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

 

[FrogReaver]

The population on this board is skewed towards people that want BG3 to be a simulation of 5e.

I don't care if it mirrors 5e exactly. It should be turn based because true turn based is better than pause based turns.

The general populace of gamers of the BG2 generation will not take this change lightly, because effectively it ventures away from what BG1&2 were in a very drastic way.

It really doesn't venture away in a drastic way.

Consider: in BG you would initially pause every combat -> issue commands -> unpause -> wait for a change (like needing healing or a dead enemy) -> pause again -> issue new commands -> unpause -> repeat until battle is over.

That's not a lot different than true turn based - except that true turn based actually is a lot deeper.

A way that won't be seen as innovation but rather regression.

Turn based has never been a regression. It's one of the deepest RPG systems around.

Real time combat with auto-pausing already allowed you to play turn based. Now all players are forced to use turn based mode. That is a fail.

Yes Quasi turn based - which leaves out much of the greater depth and tactics inherent in true turn based.

 

[Nebulous]

I'm not particularly interested in real time vs. turn based, but this game looks like Divinity 3, not Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[FrogReaver]

I'm not particularly interested in real time vs. turn based, but this game looks like Divinity 3, not Baldur's Gate 3.

What should BG 3 look like in 2020?

 

[Nebulous]

I dunno. I guess different studios would approach it differently. They had the groundwork for Divinity already established.

 

[FrogReaver]

I dunno. I guess different studios would approach it differently. They had the groundwork for Divinity already established.

So why shouldn't BG 3 look somewhat like Divinity - one of the best turn based RPG's in years?

That is what you said right?

 

[Nebulous]

I got bored with Divinity and quit playing it.

 

[Demetrios1453]

And this is what most people expected from BG3. Pausable real time combat. Not Diablo 3.

Based on the expected release date, BG3 will be in competition with Wrath of the Righteous. And the latter one looks and feels a lot more like Baldurs Gate than BG3.

Having played since the release of the original game, what I expect from a Baldur's Gate game is interesting NPCs, a good story, and relative adherence to D&D rules. The combat method is immaterial.

 

[FrogReaver]

Just wanted to throw this out there -

For those arguing that they could have done Real Time with pause and made everyone happy - no they couldn't. Compromising away from true turn based would have made a number of us that prefer true turn based unhappy.

 

[Barantor]

I'm all for turn based over some sort of hybrid pausable real time. I also like that they seem to be using a lot more than we've seen in the past of the actual rules, though it'll take some time to iron those out I'm sure.

There are lots of turn based games that have done very well, this will probably be another. I find it odd that folks didn't think that it would be turn based when Larian makes turn based games shrug

I just hope it isn't only offered on Epic games as an exclusive.

 

[SkidAce]

...Now all players are forced to use turn based mode. That is a fail.

Its slightly different, does not equal "fail".