Solasta: Crown of the Magister or Baldur's Gate 3

[CoronerZg]

Esteemed gentlemen, I need to decide what to play next and I need your help. I'm in the mood for a classic D&D experience (or something close enough).
So which one of these two games would you recommend? As far as I understand BG3 is far more polished but way more retarded in the "modern"
(woke) sense. Solasta should be much closer to the "pure" D&D experience but they lack a lot because of the budget constraints.
I'm also wondering is BG3 objectively really so woke and retarded it will kill my enjoyment? And how much is Solasta
lacking in terms of overall quality? Is the gameplay fun at all? Is there any kind of real challenge?
Or are they both so bad I should just replay Icewind Dale for the 87th time?

For reference, last 3 games I played (and enjoyed) were: King Arthur - Knight's Tale, Wasteland 3 and Colony Ship

 

[agris]

I'm in the mood for a classic D&D experience

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Baldur's Gate 1
Icewind Dale 1

 

[Strange Fellow]

Solasta embodies mediocrity in everything it does, from party building to story to dialogue to graphics to encounter design. BG3 may have a monumentally retarded story and lacks the cozy low-level adventurer vibe that Solasta has, but it's simply a much, much better game in every other respect.

The moment-to-moment writing varies wildly but at its best it's quite good, and it has good C&C in places, neither of which can be said for Solasta. Everything about combat is miles better - encounters feel distinct and provide interesting challenges (in the first two acts, at least), the ruleset is more complete and so both PCs and enemies have more interesting options and abilities, and Larian's trademark pushing and shoving, surfaces and environmental interactions enhance everyting. BG3 has actual exploration and plenty of places to use spells and abilities outside of combat, while Solasta only has overworld travel between self-contained maps, which are with a few exceptions purely combat galleries which are mostly linear with barely any secrets or other interesting things to find.

As much as it would be nice to say that the smaller indie game beats the triple A behemoth, in this case there's really no contest. However, if what you're looking for is some D&D action, as agris points out there are other games that are better than both. If you haven't played Knights of the Chalice I'd start there instead. It's closer in style to Solasta, but miles better.

 

[Falksi]

I'm only around 10-ish hours into my first jaunt through Solalsta, but Strange Fellow's summary certainly hits the spot with what I'm experiencing so far.

It feels like someone tried to turn Nu-Xcom into an RPG and their bus headed there broke down half-way. There's lots of good elements in ther game, but it's not really held together in any meaningful or exciting way, with many aspects feeling bare-bones.

I'll be surprised if I make it past the 20-hour mark at this rate tbh. Although I've not played BG3 to compare it too yet, so haven't voted.

Also, Solasta's character creator has a Pronoun options, so that instantly kills a huge sense of adventure by linking it with modern wokety from the off. I know BG3 is famed for it's wokeness too, but don't think Solasta escapes it.

 

[scytheavatar]

D&D 5e is not classic D&D; if you want classic D&D the Owlcat Pathfinder games are closer to what you would be looking for.

 

[Artyoan]

If you're playing Solasta then use the Unfinished Business mod which has an immense amount of added content. New subclasses, feats, spells, and allows for five and six man parties. A whole lot more beyond that. It is entirely modular so you pick what you want.

Also, Solasta has user made campaigns. Those tend to be harder than the official campaigns. I'll recommend my own which are The Forsaken Isle, Morrows Deep, and The Red Crow. There are the four man version originals and six man alternate versions of those modules. They are on the steam workshop and mod.io if you don't have steam.
Link: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3166018488

I haven't played BG3 yet to compare. But I will shill for Solasta for years to come.

 

[Butter]

Champions of Krynn
Knights of the Chalice
Temple of Elemental Evil
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Icewind Dale

You don't have to settle for modern slop.

 

[Fedora Master]

Solasta has better 5E rule implementation
Baldurs Gate has better production value.

Both games are retarded.

 

[Mortmal]

Esteemed gentlemen, I need to decide what to play next and I need your help. I'm in the mood for a classic D&D experience (or something close enough).
So which one of these two games would you recommend? As far as I understand BG3 is far more polished but way more retarded in the "modern"
(woke) sense. Solasta should be much closer to the "pure" D&D experience but they lack a lot because of the budget constraints.
I'm also wondering is BG3 objectively really so woke and retarded it will kill my enjoyment? And how much is Solasta
lacking in terms of overall quality? Is the gameplay fun at all? Is there any kind of real challenge?
Or are they both so bad I should just replay Icewind Dale for the 87th time?

For reference, last 3 games I played (and enjoyed) were: King Arthur - Knight's Tale, Wasteland 3 and Colony Ship

BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years. If I had to choose, it's BG3. Now, addressing the issue of wokeness that keeps coming up. BG3 is modern and inclusive, but it never forces anything on you and respects the player's agenda. Some, like jenkem, may think I am pushing a woke globalist agenda, but I am not. I loathe what Wizards of the Coast did with D&D. None of their new settings beat the AD&D 2E settings, and the best adventures are still 30-year-old modules re-skinned like Curse of Strahd and Tomb of Annihilation. But their worst offense is shitting on the old settings when they reuse them, like Dragonlance. For example, a virtuous Solamnic knight is pictured as a tall, handsome black guy, while right next to him, the corrupt villain is a 50-year-old balding white man with a mustache( most likely with poor hygiene too).Also have a look at dragonlance trailer, enough said... So, WotC is woke, but the worst aspect of woke with clear anti-white racism. Then add to that, there's nothing daring in their product, no sex at all as it embraces corporate wall mart like guidelines and conservative puritanism. The same kind of agenda is in a product like Starfield with moralizing companions, glorifying minorities, blacks, and women while giving the role of traitor, coward, and villain to the white guy.

There's no such thing in Baldur's Gate 3; it has complete creative liberty, never forces anything, and allows you your usual D&D nerd fantasy of having your hetero bearded dwarf warrior get a blowjob from a cute drow. Now, some may not like the Belgian humor. Larian are entertainers at heart, and it's like playing a tabletop RPG in a Belgian club with your university pals, nothing more or less.
It's obvious they played Bioware games, went on the Bioware forums, and took feedback from there, as every things the few schizos on the Codex complain about were things asked for in those forums frequently.

 

[Catacombs]

Shot: Solasta
Chaser: BG3

 

[CoronerZg]

Thank you guys! Baldur's Gate 3 it is then. I need to find some mods for game balance tho, cause I've heard the game is way too easy and I tend to lose interest without the challenge.
And I appreciate the recommendations for older classics, but I've played them all, multiple times. And yes, I understand these poll choices are far cry from real classics, but it is what it is.

 

[MerchantKing]

I would play neither if I were you.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Esteemed gentlemen, I need to decide what to play next and I need your help. I'm in the mood for a classic D&D experience (or something close enough).
So which one of these two games would you recommend? As far as I understand BG3 is far more polished but way more retarded in the "modern"
(woke) sense. Solasta should be much closer to the "pure" D&D experience but they lack a lot because of the budget constraints.
I'm also wondering is BG3 objectively really so woke and retarded it will kill my enjoyment? And how much is Solasta
lacking in terms of overall quality? Is the gameplay fun at all? Is there any kind of real challenge?
Or are they both so bad I should just replay Icewind Dale for the 87th time?

For reference, last 3 games I played (and enjoyed) were: King Arthur - Knight's Tale, Wasteland 3 and Colony Ship

Solasta is very much a combat-focused Tactical RPG, and its combat is superior to BG3's despite both being based on "D&D 5th edition".

However, you would be even better off with Pool of Radiance (1988), Champions of Krynn (1990; Deaths Knights of Krynn, the next game in that trilogy, is even better), Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (1993), or Temple of Elemental Evil (2003).

 

[Old Hans]

bg3 is hands down the better over all pick

 

[Mortmal]

Thank you guys! Baldur's Gate 3 it is then. I need to find some mods for game balance tho, cause I've heard the game is way too easy and I tend to lose interest without the challenge.
And I appreciate the recommendations for older classics, but I've played them all, multiple times. And yes, I understand these poll choices are far cry from real classics, but it is what it is.

If you don't save scum and only save and load to quit the game, it's already quite challenging. Most people will find Honor Mode impossible, and the statistics are evidence enough, dont try that first. People always brag about everything, but trust me, if you play it fair and don't abuse rests, it's highly tactical. You need no mods.
As for the old classics, they can't hold a candle to BG3 or Solasta, except for Temple of Elemental Evil. The Gold Box games were good for their time, but now they're primitive and outdated. Just let them rest we are speaking of 1988-1991 stuff.

 

[Mortmal]

jaekl disagreeing much again..Look at him lot of effort pushing buttons under other people posts.

 

[Ladonna]

jaekl disagreeing much again..Look at him lot of effort pushing buttons under other people posts.

Wow, you must really love BG3.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

BG3 easily. There'd be more of a contest if Solasta didn't dive off of a cliff at/after the vampire castle, but even ignoring everything EXCEPT combat BG3's got more going on in most encounters than Solasta. They are both worth playing but even if you just put Solasta's strongest point against BG3 and ignore the rest BG3's still got the edge.

 

[Mortmal]

jaekl disagreeing much again..Look at him lot of effort pushing buttons under other people posts.

Wow, you must really love BG3.

Yes, I do remember the RPG drought before Kickstarter. We were happy to play the latest Jeff Vogel game when there was one. No one was making them anymore, and when they did, it was mediocre stuff inferior to '90s-era games. It's only after Divinity: Original Sin, ultima 7 inspired, that we see something as good or better than the 2000s era, like BG2, Fallout, and Arcanum. And it's only now that I finally see a title that clearly surpasses them. Not everything is perfect, but it's damn close. So the Codex should rejoice about it. But part of the Codex crowd has been replaced by utter retards like Jaekl Ga♥ or Bing Xi Lao. And genuinely, I have utter contempt for those guys, only contributing in political threads and pushing buttons, much more so than normies.

 

[cdx]

... As far as I understand BG3 is far more polished but way more retarded in the "modern" (woke) sense. ...

If that's the main reason to avoid BG3, you can play it dewoked with modhq mods. You get the high production value without the downsides.

 

[agris]

BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon illustrating that those who are overconfident in their ability may not actually be the top performers, whereas those who believe they are average, or even slightly below, often demonstrate great skill.

 

[Mortmal]

BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon illustrating that those who are overconfident in their ability may not actually be the top performers, whereas those who believe they are average, or even slightly below, often demonstrate great skill.

You're from 2004, and you're resorting to a meme? Explain to us in a well-written paragraph, leveraging modern tools like AI assistance if you are too lazy , which awesome fantasy RPGs were released, especially in terms of tactical combat, that surpass BG3 or Solasta. But no, I suppose you're one of those old farts reminiscing about the perfect RPG releases from 30 years ago that only existed in your imagination.

 

[JarlFrank]

Knights of the Chalice 2.

 

[agris]

BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon illustrating that those who are overconfident in their ability may not actually be the top performers, whereas those who believe they are average, or even slightly below, often demonstrate great skill.

You're from 2004, and you're resorting to a meme? Explain to us in a well-written paragraph, leveraging modern tools like AI assistance if you are too lazy , which awesome fantasy RPGs were released, especially in terms of tactical combat, that surpass BG3 or Solasta. But no, I suppose you're one of those old farts reminiscing about the perfect RPG releases from 30 years ago that only existed in your imagination.

I believe it's incumbent on you, the person who is claiming that "BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.", to explain to us in well-written paragraphs, leveraging modern tools like AI assistance if you are too lazy, why you claim what you do.

You are championing a mass media product which is, for all intents and purposes, universally lauded. You are not fighting some underdog battle to have BG3 recognized for the wonderful traits you proclaim it to have. You are tossing a flower in a river and watching it move downstream. You are the mainstream consumer of mainstream slop, in my eyes.

So no Mortmal , I believe it's you who needs to make their case why this equivalent of a capeshit movie is the be all and end all of cRPGs for the past 20 years.

edit: also, I play BG1 & IWD1 every few years

 

[Mortmal]

BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon illustrating that those who are overconfident in their ability may not actually be the top performers, whereas those who believe they are average, or even slightly below, often demonstrate great skill.

You're from 2004, and you're resorting to a meme? Explain to us in a well-written paragraph, leveraging modern tools like AI assistance if you are too lazy , which awesome fantasy RPGs were released, especially in terms of tactical combat, that surpass BG3 or Solasta. But no, I suppose you're one of those old farts reminiscing about the perfect RPG releases from 30 years ago that only existed in your imagination.

I believe it's incumbent on you, the person who is claiming that "BG3 is by far the best game, but Solasta is also significantly better than anything else released in the last 20 years.", to explain to us in well-written paragraphs, leveraging modern tools like AI assistance if you are too lazy, why you claim what you do.

You are championing a mass media product which is, for all intents and purposes, universally lauded. You are not fighting some underdog battle to have BG3 recognized for the wonderful traits you proclaim it to have. You are tossing a flower in a river and watching it move downstream. You are the mainstream consumer of mainstream slop, in my eyes.

So no Mortmal , I believe it's you who needs to make their case why this equivalent of a capeshit movie is the be all and end all of cRPGs for the past 20 years.

edit: also, I play BG1 & IWD1 every few years

I've explained this many times in various posts, but being old, I don't mind repeating myself. If you're playing BG1 or IWD 1, you're experiencing real-time with pause games with a bastardized AD&D system. These games lack features like attacks of opportunity, grappling, and throwing enemies, i could keep going on and on. Their stats are modified to suit an arcade-like system, and they don't utilize the Z-axis. They're quite linear, especially IWD 1, which is essentially a combat gauntlet with little reactivity. While enjoyable in their time, they're overshadowed nowadays by games faithful to the 5E ruleset. Just because a game is popular and mainstream doesn't mean it's bad; after all, works like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars enjoy similar popularity.