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

 

[Xenonnonex]

My body is ready.

Wait. I take that back.

 

[gyor]

They seem to be counting “half-drow” as its own race for whatever reason. I assume it has game or story mechanics that are significantly different than a standard half-elf (much like “drow” is not being treated as a sub-race of “elf”. “Vampire spawn” is not a race - that character is an elf.

I think they’re getting to 15 “races and subraces” by counting like this:

Elf
High Elf
Wood Elf
Human
Dwarf
Hill Dwarf
Mountain Dwarf
Halfling
Lightfoot Halfling
Stout Halfling
Half-elf
Tiefling
Drow
Half-Drow
Githyanki

You keep double counting subraces and races, for races with subraces only the subrace counts. Example human counts because it has no subraces, but Elf doesn't count its subraces do, Wild Elf and High Elf.

 

[gyor]

Anyways I suspect that by official launch after EA, we will have all the Elf subraces (maybe even Sea Elves swimming fits with the verticality), all the MTOFs Tiefling subraces, Aasimar and its subraces, Duergar seperate from Dwarves for the same reason that Drow/Half Drow/Githyanki are races instead of subraces, Gnomes & subraces, Half Orcs, Dragonborn, Githzerai, Genasi, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears (the way they made Gobliniods seem more then just hit bags, but sympathetic), Lizardfolk (got specifically mentioned in BG: DiA as living in BG), Tabaxi and Goliaths because they seem popular. Less likely, but I hope they are in are Tritons and Yuan Ti Purebloods. Tritons are really cool.

 

[gyor]

It also occurs to me that they might keep adding Races, Companions, and Subclasses after full launch like they kept adding stuff and doing "gift bags" for Divinity Original Sin 2. I think it will be cool if after full launch they do a Tortle DLC for charity like WotC did, the Tortle package.

 

[Quickleaf]

is there video footage of the hellhound on page 1?

There's a very similar looking model in this video. In this video, it's part of a goblin attack and looks very much like a worg. EDIT: the combat dialogue confirms these are worgs.

The art you mention from the original post has a similar stockiness that suggests either they're utilizing the same model for two different monsters at this early point in development, or it's a worg that's caught on fire.

 

[gyor]

I found out something about the Cult of the Absolute

Spoiler

"Revealed at PAX East 2020, Baldur’s Gate III returns players to the Forgotten Realms and the titular city of Baldur’s Gate. An evil force called the cult of the Absolute seeks to destroy the Forgotten Realms and install a new order. The player-character and their companions must traverse the Forgotten Realms and beyond to stop the Absolute’s quest for world domination. Along the way, they must also find a cure for an affliction placed on them by the Absolute. If they fail in that endeavor, they will become beings called Mind Flayers and forever be thralls to the Absolute." I originally thought the Cult of the Absolute was a seperate threat from the Mindflayers, but it appears they are behind the Mindflayers implanting you and the others, but what the Absolute is, I don't know, maybe a Great Old One or the Collective Minds of all the Elder Brains?

 

[SkidAce]

I found out something about the Cult of the Absolute

Spoiler

"Revealed at PAX East 2020, Baldur’s Gate III returns players to the Forgotten Realms and the titular city of Baldur’s Gate. An evil force called the cult of the Absolute seeks to destroy the Forgotten Realms and install a new order. The player-character and their companions must traverse the Forgotten Realms and beyond to stop the Absolute’s quest for world domination. Along the way, they must also find a cure for an affliction placed on them by the Absolute. If they fail in that endeavor, they will become beings called Mind Flayers and forever be thralls to the Absolute." I originally thought the Cult of the Absolute was a seperate threat from the Mindflayers, but it appears they are behind the Mindflayers implanting you and the others, but what the Absolute is, I don't know, maybe a Great Old One or the Collective Minds of all the Elder Brains?

Dear Wizards,

please remove your monitoring devices from my computer gaming room and stop stealing all my ideas.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I found out something about the Cult of the Absolute

Spoiler

"Revealed at PAX East 2020, Baldur’s Gate III returns players to the Forgotten Realms and the titular city of Baldur’s Gate. An evil force called the cult of the Absolute seeks to destroy the Forgotten Realms and install a new order. The player-character and their companions must traverse the Forgotten Realms and beyond to stop the Absolute’s quest for world domination. Along the way, they must also find a cure for an affliction placed on them by the Absolute. If they fail in that endeavor, they will become beings called Mind Flayers and forever be thralls to the Absolute." I originally thought the Cult of the Absolute was a seperate threat from the Mindflayers, but it appears they are behind the Mindflayers implanting you and the others, but what the Absolute is, I don't know, maybe a Great Old One or the Collective Minds of all the Elder Brains?

Possibly related to "The Hidden", a BG2 subplot that was never fully resolved.

A note found is a secret mind flayer base in the Athkatla sewers:

"This note has sections written in several languages, some so alien as to be painful to look at.
A small section written in Common reads as follows:
"The base is established, and the infiltration continues. The Hidden gathers followers, and soon we shall dominate the minds of the entire..."

The message continues in one of the more alien scripts. The illithids are up to something, as is typical of the race, but your being here has most likely disrupted their plans."

The quote also seems to confirm at least one visit to another plane.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Anyways I suspect that by official launch after EA, we will have all the Elf subraces (maybe even Sea Elves swimming fits with the verticality)

The DOS2 engine doesn't support swimming, but it would support flying by (e.g.) winged tieflings.

 

[gyor]

The DOS2 engine doesn't support swimming, but it would support flying by (e.g.) winged tieflings.

The Divinity Engine was changed by 70% to 80%, it supports alot of stuff it didn't used to.