Baldur’s Gate 3 player fails 0 skill check sparking online hilarity
Larian StudiosA Baldur’s Gate 3 player has taken to Reddit to share their incredible misfortune, as they failed a 0 skill check thanks to the game’s dice mechanic.
Baldur’s Gate 3 was initially released in August and was met with immediate acclaim from all corners. Its deep, branching narrative and seemingly endless ways to play combined to make the game one of the most outstanding genre entries ever.
Within that, one of the main mechanics are dice rolls. One of the main features in the Dungeons & Dragons TTRPG was ported across to add a sense of luck and create story threads that players otherwise may have avoided.
Though some ability modifiers make success more likely, one player was recently on the wrong end of a particularly unforgiving mechanic.
One player impossibly failed a 0 skill check in Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian StudiosFor those unfamiliar, the game considers a roll of 1 a critical failure. This means that rolling a 1 is always a failure regardless of any modifiers. This can be tough to take generally, but the devastation went a step further in one recent case.
In a post on Reddit, a user shared their critical failure experience in Baldur’s Gate 3. The roll took place next to Cazador’s coffin (without Astarion present). Needing a roll of 0, the player’s roll of 1 still counted as a failure despite being a higher number.
Though many offered sympathy, others were quick to criticize developer Larian for including Natural 1s and 20s. The obvious flaws with the system are clear, with one person saying: “Honestly, I don’t know why Larian decided to use nat 1 and nat 20 in skill checks. It’s just awful and promotes even more save-scumming since technically you can pass every check without any point investment in skills.”
Others decided to take the opportunity to laugh instead: “Had a 5% chance to fail it, and you went all in, what a champion.”
Divisive, though it may be, the chance to succeed or fail in any circumstance is undeniably thrilling. It’s also arguably the most direct influence from D&D in Baldur’s Gate 3. With thousands of players still enjoying the game, it’s only a matter of time before more bizarre stories emerge.