The role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in Early Access and already offers the possibility to play the story in co-op with up to four players. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus played together with editor Leya Jankowski and author Benedikt Schlotmann, and all are thrilled with the experience.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in Early Access, the third part of a legendary series that has been around since the 90s and has a loyal fanbase. Following the announcement of Baldur’s Gate 3 in June 2019, these fans are now looking forward to a new installment and apparently have infected many more gamers with their hype. 

Baldur’s Gate 3 is developed by Larian, a Belgian studio known primarily for its Divinity series. This has caused skepticism among fans of Baldur’s Gate, as there were concerns that the third installment could resemble Divinity: Original Sin too closely. However, the first 2000 reviews on Steam are “very positive”.

In fact, the games play very similarly – which does not detract from the fun. Leya, Benedikt, and I have all played solo and then dived into the adventure together. The joint session of nearly 4 hours was already full of funny situations, and we have resolved to play together more often.

What is Baldur’s Gate 3 about?

Here is what the game is about: The “Baldur’s Gate” series is a video game adaptation of the famous pen-and-paper ruleset Dungeons and Dragons. It takes place on the Sword Coast, one of the regions of the world, and tells the story of the eponymous city of Baldur’s Gate.

The players assume the role of an adventurer. In the third installment, we become victims of an attack by the Mind Flayers, who abduct us to implant their larvae in our heads. This is their way of reproduction, as the larvae are supposed to transform us into a Mind Flayer after a few days.

The story is divided into several acts, with the first act currently playable in Early Access. More acts will follow. The game will be developed for at least another year (approximately until October 2021).

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How does it play? The game is played from an isometric perspective, meaning “diagonally from above,” with the camera able to zoom close in on the action at any time. The main content of the game is the extensive story with many unique characters, each with personal histories and corresponding depth.

Currently, there are six classes to choose from, with six more to come. Battles proceed in turn-based manner, just like in the underlying tabletop game. The character with the highest initiative starts with their actions and then it continues in order until one side is eliminated. In the review of the Early Access by GameStar, you’ll get a deeper insight into Baldur’s Gate 3:

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Co-op is fun – with the right players

How does co-op work? Baldur’s Gate 3 is a group-based role-playing game and can be played either solo with three additional NPCs or in a group of up to four players. In both cases, you are playing through the story, just alone or with friends.

To start co-op, simply select the “Multiplayer” option in the main menu. There you can browse the lobbies and join either open ones, those of your friends, or create your own. Alternatively, you can send friends the server ID so they can join directly.

Once the lobby is open, you start the game as usual. Each player creates their character with their preferred class, race, and abilities, and once everyone is ready, the story starts with the same sequences as the solo game offers.

You can even invite friends to join your solo game. They will then be assigned one of the NPCs that accompany you and can control that character. This way, you can also pick up saved co-op rounds again. 

Things to watch out for: When playing together, you have separate inventories, but you can trade items back and forth at any time. Everyone has their own weight limits, but everyone has access to and insight into the loot of others. Simply stealing or ninjalooting isn’t an option.

The co-op mode also requires significantly more coordination than solo play. In battles, you should communicate well about who takes which enemies or clearly communicate when you need help.

A function to mark enemies or positions on the map does not exist (yet). The option for that, or more precisely: the hotkey, is already integrated but apparently doesn’t work at the moment.

So be mindful of your fellow players when choosing your partners, ensuring that you’re all about equally chaotic, meaning none causes significantly more (or less) trouble than others. Otherwise, it can get truly exhausting.

… and then she threw cheese in my face

What I think belongs to such games and especially to D&D is the fun you have while playing. Whether it’s jokes or any funny situations that arise from the dynamics of the group.

Solo, Baldur’s Gate 3 is more serious, follows a dark story, and as a player, I try to behave accordingly to my character. In co-op, it can sometimes happen that players become … more creative.

We experimented a bit with the functions that we normally wouldn’t use. For example, throwing, which rarely occurs in the game. When would you ever throw something from your inventory and spend actions?

During a short break, however, Leya had the idea to throw cheese. Our conclusion: Yes, it works and yes, it does damage. Not too little, by the way. We threw various items at each other for about 10 minutes until one of us was almost killed by a huge chest before we decided to continue “normally” instead.

Pranks are not without cost!

One of the reasons why you rarely try such things solo is the limited availability of spells. Most spells cost spell slots. These are available in limited quantity and refill only after a long rest. You need to manage them wisely and think carefully about which spells to use when.

Since you don’t want to rest constantly, you tend to experiment less with what happens when you cast spells on allies or combine them. In co-op, we did that more often, sometimes even by accident.

This mechanic also serves as a good limit: Since you don’t have unlimited options for mischief, such antics don’t necessarily disrupt the dynamics. After all, no one wants to spend all their spell slots just to cast rain on their friends and then stumble into a fight completely “naked,” right?

How does co-op differ from solo play?

What’s different: The biggest difference between co-op and solo play is that only one player leads the dialogues. Once they speak with an NPC, the others can only listen and observe the scene.

For the responses given, the listeners can vote for their favorite, but ultimately, the speaking player decides alone what they will say.

The game itself becomes somewhat easier at the beginning because you have a full party earlier. However, the difficulty level does not adjust according to the number of players. The number and strength of enemies are identical in both solo and co-op play.

In battles, you have less control over the situation in co-op because you are not commanding four of your soldiers, but only yourself. This requires more coordination and a bit more tactical skill, but it is at least equally interesting.

What’s better: From my perspective, the battles are even more exciting this way. Because you can’t command which character does what, you must trust that a pre-discussed plan will work.

However, this also means that you must adapt quickly to unexpected situations. Such a situation occurred due to a small mishap while playing.

Benedikt and I each play a melee character, while Leya plays a mage. During an attack, she targeted an enemy near us melee characters, which led to mild chaos. It went something like this:

What’s worse: As mentioned, there are (yet) no pings or they are well hidden. This means you need to communicate using descriptions like: “The goblin here in front of me” or “The little devil up on the hill to the right of the stairs”.

This is authentic but a bit cumbersome, and those who are not on voice chat with others have real problems communicating.

Additively, the story generally comes off shorter than in solo. Only one person speaks with key characters and makes the decisions. If you’re doing something else in the meantime or if the speaker skips all scenes, a lot is lost.

Baldur’s Gate is like a chaotic D&D session in co-op

Essentially, the co-op mode plays like a round of D&D with the same rules as the 5th Edition and the same entertainment value as a game at the table with friends. Even the tomfoolery is implemented, just without a game master who asks you: “Do you really want to do that?”

Both the characters themselves and how you interact with the world and each other are very close to actual pen-and-paper. This makes Baldur’s Gate 3 an ideal experience for D&D fans who cannot play with their group due to current circumstances or newcomers who want to get a look at the system.

A significant drawback: There is currently no “game master” mode like in Divinity: Original Sin 2. In that, it was possible for a game master to narrate the story for their group and present them with battles accordingly. Whether such a mode will also come to Baldur’s Gate 3 is still unknown.

So in principle, you have fewer limits, as there is no “god” dictating the story. You just need to ensure that the level of chaos does not get out of hand; otherwise, the game can become unplayable or your group may get bored.

Pros and cons of playing Baldur’s Gate 3 in a group:

Baldur’s Gate is worth it in co-op if your group is right

In conclusion, it should be said that you best play Baldur’s Gate 3 with a group where everyone agrees on their goals. For instance, you should:

• be interested in the story and make decisions together
• or enjoy the gameplay and communicate as tactically as possible to master fights optimally

How important the respective content is to you is less relevant than the homogeneity within the group. As long as everyone places roughly equal importance on story and gameplay, fun sessions are guaranteed – just like in pen-and-paper.

Finally, it should be noted that Baldur’s Gate 3 is still in development and is a full-price title. Therefore, if you want the complete gaming experience, you should definitely wait until release.

However, if you want to test how D&D feels as a video game with your friends right now, you can safely go for it, as the game will not be more expensive at release. You just have to wait for bug fixes and additional acts.