For Those Of You Playing Baldur's Gate 3, For Your First Run Did Pick An Origin Or Custom Character?

I found out today that my PC can, in fact, run Baldur's Gate 3. Now I just need to see if the finances align to let me play it sooner rather than later.

I'll probably be playing an origin character first time around. I like custom characters, but I'm also not averse to playing a pre-gen character be it in videogame or pen and paper; If the pre-gen character has been made by the GM of the game (as it has for BG3), they're usually worth trying out since there'll be synergy with campaign events you won't necessarily see with a custom character.

Honestly, my favorite part of D&D has always been cracking open a new character sheet and building something I’ve never played before. I’ve made many, many more characters than I’ve ended up playing, because figuring out possibility is part of how I enjoy the game. I don’t think I’ll ever end up playing an Origin character, although if there’s a community consensus that one is a must-play, I’ll give it a shot. Just… not with my first one, that’s a custom character for sure.

My plan is to try a very specific type of character. To be honest, it's not wholly original. Infact, some might call it "Absurd"

-12 classes

-12 levels

Just saying.

I am tentatively taking Larian at their word when they say that this time the custom characters will feel a bit more relevant than if you made one in Original Sin 2. So with that in mind I'm making my own character.

The Dark Urge is absolutely my second playthrough candidate though. It seems to have a lot going on but also probably not something I'd appreciate completely blind.

When I first played DOS2, I picked one of the origin characters. I think it was Ifan? I didn't finish the game back then, but I got like halfway through Act 2. When I went back and tried it again, I made a custom character and I remember feeling like I might have robbed myself of something that first time. Ifan is a character, and playing as him and making all his choices and determining all his reactions basically feels like Mass Effect 2, but Shepherd doesn't exist and you're playing the entire game as Garrus instead.

That's roughly what I want to get across, anyway.

I'm not personally interested in steering Gale's or Shadowheart's story my way, I'm interested in making my own character and playing that character and seeing how Gale and Shadowheart and whoever else reacts to that character. For me, designing and playing a character I came up with is much more interesting, both in story and gameplay.

EDIT: Also, The Dark Urge seems to be a response to people who want a character that feels more "GM-guided" but who don't necessarily want to play an origin character. If you're on the fence about this whole thing, that seems to be the way to go.

I have played a bunch of CRPGs over the past few years, BG1 and 2 among them, and if this one lives up to expectations, it will probably see at least one replay from me, so I'll do the Dark Urge thing later.

I went with a custom character. I assume that I'll try several different characters eventually, including the origin ones.

Went with custom character - didn't know that origin characters where voice cast. That doesn't make me regret my choice anyway. There is enough talking as it is.

Custom all the way, the adventures of Mike Hunt continue. For me I prefer having my own character that I can roleplay rather than someone else's at least in a D&D.