The hype is building for the August 3 launch of Baldur’s Gate 3 on PC, but if you haven’t purchased the game yet, you need to read this.
In this article, we’ll be going over the important things you need to know about Baldur’s Gate 3 before you buy.
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- How Baldur’s Gate 3 multiplayer works — everything you need to know
Before you buy Baldur’s Gate 3, make sure you know these things
This article is not meant to scare anyone off, and I personally love all of these aspects. However, I know to some, this may be cause for consideration and so without further ado, here are things you should know before you buy.
7. Turned-based combat
One of the biggest separators of this game versus your traditional mainstream roleplaying game is that it’s turn-based in combat.
This definitely rubs some folks the wrong way, as it is a much slower and methodical approach than what they’re used to. It’s a unique experience, and once you get the hang of it, it’s actually a really good time that allows for some great planning and execution.
I should also mention here that you can, and most likely should, enter turn-based mode at other points during gameplay as well. An example of this would be when certain traps are going off. It is much easier to move through scenarios and get to where you need to be in turn-based mode when things are set to a more planned timer than when outside of it.
6. Multiple playthroughs are a major part of the game
If you’re a completionist, you’ll most likely have to go through Baldur’s Gate 3 few times. Given how much your decisions in the game impact just about everything, you’ll be moving down certain paths while missing others.
For instance, if you play through the game taking mostly the “good” path, then you’d be missing achievements, dialogue, fights, stories, and more that are on more of an “evil” path through the game.
There are even variations on good and evil, so expect to be able to explore this game many different times to collect all the possibilities.
5. Baldur’s Gate 3 is not a short game
Even if one playthrough is enough for you, you should expect to put in roughly 100 hours according to the developers.
This will, of course, depend on an incredible amount of factors. Do you read all dialogue? Do you search every crate, barrel, and bookshelf? How slowly do you navigate through combat or traps? How long does that puzzle stump you?
All of this, the many choices, and potential encounters can lead to hundreds of hours of gameplay, especially if you’re going for different characters, choices, and more. You should not expect to sit down and beat this game in a night or even several nights.
You’re in it for the long haul.
4. Multiplayer is limited to four players
If you have a friend group larger than four that all want to play together, unfortunately, you’ll have to split up.
The maximum party size in Baldur’s Gate 3 is four, including you. That means you’ll only be able to bring along three friends or one or two friends along with some NPC companions such as the origin characters.
If you want more details about how multiplayer will work, check out this in-depth article.
3. Based on 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons
You really only need to know this if you want to get a head start or have some basic knowledge of how things work going in.
It will help you better understand some of your stats, how combat works (ie. actions, bonus actions, reactions, etc.), the classes, races, and why you roll for things.
It’s not 100% true to the source material, as it is a video game that does require some considerations, but overall it’s pretty accurate.
2. You’ll want to save very often
This is a game where death will lead to a reload. This means if you don’t save across multiple hours, you’ll have to go back and do it all again.
Reminding yourself to save every 10 to 20 minutes will save you from the heartache of your mistakes. Trust me on this.
This also helps if you’re the type to want to change your decision after you made it. Start a fight on accident? No worries, just load up your recent save and avoid it this time. Or don’t, it’s up to you!
1. Incredibly immersive story and lots of it
If you want to go go go and not be bogged down by lots of dialogue, character and world-building, and choices…then Baldur’s Gate 3 is not for you.
This game has an absolutely absurd amount of dialogue, story, side stories, lore, books, and so much more. Along with what was mentioned in the section about the game’s length, this game also has incredible breadth.
This is not a game you can and should quickly fly through, and even if you wanted to, it would require a whole lot of skipping dialogue and cut scenes. More than you’ve probably ever experienced.
So just try to enjoy it! Get involved.
With all that said, these are what I believe to be the most important things to know about Baldur’s Gate 3 before you buy it. Still interested? Get it during early access and get a free upgrade to the digital deluxe edition when the game launches on August 3 for PC users and September 6 for PlayStation 5.
If you’re an Xbox player, check out this article for what you can expect.
READ MORE: All Baldur’s Gate 3 races and their abilities — pick the right one for you!
