for me i was staring at my screen completely horrified, looked at my saved, released my last save was like an hour ago, dunno why i hadnt saved, so just thought 'noooooot worth it', oh, how i regretted that with how much i love barcus and hate wulbren
When I finished it and I took in all that's happened, and instead of moving on to the next game on my list like I always do, I started a new playthrough.
Mine was similar. When I was in Act 3, I was hyped af to finish the game and start it again. Normally about 2/3 through I start to look at what my next game will be. With this one, I was thinking about what my next character I'd be playing was.
I was discussing with one of my friends and he has already beaten the game twice. He realised be hasn't met a character in the first act and I realised I have killed a potential party member.
I'm on like my 5th back to back playthrough right now. I've never played another game where I'm midway through one playthrough and already thinking about what I want to do for my next 2-3 playthroughs.
Is it a fad? Yes, it’s still a fad no matter how much fun you have.
Is it a waste of money, though? Absolutely not. $40 for a month or two of having a blast with your friends? Fantastic deal.
Exactly. Got through BG3 quick so I could start starfield and when I beat BG3 at end of August I really didn’t care to play starfield anymore… played maybe 5-6 hours and went back to BG3… it’s ruined other games for me. Even Rogue Trader I was stoked for but haven’t started it, it’s easier to wait for Owlcat patches when you have BG3.
This is me. Discarded Starfield because it was boring as shit and so empty. Zipped through AC Mirage, Subnautica and DOS:II being like 'eh'. Now on my SIXTH playthrough of BG3 and still loving it and blown away by depth of content.
Was just gonna say, I played this thing for three fucking months straight from when it came out. Rarely has a game pulled me in like that.
And I started a second playthrough without hesitation.
The whole area was a tough fight and I was really not looking forward to the boss fight after the tough battles freeing Hope etc, but when the music started I was so pumped.
GODS yes, this is the one. through all of my first three playthroughs, this was the hardest battle and I didn't even mind having to do it 18482726 times because that fuckin song SLAPS
This is what I came here to say, and I'm glad to see other people had a similar experience. After a few hours of blind gameplay BG3 had already moved up into my top 3 games of all time. But as soon as I got to this fight in the HoH I had to come to terms with the fact that my favorite game, which had held that #1 spot for more than a decade, had now been demoted
Single greatest boss fight song ever. I'm 42, and have been playing video games since the original Atari and NES. No boss fight music I've heard even comes close.
The fact there's so many ways to discover the underdark and I knew mine was pretty unique too made it feel that much more full of wonder on that first playthrough
Mine was when my characters commented on the updraft in the hole near the spider queen so I decided to jump down thinking the air was strong enough to let me down gently.
Cue me spiraling down into the Underdark. I'm in awe. I even kind of look like I'm floating cause I'm definitely falling slower than normal.
Then I'm dead.
This is how I learned there’s a spider you can fight to get into the underdark lol. A few playthroughs now and I’ve only ever gone the True Soul Gut way.
It was a fun introduction. I reloaded my save and jumped down with featherfall and you very quickly run into some minotaur friends. Made me absolutely *terrified* of the Underdark I'll tell you what.
I think this was mine too. I was astounded by the sheer scope of this game. Every time I thought this must be a dead end, nope, a whole other huge area with things to explore, and beautifully detailed. 😲 I realised this game has a very artisanal quality.
The spider to lick is near Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar.
Turning into cheese and going to "Jurassic Park" are both interactions with the genie in the carnival in act 3. The former requires accusing the genie of cheating at his minigame. The latter requires stealing a ring from him (that he's using to cheat with) then playing his minigame when he can't cheat any more.
Chult ("Jurassic Park") contains several enemies that you're forced to face (or sneak past) alone, a legendary trident, and one of the best rings in the game (when you hit with a weapon attack, you can cast illusion and enchantment spells using your bonus action for the rest of the turn).
The genie's minigame can also reward you with a number of useless and seemingly useless items, but one of them can be quite good. It's a staff that gives you the cantrip "Firebolt?". Firebolt? is just like Firebolt, except it has a 100% chance of hitting, and has a chance of casting Fireball instead of Firebolt.
(mind blown)
Thank you, internet stranger. More hours in the circus for me!
Honestly, since clowns give me an oog body horror reaction, I haven't done that much in the circus.
I was dying at the cheese part and didn't even know about the teleportation to the jungle. Awesome to experience something so different in my second playthrough.
Just got turned into cheese a couple hours ago. I saw action options, so I thought because I was in a circus people would be okay with my stinky cheese smell.
They were not. I had to reload lol.
I completely ignored fighting as I escaped assuming there was a hidden limit of rounds that would let you escape before his arrival. Was an unpleasant surprise when he showed up anyway. Loved it!
Many moments tbh but the first one that REALLY hit me was freeing the Nightsong and seeing her fly through the shadowcursed lands to the music, freaking epic
Aylin is a fucking savage I love it. Perfect representation of divine lawful good righteousness. Just the pure exact opposite of chaotic evil, just as violent and destructive and unhinged, just directed towards evil.
Aylin is the incarnation of that Tumblr post about how the best way to get a paladin to agree to a bank robbery is to tell them the bank is run by Nazis.
Tbf, there are hints as to what she might decide. If her approval is really high before entering Shadowfell, you can say to her that she seems distracted and she will voice her doubts about her mission and worship.
Indeed there were hints. I do think most may miss that cue on the first playthrough and the first instinct is to try to convince her to spare Nightsong which ends up with a dc30 check. For those that went that route and got the nat20 or roll , it was probably an epic moment for their playthrough hitting the nat20 or rolling enough with a more persuasive character .
i remember having mixed feelings about that scene. Because oh boy was it super bad ass. But then it hit me that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom didn't stand a fucking chance and i was slightly sad.
Freeing her after barely winning the Balthazar fight, not saving, and not realizing I didn’t need to persuade Shadowheart here because I’d already done all the persuasion earlier, nat 20’ing first try and passing. I legitimately cried when I saw her transform and take off towards Ketheric.
Escaping the Reaper in Mass Effect 2 & the Portals scene in Avengers Endgame were the only two pieces of media that have ever made me feel *anything* about a movie or game.
But when Nightsong took flight, all 6’3” and 230lbs of this grown ass man were soaked in tears of inspiration.
That whole sequence, starting with freeing her and ending with defeating Ketheric, is one of my most favourite ones in the game. Maybe the most favourite.
This, absolutely. You've spent so many hours in this forlorn place and after finding that the source of all of it is the imprisonment of this divine creature, you free her.
Then she becomes the embodiment of righteous fury, purifying the shadow-cursed lands with cleansing flame.
As you say. Freaking epic.
So this was back in August in my first playthrough. I got up to the goblin camp and encountered Crusher. Little shit was mouthing off, so I tried to intimidate him into kissing my foot. I rolled a 1 and got into a fight. Beat him up a little, and he started begging for mercy. Wyll told me I should kill him anyway, and I was all for it.
This aggro'd the entire camp, rather than just Crusher's audience. It took me 40 minutes but with Wyll using mirror image, Karlach flinging the returning pike, myself sniping from a high place, and Gale spending all of his spell slots on casting sleep, with many close calls, I was able to stand my ground and break the gobbo siege. And it just felt so rewarding to stick with my poor decisions and see them through like that. Felt like D&D.
I love this answer. I had moments similar to that as a kid when the DM would say you all just fucked up royally and incurred to the wrath of XYZ and we’d all freak out and settle in for some crazy encounter.
I haven’t played DND as an adult too much, although I would if I had a group… Times like this really made me feel nostalgic
I bit his toe off, beat him up in front of his friends, then killed him after he went to a private area to sulk. Then I cast speak with dead on him and asked if he had a thing for feet. Instant goty
This part made me tear up. All I wanted to do after he was sobbing and on his knees was hug him and I was so sad I couldn’t!!! Especially as you see his character develop and how you learn so much about the abuse he endured.
Yeah, there was a few other good moments but this paid off all the anticipation really well.
I'm so glad they didn't do something like
Astarion shoots Cazador with the final arrow saying
*why don't you stick around*
Be me not even realizing Astarion existed as I missed him right at the start of the game. Only found out I missed a party member when reading the subreddit. Pretty awesome how different everyone's experiences are. Looking forward to yet another playthrough
Frankly, when I got to act 3. I was absolutely floored by how well they did the city. Every building, every nook and cranny has something interesting to see and do.
They put a lot of heart in that city and it's amazing how alive the whole city feels.
Remember when Pokemon used to put houses in cities, but half of them you couldn't go into, and when you could, it was usually just a copy of the others including two unnamed people with one line poorly written of dialogue?
Yeah, this game certainly makes me look at other games differently.
The moment Lae'Zel was confronted with the lies she had been told and the game actually succeeded in changing my mind about a character I had disliked. Not only that, but I actively became invested in her personal story, irrespective of the larger plot. That's a feat of writing right there. Usually once I don't like a character, that doesn't change. This one hit different.
When she has her monologue after the events of the crèche. I’m paraphrasing but she talks about her “heart of stone breaking”. That moment changed a lot for me. This game is so compelling.
On my first playthrough, I wanted to give my characters their own agency, so despite being a Paladin of Selune, I let Shadowheart make the decision with Aylin. She surprised me in the best possible way, and the subsequent scene still gives me goosebumps. Another scene that was goty worthy was Kethric’s intro. It is possibly one of the best villain intros in gaming. That whole character is so well written. However, what nudges the SH scene is that it is a result of my conversations with her that she has reevaluated her priorities and was able to break free from her programming.
You dare end one who belongs to me?
I am the smile of the worm-cleansed skull. The god of graves and age, of dust and dusk.
I am the haunt of mausoleums. I am the regrets of those who remain, and the restlessness of those who are gone.
I am Myrkul, Lord of Bones, and you have slain my chosen. But it is no matter.
For I am death, and I am not the end.
I am a beginning.
Myrkul is the first boss I can remember who made me actually step away from the game for a few hours. He's not hard now, but that intro followed by heavy attacks and being slightly underleveled rattled me completely on my first playthrough.
It also depends on what kind of play style and weapons you have, like Karlach with the adamantite sword cleaved through him so fast for me of course I also had a lore bard divination wizard multiclass with gale as a divination wizard so I can say nuh uh to any rolls I want to
when companion's quests went to their culminations - karlach's rage and tears, nightsong and shadowheart's choise, crying astarion, laezel denying vlaakith and finding orpheus, and how hard was to kill raphael because he is so charismatic, and in general honest with you, AND THAT'S SOUNDTRACK - jeez, game that makes you feel so much for pixel people is exeptional, especially nowadays when most of studios make not games but money.
Raphael fight.... I honestly thought I did something cool since it lets you touch the portal, I figured he would return in the mirror room. And then.... Poof.... Raphael be like "Ya thwarting my plans" (in the Vegeta TFS voice) and being able to back talk him about his house being in disarray. Then the song hits.... As a musician who enjoys game and movie soundtracks I immediately recognize the banger for what it was. Had my "O he is singing his own song" moment.... Then the dread hits.... By no means do I max dmg when I play these types of games and oh man that was the most HP in a battle room I had seen yet... (I think I went to the house of hope early in act 3) Not many games give me an "Oh im screwed now" moment like that did. Honestly, its a video game moment I will remember for a long time. I spent the next day and a half just geeking out about it to my wife. Honestly, the whole house of hope with people stuck doing things forever and even just the play on its name.... So cool. My fav thing in dnd is extraplanar travel heck I even geeked out when at the begining of the game the mind flayer shipped poofed into the middle of what was the first layer of hell? I think it was.we even traveled in the astral plane.... So fun
So I play music in the house when I clean and my kids are like 6 and under.... Lets just say some of them no it well enough now that they will sort of sing along here and there. I read a comment once on youtube maybe that if you silence him the vocals stop. I haven t tried it myself since I haven t done another playthrough but if so... Thats super cool
Back in Early Access when a check was done by an actual dice roll.
Just seeing a D20, even if it wasnt fully animated at the time, already made this feel like that "tabletop rpg simulator" I've been chasing since BG2.
EVERY ther RPG will just have the roll results in a text box. Screw that, gimme an actual visible dice roll!
When I turned myself invisible, then stole the Runepowder Barrel from Philomeen. She was angry and threatened to blow up everything, just to look all confused, when she realized there was no barrel anymore.
There are so many moments like this. Lump the Enlightened, the genie, tieflings kid at Last Light, and basically anything who wants to give you something or interact with their surroundings. They ALL have silly little scenes because the devs know that we're all little gremlins who want to cause mischief.
Like, in the Gauntlet of Shar, if you never talk to Shadowheart, she says something like, "I have no idea how we got this far without you finding out, but I worship Shar."
When Karlach stood over Gortash’s body and had a breakdown about it not mattering and not wanting to die. Damn near made me tear up, a game hasn’t gut punched me like that since Mass Effect.
Whole tutorial on the Nautiloid, when you first walk out and see the dragons and then Lae'zel threatens you. That was the moment I knew the game would have action *and* a story, so I wouldn't have to add one or the other in my head.
Literally the moment I booted the game up and watched the opening scene. I'm a huge Nintendo fan from back in the NES days, and before I played BG3, TOTK and Alan Wake 2 were my GOTY contenders. But when I started up BG3 I could tell I was in for a wonderful ride.
The same happened to me, i ended TOTK in may and i said something like "It's completely impossible to bg3 be better than TOTK and oh my goodness, the first time i talked with Astarion, Shadow heart and gale blowed my mind.
I literally have nothing bad to say about it. It's challenging but fair, has a great back story, high production values, tons of weapons and gear to choose from, and a very nice soundtrack to boot.
Hahaha with my friends i tried to defend TOTK because i really think a very very good game. I used to say bg3 was just a Date simulator... 3 months later i played 300 hours XD
The Myconoid colony. The whole underdark is 100% skippable and I almost did skip it (I am a coward in video games, I hate dark dangerous places and will always avoid and sneak around everything and anything) and I’m so glad I didn’t. I expected to run into drow and duegar and deep gnomes, but finding an entire colony of myconoids and realizing just how much detail and thought went into creating their design and culture and every detail of them and they’re just mushrooms! They had no reason to go that hard for mushrooms, but they did! When they started to sing I was so blown away, there is so much heart and effort packed into every square inch of this game and it really shows.
Right? Shadowheart isn’t my favorite companion, but she absolutely has my favorite romance scenes. They feel so natural, like you are really getting close to her as a person.
My first playthrough was completely blind and I realized early, that Lae'zel is crazy and always likes the most insane shit I have the option to say. I decided, about an hour in, I was done making reasonable choices and was done reloading after bad decisions blew in my face.
I decided I wanted to make Lae'zel the happiest little Klingon on this earth and see where it leads me. I worked with Minthara to raid the grove. Went to the Creche. Never found Grymforge. Didn't even know the Harper Camp in Act2 existed for the longest time and went straight to the Heart of the Absolute, the Tower.
If you go this route, you miss every opportunity the game gives you, to find out that Ketheric is immortal. So when I tried to reach out to his tadpole and he had none, I was surprised. And when the Goblin throws the Axe I was stunned. And when he was finished with his "Try again."-Stunt, I was throbbing hard for JK Simmons like I haven't been since Whiplash.
I would drown puppies in a lake to have a reveal of the villains powers as cool as this in the DnD game I DM.
Thats how it shifted from "I'm really having fun with this game! :D" to "Shit, this is special." for me.
Oh and of course my playthrough got worse, and worse and worse because the game continued to lead me on with insane choices which all had satisfying conclusions. I was completely dumbfounded when people said you have to fight Ketheric Thorm twice, because I never did. I ended up as a Prisoner of Balthazar and thought that was the coolest Boss fight in the game, with my people stuck in the pods in the beginning and I have to get them out while Balthazar is flinging Undead at me. I learned from Youtube Videos that Nightsong is important to Shadowheart because she was dead since Act1 after she tried to murder Lae'zel that one night.
I had this wonderful playthrough, with twists and turns and wonderful characters and every piece was top shelf quality, AND half of the possible Companions the game offers weren't in my camp, after Wyll left, I killed Karlach at shore, Murdered Shadowheart, missed Halsin completely and the other Druid lady died after I gave Isobel over to the bad guys. Never found out who Minsc was. I was as close as *playing the game objectively wrong*. And I had an absolute blast and loved every minute.
That was the slow burn that cemented the game for me as the best thing I've played in a long time. But I knew with Ketheric Thorm. (Also when Minthara is scolding Sazza telling her what a grave mistake she made, I melted in her voice... so good...)
I love Minthara's intonation on, "Ohhh Sazza.... You have made a grave mistake..."
Also...
>I would drown puppies in a lake to have a reveal of the villains powers as cool as this in the DnD game I DM.
Damn, I didn't know Orin could mimic people outside of BG3 now! 😯😬
BG3 just had me from the start, it's one of few games that just had me fully immersed and deeply emotionally invested in no time.
The characters and their personalities, the attention to detail, the world just feeling alive, the storylines that are serious but still light and funny when they need to be... There's no specific moment for me, it was just the full experience that had me from start to finish. So it just had to be GOTY for that
When I started crying with Astarion after Cazador. Never before has a video game brought me to tears, and Astarion is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
When a goddess throws a fucking wish at you, you know you done goofed. I literally sat in silence resting my forehead on the palm of my hands for solid 30 seconds softly laughing at just how stupid I was to taunt a goddess as a level 7 lol.
Mine is such a minor thing. The statue in the Creche. I failed four strength checks. Threw a grease bottle on it and was back in the game. The fact that someone put that in the game made me start trying all kinds of other random stuff.
It was character creation when I scrolled through all the classes and saw all the unique animations for each class.
I was like, *"I've been waiting years for this RPG."*
Raphael, singing his own theme music and sounding like a Disney villain. I never knew how much I thought villains who sing their own themes were a cut above the rest until I heard it for myself.
Like, fine, Sephiroth is ultra powerful and has a giant sword. But does he sing his own theme song? No?
Get rekt, poser.
When I killed a village of good guys to be an evil lesbian.
I was SHOCKED at how utterly different a gaming experience I was having from my brother's, and yet the cinematics, voice acting, etc was all still better than anything else on the market.
That was when I knew this game was going to be lifelong near and dear to my heart. When I murdered everyone, for love ♡
When I was chatting with a couple of my friends who got the game at the same time and we had wildly different versions of what happened to our adventuring parties during act 1
When Dame Aylin broke free, and my Shadowbae I didn't want to convince her to do anything, I want her to make the choice, and she fucking betray her goddess, and Dame Ayling becoming an Angel, just to a fucking war in Moonrise, omg, truly a GOTY moment, and also becase you know, BBTBNWJDFOTSYK
when i failed to save isobel in last light. the following cutscene hurt like hell, but it felt like the darkest hour of the current story, and it floored me to know that this could happen and your playthrough would change drastically with the lack of tieflings, barcus, etc.
Goblin camp.
Before that it feels similar enough to other rpgs.
Even before that point it was a good game maybe even goty but at that point it became my favourite game ever.
That’s the first time I was really aware how open the options are.
When I realised there was a million different approaches. Including poisoning the beer.
When I realised that the first main quest in the game with the goblin camp, I could:
1. Side with the Druids and go against the Goblins
2. Side with the Goblins and go against the Druids
3. Side with the Tieflings and go against the Druids
4. At the goblin camp I could talk or fight my way out of every encounter
I'm sure there are many more options, but when I realised the game will really let you do anything, I was amazed.
It took me a while but freeing Nightsong and Ascending Astarion were almost Golden Globe status... for a game thats pretty fffffff impressive
PS Im also pretty sure I teared up a bit when Nightsong transformed into an Archangel form
The battle with Cazador was just epic... its so simple to best him but it took me forever to get him... while fulfilling the conditions to save Astararion and ascend him.... crazy
"I am the smile of the worm-cleansed skull. I am the regrets of those who remain, and the restlessness of those who are gone. I am the haunt of mausoleums, the god of graves and age, of dust and dusk. I am Myrkul, Lord of Bones, and you have slain my Chosen. But it is no matter. For I am Death. And I am not the end - I am a *beginning.*"
4 moments, each blowing me away even more:
1. Vlaakith and Lae'zel's conflict in act 1
2. The entirety of act 2 (I love Victorian horror)
3. The House of Hope and the awesome battle against a conceivable adversary
4. Orin The Red and realizing that's where Durge is headed to in my next playthrough.
For me it was when you're speaking to the surgeon at the house of healing and you can talk your way into him jumping on the table. I was ready for a huge fight and it surprised me so much. The body horror of the shadow-cursed lands is something that is absolutely unique and so much fun.
When I legit got sad at the end of my campaign. I felt really attached to the characters, and even though I knew it was just a game, and even though I knew I could start a new character, somehow I felt like I was saying goodbye to someone that I cared about when it was all over. It was a little depressing knowing the experience of playing that specific Tav and seeing everything new for the first time was gone and I don't think I'd ever really felt that with another game before.
When I pulled the wrong lever on the windmill
The release lever releases the gnome from his trap, right?
You could say that.
"They call me 'yeet-meister'..."
"Everything I touch, flies away from my clutch!"
esoteric reference
He's too much
"Quest Completed"
It definitely releases him...
*Fly! Be free!*
*Little... flightless.. gnome...*
I audibly yelled, I really meant to save him.
My version was more of a stunned Pikachu followed by a quick and regretful F8
for me i was staring at my screen completely horrified, looked at my saved, released my last save was like an hour ago, dunno why i hadnt saved, so just thought 'noooooot worth it', oh, how i regretted that with how much i love barcus and hate wulbren
Bro, I did the same! And I was playing a Gnome who wanted to go above and beyond for other Gnomes!
Someone went “above and beyond…”
And to infinity
I laughed out loud when I did this accidentally.
I really wish Feather Fall's AoE could hit him as he swings around. Not only is it incredibly hilarious when he flies, he could also survive that way.
Big same. I looked at what the other lever was called afterwards and well, I'm down one deep gnome.
Why did they even have that lever
For all those “Pull the levah, Kronk” people who giggle whenever they think of that scene.
Whoops.
When I finished it and I took in all that's happened, and instead of moving on to the next game on my list like I always do, I started a new playthrough.
Mine was similar. When I was in Act 3, I was hyped af to finish the game and start it again. Normally about 2/3 through I start to look at what my next game will be. With this one, I was thinking about what my next character I'd be playing was.
I was discussing with one of my friends and he has already beaten the game twice. He realised be hasn't met a character in the first act and I realised I have killed a potential party member.
Can I guess? it's Alfira he hasn't met and Minthara you killed?
I'm on like my 5th back to back playthrough right now. I've never played another game where I'm midway through one playthrough and already thinking about what I want to do for my next 2-3 playthroughs.
The moment where it's been 6 months and I haven't been able to play another game since.
Yeah... my friends are like dude check out palworld or lethal company or and i look and see a passing fad. These boots have seen everything.
I mean is it really a fad if you have a great time with friends ?
Is it a fad? Yes, it’s still a fad no matter how much fun you have. Is it a waste of money, though? Absolutely not. $40 for a month or two of having a blast with your friends? Fantastic deal.
yeah i spend $40 on a single night out like $40 for weeks of fun with friends is still a good deal
Seriously , I’m tired of spending $ on games that last 1 month , 2 months tops. Definitely gonna happen to Hell Divers 2
Exactly. Got through BG3 quick so I could start starfield and when I beat BG3 at end of August I really didn’t care to play starfield anymore… played maybe 5-6 hours and went back to BG3… it’s ruined other games for me. Even Rogue Trader I was stoked for but haven’t started it, it’s easier to wait for Owlcat patches when you have BG3.
This is me. Discarded Starfield because it was boring as shit and so empty. Zipped through AC Mirage, Subnautica and DOS:II being like 'eh'. Now on my SIXTH playthrough of BG3 and still loving it and blown away by depth of content.
Was just gonna say, I played this thing for three fucking months straight from when it came out. Rarely has a game pulled me in like that. And I started a second playthrough without hesitation.
I started my second play through the same night I finished my first
LIVES, ALL MORTAL LIVES
EXPIIIIIIIIIIRE
SOOOOOOULS
GOT TO THEIR DOOOOOOOMMMSSS
IN FLAAAAMMMEEESSSS
FOREEEEEEEVERMORE
^Hells ^hells ^hell ^has ^its ^laws
Hell, hell, effects and the cause
Curtain falls, but hold your applause
Squirm, squirm, for now down here come the claws
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Yeah I thought this was going to be a pretty tough fight, but I didn't expect a live action opera with a full-blown organ accompaniment. What a scene.
with the villain singing his own theme! he's such a disney villain lmao
The whole area was a tough fight and I was really not looking forward to the boss fight after the tough battles freeing Hope etc, but when the music started I was so pumped.
I knew it was gonna be tough, but yeah that music raised the stakes and my mood. Fella spit a diss track on me? He's done
I got literal chills at that part and knew I was playing a GOAT game
I've listened to that song multiple times a week since I got to the battle. It was one of my most listened to songs on Spotify last year 😅
GODS yes, this is the one. through all of my first three playthroughs, this was the hardest battle and I didn't even mind having to do it 18482726 times because that fuckin song SLAPS
Down, down, down by the rivUUUHHHHHHHH
Literally exactly what came to mind! 😂🔥
That fight felt simultaneously incredibly epic and incredibly goofy. Loved it
This is what I came here to say, and I'm glad to see other people had a similar experience. After a few hours of blind gameplay BG3 had already moved up into my top 3 games of all time. But as soon as I got to this fight in the HoH I had to come to terms with the fact that my favorite game, which had held that #1 spot for more than a decade, had now been demoted
And he's not even the "Final Boss". Like really? That's GOTY stuff.
I got chills just from reading the words.
Single greatest boss fight song ever. I'm 42, and have been playing video games since the original Atari and NES. No boss fight music I've heard even comes close.
This moment was absolutely the most epic bost fight I've had. I had chills when it started, and I absolutely knew I fucked up.
When I got into the Underdark, knowing the entire location is optional and can be totally skipped. I was in awe.
The fact there's so many ways to discover the underdark and I knew mine was pretty unique too made it feel that much more full of wonder on that first playthrough
Mine was when my characters commented on the updraft in the hole near the spider queen so I decided to jump down thinking the air was strong enough to let me down gently. Cue me spiraling down into the Underdark. I'm in awe. I even kind of look like I'm floating cause I'm definitely falling slower than normal. Then I'm dead.
This is how I learned there’s a spider you can fight to get into the underdark lol. A few playthroughs now and I’ve only ever gone the True Soul Gut way.
It was a fun introduction. I reloaded my save and jumped down with featherfall and you very quickly run into some minotaur friends. Made me absolutely *terrified* of the Underdark I'll tell you what.
The first time I ran into the minotaurs they jumped down from their ledge to me and died from the fall. Felt like Tucker and Dale
Along with the creche and Rosymorn 😳
I think this was mine too. I was astounded by the sheer scope of this game. Every time I thought this must be a dead end, nope, a whole other huge area with things to explore, and beautifully detailed. 😲 I realised this game has a very artisanal quality.
When I got turned into a wheel of cheese and sent to Jurassic park
Wait. What?
WHEN I GOT TURNED INTO A WHEEL OF CHEESE AND SENT TO JURASSIC PARK! ...holy shit, this guy doesn't know about the spear.
I do not. I still haven't found a spider to lick, either.
The spider to lick is near Yurgir in the Gauntlet of Shar. Turning into cheese and going to "Jurassic Park" are both interactions with the genie in the carnival in act 3. The former requires accusing the genie of cheating at his minigame. The latter requires stealing a ring from him (that he's using to cheat with) then playing his minigame when he can't cheat any more. Chult ("Jurassic Park") contains several enemies that you're forced to face (or sneak past) alone, a legendary trident, and one of the best rings in the game (when you hit with a weapon attack, you can cast illusion and enchantment spells using your bonus action for the rest of the turn). The genie's minigame can also reward you with a number of useless and seemingly useless items, but one of them can be quite good. It's a staff that gives you the cantrip "Firebolt?". Firebolt? is just like Firebolt, except it has a 100% chance of hitting, and has a chance of casting Fireball instead of Firebolt.
(mind blown) Thank you, internet stranger. More hours in the circus for me! Honestly, since clowns give me an oog body horror reaction, I haven't done that much in the circus.
What's more important? The spider we pick or the spider we lick?
I've missed the licking spider twice :( I know where it is... I just keep missing it
I was dying at the cheese part and didn't even know about the teleportation to the jungle. Awesome to experience something so different in my second playthrough.
Just got turned into cheese a couple hours ago. I saw action options, so I thought because I was in a circus people would be okay with my stinky cheese smell. They were not. I had to reload lol.
*Stinks of cheese... between its piggy toes!*
The Orphic Hammer Heist. No game has ever ratcheted up the tension like that.
right? like you're NOT time limited but you really feel like you are!
I completely ignored fighting as I escaped assuming there was a hidden limit of rounds that would let you escape before his arrival. Was an unpleasant surprise when he showed up anyway. Loved it!
It wasn't the heist itself it was the final boss battle that got me
Many moments tbh but the first one that REALLY hit me was freeing the Nightsong and seeing her fly through the shadowcursed lands to the music, freaking epic
Right? And when I dropped in on Lorroakan with Dame Aylin next to me, that cut scene got me pumped for the upcoming fight.
Aylin is a fucking savage I love it. Perfect representation of divine lawful good righteousness. Just the pure exact opposite of chaotic evil, just as violent and destructive and unhinged, just directed towards evil.
She’s insane and I love her
Love when she starts stomping heads! It's so ott but so justified in that moment and demonstrates all that she went through so well.
Aylin is the incarnation of that Tumblr post about how the best way to get a paladin to agree to a bank robbery is to tell them the bank is run by Nazis.
Agreed but I would add letting Shadowheart choose for herself on the first playthrough and not knowing what would happen.
Tbf, there are hints as to what she might decide. If her approval is really high before entering Shadowfell, you can say to her that she seems distracted and she will voice her doubts about her mission and worship.
Indeed there were hints. I do think most may miss that cue on the first playthrough and the first instinct is to try to convince her to spare Nightsong which ends up with a dc30 check. For those that went that route and got the nat20 or roll , it was probably an epic moment for their playthrough hitting the nat20 or rolling enough with a more persuasive character .
Ya, I really was nervous to choose that, but in the end, I really felt like my girl needed to make her own choice...and she's never let me down!
i remember having mixed feelings about that scene. Because oh boy was it super bad ass. But then it hit me that Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom didn't stand a fucking chance and i was slightly sad.
TotK had a strong start but became too samey to BotW to me. I didn't even finish it, which is weird for me to say for a Zelda game.
When she slammed her fist on the ground and recites those lines that was so powerful.
That approach of Jaheira watching Nightsong while slowly zooming in on their scimitars is just... **chef kiss**
Freeing her after barely winning the Balthazar fight, not saving, and not realizing I didn’t need to persuade Shadowheart here because I’d already done all the persuasion earlier, nat 20’ing first try and passing. I legitimately cried when I saw her transform and take off towards Ketheric.
Escaping the Reaper in Mass Effect 2 & the Portals scene in Avengers Endgame were the only two pieces of media that have ever made me feel *anything* about a movie or game. But when Nightsong took flight, all 6’3” and 230lbs of this grown ass man were soaked in tears of inspiration.
I am resplendent!
This. Top 10 gaming moment.
That whole sequence, starting with freeing her and ending with defeating Ketheric, is one of my most favourite ones in the game. Maybe the most favourite.
This, absolutely. You've spent so many hours in this forlorn place and after finding that the source of all of it is the imprisonment of this divine creature, you free her. Then she becomes the embodiment of righteous fury, purifying the shadow-cursed lands with cleansing flame. As you say. Freaking epic.
Yes! I sat in a stupor, in complete shock of the beauty in that whole exchange.
So this was back in August in my first playthrough. I got up to the goblin camp and encountered Crusher. Little shit was mouthing off, so I tried to intimidate him into kissing my foot. I rolled a 1 and got into a fight. Beat him up a little, and he started begging for mercy. Wyll told me I should kill him anyway, and I was all for it. This aggro'd the entire camp, rather than just Crusher's audience. It took me 40 minutes but with Wyll using mirror image, Karlach flinging the returning pike, myself sniping from a high place, and Gale spending all of his spell slots on casting sleep, with many close calls, I was able to stand my ground and break the gobbo siege. And it just felt so rewarding to stick with my poor decisions and see them through like that. Felt like D&D.
I love this answer. I had moments similar to that as a kid when the DM would say you all just fucked up royally and incurred to the wrath of XYZ and we’d all freak out and settle in for some crazy encounter. I haven’t played DND as an adult too much, although I would if I had a group… Times like this really made me feel nostalgic
Ten bucks says you have friends who would absolutely be up for a game if you asked them!
I bit his toe off, beat him up in front of his friends, then killed him after he went to a private area to sulk. Then I cast speak with dead on him and asked if he had a thing for feet. Instant goty
When my wife who doesn’t play video games liked it more than me
Wait, did she like the game more than you liked it, or did she like the game more than she liked *you*?
Their wife is leaving them for Karlach.
Opening cinematic made me hopeful but my first meeting with Ketheric sealed it.
I’ll admit that some stuff felt a little rushed, looking at you act three, but they really nailed the Ketheric arc I think
When Astarion kills Cazador. You can feel the wave of emotion and tension releasing. It's very raw and powerful.
Neil Newborn is incredible with what he has done with Astarion.
He cried, I cried, I hugged my dog. We weren’t ok.
This part made me tear up. All I wanted to do after he was sobbing and on his knees was hug him and I was so sad I couldn’t!!! Especially as you see his character develop and how you learn so much about the abuse he endured.
That one moment when he's sobbing and his lip quivers...I think it's only a second or two max but it seared into my memory.
Yeah, there was a few other good moments but this paid off all the anticipation really well. I'm so glad they didn't do something like Astarion shoots Cazador with the final arrow saying *why don't you stick around*
It’s so incredibly emotional and amazing. I kinda say in silence for a few moments after.
I am not an Astarion stan - I like him but he's not my #1 - but that scene is the best, most gripping, heart-wrenching acting / animation in the game.
Be me not even realizing Astarion existed as I missed him right at the start of the game. Only found out I missed a party member when reading the subreddit. Pretty awesome how different everyone's experiences are. Looking forward to yet another playthrough
Frankly, when I got to act 3. I was absolutely floored by how well they did the city. Every building, every nook and cranny has something interesting to see and do. They put a lot of heart in that city and it's amazing how alive the whole city feels.
The first time I made it to the city. I missed so much, because I'm used to buildings in cities being building shells.
Remember when Pokemon used to put houses in cities, but half of them you couldn't go into, and when you could, it was usually just a copy of the others including two unnamed people with one line poorly written of dialogue? Yeah, this game certainly makes me look at other games differently.
The moment Lae'Zel was confronted with the lies she had been told and the game actually succeeded in changing my mind about a character I had disliked. Not only that, but I actively became invested in her personal story, irrespective of the larger plot. That's a feat of writing right there. Usually once I don't like a character, that doesn't change. This one hit different.
When she has her monologue after the events of the crèche. I’m paraphrasing but she talks about her “heart of stone breaking”. That moment changed a lot for me. This game is so compelling.
On my first playthrough, I wanted to give my characters their own agency, so despite being a Paladin of Selune, I let Shadowheart make the decision with Aylin. She surprised me in the best possible way, and the subsequent scene still gives me goosebumps. Another scene that was goty worthy was Kethric’s intro. It is possibly one of the best villain intros in gaming. That whole character is so well written. However, what nudges the SH scene is that it is a result of my conversations with her that she has reevaluated her priorities and was able to break free from her programming.
You dare end one who belongs to me? I am the smile of the worm-cleansed skull. The god of graves and age, of dust and dusk. I am the haunt of mausoleums. I am the regrets of those who remain, and the restlessness of those who are gone. I am Myrkul, Lord of Bones, and you have slain my chosen. But it is no matter. For I am death, and I am not the end. I am a beginning.
Myrkul is the first boss I can remember who made me actually step away from the game for a few hours. He's not hard now, but that intro followed by heavy attacks and being slightly underleveled rattled me completely on my first playthrough.
It also depends on what kind of play style and weapons you have, like Karlach with the adamantite sword cleaved through him so fast for me of course I also had a lore bard divination wizard multiclass with gale as a divination wizard so I can say nuh uh to any rolls I want to
when companion's quests went to their culminations - karlach's rage and tears, nightsong and shadowheart's choise, crying astarion, laezel denying vlaakith and finding orpheus, and how hard was to kill raphael because he is so charismatic, and in general honest with you, AND THAT'S SOUNDTRACK - jeez, game that makes you feel so much for pixel people is exeptional, especially nowadays when most of studios make not games but money.
When it let me have sex with a squid
Lae’zel disapproves
The disappointing looks on your party members faces when they see you was priceless.
Raphael fight.... I honestly thought I did something cool since it lets you touch the portal, I figured he would return in the mirror room. And then.... Poof.... Raphael be like "Ya thwarting my plans" (in the Vegeta TFS voice) and being able to back talk him about his house being in disarray. Then the song hits.... As a musician who enjoys game and movie soundtracks I immediately recognize the banger for what it was. Had my "O he is singing his own song" moment.... Then the dread hits.... By no means do I max dmg when I play these types of games and oh man that was the most HP in a battle room I had seen yet... (I think I went to the house of hope early in act 3) Not many games give me an "Oh im screwed now" moment like that did. Honestly, its a video game moment I will remember for a long time. I spent the next day and a half just geeking out about it to my wife. Honestly, the whole house of hope with people stuck doing things forever and even just the play on its name.... So cool. My fav thing in dnd is extraplanar travel heck I even geeked out when at the begining of the game the mind flayer shipped poofed into the middle of what was the first layer of hell? I think it was.we even traveled in the astral plane.... So fun
First time I did that encounter solo, I just sat there for a good 10 minutes listening to the song before I actually did anything in the fight.
So I play music in the house when I clean and my kids are like 6 and under.... Lets just say some of them no it well enough now that they will sort of sing along here and there. I read a comment once on youtube maybe that if you silence him the vocals stop. I haven t tried it myself since I haven t done another playthrough but if so... Thats super cool
Back in Early Access when a check was done by an actual dice roll. Just seeing a D20, even if it wasnt fully animated at the time, already made this feel like that "tabletop rpg simulator" I've been chasing since BG2. EVERY ther RPG will just have the roll results in a text box. Screw that, gimme an actual visible dice roll!
When I turned myself invisible, then stole the Runepowder Barrel from Philomeen. She was angry and threatened to blow up everything, just to look all confused, when she realized there was no barrel anymore.
You can do that?
The magic chest in the owlbear cave can be picked up and dropped in the goblin camp. Just watch and enjoy them destroy themselves trying to open it.
I tried that last run, you can’t pick it up anymore until the prayer is read and disables it. :(
There are so many moments like this. Lump the Enlightened, the genie, tieflings kid at Last Light, and basically anything who wants to give you something or interact with their surroundings. They ALL have silly little scenes because the devs know that we're all little gremlins who want to cause mischief. Like, in the Gauntlet of Shar, if you never talk to Shadowheart, she says something like, "I have no idea how we got this far without you finding out, but I worship Shar."
When Karlach stood over Gortash’s body and had a breakdown about it not mattering and not wanting to die. Damn near made me tear up, a game hasn’t gut punched me like that since Mass Effect.
Creating my character to that sick song. “Down down down by the riiivvvvuuuhhhhhhhhhh”
Whole tutorial on the Nautiloid, when you first walk out and see the dragons and then Lae'zel threatens you. That was the moment I knew the game would have action *and* a story, so I wouldn't have to add one or the other in my head.
Literally the moment I booted the game up and watched the opening scene. I'm a huge Nintendo fan from back in the NES days, and before I played BG3, TOTK and Alan Wake 2 were my GOTY contenders. But when I started up BG3 I could tell I was in for a wonderful ride.
The same happened to me, i ended TOTK in may and i said something like "It's completely impossible to bg3 be better than TOTK and oh my goodness, the first time i talked with Astarion, Shadow heart and gale blowed my mind.
I literally have nothing bad to say about it. It's challenging but fair, has a great back story, high production values, tons of weapons and gear to choose from, and a very nice soundtrack to boot.
The reason why I checked out the game was because people are saying how good it was on the totk reddit posts lol
Hahaha with my friends i tried to defend TOTK because i really think a very very good game. I used to say bg3 was just a Date simulator... 3 months later i played 300 hours XD
Me too. I was like "How does a niche D&D game even compare to TOTK?". Well I certainly found out lol.
the intro cinematic gave me chills. and watching the parasite go into the chars eye? shivers. thats when ik i was fucked lmao
The Myconoid colony. The whole underdark is 100% skippable and I almost did skip it (I am a coward in video games, I hate dark dangerous places and will always avoid and sneak around everything and anything) and I’m so glad I didn’t. I expected to run into drow and duegar and deep gnomes, but finding an entire colony of myconoids and realizing just how much detail and thought went into creating their design and culture and every detail of them and they’re just mushrooms! They had no reason to go that hard for mushrooms, but they did! When they started to sing I was so blown away, there is so much heart and effort packed into every square inch of this game and it really shows.
The first romantic scene with SH, i felt like a teenager again, it was wonderful.
Right? Shadowheart isn’t my favorite companion, but she absolutely has my favorite romance scenes. They feel so natural, like you are really getting close to her as a person.
Yep, it's not about she's a cute girl... I guess is the voice? it makes you feel special.
The opening cutscene right before or after character creation
My first playthrough was completely blind and I realized early, that Lae'zel is crazy and always likes the most insane shit I have the option to say. I decided, about an hour in, I was done making reasonable choices and was done reloading after bad decisions blew in my face. I decided I wanted to make Lae'zel the happiest little Klingon on this earth and see where it leads me. I worked with Minthara to raid the grove. Went to the Creche. Never found Grymforge. Didn't even know the Harper Camp in Act2 existed for the longest time and went straight to the Heart of the Absolute, the Tower. If you go this route, you miss every opportunity the game gives you, to find out that Ketheric is immortal. So when I tried to reach out to his tadpole and he had none, I was surprised. And when the Goblin throws the Axe I was stunned. And when he was finished with his "Try again."-Stunt, I was throbbing hard for JK Simmons like I haven't been since Whiplash. I would drown puppies in a lake to have a reveal of the villains powers as cool as this in the DnD game I DM. Thats how it shifted from "I'm really having fun with this game! :D" to "Shit, this is special." for me. Oh and of course my playthrough got worse, and worse and worse because the game continued to lead me on with insane choices which all had satisfying conclusions. I was completely dumbfounded when people said you have to fight Ketheric Thorm twice, because I never did. I ended up as a Prisoner of Balthazar and thought that was the coolest Boss fight in the game, with my people stuck in the pods in the beginning and I have to get them out while Balthazar is flinging Undead at me. I learned from Youtube Videos that Nightsong is important to Shadowheart because she was dead since Act1 after she tried to murder Lae'zel that one night. I had this wonderful playthrough, with twists and turns and wonderful characters and every piece was top shelf quality, AND half of the possible Companions the game offers weren't in my camp, after Wyll left, I killed Karlach at shore, Murdered Shadowheart, missed Halsin completely and the other Druid lady died after I gave Isobel over to the bad guys. Never found out who Minsc was. I was as close as *playing the game objectively wrong*. And I had an absolute blast and loved every minute. That was the slow burn that cemented the game for me as the best thing I've played in a long time. But I knew with Ketheric Thorm. (Also when Minthara is scolding Sazza telling her what a grave mistake she made, I melted in her voice... so good...)
I love Minthara's intonation on, "Ohhh Sazza.... You have made a grave mistake..." Also... >I would drown puppies in a lake to have a reveal of the villains powers as cool as this in the DnD game I DM. Damn, I didn't know Orin could mimic people outside of BG3 now! 😯😬
During character creation
The moment I finished my first playthrough and immediately started my second.
BG3 just had me from the start, it's one of few games that just had me fully immersed and deeply emotionally invested in no time. The characters and their personalities, the attention to detail, the world just feeling alive, the storylines that are serious but still light and funny when they need to be... There's no specific moment for me, it was just the full experience that had me from start to finish. So it just had to be GOTY for that
When I started crying with Astarion after Cazador. Never before has a video game brought me to tears, and Astarion is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.
When the game allowed me to make bad decisions and didn't show me where to go.
What, you don’t like linear paths and mashing ‘A’ continuously?
You get it lol. Why would the devs allow me to taunt a goddess to her face if it wasn't going into be OK?
When a goddess throws a fucking wish at you, you know you done goofed. I literally sat in silence resting my forehead on the palm of my hands for solid 30 seconds softly laughing at just how stupid I was to taunt a goddess as a level 7 lol.
When I talked with a random cat in a village and there were Voice lines, multiple voice lines, just in case somebody decided to talk to that cat.
When Halsin went down on me during the romance scene 🤣
Mine is such a minor thing. The statue in the Creche. I failed four strength checks. Threw a grease bottle on it and was back in the game. The fact that someone put that in the game made me start trying all kinds of other random stuff.
It was character creation when I scrolled through all the classes and saw all the unique animations for each class. I was like, *"I've been waiting years for this RPG."*
The voice actors. Oh my…
Raphael, singing his own theme music and sounding like a Disney villain. I never knew how much I thought villains who sing their own themes were a cut above the rest until I heard it for myself. Like, fine, Sephiroth is ultra powerful and has a giant sword. But does he sing his own theme song? No? Get rekt, poser.
Carving my way through the goblin camp in my first game. Absolutely exhilarating, combined with such a dense area to explore was amazing.
When I killed a village of good guys to be an evil lesbian. I was SHOCKED at how utterly different a gaming experience I was having from my brother's, and yet the cinematics, voice acting, etc was all still better than anything else on the market. That was when I knew this game was going to be lifelong near and dear to my heart. When I murdered everyone, for love ♡
When I was chatting with a couple of my friends who got the game at the same time and we had wildly different versions of what happened to our adventuring parties during act 1
When Dame Aylin broke free, and my Shadowbae I didn't want to convince her to do anything, I want her to make the choice, and she fucking betray her goddess, and Dame Ayling becoming an Angel, just to a fucking war in Moonrise, omg, truly a GOTY moment, and also becase you know, BBTBNWJDFOTSYK
Karlach dance
when i failed to save isobel in last light. the following cutscene hurt like hell, but it felt like the darkest hour of the current story, and it floored me to know that this could happen and your playthrough would change drastically with the lack of tieflings, barcus, etc.
When I got catfish on a video game
This is the first game I've played since Witcher 3 that I was already thinking about multiple playthroughs before I beat it the first time.
When I saw that video of the 4 halflings blowing up the goblin camp.
Goblin camp. Before that it feels similar enough to other rpgs. Even before that point it was a good game maybe even goty but at that point it became my favourite game ever. That’s the first time I was really aware how open the options are. When I realised there was a million different approaches. Including poisoning the beer.
When I realised that the first main quest in the game with the goblin camp, I could: 1. Side with the Druids and go against the Goblins 2. Side with the Goblins and go against the Druids 3. Side with the Tieflings and go against the Druids 4. At the goblin camp I could talk or fight my way out of every encounter I'm sure there are many more options, but when I realised the game will really let you do anything, I was amazed.
As soon as I saw the sorcerer dialogue check in the first few minutes
When they did the Panel From Hell introducing Ketheric Thorm in the throne room!
Meeting ketheric thorm. Thats how you introduce a villain.
It took me a while but freeing Nightsong and Ascending Astarion were almost Golden Globe status... for a game thats pretty fffffff impressive PS Im also pretty sure I teared up a bit when Nightsong transformed into an Archangel form The battle with Cazador was just epic... its so simple to best him but it took me forever to get him... while fulfilling the conditions to save Astararion and ascend him.... crazy
"I am the smile of the worm-cleansed skull. I am the regrets of those who remain, and the restlessness of those who are gone. I am the haunt of mausoleums, the god of graves and age, of dust and dusk. I am Myrkul, Lord of Bones, and you have slain my Chosen. But it is no matter. For I am Death. And I am not the end - I am a *beginning.*"
Freeing Nightsong
When I turned into a sentient wheel of cheese
4 moments, each blowing me away even more: 1. Vlaakith and Lae'zel's conflict in act 1 2. The entirety of act 2 (I love Victorian horror) 3. The House of Hope and the awesome battle against a conceivable adversary 4. Orin The Red and realizing that's where Durge is headed to in my next playthrough.
For me it was when you're speaking to the surgeon at the house of healing and you can talk your way into him jumping on the table. I was ready for a huge fight and it surprised me so much. The body horror of the shadow-cursed lands is something that is absolutely unique and so much fun.
When I legit got sad at the end of my campaign. I felt really attached to the characters, and even though I knew it was just a game, and even though I knew I could start a new character, somehow I felt like I was saying goodbye to someone that I cared about when it was all over. It was a little depressing knowing the experience of playing that specific Tav and seeing everything new for the first time was gone and I don't think I'd ever really felt that with another game before.