Baldur’s Gate 3 has become more successful than anyone could have predicted; players are still excitedly chattering about the game even weeks after release, when many have completed the campaign and seen the story’s end. Part of this is the game’s dizzying depth, with tons of detail for fans to pore through.
Another part of the game’s continuing success and prominence on social media is simple: the game is full of moments that clip really well into a montage on YouTube or joke on TikTok. In my experience, Baldur’s Gate 3 is never far from mind — I just have to look at my social media feeds to find clips and conversations everywhere.
TikTok clips are a great way to catch glimpses of the game that I probably wouldn’t encounter otherwise. Some of these are heartbreaking; players will capture conversation options that only happen if you play a particularly self-centered or unkind Tav. The isolated bits are compelling, and often enough for me to think about picking the game back up just to see how things could culminate like that.
Other clips are goofier. Apparently, it’s possible to create a run where the druid Halsin comes to your camp looking for revenge. I haven’t done this in any of my playthroughs — Halsin is my husband, thank you very much — but other players have, and generously filmed Astarion’s hilariously resigned one-liner response.
I spent my first run through the game rolling with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae’zel. This meant I was a beast in combat, but I missed out on some great lines from Halsin. As it turns out, a hermit druid struggles with picking up the cultural context of a circus clown.
Watching other players’ video clips has also helped me out in tough combat situations. I’m not ashamed to admit it took me a few cracks to try the Balthazar fight at the end of Act 2. He’s a tough dude who’s prepared with some meaty goons, and the arena makes things even scarier — I had a save or two where one of my allies toppled off the edge. I can see where I went wrong thanks to this expert walkthrough of the same scene by a much wiser player.
There’s some great japes and humorous tales that spawn from Baldur’s Gate 3, much like the creative community from Skyrim or Mass Effect. Even comedian Tom Cardy has gotten in on the action with a Dungeons & Dragons inspired tune about his human bard. More like Tom Bardy, am I right?
If you prefer meta-commentary, one of the game’s voice actors, Josh Wichard, shared an unfortunate tale about how filming from home called the police to his door.
Not all of the great clips online are about hijinks and humor. Part of the fun of big RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, especially ones that give you a group of companions, is getting to talk about your interpretation of those characters. Some channels give compelling and thoughtful takes on characters that make me appreciate them all the more. Others give helpful tutorials to make your life a little easier, like a walkthrough on acquiring your very own owlbear cub.
All of the personal experience shared to social media elevates Baldur’s Gate 3 to a cultural moment. Even though I finished my first playthrough, I’m already itching to go back and continue my second — or start a third. A good Dungeons & Dragons campaign is infectiously fun, inspiring storytelling and jokes. Baldur’s Gate 3 has successfully done this en masse, and I hope the good memes continue.