We are ONE DAY away from the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, so we hope your hearts are ready for adventure and your eyeballs are primed for tadpoling.
Many of you have been playing Baldur’s Gate 3 since the start of Early Access, all the way back in 2020. You may have accumulated a backlog of old save games, or even a few mods along the way. Even if you’re a first-time player, there’s information here that will be useful to you.
To make sure you’re prepared for the journey ahead, we strongly recommend you take the following steps before venturing forth.
1. Delete your in-game Early Access Saves
We’ve taken measures to ensure a smooth transition into the launch version of BG3, but we still recommend deleting your in-game Early Access save files if you still have access to an Early Access version of the game.
Your Early Access saves and player profiles aren’t compatible with the release version of Baldur’s Gate 3, and leaving them in your save folders may in some fringe cases cause issues. Note: simply deleting the game’s save folder may create conflicts when either Steam Cloud or Larian Cloud re-downloads the save files.
Open Baldur’s Gate 3.
On the main menu, click Load Game.
Click through old campaigns and select Delete Campaign.
This method will ensure your saves are deleted from your computer as well as from the cloud.
We know it can be hard to say goodbye: if you want to back up your saves before removing them from the cloud, you can move them from %LocalAppData%\Larian Studios to another location for safekeeping, before removing them.
2. Uninstall the Early Access version
Having the Early Access version of Baldur’s Gate 3 installed will not speed up your download of the full game, and could affect your installation of the full game. Due to the game being in Early Access, we’re unable to offer pre-loads, as this would break existing Early Access saves. To uninstall:
In the Steam client, open your Steam Library.
Right click Baldur’s Gate 3.
From the menu that appears, select Manage -> Uninstall.
3. Delete your Mods
Existing mods will not be compatible with the release version of Baldur’s Gate 3, and will cause issues or break the game in unpredictable ways.
After uninstalling the game, check your Baldur’s Gate 3 installation folder and your AppData folder for Baldur’s Gate 3 to ensure there are no remaining folders for mods.
If you use a mod installer like the Vortex Mod Manager from Nexus, make sure you also uninstall the mods in the mod manager to ensure they aren’t automatically re-downloaded.
For mod-related troubleshooting, check out our Mod Information support page.
4. Install BG3 on an SSD
A solid-state drive (SSD) is highly recommended to play Baldur’s Gate 3, and we recommend you install the game on yours. It’s good practice to make sure you have more space on the drive than is needed.
5. Update your graphics card drivers
Updating to the latest graphics card drivers will help with compatibility and performance of the game.
6. Refer to the launch FAQ
If you have any problems launching BG3 when we switch to the final version of the game on August 3rd, we’ll have an FAQ accessible from the launcher that will detail some of what we believe may be the most likely problems, with solutions.
Outside of the above, our support teams will be happy to assist you with any problems, but we sincerely hope you have fun with the final version of Baldur’s Gate 3!
After six years in the making, Baldur’s Gate 3’s PC launch is right around the corner and we couldn’t have gotten here without you. So let’s have one last Community Update before then to wrap things up, answer some of your biggest questions, and reveal a few final surprises before you finally get stuck in.
Wield the Power of A Mind Flayer
When we announced and launched Baldur's Gate 3's Early Access back in 2020, we ran with the line “Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted deep within your brain,” and since, we never really expanded on what this meant mechanically. We hinted right from the get-go that mind flayers would be a central pillar in our story, which we’ve explored many times since then, but now it’s time to explore how it ties into the RPG systems of Baldur’s Gate 3.
While these creatures may be a source of great power, all that they offer comes with a cost. As the parasites' hosts, you must make a choice. Will you resist the powers and the corruption that comes with them or will you embrace them, risking your body, mind and soul to save the Realms... or destroy them?
If your desire for power outweighs your concern for the well-being of anyone else, or if you simply think psionic levitation would be a really neat party trick, then Illithid Powers may be for you.
Illithid Powers are a hidden skill tree used to enhance your command over your newfound illithid capabilities. Those who wish to harness the parasites' power must first find more of these parasites throughout the Forgotten Realms – some can be located inside jars and in pools of brine, others within the skulls of the infected. And then you must consume them.
Each parasite consumed unlocks one new Illithid Power within a skill tree of 25 powerful mind-flayer-inspired abilities, completely separate to the options you have when you level up in a traditional sense. These are divided into five branches themed around manipulation, health restoration, psionics, and abilities that can inflict immense damage and torment enemies to gradually weaken them over time. Some abilities can be used to control those around you, pushing them to say things in dialogue they would otherwise not. Others endow you with the power to push and pull enemies like ragdolls during battle.
You can even become a displacer beast.
The deeper you go through the illithid skill tree, the more powers you'll discover. But nothing comes without cost. While your companions can also consume parasites to gain their powers, not everyone in your party will agree to it, and your companions' perception of you can undergo a significant shift based on how you approach this opportunity.
Things can also get a bit more… complicated. But we won’t spoil it. That’s for you to discover.
Announcing Baldur’s Gate 3 Twitch Drops!
As you may know, Baldur’s Gate 3 has audience interactivity on Twitch, as well as a few options to make the game streamer-friendly. But what about the audience?
You can now earn exclusive Baldur’s Gate 3 loot while simultaneously supporting your favourite streamers as they play Baldur’s Gate 3. Check out these Baldur’s Gate Twitch Drops!
Starting August 3rd, 2023, at 9am PDT/4pm UTC and ending August 17th, 2023, at 9am PDT/4pm UTC, when you watch two hours of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Twitch, you’ll earn the Camp Clothing Set.
Do you have helmet hair that just won’t quit? Sore shoulders from sleeping in your pauldrons? Change out of your armour and get cosy in your camp clothes! This regal set of Twitch-purple finery is sure to smell better than the breeches you pulled off that dead goblin.
The Camp Clothing Set includes the following 4 items:
Chatterbox's Tabard
Streamhopper Loafers
Periwinkle Undergarments
Channeler's Trunks
Meet the Phenomenal Extended Cast of Baldur’s Gate 3
Last week, we revealed our third and final villain of Baldur’s Gate 3, joining J. K. Simmons and Jason Isaacs in an unholy triumvirate of evil: Orin the Red, as voiced by the ever-iconic Maggie Robertson. But the cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 is much bigger than the terrible trio you’ve seen in some of our recent trailers.
Today, we wanted to shine the spotlight on our talented extended cast. The world of Baldur's Gate 3 is brought to life by many talented voice actors who bring incredible performances to each role, whether it’s a supporting character, a narrator, or a circus ringmaster/necromancer/drag queen.
If you've already played Early Access, you'll recognise the dulcet tones of Amelia Tyler, who returns from her role voicing Malady in Divinity: Original Sin 2 to take on the role of narration in Baldur's Gate 3. Also returning from D:OS2 is Brian Bowles, who will play Sceleritas Fel – the vile and loyal servant to the Dark Urge. (If you played Blood in Baldur’s Gate, you’ll recognise his voice from the video shorts that bookend the tale.)
Actor Vinegar Strokes, known for her role in the West End musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie and the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, plays Lucretious, the proud leader of an extraplanar circus filled with mummies, redcaps, djinni, dryads, elementals – you name it, she's got it. She loves red wine, denying her employees paid holidays, and strives to be, above all else, utterly fabulous.
Sophia Nomvete, fresh from her role in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, takes on the role of Captain Grisly, a former pirate who retired from a life terrorising the Sea of Swords to become the proud owner of the Blushing Mermaid – one of the roughest taverns in Baldur's Gate.
They will be joined by the likes of Doug Cockle – the voice of Geralt of Rivia in the game series The Witcher – and Abigail Thorn of the fantastic Philosophy Tube, among many, many more.
Respec Your Party and Forge Your Ultimate Dream Team
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have the freedom to respec not only your chosen protagonist’s class but also that of your playable companions and pre-authored Origin characters, whether you’re looking to make a few adjustments to their existing build, you’ve got a burning desire to experiment with entirely new playstyles and class combinations, or you just want to create an all-badger supergroup.
Keep in mind that certain Origin stories are closely intertwined with their characters' respective classes. If you’re opting for a non-cleric Shadowheart or a Wyll without his warlock pact, this will undoubtedly influence your roleplay options in dialogues and the overall narrative for these characters. But their stories will instead be yours to create.
Launch Day
So just how big is this game, anyhow? What time should you expect the game to release? And where did I put my keys? The answers to most of these questions can be found below.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch on August 3rd at 5pm Gent time, or your non-Belgian timezone equivalent as shown above. There will be no pre-loading of the game before then.
The full release of the game weighs in at approximately 122 GB. Please note that your Early Access save games will not be compatible at launch; however, so much has changed that it’s really worth it to start afresh.
We've also been receiving questions from some of you who have already purchased the game about replacing your PC key with a Mac one. Purchases of Baldur's Gate 3 made through Steam and GOG actually come with both PC and Mac access, so you're all good! The Mac version is set to arrive after our PC launch.
Cross-Save Compatibility
Baldur's Gate 3, through virtue of our own accounts system, is cross-save compatible at launch. This will continue to be the case through September 6th’s PlayStation 5 launch, meaning that, for example, if you wanted to play on your PC or Steam Deck, you could continue the adventure on your PS5 on September 6th. The PS5 version is sold separately.
Whether you’re playing on PC, Mac, or PS5, you’ll be able to upload your saves to the cloud via your Larian account and continue right where you left off on a different platform.
Will BG3 Run on Steam Deck at Launch?
Yes, you can play Baldur’s Gate 3 on your Steam Deck at launch and it looks rad. We are aiming for Steam Deck Verified by August 3’s launch date. It launches on Steam Deck with what we consider to be the most optimal graphics settings, but feel free to play around. You’ll be able to avail of full controller support, and split-screen will be disabled on Steam Deck.
We recommend trying out your preferred method of antialiasing. We’ll continue to work on implementing FSR 2.0, but that will be closer to September 6.
4K System Requirements and Ultrawide Support
Baldur’s Gate 3 can be played in 4K and on ultrawide monitors. We created a pipeline that meant that all cinematics in the game were created in a way that supports those of you with a penchant for excess. Let’s have a look!
The purple bars in the images above show the 16:9 cutoff. The green bars show where ultrawide begins, to capture the full expanse of every elongated tentacle.
With a good CPU and a GeForce 3060, you can play at 1440p at 60fps. Native 4K will require double fill rate, so we recommend using a top-end GeForce 4080/4090 or AMD equivalent. And of course, with DLSS, you can reach 4K with lower requirements, thanks to the wizards at Nvidia.
Romantic Alchemy – Finding Love in Baldur’s Gate
A wise French-Canadian once said, "I believe that the heart does go on." Was she referring to the love lives of D&D characters? This writer says yes until proven otherwise.*
*Editor's Note: There is no evidence in D&D lore that suggests Celine Dion ever wrote her famous song in a bizarre allusion to D&D romance.
Many of you have asked about your options in romance, as well as the limitations you can set for yourself, and that we set for you.
Throughout your journey, you'll forge genuine connections with those you venture with. These can flourish into relationships that add gravity to every decision you make in the game, and you’re free to pursue them through deliberation, choice, and consequences. However, you’re also able to back out of them at any moment, change your mind, or fall in love with someone else.
What's more, in some cases you can even form polyamorous relationships.
To offer further clarity on exactly who can romance who in Baldur’s Gate 3, we’ve laid it out in the least romantic way possible, below:
A played Origin can romance an NPC Origin
An NPC Origin cannot romance an NPC Origin
Played Origins cannot romance other player Origins
Our relationship system is designed for romancing NPCs only; however, if you and your co-op partner both kiss your monitors at the same time, the static shock you’ll experience produces a heart-racing effect similar to the feeling of love. If you begin to feel pain or numbness in your limbs, please go to a hospital immediately
Untangling Dialogue: Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Many eagle-eyed chatterboxes have noticed that Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you to look back at a dialogue history while you’re in conversation, in case you’d forgotten what you said (understandable – you’re tadpoled), or wanted to realign your train of thought. We’re happy to confirm that, yes, you needn’t worry about forgetting what you’ve said (potentially exploding the entire world, ending up in jail, allying yourself with an actual murderous alien, etc.) thanks to the ability to look back at the conversation and get a sense of where you’re at. It's a neat feature that pops up in the community a lot, so we’ve decided to highlight it for those who haven’t yet jumped in! Doom-scrollers, do not worry, we got your back.
On the topic of doom and chatter, we get a lot of questions about how conversations work in a party of four, so we thought we’d lay out some scenarios that explain how it’s handled.
Typically, the character who initiates a conversation (in both single player and multiplayer) hosts that conversation. In multiplayer, the other players can witness the conversation by clicking on the appropriate icon or character, which will allow them to vote on the host character's choices in dialogue. The host is free, and often right, to ignore them.
“What if I enter a conversation with a character who has the wrong proficiencies for the choices I’m dealt?” This depends on a few things. When a conversation is started unexpectedly, the character who initiated whatever led to the conversation will host the conversation. That character's proficiencies will therefore be the ones used to decide the fate of the conversation.
To give you an example, if you run around a corner and bump into someone unexpectedly, you’re the person who’s going to have the conversation.
In some cases, you can back out of the conversation and re-enter it with another character by (in single player) selecting another member of your party. In others, fate works as intended: as fate. Our dialogue systems are designed to feel organic, as they would in real life. Where there’s agency in life, there’s agency in Baldur’s Gate 3. When situations are more fateful, you’ve your wits – and your proficiencies – to untangle them.
In multiplayer, you will also have the option to set certain dialogues to private, so your teammates won't be able to listen in on them. Perfect for romance... or betrayal.
Whether it’s based on race, class, or other proficiencies, it’s important to remember that there are truly no wrong answers, but plenty of consequences. In the long term, the story will be defined by your choices, and the consequences of your actions. You will always have choices to make. Trust the dice, it’ll always show you a good time!
Three more days.
Community Update #21: Forging Your Legacy
A malevolent new Origin character. A disembowelled video game producer. A night of passion with a bear.
What a way to go out!
Thank you so much for joining us last week at Panel From Hell: Release Showcase, our final big show before launch.
As you saw for yourself, Baldur’s Gate 3 is going to be a truly deep, systemic RPG with a story and world that is yours to mould. No two playthroughs will be the same, and that even goes for those of you who have clocked a few hundred hours in Early Access.
Act 1 makes up less than a quarter of the total content that will be available at launch. And compared to the start of Early Access, even Act 1 has roughly 33% more content in it. Much has changed, a lot has been added, and we’re finally at a place where we’re happy with the fidelity and performance of the game.
Today’s update will explore those new features: fresh Character Creation options, Multiclassing, a malevolent new playable Origin character, crowds who gossip and react to your deeds, the introduction of Alchemy, and much more. If you’re here, we’re assuming you’ve played Early Access. If you’re new to the game and you’re looking for a broader overview of what Baldur’s Gate 3 will be at launch, we’re working on a separate video. Stay tuned for that later in the month.
Your Character Creation Toolbox Is Getting Bigger
Our Character Creator has evolved in many ways since we first launched in Early Access, but our philosophy behind it has always remained the same.
To forge a legacy, you need an identity. Character identity is at the centre of Baldur’s Gate 3, and making a character is about more than aesthetic choices. You are defining your identity, making decisions about your protagonist that will impact your experience in the game.
Whether your protagonist be hero, villain, or Ed Sharran, a simple bard travelling the roads of Faerûn with his trusty lute and a barely-concealed inner darkness that gnaws and festers, demanding release – the Character Creator provides a lot of room for expression.
Our Character Creator has been updated over the course of development to include a robust selection of hairstyles, highlights, skin tones, and faces. But at launch, you’ll have the chance to experiment with even more ways to create diverse, personalised characters.
New skin options like freckles and vitiligo will soon be available, alongside new tattoo designs, scars, lip makeup customisation, accessories like piercings, and horn colour customisation for Tieflings. In 1.0, we’re also introducing heterochromia, letting you create David Bowie – uh, characters with different-coloured eyes.
And at long last, we are very happy to announce we are introducing an age slider and – for those wanting to know if they can have a Halsin-sized buff Barbarian – strong body types, allowing for larger body sizes across all genders.
Craft Your Destiny: Forge A Bespoke Class With Multiclassing
Whether you are an experimenter at heart who forges class hybrids through careful consideration or you just can't decide between a warrior and a mage, we’re excited to finally announce that Multiclassing will be coming to Baldur's Gate 3.
Multiclassing really changes the game – literally – because it allows you to fully customise the theme of your character. It has both a roleplay and a practical function, leading to all sorts of chaotic combinations and experimentations.
In order to allow all your wildest dream class combinations, we've removed Ability Score Prerequisites. So there's no more need to get your Charisma up to a pesky 13 if you decide to make a soul pact with a playful archfey or dangerous fiend. You can Multiclass into anything your roleplay and build desires demand. In short, this means warriors will be able to wield arcane spells, rogues can master divine magic, spellcasters may dabble in martial prowess, and you’ll have the freedom to build the exact class that you want.
Each level, you'll have the option to choose a different class to spend points on and begin building a bespoke Multiclass character. Given the possible combinations, we recommend you have previous experience as a D&D player to fully leverage this feature. But should you decide to evenly spread all your points into every class for no strategic reason whatsoever, there’s naturally an achievement for that too.
Respeccing Classes
Controversial? Maybe. But a person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. We want to facilitate your experiments! With 12 classes, 46 subclasses, and now Multiclassing, when it comes to your character build, both veterans and novices of D&D are sure to make a few mistakes along the way. We want to encourage you to try new things, find fun combinations, and ultimately discover the playstyle that suits you best as you adventure across the Sword Coast and beyond.
Very early in your adventure, you’ll find that one particular NPC who was already helpful in Early Access has suddenly become even more useful. When you find him in the early stages of Act 1, he’ll have a few extra helpful abilities to help you in this arena – giving you the opportunity to restart your build from Level 1 with new starting proficiencies, attributes, spells, and cantrips.
Mercenaries At Your Service – Recruit Lethal Assistance With Hirelings
“But what if I want to create a party that is made up entirely of giant druidic badgers?”
We hear you loud and clear, community. Should you so choose, you’ll be able to create a custom party without any Origins, opting instead to have Hirelings join you on the road – mercenaries who can be hired to join your team temporarily.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are 12 Hirelings available for you to recruit – one for each class. Each has their own name, visuals, and race, and can be respecced at any time.
Experience Baldur’s Gate 3 Through New Eyes As A Playable Pre-Authored Origin Character
So what is an Origin character exactly? They’re playable heroes, each with their own stories, desires, and attitudes towards the world around you. If you choose to create your own customised character instead, these Origin characters become your companions, who you may (or may not) recruit throughout your journey.
You may have already met Shadowheart, Wyll, Gale, Astarion, Lae’zel, and Karlach – heroes each with their own tale to tell and secrets to reveal, driven by your choices as the player. Today, however, we’re looking at an entirely new way to play Baldur’s Gate 3. The Dark Urge.
Become The Dark Urge – Your Final Playable Origin
Over the past three weeks, we’ve been leaving a breadcrumb trail of clues leading to the reveal of the final playable Origin character. The community-driven murder mystery Blood in Baldur’s Gate saw players investigate a series of vicious murders across the Lower City and attempt to track down their perpetrator. While y’all were ultimately brutally murdered at the killer’s hand, in your last waking moments, you saw your executioner: the Dark Urge, an imposing dragonborn with alabaster skin and the piercing gaze of a predator in the wild.
Unlike Baldur’s Gate 3’s other playable protagonists, the Dark Urge is a fully customisable character. Should you prefer that this darkness take the shape of a doe-eyed gnome instead, or think true evil is a half-orc armed with a bongo, the choice is yours: from your class and species, to your gender and overall appearance, and even your name.
Who is the Dark Urge, then? That’s a good question, and it’s one that players will answer for themselves as they journey down this dark path. As the Dark Urge, you begin Baldur’s Gate 3 with your memory lost after an unfortunate encounter between a parasitic tadpole and your brain. Now all that’s left is an insatiable urge – an urge that makes itself known in your subconscious, through your deepest thoughts and in your dialogue options.
Guiding the Dark Urge in their time of need is Sceleritas Fel, voiced by Brian Bowles (narrator in Divinity: Original Sin 2). A vile and loyal servant, Fel lives only to see the Dark Urge return to their rightful, bloodstained path and urges them to commit some of the most lurid acts of violence that you'll encounter in the game. But whether you indulge your most depraved impulses or attempt to resist them in this role is entirely up to you.
Because despite the darkness lurking within this character, how you choose to play the Dark Urge is for you to decide. In Baldur’s Gate 3, there is no clear-cut “Evil path” and no path that is plainly Good. There are simply choices, ramifications, and a personal evolution that will ensure who you play is as complex and multifaceted as you are.
The Dark Urge can even form a romantic relationship just like any other Origin character. Of course, relationships with those who harbour dark secrets are often complicated, and this is one that will require a patient paramour capable of tempering and restraining their partner's most primal and untamed desires – and hopefully one with more than a passing interest in bondage.
Love In The Time Of Tentacles
In Baldur’s Gate 3, we wanted romantic relationships to possess the same complexity and depth as any other part of our narrative.
Every relationship you forge is different, reflecting the personality and personal arc of that character over the course of the game. Some may begin with a steamy Wild Shape transformation, others start cautiously and require more attention to foster a deeper connection. Relationships change over time, and neither you nor your partner will be the same person in Act 1 as you are by the game’s end.
This includes in your relationship to your Guardian – the character you create at the start of the game who represents all that you desire. The Guardian has changed significantly since you first encountered them in your dreams throughout Early Access. We’ve worked to thematically deepen this narrative thread, going beyond the realm of physical desire to encompass the full spectrum of complex emotions that must be navigated in order for you to truly trust another. (We hope you enjoyed the previous maddeningly vague sentence, because you’ll have to play for yourself to find out what any of it means.)
The path to intimacy also varies greatly for each relationship along the course of the game. A companion like Lae’zel who exudes sexual energy at the beginning of a relationship can take time to let her guard down, making the act of holding her hand all the more intimate.
On the other hand, a relationship that begins with a night of post-goblin-slaughtering passion could also blossom into something vulnerable and sweet, given proper care. No two relationships follow the same formula.
It was important to us to portray sex as more than a trophy for complying with a companion's quest line. In Baldur’s Gate 3, you are encouraged to navigate your relationship – to argue with your partner and challenge their way of thinking. After all, if you just go along with whatever they want to do, you may find yourself sacrificed in an evil god's sex rite, turned into a vampire, or – worst of all, warns Senior Origin Narrative Designer Baudelaire Welch – you might even end up getting married.
From Cauldron To Vial: Mastering The Art Of Alchemy
A new crafting feature comes to Baldur’s Gate. The domain of magic-wielders, conjurers, and anyone with a passing interest in mysterious fumes, Alchemy allows you to turn your collection of herbs, wild mushrooms, crystals, and monster limbs into useful items you can prepare ahead of a fight.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, you can use ingredients found in the wilderness to create a variety of extracts, then combine extracts to create potions, poisons, and oils to imbibe or coat your weapons with.
Meet The Third Major Villain Of Baldur’s Gate 3 – Orin The Red
Completing the trinity of villains in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Orin, a practitioner in the art of inflicting pain and a grandmaster of murder. Orin has killed for many years, but has yet to be caught, thanks in part to her shapeshifting abilities, which enable her to take the form of anyone – perhaps even someone in your camp.
She hides her cravings to commit murder beneath these numerous masks, disguising her intentions and herself to lure unsuspecting victims. It’s during the act of murder that she is her truest self. At that moment she is murder.
Orin is voiced by the incredible Maggie Robertson, known to many as the voice of Lady Dimitrescu (Resident Evil Village) and Skjóthendi the Unerring (God of War Ragnarök).
Split-Screen Co-Op Multiplayer
In addition to having online multiplayer for four players, in Baldur’s Gate 3, two of you can grab controllers and jump straight into two-player split-screen couch co-op.
Baldur's Gate 3 comes to life in multiplayer, empowered by all those extra fingers poised to tip the dominoes and unleash a cascading chain of events upon the Forgotten Realms. Players can join a party before the start of a playthrough, during Character Creation, or during an ongoing game. Each of the playable Origin characters can be chosen only once, or, should you prefer, you can mould a creation of your own.
Players will share most of the information that the game provides them, like Journal notes about ongoing adventures, minimap discoveries, and alchemical recipes. Player inventories are also shared by default in multiplayer, but there is an option to lock your inventory from your thieving pals.
Players also share Inspiration points that they gain when fulfilling goals defined by their chosen Background. These points can be used to reroll checks in dialogue. In multiplayer, you can listen in on conversations started by another player and vote on which dialogue option you want them to take. Some select scenes are private by default in your options, however, including romance scenes. But players can make all secret scenes public to their party should they wish.
A Cinematic Kaleidoscope – Showcasing The Breadth And Depth Of Your Choices
Baldur’s Gate 3’s 174 hours of cinematic content is a reflection of all the possible choices players can make in the game, and the narrative permutations that will come out of each of those decisions.
With more than 2000 characters for you to interact with, different reactivities based on your chosen species and class, and a golden path that takes over 80 hours to complete, you can expect to discover a staggering amount of previously unseen content in your second or even third playthrough.
If you caught Panel From Hell last week, you'll have seen just how those decisions affect your experience once you set foot into Act 2. Trek through the mountain pass as Shadowheart then explore the Sharran territory of the Shadow-Cursed Lands safely as a cleric of Shar. Or you might instead choose to traverse the Underdark, then find safety within a hamlet of Harpers – led by the long-standing series icon herself: Jaheira, #mommy.
Whispers And Headlines - The Echoes Of Your Deeds On The City’s Gossip Mill
Upon reaching Baldur’s Gate, your choices will begin to express themselves throughout the world in other ways. Crowds in the city will systematically gossip and talk about your escapades and failures, and can even be influenced through you directly modifying the paper and printing the most favourable headlines.
Don’t Worry, You Can Stream BG3
As we near release, we thought it prudent to remind anyone looking to stream Baldur's Gate 3 of some useful tools designed to create a better experience for you and your audience.
Some of you have shown concern about mature content that could potentially become flagged by your chosen streaming platform. For those of you who want complete peace of mind, you will find two new user options within the Options menu: “Show Cinematic Nudity” and “Show Genitals”. From here, you can enable or disable this content at your convenience.
We’d also like to remind you that there is a really cool Twitch Integration that, once enabled and connected to, lets your viewers see your Party View, track your quests, and vote on dialogue options.
The Road Ahead
We’ve updated our Steam page to better reflect the content of the game and bring the Early Access section up to date, as well as the specifications. On that page, we’re recommending that players don’t buy the Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3 with a view to play through that content, partly because it’s out of date but mostly because we’re so close to launch and want to make it very clear that saves in the Early Access version will not transfer into the final game. This is due to technical reasons.
Essentially, the game is so vastly different that it’s not possible to make those save files compatible. Early Access will, of course, remain playable up to launch.
A purchase of Early Access is essentially a pre-order, and will still grant you access to the Digital Deluxe content for Baldur's Gate 3 on PC, granting you access to: an exclusive in-game dice skin, the Divinity Bard Song Pack, Treasures of Rivellon Pack, Adventurer’s Pouch, Digital OST, Digital Artbook, and Digital Character Sheets for D&D IRL.
The PC Digital Deluxe Edition does not include a 72 hour head start, which would have essentially made the game’s release date July 31st. Shifting the release date – and thus communication around the Digital Deluxe Editions across PS5 and PC – came with a few complexities that we didn’t manage to communicate very well, so we thought it best to clarify it here, given that a 72 hour head start on PC wouldn't have been plausible.
But isn’t it wild? Our PC launch is just a few weeks away! Baldur's Gate 3 is set to release to PC on August 3rd, followed by its PlayStation 5 release just a few weeks later on September 6th – or September 3rd if you pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition for PS5.
For those of you who have been with us throughout Early Access, we want to thank you for all your support over the years. One of the reasons we chose to release Baldur's Gate 3 in Early Access is because it would give us an opportunity to listen to your feedback and make meaningful changes in return. As a result, your participation has been instrumental in helping us bring the Forgotten Realms to life. Everything you play – be it Act 2 & 3, or a return to Act 1 – will reflect how we’ve gotten better at making the game, thanks in no small part to all of your feedback, comments, and love over the years.
We also want to send out a very special thank you to everyone who’s been sending us hyperrealistic Halsin fan art. It inspires us, it sustains us, it frightens us to our core. The meme game has been real.
We still have some work to do, but we’re thrilled to learn that those who played the game at our recent press event really enjoyed what they experienced, and we can’t wait for you to experience it yourselves.
Community Update #20: A Dragonborn, a Half-Orc & a Monk Walk Into a Tavern
Where to begin.
This week has seen you take to the streets of the Lower City as amateur sleuths in Blood in Baldur’s Gate, a community murder mystery to uncover the hidden darkness that lurks just beneath the city's surface. Where will the investigation lead? Keep digging, detectives, you’re leading us all to the Panel From Hell, where untold surprises await you: July 7th.
In the meantime, it’s time to talk about Baldur’s Gate 3. But not as you know it. We’re going to go in depth about some of our most-anticipated details: races & classes (we see you Ctrl+F Dragonborn), new Origins and Companion characters, the official level cap, new Difficulty Settings, and much, much more.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a game nearly 6 years in development. When Divinity: Original Sin 2 launched, we were 120 people, across a 3 year development. Now we’re 400. Since releasing in Early Access, we’ve been joined by nearly 2 million of you. Together, with your invaluable support, we’ve created a game that eclipses the depth & breadth of our previous RPGs.
We’ve over doubled DOS2’s five races, bringing 11 to life in BG3 with 31 subraces.
DOS2’s 10 ‘schools of spells’ is eclipsed by the 12 classes & 46 subclasses in BG3.
You caused chaos with the 225 player spells & actions in DOS2, so just imagine the havoc you’re about to unleash upon Faerûn with the over 600 spells & actions, excluding upcasts, in BG3.
Characters in DOS2 enjoyed 45 talents, against BG3’s 308 passive features, which are comparable to talents.
There’s a lot more where that came from, but this is already going to be a long one. We’ve been busy. We’ve grown, and so too has Baldur’s Gate 3. Let’s get into a little detail about what you can expect to see in the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase, just in time for the release of the game on August 3rd for PC, and September 6th for PS5.
YOU READ THAT RIGHT
We will be releasing the game in order of platform readiness. Baldur’s Gate 3 will first come to PC on August 3rd, before launching on PlayStation 5 a few weeks later on September 6th.
This means the PC version of Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released at a time where you’ll have more time to play it.
The PlayStation 5 version will be released roughly a week later than its originally scheduled date of August 31st. Baldur’s Gate 3 is targeting 60 frames-per-second and we’re close to achieving that on the platform but need a bit more extra time. We don’t want to compromise on quality, and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30fps or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date.
We understand that folks may be disappointed with this but we're close enough to reaching new heights for RPGs on the system that the benefits of a short delay outweigh the downsides of rushing the PS5 release and having to downscale. The full Mac version will also be released at a later date, and we’ll update you as soon as we have a target.
More on those new heights: Baldur’s Gate 3 has more cinematic dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings novels combined. It has 174 hours of cinematics, making it more than twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined.
All that content serves to give you a tremendous amount of choice and consequence, ensuring everyone’s adventure will be unique. And what’s more, you’ll be able to enjoy that content not only in single player, but also in online multiplayer or local co-op with split screen. At the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase, you’ll really get a first glimpse of how it all comes together.
We’ve said before that our goal is to bring our games to as many platforms as possible. We’re optimistic about Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Xbox Series X, but in order to announce and release the game on Xbox, we need to ensure that the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X|S ecosystem, in multiplayer and with split-screen. We already put a lot of effort into making it work and will continue to do so. Like with the PS5 version, we’ll release it when it’s ready. We’ll update you as soon as we can.
Now for something completely different
So what can you expect from Baldur’s Gate 3 when we launch this Summer? Well, this’ll be a long one.
New Level Cap: Unleash Your Full Potential At Level 12
While we originally planned for Level 10 to be the highest character level in the game, too many rad high-level spells would have been left just out of reach had we done so. Instead, Baldur's Gate 3 players will be able to reach Level 12, unlocking Planar Allies, Otto’s Irresistible Dance, and Chain Lightning.
Races
Play as a human if you want, but by no means do you have to! Baldur’s Gate 3 features 11 races, with 31 subraces.
And we can now reveal Dragonborn and Half-Orcs will round out our list of races that will be playable at launch.
Hailing from Toril’s distant sister-world of Abeir, Dragonborn are rare in the realms. And they’re hard to miss. Hulking in size next to any other humanoid creatures, they bear the unmistakable mark of their draconic heritage - with chromatic and metallic scales reminiscent of the majestic dragons from which they trace their lineage.
A Dragonborn's subrace determines their damage and resistance. For Silver Dragonborn that's cold damage; for Red Dragonborn it's fire. In Baldur's Gate 3, there are 10 subraces to choose from: Black, Blue, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, Green, Red, Silver and White, more subraces than any other race in the game.
Your draconic ancestry also determines your breath weapon: a gift from ancestral Dragonborn, giving you the power to unleash an unholy burp of destructive energy from your very maw - Thanks grandpa!
Tune into the Panel From Hell: Reveal Showcase on July 7th to see Dragonborn in action.
With a fierce physique and an underbite that would make a dentist cry, Half-Orcs are an intimidating addition. Generally more inclined to act before they think, these are creatures of intense emotion who are propelled by that inner fire. Sometimes it surfaces through acts of protection, loyalty, and selflessness. But often it appears in a rage that compels them into battle. Harnessing Savage Attacks, Half-Orcs do some of the highest weapon damage in the game - dealing extra damage crits using triple the dice.
Half-Orcs are also one of the most resilient races in the game. To quote from the prose of Chumbawumba: They get knocked down, but then get up again. Thanks to their key ability, Relentless Endurance, Half-Orcs are able to beat death once per long rest. This means instead of outright dying when your health is drained, you'll drop to 1 HP.
A smaller addition to our lineup, but no less significant: Duergar are coming to Baldur’s Gate 3. The third Dwarf subrace will be playable at launch, adding a stoic and subterranean cousin to the dwarven family tree. We’ve also added a ton of reactivity around these characters, with over 200 new dialogue responses tailored to Duergar-kind.
New Classes and Subclasses
For every class we introduced in Early Access, we'll be launching with at least one new subclass. That's a total of 46 subclasses, nearly half of them new, across all 12 classes - including the new Monk class.
Zen And The Art of Punching: Monk Class Revealed
Monks are masters of manipulating the field of combat - pushing, pulling, and stunning enemies across the battleground using forceful Ki-powered punches. Their combat style is a balance between Fighter and Rogue, allowing them to traverse the map effortlessly - with Step of the Wind - and then strike out with powerful melee blows.
Beginning the game with Unarmoured Defense, Monks receive an AC of 10 + their Dexterity and Wisdom modifiers at Level 1. Monk weapons are neither heavy nor two-handed, with this class opting instead for lighter fare like clubs and quarterstaves - or forgoing weapons altogether in favour of a classic knuckle sandwich, punches that scale up in damage as they level. In combat, they combine light, quick unarmed attacks with weapon attacks - producing beautifully distinctive and stylised combat animations.
And we've got to say, the animation, VFX and SFX for this class are on a whole other level. We've pulled inspiration from the rulebook to create a stunning audio visual experience which lives up to Kung-Fu cinema classics.
We also did a lot of work house-ruling this class, re-balancing Monks and giving them more Ki to ensure they feel powerful next to our other classes. So we're introducing brand new actions to play with.
Baldur’s Gate 3 features a trio of Monastic traditions to choose as your subclass. Monks of the Open Hand excel at close combat, using special unarmed techniques to manipulate the enemies at hand. At mid levels, this subclass can charge their attacks with Psychic, Necrotic or Radiant damage (representing mind, body and soul). At higher levels, we give them Ki Resonating Blast, which infuses punched targets with Ki and can create a chain reaction of explosions across all in-range targets who have also been touched by Ki.
Shadow monks are stealth ninjas who teleport to and from the shadows, a skill that allows them to stealthily strike enemies then return to the safety of darkness. And finally, Monks from the Four Elements subclass are casters who unleash Monk variants of spells followed up with a rapid bonus action punch.
Through Martial Arts, a Monk's attack damage using Monk Weapons and unarmed attacks will scale with their level. This also gives the Monk a bonus unarmed attack after they attack by punch or weapon. And if their Dexterity is higher than their Strength, their Dexterity will be used to determine their Monk Weapon attack rolls and damage.
Should your Monk become the target of ranged attack, Deflect Missiles will allow them to deflect a range weapon or thrown item back at their attacker using the new Interrupt system added in Patch 9. You'll also soon find new magic items throughout the world designed to further support the Monk's playstyle.
Meet Your Companions For The Journey Ahead
Whether exploring the streets of Baldur’s Gate from the perspective of a vampire spawn or investigating the driving force behind Gale’s strange gastrointestinal urges, each Origin character brings their distinct personality, background, and story to the game.
With the addition of Karlach, our number of Origin characters now rises to six. She will join Astarion, Gale, Shadowheart, Lae’zel, and Wyll like a well-meaning, devil-fighting bat out of hell, rounding out the moral spectrum of playable characters from good to bad, and the shades of grey between. But she won't be our final Origin - you'll have to tune in to next week’s Panel From Hell: Release Showcase for that.
Along with your Origins, you can also expect to find four Companion characters who can join you on your journey: Halsin, Jaheira, Minsc, and Minthara. While we initially planned to lock players in with a core crew of companions past Act I, we nixed that plan in favour of a buffet-approach to team selection. You’ll be able to mix and match any of these characters into your group throughout. And, yes, you’ll be able to romance almost all of them (ask us sometime about that Halsin scene).
From the Fires of Avernus: Karlach Joins The Party As A New Playable Character
After brawling her way out of the scorched battlefields of the Blood War, Karlach now joins your party. Long-time players will recognise this battle-worn Tiefling Barbarian from Early Access, but come launch you’ll finally get to unlock her full story as a playable Origin story.
Karlach's battle history is written across her body in scars, burns, and tattoos, the indelible marks of a legendary warrior with unyielding resilience. After finally escaping from this endless war between devils and demons, she is determined to live life to the fullest. Or at least as much as she can given the unholy machine pumping hellish fire through her veins. This little present from the archdevil she served makes her a beast in battle, but if she gets too worked up, she'll destroy anything she touches - including you.
In the words of writer Sarah Baylus: “In a 2023 setting, [Karlach would] roll in on a Harley with shades and a cigar between her teeth, blaring Sabbath - a diesel-soaked dynamo with a heart of gold. She seeks justice for the oppressed, camaraderie, and revenge on the bastard who sold her to Hell.”
Finding Your Feat
Every so often as you level, you'll have the chance to improve your ability score with a new Feat: an upgrade that gives unique advantages to your character. At launch, you'll have a total of 37 possible feats to choose from - and most of those will be completely new to the game at launch.
NEW
Actor
Alert
Charger
Crossbow Expert
Dungeon Delver
Durable
Elemental Adept
Heavy Armour Master
Lucky
Mage Slayer
Medium Armour Master
Observant
Performer
Polearm Master
Resilient
Ritual Caster
Savage Attacker
Sentinel
Sharpshooter
Spell Sniper
Tavern Brawler
War Caster
New Spells Coming in 1.0
Baldur's Gate 3 will have over 600 player spells and sub-spells at launch, and that doesn't even include upcasting.
New spells coming at launch include:
Difficulty Levels & Rules
In D&D, picking the right DM is key to defining the journey you want to embark on. In Baldur’s Gate 3, we’ve created three modes of play that essentially act as different types of DM: the forgiving, narrative driven DM, or the DM that isn’t afraid to let you die if your glass-cannon wizard decides to tickle an owlbear.
At launch, in addition to ‘Normal mode’ (which can be considered our default), players may avail of the following:
In Story mode, combat has been made more forgiving so players can fully immerse themselves in the narrative layer of this adventure. In this mode, friendly NPCs are harder to kill, trader prices are at a 20 percent discount, and you'll begin the game with a +2 starting proficiency bonus.
Hardcore mode, then, is where to test your mettle. In this mode, enemy lethality is cranked up to Brutal, ensuring that enemy AI are stronger, will prioritise squishier targets with low AC, and will seize opportunities to go in for the kill. Additionally, many adjustments have been made to the fights themselves specifically for Hardcore mode, with certain enemies receiving additional support through reinforcements, spells, or consumable items.
A Truly Global Release
With a script roughly 2,000,000 words in length, translating Baldur's Gate 3 was no easy task. But thanks to an incredible team of over 200 strong, we’re proud to reveal Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC will be available in 13 subtitled languages: English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Turkish, Portuguese-Brazil, Italian, and Ukrainian.
The Collector’s Edition
With the release of the game brought forward on PC and delayed by a week on PlayStation 5, those of you who pre-ordered our gargantuan Collector’s Edition probably have questions. We have answers!
The Collector’s Edition should make it to you around the 31st of August, the original release date. For those who ordered on PC, your Steam code will be emailed to you earlier so you can start playing sooner. (Quick note: save games will not transfer from your Early Access build to release, but within the 72-hour period prior to launch, they will).
On PlayStation 5, to ensure you’re ready for your Digital Deluxe Edition 72-hour Early Access period, your code will be sent to you via email before the 72-hour period starts, so you can jump in right on time to claim your rewards. Phew!
You can still buy the Collector’s Edition over on the official website, ce.baldursgate3.game. It’s ma-hoosive. We’ll show you at the Panel From Hell: Release Showcase.
35 DAYS TO LAUNCH
We’re eternally grateful for your patience as we reach the final milestones of development. There’s still some work to be done, but we know you’ve waited a very long time for confirmations on many of the topics discussed in the community update today.
We didn’t want to spoil anything, though. We’ll reveal more content - and more numbers - on July 7, as we explore the breadth and depth of Baldur’s Gate 3, at the final Panel From Hell: Release Showcase. It’s been real.
Blood In Baldur's Gate
15 years before the events of Baldur's Gate 3, the streets of the city ran red with blood.
Tavs, we need your help. Will your sharp analytical minds unravel these heinous killings before the murderer strikes again?
Our goggles are on, our posture is aerodynamic; like a gnome hurled through the air by a barbarian with a mean overhead throw, Baldur’s Gate 3 is rapidly hurtling toward launch.
This weekend, we unveiled the city of Baldur's Gate for the very first time, with a glimpse behind its walls and around its familiar labyrinthine streets. It's been about 20 years since we last had a pint in the Elfsong Tavern or crawled through the sewers beneath the city streets and, as you might have spotted during the PC Gaming Show, many of these locations are back, and many news ones are waiting to be discovered for the first time - giving you a chance to explore the menacing roads of the Outer City, the opulent estates of the Upper City, and the dark alleys and pubs of the Lower City.
But the Baldur's Gate that we've built is a lot more than faithful geography. As a modern adaptation of an iconic fantasy setting, this city couldn’t be a mere backdrop. It needed to feel more like a complex organism: alive, changeable, and interconnected. Your journey, and your story, has been heading in this direction since the start of the game. You’ve finally arrived.
Welcome To Baldur's Gate
Though your journey hasn’t been easy, you arrive at a city preparing for war. As the Steel Watch patrols Baldur’s Gate’s labyrinthian streets, the printing press prepares the daily news cycle. There are factions within the city vying for control, all disagreeing on what to make of outside threats, and new faces within the city walls. Opportunity in times of struggle is rife. What you make of it, and what it makes of you, will be determined by your choices up to the city walls, and beyond their shadow.
We’ve built a truly next-gen fantasy city, and upped the stakes. Our latest trailer gives you a sense of that scale, showing rolling vistas of grand buildings that recede into the horizon, boisterous docks with harbours thick with ships, and lively town centres populated with over a thousand individual characters. You can explore all of it.
On cobbled streets, bustling crowds go about their day, each one with a story to unravel, a secret to uncover, or a personal reaction to be stirred. Peer further down those steep hills and you might spot a distant bell tower that you can climb for a panoramic view of the city. Make a wrong turn to the visiting circus and explore your deep-seated clown phobia. Or you could case the local inn, where sinister rumours lurk in secret back rooms. In short, Baldur's Gate is your oyster. It is its own vast, complex organism inside of a game already filled with opportunities for exploration. What your role is within it is entirely up to you.
Our scope for the city is big. But it's also grown substantially over the past year.
From the very beginning, we envisioned a Baldur’s Gate that players could navigate however they chose - whether that’s flying to the hidden rooftop nest of Gale's pet tressym, burrowing into a locked prison cell as a giant badger, or slipping into the Counting House in the form of a little cloud (not technically considered breaking and entering as per Faerûnian property law). But in our original prototype, the city was actually much more compartmentalised - a series of small, contained regions connected by teleporters. And so it remained until midway into developing the city, when we decided to make some major changes.
"[Swen] said, like, can't we just connect everything?" reminisces World Building Director Farhang Namdar. "And that was an interesting day."
What's come out of that decision is something we’re very proud of. The districts of Baldur's Gate are now three seamless open worlds. No matter whether you’re investigating underground crypts, climbing the stairs of a towering citadel, or descending into hidden cellars, open-ended exploration reigns supreme. No longer are they broken up into much smaller chunks. This - though ambitious - means that we were finally able to achieve that grand sense of hustle and bustle, where all the stories within the city were truly interconnected. There’s plenty to discover, and to be distracted by, and nothing is off-limits. We wanted every house to have real characters who had stories, and who could offer quests with secrets to uncover.
Hello to Jason Isaacs
Like the city itself, the political landscape of Baldur's Gate is something that must be deftly navigated. While the streets may appear orderly, maintained in check by a security force of hulking automatons, beneath the surface lies an undeniable undercurrent of turmoil. Duke Ravengard has disappeared, and in his wake a power vacuum has emerged, leaving an opportunity for ambitious factions and individuals to seize control and shape the fate of the city.
Enter Lord Enver Gortash, commander of a clockwork army of Steel Watchers. Raised by a devil, a leader among loners, Enver Gortash freed himself of his bonds to envision wonders and become a master of both men and mechanisms.
Jason had this to say about the nefarious politician: "It was a thrill to join the Baldur’s Gate universe but I fear that the magnificent Lord Enver Gortash is being mischaracterized as a villain. In a brutal world of betrayals and butchery, he’s learned to lie better and backstab first. The joy in voicing him - apart from the obvious pleasure in getting to look so glorious - was that the creative team and I got to play loose enough to find ways that he could enjoy the ride and make the players hate him more!"
First revealed during last week's Summer Game Fest, Larian Studios is thrilled to announce that acclaimed actor and all-round great bad-guy Jason Isaacs is taking on the role of this dark and charismatic sovereign. Best known for playing classic antagonists such as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, Captain Hook in 2003’s Peter Pan, and Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, Isaacs adds a layer of depth to the characters you’ll meet here, bringing with him decades of experience in acting the villain to the recording booth and even modifying lines of dialogue between takes.
Through Gortash, players will help define the future of the legendary city, deciding who to align with in the struggle for the soul of Baldur's Gate.
We know, you want to know if you can romance Lord Enver Gortash… We get it.
The Road Ahead
In this year’s PCGaming Show, to celebrate the beginning of the end, we worked with Mashed to create this fun little animated short written by our very own Emily Gera, starring the original voice cast for Baldur’s Gate 3! Frooooooog. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did. Players of Act 1 will find a few easter eggs designed just for you. Awwww!
Baldur’s Gate 3 is much, much bigger than we had envisioned when we started this journey roughly 5 years ago. Looking at what’s in Act 1 Early Access right now, it’s fair to say that you’ve really only seen a glimmer of the full experience to come. In July, you’ll begin to get a more complete look not just at how far Baldur’s Gate 3 has come, but where it’s been heading all these years in development. We know you’re really eager to hear about all the playable races & classes in the game. It’s coming.
Spoilers! We also understand that many of you are cautious about spoilers and we don’t intend to spoil anything between now and launch as we release some new exciting video assets and information into the wild. We’ll try and give you a heads up about the nature of something before you see it, so you can make an informed decision as to whether it’s something you’d like to learn about, or wait to experience yourself at launch.
With regards to any other platforms Baldur’s 3 will release on, our plan is to release the game in order of platform readiness. Once we’re sure about dates, we’ll let you know. You can rest assured we’ll try to make BG3 run on every platform we can, but it’s a gigantic, truly next-generation RPG with split screen, multiplayer and incredible breadth & density and we don’t want to compromise.
With that said - ONWARD, to Baldur’s Gate! We’ll see you in another community update in the not too distant future.
We’re nearly there.
Community Update #18: Baldur's Date
Hello and howdy, dear readers! What’s it called when the long-awaited third installment in a beloved RPG series finally gets a proper release day announcement? That’s Baldur’s Date. 😌
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases on August 31, 2023 for PC, Mac, and PS5.
Earlier today we unveiled a brand new gameplay and story trailer during Sony’s State of Play livestream. Fret not, our PC-focused friends, as you will still want to see this trailer:
Meet General Ketheric Thorm, a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead towards the city of Baldur’s Gate. Ketheric isn’t the antagonist, but one of three main antagonists that your party will need to contend with if you ever want to get those tadpoles out of your head (maybe even if you decide you don’t 😏).
Ketheric’s plans for the people of Faerûn are as complex as his motivations, and so we knew his role would benefit from the kind of depth and gravitas that renowned character actor J.K. Simmons could provide. One take at the recording booth and we knew we’d made the right call. Take a look behind the scenes:
We’ll introduce you to two more antagonists over the coming months, so keep an eye out (but close them if someone approaches with anything… wiggly).
Those of you who prefer to navigate the world using analogue sticks and buttons may have caught a glimpse at what full controller support for Baldur’s Gate 3 will look like for launch. With split-screen co-op, too, you’ll be able to experience the entirety of your adventures in Faerûn with another player on the same device!
Baldur’s Gate 3 will also support cross-save progression between PC, Mac and PS5, allowing you to transfer your saves between platforms and continue your adventure wherever you purchase the game. Personally, we’ll be taking our experience on the road with the Steam Deck, and then venturing home to enjoy the cinematic experience of interrupting an ogre’s horizontal tango from the comfort of our sofa. Don’t forget the popcorn!
There’s more: Baldur’s Gate 3 is getting a Digital Deluxe Edition on launch. Here’s what you can expect to find within:
Divinity Bard Song Pack - Astound audiences by performing this special set of new songs from the Divinity series
Paintings from Rivellon - Discover a new collection of paintings across the Forgotten Realms
Adventurer's Pouch - Receive a collection of camp supplies and potions to help get your journey started
Digital OST - Enjoy the music of Baldur's Gate 3 from composer Borislav Slavov
Digital Artbook - Explore the art and design of Baldur's Gate 3 in this digital artbook, written by Larian
Digital Character Sheets - Peruse a set of four-page D&D character sheets for each Baldur's Gate 3 origin character
Bring a little bit of Rivellon to the Forgotten Realms with these Divinity-inspired artefacts:
Mask of the Shapeshifter: Allows you to change race and appearance on the fly, inspired by Fane
Cape of the Red Prince: Cloak inspired by the Red Prince
Lute of the Merryweather Bard: Playable instrument inspired by Lohse
Needle of the Outlaw Rogue: Dagger inspired by Sebille
Bicorne of the Sea Beast: Headgear inspired by Beast
We’ll have more to share later, but here’s a little peek at the Mask of the Shapeshifter in-game. No faces were ripped in the creation of this mask! (Technology really has come a long way since DOS2.)
Do you already own Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC? Are you planning to purchase it in Early Access before launch? You’re going to get a free upgrade to the Digital Deluxe edition on launch day! Same goes for owners of our Collector’s Edition (available to pre-order via our website for both PC & PS5 while stocks last!) – here’s a reminder of all that’s inside:
Filled with tangible treasures we’re sure you’re going to love, and now it comes with the Digital Deluxe Edition – so even more value in that rather large box. If you want the full run-down of what you’re going to get with each edition, check out this handy chart.
With today’s news, we’re just over 6 months away from Baldur’s Gate 3’s release day. It's been quite the journey so far, and we still have plenty of surprises to talk about before we get there. Including [Redacted], [Redacted] being able to [Redacted] into a [Redacted]. Wow, it feels good to say those ones out loud, they’ve really been eating away at us!
A note on Minimum System Requirements
One last thing: Baldur's Gate 3's graphical fidelity and complexity has improved quite a bit as it's grown throughout Early Access. We've been keeping an eye on its minimum system requirements, and as the game nears release we've raised the minimum system requirements listed on Steam to better reflect the realities of the launch version.
Baldur's Gate 3 may be playable on systems below these minimum suggested specifications, but we believe this may hinder the player experience. Check our store page for the latest specs.
That's all from us, until next time!
Now streaming on Geforce NOW
It’s time to take the party to the cloud. We’re excited to announce that Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available to stream via GeForce NOW! Experience Baldur’s Gate 3 on underpowered PCs and more with a GeForce NOW membership. Members will be able to adventure, loot, battle and romance as they journey through the Forgotten Realms, either alone or with companions.
Just a quick update today: we are happy to announce that Mac users can now download and play Patch 9!
If you need a recap of Patch 9’s contents, you can find our Community Update here, where we dive deep into some of the highlights, such as Paladin, Level 5, and the new Reactions system.
And you can also check out the full notes for Patch 9 over here.
Thank you for your patience as we worked on fixing some last issues on this build. Now go ahead and smite some evil!
Hotfix #32 Now Live!
Hello everyone,
Today we bring you a new hotfix, which addresses some common reasons for crashes and other gameplay issues.
This hotfix will also take care of the issue causing parties of 3-4 players to crash when a second player joins an already-started conversation. (Warning: We're pleased to assist in making your party chats run smoothly, but you're on your own when it comes to avoiding small talk.)
A big thank you to all who reported this issue and all the rest!
For our Mac players, we know you’re still waiting for Patch 9. We’re continuing to work on the stability of the build on Mac, but need some more time to address the issues.
CRASHES AND BLOCKERS
Fixed a crash caused by RAM corruption that would occur when loading into the tutorial.
Fixed a crash that would occur when booting the game using Vulkan.
Fixed an issue prompting the 'Mid-dialogue saves are currently disabled' error while not in dialogue, which was preventing you from saving.
Fixed a crash that would occur in 3- or 4-player sessions - if one player is in a dialogue and another listens in, the game no longer crashes for everyone else.
Fixed an issue in multiplayer causing the UI to disappear when switching from listening in on the host to listening in on the client.
GAMEPLAY
Fixed an issue causing your equipped weapon set to switch from melee to ranged or vice versa when loading a savegame.
Fixed an issue causing some of Shadowheart's spells to disappear from her prepared spell list after saving and then loading that savegame.
Fixed some visual issues with the Vision of the Absolute spear.
Fixed a certain non-interactable NPC appearing in the goblin camp.
