Baldur’s Gate 3 features a prominent Dungeons & Dragons ability, but it’s implemented so subtly that most players don’t realize it’s there.
Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts D&D 5E rules to the video game format; for the most part, it’s an accurate conversion. This includes some of the minutiae from the D&D rules, including the much-hated encumbrance system, where characters are slowed down by their gear.
One aspect of D&D in Baldur’s Gate 3 is lighting effects where spells like Darkness and Light can influence a character’s ability to see. These can be coupled with the Blinded status effect, which causes a serious debuff to an enemy’s combat abilities.
Each character in Baldur’s Gate 3 has a different relationship to light and darkness, thanks to racial abilities that determine how well they function at night or when underground, but these powers are easy for new players to miss.
Baldur’s Gate 3 features Darkvision, allowing the characters to see in the dark
A user on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit has discovered that different characters perceive darkness differently. This is due to Baldur’s Gate 3’s subtle interpretation of the Darkvision rules from D&D. The OP wasn’t the only one surprised by Darkvision’s use in the game.
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“No f—– way… I’ve been playing since it released on Xbox and have been thinking “what a weird design decision to have this light beam in front of the character” one user wrote, while another said, “THATS what the glow denotes?!”
In D&D, Darkvision lets characters see in the dark, though not all races possess it, and some are better with it than others. Drow elves have excellent Darkvision, because they spent millennia in the Underdark, so they easily see in the dark.
A player with a Drow Tav could easily miss the Darkvision rules, as they’re always active, but someone playing the likes of a Dragonborn or Halfling could easily not know these powers exist, even when their team members possess them.
The intention to detail Baldur’s Gate 3 has with its use of the D&D rules is amazing, and the fact that the lighting system made it in is incredible. The use of Darkvision is also well done, even if players can potentially miss it if they’re not paying attention.
