Baldur's Gate 3 Playthrough Discussion

[Pifanjr]

Next time we log in, we're leveling up and getting our level 3 spells, and I think there's better healing in there. We can't get the Druid until act 2, but it seems like a decent idea to take both the druid and the cleric.

Both the cleric and Guido's mage got "disruptive tech" type spells this time, so people should die a lot faster now. I just glanced at the Cleric spells, but there's some sort of spell, if I understood it correctly, that does good damage every turn for a decent length of time, and I know Guido got one of the lightning spells, which should come in handy. Fireball used to be level 3, but seems like he already has a crappy version of fireball, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

The cleric's is probably Spirit Guardians? The nice thing about that one is that it triggers on the turn it's cast and again whenever an enemy starts its turn inside of the area, letting you do double damage. The same is true for the Druid Moonbeam spell as well.

The crappy version of fireball is probably Burning Hands, a first level spell that's just a cone originating from the caster, instead of the fireball's large spherical explosion at a distance.

I must say it's been a lot harder than I thought to hit multiple enemies with AoE attacks. Most of the time they're too spread out or mixed in with your (or friendly) characters. It doesn't help that the majority of enemies seem to prefer doing ranged attacks so they never really bunch up, Though I suppose it would be too easy otherwise, as evidenced by a big monster I encountered which I got just shot at from a cliff until it died without it being able to attack back at all.

 

[Zed Clampet]

The cleric's is probably Spirit Guardians? The nice thing about that one is that it triggers on the turn it's cast and again whenever an enemy starts its turn inside of the area, letting you do double damage. The same is true for the Druid Moonbeam spell as well.

Yeah, it's Spirit Guardians. Maybe it was a bug (or maybe I'm just misreading you), but it didn't just trigger when an enemy started their turn inside the area. It also triggered instantly if I moved my cleric to get someone in the circle. It was near the end of the battle, and I walked over to one guy and he took the damage and died, and I still could move some more, so I walked over to the last guy, and he died as well.

I only got to really use it once. I tried a second time, but I think I lost concentration and/or became afraid, or maybe it was dispelled or something. Anyway, I missed what it said, but the circle disappeared during the first enemy turn.

I know what you mean about the AoE. I carry these bottles around that set an area on fire, and they are really hard to use properly (that's assuming I'm trying to use them properly), and I usually end up not using them at all or just tossing them at a single enemy if there is a strong one nearby.

Apparently, Guido could only select 1 level 3 spell, and he picked lightning, so he doesn't have fire ball yet. The nice thing, though, is that he's a sorcerer, so he can keep casting it until his spell points are exhausted instead of just casting it once and then having to wait until after a long rest to learn it again. But we are constantly resting anyway.

I think we've messed up Karlach's companion quest because we didn't find her until the Grove had already been abandoned. We'll still find that smith and see what happens. We just finished the creche and are getting ready to head to the mountain. There are probably a billion things we didn't do. @Zloth said he'd played for over 100 hours before he went in there, and we've played a little over 20 But I've started my Druid playthrough, so I can wander around as much as I want.

 

[Zloth]

Yeah, it's Spirit Guardians. Maybe it was a bug (or maybe I'm just misreading you), but it didn't just trigger when an enemy started their turn inside the area. It also triggered instantly if I moved my cleric to get someone in the circle. It was near the end of the battle, and I walked over to one guy and he took the damage and died, and I still could move some more, so I walked over to the last guy, and he died as well.

Yep! That spell is an absolute killer! You've got to maintain concentration, but clerics do tend to armor up. War Caster can help, too.

My Shadowheart has a glowy mace that tends to blind undead with its light. She can cast Spirit Guardians set to do radiant damage, then just run through a bunch of undead. The guardians hurt whatever she gets near plus she has a good chance of blinding them! And then they all try to attack her. Armor and shield help and the blind ones have little chance but... uhhh... that gets pretty nasty. Maybe I should use that Sanctuary spell.

(I was able to use Spirit Guardians even better in Solasta.)

It took me 100 hours to get to Moonrise Tower. That's likely to be the end of Act 2. I also did BOTH the Underdark and the Mountain Pass - you're supposed to just do one. Oh, and it's 100 hours on the game save. Total hours was more like 130. That gives you a good idea how much time I spend having to re-do battles because I get myself killed.

That was certainly true for last night. Naturally, I couldn't POSSIBLY go the way the game was clearly telling me to go. No no, I had to go through the basement. Got into a really nasty fight that I had to try several times...

Spoiler: Fight details near the end of Act2

I came in through a side room of an upper room. In the upper room were a bunch of level 3 skeletons in robes with 23hp each. Most also had Armor of Agathys, which is a spell that gives them an extra 10hp plus the first attack against them does 10hp of cold damage. A death shepherd was in the middle of the room with 74hp, ready to raise up the skelees that I brought down. To the right and down some wide stairs was a much bigger, lower room with 3 more skeletons and 3 mistresses of souls.

I never heard of the latter, but they immediately start building new skelees. They start by making a cocoon thing and, two turns later, it hatches into another fully buffed skeleton. They are also serious level 8 spell casters that can misty-step around and toss fireballs. Oh, and the skeletons can do some cantrip called Reach from Beyond, which is a ranged attack that does about 4-10 necrotic damage.

I tried, and I got slaughtered. I tried again, again not so good. Fine, let's talk to the leader of the attack up at the main gate. Sure enough, she was still there and said that some folks would come down to help me with the attack. Well, I guess that's if you go through the main gate with her, because nobody showed up, so I decided to just get silly then re-load when I got beaten. Karlach the monk goes running down the stairs after the mistresses! Bone's Eye!!!

And it worked GREAT! The skeletons were set to use that necro ranged attack, they didn't have weapons, so their opportunity attacks they got as she ran by only did a point of damage if they hit at all. Even better, though, were the fireballs. As a level 8 monk, fireballs rarely ever hurt her - but they sure hurt the skeletons and cocoons around her! She's also got a self-heal she can use once per rest that makes her monk points regenerate faster than she can use them for several turns. That allowed her to use patient defense to make her extra hard to hit for the skelees.

I still had to use a lot of healing potions and badly needed a full night's rest afterward, but I was able to walk back out the side door and get to a place that let me do that. Now I've gone back in and up some stairs and... well look at that! The main group has started trying to get through the front gate - and here I am behind the baddies that trying to stop them from breaking in! I'm almost behind the archers and some spell caster. This is going to be fun!

 

[Pifanjr]

Yeah, it's Spirit Guardians. Maybe it was a bug (or maybe I'm just misreading you), but it didn't just trigger when an enemy started their turn inside the area. It also triggered instantly if I moved my cleric to get someone in the circle. It was near the end of the battle, and I walked over to one guy and he took the damage and died, and I still could move some more, so I walked over to the last guy, and he died as well.

I only got to really use it once. I tried a second time, but I think I lost concentration and/or became afraid, or maybe it was dispelled or something. Anyway, I missed what it said, but the circle disappeared during the first enemy turn.

Oh yeah, it doesn't just trigger when cast, it triggers for every enemy who is touched by the aura during your turn and then it triggers again if they're still in it at the start of their turn. Enemies can only be hit once a turn though, so running back and forth doesn't work.

Enemies do tend to target you while you're concentrating on it, so in my experience it usually doesn't last more than one round. But if you manage to hit every enemy with it during your turn it's definitely still worth it and you could try using Sanctuary as @Zloth suggested.

I know what you mean about the AoE. I carry these bottles around that set an area on fire, and they are really hard to use properly (that's assuming I'm trying to use them properly), and I usually end up not using them at all or just tossing them at a single enemy if there is a strong one nearby.

As in all RPGs, I've been hoarding my consumables just in case I'll need them later. I've been meaning to start using them more often, but I often forget. I only just now used my first elixir, but since they last until the next long rest I should probably be using them way more often before they're not even worth using any more.

Apparently, Guido could only select 1 level 3 spell, and he picked lightning, so he doesn't have fire ball yet. The nice thing, though, is that he's a sorcerer, so he can keep casting it until his spell points are exhausted instead of just casting it once and then having to wait until after a long rest to learn it again. But we are constantly resting anyway.

Is he just turning all of his spell slots into sorcery points and then all of those into level 3 spell slots? That would give him 5 uses instead of the normal 2, but means he doesn't get to use his metamagic at all.

I think we've messed up Karlach's companion quest because we didn't find her until the Grove had already been abandoned. We'll still find that smith and see what happens.

I did the exact same thing. I just hope it won't turn into a problem...

 

[Frindis]

Fireball used to be level 3, but seems like he already has a crappy version of fireball, so I'm not sure what's up with that.

He has what is called a cantrip. It does not use spell slots, so you can cast it at every turn. Most are not that good, but you have some like the Mage Hand that is very useful.

I also did BOTH the Underdark and the Mountain Pass - you're supposed to just do one.

I would say it is more recommended to do both since not only do you better prepare for Act 2, but you don't (depending on where you look off course) miss out on important skills, quests, items and awesome areas to explore, each with their distinct secrets (like the mace you got). The best way would be to do Underdark - Mountain Pass and then Act 2.

The mace you got is one of the best items in the game, but it can also be one of the most dangerous items in the game. You'll know when you get there

Speaking of powerful items in BG3, here's a fun fact: Most—if not all—of you playing right now are carrying one of the most useful and powerful item in the entire game. You probably just don't realize it yet. That is a bit of a tease and perhaps you'll take a more deeper look into your inventory. It's there, hiding between other not so useful items. No, it is not one that looks powerful, quest item or a sausage, it is something completely different.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Is he just turning all of his spell slots into sorcery points and then all of those into level 3 spell slots? That would give him 5 uses instead of the normal 2, but means he doesn't get to use his metamagic at all.

Not sure what he's doing there, but that sounds like something he would do, and I'm also not sure what metamagic is. I played a sorcerer as a second class in Neverwinter Nights, but I don't remember much about it. Plus it was about 25 years ago, and everything seems to have changed anyway.

NN might have been the last D&D game that I played. Not sure if Temple of Elemental Evil was before or after that. Ah, never mind. I played a few hours of Solasta recently, but I didn't really get anywhere.