Baldur’s Gate 3 might be one of the most interesting games in its genre to date. Enlivening the experience of playingDungeons & Dragons and benefitting from Larian Studios‘ decades of expertise, plenty of players are excited for the game’s potential.
Over the course of a three year early access period, the Belgian developer listened closely to create a game that is everything that Dungeons & Dragons fans would want out of a fully realised fifth edition campaign.
So much has been bundled into the game that some are saying that it represents a “new standard” in role-playing games. As well as adding fan-favourite races and classes, Baldur’s Gate 3 also boasts a star-studded cast who are bringing these characters to life.
Here’s everything you need to know about Baldur’s Gate 3:
What is Baldur’s Gate 3?
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3 is the third instalment of the RPG series Baldur’s Gate, which is based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting from the pen-and-paper game Dungeons & Dragons. The series, which launched in 1998 for the PC, was followed in 2000 by Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows Of Amn.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on the fifth edition of the Dungeons & Dragons rulebook, although modifications have been made while adapting it for a video game.
“Choose from 12 classes and 11 races from the D&D Player’s Handbook and create your own identity, or play as an Origin hero with a hand-crafted background. Or tangle with your inner corruption as the Dark Urge, a fully customisable Origin hero with its own unique mechanics and story. Whoever you choose to be, adventure, loot, battle and romance your way across the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Gather your party. Take the adventure online as a party of up to four.”
However, after overcoming what looked like a problematic patch, the release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 was altered. The game comes to PC on August 3, 2023, but the PS5 version will arrive on September 6, 2023.
Those who pre-ordered the game for early access will be upgraded to the Digital Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 for free. This offers 72 hours of early access to Act One, a PC or PS5 dice skin, a digital artbook, digital character sheets, the Divinity Bard Song pack and more.
The Collector’s Edition of the game includes everything from the Digital Deluxe Edition and a 160-page hardcover art book, tadpole keyring, cloth map of Faerûn, sticker sheet, battle diorama of Mind Flayer versus Drow Drizzt, an oversized metal D20 and lots of other goodies.
In 2019, Larian released the first cinematic trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3 which gave players the first look at the characters, villains, and locations.
The following year, an official early access trailer was released which showcased the first in-game footage, revealing its cast of main characters, a bunch of monsters as well as being voiced by the game’s own narrator.
Plenty more gameplay videos were shared by Larian when the game was in alpha as well just before Early Access launched. The footage showcased one of the first environments the player gets to experience and it was clear that many changes were made since the last time gameplay was shown off.
What is the plot of Baldur’s Gate 3?
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place almost 100 years after the events of Baldur’s Gate 2 and opens with the player-made protagonist searching for a powerful cleric to heal them after being infected by a “mind flayer”.
Meanwhile, the mind flayers are the game’s main antagonist. Also known as the Illithids, they have “rediscovered the secret of nautiloids” according to Vincke, and are using it to leave the Underdark and “restore their empire”.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is mostly separate from the original games’ Bhaalspawn Saga, where children of Bhaal, the Lord Of Murder, roamed the land. “It’s in living memory for some people [in the game], but most of the people who lived through it, who were very specifically attached to Baldur’s Gate and the Bhaalspawn Saga, most of them are dead,” Adam Smith, a writer on Baldur’s Gate 3, told PC World.
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios.
However, the RPG still includes threads from the original games. “Everything in Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 becomes more and more present as the story goes on,” Smith added. “It’s not gone away. It’s not forgotten and we’re not doing a story which doesn’t account for that.”
“You miss a lot in D&D – if the dice are bad, you miss. That doesn’t work well in a video game,” Vincke previously told PC Gamer.
“If I do that, you’re going to review it and say it’s shit. Our approach has been implementing it as pure as we can, and then just seeing what works and what doesn’t. Stuff that doesn’t work, we start adapting until it does.”
Who is the villain of Baldur’s Gate 3?
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios
As aforementioned, the Mind Flayers are the ones who have initiated an invasion of Faerûn and infected the characters with illithid parasites. However, there are three main villains that the player will encounter across their campaign.
J. K. Simmons is playing General Ketheric Thorm, a necromancer who was resurrected in order to serve as a chosen of the Absolute cult. Larian Studios expects that players will still sympathise with what Thorm has had to go through, and Simmons was a natural casting choice to embody this conflict.
“While we expected it, we were still amazed at how much his performance helped deepen the character,” said Vincke.
Lord Enver Gortash, a nefarious inventor who created scores of magical clockwork warriors, seized control of the city of Baldur’s Gate following the disappearance of its previous steward. Jason Isaacs voices Gortash, saying of his character: “In a brutal world of betrayals and butchery, he’s learned to lie better and backstab first.”
Lastly, Orin the Red is a bloodthirsty shapeshifter obsessed with her blades, and might be the most dangerous of the three. “Orin is, affectionately, unhinged,” said Maggie Robertson, who plays the character. “You don’t know when she’s going to pop up, you don’t know in what form she’s going to be, she’s incredibly tricksy.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay and cooperative mode
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3‘s gameplay is generally a turn-based role-playing game, meaning you and a group of characters you can have join your party will take turns dealing damage to enemies. However, outside of battle you and your party are able to walk and around the environments freely if you turn off turn-based mode so you can carry on exploring.
You may find yourself spending a lot of time in certain areas, including the game’s first location so it’s especially important to explore as much as you can before moving on.
Players can choose to play the game solo and create one or more characters or play with friends in a formed party to experience the game’s story together. This is Larian’s first turn-based game in the Baldur’s Gate series, similar to games like Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Though a party of NPCs is available to play with, players can also team up with friends via online play. The same single-player campaign is available to play with up to 4 players.
Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and races
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re able to customize your character in some very unique ways, including allowing you to choose what race and class you would like to play for the rest of the game.
The playable races are Dragonborn, Drow, Dwarf, Elf, Githyanki, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling, Human and Tiefling. All of these have a range of sub-races that again influence the possibilities of a playthrough.
The playable classes are Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard. These have three specialisations to choose from – for example, the Fighter can be a Battle Master, Eldritch Knight or Champion.
Baldur’s Gate 3. Credit: Larian Studios.
Additionally, characters can also be multi-classed in Baldur’s Gate 3, according to Vincke during a Reddit AMA session. “Multiclassing rule will follow closely the [fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons],” Vincke said.
“On level[ling] up, characters will be able to continue with their current class or choose a new class, provided they meet the requirements.”
Vincke also suggested that players should create their own character rather than step into the shoes of the seven pre-made characters. These seven origin characters are Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Lae’zel, Shadowheart, The Dark Urge and Wyll.
