Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a great crash course in Dungeons & Dragons mechanics — inspiring players everywhere to take initiative in their tabletop experiences.
I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons for about three years now, but I just now finally figured out how spell slots work. The reason? Sinking dozens of hours into Baldur’s Gate 3, playing as a Wizard (and also dragging my beloved Gale along everywhere).
In my defense, I’ve never played a D&D campaign as a heavy spellcaster before. While my friends prepared their spells and kept track of how many slots they had left between sessions, I simply cast Eldritch Blast for the 10th time as my Warlock or planned a good sneak attack with my Rogue. I stayed away from any class that required extra homework time of parsing through the D&D 5e rulebook’s pages and pages of spells. But when Baldur’s Gate 3 came out, I decided to embrace my childhood dream of becoming a Wizard, a D&D class I’ve always wanted to dabble in but intimidated myself out of playing.
But finally — I get it. I know what it means to have two level 4 slots, but more than two level 4 spells to choose from. I know what it means to prepare those spells. Hell, I know what those spells do. But it’s more than that. Baldur’s Gate 3 has given me a crash course in a lot of Dungeons & Dragons mechanics that I was unfamiliar with, simply because I didn’t play those specific classes or because those elements just never came up in any of my sessions.
As it turns out, I’m not the only one whose D&D skills have seen a sharp improvement since playing Baldur’s Gate 3. Many players and Dungeon Masters alike told me about how the video game has altered their campaign sessions for the better. Players have figured out how to use spell slots and cunning actions, how to strategize as a team, and how to interact with the world around them in their tabletop play sessions.
One of the most beloved parts of Baldur’s Gate 3 is the cast of dynamic characters that become your companions. Chances are, you’re taking along your favorite companions as part of the party so that you won’t miss out on their dialogue, which means you’re going to learn about their class, race, and background features. My playthrough, for example, opened up my eyes to some of the cool classes I’d never thought about playing, like Lae’zel’s Battle Master tactics and Shadowheart’s Clerical powers. Kyle Bradford, who’s been DMing for about eight years, tells me that one of his players finally learned how to properly use their Rogue’s sneak attack and cunning actions.
