Got back into Wrath after completing Baldur’s gate 3 and this absolutely slaps harder than BG3. The Pathfinder system is far superior to DnD 5E and the sheer scale of the story is incredible.
The Evil Lich path is the best Evil Path I’ve ever played. Dark Urge is like loony toons in front of how evil I can be as a Lich which is also the best Undead/Necromancer playthrough I’ve ever had in any game. And you can be even MORE evil in other Mythic Paths like Swarm.
The mythic paths is the best system in a CRPG ever. The game feels wildly different depending on your Mythic Path. I’ve not played all of them yet but the amount itself is very good.
The combat is very good. I still have no idea how it ultimately works and while I like the feeling of uncertainty and freshness, many people might not like it. It’s definitely far more complicated than 5E. The sheer amounts of Classes, Subclasses and abilities is also unparalleled. The easy switch between Turn based and realtime combat is pretty good when fighting hordes of trash mobs. I prefer Turn based myself but Realtime is very useful time to time.
You can definitely make mistakes with character creation and it’s also more ‘difficult’ to respec characters compared to BG3 since they can only be respecced from the level they met you at.
The story is amazing. Imo it’s better than the story of Baldur’s gate 3. The characters are not as developed as Origin Characters in BG3 however which is somewhat of a downside. Also there is no full VA so reading is required and the writing is pretty good imo so it won’t bore you.
The game definitely has pacing problems at multiple points through out the story. Enemy padding also gets really really bad by the end.
If you liked Baldur’s gate 3 or any other CRPG, play this because it’s superior.
I don’t share the enthusiasm.
The worldbuilding of PF is better than that of D&D, which allows for writing that is somewhat better than usual, but the writing is still kind of trapped by stuff like the class and alignment systems. And, of course, there are some moments of ludonarrative dissonance.
Also, Wenduag romance makes no sense as most characters.
I do not have an in-depth familiarity with the lich plotline, but, from what I gather, it contains a mandatory moment of out-of-character stupidity on the part of the main character.
The combat is on the D&D 3.5e chassis, and you don’t get the freedom of, for example, shoving or picking up and throwing entities and things like what BG3 allows you to do. Your choices are largely concentrated in the decisions you make for your builds, and not in how you actually approach encounters.
On the other hand, WotR absolutely does offer a challenge over, say, BG3. It is a lot less trivial to get through the former than through the latter.
I also do like quite a few of the WotR companions more than BG3’s Wyll and Halsin.
I do agree that WotR does deserve consideration if one liked BG3, especially if one wants more depth and variety when it comes to builds.
I would also like to mention that I had more fun with Pillars of Eternity 2. I think it has much better writing than what D&D and PF games can offer in general, and I do like PoE2’s focus on colonialism specifically. I also like PoE mechanics much more than D&D/PF mechanics.
Yeah I forgot to mention but BG3 has really good environmental reactivity. Your position and environment can be huge advantage/disadvantages in BG3 while it doesn’t really matter as much in Wrath.
PoE chanter is probably the best “bard” class I’ve seen in any CRPG.
The whole mechanic of cobbling together different chants from various in-universe myths was both a really fun spin on the class and an interesting way to introduce players to the cultures of the setting.
Gernisc Slew the Beast, but Soon Faced Its Kin
…And their screams reached The Heavens
Oh, But Knock Not on the Door of Urdel and Gurdel …For They Do Enjoy Stomping Your Head
The Long Night’s Drink Birthed the Revenge of Morning
Shatter Their Shackles, Cast off Their Chains …The Prisoners Turned on Their Captors
Gernisc Slew the Beast, but Soon Faced Its Kin
…And their screams reached The Heavens
Oh, But Knock Not on the Door of Urdel and Gurdel …For They Do Enjoy Stomping Your Head
The Long Night’s Drink Birthed the Revenge of Morning
Shatter Their Shackles, Cast off Their Chains …The Prisoners Turned on Their Captors