Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective (2024)

Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective (1)

Astarion has slipped a knife around my neck and wrestled me to the ground - the companion character's customary greeting to new players of Baldur's Gate 3. It's a scene that's grown familiar over years of early access and developer previews—the sense of alarm long since dulled as I roll a D20 to try and get the high-elf lunk off me.

What I'm not prepared for is the moment when he stands back up. At 5'9, Astarion looms like giant Richard Ayoade in Fable's first trailer. Because now I'm playing a halfling—and Larian won't let me forget it.

There are a number of mechanical advantages and disadvantages to picking a halfling during character creation. You're considered lucky, and brave—Tolkein-esque traits that confer advantages and rerolls when getting into scrapes of one kind or another. And you can move only 7.5 metres per turn, compared to Astarion's nine—a limitation that comes into play a dozen times over the course of a typical battle.

Yet the most striking reminder of your perspective on the world comes from Larian's cinematic framing. Whenever I enter conversation with a human, elf, tiefling, githyanki, drow or half-orc, the camera sits behind my head, tilted upwards to meet the gaze of the other, taller party. Or it frames their lower half, cutting them off at the waist as my avatar peers into the heavens, neck permanently cricked. These scenes are never less than slick, mind you—matching Mass Effect and The Witcher for first-class shot composition. They're simply adapted to suit my chosen protagonist, who happens to live lower to the ground than Geralt or Shepard.

This flexible mise-en-scène didn't come easily to Baldur's Gate 3. When I visited Ghent, the Belgian city where Larian's oldest office is situated, creative director Swen Vincke told me that camera angles had been a source of arguments early in the game's development. Larian's cinematics team—many of whom are Telltale veterans, new to the studio with this project—clashed with other departments who insisted that a plethora of possible player actions be accounted for during cutscenes.

Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective (2)

In one test encounter, for instance, a goblin threatened the player from a rooftop, a sight just begging to be framed from below. But if said goblin had been blasted by a spell or given a forceful shove beforehand, they might just as easily have dropped a couple of floors, appearing on the cobbles surrounded by blood splatters for their close-up. Consider just how many dialogue scenes play out in Baldur's Gate 3, as well as all their potential subversions, and you begin to understand why Larian's willingness to say 'yes' to the player has had enormous knock-on consequences for the team tasked with placing the camera.

All that hard work, however, has yielded powerful results. Perhaps that should be no surprise. Game developers often talk about the importance of the 3Cs—character, controls, camera—which determine how comfortable it feels to steer your avatar around a game world. Only when these fundamentals are nailed can you forget about the mouse and interface - entering a flow state where you're able to connect with a game on a higher level.

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In Baldur's Gate 3, not only does the game's camerawork hold together under intense pressure, its flexibility actually contributes to the role-playing. In my playthrough, every meeting with an NPC is a little bit like Gandalf's visit to Bag End in The Fellowship of the Ring. Except that rather than bumping my head on low-hanging chandeliers, I'm experiencing the opposite: becoming acutely aware that as a halfling I exist in a world built at the scale of larger-sized people. It's a knowledge that can't help but inform my reactions and decision-making over the course of my adventures on the Sword Coast.

I'm hesitant to make too much of this. People with dwarfism live every day with the prejudice and inconvenience caused by a world unwilling to accommodate them, and I can't know what that's like. Furthermore, their portrayal in games remains iffy, to say the least. It would be better if more fantasy worlds incorporated dwarfism as it is, rather than as inspiration for characters classified as non-human.

But there's real power in the way Baldur's Gate 3 listens to your choices in character creation and reworks the game to suit. The camera tells a story. More specifically, it tells yours, whoever you are—and that's worth celebrating.

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Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective (2024)

FAQs

Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective? ›

Playing a halfling in Baldur's Gate 3 has given me a new, shorter perspective. A shift in camera angle has changed everything. Astarion has slipped a knife around my neck and wrestled me to the ground - the companion character's customary greeting to new players of Baldur's Gate 3.

What are the benefits of Halflings in BG3? ›

Halfling Race Features

This race has specific features, including: Base Racial Speed: You can move 7.5m per turn. Lucky: When you roll a 1 for an Attack Roll, Ability Check, or Saving Throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. Brave: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Frightened.

How tall are Halflings in BG3? ›

The PHB says “Standing about 3 feet tall…they are inclined to be stout, weighing between 40 and 45 pounds”. So that's what an Adult halfling would look like, and Gnomes are around the same size/weight.

What's still missing from Baldur's Gate 3? ›

The Upper City Is Missing From Baldur's Gate 3

This huge section of the city was mentioned specifically by Larian Studio's co-founder Swen Vincke in the final Panel From Hell on July 7, 2023, just four weeks before Baldur's Gate 3's full release.

What are the benefits of halflings? ›

Halflings now have bonuses to both Dexterity and Charisma. Their Small size impedes the ability to wield large weapons, but they do not suffer the associated reduced speed or Strength. They retain their resistance to fear and aptitude for nimble movement and thievery, and gain skill at avoiding enemy attacks.

Do halflings age slower? ›

They live all over Elcenia, and while they can function adequately in cultures designed for taller folk given reasonable accommodations, they form the principal population of several countries arranged to suit them more specifically. Halflings age one and a half times slower than humans.

What is the shortest race in bg3? ›

Starting off with the shortest race in the game, Gnomes may find themselves ranked the lowest, but that doesn't make them useless. This tiny Gnome is a great choice for players who want to play a magic class due to the race's Gnome Cunning skill.

Who is shorter gnomes or halflings? ›

Gnomes are very small compared to most other races and, with an average height ranging between 3'0" – 3'6" (0.9 – 1.1 meters) and a weight range of 40 – 45 lbs (18 – 20 kg), gnomes were generally larger and heavier than halflings, though forest gnomes, ranging between 2'1" – 2'10" in height (0.6 – 0.9 meters) and 21 – ...

How tall is the shortest halfling? ›

In the Dungeons & Dragons game, the Player's Handbook states that Halflings typically range from 2 to 4 feet tall, with an average height of 3 feet.

Can you become a vampire in Baldur's Gate 3? ›

Players must first let Astarion drink their character's blood, then follow his quest line to the end, resulting in him becoming a more powerful party member. The player character can't fully become a vampire, but they can also gain some vampiric power after Astarion ascends.

Does gender matter in Baldur's Gate 3? ›

Baldur's Gate 3 romances are not gender-locked either. For potential Dark Urge players, your violent intrusive thought generator doesn't have a huge impact on romance scenes, but it's worth considering when you go through character creation.

What can Withers do in BG3? ›

Withers is a mysterious undead entity that joins the party on their adventures as a camp follower. He calls himself "a scribe, a seneschal - a keeper of records", and offers resurrection services to the party, allows characters to change or reset their class and provides the services of hirelings.

What is the least played class in Baldur's Gate 3? ›

Baldur's Gate 3's least popular class is the Cleric, and one veteran CRPG developer says that this has nothing to do with how Clerics operate under fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons rules - players have been dodging the class for years.

Does facing direction matter in BG3? ›

As for back attacks, D&D ignores facing, whatever direction you attack from doesn't matter, that's how D&D works.

Will Larian add Upper City in BG3? ›

While developer Larian Studios initially indicated that the Upper City would appear in Baldur's Gate 3, the content was cut - except for two locations visited very late in the game.

How good is Halfling Lucky BG3? ›

On a normal roll that succeeds on a 2 or more, Halfling Luck would reduce the chance to fail from 1/20 to 1/400. On a roll with advantage that succeeds on a 2 or more, Halfling Luck would reduce the chance to fail from 1/400 to 1/160000, making it practically impossible to fail.

Is Halfling good for Bard BG3? ›

Lightfoot Halflings get a number of bonuses that benefit Bards. Advantage on Stealth checks can come in handy if you like sneaking around, and while protection from being Frightened won't come into play all the time, it can fundamentally alter the course of a combat encounter when it does.

What bonuses do halflings get? ›

Halflings possess the following racial traits. +2 Dexterity, -2 Strength. Small size. +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.

What class for Halfling BG3? ›

Best Class for Halflings

Lightfoot Halflings and Strongheart Halflings both are suited to being Rangers and Rogues. This is due to their ability to reroll if a 1 is landed on.

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