Baldur's Gate 3: Everything you need to know

Baldur's Gate 3: Overview | Updates | Gameplay

Step into the captivating world of Baldur's Gate 3, where the Forgotten Realms beckon with tales of camaraderie and deception, sacrifice and resilience, and the irresistible temptation of absolute power. Unleash your hidden potential as enigmatic abilities awaken within you, courtesy of a Mind Flayer parasite nestled in your mind.

The choice is yours - resist the darkness and turn it against itself, or embrace the allure of corruption and embrace the path of ultimate evil. Brought to you by the masterminds behind Divinity: Original Sin 2, this next-generation RPG transports you into the enchanting realm of Dungeons and Dragons, promising a gaming experience like no other.

Game Overview

Release date: August 3, 2023

Developer: Larian Studios

Publisher: Larian Studios

Baldur's Gate 3 has achieved best-selling pre-order status on PS5.

Probably should stay away from the IT team for a while - told them they should expect like 100k or so at max https://t.co/TY0aSrmWEx
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) August 4, 2023

Baldur's Gate 3 has enjoyed a highly successful launch weekend, not only on PC but also on the PS5 platform. On PC, the game's popularity has soared, surpassing its previous record of 532,876 concurrent players on launch day. Now, according to SteamDB, the concurrent player count has reached an impressive 712,28.

Larian Studios' CEO, Swen Vincke, had initially anticipated a maximum concurrent player count of around 100k, but the game has far exceeded those expectations. The success of Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 can be attributed to several factors. The excitement generated by PC players about the game's expansive writing, intriguing D&D-style problem-solving, and Larian's unique approach likely influenced PS5 users' interest.

Furthermore, the game's exceptional RPG experience has likely filled a void for many players, especially considering the absence of anticipated titles like Mass Effect 5 and Dragon Age 4 from BioWare. Overall, Baldur's Gate 3 has captivated players on both PC and PS5, solidifying its position as a top-notch RPG in the gaming community.

Baldur's Gate 3 Story

Baldur's Gate 3 unfolds a new tale set in the current era of the Forgotten Realms. The story revolves around mind flayers, enigmatic alien creatures with psychic powers, who have discovered a way to travel between worlds and are planning an invasion.

The player-character and their main companions face a unique challenge as they are infected with parasitic tadpoles that would typically transform them into mind flayers. However, for some unknown reason, the transformation process isn't working as expected. The main quest revolves around uncovering more about these tadpoles and finding a way to remove them safely.

Although the party doesn't immediately transform into mind flayers, the tadpoles do have an impact. They allow the player to link minds with others who also have tadpoles, providing some benefits. However, using this power excessively makes them more susceptible to control when encountered by actual mind flayers.

Mind flayers have a notorious reputation in the Dungeons & Dragons universe as malevolent beings with powerful psionic abilities. They can manipulate the minds of other sentient creatures and have a disturbing habit of consuming brains.

Over time, they have amassed enemies, including demons and githyanki, who engage in battles against them. The game features a githyanki fighter as one of the initial companions, having been captured by mind flayers. Baldur's Gate, a sprawling open city, also plays a significant role in the adventure.

Baldur's Gate 3 Gameplay

Video Credit:

The gameplay video featured in this content is from the official IGN YouTube channel. All credit for the video goes to IGN for providing the captivating gameplay footage. For more exciting gaming content, be sure to visit and subscribe to IGN's YouTube channel.

In Baldur's Gate 3, the classic party-based RPG experience is preserved, where players gather and lead a group of fantasy heroes on an adventure. They can choose to play as a predefined "origin character" with a unique background and story, or create a fully custom character from scratch. The game's focus is on intricate systems, including a combat system based on the D&D 5e ruleset, giving players plenty of agency to tackle challenges in their personal and party quests.

The gameplay offers a plethora of options, such as using spells, skills, and environmental manipulation to overcome obstacles creatively. For example, players can strategically collapse buildings, transform into gas to sneak through tight spaces, or convince animals to assist them. Even seemingly insignificant objects like an empty box can become crucial tools to solve puzzles or defeat enemies.

Out-of-combat gameplay is in real-time, but players can switch to turn-based mode when they want to plan detailed strategies, especially for sneaking and stealing. In multiplayer, each player can switch between real-time and turn-based modes independently, allowing for a mix of activities among party members.

To address extreme luck or unluckiness with dice rolls, players can enable Karmic Dice, a feature that balances the randomness while maintaining the essence of RNG (random number generation). This ensures that players won't suffer from consecutive bouts of bad or exceptionally good luck during gameplay.

Connection Between Baldur's Gate 3 and Baldur's Gate 2

Baldur's Gate 3 introduces a fresh set of characters and takes place years after the events of Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal. Despite the new storyline, there are intriguing connections to the previous games. Sven Vincke, the founder of Larian Studios, emphasized in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) that they wanted to maintain a link to the earlier games.

While avoiding spoilers, Vincke revealed that Baldur's Gate 3 explores the story of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 in significant ways, and there are returning characters that tie the events of the past games to the current narrative.

During The Game Awards, a trailer for Baldur's Gate 3 showcased the return of two beloved characters from the series: Jaheira and Minsc. Tracy Wiles, a seasoned voice actor, reprised her role as Jaheira, while the well-known Matt Mercer lent his voice to Minsc. This inclusion of familiar characters added a nostalgic touch and further connected the latest installment with the rich history of the Baldur's Gate series.

System Requirements

Baldur's Gate 3 has fairly reasonable system requirements, considering how beautiful the game looks. However, it's worth noting that Larian has made some changes to the storage requirements since the early access phase. The game originally needed only 70GB of storage space, but now it has more than doubled to 150GB.

Also, the updated recommendations now suggest using slightly newer GPUs, and having an SSD is now a requirement for smoother gameplay. So, if you plan on playing Baldur's Gate 3, make sure your PC can handle these updated specs for the best experience!

Minimum

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required

Conclusion

After a wait of nearly two decades, players are finally immersing themselves in the world of Baldur's Gate 3, thanks to the efforts of the talented developers at Larian Studios, known for their work on the Divinity series. The game's extensive content, boasting nearly 200 total hours of in-game cinematics, indicates the studio's commitment to delivering a rich and immersive experience.

The decision to move the launch date forward to avoid overshadowing by Starfield has given players more time to indulge in the wonders of the Forgotten Realms. The successful three-year early access period has garnered Baldur's Gate 3 well-deserved accolades, setting the stage for its highly anticipated 1.0 release.

Drawing inspiration from D&D 5E, Larian has seamlessly integrated their signature tactical interactions and roleplaying opportunities into the Forgotten Realms setting. This blend of gameplay mechanics with the beloved universe of D&D promises to be a captivating experience for players.

As players venture into the world of Baldur's Gate 3, the vastness of possibilities and replay value is evident. With the potential to offer countless hours of enjoyment, the game holds the promise of becoming a timeless classic for fans of RPGs and the Forgotten Realms alike.

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