Baldur’s Gate 3 Should You Save Scum and What Is Save Scumming?

Save Scumming has been around ever since story-based games came out, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is no different. Taking its inspiration from the popular tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, Baldur’s Gate 3’s story progresses with your character’s decisions. Some decisions lead to bad outcomes, while others lead to positive ones. Even though players often say that not knowing what’s in store is part of the thrill, some players would beg to differ and here’s why.

Should You Save Scumming in Baldur’s Gate 3

You should definitely save scum (or not) as much as you want. The reason behind this is that not everyone will be playing the game more than once. If you want to see all the different probabilities in the story by going down different paths each time, that’s your choice, and you’re entitled to do it. This could also save you time and effort by diminishing the bad consequences of your actions.

Now while many players will disagree with us and say that save scumming ruins the essence of the game by taking out the risk, we argue that it is a single-player game, and each player can do as they please. If you enjoy not save scumming and taking the outcomes of your decisions head-on as a challenge, then so be it. But this is not enforced on every player throughout the community.

Although it should be noted that they are correct in saying that you will have drastically reduced the risk and RNG portion of the game by save scumming as, at any bad roll, you can simply reload a previous save. But again, this is a personal choice, and each player is free to enjoy a different playstyle for themselves.

What Is Savescumming?

Save scumming is basically saving a file of the game before making any major decision. If the decision or dice roll doesn’t favour you, you can reload the previously saved file. This will let you make the decision or a roll again, knowing that one of those options leads to a bad outcome or succeeding at a roll that you would’ve otherwise failed.

Save scumming helps prevent missing out on treasure, special quests, secrets, and from having to start over if you die. It is an excellent option for casual players who just want to get through the game without having to try-hard too much.

This reduces the pressure of making the right decision so you can explore on your own without needing to read up on forums what the right decision to make is before any major dialogue. A great example is the ‘Remove the Parasite’ quest, where you have several ways to remove a mind-altering parasite, all of which fail, but some give you permanent debuffs as well.

Why Are Some People Against Save Scumming?

If you’ve read up on this topic, we’re sure you’ve come across hardcore gamers who look down on anyone who save scums. While no player should belittle another player, the reason they don’t save scum is because Baldur’s Gate 3 runs on the decisions you make. Oftentimes, there’s no ‘right’ decision, it’s whatever path you want to go down.

The story changes and readjusts based on what you decide to do. Save scumming often removes this aspect of the game, showing players the ‘safest’ path to go down.

For more guides and information on Baldur’s Gate 3, check out these related pieces from our team: What is Advantage in Baldur’s Gate 3? – Explained, Baldur’s Gate 3 – How to Load Multiplayer Save and How To Save Shadowheart.