Larian Studios created an epic masterpiece in Baldur’s Gate 3. One only needs to see the game’s reviews on the internet to see why vegasbetting.com was right to predict Baldur’s Gate 3 would win the coveted Game of the Year award. The game takes you on an incredible adventure spanning over 100 hours, which is excellent news on the one hand but, on the other, can seem daunting to the uninitiated. Although the game promotes setting off on your path and building a unique story, completing the following tasks or recruiting specific characters early into your playthrough can make your quest easier or open new pathways.
Rescue Shadowheart During the Prologue
Baldur’s Gate 3 thrusts you into the action from the moment you press play with one of the most exciting prologues seen in a video game. You start in the Nautiloid amidst a challenging battle and have the opportunity to rescue Shadowheart. Unless you are playing as Shadowheart or in such a way that you wouldn’t rescue her, getting her on your team a little earlier than usual.
Shadowheart is a strong origin character whose support spells are handy, particularly early on in the game when you and your comrades are underpowered and vulnerable.
Get Your Hands on the Everburn Blade
While rescuing Shadowheart on the Nautiloid, you will encounter Commander Zhalk, a powerful enemy who poses a significant challenge to your starting characters. You do not need to kill Zhalik to progress, but doing so is worthwhile because you can loot his powerful Everburn Blade and gain valuable experience. Ensure at least one of your playable characters makes it to the transponder once you’ve killed Zhalik, and you should all still find yourself on the beach.
The Everburn Blade is an uncommon greatsword that deals additional fire damage, which comes in handy as you build your character’s attributes.
Loot Everything You Can From the Beach
You and your team will find themselves on the beach once you progress from the Nautiloid, hopefully with Shadowheart and the Everburn Blade in tow. The beach has plenty of loot littered around, so spend some time picking it up because there are some useful items to find.
For example, there is a bench near the first locked chest where you can claim the Thieve’s Tools. These are especially useful if Astarion is in your squad because he can use them to pick locks. Those without Astarion can still use Thieve’s Tools if you invested in the Sleight of Hand skill and the Dexterity ability score.
While searching the beach, you’ll find three dead goblins near the crash site. Loot them for some weapons, gold pieces, and a supply pack. The latter grants you enough supplies for the Long Rest, which sends you back to your camp at the end of the day. Opt to sleep, and your health and spells will be restored.
The Shovel is Your Shareable Friend
You will come across mounds of dirt as you traverse the vast Baldur’s Gate 3 map. These mounds of dirt often contain valuable treasure, but you cannot dig up the treasure without a shovel. A shovel can be found early in the game on the Ravaged Beach, northwest of the Roadside Cliffs waypoint. Only one of your party needs a shovel in their inventory for it to be shareable, but make sure you always have a shovel on one of your characters because you can drop or dismantle it without realizing its importance.
Locate Withers
Withers is an undead NPC who can join you as a camp follower. The game has hundreds of NPCs to meet, but Withers is special and worth seeking out. Finding Withers unlocks the ability to respec your characters, bring fallen friends back to life, and acquire Hirelings to help you in battle.
You’ll find Withers’ sarcophagus after completing the Overgrown Ruins and Dank Crypt sections. Hug the beach to the right from the starting area, and you’ll find a room with a prominent button. Pressing the button unleashes some skeletons, which you must defeat, before interacting with Withers’, sarcophagus. If you loot the skeletons before pressing the button, they will enter the fight unarmed, thus, making them less challenging.
Recruit Every Companion You Come Across
The universe of Baldur’s Gate 3 is so diverse that it is easy to miss out on some incredible quests if you do not have a robust party. You can recruit other adventurers as you embark on your journey. These include the origin characters you didn’t select during the character creation process and other unique adventurers. Each adventurer has special abilities, such as Lae’zel‘s ability to jump across long distances, perfect for navigating seemingly impossible-to-reach ledges.
Conclusion
There is no set way to approach playing Baldur’s Gate 3, which is part of its charm and beauty. Thanks to the game’s mechanics, nobody will have the same experience as you. For example, talking to a specific NPC in the morning affects the game differently from chatting with them at night or after you have defeated a powerful foe. In addition, the order in which you complete tasks or when you decide to rest opens and closes paths toward your end goal.
The best way to play Baldur’s Gate 3 is to create your character, assemble your squad of adventurers, and see where your journey takes you. It is akin to starring in a movie where you have complete control as the director. However, you could do much worse in Baldur’s Gate 3 than taking onboard the hints and tips highlighted in this article because they can help ease you into the game more smoothly and make your story more fulfilling.
