Baldur’s Gate 3 players are save scumming — but I’ve always done it in RPGs

I played for a long time Baldur’s Gate 3It looks something like this: I move my character to a quest, Shadowheart will cast Guidance and then hit F5 for saving. Then, try the dialogue. Other times I’ll take Astarion to a door, hit F5, then have him pick the lock. Who knows whether there is danger inside?

I’ve always been an ardent believer in save scumming — that is, saving right before major decision points and restarting after an unfavorable outcome — through playing role-playing games. And after poring over the game’s subreddit, it’s become clear to me how many other Baldur’s Gate 3Fans approach the game the same way. It’s key for undoing a bad-luck die roll, correcting a passive perception check, or redoing a battle with a bad outcome. But I’ve long save scummed through RPGs of all stripes — immersion be damned — and I’m finally ready to not only admit it, but advocate for it.

I’ll own up to it. I’ve always been a sore loser in games of luck; I typically prefer management or strategy games where I have more control over what happens. For RPGs, I carefully plan my party to meet a variety of challenges. It absolutely grinds my gears anytime I fail a die roll that my character has proficiency in — like if Karlach fails to turn a wheel because she fails a strength check, or if Shadowheart fails to persuade a follower of Shar, or if my Druid character (with great nature and animal handling stats) fails to win over an Owlbear looking for refuge.

A more level-headed player might gracefully accept that being skilled at something doesn’t mean you always get the desired outcome. Of course we all have “bad days” where things don’t go our way, despite our talents. But I have not reached that level of maturity — if I designed my character to be proficient, then they better achieve their one goal (especially Astarion, a walking lock pick). The games I play are not faithful to reality. To cause chaos in my games, I’ll save the game repeatedly and then try again.

This has been a staple of the way I’ve played RPGs. Save scummed through stealthy armor of guards. Skyrim and hit F5 before just about every pickpocket attempt — because I’m a thief, goddamnit, and it’s important for me to steal without repercussions. This was my method throughout Disco Elysium, too, because I didn’t want to have to deal with Cuno hating me, for example (though it’s debatable whether that truly panned out). It’s a good thing that I didn’t want to have to deal with Cuno hating me, for example (though it is debatable whether this really happened). Disco, it proved particularly useful, given the game’s extensive wardrobe and each clothing item’s passive debuff. Many times, passing the conceptualization rolls came down to choosing the right lounge coat. The ability to save allowed me the opportunity to try again, reload my game, and then put on appropriate clothing.

Image: ZA/UM

My tendency to save the scums in RPGs that are narrative is also about my curiousity. The F5 was my friend. Disco Elysium to see what direction the story headed in, and to figure out if I’d like that one better. I could have waited to do another playthrough, to see other story options — but save scumming gave me more information about the game’s characters, and more dirt about Revachol’s history. I ended up spending more time in the game’s world, intent on turning over every stone to reveal its many secrets.

This ironically also helps me to be more confident about the plays I commit myself to. Just because I saved doesn’t mean I go back to old files if I nailed a play — nor does it take away from the thrill of pulling off something difficult. It’s true, I pressed F5 to save. But that doesn’t mean I go back and re-open old files if I nailed a play. Nor does it take away from the thrill of pulling off something difficult. Baldur’s Gate 3’s House of Healing, and I even Googled and found out that you could talk your way out of the confrontation. But the way the battle shook out was so satisfying, I couldn’t imagine moving forward in any other way.