Why you should not be ashamed to "save scum" in Baldur's Gate 3 even on Explorer mode

The term "save scum" has been used widely in the gaming community, and its usage isn't limited to Baldur's Gate 3 or other similar games. It's applicable for plenty of titles that allow you to save your progression in real-time. You can create a save file whenever you feel like it, and your advance will be stored until that point. This will also allow you to reload your save at the exact moment if you want to do so.

Usually, "save scum" is a slander used for anyone who reloads a save and alters the course of action they took initially. The reasons differ - maybe you have made a save-breaking decision, and there's no other way to salvage your progress. You may have decided in Baldur's Gate 3, resulting in an outcome that's not in your favor. In many ways, the process may appear as cheating. Yet, it may be better and more manageable in a game like Baldur's Gate 3, even if you're playing on the easiest difficulty (explorer mode).

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Baldur's Gate 3's complex gameplay can often force players to save scum

The easiest difficulty for any video game should be a relative cakewalk. Baldur's Gate 3 isn't a shooter or sports title where you'll have to make instantaneous decisions. Its core combat mechanism is simple, so how difficult can the Explorer Mode be?

Larian's latest adventure could become a nightmare even at the easiest difficulty. This applies, especially if you have yet to play other games like Divinity Original Sins 2. Every action has a certain probability in combat; the art is to increase the odds in your favor.

Even when you have set up the perfect squad and made the ideal decisions in combat, there are too many uncertainties. You think that one of your characters can withstand two attacks, only for them to die with a critical hit. A move with a 95% success rate might still miss, and this is where the actual fun of Baldur's Gate 3 is. However, this amusement could also become very frustrating at times.

It's not just combat that you have to worry about. Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the most open video games regarding decision-making. You are free to kill someone or make them your allies. Every crucial point in the quest involves multiple possible outcomes based on your choices. While this is highly beneficial in many ways, it could also be problematic.

There's no proper way of knowing the results of your decision when you take them. If you discover your conclusion is wrong, the only solution is to save scum.

It might appear that when you save scum in Baldur's Gate 3, it might be a way of cheating. After all, you're discovering the outcome and then going back to alter it. Similarly, you may have lost the combat, but by reloading the save, you have earned yourself one more try.

While the process seems unfair, Baldur's Gate 3 has no PvP. The game is primarily a single-player experience, although you can co-op with your friend. If you're playing single-player, it's your save, and your progress doesn't affect anyone else.

This is the most significant reason a save scum shouldn't be a massive factor in enjoying this game. Larian's titles can be tricky, and the latest addition to Baldur's Gate is quite complex. You may never have played Dungeons and Dragons 5e, whose rules are followed for any decision-making.

Playing in the Adventurer mode doesn't make you weak by any means, and the true essence of the game lies in exploring its brilliant plot. In many ways, the adventure feels like a well-knit novel that can be enjoyed at your own pace. There's no right or wrong way of enjoying a storybook; the same applies to BG3.