Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most meticulously designed games in history. Its attention to detail goes so far that players are still discovering parts of it nine months after launch, such as how seemingly all characters have their own unique ways of casting magic and using abilities.
These details were brought up in an April 29 Reddit thread discussing the game’s spellcasting and how it “has so much damn detail packed into it.” The thread’s creator named only a few examples to prove their point, like Gale’s and other wizard’s perfect movements when using spells, showing their knowledge and control over magic. They also mentioned how all characters have unique voice lines for spellcasting, even those with few spells like Karlach and Lae’Zel.
Players responding to the thread also named their own examples. One wrote how all origin characters have unique voice acting for casting Barbarian Rage. Another pointed out how party members will use tadpole powers differently between each other, and even hold their heads when they end the action to signify the tadpole’s influence over them. Another still said that Bards don’t only have unique animations and effects for each instrument, but Larian also included whistling sounds and animations for when a Bard is running with no instrument equipped.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot of focus on gameplay variability, and depending on your party composition, the characters’ races, and personalities, the game will react differently. As many users in the thread pointed out, Auntie Ethel in Act One will cast Vicious Mockery at every character differently depending on the previously mentioned factors. This adds a ton of immersion and allows players to genuinely feel like their decisions and characters have an impact on the game and its fantastic world.
Its attention to detail is only one of the reasons why Baldur’s Gate 3 has become a household name, and it is a damn shame that Larian Studios are moving away from the project to pursue greener pastures. Though, whatever they come up with is likely to be just as detailed, if not more.
