with a high-end setup, frame rates were inconsistent. Act 3, in particular, was riddled with stutters and memory leaks. This segment's lack of polish is reminiscent of the issues "Cyberpunk" faced at launch. Yet, for some reason, these problems seem to be brushed aside by many.

    The game's narrative suggests cut content, with characters built up in the earlier acts only to be reduced to mere boss fights later on. Raphael is a prime example. Minthara, introduced as the evil choice romance option, is riddled with bugs, making her more of a liability than an asset. Choosing her path means sacrificing two well-developed companions, a trade-off that feels more punishing than rewarding.

    Companion dynamics swing between two extremes: overt flirtation and outright hostility. A middle ground is sorely missing. Some companions, like Haislin, become redundant, especially when others, such as Jaheira, offer so much more.

    While certain aspects of the game, like explicit scenes, are detailed, others, like the final act and inventory UI, are lacking. The imbalance is palpable.

    Many are quick to defend Larian's dedication to the game. However, this is no longer an Early Access title; it's a full release. If these glaring issues are acceptable to some, it's a concerning reflection on the state of the gaming industry.

    BG3, despite its moments of brilliance, is overshadowed by its flaws. The journey, which started with promise, devolves into a different, less satisfying experience by the end. It's hard not to question the authenticity of the overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially when the game's latter stages are so problematic.    … Expand
  2. Drejoe
    Aug 4, 2023
    7
    After 6 hours of gaming Baldur's gate 3 after launch I actually shed a tear because I was so happy about how good the game is. I thought I would hate turn based combat vs. real time with pause, but it really is fine, although a bit tough to get the hang of.
    I highly recommend this game.
  3. Azmor
    Aug 18, 2023
    7
    Game was alright, worthy of being one of the best games of the decade.
    However, the game starts to lose it's charm and the facade of 'detail' gets lost somewhere about the end of Act 2 and persists to the very end of the game.
    I hope they reconsider their choices they made for the story of characters like Karlach. And that they polish Act 2 and Act 3 up to have the same depth of content    Game was alright, worthy of being one of the best games of the decade.
    However, the game starts to lose it's charm and the facade of 'detail' gets lost somewhere about the end of Act 2 and persists to the very end of the game.
    I hope they reconsider their choices they made for the story of characters like Karlach. And that they polish Act 2 and Act 3 up to have the same depth of content as Act 1 had.    … Expand
  4. Dovahslayer
    Aug 28, 2023
    7
    The game is unfinished.
    Acts 1 and 2 are one of the best RPG experiences I've ever had.
    Act 3 completely drops the ball and endings are disappointing.
    I recommend waiting for definitive edition, so you can get the full experience you and this game deserve.
  5. Arlekin156
    Aug 29, 2023
    6
    A crooked camera that spoils the feel of the battles
    Imaginary variability that gives a minimum of influence on the world
    An abundance of bugs of varying degrees of severity - from harmless glitches to dialogues that don't work. Just a miserable ending, not to mention the missing epilogue Monotonous visual design of weapons and armour with a minimum of unique samples, some weapons were    A crooked camera that spoils the feel of the battles
    Imaginary variability that gives a minimum of influence on the world
    An abundance of bugs of varying degrees of severity - from harmless glitches to dialogues that don't work.
    Just a miserable ending, not to mention the missing epilogue
    Monotonous visual design of weapons and armour with a minimum of unique samples, some weapons were not even honoured with Legendary versions.
    In the game is actually fully completed only the First Act, which was a few years in early access
    The game isn't expensive, and even the first act pays for it right away, but why the hell is a game that is 1/3 complete suddenly the game of the year!
    I went through Cyberpunk in release with bugs and 20 fps, I cried over the ending, but the game was so hated it almost ruined CDPR.
    And this unfinished rubbish is being praised like it's 98 and Fallout 2 just came out.

    At this point, such inadequate reviews and adoration make Baldur Gate 3 look like a cheating manual for developers: Make the first part of the game in 20+ hours, polish it to a shine, collect a lot of money and adoration, and when people pass by the polished part, sit on a diamond throne at the foot of your personal monument and laugh out loud.    … Expand
  6. Rattend
    Aug 25, 2023
    7
    It's hard to recommend the game right now with the sheer amount of bugs in act 3. The ending feels unfinished and disappointing with how little closure is given to the characters. None of the choices you make throughout the game affect the ending and I noticed several glitches and plot holes throughout the last 2 hours of the game.

    The main storyline also feels disjointed, and as much    It's hard to recommend the game right now with the sheer amount of bugs in act 3. The ending feels unfinished and disappointing with how little closure is given to the characters. None of the choices you make throughout the game affect the ending and I noticed several glitches and plot holes throughout the last 2 hours of the game.

    The main storyline also feels disjointed, and as much as I enjoyed acts 1 and 2, there is very little direction or progress in the main storyline until the end of act 2. It feels as if you will spend most of your time running around doing side content with no larger goal in mind. The companion storylines were fun to watch for the most part, however one character in particular seems to be a huge victim of cut content.

    The game is also missing basic quality of life features like easier party management, and some of the fights near the end of the game are just painfully slow as sometimes enemies will stand there for 30 seconds unmoving, and since there's no way to speed up enemy turns I just end up alt tabbing while waiting for it to be my turn again.

    Unfortunately, I started the game at a 10 and it dropped the longer the game went on.    … Expand
  7. Redman_07
    Aug 19, 2023
    6
    The game is really good and offers a lot of freedom. There are a few problems, technically. The graphics are really bad, and the lefty wing propaganda is in it too. The super diverse city is boring and no fun. I prefer interesting cultures, there is no need to seperate them through hate, you can also make it just different...so, missed oppertunity and lefty decision.
    And forcing us to    The game is really good and offers a lot of freedom. There are a few problems, technically. The graphics are really bad, and the lefty wing propaganda is in it too. The super diverse city is boring and no fun. I prefer interesting cultures, there is no need to seperate them through hate, you can also make it just different...so, missed oppertunity and lefty decision.
    And forcing us to create black females is also super sad, why not tolerate what we do?
    and the DnD5 version is just not the best for combat    … Expand
  8. Ratedrod
    Aug 28, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely amazing first act then nose-dives immediately once you reach the underdark and onwards, literally the most overrated game I've ever played.

    Firstly I've experienced hundreds of bugs many of which during fights or some that straight up soft locked me from progressing, one was so bad I had to install a literal cheat trainer because a boss mechanic wouldn't activate even when reloading previous saves stopping me from progressing unless I killed him on the first turn.

    The story really isn't anything special it's literally bad guys vs good guys and you choose between them there's literally no minor factions you can really do anything with.

    Also I really hate how stupid the relationships are between your companions you'll talk to them like twice and bam you're in bed with them, it's crazy how people are saying how amazing this story is and how deep the characters are, are we even playing the same game?

    Act 2 is just a massive facade genuinely doesn't matter what decisions you make you get the same ending which is fighting Ketheric. Even if you side with The Absolute he just betrays you anyways, there's literally no point being evil in this game past act 1.

    Act 3 is just where the game falls flat on its face immediately, more bugs than a Bethesda game, genuinely awfully made fights, and the worst ending that literally made no sense, clearly made to just rush the game out before Starfield releases so they can patch this later but you'll have gamers lambasting "WOAH NO MICRO TRANSACTIONS THIS IS WHAT GAMING SHOULD BE" whilst the game has a deluxe edition.    … Expand
  9. TsukasaHiiragi
    Aug 9, 2023
    6
    Pro's

    Excellent narrative Choices matter True to D&D No micro transactions Great itemization and build options Exploration is rewarded Moddable Con's Buggy! Some areas are unbalanced such as Moonrise Towers Can be frustrating - you've been warned here Faux difficulty aka forcing you to go against 10 - 20 enemies occasionally Limited party options Weak puzzles Camera    Pro's

    Excellent narrative
    Choices matter
    True to D&D
    No micro transactions
    Great itemization and build options
    Exploration is rewarded
    Moddable

    Con's

    Buggy!
    Some areas are unbalanced such as Moonrise Towers
    Can be frustrating - you've been warned here
    Faux difficulty aka forcing you to go against 10 - 20 enemies occasionally
    Limited party options
    Weak puzzles
    Camera angles can be a problem
    Character AI is pretty bad / whilst enemy AI is too good
    Bosses can be cheap and annoying
    Act 2 and 3 feel very rushed

    Now, looking at the cons - which outweigh the pro's here and still giving a positive review? The game's narrative and story telling is on point, many of your choices will matter and that can heavily change your outcome, some areas could be easier..or harder, you might even lose party members or gain new ones.

    Graphics are pretty good, although camera angles occasionally bug out and can cause problems. The greatest issues are all related to either serious bugs, some potentially game breaking such as corrupted save files or minor graphical glitches. Gameplay is great, with high replayability but once again, it isn't a masterpiece here as many have immediately reviewed without getting into the actual meat of the game, and later especially towards Mid - Endgame it becomes frustrating FAST with many encounters opting for numbers vs tactics, such as Moonrise Towers is notoriously difficult, not because of high level enemies? Oh nono, but simply because you'll be facing large scale battles sometimes upwards of 15+ enemies, and if they decide to attack any of your party, you can't survive against it and will cause frustration, even on the easiest difficulty it is without a doubt, souls-like difficulty level here.

    Party options are limited, the idea of playing it 'your' way is false, you still really need your tank and healer especially in difficulty encounters, no matter your level. Another issue, i've personally seen is that AC (Armor level) is broken, you could have AC 20 or even 23, trash mobs will still hit you quite easily just as having someone in cloth armor with AC 15 for example, overall does not feel true to D&D in this respect and probably done to insure some level of difficulty once again, it needs tweaking for sure, because trash mobs 5 levels lower than you, shouldn't be able to hit someone with AC 20 'that' easily, but 9/10 times they'll hit each and every time.

    Overall, Baldurs Gate 3 is a great game but it does require some balancing and mods maybe the solution for that, some upgrades such as animation skipping or increasing enemy turn speed on large encounters is absolutely necessary because they can take way too long. ACt 2 and 3 are significantly more rushed and have considerably more bugs, this is part of the problem as all the reviews are just for act 1 without really getting into the meat of the game, once Larian fixes many of these issues then I'd increase my rating, but out of the gate its clear it was released too early from EA to capitalize on Diablo 4's failure.    … Expand
  10. Thunderthda
    Aug 12, 2023
    6
    Very good game, a solid as **** 9 in Act 1, falls off super hard to the point of insufferable to play at points from Act 2 onwards with horrible bugs ranging from extremely annoying to straight up game breaking, you can really tell that after Act 1 there was basically 0 testing.
    Typical Larian awful storytelling but still serviceable and with very cool, high points, but same as the    Very good game, a solid as **** 9 in Act 1, falls off super hard to the point of insufferable to play at points from Act 2 onwards with horrible bugs ranging from extremely annoying to straight up game breaking, you can really tell that after Act 1 there was basically 0 testing.
    Typical Larian awful storytelling but still serviceable and with very cool, high points, but same as the gameplay aspect, in Act 2 it falls off super hard but at least this does recover once you have spent a while on Act 3.
    You will enjoy the game, you will have fun with it, and at points you will also want to uninstall it because of the insufferable bugs, and I just honestly hope you don't lose a save to them.
    Update: After playing the ending of the game I can't do anything but bring the score even lower. The last "boos fight" and the entire area before it is the worst garbage you will have to suffer in the game, and the ending is release ME3 levels of atrocity.    … Expand
  11. rinshun
    Aug 20, 2023
    5
    Overrated.

    Despite the game boasting extensive content, numerous dialogues come across as incongruous. For instance, opting to remain idle prompts an NPC to express gratitude for assistance... Furthermore, the game is plagued by numerous bugs, particularly vexing graphical anomalies such as sudden texture pop-ins and murky shadows. The combat mechanics also lack strategic depth.    Overrated.

    Despite the game boasting extensive content, numerous dialogues come across as incongruous. For instance, opting to remain idle prompts an NPC to express gratitude for assistance...

    Furthermore, the game is plagued by numerous bugs, particularly vexing graphical anomalies such as sudden texture pop-ins and murky shadows.

    The combat mechanics also lack strategic depth. While a few intriguing elements exist, the majority of it is rather uninspiring.    … Expand
  12. Zowert
    Sep 2, 2023
    6
    After spending 200 hours from early launch all the way through to the end of the game after release, I can hands down say this is the greatest RPG ever created. If anybody feels differently it is because they do not enjoy the mechanics of D&D. The character customization/creation is incredible. The Story is engaging and well written. The mechanics are exactly what you would expect from aAfter spending 200 hours from early launch all the way through to the end of the game after release, I can hands down say this is the greatest RPG ever created. If anybody feels differently it is because they do not enjoy the mechanics of D&D. The character customization/creation is incredible. The Story is engaging and well written. The mechanics are exactly what you would expect from a D&D game. This is one of the few games that will reach a 10/10 and I'm happy that I was able to play it in my lifetime. Congratulations to Larian Studios you deserve all the love you get.

    Edit: It is is unacceptable that some endings go to black screen with decision made and consequences experienced.. I will keep the 10/10 for my first playthrough however that ending was absolutely, indescribably terrible for my second. 6/10 4 points lost on bad ending.    … Expand
  13. Tipper112
    Sep 1, 2023
    7
    Baldur's Gate 3 is an enchanting journey that has captured my heart with its captivating world, rich characters, and immersive storytelling. From the moment I stepped foot into the lush landscapes of Faerun, I was entranced by the attention to detail and the depth of the lore. The characters are not mere NPCs, but companions with their own unique personalities, stories and quests, whichBaldur's Gate 3 is an enchanting journey that has captured my heart with its captivating world, rich characters, and immersive storytelling. From the moment I stepped foot into the lush landscapes of Faerun, I was entranced by the attention to detail and the depth of the lore. The characters are not mere NPCs, but companions with their own unique personalities, stories and quests, which made forging connections and forming relationships an integral part of the experience.

    The game's mechanics are a testament to its dedication to Dungeons & Dragons' roots. The intricate dice-based combat system is a delight, offering endless strategies and tactical challenges that kept me engaged for hours on end. The blend of classic RPG elements with modern graphics creates an exciting and immersive atmosphere that's hard to resist.

    However, for all its brilliance, Baldur's Gate 3 stumbles on its path to perfection. The bug-infested landscape of the game mars what could have been an otherwise seamless experience. Glitches, crashes, and odd AI behavior often pulled me out of the immersion, forcing me to pause and restart, disrupting the otherwise captivating flow. For example, one time returning to my camp, one of my companions wished to talk to me. Upon initiating conversation with them, i was scolded by them for a decision I had yet to make, or even have any knowledge of, so a future decision and event was spoiled for me. The companions also all seem to fall in love too easily with the main character, and certain companions never seemed to understand that i wasn't interested in them. After forming a romance with my chosen companion, another said something along the lines of "I see you've chosen someone else" when i never had a romance with that companion in the first place. Things like these add to the frustration and I found them immersion breaking.

    The most significant disappointment lies in Act 3, which feels alarmingly rushed, incomplete and unoptimised with frame rate issues. The promising buildup of the first two acts loses its momentum, and it's painfully clear that there's substantial cut content. Questlines that were hinted at are suddenly left hanging, and the narrative threads become tangled in a way that's difficult to ignore. It's a frustrating experience that makes you wonder if the developers were pressed for time.

    One thing I can't understand is the prevalence of glowing 10/10 reviews. While the potential for a masterpiece is clearly present, the abundance of technical issues and the abrupt, unsatisfying conclusions in Act 3 make it hard to comprehend such high scores. It's disheartening to see these glaring flaws overshadowed by praise, as if the game's issues are somehow invisible.

    In the end, Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that I truly loved playing, and I was genuinely invested in its world and characters. The foundation is undeniably strong, but the bugs and the rushed, incomplete third act prevent it in my opinion from ascending to the ranks of gaming masterpieces. A 7/10 rating feels fitting, acknowledging the brilliance while recognizing the need for improvements. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in future patches, which Larian is known to do.    … Expand
  14. Anguchan
    Aug 24, 2023
    6
    An amazing game, but by god does Act III need to be reworked and rewritten, entirely ruined the game for me, there also are not 100,000 endings as promised.
  15. Zenren
    Aug 16, 2023
    7
    Baldur's Gate 3 is not a bad game. I would in fact say it's a good game, however in the genre that it exists in, Isometric RPG, it's about average. I think what's happening is that a lot of new players, who have no idea what an Isometric RPG is, are suddenly playing the "cool game" and enjoying it. A lot of the additional mechanics, such as shove, are just out of place and contrite. TheBaldur's Gate 3 is not a bad game. I would in fact say it's a good game, however in the genre that it exists in, Isometric RPG, it's about average. I think what's happening is that a lot of new players, who have no idea what an Isometric RPG is, are suddenly playing the "cool game" and enjoying it. A lot of the additional mechanics, such as shove, are just out of place and contrite. The story is lacking and seriously underwhelming. At times you wonder if you're advancing it at all. In the end come for the novelty, but go play Baldur's Gate I&II for great games!… Expand
  16. Xalmo43
    Aug 16, 2023
    6
    Most people giving reviews to this game have never actually played it all the way through or are paid advertisers. This game spent more on marketing then it did for development and the heavy astroturfing of sites like this shows. How is it so highly rated? Most have just come along and gave it a 10/10 due to hype, similar to how they did Elden Ring before getting past the first zone TheMost people giving reviews to this game have never actually played it all the way through or are paid advertisers. This game spent more on marketing then it did for development and the heavy astroturfing of sites like this shows. How is it so highly rated? Most have just come along and gave it a 10/10 due to hype, similar to how they did Elden Ring before getting past the first zone The game suffers hard in the 3rd act which is where it falls apart and the devs knew 75% of the playerbase would never reach it. Games like this and Diablo 4 are great reasons to pirate before you buy it or wait for it to go on sale for $10 once the patch's fixed it.… Expand
  17. elstormcaller
    Aug 21, 2023
    7
    An incredible 1st and 2nd act that falls flat on it's face in the 3rd act.

    Generally good experience, but poorly paced towards the end with a plethora of bugs and issues as the final hours get hit with the typical Larian Last Act fatigue. Loved the companions, loved the combat, loved exploring, but I hope that this game gets the Definitive Edition treatment because for as intriguing    An incredible 1st and 2nd act that falls flat on it's face in the 3rd act.

    Generally good experience, but poorly paced towards the end with a plethora of bugs and issues as the final hours get hit with the typical Larian Last Act fatigue.

    Loved the companions, loved the combat, loved exploring, but I hope that this game gets the Definitive Edition treatment because for as intriguing and compelling as the first two acts were, the last act had me rushing for the end to just get it over with.    … Expand
  18. Johan701
    Aug 7, 2023
    7
    The game is obviously pretty good, but I'll try to offer one at-least slightly more critical point of view about this game and the things that i'm not liking so far.

    Dos2 influence is strong, i know it's a good game, but i wish there was more distinction between the two. Ssome of use care more about d&d than Divinity, and come from games like nwn2 and pathfinder kingmaker/etc, And    The game is obviously pretty good, but I'll try to offer one at-least slightly more critical point of view about this game and the things that i'm not liking so far.

    Dos2 influence is strong, i know it's a good game, but i wish there was more distinction between the two. Ssome of use care more about d&d than Divinity, and come from games like nwn2 and pathfinder kingmaker/etc,

    And this influence might be annoying in some things. There are a lot of scenery and environments that feel a bit recycled from dos, Also many elements from the UI and game engine are obviously recycled.
    Terrain influence is also a bit too much, as it definitively was in dos. There is even a specific "dip" bonus action that works on many elemental terrains and nonsensically adds big elemental damage to almost all weapons even in unlikely scenarios at almost no cost. There are the usual oil barrels, and much more stuff that can change terrain a bit too easily and frequentely for my tastes.

    The plot. I don't want to make spoilers, but it startes a bit too strong on the edgy-high-fantasy style, offering straight away a kind of scenario that might seem something that should be more fit for endgame, just to reel people in, and that was a bit excessive and a bit anticlimatic. I would have appreciated starting to immerse in a magic world a bit more gradually and slowly than this.

    The companion NPCs are a bit disappointing i wish they were more and more interesting than they are, this might sound silly, but there' a whole romance option, and there's literally not even a single female character that looks appealing for that.

    Further content may help this in the future.

    Again, the game isn't bad, that's why i gave it a 7 and not a 2, but i was expecting a bit more, and i kinda miss the old Obsidian level of work, Larian stiil seems a bit unconvincing to me, even with the d&d ruleset.    … Expand
  19. ArcZ7
    Aug 31, 2023
    6
    I was really hyped for this game. After spending many hours playing BG1, BG2, NN1 and NN2 my excitement for BG3 was unreal and sadly I was disappointment. Do not take me wrong the game in itself is great and the systems are really well done, but this game is missing this tiny little spark that was present in other big D&D/Forgotten realms games.

    I was wondering for a long time why I can    I was really hyped for this game. After spending many hours playing BG1, BG2, NN1 and NN2 my excitement for BG3 was unreal and sadly I was disappointment. Do not take me wrong the game in itself is great and the systems are really well done, but this game is missing this tiny little spark that was present in other big D&D/Forgotten realms games.

    I was wondering for a long time why I can not stick with this game and I tried to love it really hard. I then realized that even though there is so much to do in the game your choices are awfully streamlined and don't seem to have major impact. No matter what you do the game leads you to victory. Mess up your build no worries reset away destroying any RP element there is. Characters creation? Pick whatever race you want there is no disadvantages just extra perk to complement whatever you are trying to build. Same for your background story its just a pure stat boost you are not sacrificing anything to gain advantage in something else. Your character is build to be perfect and sure you can still mess things up but really its far from punishing.

    Combat ? Sure the foundation is decent but sadly its not for me. I do not like how the game focuses so much on environmental damage. Place bunch of explosive barrels around your enemies and blow them up. Yeah sounds cool at first until you realize your stats, equipment and skill play little part in combat once you figure this out. All previous BG and NN games are all about picking the right setup, finding the right gear and adjusting your characters to handle any combat situation. Sadly BG3 is so badly balanced in that regards that if you do not use those environmental advantages you will struggle and I honestly dont find the aspect of this game fun.

    Overall its a great game but not a great BG game in my opinion. It really is missing out on a lot of aspects that made the original games great and I believe its significantly over hyped for what it is and should have been just called Divinity Original Sin 3.    … Expand
  20. GrayDragonM
    Aug 15, 2023
    7
    TL;DR:
    If you're a fan of role-playing games, you might like Baldur's Gate III, but be aware, there are still bugs and annoyances.
    If you're a fan of BG and are expecting more of the same from BG III, you might be disappointed or delighted, depending on your preferences, but know that it's quite different from the previous two games in the main BG series. The combat in particular, as    TL;DR:
    If you're a fan of role-playing games, you might like Baldur's Gate III, but be aware, there are still bugs and annoyances.

    If you're a fan of BG and are expecting more of the same from BG III, you might be disappointed or delighted, depending on your preferences, but know that it's quite different from the previous two games in the main BG series.
    The combat in particular, as it's turn-based rather than real-time, and while it has rules from Dungeons & Dragons, it's very similar to Divinity: Original Sin.
    If you're a fan of D:OS, you might like what's in the game, but it does have different systems for combat.

    All in all, it's a decent but flawed game that still needs polish.

    Review:
    I played it during early access, and I'm sort of disappointed with the state of the full game.
    There are some quality improvements in some areas, including features that were requested like better sorting, stack splitting, and such, but even considering those, the issues the game still has are still enough to weigh it down.

    Customization:
    The appearance customization is a big improvement over D:OS II, and some options have been added that weren't in early access, but overall, it seems too limited for a game where you see your character's face so often.
    It's definitely not as in-depth for face customization as Bethesda's games, despite seeing your character more often in BG III than you might in a game such as The Elder Scrolls (where you hardly ever see your character's face).
    Rather than choosing the features of your face, such as nose, eyes, etc., you're restricted to choosing from a selection of faces, with customization mostly being colors (e.g. eyes, hair) and add-ons (e.g. eye makeup, tattoos, piercings).
    The piercings are a bit lacking, as even if you find ones that you like, they'll come with others that you can't remove.
    For example, you won't be able to choose between an earring and an ear piercing elsewhere, nor can you choose only one earring.

    The ability customization is pretty good, but as it's based on D&D, it's quite limiting.
    Unlike some other role-playing games, you'll be locked out of certain features, rather than being able to do most things.
    For example, the Wizard can learn spells from scrolls, but other classes cannot, and while some races have an ability giving better vision in dark areas, others don't.
    Class-wise however, there is multiclass, allowing for choosing an extra class later (albeit, only on Balanced/Normal and Tactician/Hard difficulties, and not on the Explorer/Easy difficulty), and so, it isn't much of an issue as a result.

    Story:
    The pacing is strange in some places, and some content seems to have been removed that early access had.
    For example, the tutorial area has been streamlined, and certain character customization options are no longer.

    Characters are hit-or-miss in personality, but it's good to have some oddballs to change up the pace.
    That said, character dialogue seems a bit odd at times, as characters can have out-of-place reactions for their personalities and circumstances.

    Dialogue is okay at times, and feels a bit limited at others.
    There are times when you might want your character to say something but must choose what the developers want characters to say.
    There are also times when your character will make comments on things.
    It's good to keep things lively, but it can be out-of-place for a character and be pretty bad for role-playing.

    Audio and graphics:
    The music, voices and sounds are well-done for the most.
    Graphics are pleasant enough, though there are bugs where things start stretching and such sporadically.

    Combat:
    On the Balanced/Normal difficulty, I found the combat to be quite difficult, and a bit inconsistent.
    During my first start of the game, the three enemies after the prologue caused a lot of damage to my characters, but on my second start with a different character, they were no issue.

    Difficulty aside, the interface is quite unintuitive using controllers, and still a bit clunky using keyboard/mouse.
    Also, the interface varies greatly between controller and keyboard/mouse, with the interface being very minimalist for controllers.

    Exploration:
    Movement is very sluggish, and interacting with objects is quite the task.
    Because of how object interaction is tied to movement, there will be many times where objects that would be easily able to be gotten in real life will be impossible to grab normally in the game. Characters will sometimes run around a table to grab an object they could've grabbed from the side they were on, even though they grabbed another object from that same side. The camera is also lacking in its zoom options. Modding: As of this review's writing, there is still no official modding support. There are likely going to be tools like there were for D:OS I&II, but for now, it's not bad as modders have made quite a few quality mods to improve aspects of the game.    … Expand
  21. stalkerfan
    Aug 16, 2023
    5
    After around 90 hours playing and completing all three acts, I have a few observations. Act 1 equals Act 2 and 3 combined in length, with Act 2 being the shortest but strongest due to introducing the main antagonists. However, a major issue I have is the lack of proper setup for these main villains. The writing is inconsistent, resulting in some scenes being engaging while others fallAfter around 90 hours playing and completing all three acts, I have a few observations. Act 1 equals Act 2 and 3 combined in length, with Act 2 being the shortest but strongest due to introducing the main antagonists. However, a major issue I have is the lack of proper setup for these main villains. The writing is inconsistent, resulting in some scenes being engaging while others fall flat. Each companion possesses unique traits, but these often negate each other's uniqueness, making none truly stand out.… Expand
  22. sulo
    Aug 28, 2023
    6
    bon jeu mai il n'est pas en français. Quelque bug dans le jeu et un cameras pas terrible!
  23. sazizisam
    Aug 19, 2023
    7
    Its generally good, but the optimization is not so good.
    It would be a GOTY for DND fans, but it is not a bad game for me only.
  24. xeroxks
    Aug 11, 2023
    7
    new standard for modern crpg and gaming in general with tons of content, and all without mtx
  25. DaveAus
    Aug 29, 2023
    7
    What is mostly a really great RPG is brought down slightly by some eye rolling messaging in game and a lack of random encounters or enemies to fight outside of scripted one of events.
  26. JinkersQQ
    Aug 18, 2023
    5
    This game should stay in Early Access for several more years. 3rd act + ending is a joke, what a waste of time
  27. angrycrit
    Aug 29, 2023
    7
    Act 1 95 One of the Best CRPG
    Act 2 93 Still good
    Act 3 84 Partially messed like old Obsidian games. e.g. KotOR2, NWN2

    Is BG3 worthy of getting good score above 95?
    Think about a little calculation.

    (My personal score is 91, but I'll give this game 7 score for opinion balance.)
  28. sirdiddymus
    Aug 11, 2023
    6
    Loved alot of the game except the combat & just some of the absolute ridiculousness of it where it got pantomime silly.
  29. Averum
    Aug 21, 2023
    6
    Everyone has been to eager to come here and praise this game before getting through it entirely. The first act is a master quality product. However, as you move through the game and into the next two acts the shine wears off. There is an abundance of cut content. Entire zones that are left out. Companion characters with incomplete story and much more. Here is a list of cut content. AsEveryone has been to eager to come here and praise this game before getting through it entirely. The first act is a master quality product. However, as you move through the game and into the next two acts the shine wears off. There is an abundance of cut content. Entire zones that are left out. Companion characters with incomplete story and much more. Here is a list of cut content. As always, the critics didn't get far enough to give a proper evaluation.

    Act 1 - 9/10
    Act 2 - 7/10
    Act 3 - 5/10

    There is insufficient space for me to list all of the cut content, but I will post a few of them.

    1) The Upper City - The most obvious one. Swen himself talked about the "Affluent Upper City" just 2 weeks before launch and described as it being fully explorable and yet it's very noticeably absent from the final game.

    2) Shar Worship - In EA the player was able to select Shar as a diety which game with it's own unique dialogue trees, especially when interacting with Shadowheart as a fellow Shar worshiper. Despite the fact that voice lines were datamined indicating this had functions well into Act 2, it was cut when the game launched.

    3) Karlach's Ending - Datamined content shows that not only did Karlach have a full ending where her infernal engine was fixed and that she survived, but that most of it was fully voiced and complete. However it required triggers from the Upper City portion of Baldur's Gate and when that was cut, so was Karlach's Act 3 storyline. What we have behind have been confirmed to be Karlach's "fail state" endings which were meant to only play if the player neglected her quest chain.

    4) Minthara's Story - Minthara was meant to have a much deeper story, including a pregnancy. These were likely cut due to Minthara being a late stage addition to our roster but dialogue lines remain in the games files that show that not only did Minthara have a lot more content for herself but your other companions had a lot more to say about it.

    5) Halsin's Story - Another late addition to the roster, Halsin was originally intended to have a great deal more endgame content involving the Druid circle, but this appears to have been cut more early on than some of the other items thus far.

    6) Raphael the Merchant - Originally Raphael was meant to be a fully viable option to remove your tadpole, in fact the "Soul Coin" items that you collect in game where originally meant to be a powerful alternative currency accepted only by Raphael in exchange for possibly retrieving your soul as well as a long list of incredibly powerful artifacts from the House of Hope that would be sold by Raphael himself.

    7) Avernus - An entire area of the game. Avernus was meant to be fully explorable and of similar size to the Underdark Area of Act 1. It would be a source not only for Soul Coins but other rare materials, highly difficult fights, and special content for Karlach.

    8) Tav the Dark Urge - A lot of people were both surprised and excited to see the addition of The Dark Urge origin as the Bhaalspawn/Evil option that was missing from EA. As it turns out, Tav was originally the Dark Urge and they were all one origin. Tav was meant to be Bhaalspawn and separating the two seems to be what caused the narrative divide between the Dead Three storyline and the Mindflayer plot.

    9) Omeluum's Ring - In the EA version of the game this ring would block your Tadpole entirely. It could not grow, it could not grow stronger, and you could not use Illithid powers. In the launch version this ring prevents you from being charmed despite Omeluum still stating that it blocked the influence of the Elder Brain/Absolute.

    10) Bhaal and Orin versus the Creche - An entire Act 2 battle was cut in which Bhaal's forces, led by Orin, attacked the Githyanki creche which led to a fight where you either sided with one or the other or had a massive 3-way fight on your hands.

    11) Orin and the Dragon - Orin was meant to corrupt a Githyank red dragon, leading to a boss fight against a Slayer-formesque Dragon.

    12) The Hag Coven in Act 2 and 3 - You may notice that accepting Auntie Ethels help in the first Act can lead to a negative effect when fighting Hags. You may also notice that despite Auntie Ethel having letters from other Hags in her basement, she is the only one you encounter. Originally there was meant to be a full three act story involving the Hag coven including the mysterious "M" who seems to have been their leader.

    13) Epilogues - Full epilogue cutscenes have been datamined that varied greatly depending on your choices. These were the "17K ending variations" that Larian told us about, yet they are completely absent in the final game leading only to a fade to black scene at the end of the game.    … Expand
  30. JackFrostyG
    Aug 29, 2023
    7
    While I don't agree with a lot of the negative reviews as they just seem unfounded, I also don't agree that BG3 is advancing gaming to the degree that the masses claim. Personally, I see the game as 'good'.

    Pros - Graphics are great. I think anyone who argues otherwise is not being honest. - The combat and animations are fine. - The story is interesting. - You have a wide    While I don't agree with a lot of the negative reviews as they just seem unfounded, I also don't agree that BG3 is advancing gaming to the degree that the masses claim. Personally, I see the game as 'good'.

    Pros

    - Graphics are great. I think anyone who argues otherwise is not being honest.

    - The combat and animations are fine.

    - The story is interesting.

    - You have a wide range of role playing options, you can do more than you can in other games.

    - It really showed us which Developers would rather bicker about a good game rather than create one themselves.

    - No microtransactions is only a good thing.

    - No fps or crash issues.

    Cons

    - Some of the characters' dialogue comes across as more fan fiction than realistic.

    - Larian Studios copy pasted Divinity Original Sin 2 far too much, from the ruins, to the interactions, to the loot, to the text.

    - Like Divinity, the loot doesn't feel rewarding. A rare glove that provides 0 armour and an effect that I may use 10% of the time is not something I look forward to receiving. The basic gear even has fixed stats so every piece of gear I pick up has the exact same stats.

    - I feel like the difficulty options are cosmetic when quicksave / load exist as it removes any challenge.

    - There is no customising of the eye shape, height, weight, nose, lips, ears or body tattoos, removing armour makes neck tattoos look unpolished with seeming.

    - Bugged a few times. Sometimes my character, or characters I need to interact with, will not be interactable. Oftentimes just needs to be reloaded but this lowers immersion.

    - While you'd expect the climax of the game to be the best, I feel like Act III is the most disappointing and it seems clear that the team put the most effort into Act I and it slowly begins to show.

    - As much as I like role-reversal, the lack of strength orientated men as followers or even NPC's is quite disappointing. It's true we have Halsin, but he feels too kind hearted to be a ruffian strongman follower.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2023
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 112 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 111 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 112
  3. Negative: 0 out of 112
  1. Cubed3
    Mar 25, 2024
    90
    With a vast world to explore with varied stories and secrets to discover, Baldur's Gate 3 definitely shines. The cast is largely appealing and voice acting is top notch all-around, even if the storytelling and line delivery is varied in its pace. Character progression is somewhat weak in the opening levels but has a strong foundation for a great buildcraft experience, even if it lacks some on the fly experimentation seen in Larian's past efforts. Despite some performance woes in the later parts of the game and controller hangups, this is a journey worth taking for fans of Dungeons & Dragons or those new to the role playing field.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 22, 2024
    100
    Larian Studios, the creators of the latest installment, have gone to great lengths to make sure they didn't disgrace any of the franchise's building blocks. The love and care is evident in Baldur's Gate 3, though needless to pretend, there aren't a few bricks crumbling here and there in this monument. It's far from a perfect title, but on the whole Baldur's Gate 3 is a brilliant computer RPG that is undoubtedly not to be overlooked. [Issue#329]
  3. RPGamer
    Dec 7, 2023
    100
    Baldur’s Gate III is a title that many would not have thought possible just a few years ago. The game serves to further Larian Studios’s already strong reputation, and the studio deserves massive credit for refusing to panic, taking its time to get things right, and continuing to offer improvements even after launch at an impressive rate. Hopefully, it is able to reap the richly deserved rewards for doing so.
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