author: Michal Harat
New Modes in Baldur's Gate 3 Let You Make the Experience Whatever You Want it to be
The latest patch for Baldur's Gate 3 is huge - in addition to numerous fixes, it introduces, among other things, two completely new modes. One of them enables us to modify the difficulty level of the gameplay at will, and the other is basically a hardcore option.
Larian Studios isn't slowing down. Patch 5 for Baldur's Gate III, weighting 30 GB, provides not only a whole bunch of fixes and a playable epilogue, but also two new gameplay modes. Before I go on to discuss them, I have one more piece of good news. For one particular change deserves special mention - from now on we have access to the inventory of all party members regardless of whether they are participating in the current adventure or resting in camp. No more tedious item juggling!
Custom mode - play by your own rules
A new mode waiting for players who like to customize the gameplay to their own preferences is the "Custom Mode". In it you can not only make the game easier for yourself, but also make it much more difficult if you wish. The options are many, and among the most interesting are those related to the interface. Thanks to them, we can get a little closer to the experience straight out of tabletop D&D. This involves, among other things, that we can hide, for example, the required dice roll needed for a successful test, or deprive enemies of a visible health bar.
Other options enable us to, for example, enable full healing of the party during short rests, and to adjust the cost of goods at merchants. In addition, players also have access to gameplay balance by affecting the combat capabilities of enemies - as we can take away their access to advanced spells and items. You can get acquainted with the details here and below is a screenshot showing some of the options.
Screen from Baldur's Gate III showing some of the custom mode optionsLarian Studios
Honour mode - play or die
If the "tactical" mode available so far wasn't enough for you and you'd like to experience an even greater challenge, turn on "Honour Mode". This mode will force you to give up the common save scumming, i.e. loading game after a failed dice roll. This will make the game more difficult not only during combat, but also outside of it.
What happens if you and your entire party fall during gameplay? The end of the game and watching the statistics of the adventure (such as the time you survived), or continuing the game, but no longer in Honor mode.
What awaits the persistent who manage to complete the game in this mode? A golded D20 dice:
"The golden D20 is a proof of your skill in the game. It will earn you such admiration that people will eagerly kneel before you, offering themselves as a footstool while you continue on your way to becoming a hardcore gamer," declares Larian Studios in the mode's description on Steam.
Honor Mode - Baldur's Gate IIILarian Studios
For hardcore gamers, there are also a lot of surprises waiting in terms of boss fights. The above mode introduces a system of "Legendary Actions", which provide them with new behaviors during the battle. So the main clashes will be more unpredictable and challenging.
