Baldur's Gate 3 Co-Op Tested My Real-Life Friendships But Now Is The Only Way I Play (2024)

When I started my Baldur's Gate 3 campaign with my friends, it was a way to connect to pals I've known for the greater part of my life, which I don't get to see often in the real world. Equipped with a pretty refined multiplayer co-op gamemode derived from the excellent Divinity: Original Sin 2, as well as ranking as one of the best games made in 2023, we were set to have a really great time. As it turns out, a BG3 co-op campaign is a lot different than a solo save, and throughout my playthrough, I learned a lot about the game and even more about myself.

My warlock friend named J is a Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin fanatic who knows more tricks than me somehow, while my other pal named N is your typical min/maxer who is going for maximum nuke damage as a wizard. For myself, I decided on a Dark Urge paladin, remarking on the contradiction of a holy knight who was also the epitome of evil. This confluence of personalities created an interesting band of misfits who would wreak havoc across Faerûn.

You Are No Longer The Main Character

Get Ready For More Tavs

The first and most apparent thing you'll notice in a BG3 multiplayer campaign is that things usually play out much differently than in a solo campaign. For one, you cease to be the center of the Forgotten Realms and now must vie for position as the number one Tav of the party. For me, this was difficult, as I'm accustomed to (especially in RPGs) being able to control the entire narrative. A simple savescum to roll back a terrible decision or unlucky roll now turns into a conversation about whether that's cheating or not.

That said, I still am the main character in my own life story, and being somewhat obstinate and neurotic, I would often get noticeably upset when one of my pals would initiate a key conversation before I got a chance to. This was only amplified through my latest Durge playthrough, as examining every sick and sad*stic dialogue or story option of the Dark Urge was one of my main goals. Usually, this would only occur with J, as N didn't really care what we did, as long as it was the most savage option.

Whether it's keeping that cool armor for its cosmetic value — even though it makes no sense for my class — or being the one to make the campaign-defining choices, it's important to keep a balance with things so everyone can have fun and participate in the game's narrative arc. It was something I learned over time — though, admittedly, I still probably have some issues with letting go. Though there was plenty of protesting between J and me, we eventually came to a compromise on the game's biggest decisions.

Love Triangles Will Probably Happen, But We Got Lucky

No, Not Everyone Can Romance Shadowheart

One of the most unintentionally funny things that will likely happen in many multiplayer campaigns with three or more players is the fact that love triangles will likely form around the game's most popular romantic interests. In my playthrough, we got lucky as we discussed and came to a compromise before things could get ugly. J romanced Shadowheart, and while I was initially taken aback by the frequency in which he was locked into conversations with the half-elf, this eventually wore off as the incessant mentions of Shar-worship droned on in my ear.

For myself, I chose Minthara, as it only seemed appropriate that I would bind my halfling Durge to the game's other villainous character. Plus, we're both purple. N didn't choose anyone, but it didn't seem to bother him. It didn't help that we killed off the majority of origin characters, so there weren't actually many options. This barbarity was also bad news for Gale, as we could only have one wizard in the party (yes, I cut off his hand).

In the end, N was more content unlocking new and more powerful spells than sitting through some cringe-inducing romance scenes with his real-life friends, which was probably the smartest move overall.

Friendships Will Be Tested

People's True Colors Will Be Revealed

Although there's a voting option when it comes to dialogue, these only serve as a suggestion to the person controlling the conversation. This often led to disputes between our different approaches to the game's narrative — as I typically went for the maximum chaos route. That said, because all of us are agents of chaos in our own way, this usually wasn't too much of an issue outside of a few key dialogue choices that caused at least one person to be upset with the outcome.

That said, it's not only the dialogue and story that can make a co-op party lock horns. While the initial urge to complain about every dialogue choice eventually wore off, the sting of failures in combat when playing with others never faded away. We chose to play on Tactician Mode since most of us are gaming veterans, but it meant that the slightest blunder or bad positioning meant that we'd need to restart that section of the game.

As it turns out, coordinating character actions with three different minds is harder than you'd think, and peak communication is key in order to make it out of harder battles alive. Ultimately, even though there was probably some finger-pointing during the Phase Spider battle and some of the tougher areas and enemies, ultimately, we came out on the other end as stronger friends who learned a hard lesson in communication. By the start of Act 2, we were grizzled vets who knew (almost) every trick in the book.

Baldur's Gate 3 Was Meant To Be Played Multiplayer

With A Few Key Caveats

Although playing BG3 with a group of friends definitely will require adjustment, I would recommend it for anyone who doesn't get to see their friends often. The game is obviously superb, and the random element of not knowing what your friends will choose adds an extra layer of chaos that will grow on you. Experiencing strange, funny, and weird encounters is also way more enjoyable with friends and worth not being able to hog all the loot or make all the choices yourself.

One key caveat is that a co-op party will usually lack other origin characters like Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, and Karlach, which add a lot of flavor to the game. Sure, your real-life friends replace them, but exploring their narratives through a single-player campaign is still recommended if co-op is your first introduction to BG3.

Ultimately, experiencing Baldur's Gate 3 with my best buds isn't an experience I'd trade for anything. Now that I'm used to it, I wait for my friends to come online and haven't even opened my single-player campaign. It also taught me a valuable lesson about myself and that maybe I should lighten up sometimes and let others take the reins. Since we've all been busy, we're still towards the end of Act 2, but I can't wait to get back into it and see what other hijinks we can get into next.

Baldur's Gate 3

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence