Twenty-three years (a whole grown human being’s worth of time) after the launch of Baldur’s Gate 2, a top-down roleplaying game classic for the PC, Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) fanatics are anxiously awaiting its sequel and the third installment in the series – Baldur’s Gate 3.

The first two games in the series were made by Mass Effect and Dragon Age creators BioWare before it was bought by EA. The IP was dropped by BioWare and picked up by Belgium’s Larian Studios, RPG veterans and makers of the Divinity series of games.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is being touted by Larian as a “next generation RPG” which uses the studio’s in-house Divinity 4.0 engine, capable of stunning next-generation graphics. It also offers “unprecedented freedom” when it comes to gameplay, according to the game’s Steam page.

It went into Early Access on Steam in 2020 and quickly garnered an 80 percent positivity score even before the game was finished. In a rare turn for the industry, Baldur’s Gate 3’s release date was pushed forward on PC, and will launch worldwide on 3rd August 2023, and PlayStation 5 on 6th September 2023.

Why are Dungeons and Dragons fans excited about Baldur’s Gate 3?

Larian has rebuilt Baldur’s Gate from its CRPG roots from the early 2000s. Gone are the pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites, replaced with lovingly produced 3D habitats and modern models. You can see the games from the original series in the video below.

There is a massive graphical improvement, yes, but what set the original Baldur’s Gates aside from the games that came after it, was an open roleplaying system. You could do and be whatever you saw fit in the world of the Forgotten Realms.

Larian is hoping to recapture this magic, starting with a huge variety of classes and races to choose from.

There are 11 races from the 5th edition DnD universe, including Tieflings and Dragonborns, to pick from when creating your player character. Added to this are 12 classes to choose from and an unprecedented 46 (!) subclasses to make sure that you pour even more hours of game time into character creation.

Like its predecessors, the gameplay returns to isometric roots, with random number generator mechanics based on DnD. In Baldur’s Gate 3, skill checks are represented with the roll of a virtual D20 with added multipliers depending on your build as if you were playing the tabletop game.

Combat is also reliant on rolls like the previous games, however, Larian has taken a page out of XCOM and now it is entirely turn-based. The 3D graphics now allow for much more verticality than before, something that Larian has put much emphasis in. Combat will feel much more dynamic and frantic thanks to these changes.

Player choice has also been preserved, with every aspect of a playthrough up to them. Create your own character or your own full party of four. Or, add fully voiced NPCs to your party as you play the game, or choose from a list of pre-made characters with in-depth backstories.

As the third installment in the series, Larian has made sure to not include too many hints that the new game’s story is any way connected to the previous game. Those games saw your character, a demigod (or demidevil) confront a series of more and more powerful villains, culminating in a transplanar battle against monstrous demons and angels in the Throne of Bhaal expansion of the second game.

Baldur’s Gate 3 seems to be a brand new story set in the same world. To avoid spoilers, we will simply say that the player has been given a powerful illness that will turn them into an evil creature, unless they do something about it.

Other NPCs are in the same boat as you, including the first playable Githyanki in the series, Lae’zel. NPCs and their stories are even bigger in the new title, and romance is another big portion of the game.

“With the looming threat of war heading to Baldur’s Gate, and a mind flayer invasion on the horizon, friendships – though not necessary – are bound to be forged on your journey. What becomes of them is up to you, as you enter real, vibrant relationships with those you meet along the way. Each companion has their own moral compass and will react to the choices you make throughout your journey. At what cost will you stick to your ideals?” Larian says of the game’s storyline.

“Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms together.”

The game recently generated enormous amounts of buzz and memes with fans of the IP and roleplaying games, as Larian revealed that player choice was so open that you could find a way to have a romantic encounter as a Wildshaped Bear if you were playing as a Druid.

With so much shaping up around Baldur’s Gate 3, it is more and more looking like the RPG event of the decade. Has the king finally returned to recapture their throne? Time will tell. But we are excited to return to the Sword Coast at long last.

[Image – Steam]