Highlights
- Players adventuring cooperatively in Baldur's Gate 3 should focus on party members only, as companions not included in the party have limited participation.
- Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke recommends saving the full companion experience for a single-player playthrough for a deeper connection with the characters.
- While it may not be realistic to do multiple playthroughs for everyone, players are encouraged to try both multiplayer and single-player runs in Baldur's Gate 3.
Baldur's Gate 3 players adventuring cooperatively with friends should probably ignore any companions not included in the party, recommends Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke. Baldur's Gate 3 supports cooperative play for up to four players. But every player in the party means one less companion is included. It's Vincke's recommendation that if a companion isn't in one's Baldur's Gate 3 party, they're better left alone until they can be included in a single-player playthrough.
The companion system lies at the heart of the Baldur's Gate 3 experience. In single-player, players are able to fill their four-person party with a selection of many different available companions. These include the handsome wizard Gale, the demon-slaying Tiefling barbarian Karlach, and the Elfen vampire and rogue Astarion. If players don't include a companion in their party, they typically sit in the player's camp and only participate in the adventures of Baldur's Gate 3 indirectly.
Due to the fact that Baldur's Gate 3's companions don't take an active role in adventuring if they're not in the party, Larian's Vincke says co-op players might be best served by ignoring them. More specifically, Vincke recommends focusing on party members, whether they be friends or companions. He says that, "your connection to these characters is going to be much shallower than if you had them with you." As such, Vincke would much rather Baldur's Gate 3 players wait to fully experience these companions' journeys in a single-player run where they can join the party.
It's easy to understand why Vinke might feel this way. He and the team at Larian have spent years bringing these companions to life in Baldur's Gate 3. He knows everything in Baldur's Gate 3 that awaits each of these companions. Further, he knows the best ways for players to get that full companion experience. If he says it's worth doing a single-player campaign with that companion, and that anything less is a "much shallower" version, he's probably trustworthy.
Vincke does acknowledge that his advice may not be realistic for every Baldur's Gate 3 player, however. He says that he's played through the game "multiple times over" and has a personal investment in the different ways Baldur's Gate 3 can be played. But not everyone has the time to play Baldur's Gate 3 multiple times. He still encourages players to try both a multiplayer and single-player Baldur's Gate 3 run, though.
In the end, Baldur's Gate 3's party size is just four players and there are more than twice that amount of companions available in the current version of the game. It will take multiple single-player runs to experience all of those companions' stories, regardless of playing multiplayer or not. With hope, every Baldur's Gate 3 player enjoys the time they spend in the RPG regardless of how much of the game's content they fully experience.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC and will release on September 6 for PS5. An Xbox version is in development.
Source: PC Gamer
