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BG3 or Witcher 3?

Which is the better game?

  • Baldurs Gate 3

    Votes: 103 38.4%
  • Witcher 3

    Votes: 165 61.6%

  • Total voters
    268

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Alright gang. Enough time has passed since BG3 release to have this inevitable face off.

Both of these WRPGs have been touted as Jesus’ second coming but only one can arise the true King.

Which game and why is the best?
 

Aion002

Member
TW3.



video games GIF


I just love it.
 

Gexxy1

Member
The major problem I had with BG3 is that it incentivizes you to play "the right way," ie as a hero. If you try to play any other way, you're just locking yourself out of quests and good loot. This isn't the case with W3, with how morally grey most quests are written, it makes the impact of player choices and narrative that much stronger as a result.
 
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Witcher 3 by a country mile. The music, the characters, the atmosphere, the lore... BG3 feels like a slapdash cartoon. There is nothing holding that world together. There is no charm or soul. The Witcher 3 is the greatest game ever and I don't even really like the gameplay. That is how much more of a sum of its parts it is. It is a triumph.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
They're very different games all things considered. In terms of RPG, BG3 without a doubt.

The major problem I had with BG3 is that it incentivizes you to play "the right way," ie as a hero. If you try to play any other way, you're just locking yourself out of quests and good loot. This isn't the case with W3, with how morally grey most quests are written, it makes the impact of player choices and narrative that much stronger as a result.
There are tons of stuff you miss out if you go the 'good' route too. In fact, you'll be missing out on stuff no matter what you do, there is no "right way" to play the game even if your own personal playthrough felt like "the right way". That's why the game is so praised.
 

Gexxy1

Member
There are tons of stuff you miss out if you go the 'good' route too. In fact, you'll be missing out on stuff no matter what you do, there is no "right way" to play the game even if your own personal playthrough felt like "the right way". That's why the game is so praised.
Significantly less by comparison. There was a very looooonng post on reddit that had everything you miss out on when you don't go "good guy route," general consensus was it was the largest flaw in the game. It was even pointed out that there's a way to cheese it some of the bad rewards, for example you can still recruit
Minthara without having to kill the camp lol.
 
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Guilty_AI

Member
Significantly less by comparison. There was a very looooonng post on reddit that had everything you miss out on when you don't go "good guy route," general consensus was it was the largest flaw in the game. It was even pointed out that there's a way to cheese it some of the bad rewards, for example you can still recruit
Minthara without having to kill the camp lol.
EVY93XF.png


Evil playthrough literally includes alternate dark personas of several companions, many buffs and items, areas you can only invade by doing "evil" things, and most definitely many, many cutscenes and interactions. If you go Dark Urge in particular, the narrative almost becomes a different one altogether.
 
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Mozzarella

Member
I love both games, but im voting Baldur's Gate 3, its simply the better game. I love both equally but i have to remove my bias.
Baldur's Gate 3 has the better game design, quest design, world design and RPG mechanics.
While on the other hand Witcher 3 has the better writing and presentation.

I have to say i was more impressed by the voice acting and performance of BG3 characters like Astarion and Shadowheart, so presentation in favor of Witcher 3 but not all of it, I think Witcher 3 still excels at Cinematics when it comes to RPGs like its among the very best, it has excellent cutscene direction that can rival a movie, it also has great sound and voiceovers, the art direction and graphics are a work of a painting, its just top tier in presentation and very few games can touch it all of them are non-RPG like Red Dead 2.
On the other hand BG3 ditches the superiority in that (thought still great for crpgs) and goes for depth in game design by having a game that is reactive, fun to replay and has rich interactivity, it also has one of the best turn based combat systems ever produced, and the world design is very intricate and meaningful with well hidden secrets, great encounter design and good exploration.

Its simply two different design philosophies, its hard to compare unless its a fun contest.

For what matters to me Baldur's Gate 3 is better, its a pity there is no expansion like W3 ones, im sure without the expansions W3 would be losing by a quite the margin.

I also love both games soundtracks, both composers did a fantastic job.
 
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Schmendrick

Member
Too different in their gameplay design to compare. As if you'd compare a football and a racecar game. Both are absolutely great at what they were designed to be
 
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Baldur's Gate 3 is easily the game of the generation and one of the best games of all time.

It's a pretty easy choice.

Funny because Witcher 3 is also considered the game of the generation for the previous gen and one of the greatest ever by many people.

I do think W3, BB, and GoW2018 were the 3 best games last gen. BG3 sounds equally amazing though as a crpg, but it's a genre I always struggle with on console due to controls and menus being a slog for me to navigate. I also suck at the combat in these games.

Anyone able to successfully enjoy BG3 (or any crpg) on console? Because I own BG3 for ps5 but everything takes me SO LONG to do! Only way I could see myself getting to a point where I can move through this at a decent pace would he if I stopped playing other games and focused only on playing BG3. That's not my style though as there's always other games in rotation so I never get proficient at crpg's!
 

T4keD0wN

Member
BG3 is almost 10 years newer so its pretty unfair to compare, which highlights just how well Witcher 3 holds up.

Witcher 3 is better than all of the books that its based on, whereas BG3 is worse than many of the books that it is based on so i guess Witcher is a bigger success.

BG3 is undoubtedly much better at being an RPG. Which is a better game is debatable, but id still say BG3, just because witchers gameplay is average unless you use 3 or 4 dozens of gameplay mods.
 
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If I could only pick 1, I'd probably pick BG3, simply for the replay value.

But they are so uniquely different experiences it's not really right to compare them. I'd put Witcher 3 and BG3 on my favorite games of all time list and the ranking on that list would only be determined by how I happen to be feeling that day.

Both incredible RPG's that scratch very different itches.
 
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XXL

Member
Funny because Witcher 3 is also considered the game of the generation for the previous gen and one of the greatest ever by many people.

I do think W3, BB, and GoW2018 were the 3 best games last gen. BG3 sounds equally amazing though as a crpg, but it's a genre I always struggle with on console due to controls and menus being a slog for me to navigate. I also suck at the combat in these games.

Anyone able to successfully enjoy BG3 (or any crpg) on console? Because I own BG3 for ps5 but everything takes me SO LONG to do! Only way I could see myself getting to a point where I can move through this at a decent pace would he if I stopped playing other games and focused only on playing BG3. That's not my style though as there's always other games in rotation so I never get proficient at crpg's!
I own it on PS5 and PC. It controls better on PC (imo), but the console controls are pretty good.

The W3 is great and I love it, but when it comes to actual RPG elements, the W3 doesn't come close to BG3 (and not much else does).
 

Meicyn

Gold Member
Witcher 3 has great writing, excellent presentation, fantastic voice acting, incredible soundtrack, and excellent world immersion… but it plays like butt. The combat is janky as hell and Geralt’s basic movement feels awful. For an action RPG, these are major flaws. At least the remaster fixed Geralt no longer dying after dropping from a 4 foot fall.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the better game IMO.
 

Gaelyon

Gold Member
BG3 checks all the marks : D&D, turn based tactical combat, story with many choices and real impact, great characters, great longevity and replayability, high production value it's almost too much.
 
Well, this is a really tough one.

I think I'll have to give the slight edge to Witcher 3.

1. Both games have peerless world creation, Witcher 3 wins on depicting mundane people across all classes - ordinars, witchers, aristocrats, gangsters, etc.

2. BG3 is dominant easily in the RPG aspects, loads of meaningful loots, skills and character builds. I absolutely loved the synergy between items and skills. Plus the sheer freedom to complete the goals.

3. Both have great characters but Geralt is probably the greatest protagonist ever created (thanks to the book). The voice acting is such unforgettable as well. I never really enjoyed silent protagonist in RPG.

4. BG3 boasts a crazy quest system that is so interconnected and chained. Witcher 3 is more of traditional scattered standalone quests for most side missions.


5. Witcher 3 has the two of the greatest DLCs of all time, which are something BG3 don't have to compare.
 

Flabagast

Member
Witcher 3 still had better written and more original quests imho.

What is amazing in BG3 is the permutations and the great narrative flexibility, which is way deeper than W3, but this one leverages on its more « linear » narratives to offer more fleshed out and stronger characters. + the general atmosphere and grittiness of W3 has not been topped imho.

Still, both are masterpieces and definitely the two best cinematic/ narrative AAA WRPG of the last decade, with nothing coming close (except Cyberpunk but which is a very different game and not that comparable)

Édit: also, even if what Larian did with the setting is absolutely bonkers, the universe of D&D screams a little too much « generic melting pot of vanilla heroic fantasy » to me compared to the heavy geopolitical, slave inspired, WW2 Eastern Europe trauma influenced lore of the Witcher
 
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Crayon

Member
I like witcher but it was all writing, performance, visuals, music, etc. The gameplay is flimsy.

Bg3 has all that and tons more. Sometimes you don't want tons more, though.
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
Witcher 3 is more of a Western style action RPG.
BG3 is more of a traditional CRPG. Turned based and realtime elements from a rough overhead perspective. Slower and more deliberate.

Different style games. BG3 is more hardcore and deep. W3 has a deep story and excellent side quests. More story driven. BG3 is more of a true RPG.

I love both but I think I'll go with The Witcher.
 
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Baldurs gate 3 for all time ever!

Loved witcher 3 but after completing it it's painfully obvious how less impactful your choices are in that in comparison to bg3.

Plus witcher combat is serviceable but bg3 has so much variety
 

UltimaKilo

Gold Member
The Witcher 3 first, then play BG3. Both great games, but The Witcher is on another level. Such a deep game. You’ll get a lot of bang for your buck there, especially today.
 

Vick

Member
Witcher 3 by a country mile. The music, the characters, the atmosphere, the lore... BG3 feels like a slapdash cartoon. There is nothing holding that world together. There is no charm or soul. The Witcher 3 is the greatest game ever and I don't even really like the gameplay. That is how much more of a sum of its parts it is. It is a triumph.
The only possible answer.
 
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