Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3
Details
Genre	Adventure, RPG, Strategy
Developer	Larian Studios
Publisher	Larian Studios
Franchise	Baldur's Gate
Platform	Microsoft Windows; Mac; Linux; GeForce Now; PS5; Xbox Series X\|S; Stadia (2020-January 2023);
Release date	October 6, 2020 (Early Access); August 3, 2023 (PC); September 6, 2023 (PS5); September 22, 2023 (macOS); December 7, 2023 (Xbox X/S);
Composer	Borislav Slavov

Baldur's Gate 3 is a fantasy roleplaying videogame developed and published by Larian Studios. It is the third mainline installment of the Baldur's Gate series, which takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting. Like its predecessors, the gameplay is based on the rules of the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

The game was announced on June 6th, 2019, where it was revealed that it would be based on the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset – a first for the series – and it was released as an Early Access game on October 6th, 2020. The game officially launched on August 3, 2023 for PC users, September 6, 2023 for PS5 users, September 22 for MacOS and December 7 for Xbox Series X/S.

Overview

“	Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil. From the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 comes a next-generation RPG, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.	„
	— Official Steam description

Baldur's Gate 3 is a sequel to Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and their respective expansions. It can be played solo with the possibility to include up to 3 additional playable characters into the party, or online with up to 3 other players.

The game received critical acclaim and won many Game of the Year awards including the Golden Joystick Awards^[1], The Game Awards 2023^[2], D.I.C.E. Awards^[3], Game Developers Choice Awards^[4] and BAFTA Games Awards^[5]. It is the first game that won all 5 major award shows^[6].

Plot

The game starts in the year of 1492 DR, over 120 years after the events of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and months after the events of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. The player character can be one of the pre-made characters or a custom origin (the default name is Tav, however the player can name their character whatever they like). The protagonist has been taken captive by the mind flayers, who have launched an invasion on Faerûn. They have implanted the protagonist, as well as a host of other creatures, with illithid tadpoles, parasites capable of enthralling and transforming their hosts into other mind flayers; however, before the mind flayers could transform their victims, the nautiloid flying ship upon which they are all aboard comes under attack from githyanki warriors and their red dragons, and flees through multiple realms, including Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells.

The protagonist is freed during the fighting and steers the damaged ship back to Faerûn, where it crashes. As the protagonist searches for a way to remove their parasite, they encounter other survivors of the wreck: the half-elf cleric Shadowheart, the human wizard Gale, the high elf rogue Astarion, the githyanki fighter Lae'zel, the human warlock Wyll, and the tiefling barbarian Karlach.

“

Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. That power may help you to survive, but there will be a price to pay, and more than any ability, the bonds of trust that you build within your party could be your greatest strength. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms together.

„

Character creation

Choose from 12 classes and 11 races from the D&D Player's Handbook and create your own identity, or play as an Origin hero with a hand-crafted background. Or tangle with your inner corruption as the Dark Urge, a fully customisable Origin hero with its own unique mechanics and story. Whoever you choose to be, adventure, loot, battle, and romance your way across the Forgotten Realms and beyond.

Origins

Classes

Races

Backgrounds

Spells

Update log

The latest update was Hotfix 29 (Console Only) - 16:10, 21 November 2024 (CET). See Patch Notes for more.

Cast

Main

Amelia Tyler: Narrator (voice)
Neil Newbon: Astarion (voice)
Jennifer English: Shadowheart (voice)
Devora Wilde: Lae'zel (voice)
Theo Solomon: Wyll (voice)
Tim Downie: Gale (voice)
Samantha Béart: Karlach (voice)
Matthew Mercer: Minsc (voice)
Tracy Wiles: Jaheira (voice)
Dave Jones: Halsin (voice)
Emma Gregory: Nightwarden Minthara (voice)
J.K. Simmons: General Ketheric Thorm (voice)
Jason Isaacs: Lord Enver Gortash (voice)
Maggie Robertson: Orin the Red (voice)
Scott Joseph: The Emperor (voice)
Cissy Jones: The Absolute (voice)
Díana Bermudez: Dream Visitor (voice)
Ethan Reid: Dream Visitor (voice)
And more...

System requirements

PC

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required

Recommended:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required

Mac

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: macOS 10.15.6
Processor: 2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon460 4GB
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: Minimum specs can run the game on low to medium settings. To meet minimum specs, you'll need a MacBook Pro 15 inch from 2016 or newer, with the above mentioned GPU. Or, a MacBook Pro 13 inch from 2018 or newer. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 8GB of RAM. SSD recommended.

Recommended:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: macOS 10.15.7
Processor: 2.3GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: Recommended specs can run the game on high or ultra settings. You'll meet recommended specs if you have a MacBook Pro 15 inch or 16 inch from 2019 and upwith the above mentioned GPU. An iMac from 2017 or newer will also pull it off. M1 Chip requirements: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini with Apple M1 chip and 16GB of RAM. SSD recommended.

Gallery

Early Access cover art
Old Logo featuring a different design for the "u" letter
Current Logo with "u" and "G" connected
Old 2020 Steam Banner featuring a variation of the in-line old Logo
Collector's Edition promo
Digital Deluxe Wallpaper
Deluxe Edition promo

Video

References

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[1] Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners

[2] Baldur’s Gate 3 wins Game of the Year at The Game Awards

[3] D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 Livestream

[4] 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards Ceremony

[5] BAFTA Games Awards 2024 Full LIVE Ceremony

[6] BG3 is the First Game to win GOTY at all major award shows on Reddit

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Baldur's Gate 3

Contents

Overview

Plot