After taking the gaming industry by storm, Game of the Year back in 2023. Since then, Larian Studios has done seven patches for its golden goose, which have ranged from adding mod to changing a companion (Minthara) so that they can be recruited in a morally good campaign. There has been very little that hasn't been added to BG3 and one of the most requested features, crossplay, is still planned.
After seven patches, it feels as though Larian is finally beginning to slow down work on BG3, with Swen Vincke, the studio's CEO, teasing new projects away from the Baldur's Gate IP and the world of Dungeons & Dragons. It does seem like the right time, since the community can now add all the content it wants with the better mod , but there is still one feature missing that would have made Baldur's Gate 3 an even better game. The companion interactions are great as is, but there could be an improvement to party dynamics.
Baldur's Gate 3 Needed More Party Interactions At Camp
Most Players Might Not Know That Gale Is The Camp Cook
Although Baldur's Gate 3 companions have become very popular thanks to their charisma and strongly defined characters that develop throughout the game, there isn't a lot of interaction between all of them, especially if there isn't much conflict there. There are small interactions between companions while exploring the world, but these only take place between two characters despite there being space for four in an adventuring party. There are also very few slice-of-life interactions that give players a better idea of what the friendship between two characters is like.
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A good example of this is when Wyll mentions that he wants to cook a meal to celebrate in BG3's third act, and states that Gale is the camp chef, so he will have to convince him to let him cook for that one night. Unfortunately, there isn't a scene of Wyll cooking, and it could have been funny seeing Gale preside over him like Gordon Ramsay while the Blade of Frontiers attempted to make a meal fit for kings. Karlach or Astarion could have been thrown in to laugh at the entire situation, making the scene whimsical despite the pressures of the final act's story.
If the player has a full party when recruiting Gale and sends him to camp, he will mention that he will slow-cook a roast while waiting.
Most scenes only take place because of points of conflict, like with Shadowheart and Lae'zel trying to kill each other over the Astral Prism, or when the rest of the group discover that Astarion is a vampire, but the party clearly have friendships. Minthara even shows that she has a heart and its that she thinks of Gale as a friend, but this scene only happens if players use the wizard as their avatar character. More scenes are needed to show these relationships, since it sometimes feels like Minsc and Jaheira are the only two who are friends.
Tav's Camp Life Could Have Added Levity
Companions Need To Show Off Their Relationships With Each Other
Some companions develop relationships throughout BG3, but this isn't overtly shown during camp. For instance, Wyll is willing to go to the hells with Karlach so she isn't on her own, showing that they began as enemies and ended the game as friends, but more interactions could be done to show this. Maybe Tav walks in on them while they're talking about the deadliest demon they've slain as a kind of competition and can chime in on who they think is the more dangerous warrior of the two. Even this one scene would help bridge the gap between enemy and friend.
Astarion likes to tease Gale, at least behind his back and in some interactions while adventuring, but there could have been a scene showing this off. There are also relationships that don't seem to have much to them that could have been expanded, like Halsin and Jaheira. Halsin clearly respects the High Harper, but there isn't any indication that the pair think much of each other. Perhaps a scene where they compare the weirdest animals they've turned into could have been a fun topic, especially considering how snarky Jaheria is and how calm Halsin acts.
Jaheira appears in both the original Baldur's Gate and BG2, just like Minsc, and the pair are the only companions that are in every game in the trilogy.
In a way, Baldur's Gate 3 does have this, but not with the companions. There is a scene at night where the Owlbear Cub is frightened and spends the night with Scratch, who decides to be an older brother of sorts for the Cub. A scene like this at night with Shadowheart, Astarion, and Karlach gossiping and giggling could have been added in the same vein. Of course, key story scenes would have priority over these slice-of-life scenes, but there isn't any punishment for taking lots of Long Rests, so having too many scenes isn't an issue.
The Cast Of BG3 Give Fans What The Game Couldn't
D&D One Shots With The Cast Have Been Incredible
Since Larian has decided to move away from the Baldur's Gate series and the DnD IP, it seems like the beloved cast of the BG3 probably won't do much more with the Belgium-based studio. Despite this, the cast has been playing DnD one-shots together in-character and their interactions show off the slice-of-life elements that were not included in the game. It is interesting to see what these characters do without Tav, Durge, or the player's guiding hand in general, to see how their relationships work.
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These one-shots have been eye-opening in ways and show that Wizards of the Coasts could use the cast in more projects moving forward if the cast are willing, given how well they have embodied these characters. There's clearly more to show from the cast, and Larian Studios is likely to know this too, given that it has made some short, comedic animations of the BG3 companions for promotional purposes. The studio has made such an endearing cast of characters that it always feels like fans have more to see.
It makes sense as to why Larian didn't add more slice-of-life style scenes to Baldur's Gate 3, since they are not vital to the story, nor is there a particular shortage of camp scenes, at least not in the first two acts. There is already an unfathomable amount of content in the game and Larian has already added so much in the seven major patches for its golden goose. Still, the DnD one-shots with the cast show that slice-of-life scenes would have enriched the game's characters, and hopefully, this is something that a talented modder will add in the future.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
- Cross Save
- Full cross-platform progression.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS
- Local Co-Op
- 1-2 Players
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