I’m playing Baldur’s Gate 3 as Han Solo & you should too
I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Baldur's Gate 3 is quite rightly enjoying plenty of attention right now. Not only is it the closest someone like me with a limited IRL circle of friends can get to a D&D night, it's also a very, VERY good video game.
Part of that appeal is that you can be anyone, and the game will adapt to those initial choices. Whether you want to be a big green Orc, an elvish Warlock, or anything in between, there's little that's off-limits.
And yet, I'm here to tell you that you should be playing as a scruffy-lookin' nerf-herder. I'm here to tell you you should try playing Baldur's Gate 3 as Han Solo.
Who you callin' scruffy-looking?
Click to enlargeOK, so it doesn't have to be Han Solo, but he's the poster boy for a roguish, cheeky, self-serving, kind of d*ckish hero you can't help but love.
In his place, you could use Star-Lord, Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake, or Flynn Rider (y'know, from Tangled) and plenty of other characters that fill the same archetype.
The key thing when building your character is a decent Strength and Intelligence stat, but a lot of Charisma. Consider someone that can talk their way into trouble, and shoot their way out, but also reverse those two options when necessary.
I opted for the criminal backstory, too, just so that I could constantly remind people I'd done the Kessel run in, uh, I mean, so I could tell them how much of a cool baddie I was.
Getting to play a Han-type character relies on being able to shoot first, too, and for that reason, I opted for a Rogue. That allows me to use underhanded tactics, but the morality is less questionable because I do it with a smile (at least that's what I'm going for). It doesn't hurt that my created character is devilishly handsome, either.
Why go Rogue?
Click to enlargeWhich brings us to the key point of my thesis - why does playing as a cheeky, swashbuckling rapscallion feel so right in Baldur's Gate 3?
Naturally, there's no right way to play, but by giving my protagonist just 10 Strength, he's not likely to completely overpower adversaries in combat, meaning he's always looking for improvisational ways to survive.
That meshes nicely with the game's focus on environmental damage types and combat flexibility, but also means that stealth is important at the start of an encounter. And yet, as the best-laid plans often do (like shooting one's way out of the Death Star), it always breaks down into a mix of skill with a weapon and a high degree of luck.
- Check out our Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue build guide
Every encounter feels less like a victory and more like a series of unfortunate events that somehow end fortuitously, particularly given Baldur's Gate 3's sometimes nefarious dice rolls.
In one early scene, I was taken captive by an assailant and failed the dice check to escape using words and wit alone, only to headbutt the character at the last second to get to safety.
One combat encounter saw me tackle a huge enemy from behind, only to flee when they turned around, leading me to perch atop a raised platform while I waited for backup, my foe clawing at my feet.
It's not all fun and games, though, and if there's one thing a cheeky rogue likes more than anything, it's the sweet success of plundering a tomb or stealing something valuable.
To that end, this Rogue is particularly handy when spotting and disarming traps, as well as lockpicking. That means it didn't take long before I'd acquired a whole host of stolen goods and was able to sell them for a tidy profit. But hey, it's OK because I do it with a smile (my moral compass is completely lost, isn't it?).
It's that kind of ridiculousness and escapism that makes playing a character like Han Solo so much fun in Baldur's Gate 3. In a world where you can be anyone, be a Nerf herder.
Be sure to check out our Baldur's Gate 3 homepage for the latest guides, where you'll find explainers on how to disarm traps in BG3 or which build is the best to run if you do decide to play as a devilish Rogue.