Baldur’s Gate 3 players encourage each other to ‘save-scum’ all the time

Baldur’s Gate 3 players have been discussing the merits and drawbacks of ‘save scumming’, with many in support of the practice.

In Baldur’s Gate 3, you are bombarded with choices and perilous situations. There are a lot of things that can go right, and twice as many things that can go wrong.

Perhaps you’re ambushed and get on a particularly unlucky streak during combat, or you miss a vital roll on a character moment you really had your heart set on. There are endless situations where you might want a do-over. 

That’s where “save scumming” comes in. This is a practice as old as RPG video games themselves, but one that remains somewhat contentious. This is the art of saving the game before a big fight or decision, allowing you to return to it if the outcome isn’t what you want. Essentially, it’s a way to guarantee you get the result you want, as long as you have the patience to keep reloading. Some go as far as to see this as cheating, as consequences become inconsequential.

However, players of the game are openly admitting to using the practice to improve their own experience. 

Players encourage each other to save and reload

Larian Studios

A Reddit thread titled “Raise your hand if you save scum the S**T Outta this game” has received over 1.9k upvotes at the time of writing. In it, Players are discussing how they’re using the tactic. User KevinRyan589 said: “Not for choices or anything like that but sometimes encounters just go so horrifyingly bad that it’s not even worth finishing them.”

For some, saving is just a safety net they never hope to use. As one user pointed out. “Who else saves 300 times per hour just in case they have to reload but almost never actually does?”

Another stated, “I never do it to get the best outcome. But like you, I do reload if combat starts going south. I get no enjoyment continuing a fight I know I’m going to lose.”

One user was critical of people chastising the method. They said: “Save scumming is such a dumb gate keeping phrase I wish I could take it and throw it into the sun.” 

Ultimately, as long as you are playing alone, the threshold for save-scumming is only yours to decide. You can challenge yourself and never use it unless your team dies, or you can use it frequently to amend choices that don’t go how you want. Finding your own line is important, and as long as you’re having the most fun possible, you’re playing right.