Larian stats: You’re all monsters 9000 players played on portrait monitors

Even three years after its release, Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to generate staggering statistics. While player numbers remain high, it is the sheer volume of in-game chaos, murders, and bizarre behavior that Larian Studios is now putting on full display.

The studio recently highlighted some of these remarkable player activities in a post on Bluesky, turning the data into an annual tradition for the community. The numbers reveal a deep dive into how players interact with the game world, resulting in truly unforgettable outcomes.

On the more conventional side, the modding scene alone is massive. Players have downloaded over 500 million mods and uploaded 13,000 custom additions, demonstrating an incredible commitment to customization and altering the core experience.

But it is the statistics regarding in-game violence that truly capture the imagination. The game has become a playground for some very strange interactions, evidenced by the deployment of items like the Nut-Buster rock in combat, along with the accompanying blade, the Poo-Scraper and property of the quasit Shovel, all deployed four times during Act 3 encounters.

The results of this chaotic playstyle are equally surreal. The NPC who experienced the most deaths across various player games was the Tiefling leader Zevlor, who sadly succumbed to battle 12.3 million times. Closely following him was the wizard apprentice Rolan, who endured 8.6 million fatalities.

Beyond these dramatic character losses, some of the truly peculiar behaviors emerge when examining player choices. Over 30,000 players have ventured down the path of the Netherbrain drunk, while a staggeringly small fraction—under 1%—have managed to accumulate 180,000 gold in a single playthrough.

Perhaps one of the most mind-bending statistics relates to player perspective. Just over 9,000 players have experienced Baldur’s Gate 3 by setting their monitor to a 9:16 aspect ratio, effectively playing the game with their screen oriented in portrait mode.

Yet, perhaps the most unsettling statistic turns inward on player morality. When examining who has committed acts of murder within the world, a startling trend emerges: more players have elected to murder Alfira, the lovely and blameless bard encountered in the grove area during Act 1, than Dark Urge players have.

The implications are fascinating: while the game forces some narrative cruelties upon its players, the sheer volume of acts committed by players outside of the mandated narrative suggests something far more complex is at play. It highlights that when players step into the role of monsters, the result is a collective and unforgettable demonstration of player agency.