Baldur’s Gate 3 — Everything you need to know so far

Baldur'south Gate 3 — Everything you lot need to know and so far

(Epitome credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur'southward Gate 3 came out of nowhere during E3 2019, and fan response has landed somewhere betwixt "about time!" and "why at present?" Nineteen years after the Baldur'due south Gate saga ended (or then we thought) in Baldur's Gate ii: Throne of Bhaal, the series is gear up to go along with a new story, a new developer, and a new Dungeons & Dragons ruleset.

Baldur'due south Gate 3 is exciting for ii reasons. Not just is information technology the return of one of PC gaming's near dearest RPG series, but information technology's also the first time that fans will experience the massively popular Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules in a video game. A lot has inverse since Baldur's Gate two, so read on to notice out everything we know almost the latest digital hazard in the Forgotten Realms.

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Baldur's Gate 3 release date speculation

Baldur's Gate three launched in Early on Access last October. Unfortunately, there's no hard release date for the consummate game. This version includes Human activity i only, with the devs stressing that Deed ii and 3 are nonetheless in progress.

Larian Studios famously said that the full game will "be ready when it'south ready." It anticipates that Baldur's Gate 3 will be in Early Access for at least i year, but that'southward non to exist taken as comment on a firm release window. Judging by all of that, we'll likely run into the game finally arrive in full this year.

Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access

Unlike previous Baldur'due south Gate titles, Baldur's Gate 3 is bachelor in Early Access. Larian Studios has been admirably straightforward about what Early Access entails— and that it's primarily for people who are interested in how games develop, not necessarily gamers who desire a complete Baldur's Gate 3 experience a few months early on.

Baldur's Gate 3 went into Early Access on Oct 6, 2020 on both Steam and Google Stadia. If y'all want to hop in, it's priced at $59.99 / £49.99. The studio has confirmed that this price won't alter at the game's launch.

And so what does Early Access get yous aside from the self-satisfied glow of helping atomic number 26 out the kinks earlier release? Players will be able to play through Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 which should take around 25 hours to turn through. There are seven classes and nine races/ subraces available with more than to come later.

Given that the RPG will offer players different paths and courses of action to complete Act 1, paired with the dissimilar character options, you'll be prepare for far more than than the advertised 25 hours worth of content.

Baldur's Gate 3 trailer

Baldur'south Gate 3 had a short proclamation trailer that debuted for E3 2019. The atmospheric video showed off the city of Baldur's Gate, and hinted that the intellect-devouring heed flayers volition be the big villains this time around.

You lot can as well watch the consummate intro cinematic from Baldur'due south Gate 3, which gives a lot more context about the overall story and setting. It's got dungeons, dragons, portals — pretty much everything you lot'd wait in a high-fantasy RPG.

Y'all can go along up with community updates, as well as new trailers on Larian Studios' YouTube channel. I of the most recent videos to driblet was the Druid grade trailer dorsum in February. Druids tin shapeshift, and use over 30 new spells and abilities which are detailed more in the Patch 4 update. You can check out the Druid trailer beneath.

Baldur's Gate iii gameplay

If you've played a PC RPG before, y'all probably know the broad strokes of Baldur's Gate 3 gameplay already. Yous'll create a graphic symbol, customizing your stats, skills, race, form, name, sex ,and then on. Then, you'll set up off into a fantasy world (the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms, specifically), where you'll gather a party, fight monsters, explore dungeons, converse with NPCs, and shape an epic story based on your decisions.

Larian Studios is at the helm this time around, rather than Bioware. The developer'due south stable of titles includes the beloved Divinity: Original Sin series, so the legacy of Baldur's Gate is in good hands. In that location are some major differences between the Divinity serial and Baldur's Gate 3 that are worth noting though.

Like Baldur'south Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 before it, Baldur's Gate 3 is based on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game. Dissimilar the first ii titles, Baldur's Gate iii will apply the 5th Edition D&D rules — or the studios interpretation of them at least. Larian CEO Swen Vincke told PCGamer that sticking to the core rules sucks some of the fun out of the gameplay, as information technology "doesn't piece of work well in a videogame."

That ways the gamplay volition feel somewhat different, from exploration, to combat, to conversation, and beyond. Without recapping the unabridged 5th Edition rulebook, the game lets you customize your character's strengths and weaknesses organically, without forcing y'all into a unmarried archetype defined past your race and grade.

The bottom line is that 5th Edition — and by extension, Baldur's Gate iii — is more than about crafting an interesting character than almost min-maxing your skills for a "perfect" build. We delved into Act 1 on release, and you can read our impressions of Baldur's Gate three Early Access for more details.

Baldur'southward Gate 3 classes

While the Early on Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 only features 7 player classes, Larian Studios has said it volition add more classes and races betwixt now and the game'due south full launch. In fact, you lot'll exist able to Here are the classes and subclasses we know about then far:

Barbarian (Path of the Berserker | Path of the Totem Warrior)
Bard (College of Lore | College of Valor)
Cleric (Life Domain | Lite Domain | Trickery Domain | Knowledge Domain | Nature Domain | Tempest Domain | War Domain)
Druid (Circle of the Country | Circle of the Moon)
Fighter (Battle Chief | Eldritch Knight | Champion)
Monk (Way of the Open Paw | Manner of Shadow | Way of the 4 Elements)
Paladin (Oath of Devotion | Adjuration of the Ancients | Oath of Vengeance)
Ranger (Beast Master | Hunter)
Rogue (Thief | Arcane Trickster | Assassin)
Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline | Wild Magic)
Warlock (The Fiend | The Not bad Old One | Archfey)
Wizard (Schoolhouse of Abjuration | School of Evocation | School of Conjuration | School of Divination | School of Enchantment | School of Illusion | School of Necromancy | School of Transmutation)

These are essentially all of the classes and subclasses from the D&D 5th Edition Player's Handbook, but there are other classes out there in a bevy of supplementary sourcebooks. Nosotros wouldn't be shocked if Larian adds some of these — but don't expect to see every single grade ever published, either.

You'll also be able to select a playable race. Here are the ones available so far:

Dwarf
Elf
Halfling
Human
Gnome
Half-Elf
Tiefling
Half-Drow
Drow (dark elves)
Githyanki

Non all races and classes will be available in early access, so don't be alarmed if you lot can't build your Githyanki Transmutation Magician the second the game becomes available. Larian has also added a Vampire Spawn origin character, although we don't know if this race will be available for custom creations.

Baldur's Gate 3 story

Since the story in Baldur'due south Gate 3 doesn't seem to follow straight from the start 2 games, there's no real point in rehashing the complex and sinuous series lore here. The third instalment takes identify 100 years after the events in Baldur's Gate 2. Information technology kicks off non too long after the Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus, with the tabletop RPG interim as a prequel to the title.

The first Human activity is available in the Early on Access version of the game, and is escaping a mind flayer transport, spent gathering upwards companions, and figuring out how to remove listen flayer tadpoles from the role player grapheme and their coiffure.

Anything beyond that spoiler-costless preview is a surprise that awaits gamers in the second and 3rd acts of the story.

Baldur'south Gate three outlook

It's been over 20 years since the terminal Baldur'due south Gate title, and even though the IP has switched hands from Bioware to Larian Studios, the developer has proven itself more capable of knocking out a stellar RPG.

While the D&D aspects of the game shouldn't prove to be a bulwark to entry to those new to series, yous can expect a wealth of options and customisation thanks to the organization.

For players eager to dive into the game, Early Access should scratch that crawling. But conduct in heed that in that location are plenty of bugs to contend with, and the feel isn't necessarily indicative of the full game. With at least seven months (or more) before the launch proper, yous might want to wait this one out and go in fresh when the game gets a total release.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom's Guide, overseeing the site's coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing groundwork, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. Afterwards hours, you tin observe him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on archetype sci-fi.