There are three pieces of equipment I verify to purchase at every merchant I encounter inBaldur’s Gate 3- Thief Kits, Trap Disarm Kits, and Camping Supplies. For most of my current playthrough, I haven’t bothered with potions or scrolls, opting instead for spells as I sell those on for an easy profit. I could probably save myself a headache by storing them at camp, but I’m in this game to smooch Karlach, not make wise financial decisions.
Even if I wanted to flog them constantly though,Larian’sRPGisn’t exactly ripe with shops for me to visit. For the first 20 hours or so, I continually travelled back to the grove because I knew the merchant had plenty of gold, restocked important items, and wasn’t in the middle of areas I’d either made hostile or were surrounded by enemies. Aside from those, you’ll have some trouble coming across reliable traders until The Last Light Inn quartermaster, and even she charged too much for certain things and didn’t have nearly enough cool dyes for sale.
I wouldn’t need to buy so many camping supplies if I didn’t long rest after being grazed by the lightest breeze. I am a sleepy tiefling gal.
Perhaps things will change now I’m in Wyrm’s Crossing and find myself flirting with the edge of Baldur’s Gate, but that doesn’t change the fact that most of the shops I’ve come across have been functional rather than memorable. In a game this vast where the majority of folks you meet have their own distinct personalities, business owners had a chance to take that a step further. There’s the weird lady who asked me to steal a Githyanki egg, but I tricked her into paying me in advance before bailing and never finishing the quest. Beyond that, visits to shops are a chance to stock up on things I keep running low on and sorting out a continually bloated inventory. Instead, they should be the bedrock for stories and characters.
I thought I finally stumbled upon my wish at the Rivington blacksmith, where the owner was quick to flirt with me and try to guess my preferred weapon of choice. I talked him around in circles until he finally revealed that he was Orin The Red in disguise. A cool twist, but after she ran away, I unlocked the nearby house to find an angry blacksmith who I accidentally got into a fight with. I knocked his ass out before heading downstairs, only to be greeted by an overly enthusiastic, yet adorable, shopkeeper who was squealing at the slightest mention of doing business.
I told her the owner was worse for wear, but we moved on without a thought, and there wasn’t much in her inventory that tickled my fancy anyway. Who knows, maybe I will soon call my own bluff and stumble upon stores ripe with storytelling potential or charming characters, the opening two acts merely an appetiser of narrative-driven brilliance which, in its defense, had better things to do than give me local businesses to kill hours of time with.
Shops in most games, even larger RPGs like this, are frequently a means to an end unless there is a compelling reason for them to play a role in the narrative. Players need to buy things, or a place to reward themselves after a difficult quest, or simply to buy every bit of loot they can get their hands on. I love a cheeky stash of loot, but I love being told stories and discovering mysteries on my own terms even more, and a shop is the perfect backdrop for a new quest, companion, or a tale I cook up myself after raiding their basement or some random note in a cupboard I decided to lockpick. The potential is huge, but most of what I’ve seen in Baldur’s Gate 3 is fairly bog-standard.
