Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3is finally here, and it has not disappointed so far. It has everything that RPG andDungeons and Dragonsfans have wanted for years and sets a very high bar for future fantasy titles. Not only is it an immersive singleplayer RPG that players can sink months into, but it is also an incredible co-op experience for anyone looking to conquer a fantasy world with their friends. However, not everything aboutBaldur’s Gate 3’s co-op experience is perfect.
WhileBaldur’s Gate 3excels atgiving players a unique co-op experience, some of its systems are kind of limited when players play it with friends. The story can be hard to follow, the combat can sometimes be a little slow, and navigating the world together can be cumbersome. While some of that can make the game more sluggish, one of the biggest problems may come when players try to purchase items. The vendors work like almost every other RPG before it, but co-op can often hinder that experience greatly.
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Baldur’s Gate 3’s Vendors Fall Apart in Co-Op
Vendors have always played an important role in the RPG genre, andBaldur’s Gate 3does not change that. Players will collect all sorts of items throughout their adventure that they will need to sell to build up their gold count. Vendors also offer a wide variety of items that may prove vital during player’s journey, and most shopkeepers are a joy to talk to as well. While this is pretty standard for an RPG, these vendors do not work that well in co-op.
For some reason,Baldur’s Gate 3’svendorscan only be interacted with by one player at a time. If players are playing with a full party that needs to sell things, they will have to wait their turn. Multiple players cannot sell things at the same shopkeeper at the same time. Instead, they must form a line like they do in real life, and that can make the entire process rather slow. While it does not detract from the game too much, it can still be very annoying at times.
While people have to form lines in the real world when they want to buy things, forming lines in games likeBaldur’s Gate 3is just weird. If otherRPGs likeWorld of WarcraftorFinal Fantasy 14required players to form lines, then the entire vendor system would be a slog. Larian Studios may have packed the game with game-changing dialogue options, but that does not mean players should be locked out of these vendors while they wait for whatever the player before them chooses to do.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s vendors are sluggish in co-op, and they also operate a bit differently than other RPG games. Instead of letting players just right-click their items to sell them, players have to actually barter with them. If players are not paying attention, then they may accidentally donate all of their items to the vendor rather than selling them for gold. They have to actually ask for the gold if they want to be rewarded for their item hoarding, and that can make the process even slower.
While Larian Studios wanted to makeBaldur’s Gate 3’s vendors very immersive, that has also made them a bit slower than they should be. With a few tweaks, that could all be rectified, but players will just have to wait and see if the studio actually wants to change them.Baldur’s Gate 3is arguably one of the best RPGs to come out in recent years, but that does not mean the entire vendor process cannot be sped up a bit.
Baldur’s Gate 3is out now on PC with a PS5 version launching on September 6. An Xbox version is also in development.
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