Tech

Baldur's Gate 3 – Druid Build Guide – GameSpot

Published

1 year ago

August 8, 2023

When talking about the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build, we have to consider the overall capabilities of the class. While we can become a traditional spellcaster or boost our Wild Shape transformations, there’s still a viable third option. Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide discusses the Circle of the Spores, which turns you into a hybrid combatant.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide – Circle of the Spores

Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide takes a look at the Circle of the Spores, owing to its various utility effects, bonus necrotic damage, summons, and even zombie allies. We also have a Druid class overview that takes note of ideal selections during character creation.

As an aside, we opted to focus on a build that avoids multiclassing. However, you’re able to respec and change classes when you see fit, if you want more flexibility.

Druid Build Summary

As cited in our overview, we’re going to boost our Druid further to ensure that we make the right choices for spellcasting and melee combat in support of our team. We recommend the following for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build:

Race: Duergar Dwarf or Wood Elf
Background: Any will do, though Folk Hero and Outlander are decent.
Abilities: 12 STR; 14 DEX; 14 CON; 8 INT; 17 WIS; 10 CHA.
Weapons and armor: Don’t forget that Druids are proficient in light armor, medium armor, and shields, so get those defenses ready if you want to engage in melee.

The Symbiotic Entity action gives temporary HP, added necrotic damage to your attacks, and boosted Halo of Spores damage.

Druid Leveling Progression

Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide takes note of good options for when you need to choose spells during character creation. Later, we detail what makes the Circle of the Spores quite unique for the class.

Level 1

Cantrips:

Guidance – Grants 1d4 bonus to ability checks.
Thorn Whip – Deals 1-6 piercing damage and pulls your target toward you.

Spells:

Healing Word – Heals a target for 4-7 HP.
Thunderwave – Deals 2-16 thunder damage and pushes back all creatures in a frontal cone in front of you.
Optional/Lore-friendly: Speak with Animals – Converse with beasts and pets.
Optional/Lore-friendly: Animal Friendship – Convince a beast not to attack you.
Optional: Ice Knife – Throw a shard of ice that deals 3-22 cold damage; the projectile explodes and deals cold damage to other nearby creatures.

Level 2

At level two, you gain Wild Shape, which lets you turn into a cat, badger, spider, or wolf. Moreover, you’ll now be able to choose a subclass. As cited earlier, our Baldur’s Gate 3 Druid build guide focuses on the Circle of Spores, which gives the following benefits:

Cantrip: Bone Chill – Deal 1-8 necrotic damage; prevents the target from healing; undead targets also have a disadvantage on attack rolls.
Halo of Spores – This reaction deals 1-4 necrotic damage to a target.
Symbiotic Entity – This gives you +8 temporary hit points, while boosting attacks to deal extra 1-6 necrotic damage. Casting Halo of Spores also doubles its damage while this is active. The lasts until your next long rest, but it ends prematurely if you use Wild Shape.

For the most part, you’re looking at a hybrid playstyle where you cast Halo of Spores for temporary HP, as well as the necrotic damage boost. If ever you’re unable to cast spells or you don’t want to expend spell slots, then you’ll also want to get into the thick of the fray.

Level 3

Prepared Spells:

Blindness – Limit an enemy’s sight range, causing it to miss more often.
Detect Thoughts – Read the thoughts of other creatures.

Spells:

Moonbeam – Call down a beam of light that deals 2-20 radiant damage; you can use an action to move the beam.
Optional: Spike Growth – Turn a portion of the ground into a spiky area, causing 2-8 piercing damage and limiting movement range for anyone inside it.

Level 4

Cantrip: Pick anything that you prefer.
Wild Shape: Deep Rothe – Can cast Dancing Lights and is able to charge foes.
Feat: Ability Improvement – Add +2 points to Wisdom, and don’t forget to beat Auntie Ethel for a reward that grants an extra point. This lets you reach the 20 Wisdom cap.

The Circle of the Spores Druid can have a bunch of summons, ranging from forest creatures to fungal zombies.

Level 5

Class Feature: Wild Strike – Make an additional attack after doing an unarmed strike while in Wild Shape.

Spells:

Call Lightning – Zap foes within an area for 3-30 lightning damage; you can call down another lightning strike within 10 turns, and this does not cost a spell slot.
Optional: Sleet Storm – Disrupt the concentration of spellcasters, douse fire, and create an ice surface.
Optional: Plant Growth – Make weeds burst from the ground to cover an area; enemies moving through it will have their movement range quartered.

Level 6

Class Features:

Panther – Become a panther than can prowl around invisibly.
Owlbear – Become an owlbear that can rupture the ground and become enraged.

Subclass Action: Fungal Infestation – Raise the corpse of a beast or humanoid and turn it into a zombie ally. You have multiple charges that get replenished when you do a long rest, which means you can also raise several zombies to fight by your side.

Level 7

Prepared Spells:

Blight – Deals 8-64 necrotic damage; plants are more susceptible to this spell; no effect on undead and constructs.
Confusion – Befuddle a group of creatures, which make them attack at random, wander around aimlessly, or skip turns in a stupor.

Spells:

Ice Storm – Make hail rain down from the sky, causing 6-40 cold damage. The patch of frost that forms can also cause creatures to slip and fall prone.
Conjure Woodland Being – Spawn a dryad to fight by your side. It can use Nature’s Step and Entangle, as well as summon a Wood Woad.
Optional: Stoneskin – Concentrate to buff a target’s defenses; they take only half the damage from all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Optional: Grasping Vine – Concentrate to summon a giant vine that can pull enemies toward itself.

Level 8

Feat: Elemental Adept (Cold) – You’ve likely been using spells like Ice Storm and Ice Knife, so this makes the most sense to grab.

Level 9

Spells:

Conjure Elemental – Summon an elemental ally to fight by your side.
Optional: Insect Plague – Locusts attack everyone within range, causing 4-40 piercing damage; affected area becomes difficult terrain that imposes disadvantage on Perception checks.

These are our picks for the Druid best build in Baldur’s Gate 3. We’ll update our guide soon, so stay tuned.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

6 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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