For the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, the developers showcased a livestream on Steam. Among the guests: Matthew Mercer, one of the most well-known pen-and-paper nerds in the world. He also promptly demonstrated why he plays Dungeons & Dragons professionally – and what is possible in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Who is the legend?
- Matt Mercer is known as the Dungeon Master of Critical Role, the probably most famous D&D campaign(s) in the world. Critical Role streams the sessions on Twitch and even got its own series on Amazon.
- In addition, Mercer is a voice actor. He is the voice of McCree/Cassidy in Overwatch and voiced a role in the Dragon Age series on Netflix.
- Mercer’s “homebrews” are popular expansions among D&D players. Now he has even impressed the boss of Baldur’s Gate 3 with his creativity.
This is what Mercer shows: For the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, Matt Mercer and Larian CEO Swen Vincke streamed the game live on the store page for the game on Steam. In one scene, the D&D professional gained access to a castle.
Instead of bribing the city guards or coming through the back door, Matt Mercer simply stacked dozens of crates on top of each other to build himself higher. When he was finally high enough, he shot himself onto the castle wall with a teleport arrow:
The height of the crate tower does suggest an alternative understanding of physics, but even the boss gave it praise. He says: “That is … to be honest, really very, very clever.”
On Twitter, fans say that such a thing is obviously the logical solution. At least for a genius like Matt Mercer. The developers themselves probably did not “plan” such situations, but generally leave the most creative solutions open to players.
The developers also offer tips on the classes:
Baldur’s Gate 3 rewards creativity
Unlike most games, classic role-playing games, especially Baldur’s Gate 3, do not necessarily follow strict “rules.” Generally, what works can also be used. A few examples:
- Can’t disarm a trap with gas pouring out? Put a crate on it.
- The merchant wants absurdly much money for a fancy axe? Steal it from him and claim it wasn’t you.
- Someone has something against your chosen race? Use the spell “disguise self” and claim you are someone else.
Even before the release, fans advised: forget what you have learned about games. This only helps you in Baldur’s Gate 3 to a limited extent. Be creative, the game rewards you for it.
Indeed, Baldur’s Gate 3 has already received significant praise from many quarters for these things. The game truly feels like sitting at a table with a game master, sharing crazy ideas that he then approves with, “Shouldn’t work, but sounds cool. Roll for acrobatics.”
For this reason, it is also possible to play Baldur’s Gate 3 in so many different ways:
