Larian Studios has held an event State of play to present the latest news on Baldur’s Gate 3, one of the most anticipated video games for 2023. The most important announcement has been (finally, because it arrives quite late on schedule) that of the release date, August 31although we have also been able to see a new gameplay trailer, details of the game editions, full-screen cooperative mode and compatibility with game controllers.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will mean the return of a saga that the oldest of the place will remember well, because the original developed by Bioware at the end of the 20th century revitalized the computer role-playing game genre Like no other, it set new standards for fantasy RPGs and allowed the arrival of other high-quality titles such as Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale or the second part, Baldur’s Gate II, which used its same Infinity Engine.
After months of rumors, it was confirmed by Google for its now-defunct Stadia service and released in a big way at PAX East in 2020. At that time, we learned that the developer chosen to resurrect the game was Larian Studios, an independent studio specializing in RPGs. , which had left very good feelings with the Divinity Original Sin.
What is Baldur’s Gate 3 like?
The game has been quite a bit behind schedule, although we have been able to follow its development thanks to the “early access” that was released on Steam. In this special article we offered you a first look at the game and everything we said then stands.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition rules, so his class and race options (as well as his unique abilities) are copied almost directly from the source material. You can customize almost everything related to the class and for those who do not enjoy it you can directly select a preset character to start the game more quickly.
Unlike Divinity: Original Sin 2, there will be no going back on this choice and the character will be heavily influenced by your choice, though your personality will be fleshed out by your in-game behavior, dialogue choices, and decision-making.
We see a big change in the combat mode as it is turn based, in contrast to Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 which took place in real time with a pause. We don’t know if (as it had been rumored) in the final version there will be the option to choose several combat modes, in real time or in turns, but it seems that the decision has been made. What we have seen is that we can sneak away from enemies if we have stealth skills, we move to specific places or the area is dark enough, turning off torches or chandeliers.
Another interesting feature of Baldur’s Gate 3 is its unique dialogue chamber, similar to the one used by Bioware. Instead of seeing your characters stiffen during dialogue like in the Divinity games, Baldur’s Gate 3 zooms in on the camera, allowing NPCs to show full range of motion. They can interact with their surroundings during dialogue and display complex facial animations (including full lip sync).
It’s another change from what Larian has produced in the past, but one that makes the game feel more dynamic and immersive. This is especially impressive due to the sheer number of dialogue options available. During any given conversation, the player will have between four and six options. most will be influenced by the character we select at the beginning, but there will also be “generic” and class-based options.
In summary. The game looks great, with vastly improved graphics, lighting, and animations over Original Sin 2, let alone an original game from 1998. You can tell Larian is doing her best to stay true to the D&D source material, though the animations, movement, and targeting systems on the map are almost a carbon copy of his latest Divinity.
This is so because the study has endorsed the saga (it could not be otherwise) and as already announced the game is not a mere “Baldurs Gate in 4K”. Perhaps some purists may consider some design, combat, and interface decisions to be closer to Original Sin than Baldurs Gate itself. I am one of them and I personally like it. We will see the final version.
New trailer and details of the editions
Larian has posted a new gameplay trailer that shows us one of the main antagonists. He is General Ketheric Thorm, an “invincible” necromancer who commands an army of the dead bound for the city of Baldur’s Gate and who is played for the occasion by actor JK Simmons. It must be said that the voices of the game will only be available in English, while the interface and subtitles will be available in several languages, including Spanish. In the coming months we will meet two more of the antagonists with whom we will have to deal.
The latest trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3 also includes several gameplay reveals:
- Shared screen cooperative mode– Play with up to two people on one PS5 using split-screen co-op, or play with up to four people online!
- controller compatibility: Baldur’s Gate 3 only supported mouse and keyboard gameplay during its Early Access phase on Steam, but the new trailer offers a first look at what to expect with full controller support when the game launches.
game editions
The developer has taken the opportunity to detail the content of the editions of the game, which will be available for PC Windows, macOS and PS5.
The deluxe edition from Baldur’s Gate 3, entirely digital, contains:
- Playable bard song pack including themes from Divinity: Original Sin 2.
- Exclusive in-game dice appearance.
- An adventurer’s sack containing supplies to help you start your journey on the right foot.
- Digital downloads of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Original Soundtrack, art book, and character sheets.
- 72-hour early access to Act I of Baldur’s Gate 3, starting August 28, 2023 (PS5).
- Item Pack inspired by Divinity: Original Sin II: Mask of the Shapeshifter; Cloak of the Red Prince; Bard’s Lute ‘Merryweather’; Spire of the Outlaw Rogue; Bicorne of the Sea Beast and Rivellon Paintings.
The Collector’s Edition from Baldur’s Gate 3 includes:
- A digital copy of the Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Custom sticker sheet.
- Battle scene figure: ‘Mind Flayer VS Drow’ 25cm.
- 160 page hardcover art book.
- Fabric map of Faerûn.
- A D&D inspired set of origin character sheets.
- Parasite metal keychain.
- Magic: The Gathering sealed booster pack.
- Metal-inscribed 20 die from Baldur’s Gate 3, plus an identical in-game version!
- Certificate of authenticity.
This collector’s edition looks very good, but you should know that it has a price of 259.99 euros for PC and PS5. Through pre-purchase, whoever purchases it will also receive the contents of the Deluxe Edition, which for PlayStation 5 also includes 72 hours of early access to Act I before launch. All pre-purchases will ship in time for the launch.
The game is available in the “early access” phase in its PC version. It can be purchased on Steam for €59.99. Everyone who participates in the Early Access version on PC (including anyone who purchases the game between now and launch) will have their game automatically upgraded to the Deluxe Edition.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Hardware Requirements
Steam has updated the game page to include the official hardware requirements. Larian said that he would try to reduce them over time as he optimized the game, but it has been the opposite, they have increased, especially in disk space.
Minima:
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit – macOS 10 or higher
- Processor: Intel i5-4690 / AMD FX 8350
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD RX 480 GB
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB of available space
Recommended:
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit – macOS 10 or higher
- Processor: i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 150 GB of available space
It must be said, after having played the early version, that the minimum requirements are too fair and they will not allow you to enjoy a good experience with the game. It’s not a shooter, but it needs a good level of hardware, especially graphics and storage.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will be available starting on August 31, 2023 for Windows, macOS and PS5. Highly anticipated as a worthy successor to a mythical series that revitalized computer role-playing games at the time.
