As you may be aware, Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the best fantasy games of all time. In fact, it’s just one of the best games of all time. It might even just be one of the best of all time. No qualifier needed. Just the best. But that hasn’t stopped fans for asking for little improvements. The best, after all, can always get better.
This time, it’s the stealing mechanic fans are looking at with mildly frustrated eyes. As with many immersive RPGs, Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you to steal whatever you like. While doing this, you’re alerted to the fact you’re taking things that aren’t yours by the fact that they have a red outline and a red hand icon appears in place of your cursor. But for some fans, that’s not enough.
Stealing Is Too Easy To Do Accidentally In Skyrim
Posted by u/DaveKillSock on Reddit, fans are requesting a more robust warning system – something that will alert them to the fact that not only are they stealing, but that someone is actively watching and dire consequences could await if they go through with it. This, fans say, would make for a smoother playing experience where they aren’t thrown off course for idly picking up worthless items, which they never would have done had they known a fight awaited.
The red outline also appears in Skyrim and The Witcher 3, but is much thicker and clearer, which is the crux of the issue with Baldur’s Gate 3’s small, fiddly UI. Meanwhile, earlier this year Avowed was criticised for either letting you steal everything with no conseqences, or not letting you interact with settings at all, with a lack of general world immersion considered a step below the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3.
There are a few things to consider here. Firstly, sure, some people just steal because they can, and would not bother if there were immediate consequences. For them, a warning makes a lot of sense. There’s also something of an immersion factor – if you were physically there in person, you’d have more of a sense of whether or not eyes were on you, and would be able to make a judgement call on whether that flagon is really worth taking.
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The City From Baldur’s Gate 3’s Opening Cinematic Is Not Baldur’s Gate, Actually
You’re looking at the prosperous city of Yartar.
But on the other side of things, Baldur’s Gate 3 is about living with and reacting to the choices you make. It’s so impressive in part because of this lack of safeguards, where you can do whatever you want and the game will have an answer. In real D&D, whenever a DM says ‘are you sure…?’ they mean ‘do not do that unless you are very stupid’. So naturally, my players often do it – but I digress. Baldur’s Gate 3 does not have that guiding voice, and that is part of why it became so special.
Regardless, plenty of fans out there are hoping for this minor change with a potentially major impact. Until then, players sick of dealing with the consequences of stealing will have to settle for the much less fun solution of simply not stealing.
Baldur’s Gate 3
5.0/5
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Engine
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Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer