Playing with Arachnophobia

[JLQ]

I know I'll probably get clowned on for this but I just wanted to mention it because I know there are plenty of people out there who have Arachnophobia like me. It's difficult sometimes playing the fantasy games we love because a very common enemy type is the arachnid. Some may be tolerable like World of warcraft, while some may be straight up disgusting like Skyrim. Baldur's gate 3 spiders definitely learn more towards the Skyrim ones for me. For someone with Arachnophobia playing this game, It's a little nerve racking not knowing when or where a giant spider may appear and as a result you're almost always waiting in a bit of a cold sweat thinking about it which makes playing a little stressful.
Thankfully the modding community is always on top of it with mods that replace the model and sounds of them with that of a bear or wolf, but I was wondering if Larian could consider a setting for Arachnophobes like the devs for Devour did. A small thing like that may help some of us with this issue be able to enjoy the game more on full release and be able to get the full experience without relying on a mod. It's hard to explain this situation to those who don't have Arachnophobia (I envy you) and I hope there is some level of empathy here, just know that a phobia is several levels above simply being afraid of something, it's super irrational and it doesn't make sense to us either. I'm super excited to play BG3 in August and until then I've been trying to occupy myself so I don't go crazy and I wanted to make this post because I'm sure Devs see these. Thanks!

[Metallicus]

Society shouldn’t cater to individual preferences, phobias and quirks. There are lots of things I dislike about modern society, but I have learned to simply avoid things that might trigger me and let others live their lives. Suck it up and move forward.

[Sciophyte]

There are parts of the game—at least in the first act—where spiders are pretty much unavoidable, so unless some mod replaces them with something more tolerable for you, I doubt that the devs will remove them.

[RealDealBreaker]

What a ridiculous request. What next, a toggle for removing open spaces for the agoraphobic people? No more caves for the claustrophobic people? No fire for pyropbics? Removal of elves (or perhaps all fey) to cater to fayophobic people? There is simply no rational reason to make changes for such a ridiculously small group of people who have a rare and (by definition) irrational fear of spiders that is so bad that digital representations are enough to throw them off.

[ExcaliburV]

I want to empathize, I get that it's not a fear you have control of. But personally I'm of the opinion that facing your fears in a relatively safe environment where nothing is real, like a video game, is one of the best ways to challenge and possibly defeat your fears. Granted, I'm not a psychologist.

[Bulldozer]

You should lean into the RP and make it part of the character.

[Deemer]

Originally posted by ExcaliburV:

I want to empathize, I get that it's not a fear you have control of. But personally I'm of the opinion that facing your fears in a relatively safe environment where nothing is real, like a video game, is one of the best ways to challenge and possibly defeat your fears. Granted, I'm not a psychologist.

its not that simple, and depends a lot on the phobia itself.
I'm severely arachnophobic, and its insanely intense. in my 3 decades of life I have tried and tried and tried to overcome it if only a little at least, but Its irrational and not based on anything specific, and doesnt require a real world component to trigger in full force. detailed images of spiders fills my head with the very concept of them and sends me into a panic. I constantly try to bite my lip and forcibly will myself thru any encounters with spiders in games but its impossible, Very quickly my skin starts to crawl, I start to uncontrollably hyperventilate, and the overwhelming urge to escape(get the spider off my screen) is insurmountable. its an instantaneous and automatic response that takes your rational mind completely out of the process

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Originally posted by RealDealBreaker:

What a ridiculous request. What next, a toggle for removing open spaces for the agoraphobic people? No more caves for the claustrophobic people? No fire for pyropbics? Removal of elves (or perhaps all fey) to cater to fayophobic people? There is simply no rational reason to make changes for such a ridiculously small group of people who have a rare and (by definition) irrational fear of spiders that is so bad that digital representations are enough to throw them off.

Bruh, totally unnecessary...

[Clovis Sangrail]

This discussion is a sterling example of the empathy the internet is known for.

[skullymex]

I also suffer from a severe phobia that makes enjoying certain media difficult for me, so I feel for you there. And while I doubt Larian will take the time to implement the option to have the spiders replaced with something else, there's always gonna be mods (like you said).
On the bright side, providing these sorts of options seems to become more common. Maybe it's only a matter of time before it becomes common practice :)

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

I'm trypophobic, but I'm also fascinated with triggering it, which I always regret. 😱🤣

[Guitarist with Osteoarthritis]

Don't worry about the Nay-Sayers. They don't really matter because they aren't really giving any constructive feedback. Larian will probably put a toggle in the options menu that makes all the spiders turn into bears or something.

[dolby]

Originally posted by cool-dude:

it's 2023 sir. That is racist.

no that would be if he wanted to change the color of spiders . i guess cos for some reason some people let colors define the world around them.

[Dremall]

A simple no would suffice, but then again I shouldn't be surprised that people go out of their way to be rude. And I must agree that it's probably a bit much to ask a developer to cater to a phobia. Where does it end? Given that mods are allowed, this will probably be the best route.
Giant spiders have been a classic trope of fantasy since Tolkien penned the Hobbit. So nearly every RPG out their is going to have spiders as an enemy.

[dolby]

Originally posted by Dremall:

A simple no would suffice, but then again I shouldn't be surprised that people go out of their way to be rude.

that only leads to lets be all nice in public and then make fun of them when no one is looking ... that how the world works now... double standards and hypocrisy.

[Briscuit]

I have a friend who also has a really hard time with them I do but not to a server degree. What we do is and you could probably do until a mod comes out find a couple friends and let them deal with that area without you and come back after it you can ither afk your character or let one of them control it cause there is a big area in this game that deals with them. I wish more some things like that were more common but as you see the internet doesn't have empathy or compassion. I deff get where you are coming from OP.