Both games implement Dungeons
& Dragons 5th Edition ruleset, which means that each character has a movement, an action, and a bonus
action to utilize during combat There is basically the same spellcasting system in both that utilizes spell slots
and spell preparation mechanics Additionally, damage types
play a significant role, affecting how weapons and
spells interact with enemies All this is quite obvious and
expected from a D&D-based game, making it easy for those familiar
with the rules to jump in However, if you go deeper, you would
see that these games in fact have a lot of differences and are not the same at all And that’s what I want to focus on – exploring
the unique distinctions that set them apart For one, Solasta and BG have very different
approaches to the implementation of D&D rules Solasta takes pride in sticking
closely to the D&D rulebook, trying to transfer it into the
videogame world as close as possible On the flip side, Larian embraces
a more flexible approach, tinkering with the rules if they thought
it would enhance the gaming experience What this means exactly is that you will find a lot more homebrewing and changes
in Baldur’s Gate than in Solasta This statement is true to the
entirety of these two games actually, but it is especially noticeable in combat A notable difference lies in the systems from D&D that Baldur's Gate either
omits or significantly alters Take the Cover system, for instance In D&D, characters can find cover behind
objects, providing different levels of protection It grants a bonus to AC against ranged
attacks based on the type of cover used This system is nowhere to be found in BG, while
it is implemented into Solasta almost exactly Another example just like this is the
absence of Dodge and Ready actions In Solasta, you can Ready
an action during your turn, allowing your character to perform it
between turns if the conditions are met For example, you can prepare an attack or
a cantrip to activate upon seeing an enemy And the Dodge action grants a disadvantage
on all attack rolls made against you Baldur's Gate also removes the ammunition
system for bows and crossbows, making basic attacks infinite, with only special arrows
requiring finding, crafting, or buying One significant difference I noticed is
that Baldur's Gate has restrictive aiming What I mean is that when casting
spells, you can only target the ground, preventing you from, for instance,
aiming Fireball above an enemy Conversely, in Solasta, holding Shift allows you to aim spells almost anywhere
in the world, even in mid-air This becomes most evident with conditions like Fly In BG, flying essentially
works as an upgraded jump You’re not literally flying around, you can just move from one place to another
better than regular walking or jumping While Solasta allows you to move
freely in 3D space and even be suspended in the air, casting spells from above There are numerous differences like these between
the games, with Solasta closely following D&D 5th edition rules and incorporating more systems
and mechanics from the source material However, strictly adhering to the rules, as
Solasta does, may not always be a positive thing Certain changes in Baldur's Gate were likely made to improve gameplay experience
and balance and I agree with them Case in point, the elimination of ammunition
requirements makes total sense as carrying regular arrows in Solasta quickly became
more of an annoyance than anything else Likewise, there's the bothersome rule in D&D and
Solasta where potions require a full action to use Due to this, we found ourselves
rarely utilizing any potions After all, in most cases, your action
could be better spent dealing damage or taking strategic moves rather
than healing for a mere 1d6 it's no wonder that making potions a bonus action
is one of the most common homebrew rules in D&D Thus, it's logical that Baldur's
Gate also adopted this change to make potion usage more practical and convenient This goes to show that sometimes tweaking the
rules can clearly enhance the gameplay experience The same can be said for the
introduction of entirely new rules One of the big problems in D&D is that
martial classes can feel a bit boring Unlike spellcasting classes that enjoy
a variety of spells and cantrips, martial classes often boil down
to a few basic attacks each turn Baldur’s Gate has an ingenious solution to
this problem: they assigned each martial weapon in the game a set of additional skills
that it provides if you have proficiency So, alongside regular attacks, you can
execute skills such as lacerate, cleave concussive smash or someting wilder This clever approach not only makes these classes more engaging to play but
also makes looting more valuable Also, Baldur’s Gate 3 introduces some
interesting High Ground mechanics If you have a high ground over your target,
your attack rolls are granted an advantage But if someone holds a high ground
over you - you receive a disadvantage These few simple rules add a layer of strategy to the gameplay by emphasizing the
importance of party positioning A great addition to the game Let's talk about the fights themselves They are exactly what you'd expect
from tactical turn-based gameplay It involves thinking a few moves ahead, positioning your characters strategically,
and anticipating your enemies' actions It is great fun for people like
me, that enjoy turn-based combat However, the pacing of such combat
can sometimes be slow and repetitive Waiting for your turn, especially with
the sluggish animations in Solasta, can become so tedious And it is such an underwhelming feeling when your turn finally arrives, and
you just miss your attacks Especially when there is nothing to shake
things up and make encounters more interesting Because of all this, after around 20
to 30 hours of Solasta, I started to feel like I'd already experienced
most of what the game had to offer Many fights felt similar, and the locations
seemed like mere arenas for battles There's a lack of bosses or unique
enemies that require strategies This is where Baldur’s Gate shines in comparison Its combat is much more fast-paced,
with characters moving, attacking, and casting spells more swiftly than
in Solasta, resulting in less downtime Your characters can move together if they are together in the turn order and
it even works in multiplayer And enemies too can move several
characters at the same time Locations in Baldur’s Gate present intriguing
scenarios like pits to throw enemies into, boulders to drop on their heads,
explosive barrels, and so on Some encounters can have unique gimmicks, others can have unusual enemies
that require a special approach Overall enemy variety is huge The game encourages experimentation: you can
throw objects and even characters around, utilize grenades with various effects,
and throw potions for tactical advantages It offers a broader range of spells and skills
for players to explore and experiment with Such diverse gameplay elements create a dynamic and engaging combat experience
that is a lot less repetitive Though to be fair, Solasta also has
a few spells that BG doesn’t have, including a few homebrews created for the game
