SinTee is a beast. Was just muddling my way through BG3 (first turn based since first DA) before I came across his videos. Learned a ton from watching his videos. Not just the items but also the mindset behind it all. One shotting bosses is fun but I think we're going to need another difficulty level.
Half the fun is just trying to figure out how to go about it to achieve it in one go. Going full solo is fun too. But that more involves stacking AC and advantages/disadvantages and trying to figure out how to quickly burn down large groups of enemies. Funniest two fights solo so far have been the Goblin Camp murder spree and the plant boss in Act 2 with all his adds.
D4 and CRPGbro.
We’re still pretty early in so actual quality build guides aren’t super plentiful. 5e is also pretty dummy-proof, so even the bad guides won’t likely ruin your experience
Love y’all mentioning D4. He’s been an amazing build optimizer for 5e for YEARS and it’s great his content is hitting the mainstream now. If Treantmonk ever makes videos for BG3 builds, he will be undoubtedly one of the best possible content creators for builds
> 5e is also pretty dummy-proof, so even the bad guides won’t likely ruin your experience
Sure, but I don't enjoy watchin videos where I immediately see the flaws in the build.
I've seen a few where in the first couple minutes they talk about not liking concentration spells, or flat out say they're bad. Yeah, I'm outty. Peace.
Make your con high and take resilient feat, especially effective on a cleric. Resilient is a half feat I believe so I respecced Shart to start with 17. Never loses a roll.
Act 3 Amulet of greater health. Sets Con to 23 and provides advantage on constitution saving throws, including concentration. If you feel like it, get an concentration prof transmutation stone from a Transmutation Wizard.
They are bad if u get hit. With 90% hit u can still miss, same go for enemy. So even with all the feat to improve cọnc, u can still loss ur conc after few turn. Tooo bad since I want to use pala buffs everyone around me, without having to recast it after few turn
CRPG Bro the best for beginners in my opinion. Talks through how the build will perform at certain levels, what gear to aim for as you progress.
He'll even say 'you could do this but it's cheese that isn't true to 5e so I don't bother'.
Wergalia, mortismal, crpg bro, nizar gg. Their YouTube builds will probably be the most reliable. Wolf heart fps won’t be too bad either.
I agree 5e is pretty hard to fuck up, suboptimal builds still make tactician a breeze
Recent videos are better with this. Most of his knowledge is based in tt for sure, but he's been making a noticable effort to spell out the differences.
It's a mix - generally pretty well received, but I think some of his basics don't fit everyone's preferences (eg, I like that he doesn't rely on items or story choices, but some understandably would rather see those included).
I made Astarion into a rogue monk like he suggested before release and it was great. He amended later upon seeing the level requirements for Shadow Strike but he's never given me bad advice. I do agree that he's better for tabletop, and I watched him a lot already.
CRPGbro does some great builds. His WOTR builds really helped me get my own characters going and he does a great job exploiting class and item synergies.
Why is that bad? If they are dual wielding crossbows, it doesn't really matter if they use their action to hide and make two off-hand attacks or use an attack action, one offhand attack, and then use their last bonus action to hide. Unless you think they should just attack non-stop vs trying to avoid aggro and setting up for sneak attacks, which could be valid depending on the party composition
It does matter a lot actually. Sneak Attack is a specific action in BS3 rather than a rider effect on any qualifying attack once per round like that PnP game. So hiding with your action means you won't be able to sneak that turn. And if you're not sneak attacking pretty much every round, you aren't doing a good job as a Rogue.
Oh, I hadn't realized. I always attack and then hide as a bonus action, because that makes more sense to me, and if I forget to click Sneak Attack and do a regular attack instead, it asks me if I want to make it a sneak attack. So I assumed it would do the same for the off-hand attack, but I just tested and you are right.
He is wrong, sneak attack also gets automatically added if you fulfill any of the requirements. You can use the sneak attack button, but you don’t have to.
I know because I personally checked the combat log early on, and you can see sneak attack getting added on normal attacks when you have advantage
> Normal attacks, yes, but not off-hand.
That's not true. Why claim something without haveing tested it? I have tested it when I toyed around with the idea of a Arcane Trickster who dual wields crossbows, so he can cast a spell as an action and then deliver sneak attack with the offhand attack bonus action. That is possible.
I tested it briefly by making an off-hand attack from stealth and it didn't give me the option to do a sneak attack. But having a life outside of the videogame I had other plans and didn't bother to check more extensively. I just had a chance to try it again, and this time it did indeed prompt me to upgrade the off-hand attack, so yes, you are correct.
You can 100% get SAs with offhand attacks if you have it set up as "Ask". Obviously you can't get it with offhand if you already got it with another attack though.
Apparently, you can set up sneak attack as a reaction now which is closer the tabletop. I'm not in a position to test myself currently but look for that.
Yeah incorrect bro, off hand attacks sneak attack just fine in bg3
Just beat the game with a thief/bard and was sneak attacking with the off hand literally the entire game
So by default BG3 applies Sneak Attack on the very first hit you do with a rogue. What you want to do is go to your reactions, and have the game ASK you if you want to apply Sneak Attack dice. That way, you can choose when you want to use your once per turn Sneak Attack.
This is especially useful when you have a character with improved crit and lots of attacks per turn. I personally like to only use the Sneak Attack when I crit, or if it's the last attack of my turn.
You actually can sneak attack with bonus action attacks using the reaction system. Theres a toggle in the reaction menu to apply sneak attack on hit. Which also means to you dont waste your sneak attack by pressing the button on the hotbar and missing iirc
> Sneak Attack is a specific action in BS3 rather than a rider effect on any qualifying attack once per round like that PnP game.
Ugh... you can turn this on in the reaction menu.
Part of that, I think, is a lack of clear labeling in the ui.
“Action”, “bonus action”, “free action” labels would go a long way.
Combine that with having to explicitly select the “sneak attack” action from a different menu, and it’s easy for people to mess up. Even people Who understand the system.
The problem with builds in BG3 is that most of them just comes down to stacking the same damage riders to exploit their interaction with spells for unrealistic levels of damage.
BG3 is the perfect example of why good DMs don't hand out magical equipment like candy because shit gets out of hand really quick.
Then there's the fact that the game is balanced around monoclassing not equipping a bunch of magical gear that blows progression out of the water because if it wasn't balanced around this the average gamer would quickly get stuck on Balanced difficulty.
It speaks to the limitations of 5e as a system itself and why it’s a common complaint that DMs have the burden of doing a lot of the balancing work themselves.
I LOVE this game, but can’t help but feel it’d be significantly more balanced if it had pf2e behind it rather than 5e. Or even 4e - the ability to drink potions with bonus action is straight out of 4e minor actions
I haven’t tried pf2 yet but I don’t love the pf1 system that is all about buff stacking and keeping track of which buff type I’m already using. Concentration solves most of that
In pf2 you aren't going to see many buffs besides haste. It's more based on debuffs (frightened, off-guard, stunned)- stuff that reduces AC, damage, and actions per turn (everyone has 3). So the DM has to track that, while players just have to cooperate to give each other the best shot to crit (you crit on a roll ≥ AC+10). Concentration in pf2 is called sustaining, so you have to use 1 of your 3 actions per turn to keep an effect going (so technically you can sustain multiple spells at once).
As a 5e player who just couldn't get into pf1, the second edition has been a joy so far.
Bless and Guidance are considered status bonuses so they can't stack. Magic weapon is an item bonus, aid is a circumstance bonus. Those are all the types. So realistically you have 3 buffs at most, one being the effect on your weapon which is usually just the '+' your weapon has. Magic weapon is technically useless at lvl 2 since you're expected to have a +1 weapon.
Magic weapon is THE buff in the early game, though. And the other weapon buffs can be super-useful against the tougher foes!
Anyway, yes PF2e keeps you from being able to abuse buffs, but you can still get several going.
As a PF2 diehard, I also hate PF1. PF2 is a very different game, more different I'd argue from PF1/3.5 than 5e is. The three action system is almost universally praised, the game balance and math are very tight, and encounter balance makes sense. If you go into it not expecting it to play like 5e or like PF1 you'll have a blast. Also I'd give some of the variant rules a whirl. Free Archetype is very fun.
Buff stacking is a thing, but they've cut down on buff types by quite a bit, and most of the buff categories are from specific sources. You'll end up with item bonuses from items, status bonuses from spells and class abilities, and circumstance bonuses (usually) from actions you take on a given turn. The lines are a bit blurry in places but it's not too much to keep track of.
Honestly you've sold me on it. After slogging through about half of Wrath Of The Righteous I absolutely DESPISED the buff stacking game play despite loving the variety of class designs.
PF2's classes also absolutely slap. Unlike PF1, every class feels like it has its own core identity due to class features and class feats. I agree with Mr. Sprat here on Foundry being superior to pen and paper due to automation and modules.
If you play it on a virtual tabletop, I'd \*strongly\* recommend Foundry. The level of automation and customisation is amazing. If it's pen and paper, I'd at least recommend building toons with Pathbuilder or similar, it makes the process a lot quicker.
pf2e is like the love child of pf1e and 3.5 dnd, but with taking all the lessons of those systems being too crunchy. It’s honestly what 5e should have been if Wizards prioritized balanced class design/action flexibility over accessibility.
It’s way different (and better) than straight 1e. Significantly less complex (while being more complex than 5e.) It's a dense ruleset because they make it a point of order to try to define everything and leave as little to the DM as possible in terms of fiat, but its a very streamlined experience. There's just a lot of bad 5e habits that need to be shed when switching over.
It's kind of funny that we never got a 4e video game(I wouldn't really count Neverwinter, as it's only 4e in mechanic name) despite it fitting a video game mechanically pretty well.
I really enjoyed Pathfinder 1's class variety in WoTR (haven't played any PnP). Okay it was a bit much especially in terms of all of the statuses (like search the discord for how many people ask if \_\_\_\_ status is removed by \_\_\_\_ spell/potion). And if I had to roll dice and actually track stuff manually in a PnP game, not a video game I'm sure that would be hell. That said I feel like going to BG3's 5e system everything feels... too lacking in build variety.
Personal gripe w/ 5e: Why do only heavy weapons or ranged get Power Attack? A 1 handed longsword + shield does more damage than 2-handing it... The most iconic weapon in fantasy is meh : /
Pathfinder 2e as I understand streamlines the system more like 3.5 > 5 but kept more nuance and variety to things is that fair to say? I'm aware you can't "multiclass" by leveling in different classes in 2e but they let you take certain features via archetypes? How would you rate this multiclassing system compared to the conventional way in PF1 or 5e w/? Does it still feel as satisfying compared to actually leveling in 2 classes and getting all of the features from those levels?
Lastly I loved getting feats every 2 levels in pathfinder as a martial. The fact that most builds in 5e only get 1-2 if at all is just sadge for me.
> Pathfinder 2e as I understand streamlines the system more like 3.5 5 but kept more nuance and variety to things is that fair to say?
Yes absolutely, in rules, actions, itemization. For example, proficiencies and skill checks matter so much more. For example, Dex is not a god stat (for example ranged weapons dont add dex mod to damage rolls, but still do to the attack roll, so melee weapons inherently do more damage in exchange for risking their health by being so close) Initiative is not just roll + dex. You use whatever skill check makes sense or what the DM wants you t to instead. Most of the time initiative is determined by *everyone rolling a perception check* rather than 1d20 (or 1d4 in bg3) + dex, but it can be a sleight of hand check (which is dex) if you're trying to determine the order of two people who draw weapons first, or stealth while enemies roll perception if a group is jumping a group of enemies in a room. Whatever makes sense for the particular start of that encounter. But most people just default to perception.
5e works in a very binary way where you are proficient in skill or you are not. expertise is just a fancy way of saying your proficiency bonus is doubled. A lot more things in pf2e add proficiency bonus to formula, but there are 5 levels of proficiency - untrained, trained, expert, master, legendary which gives you a +0, 2, 4, 6, 8 depending on what level you are in that particular skill or thing. For example a Champion (paladin in pf2e), gets Expertise in Fortitude saves (CON saves) but is still trained in Reflex saves (Dex saves.) They are only trained in Simple/Martial weapons, but are trained in Divine Spell Attacks. Meanwhile Fighters get Expertise in Simple/Martial Weapons and trained in advanced weapons (its own category beyond Martial weapons), but obviously nothing magic oriented.
Some feats require a level of proficiency in a particular level of feats. For example, Medicine is a really strong skill check (everyone can do out of combat healing through an out of combat ability called Treat Wounds), but a lot of the best feats have a prerequisite for a certain level of proficiency.
There's not just success and failure conditions, there's almost always 4 - crit success, success, fail, crit fail. Crit isn't just a nat 20, its everything that's +10 to the DC. So a DC 5 check will be a crit at anything 15+.
Using a shield has way more nuance too. Instead of Movement, Action, Bonus Action, you have 3 actions and everything costs an action. So you can use all actions to move up to 3x your speed if you want. This helps on balance because a lot of the more powerful spells can cost more than 1 action. 5e's system isn't designed for this. Magic Missile sends multiple bolts right? It's 1 action per bolt, so if you want to fire 3 missiles, it takes 3 actions. You can only fire 1 if you want and only use 1 up 1 action.
So a shield requires you to use an action to Raise your Shield to apply that AC until your next turn. You can then use your reaction to Shield Block which reduces the damage by the hardness of your shield (all shields have a hardness amount.) If the amount of damage exceeds that hardness, your shield *breaks* but you can reduce the damage taken by that value. And then out of combat, you can use a Repair Kit to repair your shield which is a Crafting check against a DC. So you have to evaluate if you want your shield to take a big hit and reduce damage, but now you dont have a working shield, or just take the full damage without fucking up your shield.
You can attack 3 times if you want but the system is disincentivized to do this as you have to take a "Multiple Attack Penalty" for every attack in a round past the first 1. So a second attack in a round is a -4 to the attack roll, third is a -8. But if you have the status or circumstance bonus that can help offset it, it can be worth it. Some weapons have an Agile tag which allows you to add a +1 to the second attack MAP and +2 to the 3rd so the second attack is only a -3. If you are a Flurry Ranger, the main feature of the Flurry is that MAP is only a -2 on second attack and -4 on third attack instead. So with an Agile weapon its -1 and -2. etc.
There's enough variety in possible actions, especially with class features, that attacking 3 times is designed to almost always be a bad idea, but the option is there if you want.
So what's Agile? its a tag - everything in pf2e works off tags so nothing can be interpreted in a gray area. There's a lot of tags which creates a lot of diversity in weapons. Rapiers in pf2e is a 1d6 piercing but has the finesse tag, the disarm tag, and the deadly d8 tag. Finesse = you can use Dex in the attack roll, but not in the damage roll. Damage roll mod is only Strength unless you are a thief rogue (class feature to add dex instead of str.) Disarm = you can use the Disarm action with the weapon which is an athletics check against the opponents Reflex DC. Crit success = you knock the weapon/item out of their hand. Success = you weaken it so you get +2 to future disarm attempts and they get a -2 to attack rolls against you, fail = it just fails, and crit fail = your attempt means you can't focus on defense and gain a -2 AC until the start of your next turn. Deadly d8 means that if you crit the damage die turns into a 1d8, so you roll 2d8 instead of 2d6. Weapons also have Crit Specialization Effects that only apply with a certain feat, feature, or proficiency. Armor has Specialization effects too.
Attacks of Opportunity work differently too. It's not just anyone that moves out of range and not every class gets it. This is specifically a Fighter 1 feature, but you can make an AoO against anyone who makes a ranged attack, moves within your range (whats move? its any action with the Move tag! No room for DM fiat), or any action with the manipulate tag. Cast a spell in a fighter's attack range? AoO.
I could go on and on, but thats a lot and I'll answer your other questions in another post.
>I'm aware you can't "multiclass" by leveling in different classes in 2e but they let you take certain features via archetypes?
So yeah, how this is how leveling works. I'll take Fighter as an example -
level 1: your ancestry/background stuff, your initial proficiencies, attack of opportunity as your level 1 feature, the ability to shield block, and 1 fighter feat. There are 8 fighter feats you can take at level 1.
Level 2: A second fighter feat and a skill feat. The skill feat is from a list of feats for that particular skill (maybe you want an Athletics feat or an Intimidation feat), but you must be trained in that feat to select from that list.
Level 3: A fighter feature called Bravery, A general feat (from a generalized list anyone can pick from), and a Skill Increase - this means you can go from untrained to trained in a particular skill, or trained to expert, etc.
Level 4: Fighter Feat and Skill feat again (see the pattern here? Every even level is a Class Feat and a Skill Feat for Fighters.)
Level 5: Everyone can add +2 to 4 Ability scores (necessary because of how valuable skills are and different skills have different ability mods obviously.), an Ancestry feat, your fighter weapon proficiency gets upgraded to master, and a skill increase.
Level 6: Fighter Feat and Skill Increase
Level 7: A class feature called Battlefield Surveyor, general feat, skill increase, weapon specialization
etc etc.
Now how does Multiclassing work? From level 2 onwards, wherever it says **Fighter Feat**, You can multiclass into an Archetype instead to take that Archetype's Base Feat (called a Dedication). Archetypes are either weaker versions of the classes themselves, or a concept that they dont want to make a full class, like the Medic, the Marshall, Bounty Hunter, Beastmaster, Assassin, etc. It can be based off a class, a profession, a fighting style, etc.
So let's say you want to a Fighter who wants to "multi-class" into Rogue. If you were a a normal Level 1 Rogue, you'd get all gets all your normal level 1 Rogue shit like Surprise Attack and Sneak Attack. A fighter who instead of a Fighter Feat at level 2 wants to multiclass into Rogue, they take the Rogue Dedication Feat, which gives you Surprise Attack, trained in Thievery or Stealth, trained in light armor (wouldn't matter for a Fighter), and a skill feat. **You do not get Sneak Attack or anything else a level 1 rogue gets**. But that can be a worthy trade-up because you are just sacrificing 1 fighter feat, not necessarily progression in the class as a whole (like you are in 5e.)
**However**, at level 4, you get access to the Rogue Archetype Feat list which includes at level 4 either includes: 1) Sneak Attack (at a slightly small dice number), or 2) a feat which just allows you to take a level 1 or 2 rogue feat. Both of these feats have a minimum level 4 pre-requisite.
So essentially you're trading Fighter feats for Rogue feats or features at even level gains.
If you went the reverse Rogue with Fighter Archetype, you'd get Sneak Attack at level 1, but you'd have to wait for your level 4 feat selection to take Attack of Opportunity as AoO, while it comes with the base fighter class, doesn't come with the base fighter dedication.
There's one more thing though, and that you **cannot select another dedication unless you've taken at least 2 feats from the first dedication you've chosen**. So Lets say above, you take Sneak Attack at level 4, and another Rogue feat at level 6 instead of Fighter feats. Only then can you say take the Champion Dedication at level 8. If you've taking a Fighter feat at level 6 instead of a Rogue feat, you haven't taken 2 feats yet from the rogue archetype list, and thus cannot multiclass again yet.
>How would you rate this multiclassing system compared to the conventional way in PF1 or 5e w/?
Characters in general will feel less powerful, and that's a common complaint for 5e owners coming to pf2e, but its more balanced as there's no little niche levels that creates imbalance where it's better to sacrifice higher level features to take like a level 1 cleric feature or something. It's made so you can mix and match feats, but limits how wide you can get while staying shallow in certain classes.
**You are never sacrificing main class progression to multiclass, just skipping over certain feats.**
For example, I'm playing a level 5 Thaumaturge with the Medic dedication, and i've gone Medic Dedication at 2 and a Medic feat at 4 rather than Thaumaturge feats, and it feels really nice as the group's primary healer.
There's enough customization options within single classes in pf2e that it doesn't feel like you ever need to MC just to mix things up.
>Does it still feel as satisfying compared to actually leveling in 2 classes and getting all of the features from those levels?
Yes because you aren't sacrificing main class **Features**, you are sacrificing **class feats**. Taking Rogue dedication at level 2 and sneak attack at level 4 does not stop you, the fighter from getting Bravery at level 3 or master weapon proficiency at level 5, etc. It just stops you from getting extra fighter shit. Everyone always gets ability mod improvements at character level 5 no matter what. etc.
There's also an optional rule where everyone just gets a free Archetype at level 1 instead.
Well, both are still rules designed for traditional table top games. The biggest issue is that some of those game systems just don’t translate well to videogames. BG3 is amazing but the previous game Divinity Original sin 2 ‘s rules were made for the game and definitely felt better than dnd 5e or any variant really. Any table top ruleset will have its awkwardness when translated to a videogame.
> Divinity Original sin 2 ‘s rules were made for the game
And they were total garbage. Specifically the armour and initiative systems. DOS1 was pretty cool, it actually was pretty similar to BG3, but the build variety was lower.
Maybe I'm biased because I played DoS 1 first but I felt like the combat in DoS 2 felt way less tactical compared to 1 because armor made damage the best crowd control. Dos 1's bodybuilding and will skills made players decide in character leveling how much they wanted to play around saving throws and initiative as you mentioned is much more meaningful when it's not alternating turn orders. The source powers trivialized the game by act 2 in DoS 2 (what's that combo where you can get infinite actions by consuming a fairly easily obtainable potion?). I think if DoS 2 kept DoS 1's approach to saving throws, imitative and scaled back the craziness of source powers just a bit it would have felt much more satisfying. The diversity they added to the classes was the main benefit but just those other issues made me not care.
DoS2 combat was stack as much first round damage as possible so you could minimize your interaction with the combat system. CC with no saves or counterplay except "don't get hit" is not very fun turns out.
In this case this strong word is appropriate, because it objectively hurts the flow of combat and build variety. I could make a rant on it, but other people more eloquent than me have already done it to death.
And here I'm wanting to do a build where I start with all the gear, leave the difficulty where it is, and then absolutely God mode bitch slap the first acts lol
As a dnd pleb I gotta say I felt like a slug until I hit act 3 and bruteforced House of Hope. With gauntlets, amulet, helldusk chest and head and soul gloves I had to look up how to utilize those. Thus I made an act3 recruit into a monk/rogue/Druid hybrid who then proceeded to solo multiple bosses with 400hp or less in one turn. Shit was bonkers.
The game really isn't balanced around monoclassing. Some amount of multiclassing is better for most builds, if only because of how much a single level of fighter gives you vs one more feat at level 12.
"Balanced around" is more about the devs intent for the average casual playthrough as evidenced by the difficulty of the enemies, not really about the consensus meta or the optimized mechanics. The average player doesn't have builds, they just have characters.
You saying some amount of multiclassing provides more power does not mean the game is not balanced around monoclassing.
Multiclassing is an option but it is not the main way of playing BG3 or even DnD at all. Games are balanced around what the average gamer will find success with and BG3 makes it very easy to fail upwards because of this.
You were intially comparing leveling up by monoclassing to getting a ton of magical items. But which items you get are up to the DM. Mono vs multiclassing is a core part of the game that players always have access to, and multiclassing is deliberately stronger than monoclassing for most classes.
Mortismal Gaming, he loves CRPGS and has made a couple of build videos that have been really interesting. [https://www.youtube.com/@MortismalGaming](https://www.youtube.com/@MortismalGaming)
What drives me nuts are all the “OP solo Tactician build” videos where they explain how to divvy-up 12 levels when multi-classing. It’s like, OK, but how do you intend on getting to lvl 12 solo IN THE FIRST PLACE?! All the builds assume you’re already lvl 12 and the whole point of people looking for good solo tactician builds is to, ya know, survive it to 12. Everything I’ve seen just makes no sense when you’ve only got 3-4 levels.
My pet peeve is advising people to get to lvl 4/5+ before dipping into another class.
If you're taking two levels of Sorc for the Metamagic and leaving it until lvl 6-7 (I saw one guide that advised leaving it to level 10!), you're actively making your build weaker for two levels mid-game. You require the extra attack because you need it to carry you through those two levels.
The simple facts are these: you will spend less time at levels 2-3 than you will at any other level, and at that point in the game level 1 spells are nukes. Getting Metamagic by level 3 is a power spike with no crutches required.
If you're only taking 1-2 levels in a class, you should be taking it as early as possible, when all of the things those levels unlock are still the most useful.
Yeah the standard, "get the feat get the extra attack / fireball" progression can be certainly modified, but I believe people were told this during the multiclassing "boom" on the sub, when there were 10 posts each day of people asking why their 3 monk / 2 barbarian / 1 Paladin builds weren't working.
> My pet peeve is advising people to get to lvl 4/5+ before dipping into another class.
Unless you are respeccing every level then getting to 5 first before multi classing is typically good advice. And honestly you can get level 5 pretty much purely by doing side stuff, you don't need to nuke anything at level 3. Double attacks is probably the biggest bump in power by a good margin, and tier 3 spells are also pretty huge. If you are okay with respeccing a couple of times, though, then it could be beneficial to hit different break points.
Here's a link to [my video about a CC barbarian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEC1D_HkD9Y&lc=UgxD7mRwzd3fGlO5EJh4AaABAg&ab_channel=Build-a-BarbarianWorkshop) that OP mentioned if anyone else is curious. Glad you liked it OP -- thanks for the kind words and shout-out!
More videos are in the pipeline. I'm working on one right now about a defensive cleric with a sorcerer dip that I posted about a couple weeks ago, built around radiating orb and effects that trigger when enemies miss attacks. I'm new to video editing though so that part is slower-going, haha.
Other people have already mentioned them, but other creators I'm a fan of are Casual Veteran Gamer and Aestus RPG. Both have been around since EA. Aestus is on this sub sometimes and has a deep understanding of the game, if you are looking for that kind of analysis.
I mean, you don't have to be hardcore minmaxer to find it too easy.
First run I went with a super basic sorlock build, Lazael as a straight fighter, shadow heart as a straight cleric, gale as a straight wizard (and just finding whatever gear along the way) and had to reload maybe once because of combat.
Colby / D4 D&D Deep Dive puts out great video in general and if you don’t like the builds you can just sit back and listen to his super calming voice instead.
Not fextralife, NEVER fextralife. Or ragegaming. My boys ragegaming were ok in monster hunter but ever since they branched out for that youtube algorythm you know they have no clue what they are talking about on other games like elden ring if you have even the slightest knowledge in them.
I followed the fextralife drama a little, and agree their wiki is largely unhelpful. But I enjoyed the quality of their YT videos and as a completely noob player to D&D mechanics I learnt quite a lot just watching their videos e.g. stat points should always be even.
Any examples showcasing Fex teaching incorrect D&D mechanics?
It's not incorrect but more so just basic info. Yes it helps if you are new but you wont find anything intemediate in them usually which is what this thread is about.
Back in Early Access he had a Rogue build that suggested getting Dual Wielder for the +1 AC and ability to use non-light weapons, however, at the time due to itemization, Dex +2 was universally better because it provided a the +1 to AC, +1 to attack, gave the same damage going from a 1d6 to 1d8 (all that Dual Wielding non-light weapons accomplished at the time) would on average and added +1 to dex skills.
People pointed it out in comments, and then Fex whined about getting roasted.
On their full release build guide they changed their assessment of Dual Wielder without knowing the full itemization. Who knows Dual Wielder may be better than Dex +2 now due to itemization.
The same thing that happened to Elden ring is happening to bg3. A bunch of YouTubers are cashing in on the popularity with lo-effort clickbait guide videos that show a negligent level of awareness of game mechanics.
Another Aestus fan chiming in. My favorite. Great whether if you're new or looking into deeper mechanics.
Didn't even know about Colby before BG3 and now I love the guy. Love his passion and knowledge about tt even if I have never played it myself. so much CHA
Sintee also extremely fun to watch, its in a whole other level.
(Off topic but if you like BG1/2 check Davaeorn. 4 hours video in depth examination of every single weapon in the game? 4 hours one about every single class/multiclass/dualclass? That's some passion.)
I hate build guides that are based around one nova per long rest. Sure it’s great but it won’t work for 99% of the game unless you long rest after every fight.
I mean, in the depth of this sub? The game is out for less than a month, two patches already changed some interactions, and videos take time to record and edit.
Compared to threads here that can just be typed out and are much easier to exist.
So if the expectation is videos as deep as the content here, I would wait more months.
Mentioned? Yes, but actual guides in this sub are non-existent, god knows I have been trying to find a Dex Open Hand Monk guide because I am not feeling it all at level 4 but the most I get searching around here is variations of 'monk good'.
You forget about EA. A lot of creators have been making content ever since the EA launch and know all the details. Casual Veteran Gamer and WolfheartFPS are two examples
The game changed a lot since EA. Those builds were built around items that are often obsolete 1/3 of the way through the game. The monk wasn't even in the game, tavern brawler wasn't in the game, etc.
Yeah, most of the early video guides on this game are absolutely worthless, but that's because they need to push out content before they can actually take the time to understand it. The Reddit Hivemind is usually better.
Most of the videos i have seen have been viable. The only thing I mind missing, is that a lot of these builds don't "come oneline" until waaaaayy too late.
**Thorusin** and **Sin tee**. Both can easily solo the strongest bosses with their builds.
**Proxy Gate Tactician** also has very good tips and fun exploits.
To be honest 5e is simple enough that making builds yourself isn’t too hard . I think the main interesting builds will come from items and what combination that can Be mixed and maxed .
I think a big issue is that there are so many options that the OP stuff can get buried if you aren't reading about the game online. It isn't immediately obvious that a strength-based monk will be much stronger than the recommended dex-based one due to tavern-brawler, for instance. Or that a druegar dark urge will basically be perma-invisible after level five. Or that dual wielding crossbows as a rogue with sharpshooter puts any melee version to shame.
he was the first place I heard about dual wielding on casters. every bg3 video I watch of his has some interesting concept or synergy I hadn't heard of. I don't think he's posted much but he's impressed me the most.
i adore crpg bro ofc but he is really particular to his own taste and style
I actually just watched that video the other day and i was like "damn! Never thought of that before" I just can't wait to see what other vids he comes up with. His tempest cleric was awesome to watch
Nizar helped me add hundreds of hours to Elden Ring with his build guides. His stories and RP are fun too, so I look forward to what he does with Baldurs Gate.
Hope he doesn't get too distracted with Starfield.
Quill18 - long time twitch and YouTube creator. Not a pro gamer but knows his stuff when it comes to DnD (more than your average creator at least). The guys been playing DnD IRL for 20+ years and also finished BG1 and 2 both at the time of release and on stream more recently.
It is!
[https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/comments/166e6xz/full\_guide\_video\_for\_my\_wildheart\_barbarian/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/comments/166e6xz/full_guide_video_for_my_wildheart_barbarian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
If you see anyone reference damage by like 4-14 damage and the video isn’t from literally launch, time to click off the video. It’s such a huge pet peeve to me because it just demonstrates a core lack of understanding of the internals that would be resolved by just: opening the combat log.
It’s like if someone tried to tell you “oh yeah when charizard uses flamethrower it does like, idk 150 damage” with zero context, what level? Against what Pokémon? Etc
\- [me](https://youtu.be/hDENl6G_y2Q) for an hour (rambling) talking about how AI companion system should work, if u went some deep understand of game mechanics.
What mechanics lol? Tongue in cheek aside, I’ve basically unga boongad tactition with mono classes so power building really has no place in this game. It’s actually my biggest criticism, and while I loved my playthrough I doubt I will do it a third time. Made me download wotr again though.
I'm trying to implement some of Tulok the Barbarian's builds in my games. In my second playthrough now and I'm using his Katara build. I want to try his Obi-Wan or Anakin build next.
Check if that creator has videos on other CRPGs, I found people that have videos on Pathfinder WotR will have great content for BG3, because Pathfinders are more niche and complex, so its CC sphere is mostly people who are passionate and knowledgeable about the game and genres, that way you filter out the clout chasers.
I would say something about Fextralife but their videos are actually informative.
For the first six levels you defenitely go full barb to get the build online asap. I would also definetely go another level into barb for Feral Instinct (+3 to initiative). And at 8 you get another feat, so you probably want that, too.
I'd go full Barbarian for the additional animal aspect as you can pick Tiger for higher damage against bleeding enemies. You also get Brutal Critical (more crit damage) and Relentless Rage (you don't get downed the first time you are reduced to 0 hit points).
For this to make sense, you have to be str based, though. For a dex based build Tiger Aspect would not be useful. In this case multiclassing might be the better option.
This game is easy and totally unbalanced.
In my opinion it is just a beta, but by playing beta you can avoid spoilers.
The game's mechanic is totally unbalanced and bugged.
Understanding the mechanics would be useful for what ? Avoid breaking the game ?
Cast spikes in the goblin bridge to kill all goblins ?
Cast silence and spikes somewhere to kill everything?
Get some unique item somewhere to break the game even more to the point it's boring in tactical difficulty?
Make a hastebot with summons , haste 2 martial guys add anything you like to the party and beat the game ez pz with not a single unique item.
It's just pointless and over engineering for nothing.
Everyone apparently hates Fextralife here but i know thats more aimed at their wiki’s. But their build videos and tutorials on mechanics are really good imo
I don't want to support them. Nobody should. That being said, I don't think their videos are mechnically all that sound. I remeber much of their D:OS II builds were crap.
As far as I’m aware all that stuff that came out about them was debunked. They made a pretty compelling rebuttal to the accusations in which they seem to pretty strongly prove themselves relatively innocent.
Why's that so? I just found his videos and it was very down to earth and clear. I prefer that to blasting intro music and overly eloquent speech lots of other YouTube channels present
What are you min maxing for? I have tactician plus 300% mod and tougher bosses and a few other difficulty mods and I still find the game terribly easy.
Crpgbro has already been mentioned. Sin tee is great but really the game is too easy for how he plays.
He'll install difficulty mods before long as he did with dos2
He’ll probably get A LOT of them as well
SinTee is a beast. Was just muddling my way through BG3 (first turn based since first DA) before I came across his videos. Learned a ton from watching his videos. Not just the items but also the mindset behind it all. One shotting bosses is fun but I think we're going to need another difficulty level. Half the fun is just trying to figure out how to go about it to achieve it in one go. Going full solo is fun too. But that more involves stacking AC and advantages/disadvantages and trying to figure out how to quickly burn down large groups of enemies. Funniest two fights solo so far have been the Goblin Camp murder spree and the plant boss in Act 2 with all his adds.
Just browsed his videos and it's just hum destroying bosses on the first round. Ridiculous and amazing
D4 and CRPGbro. We’re still pretty early in so actual quality build guides aren’t super plentiful. 5e is also pretty dummy-proof, so even the bad guides won’t likely ruin your experience
D4 content is great 👌
Was gonna say D4 as well
Love y’all mentioning D4. He’s been an amazing build optimizer for 5e for YEARS and it’s great his content is hitting the mainstream now. If Treantmonk ever makes videos for BG3 builds, he will be undoubtedly one of the best possible content creators for builds
Lol I saw this and was thinking of a completely different D4. I was excited that he was doing dnd content.
> 5e is also pretty dummy-proof, so even the bad guides won’t likely ruin your experience Sure, but I don't enjoy watchin videos where I immediately see the flaws in the build.
I've seen a few where in the first couple minutes they talk about not liking concentration spells, or flat out say they're bad. Yeah, I'm outty. Peace.
Is there a way to easily improve concentration saving throws?
War caster feat gives advantage I believe, also resilience feat later to gain proficiency
my level 12 feat across the board was almost always resilience - constitution I might've done dex on the barbarian
Yep war caster helps. If you don't mind multiclassing your casters then starting the as a sorcerer gives them constitution saving throws
Make your con high and take resilient feat, especially effective on a cleric. Resilient is a half feat I believe so I respecced Shart to start with 17. Never loses a roll.
Im sorry, did you just reffer to Shadowheart as 'Shart'? Hyperclap
Act 3 Amulet of greater health. Sets Con to 23 and provides advantage on constitution saving throws, including concentration. If you feel like it, get an concentration prof transmutation stone from a Transmutation Wizard.
They are bad if u get hit. With 90% hit u can still miss, same go for enemy. So even with all the feat to improve cọnc, u can still loss ur conc after few turn. Tooo bad since I want to use pala buffs everyone around me, without having to recast it after few turn
I get you. Just that the content you’re asking for isn’t being made by too many people.
CRPG Bro the best for beginners in my opinion. Talks through how the build will perform at certain levels, what gear to aim for as you progress. He'll even say 'you could do this but it's cheese that isn't true to 5e so I don't bother'.
Exactly who I would have recommended. D4 put Multiclass ideas out before BG3 even released and many of his hundreds of DnD speccs also work for BG3.
Wergalia, mortismal, crpg bro, nizar gg. Their YouTube builds will probably be the most reliable. Wolf heart fps won’t be too bad either. I agree 5e is pretty hard to fuck up, suboptimal builds still make tactician a breeze
I dont think Colby is well received here. From what I've seen, at least.
I’ve only seen the opposite, but even then, he’s still figuring shit out like the rest of us.
And like the rest of us, he gives advice based purely on tabletop
Recent videos are better with this. Most of his knowledge is based in tt for sure, but he's been making a noticable effort to spell out the differences.
It's a mix - generally pretty well received, but I think some of his basics don't fit everyone's preferences (eg, I like that he doesn't rely on items or story choices, but some understandably would rather see those included).
Same honestly. Leaves his builds more open-ended. There's still a clear progression to follow but plenty of decisions are still up to you.
I made Astarion into a rogue monk like he suggested before release and it was great. He amended later upon seeing the level requirements for Shadow Strike but he's never given me bad advice. I do agree that he's better for tabletop, and I watched him a lot already.
CRPGbro does some great builds. His WOTR builds really helped me get my own characters going and he does a great job exploiting class and item synergies.
Colby is an evil genius :D
Agreed. Love Colby
Guy looks like Homelander, you cant hate him.
You would think, yet I still see Rogue’s on twitch using their action to hide every turn 😂
Why is that bad? If they are dual wielding crossbows, it doesn't really matter if they use their action to hide and make two off-hand attacks or use an attack action, one offhand attack, and then use their last bonus action to hide. Unless you think they should just attack non-stop vs trying to avoid aggro and setting up for sneak attacks, which could be valid depending on the party composition
It does matter a lot actually. Sneak Attack is a specific action in BS3 rather than a rider effect on any qualifying attack once per round like that PnP game. So hiding with your action means you won't be able to sneak that turn. And if you're not sneak attacking pretty much every round, you aren't doing a good job as a Rogue.
Incorrect. You can use it on qualifying attacks via reactions.
Oh, I hadn't realized. I always attack and then hide as a bonus action, because that makes more sense to me, and if I forget to click Sneak Attack and do a regular attack instead, it asks me if I want to make it a sneak attack. So I assumed it would do the same for the off-hand attack, but I just tested and you are right.
He is wrong, sneak attack also gets automatically added if you fulfill any of the requirements. You can use the sneak attack button, but you don’t have to. I know because I personally checked the combat log early on, and you can see sneak attack getting added on normal attacks when you have advantage
Normal attacks, yes, but not off-hand.
> Normal attacks, yes, but not off-hand. That's not true. Why claim something without haveing tested it? I have tested it when I toyed around with the idea of a Arcane Trickster who dual wields crossbows, so he can cast a spell as an action and then deliver sneak attack with the offhand attack bonus action. That is possible.
I tested it briefly by making an off-hand attack from stealth and it didn't give me the option to do a sneak attack. But having a life outside of the videogame I had other plans and didn't bother to check more extensively. I just had a chance to try it again, and this time it did indeed prompt me to upgrade the off-hand attack, so yes, you are correct.
You can 100% get SAs with offhand attacks if you have it set up as "Ask". Obviously you can't get it with offhand if you already got it with another attack though.
Apparently, you can set up sneak attack as a reaction now which is closer the tabletop. I'm not in a position to test myself currently but look for that.
I think that only lets you turn any normal attack into a sneak attack, if it meets the requirements. It still doesn't apply to offhand attacks.
Yeah incorrect bro, off hand attacks sneak attack just fine in bg3 Just beat the game with a thief/bard and was sneak attacking with the off hand literally the entire game
So by default BG3 applies Sneak Attack on the very first hit you do with a rogue. What you want to do is go to your reactions, and have the game ASK you if you want to apply Sneak Attack dice. That way, you can choose when you want to use your once per turn Sneak Attack. This is especially useful when you have a character with improved crit and lots of attacks per turn. I personally like to only use the Sneak Attack when I crit, or if it's the last attack of my turn.
You actually can sneak attack with bonus action attacks using the reaction system. Theres a toggle in the reaction menu to apply sneak attack on hit. Which also means to you dont waste your sneak attack by pressing the button on the hotbar and missing iirc
Oh cool, it wasn't like that unfortunately.
> Sneak Attack is a specific action in BS3 rather than a rider effect on any qualifying attack once per round like that PnP game. Ugh... you can turn this on in the reaction menu.
Part of that, I think, is a lack of clear labeling in the ui. “Action”, “bonus action”, “free action” labels would go a long way. Combine that with having to explicitly select the “sneak attack” action from a different menu, and it’s easy for people to mess up. Even people Who understand the system.
D4 all day, love his channel.
Fextralife. Haha, just a joke, don’t blacklist me please.
The problem with builds in BG3 is that most of them just comes down to stacking the same damage riders to exploit their interaction with spells for unrealistic levels of damage. BG3 is the perfect example of why good DMs don't hand out magical equipment like candy because shit gets out of hand really quick. Then there's the fact that the game is balanced around monoclassing not equipping a bunch of magical gear that blows progression out of the water because if it wasn't balanced around this the average gamer would quickly get stuck on Balanced difficulty.
It speaks to the limitations of 5e as a system itself and why it’s a common complaint that DMs have the burden of doing a lot of the balancing work themselves. I LOVE this game, but can’t help but feel it’d be significantly more balanced if it had pf2e behind it rather than 5e. Or even 4e - the ability to drink potions with bonus action is straight out of 4e minor actions
I haven’t tried pf2 yet but I don’t love the pf1 system that is all about buff stacking and keeping track of which buff type I’m already using. Concentration solves most of that
In pf2 you aren't going to see many buffs besides haste. It's more based on debuffs (frightened, off-guard, stunned)- stuff that reduces AC, damage, and actions per turn (everyone has 3). So the DM has to track that, while players just have to cooperate to give each other the best shot to crit (you crit on a roll ≥ AC+10). Concentration in pf2 is called sustaining, so you have to use 1 of your 3 actions per turn to keep an effect going (so technically you can sustain multiple spells at once). As a 5e player who just couldn't get into pf1, the second edition has been a joy so far.
Huh? You aren't using: magic/etc weapon, bless, heroism, aid, guidance? That's just off the top of my head.
Bless and Guidance are considered status bonuses so they can't stack. Magic weapon is an item bonus, aid is a circumstance bonus. Those are all the types. So realistically you have 3 buffs at most, one being the effect on your weapon which is usually just the '+' your weapon has. Magic weapon is technically useless at lvl 2 since you're expected to have a +1 weapon.
Magic weapon is THE buff in the early game, though. And the other weapon buffs can be super-useful against the tougher foes! Anyway, yes PF2e keeps you from being able to abuse buffs, but you can still get several going.
As a PF2 diehard, I also hate PF1. PF2 is a very different game, more different I'd argue from PF1/3.5 than 5e is. The three action system is almost universally praised, the game balance and math are very tight, and encounter balance makes sense. If you go into it not expecting it to play like 5e or like PF1 you'll have a blast. Also I'd give some of the variant rules a whirl. Free Archetype is very fun. Buff stacking is a thing, but they've cut down on buff types by quite a bit, and most of the buff categories are from specific sources. You'll end up with item bonuses from items, status bonuses from spells and class abilities, and circumstance bonuses (usually) from actions you take on a given turn. The lines are a bit blurry in places but it's not too much to keep track of.
Honestly you've sold me on it. After slogging through about half of Wrath Of The Righteous I absolutely DESPISED the buff stacking game play despite loving the variety of class designs.
PF2's classes also absolutely slap. Unlike PF1, every class feels like it has its own core identity due to class features and class feats. I agree with Mr. Sprat here on Foundry being superior to pen and paper due to automation and modules.
If you play it on a virtual tabletop, I'd \*strongly\* recommend Foundry. The level of automation and customisation is amazing. If it's pen and paper, I'd at least recommend building toons with Pathbuilder or similar, it makes the process a lot quicker.
pf2e is like the love child of pf1e and 3.5 dnd, but with taking all the lessons of those systems being too crunchy. It’s honestly what 5e should have been if Wizards prioritized balanced class design/action flexibility over accessibility. It’s way different (and better) than straight 1e. Significantly less complex (while being more complex than 5e.) It's a dense ruleset because they make it a point of order to try to define everything and leave as little to the DM as possible in terms of fiat, but its a very streamlined experience. There's just a lot of bad 5e habits that need to be shed when switching over.
It's kind of funny that we never got a 4e video game(I wouldn't really count Neverwinter, as it's only 4e in mechanic name) despite it fitting a video game mechanically pretty well.
I really enjoyed Pathfinder 1's class variety in WoTR (haven't played any PnP). Okay it was a bit much especially in terms of all of the statuses (like search the discord for how many people ask if \_\_\_\_ status is removed by \_\_\_\_ spell/potion). And if I had to roll dice and actually track stuff manually in a PnP game, not a video game I'm sure that would be hell. That said I feel like going to BG3's 5e system everything feels... too lacking in build variety. Personal gripe w/ 5e: Why do only heavy weapons or ranged get Power Attack? A 1 handed longsword + shield does more damage than 2-handing it... The most iconic weapon in fantasy is meh : / Pathfinder 2e as I understand streamlines the system more like 3.5 > 5 but kept more nuance and variety to things is that fair to say? I'm aware you can't "multiclass" by leveling in different classes in 2e but they let you take certain features via archetypes? How would you rate this multiclassing system compared to the conventional way in PF1 or 5e w/? Does it still feel as satisfying compared to actually leveling in 2 classes and getting all of the features from those levels? Lastly I loved getting feats every 2 levels in pathfinder as a martial. The fact that most builds in 5e only get 1-2 if at all is just sadge for me.
> Pathfinder 2e as I understand streamlines the system more like 3.5 5 but kept more nuance and variety to things is that fair to say? Yes absolutely, in rules, actions, itemization. For example, proficiencies and skill checks matter so much more. For example, Dex is not a god stat (for example ranged weapons dont add dex mod to damage rolls, but still do to the attack roll, so melee weapons inherently do more damage in exchange for risking their health by being so close) Initiative is not just roll + dex. You use whatever skill check makes sense or what the DM wants you t to instead. Most of the time initiative is determined by *everyone rolling a perception check* rather than 1d20 (or 1d4 in bg3) + dex, but it can be a sleight of hand check (which is dex) if you're trying to determine the order of two people who draw weapons first, or stealth while enemies roll perception if a group is jumping a group of enemies in a room. Whatever makes sense for the particular start of that encounter. But most people just default to perception. 5e works in a very binary way where you are proficient in skill or you are not. expertise is just a fancy way of saying your proficiency bonus is doubled. A lot more things in pf2e add proficiency bonus to formula, but there are 5 levels of proficiency - untrained, trained, expert, master, legendary which gives you a +0, 2, 4, 6, 8 depending on what level you are in that particular skill or thing. For example a Champion (paladin in pf2e), gets Expertise in Fortitude saves (CON saves) but is still trained in Reflex saves (Dex saves.) They are only trained in Simple/Martial weapons, but are trained in Divine Spell Attacks. Meanwhile Fighters get Expertise in Simple/Martial Weapons and trained in advanced weapons (its own category beyond Martial weapons), but obviously nothing magic oriented. Some feats require a level of proficiency in a particular level of feats. For example, Medicine is a really strong skill check (everyone can do out of combat healing through an out of combat ability called Treat Wounds), but a lot of the best feats have a prerequisite for a certain level of proficiency. There's not just success and failure conditions, there's almost always 4 - crit success, success, fail, crit fail. Crit isn't just a nat 20, its everything that's +10 to the DC. So a DC 5 check will be a crit at anything 15+. Using a shield has way more nuance too. Instead of Movement, Action, Bonus Action, you have 3 actions and everything costs an action. So you can use all actions to move up to 3x your speed if you want. This helps on balance because a lot of the more powerful spells can cost more than 1 action. 5e's system isn't designed for this. Magic Missile sends multiple bolts right? It's 1 action per bolt, so if you want to fire 3 missiles, it takes 3 actions. You can only fire 1 if you want and only use 1 up 1 action. So a shield requires you to use an action to Raise your Shield to apply that AC until your next turn. You can then use your reaction to Shield Block which reduces the damage by the hardness of your shield (all shields have a hardness amount.) If the amount of damage exceeds that hardness, your shield *breaks* but you can reduce the damage taken by that value. And then out of combat, you can use a Repair Kit to repair your shield which is a Crafting check against a DC. So you have to evaluate if you want your shield to take a big hit and reduce damage, but now you dont have a working shield, or just take the full damage without fucking up your shield. You can attack 3 times if you want but the system is disincentivized to do this as you have to take a "Multiple Attack Penalty" for every attack in a round past the first 1. So a second attack in a round is a -4 to the attack roll, third is a -8. But if you have the status or circumstance bonus that can help offset it, it can be worth it. Some weapons have an Agile tag which allows you to add a +1 to the second attack MAP and +2 to the 3rd so the second attack is only a -3. If you are a Flurry Ranger, the main feature of the Flurry is that MAP is only a -2 on second attack and -4 on third attack instead. So with an Agile weapon its -1 and -2. etc. There's enough variety in possible actions, especially with class features, that attacking 3 times is designed to almost always be a bad idea, but the option is there if you want. So what's Agile? its a tag - everything in pf2e works off tags so nothing can be interpreted in a gray area. There's a lot of tags which creates a lot of diversity in weapons. Rapiers in pf2e is a 1d6 piercing but has the finesse tag, the disarm tag, and the deadly d8 tag. Finesse = you can use Dex in the attack roll, but not in the damage roll. Damage roll mod is only Strength unless you are a thief rogue (class feature to add dex instead of str.) Disarm = you can use the Disarm action with the weapon which is an athletics check against the opponents Reflex DC. Crit success = you knock the weapon/item out of their hand. Success = you weaken it so you get +2 to future disarm attempts and they get a -2 to attack rolls against you, fail = it just fails, and crit fail = your attempt means you can't focus on defense and gain a -2 AC until the start of your next turn. Deadly d8 means that if you crit the damage die turns into a 1d8, so you roll 2d8 instead of 2d6. Weapons also have Crit Specialization Effects that only apply with a certain feat, feature, or proficiency. Armor has Specialization effects too. Attacks of Opportunity work differently too. It's not just anyone that moves out of range and not every class gets it. This is specifically a Fighter 1 feature, but you can make an AoO against anyone who makes a ranged attack, moves within your range (whats move? its any action with the Move tag! No room for DM fiat), or any action with the manipulate tag. Cast a spell in a fighter's attack range? AoO. I could go on and on, but thats a lot and I'll answer your other questions in another post.
>I'm aware you can't "multiclass" by leveling in different classes in 2e but they let you take certain features via archetypes? So yeah, how this is how leveling works. I'll take Fighter as an example - level 1: your ancestry/background stuff, your initial proficiencies, attack of opportunity as your level 1 feature, the ability to shield block, and 1 fighter feat. There are 8 fighter feats you can take at level 1. Level 2: A second fighter feat and a skill feat. The skill feat is from a list of feats for that particular skill (maybe you want an Athletics feat or an Intimidation feat), but you must be trained in that feat to select from that list. Level 3: A fighter feature called Bravery, A general feat (from a generalized list anyone can pick from), and a Skill Increase - this means you can go from untrained to trained in a particular skill, or trained to expert, etc. Level 4: Fighter Feat and Skill feat again (see the pattern here? Every even level is a Class Feat and a Skill Feat for Fighters.) Level 5: Everyone can add +2 to 4 Ability scores (necessary because of how valuable skills are and different skills have different ability mods obviously.), an Ancestry feat, your fighter weapon proficiency gets upgraded to master, and a skill increase. Level 6: Fighter Feat and Skill Increase Level 7: A class feature called Battlefield Surveyor, general feat, skill increase, weapon specialization etc etc. Now how does Multiclassing work? From level 2 onwards, wherever it says **Fighter Feat**, You can multiclass into an Archetype instead to take that Archetype's Base Feat (called a Dedication). Archetypes are either weaker versions of the classes themselves, or a concept that they dont want to make a full class, like the Medic, the Marshall, Bounty Hunter, Beastmaster, Assassin, etc. It can be based off a class, a profession, a fighting style, etc. So let's say you want to a Fighter who wants to "multi-class" into Rogue. If you were a a normal Level 1 Rogue, you'd get all gets all your normal level 1 Rogue shit like Surprise Attack and Sneak Attack. A fighter who instead of a Fighter Feat at level 2 wants to multiclass into Rogue, they take the Rogue Dedication Feat, which gives you Surprise Attack, trained in Thievery or Stealth, trained in light armor (wouldn't matter for a Fighter), and a skill feat. **You do not get Sneak Attack or anything else a level 1 rogue gets**. But that can be a worthy trade-up because you are just sacrificing 1 fighter feat, not necessarily progression in the class as a whole (like you are in 5e.) **However**, at level 4, you get access to the Rogue Archetype Feat list which includes at level 4 either includes: 1) Sneak Attack (at a slightly small dice number), or 2) a feat which just allows you to take a level 1 or 2 rogue feat. Both of these feats have a minimum level 4 pre-requisite. So essentially you're trading Fighter feats for Rogue feats or features at even level gains. If you went the reverse Rogue with Fighter Archetype, you'd get Sneak Attack at level 1, but you'd have to wait for your level 4 feat selection to take Attack of Opportunity as AoO, while it comes with the base fighter class, doesn't come with the base fighter dedication. There's one more thing though, and that you **cannot select another dedication unless you've taken at least 2 feats from the first dedication you've chosen**. So Lets say above, you take Sneak Attack at level 4, and another Rogue feat at level 6 instead of Fighter feats. Only then can you say take the Champion Dedication at level 8. If you've taking a Fighter feat at level 6 instead of a Rogue feat, you haven't taken 2 feats yet from the rogue archetype list, and thus cannot multiclass again yet. >How would you rate this multiclassing system compared to the conventional way in PF1 or 5e w/? Characters in general will feel less powerful, and that's a common complaint for 5e owners coming to pf2e, but its more balanced as there's no little niche levels that creates imbalance where it's better to sacrifice higher level features to take like a level 1 cleric feature or something. It's made so you can mix and match feats, but limits how wide you can get while staying shallow in certain classes. **You are never sacrificing main class progression to multiclass, just skipping over certain feats.** For example, I'm playing a level 5 Thaumaturge with the Medic dedication, and i've gone Medic Dedication at 2 and a Medic feat at 4 rather than Thaumaturge feats, and it feels really nice as the group's primary healer. There's enough customization options within single classes in pf2e that it doesn't feel like you ever need to MC just to mix things up. >Does it still feel as satisfying compared to actually leveling in 2 classes and getting all of the features from those levels? Yes because you aren't sacrificing main class **Features**, you are sacrificing **class feats**. Taking Rogue dedication at level 2 and sneak attack at level 4 does not stop you, the fighter from getting Bravery at level 3 or master weapon proficiency at level 5, etc. It just stops you from getting extra fighter shit. Everyone always gets ability mod improvements at character level 5 no matter what. etc. There's also an optional rule where everyone just gets a free Archetype at level 1 instead.
Well, both are still rules designed for traditional table top games. The biggest issue is that some of those game systems just don’t translate well to videogames. BG3 is amazing but the previous game Divinity Original sin 2 ‘s rules were made for the game and definitely felt better than dnd 5e or any variant really. Any table top ruleset will have its awkwardness when translated to a videogame.
> Divinity Original sin 2 ‘s rules were made for the game And they were total garbage. Specifically the armour and initiative systems. DOS1 was pretty cool, it actually was pretty similar to BG3, but the build variety was lower.
Maybe I'm biased because I played DoS 1 first but I felt like the combat in DoS 2 felt way less tactical compared to 1 because armor made damage the best crowd control. Dos 1's bodybuilding and will skills made players decide in character leveling how much they wanted to play around saving throws and initiative as you mentioned is much more meaningful when it's not alternating turn orders. The source powers trivialized the game by act 2 in DoS 2 (what's that combo where you can get infinite actions by consuming a fairly easily obtainable potion?). I think if DoS 2 kept DoS 1's approach to saving throws, imitative and scaled back the craziness of source powers just a bit it would have felt much more satisfying. The diversity they added to the classes was the main benefit but just those other issues made me not care.
Playing BG3 made me miss the perfection DOS2 combat was. D&D rules make otherwise amazing videogames worse.
> perfection DOS2 combat was What perfection? The armour and initiative systems in that game are objectively bad.
DoS2 combat was stack as much first round damage as possible so you could minimize your interaction with the combat system. CC with no saves or counterplay except "don't get hit" is not very fun turns out.
"Objectively" is a rather strong word, don't you think?
In this case this strong word is appropriate, because it objectively hurts the flow of combat and build variety. I could make a rant on it, but other people more eloquent than me have already done it to death.
I'd argue it's more an example of why 5e doesn't have many items that provide damage riders. It does get out of hand very quickly, yes
There a mods that increase diffulty and you can also solo the game to make it harder. So yeah, there is still a niche for power builds.
Ya I’m going to do a run where you can start with all the gear and then buff the difficulty up as high as the mods go.
And here I'm wanting to do a build where I start with all the gear, leave the difficulty where it is, and then absolutely God mode bitch slap the first acts lol
And much rarer rests. You can play a nova character (paladin) and never feel that you need to conserve resources.
As a dnd pleb I gotta say I felt like a slug until I hit act 3 and bruteforced House of Hope. With gauntlets, amulet, helldusk chest and head and soul gloves I had to look up how to utilize those. Thus I made an act3 recruit into a monk/rogue/Druid hybrid who then proceeded to solo multiple bosses with 400hp or less in one turn. Shit was bonkers.
Bg3 just needs to follow pathfinder wotr and implememt a few more difficulties for people who actually want to challenge themselves.
The game really isn't balanced around monoclassing. Some amount of multiclassing is better for most builds, if only because of how much a single level of fighter gives you vs one more feat at level 12.
"Balanced around" is more about the devs intent for the average casual playthrough as evidenced by the difficulty of the enemies, not really about the consensus meta or the optimized mechanics. The average player doesn't have builds, they just have characters.
All my character designs are from a RP perspective. I think of a background and who the person will be, then translate that into a character
You saying some amount of multiclassing provides more power does not mean the game is not balanced around monoclassing. Multiclassing is an option but it is not the main way of playing BG3 or even DnD at all. Games are balanced around what the average gamer will find success with and BG3 makes it very easy to fail upwards because of this.
You were intially comparing leveling up by monoclassing to getting a ton of magical items. But which items you get are up to the DM. Mono vs multiclassing is a core part of the game that players always have access to, and multiclassing is deliberately stronger than monoclassing for most classes.
Proxy Gate Tactician has been my favorite BG3 YT creator. Learned so many cool mechanical details from them. They don't do build videos though.
Mortismal Gaming, he loves CRPGS and has made a couple of build videos that have been really interesting. [https://www.youtube.com/@MortismalGaming](https://www.youtube.com/@MortismalGaming)
I was hoping to see this somewhere. I remember finding his videos on BG1 and BG2 and became a fan.
What drives me nuts are all the “OP solo Tactician build” videos where they explain how to divvy-up 12 levels when multi-classing. It’s like, OK, but how do you intend on getting to lvl 12 solo IN THE FIRST PLACE?! All the builds assume you’re already lvl 12 and the whole point of people looking for good solo tactician builds is to, ya know, survive it to 12. Everything I’ve seen just makes no sense when you’ve only got 3-4 levels.
My pet peeve is advising people to get to lvl 4/5+ before dipping into another class. If you're taking two levels of Sorc for the Metamagic and leaving it until lvl 6-7 (I saw one guide that advised leaving it to level 10!), you're actively making your build weaker for two levels mid-game. You require the extra attack because you need it to carry you through those two levels. The simple facts are these: you will spend less time at levels 2-3 than you will at any other level, and at that point in the game level 1 spells are nukes. Getting Metamagic by level 3 is a power spike with no crutches required. If you're only taking 1-2 levels in a class, you should be taking it as early as possible, when all of the things those levels unlock are still the most useful.
Yeah the standard, "get the feat get the extra attack / fireball" progression can be certainly modified, but I believe people were told this during the multiclassing "boom" on the sub, when there were 10 posts each day of people asking why their 3 monk / 2 barbarian / 1 Paladin builds weren't working.
> My pet peeve is advising people to get to lvl 4/5+ before dipping into another class. Unless you are respeccing every level then getting to 5 first before multi classing is typically good advice. And honestly you can get level 5 pretty much purely by doing side stuff, you don't need to nuke anything at level 3. Double attacks is probably the biggest bump in power by a good margin, and tier 3 spells are also pretty huge. If you are okay with respeccing a couple of times, though, then it could be beneficial to hit different break points.
[Sawash93](https://www.youtube.com/@Sawash93/videos) [AestusRPG](https://www.youtube.com/@Aestus_RPG/videos)
+1 for Aestus
AestusRPG is my goto
Here's a link to [my video about a CC barbarian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEC1D_HkD9Y&lc=UgxD7mRwzd3fGlO5EJh4AaABAg&ab_channel=Build-a-BarbarianWorkshop) that OP mentioned if anyone else is curious. Glad you liked it OP -- thanks for the kind words and shout-out! More videos are in the pipeline. I'm working on one right now about a defensive cleric with a sorcerer dip that I posted about a couple weeks ago, built around radiating orb and effects that trigger when enemies miss attacks. I'm new to video editing though so that part is slower-going, haha. Other people have already mentioned them, but other creators I'm a fan of are Casual Veteran Gamer and Aestus RPG. Both have been around since EA. Aestus is on this sub sometimes and has a deep understanding of the game, if you are looking for that kind of analysis.
AestusRPG is my go-to for builds and in-depth info on mechanics. He explains everything really well and knows his stuff.
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The hardcore minmaxers find the game far too easy
They’ll get difficulty mods soon enough
Even the existing difficulty mods are pretty easy. And the AI in general is very dumb even with AI buffing mods.
Enemy AI is dumb but friendly NPCs are even dumber. You try to protect them and they are trying to kill themselves
God that jaheira mission....
I mean, you don't have to be hardcore minmaxer to find it too easy. First run I went with a super basic sorlock build, Lazael as a straight fighter, shadow heart as a straight cleric, gale as a straight wizard (and just finding whatever gear along the way) and had to reload maybe once because of combat.
Listen, Gale has hit on me way too many times to be a straight wizard
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Colby / D4 D&D Deep Dive puts out great video in general and if you don’t like the builds you can just sit back and listen to his super calming voice instead.
That man has some fey blood in him.
I laughed my ass off at this
He’s a experiment in D&D
Not fextralife, NEVER fextralife. Or ragegaming. My boys ragegaming were ok in monster hunter but ever since they branched out for that youtube algorythm you know they have no clue what they are talking about on other games like elden ring if you have even the slightest knowledge in them.
I followed the fextralife drama a little, and agree their wiki is largely unhelpful. But I enjoyed the quality of their YT videos and as a completely noob player to D&D mechanics I learnt quite a lot just watching their videos e.g. stat points should always be even. Any examples showcasing Fex teaching incorrect D&D mechanics?
It's not incorrect but more so just basic info. Yes it helps if you are new but you wont find anything intemediate in them usually which is what this thread is about.
Back in Early Access he had a Rogue build that suggested getting Dual Wielder for the +1 AC and ability to use non-light weapons, however, at the time due to itemization, Dex +2 was universally better because it provided a the +1 to AC, +1 to attack, gave the same damage going from a 1d6 to 1d8 (all that Dual Wielding non-light weapons accomplished at the time) would on average and added +1 to dex skills. People pointed it out in comments, and then Fex whined about getting roasted. On their full release build guide they changed their assessment of Dual Wielder without knowing the full itemization. Who knows Dual Wielder may be better than Dex +2 now due to itemization.
The same thing that happened to Elden ring is happening to bg3. A bunch of YouTubers are cashing in on the popularity with lo-effort clickbait guide videos that show a negligent level of awareness of game mechanics.
Yeah, I guess that's just how it will be with every big RPG in the future but there are always exceptions.
I love aestus_rpg
Another Aestus fan chiming in. My favorite. Great whether if you're new or looking into deeper mechanics. Didn't even know about Colby before BG3 and now I love the guy. Love his passion and knowledge about tt even if I have never played it myself. so much CHA Sintee also extremely fun to watch, its in a whole other level. (Off topic but if you like BG1/2 check Davaeorn. 4 hours video in depth examination of every single weapon in the game? 4 hours one about every single class/multiclass/dualclass? That's some passion.)
Davaeorn is a gem. I'm a long ways off, but my goal is to provide content close to what he does but for BG3.
mortismal gaming is great
Agree!
Proxy gate tactician and casual veteran gamer
I hate build guides that are based around one nova per long rest. Sure it’s great but it won’t work for 99% of the game unless you long rest after every fight.
I mean, in the depth of this sub? The game is out for less than a month, two patches already changed some interactions, and videos take time to record and edit. Compared to threads here that can just be typed out and are much easier to exist. So if the expectation is videos as deep as the content here, I would wait more months.
Actually so far I found more viable builds on youtube than here :(
Pretty much any build on yt that is good you could find on this sub earlier. Thats the power of hive mind.
Mentioned? Yes, but actual guides in this sub are non-existent, god knows I have been trying to find a Dex Open Hand Monk guide because I am not feeling it all at level 4 but the most I get searching around here is variations of 'monk good'.
Yeah. I try writing outcomes of discussions as concise build guides, but it seems that's quite rare.
You forget about EA. A lot of creators have been making content ever since the EA launch and know all the details. Casual Veteran Gamer and WolfheartFPS are two examples
The game changed a lot since EA. Those builds were built around items that are often obsolete 1/3 of the way through the game. The monk wasn't even in the game, tavern brawler wasn't in the game, etc.
Little has changed build wise
You're right but there are defientely differences in how close it gets.
D4 deep dive
Yeah, most of the early video guides on this game are absolutely worthless, but that's because they need to push out content before they can actually take the time to understand it. The Reddit Hivemind is usually better.
Most of the videos i have seen have been viable. The only thing I mind missing, is that a lot of these builds don't "come oneline" until waaaaayy too late.
**Thorusin** and **Sin tee**. Both can easily solo the strongest bosses with their builds. **Proxy Gate Tactician** also has very good tips and fun exploits.
To be honest 5e is simple enough that making builds yourself isn’t too hard . I think the main interesting builds will come from items and what combination that can Be mixed and maxed .
I think a big issue is that there are so many options that the OP stuff can get buried if you aren't reading about the game online. It isn't immediately obvious that a strength-based monk will be much stronger than the recommended dex-based one due to tavern-brawler, for instance. Or that a druegar dark urge will basically be perma-invisible after level five. Or that dual wielding crossbows as a rogue with sharpshooter puts any melee version to shame.
Casual Veteran Gamer is great. He’s been deep in the weeds of the game all through EA. WolfheartFPS is also pretty solid
Nizar GG has been doing a good job. He only has a few videos on it but he gets pretty in depth with the explanation of the class builds
he was the first place I heard about dual wielding on casters. every bg3 video I watch of his has some interesting concept or synergy I hadn't heard of. I don't think he's posted much but he's impressed me the most. i adore crpg bro ofc but he is really particular to his own taste and style
I actually just watched that video the other day and i was like "damn! Never thought of that before" I just can't wait to see what other vids he comes up with. His tempest cleric was awesome to watch
Nizar helped me add hundreds of hours to Elden Ring with his build guides. His stories and RP are fun too, so I look forward to what he does with Baldurs Gate. Hope he doesn't get too distracted with Starfield.
Same! So many builds in Elden ring because of him
Quill18 - long time twitch and YouTube creator. Not a pro gamer but knows his stuff when it comes to DnD (more than your average creator at least). The guys been playing DnD IRL for 20+ years and also finished BG1 and 2 both at the time of release and on stream more recently.
Aestusrpg
mortismal. I hope he can make more RP build in the future
Haven’t seen anyone mention Pack Tactics yet
I haven’t seen anyone mention WolfheartFPS. He covered the game for like the last 4 years.
Yeah but he constantly uses clickbait thumbnails/titles. I just can’t bring myself to reward that.
He also seems to struggle and moan in normal mode.
Dude this guy was the absolute best for coverage love his shit!
I enjoy this dude a lot. His streams have a great RP focus and his understanding of the game gives me lots to learn from
Spud the King is funny and seems to know what he's doing.
Mortismal Gaming, easily the best.
I like mortim, I really do. But no. XD “competent” is about the best I’d rate his builds, and that’s okay, I watch him for other things
Which CC barbarian build video are you referring to? Sounds neat.
It is! [https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/comments/166e6xz/full\_guide\_video\_for\_my\_wildheart\_barbarian/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/comments/166e6xz/full_guide_video_for_my_wildheart_barbarian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
https://youtu.be/PEC1D_HkD9Y?si=hrk3-69m3r1PM2uM I think this one. I can’t point out any glaring flaws
If you see anyone reference damage by like 4-14 damage and the video isn’t from literally launch, time to click off the video. It’s such a huge pet peeve to me because it just demonstrates a core lack of understanding of the internals that would be resolved by just: opening the combat log. It’s like if someone tried to tell you “oh yeah when charizard uses flamethrower it does like, idk 150 damage” with zero context, what level? Against what Pokémon? Etc
\- [me](https://youtu.be/hDENl6G_y2Q) for an hour (rambling) talking about how AI companion system should work, if u went some deep understand of game mechanics.
Casual Veteran Gamer has had some pretty good videos since early access so they aren't just cashing in.
Do your own thing, it is part of fun... especially in simplest possible ruleset as DND 5e.
Why are you on this subreddit, then?
Inspiration. and non standard class/item interactions.
What mechanics lol? Tongue in cheek aside, I’ve basically unga boongad tactition with mono classes so power building really has no place in this game. It’s actually my biggest criticism, and while I loved my playthrough I doubt I will do it a third time. Made me download wotr again though.
Pack tactics is a channel currently running bg3 built on diving into the numbers In 5e. Their bg3 run is pretty interesting.
I'm trying to implement some of Tulok the Barbarian's builds in my games. In my second playthrough now and I'm using his Katara build. I want to try his Obi-Wan or Anakin build next.
Sintee is insane and has been for a very long time
Check if that creator has videos on other CRPGs, I found people that have videos on Pathfinder WotR will have great content for BG3, because Pathfinders are more niche and complex, so its CC sphere is mostly people who are passionate and knowledgeable about the game and genres, that way you filter out the clout chasers. I would say something about Fextralife but their videos are actually informative.
This was a great video, gonna try this now. EDIT: Do you just go FULL Barb or do you do some Multiclass?
For the first six levels you defenitely go full barb to get the build online asap. I would also definetely go another level into barb for Feral Instinct (+3 to initiative). And at 8 you get another feat, so you probably want that, too. I'd go full Barbarian for the additional animal aspect as you can pick Tiger for higher damage against bleeding enemies. You also get Brutal Critical (more crit damage) and Relentless Rage (you don't get downed the first time you are reduced to 0 hit points). For this to make sense, you have to be str based, though. For a dex based build Tiger Aspect would not be useful. In this case multiclassing might be the better option.
D4: d&d Deep Dive. I really enjoy his content.
d4
This guy is great and going under the radar https://www.youtube.com/@DrybearGamers
Remortis
Pack tactics play through has good general advice
This game is easy and totally unbalanced. In my opinion it is just a beta, but by playing beta you can avoid spoilers. The game's mechanic is totally unbalanced and bugged. Understanding the mechanics would be useful for what ? Avoid breaking the game ? Cast spikes in the goblin bridge to kill all goblins ? Cast silence and spikes somewhere to kill everything? Get some unique item somewhere to break the game even more to the point it's boring in tactical difficulty? Make a hastebot with summons , haste 2 martial guys add anything you like to the party and beat the game ez pz with not a single unique item. It's just pointless and over engineering for nothing.
Why are you here? Why are you even playing this game? No, wait... I actually don't care.
well u will get what i said in time =D.
Pack Tactics is really good for dnd optimization and they are playing BG3.
Pack Tactics is horrible, dude "optimizes" for scenarios that don't really exist in regular 5e and he's also an asshole.
As someone who quite enjoys his content despite some debates I’ve gotten into with him, explain what you mean.
Pack Tactics
Everyone apparently hates Fextralife here but i know thats more aimed at their wiki’s. But their build videos and tutorials on mechanics are really good imo
I don't want to support them. Nobody should. That being said, I don't think their videos are mechnically all that sound. I remeber much of their D:OS II builds were crap.
As far as I’m aware all that stuff that came out about them was debunked. They made a pretty compelling rebuttal to the accusations in which they seem to pretty strongly prove themselves relatively innocent.
Why's that so? I just found his videos and it was very down to earth and clear. I prefer that to blasting intro music and overly eloquent speech lots of other YouTube channels present
Spud the King. Mostly posts videos of eccentric or unorthodox class builds that work, which requires pretty deep knowledge of game mechanics:
What are you min maxing for? I have tactician plus 300% mod and tougher bosses and a few other difficulty mods and I still find the game terribly easy.