# Baldurs Gate III announced



## Lorcan Ward (Jun 6, 2019)

I've finished 1 + 2 at least 10 times and they are still my favourite games to this day. I'm not sure what to expect from this game but I'm so excited to be back in Faerun and especially the city of Baldurs Gate.



> Developed by the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2, Baldur's Gate 3 is the official next adventure in the venerable Baldur's Gate series. The teaser trailer shows a return of a malevolent presence to Baldur's Gate, intent on devouring it from the inside out, corrupting everything that remains in the Forgotten Realms. The fate of the Forgotten Realms lies in your hands.





> - Not confirmed whether it will be isometric or turn-based
> - Set 100 years after original
> - Nothing from Black Hound
> - "Will do some things that CRPGs have never done" - MP is back
> ...


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## Drew (Jun 6, 2019)

Huh. Never played 1 but I loved 2, although I'll confess I've never played it to the end, instead on two occasions getting as far as getting characters out of the Underdark. I know literally nothing about what to expect from 3 having watched this, but... cool? 2 was a SERIOUSLY involved game though, lol. I should probably try and finish my most recent playthrough...


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## KnightBrolaire (Jun 6, 2019)

I have high hopes for this given how good the Divinity games were.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jun 6, 2019)

The game does peak in the Underdark IMO so I can see why it might be hard to finish the game after. So many elements made 2 an incredible game. The world, the characters, your party members, the story, the magical items etc The game was so colourful, you went from a grassy field surrounding a castle to completely alien looking monster lairs to other planes of existence. Hell even the side quests were better than most main stores in games. I don't know what to expect either but I've high expectations.


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## Adieu (Jun 6, 2019)

Ooh, Mind Flayers 

Yeah, BG I & II were fun.

The item graphics in #2 were wacky as hell, though. And the overall aesthetics and atmosphere of the Icewind Dale games was better.

Also the amount of metagaming needed to make full use of stuff and character development was kinda ridiculous... although that DID make it addictive.


PS btw, check out the Android versions. IWD Enhanced on maxed out difficulty can be pretty fun


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## Ralyks (Jun 6, 2019)

Oh I'm so fucking in.


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## Drew (Jun 6, 2019)

Lorcan Ward said:


> The game does peak in the Underdark IMO so I can see why it might be hard to finish the game after. So many elements made 2 an incredible game. The world, the characters, your party members, the story, the magical items etc The game was so colourful, you went from a grassy field surrounding a castle to completely alien looking monster lairs to other planes of existence. Hell even the side quests were better than most main stores in games. I don't know what to expect either but I've high expectations.


I honestly can't say if it does or not, since I made it as far as a tent afterwards, I think.  But, it was such a fucking pain in the ass to get out of the underdark (though, come to think of it, on one of my playthroughs my charisma was high enough I was able to bribe the guards at the gated door to let me through) and the level had been so brutally hard that I just kinda wanted a break when I finally did.


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## Mathemagician (Jun 6, 2019)

Are there any mods for 1 & 2 that make the games super casual? Like a straight up easy mode mod so I can play through them for the stories? I’m just worried the UI/Movement/etc is going to feel clunky or outright bad as I don’t have nostalgia for them but I want to see what the fuss is about.


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## Adieu (Jun 6, 2019)

Mathemagician said:


> Are there any mods for 1 & 2 that make the games super casual? Like a straight up easy mode mod so I can play through them for the stories? I’m just worried the UI/Movement/etc is going to feel clunky or outright bad as I don’t have nostalgia for them but I want to see what the fuss is about.



Android tablet version, set difficulty to easy, make your main character a Halforc Fighter/Cleric multiclass, set STR DEX CON to be 19 18 19 and preferably maximum WIS

That's the least-killable (main character is the only one not allowed to die) easy to roll, easy to play with minimal micromanagement character. With very high point-and-crush steamrolling capability.

Other stuff like Sorceror, Archer, Inquisitor, CM, FCM, FtM, FMT, RtD etc have some ridiculous overkill potential, but they actually need to be carefully built and managed....

PS HalfOrc Shaman would also be good, although that's not old testament content. And does require knowing what spells to pick to avoid being a disaster.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jun 6, 2019)

Baldurs Gate is one of those games where you realised you built your character wrong 20+ hours in. It wasn't until my third playthrough I started to understand the more in-depth combat mechanics, some of it still goes over my head. The story and characters you can enjoy right away. 



Adieu said:


> Ooh, Mind Flayers
> 
> Yeah, BG I & II were fun.
> 
> ...



Maybe this will tie in with the Mind Flayers in 2, although that was an abandoned plot and in Amn. 

I haven't played IWD enhanced yet but I did really enjoy 1 + 2. Beamdog's new maps felt a lot closer to IWD than BG which was a nice change.


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## Mathemagician (Jun 6, 2019)

Adieu said:


> Android tablet version, set difficulty to easy, make your main character a Halforc Fighter/Cleric multiclass, set STR DEX CON to be 19 18 19 and preferably maximum WIS
> 
> That's the least-killable (main character is the only one not allowed to die) easy to roll, easy to play with minimal micromanagement character. With very high point-and-crush steamrolling capability.
> 
> ...



Maybe android has a stat editor or something but if even half this works on the steam versions the. I’ll give them a shot


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## Adieu (Jun 6, 2019)

Mathemagician said:


> Maybe android has a stat editor or something but if even half this works on the steam versions the. I’ll give them a shot





Lorcan Ward said:


> Baldurs Gate is one of those games where you realised you built your character wrong 20+ hours in.



You don't need a stat editor to roll a perfect HalfOrc multiclass, it takes less than a minute. And cleric limitations mean you can't really screw up your weapon choices...

Nothing like trying to roll a Human Ranger* for a Cleric* dual-class or a Fighter for a Druid, now THAT is some mind-numbing sh!t...

Or specializing in the wrong crap as a fighter or the wrong spells as a sorceror, and figuring out your character is dead weight after a week invested


PS * - afaik, the Ranger/Cleric full access to Druid spells bug/exploit got closed down in the Amdroid / Enhanced Edition, so there's no longer much of a point... used to be an utterly ridiculously OP character build before though


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## BlackMastodon (Jun 7, 2019)

Just saw this announced and am stoked. Haven't even thought about BG2 in well over a decade, but I have fond memories of spending days during summer break at my best friend's house playing through it on Xbox.

Also, haven't touched Divinity: Original Sins 1 or 2 but from every review I've seen, it's the perfect dev to pick up the torch. Those games are ridiculously well received so I have high hopes for this, especially since it's been a long time since I've played a good RPG like this.


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## narad (Jun 8, 2019)

Adieu said:


> PS btw, check out the Android versions. IWD Enhanced on maxed out difficulty can be pretty fun



I can play Baldur's Gate on my phone!??! You don't know what you've done...


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## Werecow (Jun 9, 2019)

I loved Baldur's back in the day, but the last few years D: OS has become my new favourite RPG series, and even converted me to preferring turn-based combat. I've played through D: OS 1 three times, and D: OS 2 five times already. They're insanely replayable.

BG3 by Larian is a match made in heaven. I really hope there's not too long of a wait


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## Lorcan Ward (Jun 9, 2019)

I need to give divinity OS a try soon. I’m absolutely itching to play BG2 right now, I try to do a play through after 2 years. 

So far it’s getting released on pc and stadia. I doubt it will be a stadia exclusive so I’m expecting consoles soon after and hopefully a Mac release.


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## BlackMastodon (Jun 9, 2019)

So one thing that kept my from D:OS was that it looked like a Diablo style isometric hack and slash with magic and I wasn't into it, but then I saw that it was tagged as turn-based combat. Is it in the style of Final Fantasy turn-based RPGs or like XCOM? How does the combat play out?


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## Werecow (Jun 9, 2019)

BlackMastodon said:


> So one thing that kept my from D:OS was that it looked like a Diablo style isometric hack and slash with magic and I wasn't into it, but then I saw that it was tagged as turn-based combat. Is it in the style of Final Fantasy turn-based RPGs or like XCOM? How does the combat play out?



I'd say it's more towards XCOM, but actually it's more like D&D if it was played the proper tabletop way with turns. You have action points to move around like XCOM or the old Fallout games, but as many skills/abilities as a D&D game. It's definitely not a hack and slash.

When something causes combat the game goes into "Fight!" mode and everyone who's hostile to each other is assigned action points to move or do anything further, with the side with the highest initiative ranked member getting to have the first turn.


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## Adieu (Jun 9, 2019)

Ooh, classic Fallout-ey... that's good


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## Werecow (Jun 9, 2019)

Adieu said:


> Ooh, classic Fallout-ey... that's good



Except that this is fully 3D with elevation. Elevation is an advantage with greater range for skills and greater damage for some of them as well. So the movement can be highly tactical. For example, you'll want rangers/archers up high if possible.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 1, 2020)

Larian released the first gameplay video. Every gaming forum has turned into a salt mine for a hundred different reasons but I’m just glad that I’ll be back in Faerun. 

The opening cinematic is epic!


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## Mathemagician (Mar 1, 2020)

This reminds me that I need to get around to playing 1 & 2 for the first time ever. *browses steam*


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## Werecow (Mar 7, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> Larian released the first gameplay video. Every gaming forum has turned into a salt mine for a hundred different reasons but I’m just glad that I’ll be back in Faerun.
> 
> The opening cinematic is epic!




I got hate messages in PM on both reddit and a forum for saying i'm an original player and fan of the first games, but that i like (for a number of reasons) that this one will be turn-based. I expected fans of the originals to be older and thus more mature than that. But they're just as fucking mental and toxic at times as any other fan base. I was a bit taken aback.

This is my most hyped for game. Even more than Cyberpunk.


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## BlackMastodon (Mar 8, 2020)

This may be the only game I'm letting myself get hyped for for the foreseeable future. I've been totally out of modern gaming the past 3 years and usually get to games at least a year after they come out, but that suits me fine since I really only play single player.

I also really turned around on turn based combat since XCOM and Fire Emblem. Much prefer that style to Pokemon and Fire Emblem


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## Werecow (Mar 8, 2020)

BlackMastodon said:


> This may be the only game I'm letting myself get hyped for for the foreseeable future. I've been totally out of modern gaming the past 3 years and usually get to games at least a year after they come out, but that suits me fine since I really only play single player.
> 
> I also really turned around on turn based combat since XCOM and Fire Emblem. Much prefer that style to Pokemon and Fire Emblem



I avoided buying Divinity: Original Sin 1 for quite a while just because it was turn-based. I tried XCOM prior to that and couldn't get into it. I think maybe because the game feels like "arenas" in the actual combat. D: OS1 went on like a 30% sale and i suddenly thought i'd give it a go. I've never had a game sway my taste in things so wildly. I just loved the combat. After that i actually pledged on the Kickstarter for D: OS2.

Maybe i should give XCOM a go again, but i think i'd still miss the proper world you walk around in like in D: OS.

I still play RTWP games, i enjoyed the Pillars games and Pathfinder, but something feels missing from their combat to me now.


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## BlackMastodon (Mar 8, 2020)

BlackMastodon said:


> This may be the only game I'm letting myself get hyped for for the foreseeable future. I've been totally out of modern gaming the past 3 years and usually get to games at least a year after they come out, but that suits me fine since I really only play single player.
> 
> I also really turned around on turn based combat since XCOM and Fire Emblem. Much prefer that style to Pokemon and Fire Emblem


Meant Pokemon and early Final Fantasy, I'm liking Fire Emblem. 



Werecow said:


> I avoided buying Divinity: Original Sin 1 for quite a while just because it was turn-based. I tried XCOM prior to that and couldn't get into it. I think maybe because the game feels like "arenas" in the actual combat. D: OS1 went on like a 30% sale and i suddenly thought i'd give it a go. I've never had a game sway my taste in things so wildly. I just loved the combat. After that i actually pledged on the Kickstarter for D: OS2.
> 
> Maybe i should give XCOM a go again, but i think i'd still miss the proper world you walk around in like in D: OS.
> 
> I still play RTWP games, i enjoyed the Pillars games and Pathfinder, but something feels missing from their combat to me now.


I can see what you mean about XCOM feeling like arenas in terms of combat and that's very accurate actually. For me it's easily one of my favourite series just because of how much I love that gameplay though, so I do recommend giving it another shot if you're feeling it or find it on a deep sale.


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## lurè (Mar 12, 2020)

XCOM converted me to turn based combat. I loved Divinity OS 1 , 2 and Baldur's Gate so for me is a 100% purchase.

Atm I'm playing Pillars Of Eternity Deadfire and, as much as I love the saga, it really suffers from not having a "modernized" combat system: you pretty much pause between every spell or action, so why don't make it turn based?


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## Werecow (Mar 12, 2020)

lurè said:


> XCOM converted me to turn based combat. I loved Divinity OS 1 , 2 and Baldur's Gate so for me is a 100% purchase.
> 
> Atm I'm playing Pillars Of Eternity Deadfire and, as much as I love the saga, it really suffers from not having a "modernized" combat system: you pretty much pause between every spell or action, so why don't make it turn based?



That's how i feel. I'm always a wizard or mage depending on the system, and now RTWP just feels like watching a firework display of shit happening whenever i unpause. It feels like D: OS opened my eyes, after years and years of playing RTWP. It was a really weird experience for me.

With RTWP, pausing after every spell feels essential, but then you don't know actually how long in time it is till you can take your next action. It just feels like a mess all the time. I just about put up with it now :-/


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## Edika (Mar 12, 2020)

Oh man I almost lost an exam season when doing my Master thanks to BG2. I had to will myself to uninstall the game and haven't even tried to reinstall it ever again. I didn't need to know there's a mobile version and that a new one is coming out.


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## Lorcan Ward (Mar 15, 2020)

Werecow said:


> I got hate messages in PM on both reddit and a forum for saying i'm an original player and fan of the first games, but that i like (for a number of reasons) that this one will be turn-based. I expected fans of the originals to be older and thus more mature than that. But they're just as fucking mental and toxic at times as any other fan base. I was a bit taken aback.



It's not even fun to talk about this game on any of the forums. I can see myself just avoiding the entire BG community when this game comes out.


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## Werecow (Mar 15, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> It's not even fun to talk about this game on any of the forums. I can see myself just avoiding the entire BG community when this game comes out.



Yeh, i've already started doing that unfortunately  If you want to talk about it though, it is largely fun and positive in any Larian orientated or Divinity related area.


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## lurè (Mar 16, 2020)

Those people have a mixture of fear of ruining the franchise and nostalgia. 

I think that a turn based combat system is the best possible approach in terms of functionality and longevity. Imagine how frustrating would be micromanaging every spell, attack plus divinity environmental system with just the pause button.


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## Werecow (Mar 16, 2020)

lurè said:


> Those people have a mixture of fear of ruining the franchise and nostalgia.
> 
> I think that a turn based combat system is the best possible approach in terms of functionality and longevity. Imagine how frustrating would be micromanaging every spell, attack plus divinity environmental system with just the pause button.



Not only that but i've read that there are elements of 5th edition D&D that are almost impossible to implement in real time. Stuff that just wasn't in the 2nd edition that the originals were based on. 5th edition is essentially much more turn-based at its core.


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## arasys (May 7, 2020)

I am not a fan of turn based combat for BG series, but you can tell Larian will use this game engine for other D&D games. I've been reading their forums for months now, part that bothers me is BG3 story line will be more linear than BG2. Players won't be able to go back to previous areas like in DOS 2. That somewhat leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I couldn't find a reason to replay DoS2 (even though I really enjoyed the game). They also said certain characters will also appear (*looking at Minsc*) in BG3 and Max Level will be 10.


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## Werecow (May 8, 2020)

arasys said:


> I am not a fan of turn based combat for BG series, but you can tell Larian will use this game engine for other D&D games. I've been reading their forums for months now, part that bothers me is BG3 story line will be more linear than BG2. Players won't be able to go back to previous areas like in DOS 2. That somewhat leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I couldn't find a reason to replay DoS2 (even though I really enjoyed the game). They also said certain characters will also appear (*looking at Minsc*) in BG3 and Max Level will be 10.



There are lots of reasons to replay D: OS2. You can't see all the origin character's stories and quest chains in one playthrough and they all tie into the main story in a different way, there are several major turns of events and decisions to be made differently, different character builds and combinations etc etc. I've played it so many times already it's ridiculous.


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## arasys (May 8, 2020)

Werecow said:


> There are lots of reasons to replay D: OS2. You can't see all the origin character's stories and quest chains in one playthrough and they all tie into the main story in a different way, there are several major turns of events and decisions to be made differently, different character builds and combinations etc etc. I've played it so many times already it's ridiculous.


I will definitely give it a try today, just remembered mistakenly having sex with Fane, then suggesting something like I did a good job with my .. tongue. A skeleton..said that yea.. mm bones..


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## Drew (May 18, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> Larian released the first gameplay video. Every gaming forum has turned into a salt mine for a hundred different reasons but I’m just glad that I’ll be back in Faerun.
> 
> The opening cinematic is epic!



That looks awesome.


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## lurè (Jun 23, 2020)

Bumping because the early access will be released on August

prepare your vit.D supplements


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## Werecow (Jun 23, 2020)

lurè said:


> Bumping because the early access will be released on August
> 
> prepare your vit.D supplements




I'm so hyped, yet i'm not letting myself watch any video with story elements in it at all. I avoided that first gameplay demo, as it has the intro in it.
Then i'm not going to want to play it or know anything about the story till it comes out of early access either. It's going to be agony


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## Lorcan Ward (Jun 23, 2020)

I flicked through the video and I’m very optimistic for this. I saw they’ve already changed a bunch of things since the first one so I’m going to avoid anything more from now on in case they remove things I like. Especially with how much can change with early access input.

Awesome to see there will be an underdark section. I loved Skyrim’s and Dragon Age’s take on it so it will be a nostalgia trip to dive back into the original. 

Now there’s that part of my brain that’s twitching and telling me to replay BG:II


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## Werecow (Jun 23, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I flicked through the video and I’m very optimistic for this. I saw they’ve already changed a bunch of things since the first one so I’m going to avoid anything more from now on in case they remove things I like. Especially with how much can change with early access input.
> 
> Awesome to see there will be an underdark section. I loved Skyrim’s and Dragon Age’s take on it so it will be a nostalgia trip to dive back into the original.
> 
> Now there’s that part of my brain that’s twitching and telling me to replay BG:II



I read that they already changed some stuff in response to fan feedback, and that even the previously aggressive BG communities were starting to come around to it. I don't think they realised that Larian are really good with stuff like that. They use early access to really talk to the fans and change things as well.


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## Drew (Jul 1, 2020)

I STILL haven;t finished BGII. I feel like I should before playing this... but also my girlfriend expects to see me on occasion in the next three months, and I have a job. 

Looking forward to this though, if nothing else as a way to hold me over until Diablo IV is released late in the year/sometime next. I'm kinda getting into the idea of turn based contact, too, as an alternative to the click and slash stuff I'm used to in the Diablo franchise (I don't game a ton, lol). It should also help a persistent problem of mine in RPGs - I enjoy playing mage-like characters, but while playing, I also tend to face-tank everything. Turn-based contact will help keep me honest.


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## MFB (Jul 1, 2020)

Drew said:


> I STILL haven;t finished BGII. I feel like I should before playing this... but also my girlfriend expects to see me on occasion in the next three months, and I have a job.
> 
> Looking forward to this though, if nothing else as a way to hold me over until Diablo IV is released late in the year/sometime next.



Probably later. Apparently D3 was first shown a little later in development cycle and still took I think 3 years after that before it was released, so if they follow suit, it'll probably bit another few since it was this year.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jul 1, 2020)

Werecow said:


> I read that they already changed some stuff in response to fan feedback, and that even the previously aggressive BG communities were starting to come around to it. I don't think they realised that Larian are really good with stuff like that. They use early access to really talk to the fans and change things as well.



I don’t understand the appeal for paying to play early builds but I’m delighted there are lots of people willing to participate. It means we will get lots of little things that reduce inventory management and other tedious time wasters that modders usually fix. 



Drew said:


> I STILL haven;t finished BGII. I feel like I should before playing this... but also my girlfriend expects to see me on occasion in the next three months, and I have a job.



Job. Girlfriend. Baldurs Gate 2 playthrough.

Pick 2


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## Werecow (Jul 1, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I don’t understand the appeal for paying to play early builds but I’m delighted there are lots of people willing to participate. It means we will get lots of little things that reduce inventory management and other tedious time wasters that modders usually fix.



Yeh, well i mean i'll be buying the game on the day of release to support the game and Larian. But there's absolutely no way i'm starting the game up till the full release. I'll probably even wait a few days after that just in case a game-breaking bug is revealed.

I pledged in the Kickstarter for D: OS2 and it was such a difficult wait till full release, but i managed it, and was definitely worth it


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## Drew (Jul 1, 2020)

MFB said:


> Probably later. Apparently D3 was first shown a little later in development cycle and still took I think 3 years after that before it was released, so if they follow suit, it'll probably bit another few since it was this year.


They'd originally said, and still claim, 2020, but I'm not optimistic.  



Lorcan Ward said:


> Job. Girlfriend. Baldurs Gate 2 playthrough.
> 
> Pick 2


And we haven't even factored in cycling or, you know, guitar.  I'm fucked.


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## lurè (Jul 3, 2020)

I'm really tempted by the August release but at the same time I'd like to enjoy the full experience.


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