Baldur's Gate 3

A classic role-playing game (CRPG) with an isometric camera, featuring interactive, immersive locations and variable gameplay. Go wherever you want, do whatever you want, and complete quests however you want. The combat system is strictly turn-based, but time moves in real-time while moving. Actions are determined by rolling a twenty-sided die according to the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5, but the game design does not try to please the hardcore D&D audience, simplifying everything for newcomers. The storytelling is modernized with a wealth of cutscenes on the engine and CGI videos.

The Forgotten Realms universe includes almost all elements of classic fantasy and is rich in detail. Magic of various types and elements. Variable combat with one-handed and two-handed melee weapons, bows and crossbows, and hidden blades. A variety of races (elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, etc.) and fantasy creatures (dragons, demons, vampires, elementals). A pantheon of local gods influencing the fates and motives of the inhabitants.

Adventures unfold on the continent of Faerûn, in its warm part with picturesque meadows and dense forests, populous villages, and large cities. The action of Baldur's Gate 3 spans significant territories, and the player will visit a variety of places in Faerûn, descend into the Underdark, and touch other dimensions. For each location, the designers have chosen the right ambiance — whether it's a seaport, a dwarven foundry, a demon dimension, or rotting swamps — everything looks authentic. Some things are adjusted by mods.

The open world is divided into large zones corresponding to the current act of the main story. All levels are handcrafted, carefully decorated, and filled with life. The Baldur's Gate itself — a city of opportunities and failures, saints and sinners — appears only in the last act. This part of the world is grand, and every corner has its own set of stories and activities, with NPCs wandering everywhere, and anyone can be spoken to.

The events of Baldur's Gate 3 take place 120 years after the finale of Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition. Those times have become legends, and the confrontation with the god Bhaal, Faerûn faces different problems, but an ancient evil rises again from the shadows and quietly disrupts what seemed to be an established cycle of things. Faerûn is once again threatened with a fall into darkness, heralded by the destructive invasion of squid-like Illithids, a highly advanced race of mind flayers that have come from another dimension.

The inciting incident is far from large-scale events. By coincidence, the protagonist is captured by an Illithid ship, and a larva is implanted into their brain. It will soon transform the hero into a mollusk with horrific tentacles — and only chance allows them to escape the ship prematurely. With the simple motivation of "getting rid of the parasite," the story will gradually develop into an epic adventure, and the significance of the decisions made will grow to encompass all of Faerûn.

The plot of Baldur's Gate 3 cannot be unequivocally labeled as dark or positive, tense or devoid of emotions. It all depends on the choices made and the acceptance (or not) of the consequences. By making one choice or another, of which there are over 17,000, the player forms a kind of narrative trajectory, and each playthrough will be unique: with different friends and foes, relationships between characters, dialogues, quests, and endings. Unpredictable twists, which fill the plot, yield diametrically different results.

The story is so complex that even the intentional killing of companions or important NPCs will not break the playthrough. Main, side, and other quests are seamlessly intertwined: moving through the plot opens up secondary quests, and by completing an optional task or discovering an item, one can stumble upon an entire narrative arc. The latter, however, can be easily missed. And all this is in addition to the unique events and quests that the game offers based on the circumstances.

The narrative of Baldur's Gate 3 spans three acts and delights with its direction. Key moments of the plot and interactions between characters are presented as high-quality animated scenes, allowing for a deeper immersion into the events. As soon as one intrigue closes, another often takes its place, keeping attention. And to see the whole picture of what is happening, it is not enough to just watch — one will have to read all the sources. The direction of scenes and the staging of dialogues, combined with voice acting and facial capture of the actors, deliver a lot of text (narrative) in a more player-friendly form compared to other games in the genre.

Baldur's Gate 3 offers both ready-made heroes and the opportunity to create your own. The character editor is vast. You can choose: appearance, physical characteristics, facial and body features, personality and backstory.

The chosen race and subrace of the hero grant unique traits and characteristics. Some see better in the dark, others heal wounds faster, and others are simply physically strong, and so on. Moreover, they directly influence role-playing due to the differences in perception from other characters in Faerûn. A half-demon tiefling may be challenged to a duel where an elf is welcomed with open arms. Thus, the choice of race opens up unique plot options and dialogues, making the gaming experience even more diverse.

A dozen main classes define the hero's skills and combat abilities, directly affecting the play style: the Tank absorbs damage, the Paladin charges into the crowd, the Bard provokes enemies, the Druid transforms into a bear, and the Wizard casts spells. There are also subclasses: they provide additional specializations and unique capabilities. The character has six main attributes (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma), one is considered primary, and the other secondary.

As you progress through Baldur's Gate 3, you will encounter various companions, whom you can include in your party as per genre standards. Each is a unique personality with a developed backstory, motivation, and moral compass, skills, and abilities. This makes them an important support during checks in decision-making (you can switch to a companion in dialogue), when interacting with the surrounding world, or in combat (the check is given to the most skilled party member in this case).

It is not possible to gather all companions at once; some will outright exclude others, or will not accept certain choices made by the protagonist and will leave the party. Relationships can be influenced by completing the often complex personal quest of a companion. The more cohesive the party, the better, as the choice of companions will have a significant impact on the storyline.

The gameplay of Baldur's Gate 3 follows genre conventions. We move through levels as a group, engaging in combat with obvious enemies immediately, while trying to negotiate with others through influence, intimidation, or money. Along the way, we explore the level and "vacuum" the location, collecting everything into our and our companions' inventories. Items are divided by rarity and their characteristics affect one of the six basic hero parameters, significantly influencing the build by adding abilities and effects to attacks or spells.

How to deal with a specific group of enemies depends on the player's imagination; there are always several options. In combat, friends and enemies perform a certain number of actions per turn, which include movement, main attack, special actions, and ability use. The latter can only be used a couple of times per fight, as the combat system lacks a conventional "mana bar." The engine takes into account "height" positioning, allowing players to kick or push enemies off ledges.

Interactive objects in the environment can change the course of battle. You can grab an oil barrel and throw it at enemies or coat your sword in oil and set it on fire, adding fire damage. This encourages the use of the environment and physics in combat, rather than just relying on tactics. Melee classes are designed with modified rules, making them no less powerful than wizards. The randomness inherent in the D&D system also applies to Baldur's Gate: any action can have either a successful outcome or a critical failure.

Recovery of strength and abilities occurs in the camp, the design of which reflects the surrounding location. If you stop in a forest, the camp embodies a forest atmosphere; if you enter a city, the camp instantly "dresses" in urban surroundings. There are no other activities in the camp aside from communication, inventory management, and party management.

Baldur's Gate 3 offers a set of engaging activities. Solving puzzles and other logical challenges. Gathering resources and recipes to create potions, elixirs, weapon buffs, and other consumables. A stealth mode, always available, allows for more efficient task completion. Completing a quest through combat, stealth, or diplomacy often yields different results, which may come back to haunt you someday.

Progression is also standard: we defeat enemies, complete quests, explore Faerûn, and pass difficult checks — for all this and much more, the entire group gains experience. The hero and companions receive the same amount of experience from all sources. Upon accumulating enough, characters level up, thereby unlocking upgrade points that can be invested in characteristics as well as new abilities. The development of a second class (multiclassing) is allowed. Replayability is extremely high.

The game remains a role-playing experience but is not overloaded with unnecessary rules for balancing difficulty; however, a couple of hours may not be enough to get accustomed to it. The best character builds and individual mechanics of the game can be found in our section with guides.

Baldur's Gate 3 can be played cooperatively by a party of 2 to 4 players, creating both new unique heroes and taking from another party. Notably, gameplay does not require players to always be together; each player here is the main character and is free to do whatever they wish within the game world. One may explore a dungeon, another may investigate the world, and a third may create chaos in interactions with characters.

Nevertheless, the cooperative experience is designed to create an experience equivalent to playing D&D with a Dungeon Master. All actions are coordinated, and the incoming information (journal entries, mini-map, discoveries, and recipes) is shared among all players. Each player is rewarded with "inspiration points" for actions that align with their role, allowing them to roll a die in case of failure in dialogue options.

Friends can see what is happening in the game and what choices other players have made in dialogue options. They can also vote on various decisions. The host can also retain control over the dialogue options. Some scenes, such as romantic ones, will automatically be private, although they can be shared with group members.

There is an alternative "two-player" mode where both players are in the same room. The screen will be split in half, and each will play on their side. The rules remain the same as in regular cooperative play.