Baldur’s Gate 3: Does BG3 have random encounters?

There seems to be an infinite number of ways to play Baldur’s Gate 3, and it feels like no two playthroughs could ever be the same. So it’s easy for players to believe that maybe there are some random encounters in the game, but are there really?

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been out for a couple of months now after being released at the beginning of August, and many players are on their second or third playthrough of the game. With so many different ways to play the game, it’s easy to assume that maybe randomness effects your campaign, instead of just your decision-making as a player.

Does Baldur’s Gate 3 have random encounters?

No, Baldur’s Gate 3 does not have random encounters. There are some triggered encounters that might feel random, but similar to a lot of other RPGs, everything is preset. If you notice that events in one of your playthroughs feels a little bit different than another, it is likely due to a variance in your decisions or actions from one campaign to the next.

That’s the beauty of what Larian Studios has created with what’s called a “decisions matter” game. Each playthrough is unique because the butterfly effect of your decisions affects the world you encounter as you progress and how the world interacts with you along the way.

If you’re reading this piece because you don’t know if you want to play BG3 for a second or third time, I highly recommend trying the game through a different lens. Even though encounters aren’t random, the approach that you take can make your second or third playthrough completely unique.

Many players have used their second campaign to either be “evil” or play the Dark Urge origin story. As the name entails, the Dark Urge can kind of double as an “evil” playthrough as well if you’d like.

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