Before I start this post, I have to point out that after the suicide case I mentioned in the previous post, I've had to contend with yet another regrettable episode involving my fellow Singaporeans. This reminds me of my past in school, where I had no friends. As a social reject, I was either shunned or bullied. It started in Primary 5, although my first bully appeared in Primary 4. From that point onwards, it's ostracisation and bullying after ostracisation and bullying from secondary school to ITE. Did the teachers do anything? No. I wondered whether most of them were ignorant, but there were two of them who knew what went on. One did nothing, and the other (my Secondary 2 form teacher) did not come down hard on the perpetrators. One of the bullies punched me in the stomach, while another one (either that or it's the same person) stepped on my hand. One of them believed it'd be cool to take my school bag and hide it somewhere. Then another one broke me by making me hate him and curse his name as a dog in my heart. As a result, I had to deal with apathy in my adulthood. I wish I could feel remorse whenever I did wrong. But something just broke inside.
So, how did I deal with it? By trying my best to live an upright life. The fact that I was a victim of unrighteousness doesn't mean I have to embrace a victim's mentality. One is a fact. The other can and will create a monster in anyone. I will utilise my rationality if I cannot feel remorse for my actions. If emotions don't work for me, I still have my mind. If one part of myself is broken, I'll use the parts which are not. I will not roll over and die as a human being by living as a monster. There are too many such people out there, and I don't want to be like them. Years ago, despite all that had happened, I decided to friend request some of my ex-classmates on Facebook. The reason was that I decided to make peace with my past. And that includes forgiving those who did me wrong, whether through actions or inactions.
If I were asked whether I feel anything for my fellow Singaporeans regarding artistic creativity, my answer would be no. But do I feel something for Japanese dark fiction? Works like Berserk, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Ghoul, and Vinland Saga resonate with me far more than the likes of Crazy Rich Asians and The Fraud Squad for a reason. They allowed me to think in depth about human nature. To the likes of Miura Kentaro, Isayama "Hametsu no Hajime" Hajime, Ishida Sui, and Yukimura Makoto, I have to offer my thanks to them.
Note: If my past sounds like that of Astarion, that's because there's probably some semblance of truth in it. The interesting question is whether the proverbial Cazador are those who did me wrong or a toxic educational environment making the prolonged torture possible.
Speaking of monsters...
Perhaps monstrosity is a focal theme of the Baldur's Gate series. In BG1 and 2, we have Gorion's Ward, who happened to be a Bhaalspawn. In BG3, we have a team of potential mind flayers. If we include the Dark Urge, that'd be a Bhaalspawn Mk II. If you're doing a good run (something I'd always do), it's all about not becoming the monster others believe you to be.
I made a mistake here...
In my previous post, I stated that choosing Ranger Knight for ranger players is the way to go because the ring mail armour is readily available early in the game. Well, that was wrong for a reason. I failed to consider the AC bonus from Dexterity. At a score of 16 (the highest possible number you can get at the start of the game), you would have a +3 AC bonus. Add it to the default armour, and the AC should reach 14. That's the same number you get for ring mail armour. So yeah, that was a big mistake on my part.
Does that mean Ranger Knight isn't a good choice for rangers? It depends on whether your ranger would want a Grymskull Helm, as it is under the heavy armour category. The good thing about Grymskull Helm is that it makes the wearer immune to critical hits. Assuming your party setup includes a fighter and a cleric, you can have three members out of four having crit immunity if you craft an Adamantine Shield and an Adamantine Splint Armour, as I prefer Yuan-Ti Scale Mail to Adamantine Scale Mail. If your ranger runs on a multiclass, a lack of spell slots may make this option viable.
Do you need to steal to get the good stuff?
At first glance, this may seem true. After all, pickpocketing the vendors is the best way to get the good stuff, right? But what if you don't want to steal, be it for personal reasons or skill issues? I noticed that having a high enough Charisma can sell specific stuff for more gold. Not all of them, but certain ones. I may be wrong, though. But my impression is that selling with a high enough Persuasion bonus seemed to increase my gold count. Currently, my alternate playthrough has 3K+ gold, while my main playthrough has 60K+.
One thing of note is that in Act 2, you can earn quite a lot of gold. The reason is that plate armour drops from Act 2 onwards. In fact, Act 2 does have quite a bit of plate armour drops, which are the most expensive armour type you can buy or sell from vendors. You have quite a bit of them by killing the adds in Halsin's portal quest. In the final Moonrise Tower fight (provided the Last Light Inn didn't go bust), you can loot the dead enemies for plenty of plate armour and sell them to the Harper vendor after finishing the fight against Ketheric Thorm. I managed to purchase an Armour of Agility by the time I reached Act 3 straightaway in this manner.
If Act 2 is about getting the gold, then Act 1 is about getting camp supplies. In fact, the camp supplies I got from Act 1 were enough for me to last through Act 2. Blighted Village is a good spot for farming camp supplies. Another place to farm camp supplies is Waukeen's Rest and the barrels in Risen Road. If you camp in the blacksmith's forge, there are also camp supplies to be looted. I've already racked up around 1500 camp supplies in my alternate playthrough and am still in Act 1. In my main playthrough, it's more than 4000. Combat in BG3 doesn't function like FF14, where there are plenty of fights. In fact, combat in BG3 doesn't happen that often. It's more about exploration than fighting. As a result, using camp supplies for long rests doesn't happen that often. Do you need to partial rest? The answer is yes. More often than not, I'd use it for the vendors restocking the healing potions. Gear-wise for uncommon and above, partial or long resting doesn't affect the stock.
Duellist's Prerogative=You're probably gonna use this for most of Act 3
After Act 2, I geared Lae'zel with Selûne's Spear of Night for the fun of it. Looking back, maybe I should have stuck with Phalar Aluve until I got Duellist's Prerogative. Now, one can be deceptively good despite the fact that one must not wield anything in the off-hand slot to make it work. I ran it with Lae'zel, and it was bonkers. Two reactions instead of one means running a Battle Master with this can be very good so long you have Riposte. At the same time, you can go all in by using both reactions to score the additional necrotic damage. The latter is suitable for non-undead enemies (apparently, even devils are not immune to it), while the former can be used against undead foes. Until you get the legendary Gith greatsword from Voss, your Lae'zel will probably run with this. Before that moment comes, stick with Phalar Aluve. Sing is an excellent action to use. Just pop it in and use Action Surge afterwards.
1 level of rogue=universal logic?
Dialogue is a vital part of the game. There are moments when passing a dialogue check would make a fight easier. An example of this is the Dror Ragzlin fight. For some reason, my main playthrough pushed me straight to the dialogue where Dror Ragzlin forced me to interrogate the mind flayer. As a result, I have to pass a dialogue check.
Is 1 level of rogue a universal logic. The reality is that your main character will probably do the bulk of the talking unless Wyll is in your party. 1 level of rogue can do wonders for dialogue checks, as it'd give you expertise in any two skills of your choosing. However, it also depends on how you want to build your main character. For example, fighters. Investing in 1 level of cleric under the Tempest or War domain is arguably better. As for paladins, two fighter levels may be better due to Action Surge.
Will there be a part 3?
It depends on whether I have enough to write. I got some ideas swimming in my head, but whether they're enough remains to be seen.
It's weird for me to say this, but the impulse to write up on Baldur's Gate 3 actually originated from a piece of recent news involving a suicide case. I don't want to elaborate on it beyond two points:
1. The ones who caused the death used logic to kick the dead.
2. Apart from The Online Citizen, aka the media outlet famous for picking a fight with the PAP government, no local media has picked up the story. Not even Independent SG, although it covered the story of how Calvin Cheng is going to butt heads with the two individuals responsible for the tragedy. Close enough? No.
What is the relationship between two seemingly unrelated things? As a Christian, I admit to playing fast and loose with my liberty when I decided to play this game. Ryan and Frontline Bro are currently playing Black Myth: Wukong, but would they play Baldur's Gate 3? Comparing them to me is like comparing Shazam to John Constantine. Writing up on BG3 is my way of responding to the coldhearted aspect of human nature on display, no thanks to the suicide case. Should this be interpreted as a Stone Cold Steve Austin against Vince MacMahon moment? It depends on whether the Vince MacMahon in question refers to the two individuals or the dark side of human nature.
Speaking of Black Myth: Wukong, I feel happy for its success, damn what the leftist press says. To the devs, this song is for them.
Where it all happened
It began far earlier than one may expect. Unlike many others, my experience in playing BG3 started from early access. The starting part in the nautiloid ship took me untold hours. The reason is that BG3 was my first DnD CRPG. As a result, I was messing around with things like a stereotypical Catalan minus the baldness instead of a typical Singaporean (note to self: Pep Guardiola is definitely not a Singaporean). I still remember the character I was using: a Seldarine drow rogue. Liking what I was dealing with, I decided to purchase it. That was during the early access period. Then came a problem: I didn't realise romantic scenes were an euphemism for sex scenes. That temporarily broke the deal for me. It wasn't until much later that lingering curiosity made me realise I could turn off the nudity. So there I am now, writing up a post on a game that hit 10/10 before Black Myth: Wukong did the same.
Red lines
Needless to say, there would be red lines not meant to be crossed. The nature of the game requires me to set guardrails. So, below are the rules I set for myself.
1. No nudity. Thank Larian Studios for the no-nudity option.
2. No same-sex relationship.
3. Due to a particular media coverage involving Astarion and a bear (if I remember correctly), the animal sex option is clearly a bear-sized red line.
4. No evil playthroughs. I don't know whether it should be interpreted as a personal choice, but this is an option I'm not about to take.
5. No creation of non-binary characters. I don't mind creating a female one, though.
6. I don't know how to two-time companions, but even if I did, I'm not about to do it. I like that CDPR clearly said no to players two-timing Yennefer and Triss.
7. I don't mind doing the Sharess' Caress quest. But taking the reward? No.
Current progress
I'm taking this game slow instead of trying to clear it as soon as possible while exploring as much as possible. The fact is, I'm no streamer. I have a day job and am not interested in something I'm not meant to do. The only reason I write a blog is to do something I want to do. Numbers? That's pointless. As a casual player, I explore Reddit, guides, and videos on getting things done. More often, videos on YouTube. This was how I took down the House of Grief fight. One thing I noticed about the game is that it's very preparation-heavy. Quite often, consumables are optional. But there are moments when using suitable consumables can make your life much easier. It's all about adopting the right strategy. Get it correct, and you can clear the game easily in Balanced mode. Get it wrong... well, I don't want to elaborate on it. Ultimately, it's either you search for guides and videos or you trial and error. House of Grief can be a significant source of grief if you don't know the correct strategy.
I have only three fights/quests left before entering the final brain fight: Free the Artist, fighting Ansur, and dealing with Gortash. At the same time, I've started a new character playthrough as well.
Lessons in playing a ranger
In my main playthrough, I'm running a Seldarine drow ranger. In my alternate playthrough, I'm starting with a wood elf ranger. One thing I've learned about using a ranger is that there's not much point in going the whole 12 level unless you're running a Beastmaster due to the pet upgrades. Ranger class progression beyond level 5 focuses more on the spells than physical attacks. This is not to say you shouldn't try a pure level 12 ranger build because BG3 is all about theory-crafting. With that said, the ranger is an excellent main class to multiclass. My Seldarine drow is running a level 5 Hunter ranger with a level 5 Thief rogue and level 2 fighter. Fighting style-wise, it's a combination of Two-Weapon Fighting and Archery. During my main playthrough, I learnt a few things:
1. Ranger Knight is a good feature if you plan to run a melee build with Hunter's Mark as your primary concentration spell. This is because melee builds require better survivability than ranged. But you won't need heavy armour once you get a Yuant-Ti Scale Mail or Adamantine Scale Mail unless you're running a tank build. Ideally, I would prefer to get a Hide Armour+2 as a replacement before that.
2. Bounty Hunter is an excellent option to go ranged, as you can ensnare and shoot from a distance. That plus Ensnaring Strike counts as a weapon attack. This means you can attack the second time with it. Combine this with Gontr Mael for some massive punch.
3. Hunter is a suitable subclass for melee DPS builds if you choose the Colossus Slayer option. Giant Killer and Horde Breaker are good for ranger tank builds, although I'm not a fan of melee AoE attacks. Colossus Slayer stacks very well with Crimson Mischief as the main hand weapon choice. Run this with Cold Snap in your off-hand slot for the fun. I plan to do this for my alternate wood elf run, as my Seldarine drow is running with Knife of the Undermountain King in the off-hand slot.
4. I prefer Uncanny Dodge to Charm.
5. Ranger spells are mainly for utility purposes. Hail of Thorns is a good choice if you want to use post-level 1 spells in combat. Otherwise, I use Hunter's Mark only on a level 1 basis. Conjure Barrage suits ranger tank builds if you have one cleric and two ranged DPS. Otherwise, I don't like the idea of friendly fire.
6. Try to get Armour of Agility as soon as possible once you enter Act 3. Unless you run a tank build, this is the default BiS body armour for rangers.
7. Fog Cloud is handy in Act 3, as you'll use it to make your life easier at certain moments. Steal two runepowder barrels from the Ironhand Gnomes' hideout for the final brain fight? Check. Use it to lockpick the office door at Sorcerous Sundries so that you can enter the vault? You got it. How about looting random chests in Lower City without getting caught? You'll need it. Then there's lockpicking the gate at Steel Watch Foundry.
8. Speak With Animals. Make sure you have that to free up gold and alchemical resources for other uses.
9. Strange Conduit Ring is useful if you're using either Hunter's Mark or Ensnaring Strike (i.e. very likely you'd be doing that). The damage can stack, especially if you're running a Hunter melee build with Crimson Mischief.
10. Get the Sussur weapon. You'll need it for fights like Lorroakan and Farslayer of Bhaal. It's next to useless against Raphael, though.
11. Are Gloves of Dexterity worth it? After all, you can't use ASI on your Dex if you pick this option. It depends on your confidence in getting Bonespike Gloves in Act 3. You can do so without issues if you have a spell level 6 minion that can fly and Lae'zel (provided her Misty Step isn't on cooldown). An alternative is using Gale to cast Misty Step.
12. Alert and ASI should be at the top of your feats list. Depending on how you spec your build, you may end up having only 2 feats instead of 3. If you're using Gloves of Dexterity, you can replace ASI with Savage Attacker because certain enemies have physical damage resistance.
13. Items granting Misty Step is my pet favourite. You can get them in Act 1. Depending on your party setup, everyone can Misty Step.
14. Try to get your Charisma to 12. This is for two purposes: Dialogue checks and Persuasion bonus when buying from vendors. Most of the gear they sell is meh, but some are very good.
15. Speaking of the Persuasion bonus, one level of rogue can give you expertise in Persuasion. For my main playthrough, the discount percentage is at 47%.
More things to say, but...
As I've said, I have a day job. So I'm going to leave things here. However, there are other things that I'll be talking about in the next part.
