Two years have passed since Baldur's Gate 3 fully launched, and I've come to a grim realization. The unparalleled freedom that makes this RPG a masterpiece has also become the perfect incubator for my worst digital habits. While I like to think I maintain a decent moral compass—sure, I might pilfer a shiny trinket or two—my discipline utterly collapses when faced with the boundless loot the Sword Coast offers. My inventory, and those of my companions, have transformed into chaotic, overflowing repositories of a problem that is entirely of my own making.

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I'm classically prone to potion hoarding in RPGs, a habit that has only metastasized in Baldur's Gate 3. It never stops at just healing elixirs, though. Scrolls? "Might need that later." A slightly better pair of gloves? "Could be useful for a respec." Mundane plates and cups? "That's at least 1 gold each!" The game provides way too many avenues for this behavior to spiral out of control. Unlike other titles where a strict weight limit acts as a stern chaperone, Baldur's Gate 3 feels like an indulgent friend who just keeps handing you bigger bags.

And what bags they are! My inventory is just the starting point. The game gives you an array of extra packhorses in your ever-present party. Need to carry a dozen heavy armors? Just split them between Karlach, Lae'zel, and your own beleaguered Tav. But the real enabler is the camp. I can also pack battlefield pickups off for my camp inventory with a single click, a feature so powerful it was temporarily removed only to be restored by popular demand. Now, my camp chest is a black hole where gear goes to be forgotten, and even companions left at camp can become unwilling storage units. Poor Minsc probably wonders why he's perpetually weighed down by 50 sets of Githyanki half-plate.

Let's be clear: My hoarding is entirely my fault. Baldur's Gate 3 certainly makes it easy to hoard, but it also provides elegant solutions I blithely ignore. You can mark items as wares when picking them up, creating a tidy list to sell to any merchant instantly. In theory, this should solve everything. In my reality, I'm too busy looting the next corpse to bother. Organization is my nemesis. I'll often pile armor on Karlach during a fight, intending to sell it later, but then I get distracted by a quest marker or a shiny dialogue option. The result? A scattered inventory ecosystem across multiple characters and dimensions.

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Other games enforce order through scarcity or punishment. In Skyrim, I'd be grinding to a halt, overencumbered and unable to fast travel. Baldur's Gate 3, however, doesn't truly punish me for my stockpiling sins. The only consequence is self-inflicted dread. The idea of doing a clean inventory sweep fills me with a unique kind of terror. Facing the Netherbrain seems less daunting than sorting through hundreds of items, deciding what's trash, what's wares, and what might be useful for a build I'll never try. I could rake in a fortune in gold, but with powerful gear already equipped, what's the point? The hoard itself has become the goal.

This is the double-edged sword of freedom. The game peppers plenty of unique gear among the common loot, making every container a potential treasure trove. Just last night, I found a fantastic new bow for Astarion that immediately changed my tactical approach. Even "junk" has value, if only as ammo for Karlach's Enraged Throw. The act of looting is intrinsically rewarding, and the game never says "no." As my campaign in 2026 nears its climax in Act Three, the loot gets better—and my problem worsens. It's easy to ignore a goblin's rusty dagger in Act One, but ignoring the gilded armor of a Steel Watcher? Unthinkable.

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So, I'll keep offloading things where I can, in a perpetual, losing battle against my own instincts. I adore this game for the freedom it offers; it's a huge part of its timeless appeal. If that freedom leads me to be a digital dragon sitting on a mountain of unused potions and +1 swords, that's my burden to bear. Yet, I can't help but wonder: would a little judgment hurt? My party of Forgotten Realms adventurers is endlessly accommodating. Not once has Gale sighed over the 50 scrolls of Fire Bolt in the chest, or Shadowheart questioned why we're carrying 300 pounds of camp supplies. Sometimes, you need someone to put their foot down. Next time I venture into an RPG, a firm, "Your pockets are full," might feel like a strange kind of mercy—a forced intervention for a chronic hoarder. Until then, the loot beckons, and my camp chest groans under the weight of my freedom.

My Hoarding Problem: A Breakdown
The Enabler Baldur's Gate 3's limitless storage (personal, party, camp stash, companion inventories).
My Weakness Potions, scrolls, "maybe useful" gear, and anything with a gold value > 1.
The Ignored Solution The "Mark as Wares" feature for easy bulk selling.
The Consequence Overwhelming dread at the thought of organization; wasted potential gold.
The Silver Lining Never being unprepared... for a scenario that will likely never occur.

The cycle continues. A new patch, a new mod, a new playthrough—the temptation remains. Baldur's Gate 3 is a game about choices, and I've consistently chosen chaos. It's a glorious, cluttered, deeply personal way to experience Faerûn, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Even if it means my inventory is a terrifying monument to my lack of self-control.