Baldur’s Gate 3is made to be played again and again. I haven’t even finished my first playthrough and I’ve already started on my second – in my defence, I wanted a comfy sofa playthrough that theXbox versionafforded me. I can’t stress enough how much I encourage you to do the same.
I don’t mean you should buy theXboxversion. The radial menus are a bit funky (for me, at least) and the game generally doesn’t feel as natural on console as it does on PC. You might not even have an Xbox, how should I know? No, you don’t have to buy Baldur’s Gate 3 all over again and attempt to explain all these pre-Christmas costs to your fiance like me, but you should start over. Let me explain.
Note: How are you meant to do Christmas shopping when all you can think about is monk builds and Astarion’s eyes?
I had no idea what I was doing on my first playthrough. I fumbled through combat, Imessed up most of my levelling, and I generally performed as if I had a real-life worm embedded in my skull, eating my common sense as I stumbled from awkward encounter to awkward encounter.
Best of all though, is trying something new. I’m playing a githyanki monk this time around, surrounding myself withnew companionsand exploring Faerun in a completely different order. Instead of hanging back with my bow in any combat scenario, I’mpunching gnolls and trolls with my bare fists.
I’m partied up with new companions: my fellow gith Lae’zel; Shadowheart for healing and Guiding Bolt; and Gale, who I’ve slowly started to appreciate this time around, but might be respecced to a bard. What monk doesn’t need an arrogant lutenist accompanying them on their adventure, spinning tales of one-punch knockouts and face-offs with dragon riders? Plus I need the extra short rest to restore those precious Ki Points.
Note: You should respec everyone in Baldur’s Gate 3 to be a bard at least once, just to hear their Vicious Mockeries
Instead of crawling around Faerun, a second playthrough has filled me with confidence. Not because I know the outcome of my decisions – I’m often picking different options – but because Iunderstandthe game better. I get combat now, and I have a more balanced party with characters designed to support each other.
Instead of romancing Astarion as soon as I possibly could, I’m practising celibacy this time around. I am a monk, after all. The friendships I’ve forged by knocking back various companions’ advances have already proved worthwhile, and I’m seeing characters like Gale with new eyes after giving them a chance.
My knowledge of the map is still lacking. The Wilderness is a tangled mess of criss-crossing paths, a maze that would confound even the greatest minds of Faerun, but this means events still feel fresh. I stumbled upon Aunt Ethel far earlier in this playthrough, and actually found out what Shadowheart’s icosahedron is. I even took this opportunity to kick that damned squirrel this time around, something that my nature-loving drow of playthrough one wouldn’t dare.
Starting Baldur’s Gate 3 over again lets you experience the game with fresh eyes, to see it in a new light. I notice so many more minute interactions, I understand the clever foreshadowing, and I’m a more confident player. Best of all, though, on my second playthrough I was able tosave the owlbear cuband atone for my past sins. And nothing is more important than that.
Next:I Spent Hours On My Baldur’s Gate 3 Character And Then Ruined Her With An Ugly Hat
