Baldur's Gate 3: How It Connects To The Series' First Two Games

Larian team members working on the highly anticipated RPG Baldur's Gate 3 have taken to Reddit to answer some burning questions about the upcoming game. Many of these answers regard the game's take on DnD 5th Edition, while other curious fans have sought clarity on how much Baldur's Gate 1 and Baldur's Gate 2 will impact the story.

Creative director Swen Vincke has addressed fans' concerns that Baldur's Gate 3 would have little to do with the first two games, which were both developed by BioWare. "We really don’t want to spoil anything but we wouldn’t call it Baldur’s Gate 3 if there wouldn’t be a link," Vincke said. "Let me just say that we touch upon the story of BG 1 & 2 in meaningful ways, there are returning characters and what happened in BG 1/2/[Throne of Bhaal] leads to what happens into BG3. You won’t necessarily see that at the start of the adventure but you will quickly understand once you get further into the game."

Both Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 were based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition, while Baldur's Gate 3 will be based on 5th Edition: a more accessible ruleset that has led to a huge boost in DnD's popularity.

Vincke has previously referred to Baldur's Gate 3 as a 5th Edition campaign where Larian is the player's dungeon master, and the AMA reveals just how much effort has gone into adapting the DnD rulebook.

Some key takeaways from the AMA include that all 12 classes in the 5th Edition rulebook will be playable in Baldur's Gate 3, though only half--Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, and Wizard--will be in the early access launch.

Long rests and short rests are being implemented in a way that makes sense to the video game format. "To take a long rest the whole party needs to go to the camp and spend the night there," lead systems designer Nick Pechenin said. "This will restore and reset any features normally tied to a long rest in 5e and also give the party a moment to reflect on recent events." Short rests, on the other hand, will be counted every time players have a break between combat encounters.

Other players have questioned how reactions are going to be implemented in the game--by the sounds of it, this has been complicated for the developers too, as reactions won't immediately be available in early access. "While it’s not going to be in [early access] immediately, the features and mechanics that allow a character to perform an action as a reaction will trigger automatically," Vincke said. "The players will be able to control which reactions they want to enable in anticipation of enemy actions. E.g. a wizard would disable their Attack of Opportunity but enable their Shield spell, which will be cast automatically whenever the wizard is targeted by an attack or Magic Missile spell."

For more on how Larian has approached making a game with all the freedom that 5th edition offers, check out our in-depth interview with creative director Swen Vincke.

Baldur's Gate 3 currently doesn't have a release date for either early access or its full launch, but will be coming to PC and Stadia when it's ready. Due to the game's huge scope, it will be unlikely to release on consoles.