Baldur’s Gate 3 has a new patch filled with nifty quality of life adjustments, as well as new story changes that I’m eager to see.
New to Patch 3 is a new reward system for players who don’t employ the typical “party of murder hobos” tactic common in most Dungeons and Dragons games. “Patch 3 introduces rewards for avoiding combat situations, whether in dialogue or through exploration and environmental puzzle solving,” Larian states in the announcement.
Also new is a reconfigured companion approval system that, according to Larian, will make “companions feel more companionable.” It did seem like everybody constantly disapproved of everything I did, even my more innocuous choices. It might mean that I start liking my companions a little bit more if they aren’t negging me all the time.
Another neat addition—HOLY SHIT I DON’T HAVE TO MICROMANAGE JUMPING ANY MORE PRAISE TYR! There’s a broken bridge on the way to a goblin encampment, and I distinctly remember being frustrated that I couldn’t get my entire party over the bridge, because Gale, the wizard, didn’t have enough range in his standard Jump action to clear the gap. (This was also before I discovered he had a spell specifically designed to get around this. I’d never played a Baldur’s Gate/D&D based video game before okay? Give me a break.) Regardless, I don’t have to worry about any of that anymore because now my party will follow me whenever I jump across a gap.
The new patch also makes you less likely to die in a fire because of the way they’ve changed environment surfaces. “We’ve made changes to surfaces, reducing them dramatically to avoid accidents,” Larian says. While this is good in that it lowers my chance of dying in a fire—something Larian notes happens often—I really hope the change doesn’t nerf my favorite Grease/Fire combo that I’d been using in literally every combat situation.
Players beware though. Earlier in the week, Larian Studios announced their latest patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 would render current game saves unplayable. Anyone unwilling to start over just yet can follow this guide to preserve their adventures on Patch 2. But me, I’m ready to chuck everything out and start all over. This time less on fire.