In development for six years and available for Steam Early Access in October 2020, Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally releasing on August 3rd for PC (September 6th for PS5 players). Developed by Larian Studios, it’s a massive game that offers the most in-depth recreation of Dungeons and Dragons in video games yet. Here are 15 things you need to know before buying.
2 Million Word Script
The script for Baldur’s Gate 3 is big. While Larian Studios touted this before the early access launch, it provided a new estimate on the final script – roughly 2 million words long, with over “three times the dialogue of all three Lord of the Rings novels combined.” The early access version accounts for less than a quarter of the final release.
Over 174 Hours of Cinematics
There are also over 174 hours of cinematics, which is “more than twice the length of the entirety of Game of Thrones.” Of course, you won’t see all of that in one playthrough. Many cinematics occur based on your decisions or directions taken in the storyline. The result is completely new content on subsequent playthroughs, not including some of the secrets that undoubtedly await.
New Character Creation Options
When Larian first showcased the character creation toolset, it was pretty stunning in its breadth. So, of course, it updated the same, adding new options like piercings, heterochromia, scars, freckles and vitiligo. You can customize horn color for Tieflings, lip makeup, strong body types and even an age slider to make your character look more mature.
12 Classes
Of course, the customization doesn’t stop there. You have 12 classes, from the Barbarian and Rogue to the Wizard, Bard, Ranger and Fighter. At launch, there will be a new addition – the Monk, who can wield the Open Hand for close combat, embrace the Four Elements to unleash spells or go down the Shadow path and stealthily assassinate enemies. You can also use Deflect Missile to send thrown weapons and items back at enemies.
46 Subclasses
But wait, there’s more. Of the 12 classes in the 1.0 release, each has different subclasses for even more gameplay diversity. There are 46 to choose from, and every early access class gets at least one new subclass to spice things up. Some of them, like the Gloom Stalker Ranger, won’t be available immediately but as you progress through the game.
Multiclassing
What would Dungeons and Dragons be without the option to multi-class? After leveling up, you can put points into a different class for some devastating combinations. The biggest change is that there are no stat requirements. So if you want to play a Gloom Stalker Ranger/Spores Druid or a Swords Bard/Oathbreaker Paladin, you can. Heck, if you want to put a point into all the classes, you can do that (and even get an Achievement).
Respeccing
Of course, not every combination of abilities and/or classes works well. You may even want to change from one subclass to another to experiment. Fortunately, there’s an NPC in Act 1 who helps in respeccing. You can choose different proficiencies, spells, stats and more, and take a completely different route if you wish.
Max Level Cap
Baldur’s Gate 3 was planned to have a level cap of 10. However, with multiclassing, and not wanting to leave out some of the cooler high-level spells and actions, Larian went with a max level of 12. So if you were worried about not having access to Planar Allies, Otto’s Irresistible Dance or even Chain Lightning, it’s all here.
Over 600 Spells and Actions
In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are over 600 spells and actions (which doesn’t include upcasts), with new additions like Blade Barrier, Blinding Sickness, Heroes’ Feast, Conjure Barrage, Hold Monster, Greater Restoration, Warden of Vitality, Wind Walk and much more confirmed. It adds to the sheer variety and mayhem all the more.
New Feats
But wait, there’s even more. Upon certain levels, you unlock Feats, which provide different passive bonuses. For example, Ability Improvements, which provides +2 Ability Points for spending on stats, or Heavily Armored, which increases your Strength score by 1 (max 20) and provides Heavy Armor proficiency. There are a hefty number of feats currently, but there will be 22 additional options in the full release.
Difficulty Options
With how daunting this all sounds, it’s good to know that there are different difficulty options. There’s Normal Mode, the default, and Story Mode, where combat is less brutal, vendor prices are 20 percent cheaper, and you have a +2 proficiency bonus at the start.
Those seeking a challenge can go with Hardcore, where enemies are stronger and more aggressive, ignoring tanks and prioritizing casters in addition to other changes. It’s unknown how this ties into Tactician, which Larian touts as extremely unforgiving, with specific changes made to all fights to make them tougher, but we’ll find out at launch.
PC Requirements
PC requirements were raised back in February, so at the very minimum, you’ll need an Intel Core i5 4690 or an AMD FX 8350, a GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 480 and 8 GB of RAM. Recommended requirements include a Core i7 8700K or a Radeon R5 3600, a GeForce RTX 2060 Super or Radeon RX 5700 XT, and 16 GB of RAM. Regardless of everything else, you need a massive 150 GB of installation space.
Co-op
Co-op is a big feature in all of Larian’s RPGs and perhaps even more so in Baldur’s Gate 3. Up to four players can be in a party, and you can join at the beginning or during a playthrough. The characters are limited to one per player, but this is really where the custom creations shine. Inventories are shared between players (with options to lock them), and all players have access to the same Journal notes, recipes and whatnot.
Inspiration Points, used to reroll dialogue checks, are also shared, and players can vote on dialogue options during conversations. While scenes may be private to a player, it’s also possible to have them public to everyone.
Playtime
We’ve said it once, but it bears repeating – Baldur’s Gate 3 is a massive game. Larian estimates that a standard playthrough is 75 to 100 hours. If you’re going for everything, then it’s 200 hours. However, there are so many choices and options that you still won’t see everything in a single playthrough.
As director Swen Vincke told IGN, “It has an enormous amount of replay because there are so many ways to do things. I think people will reroll a lot. We have this insane amount of classes, sub-classes, races, and sub-races. This is not a small game you’re going to be done within a month.”
Xbox Series X/S Versions Coming Later
When first announced for PS5, the biggest question was whether Baldur’s Gate 3 is exclusive to the console. Larian later clarified that this wasn’t the case and that due to issues getting local co-op running on Xbox Series S, it has to delay the same. It’s still working on it, with assistance from Microsoft, and hopes to launch them later this year.
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