You want to experience the huge role-playing game with friends? Here’s what you should know before you start a co-op campaign
In Baldur’s Gate 3 you’ll have to take care of a whole troop of characters when you play alone. However, if that becomes too much work for you, you can invite up to three friends and progress through the story together with them. We’ll explain how this works and what you can expect here.
Table of Contents:
- How do I start a multiplayer game?
- How do I join a game?
- What applies to games I have started?
- What do I have to consider in multiplayer?
- How does couch co-op work?
Table of Contents
All info about multiplayer
How do I start a multiplayer game?
If you want to start a brand new game in multiplayer, it’s pretty simple. In the main menu, you just need to click on the appropriate menu item Multiplayer
and then create a game. A lobby will open where you can invite other players from your Steam friends list. Or you can make the lobby public, then strangers can also join it.
If you or another member of your group has/have purchased Baldur’s Gate 3 via GOG, it gets a bit more complicated: Then you have to send the server ID to your friends, so they can join via the option Direct connection
Once all players are in the lobby, you can start the game, then everyone can choose their character. On a fresh start, Origin characters are also available to everyone
How do I join a game?
If you want to join a game, you can also select Multiplayer
from the main menu and then join any public lobby.
But you are more likely to play with friends. In this case, you will have to wait for an invitation or – as described in the first section – use a server ID to join via direct connection.
Choose any public lobby you want to join.
What applies to games that have been started?
Alternatively, it is also possible to join a game that has already been started, or to invite friends to join your campaign. To do this, the host must load his score, press Escape to enter the menu and select the option Session
. Here friends can then be invited into the game.
But be careful, when you join a running game some important rules apply:
- Joiners must create a new character, but it must not be an Origin character. This character will then replace a previous member of the party and will always start at level 1.
- Characters of co-op players can no longer be removed from the party if you continue playing alone. You will then only be able to return to a previous save state, or have the former teammate’s character intentionally die.
In general, it is not advisable to invite other players in a solo campaign, unless you want to play in co-op permanently.
What do I have to consider in multiplayer?
But how does the co-op mode in Baldur’s Gate work at all? Which rules apply to hosts, which to co-op players? These are the most important points:
- Where to go? All players can independently go wherever they want and do whatever they feel like. Your co-op partner can theoretically fight at one end of the map while you explore at the other.
- How do dialogs work? If one of you starts a conversation, the others can listen in as long as the dialog is not private. All listeners can then also vote for dialogue options, but the decision is made by the person having the conversation.
- What about romances? You cannot flirt with other player characters, even if they are playing an Origin character.
How does couch co-op work?
If you want to play comfortably as a couple from the couch, Baldur’s Gate 3 also offers a splitscreen mode. It’s a bit hidden, so to start it, it’s best to follow these steps:
- Connect two controllers to your PC.
- Only then start the game and use the first connected controller in the main menu to start a new game normally.
- When creating a character, the person with the second controller should now be able to make the appropriate entries normally. The screen is then split into two character creation menus.
Would you like to try out Baldur’s Gate 3’s co-op mode or do you want to have full control over your characters and campaign? Might you wait for a second playthrough before playing with others? And what would you do differently when experiencing the story with friends? Feel free to post it in the comments!
