Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 - tips, tricks & helpful information

[notpl]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

 

[processdaemon]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

Your mileage may vary but I am nearing the endgame now and I really like how it's progressed (I played mostly good with some notable exceptions). It's good enough that my second playthrough will probably also be durge but evil. Non specific Act 1 spoilers: there are a couple of moments at the start where you lose control and one NPC involved in some minor quests does die in a way that you can't avoid without cheesing (not a party member) but all other murders are either a choice or a check. Tav is a lot blander, which is good if you have a really specific backstory in mind but less fun otherwise.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

Yeah, ranger has some nice things going for it but other classes are simply better. My main dissapoinment is the ranger pets, they are a distraction at best, really slow to move, dies quick and too large thus blocking my other frontliners.

 

[Grunker]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

If you know your BG story, Durge is definitely great for a first playthrough.

I recommend a good will save if you’re going good

 

[janior]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

Yeah, ranger has some nice things going for it but other classes are simply better. My main dissapoinment is the ranger pets, they are a distraction at best, really slow to move, dies quick and too large thus blocking my other frontliners.

raven is really strong early on kinda falls off later

 

[Grauken]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

If you know your BG story, Durge is definitely great for a first playthrough.

I recommend a good will save if you’re going good

I'm just wondering, if you're doing Dark Urge good run, how different it is from the Tav vanilla run except the occasional Bhaal moment?

 

[Desiderius]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

Yeah, ranger has some nice things going for it but other classes are simply better. My main dissapoinment is the ranger pets, they are a distraction at best, really slow to move, dies quick and too large thus blocking my other frontliners.

Play Umbral Stalker and get back to us. Free Familiar at level 1. Archery Fighting Style at level 2, along with Ensnaring Strike with disadvantage on save (foe can’t move gets disadvantage on attax and everything else gets advantage hitting it). Plus you cover Longstrider so Wiz can clear space in book. At level 3 you get bonus action Hide and extra attack in first round.

My Ranger is attacking at 98% while everything else is struggling to hit 80%. Extra attack like other Martials at lvl 5. Is the idea that it isn’t as good late? Because it sure is early.

Having a party member with decent Perception is a nice change too, and you can eventually (lvl 6) cover Sleight of Hand duties too when you get second Natural Explorer.

 

[Yosharian]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

If you know your BG story, Durge is definitely great for a first playthrough.

I recommend a good will save if you’re going good

Geez. Hmm. Alright I will consider it.

 

[janior]

honestly anything in this game probably works more or less, it's not for min-maxers, maybe in the future if they add harder difficulties

 

[Desiderius]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

Yeah, ranger has some nice things going for it but other classes are simply better. My main dissapoinment is the ranger pets, they are a distraction at best, really slow to move, dies quick and too large thus blocking my other frontliners.

raven is really strong early on kinda falls off later

Raven is Familiar, not companion. If you’re using your abilities to buff and debuff no reason for it to fall off at all. I’m sure the endgame pros will be along any minute now to correct me but this would be the first game where I get less powerful as I go instead of more. Use Shadowheart Invoke Duplicate thingy and Raven can Blind all day, though I’m reliably told that Blind is easy to apply so maybe I switch to Frog then.

Familiars are like free money so 55% chance at Blind with no help is fine, though it can often catch a Prone enemy or whatever too.

Beast Master companion is supposed to get upgrades as you level so probably could use some group buff love until then.

 

[Desiderius]

Remember you’ve got Elemental Arrows and Poisons too, same with ranged Rogue. Try to get high both for +2 High Ground bonus and easier Stealth for Advantage.

 

[janior]

Bros is ranger just trash? should i change Minsc to barb or something, not sure what to do with him

It is probably the weakest martial class at the moment. True in pnp 5e as well.

Yeah, ranger has some nice things going for it but other classes are simply better. My main dissapoinment is the ranger pets, they are a distraction at best, really slow to move, dies quick and too large thus blocking my other frontliners.

raven is really strong early on kinda falls off later

Raven is Familiar, not companion. If you’re using your abilities to buff and debuff no reason for it to fall off at all. I’m sure the endgame pros will be along any minute now to correct me but this would be the first game where I get less powerful as I go instead of more. Use Shadowheart Invoke Duplicate thingy and Raven can Blind all day, though I’m reliably told that Blind is easy to apply so maybe I switch to Frog then.

Familiars are like free money so 55% chance at Blind with no help is fine, though it can often catch a Prone enemy or whatever too.

Beast Master companion is supposed to get upgrades as you level so probably could use some group buff love until then.

if you go beastmaster it is a companion you can get a second one with a spell

 

[Parabalus]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

If you know your BG story, Durge is definitely great for a first playthrough.

I recommend a good will save if you’re going good

I'm just wondering, if you're doing Dark Urge good run, how different it is from the Tav vanilla run except the occasional Bhaal moment?

True Durge is very good too, highly recommended for first playthrough.

 

[Urthor]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

 

[Yosharian]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

I'm assuming that

The holder of this item gains:
Electric Veins: When the wielder deals damage with a spell or cantrip, they gain 2 Lightning Charges.
Important Note: This effect applies per enemy damaged meaning that multi-target and area of effect spells generate 2 charges per damaged enemy.

adds 2 charges per magic missile hit? Also stuff like Fireball will get 2 charges for every target hit? JFC.

 

[Grunker]

Durge 1st timers, was it worth it or was Swen right?

I started as Tav and then restarted as durge and I feel like I 100% made the right decision, durge> custom Tav unless you have a very strong idea for a backstory for your custom character that you want to RP

Really. Even for a first time playthrough? Does it work well if you're trying to be a Lawful Good type?

I was going to keep Dark Urge for a second playthrough.

If you know your BG story, Durge is definitely great for a first playthrough.

I recommend a good will save if you’re going good

I'm just wondering, if you're doing Dark Urge good run, how different it is from the Tav vanilla run except the occasional Bhaal moment?

It depends on what you mean by different. If you mean "the main story plays out very differently" then no, but almost every single major NPC has unique interactions with you, especially Absolute NPCs since

Spoiler

they've all met you before

and the Orin line is almost entirely changed.

There's also unique romance content and stuff like that.

 

[Urthor]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

I'm assuming that

The holder of this item gains:
Electric Veins: When the wielder deals damage with a spell or cantrip, they gain 2 Lightning Charges.
Important Note: This effect applies per enemy damaged meaning that multi-target and area of effect spells generate 2 charges per damaged enemy.

adds 2 charges per magic missile hit? Also stuff like Fireball will get 2 charges for every target hit? JFC.

I actually haven't counted because I am exploring Staff of Arcane Blessing to consistently dump powerful debuffs on bosses.

My current angle to get my Wizard contributing more is Staff of Arcane Blessing to land extremely high percentage fears on bosses. And seeing if Glyph of Warding does anything useful.

I am unaware of charge accumulation, the magic missile damage and the value comes from the lightning charge mechanic itself. If you explore that angle there's LOTS of ways to accumulate charges, it's a very strong build.

 

[Yosharian]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

I'm assuming that

The holder of this item gains:
Electric Veins: When the wielder deals damage with a spell or cantrip, they gain 2 Lightning Charges.
Important Note: This effect applies per enemy damaged meaning that multi-target and area of effect spells generate 2 charges per damaged enemy.

adds 2 charges per magic missile hit? Also stuff like Fireball will get 2 charges for every target hit? JFC.

I actually haven't counted because I am exploring Staff of Arcane Blessing to consistently dump powerful debuffs on bosses.

My current angle to get my Wizard contributing more is Staff of Arcane Blessing to land extremely high percentage fears on bosses. And seeing if Glyph of Warding does anything useful.

I am unaware of charge accumulation, the magic missile damage and the value comes from the lightning charge mechanic itself. If you explore that angle there's LOTS of ways to accumulate charges, it's a very strong build.

Doesn't SoAB just give you improved bless? why would it affect Fear?

 

[Urthor]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

I'm assuming that

The holder of this item gains:
Electric Veins: When the wielder deals damage with a spell or cantrip, they gain 2 Lightning Charges.
Important Note: This effect applies per enemy damaged meaning that multi-target and area of effect spells generate 2 charges per damaged enemy.

adds 2 charges per magic missile hit? Also stuff like Fireball will get 2 charges for every target hit? JFC.

I actually haven't counted because I am exploring Staff of Arcane Blessing to consistently dump powerful debuffs on bosses.

My current angle to get my Wizard contributing more is Staff of Arcane Blessing to land extremely high percentage fears on bosses. And seeing if Glyph of Warding does anything useful.

I am unaware of charge accumulation, the magic missile damage and the value comes from the lightning charge mechanic itself. If you explore that angle there's LOTS of ways to accumulate charges, it's a very strong build.

Doesn't SoAB just give you improved bless? why would it affect Fear?

The improved bless contributes a lot to landing Fear.

 

[Desiderius]

Can you specifically name the items that are used to make magic missile do extra damage?

Incandescent Staff.
The Spellsparkler.

Evocation Wizard 10 and Staff of Arcane Blessing deserve a mention, Arcane Blessing doesn't increase Magic Missile's damage but is just straight powerful.

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

Did you play the D:OS games? Water applies Wet condition making things vulnerable to Lightning/Frost, Oil applies Fire vuln, and explosives are also high damage.

The guy giving all my posts retard ratings is saying that the (over-)itemization makes melee martials OP by midgame so if you’re trying to keep up with that it may just be a case of game being unbalanced rn rather than not getting the most out of your Wiz. Likewise even if you’re only tickling the mobs he’s also saying that they don’t present a sufficient challenge for it to matter, and furthermore that Wiz abilities are too easily duplicated with items/consumables.

I like to use Wiz to lower variance and attack the vulnerabilities of each mob/fight set-up (which doesn’t always involve damage at all) but if mobs can’t punish bad rolls or poor play then that is going to feel kind of irrelevant. You can still practice minimizing the amount of relevant turns you give your opponents for when the difficulty gets tweaked, either by devs or by mods.

Consumables can be used by Wiz itself to increase staying power to be more in line with short rest classes (which evidently rn can mess up plot progression so whatever) and aren’t nearly as plentiful if you don’t pickpocket friendlies (which is a restriction that can offset some the advantages of good playthroughs). Still a lot if you’re bypassing combat with dialogue and completionizing.

So game still in development after six years in EA. This is why weed was illegal. Can still practice to improve play for when modders/devs get around to adding better difficulty options, which they probably will with a playerbase this size and an IP this established.

 

[whydoibother]

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

If you are just trying to do damage, play a Sorcerer/Paladin for burst, or Fighter/Warlock for sustained beatings.
Wizard isn't the master of damage, they are the masters of utility and control. And of casting a level 6 upscaled summon elemental.

That said, you do get some damage amp in Act III

 

[Yosharian]

The improved bless contributes a lot to landing Fear.

Dude. Fear is not a spell attack.

 

[Desiderius]

Still, I'm having trouble getting as much juice out of Wizard as I'd like.

If you are just trying to do damage, play a Sorcerer/Paladin for burst, or Fighter/Warlock for sustained beatings.
Wizard isn't the master of damage, they are the masters of utility and control. And of casting a level 6 upscaled summon elemental.

Can someone explain what Fighter levels add to Warlock? Fiend already gives you Proficiency with any weapon (and CHR as atk/dam stat) and the extra attack at lvl 5. Isn’t the whole point getting the upcasts as high as they can go to max the HP and damage of Armor of Agathis and Hellish Rebuke, Scorching Ray etc?

 

[whydoibother]

Can someone explain what Fighter levels add to Warlock?

The above is meant to read Sorcerer OR Paladin for burst, Fighter OR Warlock for sustained damage. Not Fighter + Warlock.

 

[Desiderius]

Having too much fun with Fiend Warlock minigame rn.