Baldur’s Gate 3’s framework of fifth edition D&D allows for some of the most creative exploits we’ve seen in a video game. The communities latest discovery has players using the game’s own rules to hit for thousands of damage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has had a historical launch eclipsing even the developer’s wildest expectations. Players have flocked to the game in droves pushing it up the Steam charts to solidify it as an instant classic.
The game’s critical and commercial success is partially the result of how its D&D style of play maximizes player choice and agency. Now players are pushing Baldur’s Gate 3’s rule system to new heights with Owlbear ordnance.
Twitch streamer Ellohime laid out the strat in a clip published on Twitter which showed them dealing 821 damage with a Druid. The key to the combo is shapeshifting into an Owlbear and divebombing enemies.
OWLBEAR FROM THE TOP ROPE 800 DMG!Some asked so….Crushing Flight = no fall dmgStack boxes, climb, shapeshift, enlarge (jump spell if needed)5005kg from 31.6m = 821 bludg dmgJust knowing weight/height fall dmg exists has creative implications, have fun with that😈 pic.twitter.com/ZGFaZKVQ8j
— Ellohime (@EllohimeTwitch) August 10, 2023
Baldur’s Gate 3 adapts D&D rules around gravity and mass which can be applied to the Crushing Flight class action to devastating effect. The heavier your form, the more damage you’ll do with Crushing Flight, and the higher you fall from, the greater the impact area.
As Ellohime illustrates, Increasing the considerable chonk of a five-tonne Owlbear with the Enlarge spell and stacking crates for a higher launch pad pushes the maneuver to its limits. It’s a fantastic example of why people are so taken with Larian’s RPG.
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Crushing Flight’s damage is reduced by half if the target succeeds in a Strength saving throw which is exactly what Ellohime’s victim did. This means the initial damage roll would have been a bone-crushing 1,642 bludgeoning damage.
Reddit user Fishbleb used the same technique to one-shot a boss. Grym didn’t stand a chance, even with a successful save he ate a massive 1,170 points of damage.
Only time will tell if Ellohime will live to regret the creation of this devastating weapon of mass destruction. We imagine that much like the atomic bomb, the true ramifications of this invention are yet to be felt.
Still, we’re eager to see if anyone picks up the film rights to this historical moment. Owlbearheimer could smash box offices with the right crew behind it.