The original release date for all platforms was August 31st, but on top of other long-waited updates, Larian just announced they will release the game for PC on the 3rd, almost a month earlier...
The original release date for all platforms was August 31st, but on top of other long-waited updates, Larian just announced they will release the game for PC on the 3rd, almost a month earlier than expected.
This could be just to avoid clashing with other incoming popular games (looking at you Starfield), but regardless I couldn't be more excited. As an early access player, I remember having tons of fun and being in awe at this game despite the bugs and clunky mechanics... And the game has improved so much since then that I believe I will be playing it multiple times to explore different races, classes, and even origin characters.
Larian has listened to the players in many ways, even when it involved a lot of work (such as implementing the reaction system, or not locking the party after act 1 as it was planned in the beginning). I try not to get attached too much to companies, but as for this moment, I really like them and wish them great success.
Are any other BG3 fans around? I hope you are as excited as I am!
I've heard very good things about Baldur's Gate, but as someone who has never played it, can I start with 3 and not lose any of the experience or back story, or do I need to go retro? Keep in mind...
I've heard very good things about Baldur's Gate, but as someone who has never played it, can I start with 3 and not lose any of the experience or back story, or do I need to go retro?
Keep in mind that I am an infrequent gamer, use a PC almost exclusively, and have a Doom / Quake / Daiblo / WoW (but not anymore), background.
I've been wanting to try something new, yet in that are, and I'm thing of this one.
Baldur's Gate 2 was released in 2000, Larian won't reasonably expect you to have played them to follow along with their story 23 years later. While it does tie in with the overarching Icewind Dale...
Baldur's Gate 2 was released in 2000, Larian won't reasonably expect you to have played them to follow along with their story 23 years later. While it does tie in with the overarching Icewind Dale lore it probably only tacitly references the old games. Although now that I think about it there may be some cameos.
So in conclusion: Having knowledge of the lore probably enhances your fun, but not having any idea will not diminish your fun either.
You ought to be pretty safe jumping into #3 directly. It's by a different studio than the first two (which were made by BioWare) and takes place 100 years after BG2 (which took place immediately...
You ought to be pretty safe jumping into #3 directly. It's by a different studio than the first two (which were made by BioWare) and takes place 100 years after BG2 (which took place immediately after 1 and was essentially a continuation).
I don't believe it's known if there's any direct connection between the first games and 3, but I expect the plot to revolve around new things since the relevant humans will have died off in the intervening years. There will be some cameos of previous characters from longer lived races and locations though.
All in all, I recommend the game. The studio that developed it is excellent and adept at making this style of RPG, and they seem to have done a good job adapting the D&D 5th edition ruleset to a video game.
I will say, however, that this game's action will likely be much slower than you're used to given your list of games. Combat is turn-based, and you'll be controlling a party of 4 (unless you have friends that want to shoulder some of the burden). The dialogue will also be very important, as will taking your time to scout, plan ahead, search for traps & other secrets, etc. The game definitely rewards you the more attention you put towards exploring all the little details, and rushing headlong into everything is a great way to end up ambushed and pincushioned.
If all off that still sounds intriguing, give it a shot! There's going to be a lot to explore and probably multiple playthroughs worth, if you want to try things differently the next time around. Some hardcore fanatics have already put hundreds of hours into replaying just the first act that's available as part of early access on Steam, so I'm sure it'll be easy to put 100+ in just being fairly thorough.
I myself didn't play BG1 or BG2, and I didn't feel I was missing out on much when I played early access (a few times). That said, I became very interested in the story and the world, so I watched...
I myself didn't play BG1 or BG2, and I didn't feel I was missing out on much when I played early access (a few times). That said, I became very interested in the story and the world, so I watched some recaps of both games to become more familiar with the lore.
While I think it is nice to have that extra knowledge, I don't think you need it to enjoy the game. However, you may choose to actually dig it up at some point!
Never played the BG games but based Larian's spectacular work with the Divinity series and the response from Early Access players, it's one of the few times I was confident to buy the game early...
Never played the BG games but based Larian's spectacular work with the Divinity series and the response from Early Access players, it's one of the few times I was confident to buy the game early and wait for 1.0. They have a real talent of interweaving short, medium and game spanning stories and I still think of that time at the end of Divinity 1 where all my horrifically misinformed chickens started coming home to roost.
I'm actually far more concerned for Starfield to be honest. If Redfall didn't bomb and Halo didn't collapse, I would've expected a delay.jpg from Bethesda around now to push back into the Holidays. The game has a lot to be excited about and they've obviously showcased their best work but I can't shake the feeling that there's a second shoe falling from high orbit and the studio is well know for their special brand of polish.
Early Access is a meme for a reason but watching how Hades, Satisfactory, BG3 and other good projects are coming together, I feel a lot more excited for games that are more transparently developed.
Hopefully this is because the game is finished earlier than expected. That would be a good sign for the quality. I bought the early access and had a ton of fun with it so I am super excites for...
Hopefully this is because the game is finished earlier than expected. That would be a good sign for the quality. I bought the early access and had a ton of fun with it so I am super excites for the full release.
I think the quality will be there, but I also think this move is to avoid competing for the next 100+ hours of your free time with Starfield, which is slated to release just one week after the...
I think the quality will be there, but I also think this move is to avoid competing for the next 100+ hours of your free time with Starfield, which is slated to release just one week after the original release date.
I'm a huge Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate fan, it was my gateway into my D&D/TTRPG obsession and I'm looking forward to this game so much. I actually didn't buy into the EA for BG3, I want to play the...
I'm a huge Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate fan, it was my gateway into my D&D/TTRPG obsession and I'm looking forward to this game so much.
I actually didn't buy into the EA for BG3, I want to play the final product and have it be as fresh as possible, the fact its now coming out on the 3rd of August when I've taken a few days off for my birthday is just icing on top of the cake, looking forward to it!
You made a good choice. There isn't much to the game in the early access version. I bought it, played a couple times through the content available, and reported the bugs I came across, which...
You made a good choice. There isn't much to the game in the early access version. I bought it, played a couple times through the content available, and reported the bugs I came across, which wasn't anything really game breaking, and quickly dropped it. Haven't played it in almost 14 months. Really looking forward to playing the whole game when it comes out though. The mechanics are great, the game looks and runs great, considering my early adoption into the early access. I can see myself racking up substantial playtime after the full release.
I personally played a couple of times (some to completion of the content available, some only to test some classes/races adding to perhaps 120 hours lol) and I had a blast with some of the...
I personally played a couple of times (some to completion of the content available, some only to test some classes/races adding to perhaps 120 hours lol) and I had a blast with some of the possible permutations. Characters to romance, alignments to explore, mistakes to make... I really enjoy how, even if at the end the story pushes me in a particular direction, I can explore my character and actually feel as if their choices matter and impact the world they're in.
Although I'm known to engage in the practice of savescumming with relative ease, I found myself letting bad dice rolls or decisions run their course, just to see where they'd take me.
@Akhesa, I'm also a fellow early access player! I only have ~24 hours of gameplay but I haven't touched the game since the first patch that prompted patch branching saves. I really value the raw,...
I only have ~24 hours of gameplay but I haven't touched the game since the first patch that prompted patch branching saves. I really value the raw, "first experience" of playing a game and it felt really important to me to play the game in a more finished state because I enjoyed myself so much. That might not make sense for everyone, but I really wanted to make sure I was getting the "full experience" without feeling compelled to start over with a character that I felt very attached to. It's been really hard to be patient for the last three years! I've skipped reading most of the patch notes to avoid spoilers but every so often I've had a look at new classes or races they've added to get myself excited again. The devs have clearly put a lot of hard work and love into this game and I hope they receive a lot of warmth and praise for those efforts. I can't wait to revisit my tiefling and start my journey again!
I think you are in for a treat then! Part of me regrets playing early access for so many hours, although I did enjoy it. I'm expecting to play the game quite a few times though, a couple of times...
I think you are in for a treat then! Part of me regrets playing early access for so many hours, although I did enjoy it.
I'm expecting to play the game quite a few times though, a couple of times in normal mode, one with friends, and extra runs in story mode just to explore the little nooks and crannies of specific classes, races, or alignment choices (alignment isn't in the game, just in my head xD).
I agree with you that Larian has put a lot of love and care into this game, and I couldn't be happier about it. I don't even know what I'm gonna be playing with. Before trying Early Access I was sure 100% I'd play with an origin character... But after being forced to play with a custom I fell in love with that style of gameplay too! So many choices, and so little time XD
This is not something that happens every day haha. I'm exited for this one really liked divinity 2. This seems like a better version of that. I hope that early access let them make something...
This is not something that happens every day haha.
I'm exited for this one really liked divinity 2. This seems like a better version of that.
I hope that early access let them make something pretty polished at launch also.
When I describe this game to others, usually I say it's like a love child of DOS2 and The Witcher 3 using the D&D ruleset. And I truly enjoyed those games for many different reasons, having their...
When I describe this game to others, usually I say it's like a love child of DOS2 and The Witcher 3 using the D&D ruleset. And I truly enjoyed those games for many different reasons, having their best characteristics wrapped nicely in Faerun... It's phenomenal.
I've played the early access on steam deck and, aside from moving the cursor slower for precision, I felt very little difference from playing on PC! It already runs just as well as on PC. At least...
I've played the early access on steam deck and, aside from moving the cursor slower for precision, I felt very little difference from playing on PC! It already runs just as well as on PC. At least as of the last time I played on the deck, I did change a few controls for QOL shortcuts and I would find I'm missing a command (although not a "necessary" command, like overhead gameplay for example) outside of the default assigned for keyboard and mouse games. It was very easy to do though and saved my control scheme once I got it right! I can only imagine it will be easier come release with community controls and potentially official controls to really tighten it up.
The original release date for all platforms was August 31st, but on top of other long-waited updates, Larian just announced they will release the game for PC on the 3rd, almost a month earlier than expected.
This could be just to avoid clashing with other incoming popular games (looking at you Starfield), but regardless I couldn't be more excited. As an early access player, I remember having tons of fun and being in awe at this game despite the bugs and clunky mechanics... And the game has improved so much since then that I believe I will be playing it multiple times to explore different races, classes, and even origin characters.
Larian has listened to the players in many ways, even when it involved a lot of work (such as implementing the reaction system, or not locking the party after act 1 as it was planned in the beginning). I try not to get attached too much to companies, but as for this moment, I really like them and wish them great success.
Are any other BG3 fans around? I hope you are as excited as I am!
I've heard very good things about Baldur's Gate, but as someone who has never played it, can I start with 3 and not lose any of the experience or back story, or do I need to go retro?
Keep in mind that I am an infrequent gamer, use a PC almost exclusively, and have a Doom / Quake / Daiblo / WoW (but not anymore), background.
I've been wanting to try something new, yet in that are, and I'm thing of this one.
Baldur's Gate 2 was released in 2000, Larian won't reasonably expect you to have played them to follow along with their story 23 years later. While it does tie in with the overarching Icewind Dale lore it probably only tacitly references the old games. Although now that I think about it there may be some cameos.
So in conclusion: Having knowledge of the lore probably enhances your fun, but not having any idea will not diminish your fun either.
You ought to be pretty safe jumping into #3 directly. It's by a different studio than the first two (which were made by BioWare) and takes place 100 years after BG2 (which took place immediately after 1 and was essentially a continuation).
I don't believe it's known if there's any direct connection between the first games and 3, but I expect the plot to revolve around new things since the relevant humans will have died off in the intervening years. There will be some cameos of previous characters from longer lived races and locations though.
All in all, I recommend the game. The studio that developed it is excellent and adept at making this style of RPG, and they seem to have done a good job adapting the D&D 5th edition ruleset to a video game.
I will say, however, that this game's action will likely be much slower than you're used to given your list of games. Combat is turn-based, and you'll be controlling a party of 4 (unless you have friends that want to shoulder some of the burden). The dialogue will also be very important, as will taking your time to scout, plan ahead, search for traps & other secrets, etc. The game definitely rewards you the more attention you put towards exploring all the little details, and rushing headlong into everything is a great way to end up ambushed and pincushioned.
If all off that still sounds intriguing, give it a shot! There's going to be a lot to explore and probably multiple playthroughs worth, if you want to try things differently the next time around. Some hardcore fanatics have already put hundreds of hours into replaying just the first act that's available as part of early access on Steam, so I'm sure it'll be easy to put 100+ in just being fairly thorough.
Edit: spllng
I myself didn't play BG1 or BG2, and I didn't feel I was missing out on much when I played early access (a few times). That said, I became very interested in the story and the world, so I watched some recaps of both games to become more familiar with the lore.
While I think it is nice to have that extra knowledge, I don't think you need it to enjoy the game. However, you may choose to actually dig it up at some point!
Never played the BG games but based Larian's spectacular work with the Divinity series and the response from Early Access players, it's one of the few times I was confident to buy the game early and wait for 1.0. They have a real talent of interweaving short, medium and game spanning stories and I still think of that time at the end of Divinity 1 where all my horrifically misinformed chickens started coming home to roost.
I'm actually far more concerned for Starfield to be honest. If Redfall didn't bomb and Halo didn't collapse, I would've expected a delay.jpg from Bethesda around now to push back into the Holidays. The game has a lot to be excited about and they've obviously showcased their best work but I can't shake the feeling that there's a second shoe falling from high orbit and the studio is well know for their special brand of polish.
Early Access is a meme for a reason but watching how Hades, Satisfactory, BG3 and other good projects are coming together, I feel a lot more excited for games that are more transparently developed.
Hopefully this is because the game is finished earlier than expected. That would be a good sign for the quality. I bought the early access and had a ton of fun with it so I am super excites for the full release.
I think the quality will be there, but I also think this move is to avoid competing for the next 100+ hours of your free time with Starfield, which is slated to release just one week after the original release date.
I'm a huge Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate fan, it was my gateway into my D&D/TTRPG obsession and I'm looking forward to this game so much.
I actually didn't buy into the EA for BG3, I want to play the final product and have it be as fresh as possible, the fact its now coming out on the 3rd of August when I've taken a few days off for my birthday is just icing on top of the cake, looking forward to it!
You made a good choice. There isn't much to the game in the early access version. I bought it, played a couple times through the content available, and reported the bugs I came across, which wasn't anything really game breaking, and quickly dropped it. Haven't played it in almost 14 months. Really looking forward to playing the whole game when it comes out though. The mechanics are great, the game looks and runs great, considering my early adoption into the early access. I can see myself racking up substantial playtime after the full release.
It looks like there are lots of storylines to discover for the various characters. So I think multiple playthroughs will remain interesting.
I personally played a couple of times (some to completion of the content available, some only to test some classes/races adding to perhaps 120 hours lol) and I had a blast with some of the possible permutations. Characters to romance, alignments to explore, mistakes to make... I really enjoy how, even if at the end the story pushes me in a particular direction, I can explore my character and actually feel as if their choices matter and impact the world they're in.
Although I'm known to engage in the practice of savescumming with relative ease, I found myself letting bad dice rolls or decisions run their course, just to see where they'd take me.
@Akhesa, I'm also a fellow early access player!
I only have ~24 hours of gameplay but I haven't touched the game since the first patch that prompted patch branching saves. I really value the raw, "first experience" of playing a game and it felt really important to me to play the game in a more finished state because I enjoyed myself so much. That might not make sense for everyone, but I really wanted to make sure I was getting the "full experience" without feeling compelled to start over with a character that I felt very attached to. It's been really hard to be patient for the last three years! I've skipped reading most of the patch notes to avoid spoilers but every so often I've had a look at new classes or races they've added to get myself excited again. The devs have clearly put a lot of hard work and love into this game and I hope they receive a lot of warmth and praise for those efforts. I can't wait to revisit my tiefling and start my journey again!
I think you are in for a treat then! Part of me regrets playing early access for so many hours, although I did enjoy it.
I'm expecting to play the game quite a few times though, a couple of times in normal mode, one with friends, and extra runs in story mode just to explore the little nooks and crannies of specific classes, races, or alignment choices (alignment isn't in the game, just in my head xD).
I agree with you that Larian has put a lot of love and care into this game, and I couldn't be happier about it. I don't even know what I'm gonna be playing with. Before trying Early Access I was sure 100% I'd play with an origin character... But after being forced to play with a custom I fell in love with that style of gameplay too! So many choices, and so little time XD
This is not something that happens every day haha.
I'm exited for this one really liked divinity 2. This seems like a better version of that.
I hope that early access let them make something pretty polished at launch also.
When I describe this game to others, usually I say it's like a love child of DOS2 and The Witcher 3 using the D&D ruleset. And I truly enjoyed those games for many different reasons, having their best characteristics wrapped nicely in Faerun... It's phenomenal.
Good to know I like these games also.
From what i saw so far i'm very exited
Anyone got any experience playing the early access on the steam deck? Really looking forward to playing this!
I've played the early access on steam deck and, aside from moving the cursor slower for precision, I felt very little difference from playing on PC! It already runs just as well as on PC. At least as of the last time I played on the deck, I did change a few controls for QOL shortcuts and I would find I'm missing a command (although not a "necessary" command, like overhead gameplay for example) outside of the default assigned for keyboard and mouse games. It was very easy to do though and saved my control scheme once I got it right! I can only imagine it will be easier come release with community controls and potentially official controls to really tighten it up.
Literally the day I go (overseas) on holiday for a month D:
Just trick yourself into believing the release date never moved and you'll also get a patch or two between the two dates!
“We’ll fix it in production” vibes