With Baldur’s Gate III bringing Dungeons & Dragons dice-based combat to the world of video games, it will be possible for players to save scum their way to victory - but Larian Studios doesn’t think people should use it. Baldur’s Gate III uses the combat system from Dungeons & Dragons, which is based around dice rolls and comparing numbers.
In Dungeons & Dragons, the flow of battle can shift on a dime depending on a single dice roll. A mighty enemy can be felled with one lucky critical hit and bunch of high damage rolls, while the awesome Legolas-style archery moment can be foiled by rolling a one and fumbling the attack. The problem with bringing this style of game into the video game realm is the ability to save and load progress. Outside of Ironman modes that only allow the player one save, the majority of gameplay modes will allow the player to turn back time and start the combat over again if they feel as if the dice were against them.
The people who want to save scum their way through Baldur’s Gate III still can, but they really shouldn’t. Baldur’s Gate III is being showcased at PAX East and Screen Rant spoke to combat designer Matt Holland about using dice rolls to determine results in combat and the ability to use older saves to get better results.
When asked about the potential for a “loaded die” DLC, Holland elaborated:
“That’s the thing about tabletop, as well. Just because you roll a three on a five die check, it doesn’t mean it’s game over. It just means you have something new to deal with. Players who want to go back and re-roll, that’s fine, we allow players to use the save system to do that.”
The ability to save scum was present in other Dungeons & Dragons games, like the original Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. The developers of the old games prevented players from being able to save while in combat, so the only downside to save-scumming was the need to start over each time. Baldur’s Gate III is a true sequel and the ability to reload saves is returning, but it might make things a little too easy overall.
“No no no no no… I think the loaded die is save-scumming your way through a die check. We’ll still allow you to do that if that’s the way you want to play.”
The chaotic and random nature of dice rolls in Dungeons & Dragons is a big part of what makes the game fun and it’s clear that the people who have seen Baldur’s Gate III in action have enjoyed the dice aspect of the game. Dungeons & Dragons is way more popular now than it was in the days of the first Baldur’s Gate game, thanks in part to streaming shows demonstrating the game and social media making it easier than ever to find groups. The people who love to min-max and decimate their enemies might find save-scumming appealing, but the people who love Dungeons & Dragons for what it is will know the value of failing from time to time in Baldur’s Gate III.
Next: Baldur’s Gate 3 Releasing On Steam Early Access Later This Year
Baldur’s Gate III is currently in development for Google Stadia and PC.
