You are probably outraged right now. Baldur’s Gate 3 was designed to last hundreds of hours. To be enjoyed for countless afternoons in front of the computer, like in the old days when we had no obligations.
For those who don’t know, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an extensive role-playing game that has taken many years to develop and requires between 75 and 100 hours of “normal” gameplay to complete, according to its developer, Larian Studios.
And then there’s the time it took to get a sequel to the saga, because if you’re into mathematics, here’s a fact: Baldur’s Gate 2 is from the year 2000.
So, the team might be upset to hear that someone has discovered a way to complete it in just four minutes and 15 seconds.
A speedrun that has left an impact on all of us
In the video below, the gaming and speedrunning YouTuber Mae uses a technique known as “shadowboxing” (basically, killing the character Shadowheart, placing her body in a box, and throwing it to the trigger point of a cutscene for the end of the second act of the game) to jump to the final credits.
If you have any doubts about how she achieved it, Mae provides an explanation on her YouTube channel, in the pinned comment she has posted on the Speedrun video.
Explanation of the bug that allowed her to make the record
“First, we set the box on fire, giving it the Burning status and inflicting a tick of damage. Using nodefling, we launch Shadowheart directly into the literal final room of Act 2. The box is launched at such a speed that it looks like it teleports when, in reality, it’s moving so fast that we can’t even see it,” explains the YouTuber
“Next, the Burn effect does its tick-tock and deals damage to the box. The box breaks, revealing its contents: in this case, a dead Shadowheart, now located in the final area of Act 2 and able to trigger the final scene,” she continues.
“The teleportation of the scene means that Gale can participate in it, and since Shadowheart is dead and unable to speak, Gale is the one speaking despite being all over the map. That means she can detonate her orb from the other side of the map, ending the game without even seeing the Absolute,” Mae concludes.
Does the video make the game seem ridiculously short? Yes. Does it undervalue the vastness of the game’s options? Certainly. Is it undeniably impressive? It cannot be denied.
By the way, Larian reserves the right not to allow you to continue playing Baldur’s Gate 3 if you make any kind of pact with fairies, demons, or supernatural entities like Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, or even a Dementor.
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