Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered an absolute masterpiece. Only part of the game was seen as a major disappointment at release: Act 3, actually the highlight of the game. Players today say: The whole act is actually quite good; they just play it wrong.
What is so bad about Act 3?
- Act 3 is the most extensive of the three acts in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here, you explore not only the entire city of Baldur’s Gate, but also encounter two of the major antagonists, complete the companion quests of your allies, and have a ton of dungeons and side quests to accomplish.
- While this is somewhat positive, especially new players quickly lose track here. There is simply too much to do, and the game falsely gives you the feeling of being under constant time pressure. This leads to frustration and overwhelm.
- Furthermore, especially at release and for some time afterward, many bugs dampened the enjoyment of the game. Act 3 was simply not a worthy ending for the best game of 2023.
Is it still that way? Yes and no. The bugs have mostly disappeared. Even the developers were frustrated with Act 3 and delivered patch after patch for weeks.
As for the scope, Act 3 is still overwhelming. Maybe even more so than before, as Larian has added more content – though this mainly concerns alternative and additional endings to the story, not actual content in the act.
The scope of Act 3 ensures that many players only dare to take one run through Baldur’s Gate 3, if they even get that far.
This has recently been a topic in the community. A few sidebar comments quickly turned into a discussion about the final act – with interesting tips.
“I intentionally skip content”
On Reddit, a user asked what position people defend, even against an overwhelming majority of counter-arguments. The top comment with nearly 3,500 upvotes:
I loved Act 3 and exploring the city. Was it overwhelming? Yes. Was it confusing? Yes. Was Ketheric’s story more interesting than Gortash and Orin’s? In my opinion, definitely yes.
But exploring the city, the merchants, and all the side quests, taking your time while a world-destroying event looms overhead, feels so D&D. I enjoyed it.
Competitive-Bird-179 on Reddit
However, reading between the lines of the responses suggests that one must engage with the act to enjoy it. There are indeed quests that can fail if you waste too much time. However, this only happens rarely in Act 3.
One user states: The game warns you when you are doing something that can really ruin your run. Once you understand this, you can explore at your leisure. However, there are further suggestions: You should consciously skip content.
In another thread on Reddit, the creator complains that Act 3 is simply too extensive. He is advised to only do and visit the parts of the act that fit his run:
Act 3 is so much better when you only do a part of it each time. Get the items you want and do the quests that you enjoy and that are relevant for your character. But then level up to 12 and finish the game. This makes every run more focused and unique and removes the overwhelm from Act 3.
KingHafez on Reddit
Other players agree: This is the best and preferred way to play the game. Skipping certain content for role-playing and lore reasons makes every run much more exciting. And there are reasons to play more often. However, it is debatable whether this works for every playstyle – as some take an eternity even for their first run: I am still on my first run of Baldur’s Gate 3 after 200 hours.
