Baldur's Gate 3 gets an updated release window and the Barbarian class

[Polycount]

Highly anticipated: When Baldur's Gate 3 first released into Early Access in late 2019, developer Larian Studios said full launch would be at least a year away. Now, thanks to the game's growing scope and the worldwide pandemic we're all suffering through, the studio says we'll be getting the game early next year at the soonest.

Fortunately, most Baldur's Gate 3 players probably won't be too disappointed here. Larian has been very good about not giving specific dates and deadlines when they aren't sure they can meet them -- so a delay is never truly a delay in the traditional sense.

Additionally, while Baldur's Gate 3's Early Access won't receive any new content outside of Act 1 (though it has received a couple new questlines within Act 1), Larian still continues to pump out meaty patches every three months or so. We received one of these today: Patch 7, and it is filled to the brim with new features, and bugfixes for fans to chew on.

As usual, Larian has uploaded the full changelog for your viewing pleasure, but the team has condensed some of the highlights into a Community Update post.

To abridge things even further, here are some of the main improvements you can look forward to when you download the latest 50GB update:

• The new Barbarian class, which can 'Rage' in combat to gain access to new abilities, attacks, and resistances.
• Two Barbarian subclasses: Wildheart (based on D&D 5th Edition's Totem Warrior) and Berserker.
• A complete UI overhaul with enhanced Inventory, Spellbook, and Equipment menus.
• Customizable hotbar 'decks' that can organize various class abilities, weapon abilities, spells, and items into easily-accessible groups.
• Improvised weapons and enhanced throwing. It's now possible to pick up chairs, tables, and other environmental objects and smack nearby enemies with them, or hurl them at distant foes. You can even pick up characters (provided your character is strong enough) and perform the very same actions!
• Better lighting and shadows for stealth gameplay.
• "Room Portals" which shroud unexplored, closed-off rooms in darkness to prevent you from seeing their contents before entering.
• New magical items to find and test out.

There's plenty more on offer here, too, but those are the changes that you're likely to notice right off the bat. If you want to snag Baldur's Gate 3 for yourself, the game is available on Stadia, Steam, and GOG for $60 each. To recap, it's expected to release sometime in the first half of 2023, but as usual, Larian isn't committing to anything today, and it could very well launch much later than that.

Patch 7 can be downloaded right now, though Stadia users tend to get updates a little slower than everyone else.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/93413-baldur-gate-3-gets-updated-release-window-barbarian.html

 

[Dimitriid]

Nothing against this game it looks like it might turn into a pretty fun one but it really should be renamed to Divinity & Dragons instead: It has nothing to do with the Baldur's Gate Saga at all: Not the same story, not even tangentially related afaik and even the system is extremely different both in the rules behind it (3 editions apart, 4 if you count the 3.5 ruleset which many would) and well it's now a fully turn based game instead of a real time with pause game when it comes to gameplay.

It's just a solid, Divinity game set on the forgotten realms where there's a city named Baldur's Gate but that's about all of the similarities really.

 

[sorten]

I'm definitely looking forward to this game but will never pre-order a game and won't pay $60 for early access with limited content.

 

[passwordistaco]

Nothing against this game it looks like it might turn into a pretty fun one but it really should be renamed to Divinity & Dragons instead: It has nothing to do with the Baldur's Gate Saga at all: Not the same story, not even tangentially related afaik and even the system is extremely different both in the rules behind it (3 editions apart, 4 if you count the 3.5 ruleset which many would) and well it's now a fully turn based game instead of a real time with pause game when it comes to gameplay.

It's just a solid, Divinity game set on the forgotten realms where there's a city named Baldur's Gate but that's about all of the similarities really.

I think it will come down to the writing. Forgotten Realms has room for a lot of different campaigns, and I don't know if it's necessary to have a narrative link to BG1/2 after a couple decades. If Larian can use the setting effectively, that should differentiate BG3 from Divinity.

I'll find out when the game is done, and probably on sale.

 

[Dimitriid]

I think it will come down to the writing. Forgotten Realms has room for a lot of different campaigns, and I don't know if it's necessary to have a narrative link to BG1/2 after a couple decades. If Larian can use the setting effectively, that should differentiate BG3 from Divinity.

I'll find out when the game is done, and probably on sale.

Well there is a very prominent new Baldur's Gate book (Descent into Avernus) which I am familiar with from table top rpg streams and such. And that story seems to be related to what we'll see on this Baldur's Gate game. It's decent material (Not the best but not bad) but fully unrelated to the Bioware games of old.

In fact I'd be ok with just removing the 3 monicker even if they want to keep the "Baldur's Gate" name.

But naming it "Baldur's Gate 3" is just basically false advertising to me.

 

[terzaerian]

My main gripe with the game is that there is no real-time combat mode.

When I got BG1, I was largely into RTS games, so that style of gameplay was the key link that allowed me to make the leap into the RPG genre where I hadn't before.

All the more disappointing because BG1 and 2's design allowed you the choice between playing it turn-based or real-time.

That said, lore-wise I have no complaints. I was initially leery of the plot salients in the trailers but after researching the Githyanki and mind flayers more I realized it actually was more faithful to the FR lore than I thought. Much better, at any rate, than other current fantasy treatments by Amazon.

 

[dirtyferret]

What will come out first? BG3 or The Winds of Winter by George Martin?