Baldur’s Gate 3 devs explain why they actually want players to “exploit” the game

Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian has no plans to reprimand players for trying to “exploit” the game but instead wants to “fuel and reward” them.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been an undeniable success for developer Larian. However, the game is not without its share of bugs and glitches. 

While most developers punish players for taking advantage of these issues, Larian takes a completely different approach and wants to encourage “creativity” and experimentation within the community.

Just last week, a developer for Once Human publicly shamed players for taking advantage of an in-game bug to access restricted areas; this method of handling the situation received major backlash from gamers.

During a games conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, earlier in 2024, Larian gameplay scripter Mihail Kostov outlined the strategies for ensuring titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 remain playable despite gamers trying their hardest to break the mechanics.

A recording of said presentation was recently released to the public, with Kostov outlining how Baldur’s Gate 3 wants to “fuel and reward” player creativity rather than stamp it out of the game, stating, “We at Larian believe player creativity is great.”

As further proof of this philosophy, Kostov outlined a particular instance within the game in which the devs wrote and recorded additional Lae’zel dialogue during Act 1 for players who discovered how to obtain a powerful weapon well before the game intended. 

“Let players keep the cool weapon,” Kostov said. “They found a way to exploit the game, let them have it. It’s awesome”

While the gameplay scripter acknowledged that there are times when “player action may push a system to the extreme,” he believes this to be “one of the most fun” parts of developing a game, particularly one that maintains a dedicated and consistent player base.

Given that Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to maintain a high player count despite new bugs appearing each week, it appears that their outlook on encouraging players to “exploit” these issues is paying off.