Baldur’s Gate 3 players say “overwhelming” Act III is making them quit the game

Scott Baird
Baldur's Gate 3 protagonist looked shocked

Baldur’s Gate 3 players are burning out on the game in Act III due to how overwhelming it is in its approach to new content.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a notoriously massive game, and not just because of its lengthy runtime. There are so many character creation options, diverging storylines, multiple solutions to problems, and hidden secrets that it’s almost impossible to see everything it has to offer.

Act I & II of Baldur’s Gate 3 are extremely streamlined, with the player in a running battle from monsters while dealing with the growing threat of the Mind Flayer tadpoles in their brain. They finally reach the city of Baldur’s Gate in Act III, where the game’s many storylines can finally be resolved.

Unfortunately, many players aren’t reaching the credits. The city of Baldur’s Gate might be one of the greatest locations in D&D, but its video game equivalent isn’t quite as enticing.

Baldur’s Gate 3 players are quitting during Act III

A user on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit has created a thread discussing how they find Act III overwhelming. Other users shared this sentiment, feeling that the story isn’t quite as engaging as it was in the earlier Acts, causing them to bounce off the game.

“I stopped two playthroughs when I reached Act 3,” one user said, “I think sometimes, Act 3 is just too overwhelming and unfocused. It feels like a checklist that you have to go through. Act 3 sometimes feels like work and you constantly have to switch companions because their quests are all over the place.”

“My problem is I’m already level 12 before I enter the city proper. Gimme like two more levels so I can feel the need to continue,” one user wrote, mentioning Baldur’s Gate 3’s level cap and how you’re likely to hit it before reaching the endgame.

“Act 2 is such a roller coaster – in a good way – that Act 3 feels unfocused and bulky by comparison,” one user wrote. “Act 2 propels you along an epic questline with badass cinematics and a climactic battle, then suddenly you’re… wandering the streets of a city with no single way forward.”

“Big shift in tone and structure. I tend to prefer a fairly linear RPG experience, so I definitely struggle with motivation in Act 3.”

Seeing such a lengthy story through to the end can be hard, especially when resisting the urge to start over with a new build or facing the temptation to play all of those other games that are being released.

For Baldur’s Gate 3, a more focused approach going into the final chapter might help keep players engaged instead of dropping them in a city and hoping the adventure finds them.