Highlights
- Create a balanced party with specific roles to effectively progress through the game.
- Coordinate and cooperate with fellow players to strategize and make combat easier.
- Split the party and loot wisely,
- Ignore companions to focus on the co-op experience.
Baldur's Gate 3 casts players into the miraculous world of Toril and centers them in the middle of a plot involving a psionic parasite, otherworldly influences, and an ancient evil that threatens everything. It is a lot for one person to tackle alone, and although numerous NPC companions can join players on their journey, one will find no better company than that of their most trusted and chaotic friends — making for an adventuring party unlike any other.
Through the cohesive multiplayer of Baldur's Gate 3, players can join an existing save or start fresh and progress through the story together. Each player has complete autonomy; they can further the story, make choices, form relationships, explore, etc., to their heart's content. Naturally, players can do and achieve more when playing together, but to get the most out of co-op, they should follow these helpful tips to accomplish even more.
5 Create A Balanced Party
Baldur's Gate 3, much like Dungeons & Dragons, emphasizes the importance of balancing a party. While there are no restrictions on a party's composition, fulfilling particular roles is necessary if players are to progress through the game effectively, hence the diverse cast of companions available in single-player. Players can undoubtedly do more than these companions, but they, too, must strive for a balanced party composition to do so. So, players should plan their characters accordingly, whether joining an existing save or starting anew.
A balanced party features a variety of roles, chiefly the Face (speaks for the party), the Tank (soaks up damage), the Damage Dealer (dishes out damage), the Support (heals and buffs), the Sneak (picks pockets, disarms traps, and picks locks), and the Investigator (examines strange objects, creatures, phenomena, etc.). While a party consists of only four characters, the many classes, subclasses, races, and backgrounds allow players to fulfill multiple roles — a Paladin alone can meet several — they need only coordinate their characters.
4 Coordinate And Cooperate
Strategizing during or before combat is easy when playing Baldur's Gate 3 solo because one person makes all the decisions and knows how their tactics will play out. Playing co-op, however, is an entirely different experience. With a complete party, there will be four people thinking independently of each other that can act however they see fit, which can be good or bad depending. If players cannot coordinate their turns with each other, combat will be more challenging as everyone scrambles to carry an encounter solo rather than cooperate.
Making the most of co-op means working with fellow players and planning one's turn with others in mind. Doing so allows players to set up others for success or prevent enemies from getting the upper hand on their allies, helping the party overall. Coordination and cooperation between players will make combat easier because they only need to worry about one character and how that character can aid others rather than dividing one's attention across four. Moreover, four minds working together can form brilliant or so-stupid-it-will-work strategies.
3 Split The Party
Those familiar with Dungeons & Dragons know the danger of splitting the party, an ill-advised venture to achieve more by dividing and conquering. Doing so often ends tragically, as players rely on the strength and diversity of their party for safety and adaptability. While the same is true in Baldur's Gate 3, and while the dangers of dividing and conquering remain, players will find that splitting the party is not nearly as detrimental and is, in truth, beneficial in many ways so long as they are cautious and aware of their fellow party members.
Scouring locations and completing quests takes much time and effort in a single-player playthrough, but a co-op party can do much more in a shorter period if they split the party — carefully. Players should travel in pairs rather than go solo and only tackle areas and objectives that do not demand the party's full strength; that is to say, players should not explore a witch's bog or pursue a quest to slay a dragon without their complete party. So, split the party when appropriate and stay aware of fellow players, as they may bite off more than they can chew.
2 Split The Loot
Baldur's Gate 3 has players spoiled with loot, as there is a near-endless income of gold and a plethora of valuables they can earn by exploring areas and completing quests. Those playing the game alone have the benefit of keeping all the gold to themselves and distributing loot however they see fit, but in co-op, players need to split their earnings and do so tactically. The policy of finders keepers has no place in multiplayer, especially if a party is to be as effective as possible. So, those that are loot goblins are going to have to learn to share.
Splitting gold is easy, but deciding who gets what magical artifact, weapon, armor, etc., is challenging; while some items obviously suit one class or role, others may benefit anyone. Players must consider their characters and said character's role in the party, then negotiate with others to determine what items would benefit who the most, allocating the loot appropriately. Never should any player hoard gold or things they have no business possessing, such as a Barbarian with a magical lute who knows full well that the Bard needs a replacement.
1 Ignore Companions
Companions are a significant part of Baldur's Gate 3 and arguably breathe the most life into it. Each companion has a personality and individual quests — many of which affect the main story — that players can help them pursue. Not to mention that players can also form meaningful relationships with them, becoming friends or possibly something more. That being said, making the most of a co-op experience means players must ignore this lovable cast of characters as much as possible and turn their attention to their fellow players.
While companions are an outstanding addition to Baldur's Gate 3 and prove a necessary part of single-player playthroughs, they have little place in co-op if the party is complete. Companions will take a backseat even on quests they are attached to — quests that might not be completable without them. Players will miss out on many interactions with companions and find the few that occur awkward or misplaced, such as Shadowheart reacting to an exchange she was not there for. Companions have a place, just not in multiplayer playthroughs.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC, with a PS5 release on September 6 and an Xbox launch to follow.
