I Have a Unique Way To Play Co-op With Friends In Baldur’s Gate 3, And You Should Try It Too (2025)

Baldur's Gate 3 has been released for well over a year now, and has been one of my favorite games since. As such, I've been trying to find new ways to experience it, and trying to think of all the different types of flair I can give to my Tavs. I found a lot of that through multiplayer runs, especially with friends who hadn't played the game before, since I love being able to experience everything for the first time again with them.

However, I still wanted to explore the game from some even more unique angles. I've played a two-player and four-player BG3 playthrough, though I did experience a few issues with the four-player run. The game is really fun with friends, but I've also found that it is generally best suited for single-player. In most circumstances, the game will act like there's one protagonist, and cutscenes and dialogue will just be split between avatars. So recently, I've been testing a different approach to a roleplay-focused "multiplayer" run, and it's a lot more fun than I expected.

Players Can Add Some More Dungeons & Dragons-Inspired Elements To Their Gameplay

Spice Up Your Game By Adding Some Unique Lore

The concept is pretty simple. If you have a friend or partner who you can spend a lot of time with, either on the same computer or where one person can stream their gameplay, then create one character who you can control the decisions of together. This might sound strange, but with the right people, it can make for some great game nights. It works quite well for myself in particular, as I'm often away from home and can't bring my PC with me.

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In my own playthrough, we decided to flavor it as two deities fighting for control of our character. Though you can flavor it however you'd like, I would heavily recommend making your own concepts surrounding who you, as the players, are, and why you are controlling your Tav - either choosing deities from Dungeons & Dragons/BG3 lore, or making three entirely new characters, including the player avatar. We created a character to take levels in both warlock and paladin, starting with warlock, and assigned one of ourselves as the warlock patron, and the other as the paladin's deity.

I understand that a lot of people may be disinterested in the roleplaying aspect. If this idea doesn't appeal to you, but you still would like to play with someone in the same room, it is possible to play Baldur's Gate 3 with split-screen.

Our original idea was to create a character with levels in cleric instead of paladin so that we could get deity dialogue options, but we decided that paladin would make for an easier build, since both classes use charisma for spellcasting. We both took an equal part in deciding physical attributes, but when it comes to choosing spells, I choose all the spells on paladin levels, while my player two chooses the warlock spells. To make the experience feel even more fresh, we also added the Mystra's Spells Baldur's Gate 3 mod so that we had some more abilities to test out.

In true DnD fashion, when we can't decide on a dialogue option or action, we roll a die to see whose decision ultimately gets chosen. We've been using an "odd or even" method for this, but you could also make it more similar to a saving throw. In Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of two people controlling the same character has the potential to be very difficult to pull off - but in a game like BG3, where players choose from a set of choices when it comes to dialogue and story directions, it's a lot easier to make specific decisions.

Controlling One Character Has Some Great Opportunities for Roleplay

Create A Concept For A Character That is Being Controlled By External Forces

The roleplay aspect is the main thing that separates this from a regular multiplayer playthrough - again, the idea is to play as two forces who are trying to control the character instead of the character themselves. Possibly even more, though two is probably the best number for this concept. It's also just a fun way of spending time together and is something different to do other than regular co-op for people who have already explored a lot of what the game has to offer. Baldur's Gate 3 is a roleplaying game, and this adds a whole different side to that.

The main concept has been very entertaining. Playing as characters controlling Tav instead of projecting yourself onto them is a different experience compared to a regular playthrough, and pretending to bicker over paladin or warlock dialogue options as a holy god and an Archfey has made for some funny situations. I've been fighting for our character not to break their oath, and we've loved being general nuisances towards each other.

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From the start, we had already decided on the ending for our playthrough - to become the Absolute. Though we haven't gotten that far with our playthrough yet, we're very much of the opinion that our character is sick of us, and that by the end of the run they will do anything in order to gain back control. Though we decided against it, we considered making the character with the Dark Urge Origin - a character with two higher beings squabbling over them on top of an unstoppable urge to kill would definitely warrant them wanting to take over the world.

The only time the concept falls a bit flat is during combat, so I'd urge anyone trying this out for themselves to get creative. It's a lot easier with two people in the same room, as you can either collaborate on battle tactics, or take turns in combat and controlling certain companions, perhaps rolling to see who gets to decide what the characters do each round. In the case of playing remotely, this is still doable as long as the person with the account the campaign is on can communicate with the other.

Interesting Things You Can Add To This Type Of Co-Op Playthrough

Add Some Minor Opposing Goals To Add More To The Conflict

Throughout our playthrough, we've added a few narrative threads to make things a bit more interesting. One thing is that we've decided to push for two different characters to romance - we unintentionally chose Wyll and Gale, the two characters who are also, respectively, in a pact with a patron and have a history with a goddess. Though ironically, I've been advocating for Wyll, and vice versa.

We also decided that one of us would oppose using illithid parasites, while the other would be more willing to utilize them. Though both of our "characters" oppose the Absolute, this is something extra for showing how we've ended up influencing our Tav. We ended up deciding that I would be the one to push for parasite use, but I've had very bad luck so far, and we only used three by the time we got to Act Two.

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This has been one of the most interesting runs I've played of Baldur's Gate 3. It removes any of the complications that can come with regular multiplayer, and puts a unique spin on the game's roleplaying side. For those with a lot of time on their hands and a love for Dungeons & Dragons who may want to try something that would be difficult in the tabletop game, then this would definitely be something I'd recommend trying out if you have someone to play with.

I Have a Unique Way To Play Co-op With Friends In Baldur’s Gate 3, And You Should Try It Too (4)
Baldur's Gate 3

RPG

Franchise
Baldur's Gate
Platform(s)
PC, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X

Released
August 3, 2023

Developer(s)
Larian Studios

Publisher(s)
Larian Studios

ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

Number of Players
1-4

Local Co-Op Support
1-2 Players

Split Screen Orientation
Vertical Only
I Have a Unique Way To Play Co-op With Friends In Baldur’s Gate 3, And You Should Try It Too (2025)
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