WotC World Reveal of Baldur's Gate 3

At PAX East today, gameplay footage of Baldur's Gate 3 was revealed for the first time by Larian Studios.

According to PC Gamer, the Early Access version of the game will launch this year with five characters:

• Wyll, Human Warlock
• Shadowheart, Half-elf Cleric
• Lae'zel, Githyanki Fighter
• Gale, Human Wizard
• Astarion, Elven Vampire Spawn Rogue

And you'll be able to create characters using these six classes:

• Fighter (Battle Master, Eldritch Knight)
• Wizard (Evocation, Abjuration)
• Rogue (Arcane Trickster, Thief)
• Ranger (Hunter, Beast Master)
• Cleric (Life, Light, Trickery)
• Warlock (Fiend, Great One)

15 races include (amongst others):

• Elves
• Dwarves
• Humans
• Githyanki
• Drow
• Tieflings
• Vampire Spawn

 

[Gladius Legis]

Because it would.

No, it really wouldn't.

 

[MarkB]

Because it would.

So, that two-pronged attack where the rogue snuck up behind the archer, punted him off a ledge, and then shoved a crate down on top of him, while at the same time the wizard in an entirely different location was perfectly positioning a Grease spell to catch two more active combatants while avoiding the fighter, who was also moving into position in the same round - how do you manage that in real time, even with a pause mode?

 

[Horwath]

So, that two-pronged attack where the rogue snuck up behind the archer, punted him off a ledge, and then shoved a crate down on top of him, while at the same time the wizard in an entirely different location was perfectly positioning a Grease spell to catch two more active combatants while avoiding the fighter, who was also moving into position in the same round - how do you manage that in real time, even with a pause mode?

Anticipation.

Predicting movement of enemies and allies adds to depth of the game, it does not remove it.

 

[Lidgar]

Really looking forward to this. The Divinity games are great, and D&D 5e is great, so naturally..

 

[Gradine]

Because it would.

The depth and complexity and range of possible bonus actions simply would not work in RTwP without heavily simplifying or flat out erasing them.

Of course, I do say this as someone who is not really a fan of RTwP, in spite of heavily enjoying BG1 and PS:T (I eventually bounced off of BG2 but I was a decent ways into it before it I did). It was a step up from EOB-style Dance-of-Death first person party combat but RTwP almost always broke down into three possible outcomes:
1) Trash mobs which I'd just point my party at and watch until they died (boring)
2) Complex enough that I'd have to be constantly pausing and assigning orders to on the fly, which is functionally turn-based only more chaotic and more tedious as I constantly hammer the pause button (chaotic/tedious)
3) High level enough that I'd spend a few minutes pre-buffing my party and then pointing my party at the enemy and watched until they died (tedious, pace-killing, and boring)

I recognize that this is my own personal preference but I, for one, am very happy with what I saw.

 

[slobster]

The depth and complexity and range of possible bonus actions simply would not work in RTwP without heavily simplifying or flat out erasing them.

Of course, I do say this as someone who is not really a fan of RTwP, in spite of heavily enjoying BG1 and PS:T (I eventually bounced off of BG2 but I was a decent ways into it before it I did). It was a step up from EOB-style Dance-of-Death first person party combat but RTwP almost always broke down into three possible outcomes:
1) Trash mobs which I'd just point my party at and watch until they died (boring)
2) Complex enough that I'd have to be constantly pausing and assigning orders to on the fly, which is functionally turn-based only more chaotic and more tedious as I constantly hammer the pause button (chaotic/tedious)
3) High level enough that I'd spend a few minutes pre-buffing my party and then pointing my party at the enemy and watched until they died (tedious, pace-killing, and boring)

I recognize that this is my own personal preference but I, for one, am very happy with what I saw.

No no no, you are playing RTwP in BG all wrong.

The proper combat rhythm is:
Pause
Cleric uses Harm
Magic missile
Reload your save file if you didn't penetrate enemy's SR
Triumph

Modern day gamers are so simple they can't even understand proper strategy games SMH my head.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Anticipation.

Predicting movement of enemies and allies adds to depth of the game, it does not remove it.

Predicting movement of enemies and allies is also important in turn-based combat, which is based on D&D, which is a turn-based game ...

What you seem to want is a game that determines your success based on how quickly you can slam the pause button. Which just doesn't strike me as fun, especially in a game like this. As has been mentioned above, RTwP seems to be a half-arsed compromise between turn-based and full action, with none of the positives of either one.

 

[Gladius Legis]

No no no, you are playing RTwP in BG all wrong.

The proper combat rhythm is:
Pause
Cleric uses Harm
Magic missile
Reload your save file if you didn't penetrate enemy's SR
Triumph

Modern day gamers are so simple they can't even understand proper strategy games SMH my head.

Hey now, don't forget:
1. Select character with stealth capability
2. Hide
3. Run up to enemy mob
4. Backstab
5. Run away until the mob is off screen
6. Repeat 2-5

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Sadly I am not. You have seen how long the intellect devourer fight took and that was a generic low level fight.
I have played Divinity 2 and fights got eventually tedious. And the environmental effects soon lost their appeal.

That is normally how low level fights go in D&D. It normally speeds up. Particularly if you do things properly like how Swen did the second time where the fight took no time at all.

 

[Gradine]

No no no, you are playing RTwP in BG all wrong.

The proper combat rhythm is:
Pause
Cleric uses Harm
Magic missile
Reload your save file if you didn't penetrate enemy's SR
Triumph

Hey now, don't forget:
1. Select character with stealth capability
2. Hide
3. Run up to enemy mob
4. Backstab
5. Run away until the mob is off screen
6. Repeat 2-5

Fun!™