In Baldur’s Gate 3, persuasion can be hilariously powerful

Every class in Baldur’s Gate 3 has their own strengths that crop up in dialogue. Mages might be able to recall some arcane knowledge, druids can draw on their deep connection to the natural world, and warlocks know all about infernal pacts. But some classes, like the bard, use their silver tongue to get out of their problems, and the results can be both absurd and hilarious.

Dungeons & Dragons offers three main ways to talk your way out of a problem: Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion. Persuasion is the most potent of options, and it covers everything from rock-solid logical arguments to fast-talk and playing on a potential ally’s ego.

This is particularly fun when combined with class-specific prompts. I was able to see right through a tiefling kid’s scam, and we had a nice little bonding moment. Other players have been discovering that the bard is especially gifted at getting out of danger through clever conversation. In the clips below, a streamer called wakewilder is playing as a bard who fails his base checks when negotiating with a nefarious mad surgeon ... but then he throws bardly bonuses and a touch of inspiration at the dice, which unlocks a horrifying and bewildering scene where the surgeon becomes the subject.

Fairly early on in the game, enterprising players might loot around an abandoned village, and if they open a particular set of barn doors, there’s a surprise in store: An ogre and a bugbear embroiled in copulation. Even the rogue can’t small-talk their way out of that awkward situation — but as a bard, you can simply jazz hands your way out of there. You’ve seen a lot of stuff on tour, and it’ll take more than that to shake you.

Watching a bard or rogue’s role-play is fascinating because of the amount of conversation options they have and the potent bonuses on their side. Why fight a man when you can swindle him? Why get into a fight, like a sucker, when you can turn the enemy on themselves? Honor? Courage? Who needs it when you have a boosted Charisma score?

In a game as weird and wild as Baldur’s Gate 3, even the conversations are dense and riddled with danger. With a little work and some luck, you can play a non-lethal character who solves their problems with the gift of gab.