Why is it whenever I try to find any info out about this game I find posts full of edgy "haha I killed that, are U mad?" assholes and borderline "race realists"?
Ffs I just wanted to find a post that would help me avoid killing Kobolds and the one posts I find asking the question is full of edgelords bragging about how they love to kill "vermin" races and gays.
This is what you get when you make a fantasy world were certain races are born evil, it attracts all the racist freaks that want to live out their genocide fantasies.
It's killing my fun for this game.
What about the ceremonial mace? Do I need it badly enough to murder for it?
You can toggle Non-Lethal strikes (only for melee) and just knock them out and take items.
Although the ceremonial mace isn't necessary, any mace is fine, Lathander is the god of (among other things) creativity and inspiration.
I wish it actually did something. I "non-lethally" defeated some NPCs and the game treated it as if I had straight up killed them, with dialogue from other characters reflecting that. I wish the game had more "hold on, let's stop fighting" options, like tabletop DND can have.
Some plot important characters do show up later if you do opt to go for non-lethal. Enemies you will not see again won't. The arrogant white dude at the start of the game will, for example, show up later if you choose to knock him out vs outright kill him. The method for recruiting the evil origin companion involves non-lethal. Some of the allies you can choose to betray may show up in Act 3 depending on whether or not you choose to non-lethal vs kill.
Also, certain items that you can only obtain from killing someone will not appear if you only knock them out. Also relevant, when the plot does actually require you to kill (as opposed to stop, subdue, etc) someone, knocking out doesn't fulfill the criteria.
Rare cool god?
Pretty much yeah, no wonder he lost influence in newer lore for the overreaching nauseous trope of "good but evil" fundie smiting gods. I mean Lathander priests are also pretty eager to smite, but they at least investigate before.
(Gods,) D&D gods suck so much. I went in to BG3 knowing basically nothing about D&D lore, besides that it was generic fantasy. The first 2ish chapters were great because I didn't know how much people were being honest or if they were lying about things.
I assumed Shar was "true" evil, but also hoped Shadowheart was right in that she was a genuine source of comfort and hope for broken and hurting people. Just misunderstood by those outside her influence. Nope. Just evil-sadist.
It sucks, because I feel like Larian was going for a more ambiguous or at least creative style, but ultimately had to bend to the canon of D&D because fans/wotc can't accept anything that isn't "true to canon".
Same goes for elder scrolls lore. They got some good ideas in there, but its all weighted down by the worst most overused tropes in fantasy. They ultimately retreat to it for the "main" story. And its only gotten worse over time. Morrowind has you recreating a prophecy, possibly illegitamately, to beat the big bad. Skyrim... has you pick between two fascists.
Compared to the old lore BG3 world is relativised shades of grey, hell they even did slightly less evil mindflayer and some conversations with githyanki are not made entirely of insults from their side and attack regardless of what you do.
Agree, way too much like Vatican
Pelinal. It always comes back to Pelinal.
Skyrim always made me laugh with just how damn American that choice was. You might as well have given the Stormcloaks and Imperials GOP and Dem logos.
You don’t, you can use literally any mace for the puzzle. Same with the other weaps. Those are just nearby and convenient. I like to use the rusted ones because they’re worthless anyways. Let the li’l cuties keep their shiny.