Many more or less popular mechanics from Dungeons & Dragons have made their way into the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3. However, one quite essential one has not: exhaustion. Curiously, a particular NPC suffers from it!
Which mechanic is meant? The “exhaustion” mechanic from Dungeons & Dragons unfortunately did not make it into the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is regularly used to impose debuffs on players in inhospitable environments – or simply to penalize them for overloading their character.
Where does it appear in Baldur’s Gate 3? When you enter the Emerald Grove, you can follow one of the quest markers to the druid Nettie. She is one of the first opportunities to examine your parasite and possibly even remove it.
However, before you can speak with her, she asks you for some patience: she is still busy with another patient. This is a small blue bird that appears to be severely exhausted upon closer inspection. With a bit of druid magic, Nettie quickly resolves the condition.
How does the mechanic work? In Dungeons & Dragons, it is very important for player characters to take regular breaks. Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3, in the tabletop RPG it is very important how long the characters have been on their feet. Other triggers can be environmental hazards and certain special abilities.
The catch is that the negative consequences stack. Here are the disadvantages of each level:
- Disadvantage on ability checks
- Movement speed halved
- Disadvantage on attack and saving throws
- maximum hit points are halved
- Movement speed reduced to 0 meters
- the character dies
A long rest avoids or reduces one level of exhaustion, provided the character has enough supplies.
Why is the function missing in Baldur’s Gate 3? This is currently being speculated. The colleagues at PC Gamer suspect that the feature was planned for the game but later removed.
Due to the lack of a day-night cycle in the game, which would indicate the passage of time, there is currently also no concrete indicator for times. Short and long rests can be taken freely as needed by the player.
This brings flexibility to the game, as set rest times would unnecessarily interrupt the adventure. Additionally, there are points in Baldur’s Gate 3 where resting is generally not recommended. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has summarized these points for you:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Attention, a “Long Rest” can immediately fail quests
Do you miss exhaustion in Baldur’s Gate 3? Let us know in the comments!
