Baldur's Gate 3 has won the award for Best Game or Interactive Work at the Hugo Awards.
It is the second video game in history to do so, the first being Hades when the award was introduced in 2021 as a temporary category.
The World Science Fiction Convention, who present the awards, voted to make it permanent last year as reported by PC Gamer.
In spite of the legacy of the Baldur’s Gate IP and the track record of Larian Studios as a developer, few could have accurately predicted the level of success that Baldur’s Gate 3 went on to enjoy upon its launch last year. Widely regarded by one and all as one of the greatest games of its kind, the fantasy RPG has been showered with endless praise from all corners since the day it exited early access last year- and Larian has still just kept going.
As a single-player RPG, no one really would have expected Baldur’s Gate 3 to be as well supported following launch as it has been, but Larian Studios has maintained an impressive cadence of updates for the game. Over the course of the last year, since its full release on PC, Baldur’s Gate 3 has seen a bevy of hotfixes and six major patches, with a seventh yet to come, all of it arriving for free and adding a host of new features and improvements to what was already an unabashed masterpiece.
Here, then, we’re going to take a look at some of the biggest ways Baldur’s Gate 3 has grown, improved, and evolved in its post-launch period, and we’re going to do that by going over each of its major patches one by one. Without further ado, let’s get started.
PATCH 1
Coming within less than a month of Baldur’s Gate 3’s 1.0 release, its first patch was one that wasn’t focused on adding anything as much as it was on polishing. No major new features or bits and bobs were added to the game with Patch 1, but Larian Studios did introduce a whole host of fixes to the experience nonetheless. In total, the first full patch that was released for the megaton RPG has more than a thousand fixes, with several bugs, glitches, inconsistencies, and what have you being addressed. In areas ranging from the UI, character-specific scenes, and balancing, to the visuals, loot, and more, Baldur’s Gate 3’s first patch smoothed over wrinkles of varying sizes all throughout the experience.
PATCH 2
Less than a week after Patch 1, Larian Studios put out Patch 2 for Baldur’s Gate 3, and though the developer still hadn’t quite got into the swing of adding major new features to the game by this point, Patch 2 did lean more in that direction than the first one did. For starters, significant performance improvements were made across the board, which was much needed. Even with all the universal praise that it enjoyed right out the gate, Baldur’s Gate 3 was still a game with more than a few technical issues in those early days (especially once you got to Act 3), and Patch 2’s performance optimizations brought tangible improvements on that front.
Patch 2 also brought with it what Larian dubbed Withers’ Wardrobe of Wayward Friends, which added the ability to remove co-op party members from your campaign, something that couldn’t be done until that point. Beyond that, the patch added several scenes tied specifically to Karlach (including a new epilogue scene), in addition to continuing to make bug fixes, polishing optimizations, and the like.
PATCH 3
Roughly a month later, in the latter half of September, Patch 3 arrived, which went hand in hand with Baldur’s Gate 3 releasing for Mac. Granted, that’s not exactly a platform with a huge gaming audience, but it did open up the game to yet more people, which is always a good thing, especially when the game in question is as good as this is.
Far more noteworthy, of course, was the fact that Patch 3 brought with it the addition of what Baldur’s Gate 3 dubbed the Magic Mirror, an item that players could interact with in their camp in order to change their cosmetic appearance and other aspects of your character to their heart’s content. That entailed changing your hair, facial features, pronouns, voice, and the like, which players had been requesting to see in the game ever since its launch. That in and of itself made Patch 3 quite a well received step forward for the game- and yes, it, too, brought plenty of additional polish and bug fixes.
PATCH 4
After adding new and heavily requested features to Baldur’s Gate 3 with its second and third post-launch updates, with Patch 4, Larian Studios decided to focus once again on optimizing and polish rather than adding anything. Coming more than a month after the third patch, Patch 4 arrived with over a thousand fixes, similar to the very first post-launch update that the game received. From combat to story scenes, from character and class specific balancing to visual bugs, from crashes to UI issues, there was plenty that Patch 4 addressed. On top of all of those fixes, it also added new accessibility options, such as a colour blind mode with multiple settings, as well as support for AMD FSR 2.2.
PATCH 5
Arriving at the end of November, Patch 5 was by far the most packed patch to be released for Baldur’s Gate 3 up to that point. In addition to continued layers of polish, with its fifth major post-launch patch, the RPG added a host of new features, some of which were quite significant. Chief among the additions was an entirely new playable epilogue. Set several months after the main story, the epilogue brought with it well over 3,000 new lines of dialogue, new cinematics, and more, all of it meant to serve as a final goodbye to all of the characters.
Then there was the new Honor Mode, a higher difficulty setting that brought with it more difficult boss fights, the introduction of Legendary Actions, save scumming and several known exploits being removed (only from the new mode), permadeath, new rewards, and more. On the flipside, there was also the new Custom Mode, which as its name implied, allowed players to customize a variety of different aspects of the gameplay experience to suit your particular tastes.
Add to that some noticeable UI improvements, support for dynamic resolution scaling on PS5, more performance improvements in Act 3, and much more, and Patch 5 was easily the biggest update to be released for Baldur’s Gate 3 at the time that it came out- and still is, in fact. Speaking of which…
PATCH 6
Arriving in February earlier this year, more than two months after Patch 5, Patch 6 was clearly coming at a point where Larian Studios was gearing up to move on from Baldur’s Gate 3. Though the studio was, of course, continuing to further polish the experience with hotfixes as and when they were needed, with the majority of major features that Larian wanted to add in the game already being in the game, the pace with which patches were being released slowed down significantly. Not that anyone was complaining- Baldur’s Gate 3 is a ridiculously massive full featured game as is.
Even so, Patch 6 wasn’t completely without highlights of its own. It added new cinematics and scenes to the game to further strengthen the bonds and relationships between the core characters, as well as new idle animations for party members when they were in camp. By this point, with Baldur’s Gate 3 available on all the platforms that could possibly run it, the game’s post-launch support was clearly close to wrapping up by this point.
PATCH 7
Patch 7 is Baldur’s Gate 3’s next big patch, and is currently in beta, which means it won’t be too long before Larian Studios releases it in full- and once again, it’s going to be a big one, with plenty of major features set to be added. One in particular that many have been waiting for is official mod support, following which following which players will be able to create, share, and download community mods, all through an internally integrated Mod Manager.
Also on the way are new, evil endings, which are described as appropriately darker conclusions to the story for players who have made choices to reflect the same throughout their playthrough. That will, of course, involve new cinematics, new story content, new music, and more. Then there’s dynamic split-screen support (which will merge screens when players are close to each other), improved multiplayer banter, new Honor Mode mechanics, the addition of existing Honor Mode mechanics in Custom Mode as options, and much more.
Patch 7 is set to launch for all players at some point in September.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Larian Studios has done a phenomenal job with Baldur’s Gate 3. From its lengthy early access period to its full release to the excellent way it has been support post-launch, right from the off, it has been a labour of love for Larian, and the studio has left no stone unturned in ensuring that the acclaimed fantasy RPG can be the best possible version of itself. And incredibly enough, in spite of the fact that Larian has already gone above and beyond in consistently adding to and supporting a game that was already humongous with more than a year’s worth of free post-launch support- in spite of that, there’s still more to come.
Hotfixes will, of course, continue to arrive, which means more optimization tweaks, performance improvements, bug fixes, quality of life upgrades and what have you are certainly on the way. Beyond that, however, Larian says a couple more significant features are still set to be added to the game as well, including a photo mode and cross-platform multiplayer.
Presumably, Larian Studios is approaching the end of the road with Baldur’s Gate 3, and once it is done, the studio will be deserving of all the plaudits in the world not only for the game itself, but also how well it has been supported following its release. Hell, even many mainly multiplayer, so-called live service games can learn a thing or two from Larian.
Larian began a continuation of its work on the beloved Baldur's Gate 3 last year as it was "the obvious thing" to do - before ultimately deciding to change course.
Speaking to PC Gamer on the anniversary of Baldur's Gate 3's full release, Larian boss Swen Vincke said the initial decision to continue working on the Dungeons & Dragons-based franchise saw his team focus on an obvious follow-up - an idea that sounds like it was initially pitched as an expansion, before being considered as the basis for a potential Baldur's Gate 4.
"It's something that you all would have liked, I think," Vincke said. "I'm sure, actually. And we actually went pretty fast, because the production machine was still warm. You could already play stuff."
Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week we push through to get to better times in a game, which we hope are coming; we change our perception of a game after talking to the people who made it; and we find the familiar in a game that also manages to feel completely new.
What have you been playing?
Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.
Flippin’ heck, what a journey it’s been for Baldur's Gate 3, eh? It seems just yesterday I was getting very jealous at Matthew Castle (RPS in peace) for getting to preview the sequel to my beloved Shadows Of Amn. Fast forward several turns, Larian’s RPG banger is officially one year old since release, and there’s now a much higher chance that strangers at pubs will understand why my failed romance with Jaheira as a youth was such a deeply heartbreaking experience. Baldur’s Gate 3 itself looks to be done and dusted following the upcoming patch, but Larian now seem to be gearing up for their next charm offensive with a new “community focused” YouTube channel, as well as further teasing their two games currently in development.
Flippin’ heck, what a journey it’s been for Baldur's Gate 3, eh? It seems just yesterday I was getting very jealous at Matthew Castle (RPS in peace) for getting to preview the sequel to my beloved Shadows Of Amn. Fast forward several turns, Larian’s RPG banger is officially one year old since release, and there’s now a much higher chance that strangers at pubs will understand why my failed romance with Jaheira as a youth was such a deeply heartbreaking experience. Baldur’s Gate 3 itself looks to be done and dusted following the upcoming patch, but Larian now seem to be gearing up for their next charm offensive with a new “community focused” YouTube channel, as well as further teasing their two games currently in development.
Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days. This week we push through to get to better times in a game, which we hope are coming; we change our perception of a game after talking to the people who made it; and we find the familiar in a game that also manages to feel completely new.
What have you been playing?
Catch up with the older editions of this column in our What We've Been Playing archive.
For Baldur’s Gate 3’s biggest fans who haven’t stopped talking and thinking about it since it launched, it probably doesn’t feel like Larian Studio’s Dungeons & Dragons RPG was released a year ago. Yet, here we are, a full trip around the sun since the RPG left early access and was finally unleashed on the world. For…
Baldur's Gate 3’s latest patch was due to launch in closed beta yesterday, but Larian have decided to give it a bit more time in the oven due to bugs. Namely, a bug that caused passive rolls - like those that detect traps - to stop working.
Happily, if you hadn’t already registered to take part in the beta, you now have more time to sign up. Scroll down a bit on the RPG’s Steam page and click the ‘Request Access’ button.
Baldur's Gate 3’s latest patch was due to launch in closed beta yesterday, but Larian have decided to give it a bit more time in the oven due to bugs. Namely, a bug that caused passive rolls - like those that detect traps - to stop working.
Happily, if you hadn’t already registered to take part in the beta, you now have more time to sign up. Scroll down a bit on the RPG’s Steam page and click the ‘Request Access’ button.
That game where all you do is click a banana is now one of Steam's most popular releases ever. In fact, it is so popular, it has today bopped both Hogwarts Legacy and Baldur's Gate 3 down a place on Steam's most played games chart.
Banana - as the game is aptly called - is now sitting proudly in ninth place on Steam's most played games charts in terms of all-time player peak.
At the time of writing, that peak is 884,469 banana clickers, according to SteamDB.
Baldur's Gate 3 will receive official mod support in a forthcoming patch, which Larian CEO Swen Vincke said will be a handover moment to players.
Speaking at BAFTA's An Evening with Baldur's Gate 3 after the game received multiple wins at this year's awards, Vincke discussed development of the game and Larian's long term support.
"One of the big things for us, and the one that we're really working towards now, is the ability for players to mod [Baldur's Gate 3] themselves, because then they will be able to make their own things," said Vincke. "And I think that will be the point where we're going to say 'ok, now it's yours fully'."
Baldur's Gate 3’s upcoming mod support update, which will introduce official modding tools to the sprawling Dungeons & Dragons RPG later this year, will effectively serve as Larian’s swan song for their work on the game.
Baldur's Gate 3’s upcoming mod support update, which will introduce official modding tools to the sprawling Dungeons & Dragons RPG later this year, will effectively serve as Larian’s swan song for their work on the game.
The three goblin leaders in Baldur's Gate 3 are tough to handle, especially Dror Ragzlin. He deals a ton of damage to anyone he hits. However, with the right preparations, you can make it through. Here's how to take out Dror Ragzlin in Baldur's Gate 3.
The easiest way to defeat Dror Ragzlin in BG3 is to push all his goblin soldiers down the pit while your tankiest characters deal with him. Make sure you always have someone ready to heal whoever is taking blows from his Faithbreaker warhammer. Additionally, keep his goblin allies away from him to prevent his Aura of Leadership from boosting their damage. If you want his magic warhammer, the Faithbreaker, you must not push the red hobgolin down the pit.
If you've already fought another one of the goblin leaders in Baldur's Gate 3, make sure to rest up before the Dror Ragzlin fight begins. Either a Short or a Long Rest at the camp will do. Taking the latter, however, will let you recover your more powerful spells and abilities. This red-skinned hobgoblin, Dror Ragzlin, is much more powerful than the other two goblin bosses. He has 52 HP and is Level 5. He can dish out upwards of 21 damage in one strike, as well, so be careful.
Before taking on the Dror Ragzlin fight in BG3, find the war drum on the right-hand side. It's next to the stairway in that area. If you fail to destroy it straight away with an arrow or a spell, you'll be facing nine enemies in total after taking out Dror Ragzlin. It could be too much to handle, but honestly, it can also be tough to take out on your first turn. You might want to have someone like Astarion nearby to eliminate it ASAP.
Try to take out Dror Ragzlin as quickly as possible during the fight. In order to do this, try to use a spell that stuns him for a move or two. I used Tasha's Hideous Laughter on him. It's not a guaranteed move, but if it lands, it will leave Dror Ragzlin prone with crazed laughter. He'll be phased, leaving you a chance to get a lot of damage in before he could even say hello. You can get in an extra attack with Lae'zel's Action Surge and then try to take his hammer off his hands with a powerful Disarming Strike. Using several strikes in a row can really rack up the damage on him. Shadowheart's Inflict Wounds can also effectively lower a foe's health. His 52 HP will dwindle down to zero in no time.
Dror Ragzlin may also take a lot of health from your party, so try to get a healer into the squad to remedy a potentially bad situation. Just be careful while doing this during Dror Ragzlin's Honour Mode fight, as buffing your allies can make things complicated with his passive. Outside of that, you'll want to remove his minions from the picture. They'll be fairly easy to dispatch, but just in case, you can quicksave after eliminating Ragzlin if you're in one of the regular difficulty modes. On the left-hand side, near the stairway, there's a ladder that can help archers get a better aim at their victims down below. It also helps if you can make it past the guards to avoid spending resources before fighting Dror Ragzlin in BG3.
Once you enter the goblin's prison, you're stopped at the front gate by security. Warrior Trinzas asks what your intentions are. There are multiple ways to go about this. As a magical class, I was able to peer through her mind. There's an Intelligence check, but it's fairly easy to beat, especially if you manually save just before the encounter. If you lose the roll, they will all attack you. When you succeed, she'll tell you about the True Souls that have gathered in their base.
Tell Trinzas that you're here for the True Souls, and they'll let you through. You can also use some Deception to pass through the guards. This is difficult, however, as you'll need roll over 15 on your D20 dice. The first option is likely better if you're not specialized in Deception.
Here's everything you need to know about the red hobgoblin, from his Armor Class to special attacks.
| Ability | Score |
|---|---|
| Strength | 18 (+4) |
| Dexterity | 12 (+1) |
| Constitution | 16 (+3) |
| Intelligence | 12 (+1) |
| Wisdom | 10 (+0) |
| Charisma | 15 (+2) |
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Race | Hobgoblin (Humanoid) |
| Health | 50 HP |
| Armor Class | 11 AC |
| Speed | 9 meters |
| Proficiency Bonus | +2 |
| Initiative | +1 |
| Size | Medium |
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Aura of Leadership | Allies of Dor Razglin who are near him deal additional 1d4 Force. This effect doesn't work if Dror is incapacitated. |
| Martial Advantage | Dror can deal an extra 2d6 damage to a creature he hits with the Faithbreaker warhammer as long as he has an ally adjacent to the target. He can use this ability once per turn. |
| Darkvision | Dror can see in the dark |
| Name | Faithbreaker |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Damage | one-handed: 2~9 (1d8+1) two-handed: 2~11 (1d10+1) |
| Weapon Actions | Backbreaker, Concussive Smash, Weakening Strike |
| Special Weapon Action | Absoltute Power: Deal additional 1d6 force damage. Additionally, you might push the target 17ft (5m) |
| Type | magic Warhammer (versatile) +1 |
| Weight | 5.95 lbs (2.7 Kg) |
| Value | 300 Gp |
The post Baldur’s Gate 3: How to take out Dror Ragzlin appeared first on Destructoid.
Mods are to Baldur's Gate 3 what butter is to bread, that unreadable squiggle-font is to death metal bands or wheels are to the bottom of trainers when you’re a kid: not necessarily essential, per se, but so harmonious and well-suited that they feel essential. In the case of the D&D CRPG, it’s a natural extension of playing dungeon master around the table, crafting the world and its characters as you see fit - typically by making everyone in Faerûn even hornier somehow.
Larian Studios' Swen Vincke has opened up about crunch culture at the studio, acknowledging that the team did, at times, "have to do a bit of crunch" when "things happened that [the studio] didn't foresee".
In the Q&A Vincke hosted after his address at the Digital Dragons conference in Poland, Vincke was asked if the team ever had to crunch – that is, the term given to the extreme overtime studios compel staff to do to get a game ready for its release date – and whilst Vincke said the team wasn't "overly" required to crunch, and it was "certainly less on BG3 than we did in the past", "It would be a lie to say that we didn't" crunch at all.
"We didn't overly crunch," Vincke said (thanks, GR+). "but we did have to do a bit of crunch. And I think, to be honest, you will always have a little bit when you're trying to finish something, especially when there's so much complexity that needs to be brought together."
Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has shared the "disappointing news" that its physical PS5 North America deluxe editions have been delayed once again, this time to July 2024.
In a statement posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, last night, the team said it was "so hoping not to have to update [...] with any further news of delay", but it had "run into more production issues", further delaying the shipping of physical copies of the North American PS5 version until later this year.
"Due to production changes outside of our control, we have had to follow certain processes specifically set by production companies when manufacturing the PS5 discs, and unfortunately, the approval for particular regions has taken much longer than expected," Larian explained in the statement.
Welcome back! Let's Get Evil is a monthly series for Eurogamer Supporters in which Bertie rampages through games being as evil as he can. It sounds easy, but is it? And how much freedom to be horrible does each game afford? There's only one way to find out.
Note, spoilers will naturally occur as Bertie gets further and further through Baldur's Gate 3. Currently, he's dealing with events in Act 3, especially those revolving around the Dark Urge. If you're joining us for the free trial this month, make sure you catch up on the earlier instalments - then you'll know the true power of the Dark Side.
This month, I have mostly been helping others reach their horrid potential. Think of me as an enabler, if you like - a demonic enabler bent on bringing out the very worst in people. Today's enable-ee: Astarion. But first a quick catch-up. I left you last time after the seismic reveal that Bhaal, the god of murder, was my father. Not only that, I discovered I had instigated this whole sorry Elder Brain plot to take over the world to begin with. Gortash, Ketheric Thorm and I started it, and then Orin came along and turfed me out. I remember now, more or less. Gortash is up for rekindling our old alliance and conquering the world together, which I'm all for. Now all I have to do is kill Orin. It will be my pleasure.
The director of Baldur's Gate 3 and CEO of developers Larian has revealed that the studio experienced crunch in order to get the sprawling Dungeons & Dragons CRPG finished. While Swen Vincke admitted that “it would be a lie to say that we didn't [crunch]”, he insisted that it was less than on past Larian games such as Divinity, staff were paid for the overtime and it seemingly didn’t go as far as working late nights or weekends (for the most part, anyway).
Videogames and especially role-playing games are chock-full of sheltered upbringings that go tits up. Innocent times and places like the prologue for Baldur's Gate, which unfolds in the vast, fortified monastery of Candlekeep (beware spoilers from this point on).
BioWare's first ever RPG opens with your unsuspecting Chosen One learning the ropes from the old sage Gorion. There are fetchquests that take you around the enormous citadel, bits of combat training to do, cosy formative chinwags to have with characters like your childhood friend Imoen. But it's not to last, of course: Gorion is murdered, and you must rove the Sword Coast in pursuit of his killer. When you return to Candlekeep later in the game, this once-proud bastion of learning has been filled with doppelgangers of Gorion and other acquaintances, a parade of chatbots waiting to stab you in the back.
Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity Original Sin developers Larian today announced the opening of a new studio in Warsaw, Poland. This is RPG outfit Larian’s seventh studio worldwide, and the latest to contribute to their "24-hour development cycle" model. That’s even more hands on deck to a) keep Swen Vincke’s armour polished to a fine sheen and b) ensure smooth sailing for the two new games that Larian currently have in the works.
Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!
Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.
We're well aware of our human capabilities, so games often deliver fantasies about going beyond them. We play characters with extraordinary acrobatic abilities, or with incredible strength or martial prowess, and sometimes, we play as characters who have powers we could never have. Mixed within this is the fantasy of becoming something completely different and changing entirely from a human into something else, and that's what I want to get at here. Ever since Altered Beast, and probably for far longer, we've had games that allowed us to change shapes and access new abilities as we play. We've even had games take us to inorganic places, with mech suits and more. Shape changes can be the ultimate power-up. The question is, which are the best?
It's just occurred to me that Baldur's Gate 3 is shy of being a year old, and I'm struggling to come to terms with that because it feels like the game just came out. I know in my rational mind it didn't, but where did those months go? Why didn't I feel them in the way I normally would? I think I have an inkling why.
I felt it while watching an orchestral performance of Baldur's Gate 3 at the weekend. It was part of the Game Music Festival and featured a special concert arrangement of the game's score, and it was sublimely done. There was a large choir and full orchestra and it gave oomph to the dramatic music from the game. Even the vocalists were there to reprise their iconic "down, down, down by the river" motif. Not that any of this is unique; we've had orchestral video game concerts before - Ed was just at one for Elden Ring - and earlier in the day at the Southbank Centre, there was a recital for The Last of Us. I saw people milling around in The Last of Us T-shirts when I arrived. So I expected much of this. What I didn't expect, however, or what I wasn't prepared for, was the Baldur's Gate 3 effect.
Remember what the event itself was: an orchestral performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra. It's not where you would expect to see cosplay, as you would a games convention, but as the afternoon unfolded, that's what it resembled. Shadowhearts and Astarions gathered, as did copies of other characters from the game, and a palpable feeling of excitement crackled around. This quietened for the start of the performance, as people sat sensibly and clapped in the correct places, but the further it went on, the less it could be contained.
"Role-playing games are only 50 years old. We're still inventing them every day. That's what's really exciting about it. We haven't found the boundaries of it yet, if there are any. We're still pushing out. That's what keeps me doing this stuff, years after most of my peers have retired or passed on."
Do you believe in fate, that there's an invisible force steering us through our lives and that we end up in certain places for certain reasons? Perhaps after hearing Lawrence Schick's story, you will.
It's not a name I expect you'll recognise, but you'll know some of the things he's responsible for. Take the term XP, for example. It's ubiquitous in gaming and possibly beyond it, and Lawrence Schick created it. It's primarily the reason I set out to track him down, to hear how that came to be, because it fascinates me to think of a gaming landscape where there's no established term for experience points, and possibly no such thing as experience points at all. I find it really hard to even conceive of that, given where we are now.
It's just occurred to me that Baldur's Gate 3 is shy of being a year old, and I'm struggling to come to terms with that because it feels like the game just came out. I know in my rational mind it didn't, but where did those months go? Why didn't I feel them in the way I normally would? I think I have an inkling why.
I felt it while watching an orchestral performance of Baldur's Gate 3 at the weekend. It was part of the Game Music Festival and featured a special concert arrangement of the game's score, and it was sublimely done. There was a large choir and full orchestra and it gave oomph to the dramatic music from the game. Even the vocalists were there to reprise their iconic "down, down, down by the river" motif. Not that any of this is unique; we've had orchestral video game concerts before - Ed was just at one for Elden Ring - and earlier in the day at the Southbank Centre, there was a recital for The Last of Us. I saw people milling around in The Last of Us T-shirts when I arrived. So I expected much of this. What I didn't expect, however, or what I wasn't prepared for, was the Baldur's Gate 3 effect.
Remember what the event itself was: an orchestral performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra. It's not where you would expect to see cosplay, as you would a games convention, but as the afternoon unfolded, that's what it resembled. Shadowhearts and Astarions gathered, as did copies of other characters from the game, and a palpable feeling of excitement crackled around. This quietened for the start of the performance, as people sat sensibly and clapped in the correct places, but the further it went on, the less it could be contained.
"Role-playing games are only 50 years old. We're still inventing them every day. That's what's really exciting about it. We haven't found the boundaries of it yet, if there are any. We're still pushing out. That's what keeps me doing this stuff, years after most of my peers have retired or passed on."
Do you believe in fate, that there's an invisible force steering us through our lives and that we end up in certain places for certain reasons? Perhaps after hearing Lawrence Schick's story, you will.
It's not a name I expect you'll recognise, but you'll know some of the things he's responsible for. Take the term XP, for example. It's ubiquitous in gaming and possibly beyond it, and Lawrence Schick created it. It's primarily the reason I set out to track him down, to hear how that came to be, because it fascinates me to think of a gaming landscape where there's no established term for experience points, and possibly no such thing as experience points at all. I find it really hard to even conceive of that, given where we are now.
It's just occurred to me that Baldur's Gate 3 is shy of being a year old, and I'm struggling to come to terms with that because it feels like the game just came out. I know in my rational mind it didn't, but where did those months go? Why didn't I feel them in the way I normally would? I think I have an inkling why.
I felt it while watching an orchestral performance of Baldur's Gate 3 at the weekend. It was part of the Game Music Festival and featured a special concert arrangement of the game's score, and it was sublimely done. There was a large choir and full orchestra and it gave oomph to the dramatic music from the game. Even the vocalists were there to reprise their iconic "down, down, down by the river" motif. Not that any of this is unique; we've had orchestral video game concerts before - Ed was just at one for Elden Ring - and earlier in the day at the Southbank Centre, there was a recital for The Last of Us. I saw people milling around in The Last of Us T-shirts when I arrived. So I expected much of this. What I didn't expect, however, or what I wasn't prepared for, was the Baldur's Gate 3 effect.
Remember what the event itself was: an orchestral performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra. It's not where you would expect to see cosplay, as you would a games convention, but as the afternoon unfolded, that's what it resembled. Shadowhearts and Astarions gathered, as did copies of other characters from the game, and a palpable feeling of excitement crackled around. This quietened for the start of the performance, as people sat sensibly and clapped in the correct places, but the further it went on, the less it could be contained.
"Role-playing games are only 50 years old. We're still inventing them every day. That's what's really exciting about it. We haven't found the boundaries of it yet, if there are any. We're still pushing out. That's what keeps me doing this stuff, years after most of my peers have retired or passed on."
Do you believe in fate, that there's an invisible force steering us through our lives and that we end up in certain places for certain reasons? Perhaps after hearing Lawrence Schick's story, you will.
It's not a name I expect you'll recognise, but you'll know some of the things he's responsible for. Take the term XP, for example. It's ubiquitous in gaming and possibly beyond it, and Lawrence Schick created it. It's primarily the reason I set out to track him down, to hear how that came to be, because it fascinates me to think of a gaming landscape where there's no established term for experience points, and possibly no such thing as experience points at all. I find it really hard to even conceive of that, given where we are now.
Before there was Baldur’s Gate 3, there was Divinity: Original Sin 2,the critically acclaimed 2017 tactical RPG that proved Larian Studios were masters of the formula. Now you can grab it for just $13 on Steam.
Larian Studios has warned of a further - if hopefully short - delay for the Xbox Series X/S and North American PlayStation 5 versions of its fancy Baldur's Gate 3 physical Deluxe Edition, caused by unspecified "production issues".
Baldur's Gate 3's Deluxe Edition was unveiled last December promising an assortment of appealing tat, including a double-sided map, cloth patches, a mind flayer poster, stickers, a soundtrack, a digital art book, and a variety of in-game items - all crammed into a big old box.
The PC Deluxe Edition began its journey to purchasers in March, and Larian initially expressed hope it would be able to get the PS5 version out the door at the same time. However, after running into a number of "production issues", it announced shipping for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation would begin between April and May.
A Stardew Valley mod will add the likes of Astarian and Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3.
The project was shared over the weekend, with a tease of the mod's map (appropriately called Baldur's Village) and its pixelated Baldur's Gate 3 residents.
The mod's team - which comprises three dedicated fans - said it is currently working on Astarion, Shadowheart, Gale and Halsin, but more characters will come. Oh, and we will be able to date Asterion, with the silver-haired vampire having his own "unique romance plot".
While they ponder which developers should face the difficult task of following up one of the most acclaimed games in a long time by making a sequel by Baldur's Gate 3, the makers of Dungeons & Dragons are also putting their own money into making video games themselves. Over a billion dollars of their own money, in fact.
A team of enterprising modders are looking to unite two of the internet’s favourite dating games - Baldur's Gate 3 and Stardew Valley - in one beautiful thirst trap. The mod set to launch a thousands AO3 ships is Baldur’s Village, which transports your favourite adventuring companions to the pastoral climes of Stardew’s farming towns.
Back in November 2023, Larian announced Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe Edition physical copies and offered a May 2024 release window. On May 2, 2024, it offered an update on social media noting that while the PC orders shipped in March 2024, there will be a bit of a delay for PS5 and Xbox Series X ones.
How swiftly they will head out seems to depend on the region, based on the update. Larian noted that someone in Australia or Europe could end up seeing their PS5 Deluxe Edition of the game ship by May 4, 2024. The Xbox Series X version wasn’t mentioned for those regions.
However, there are no set dates for North America yet. The update mentioned production issues and a delayed shipping date.
Here’s the full update on the Baldur’s Gate 3 editions:
As a reminder, this version comes with a CD soundtrack, map, patches, poster, and sticker.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the console physical Deluxe Edition copies should ship out in May 2024. People can expect mod tools and improved evil endings when Patch 7 for the game releases. That update is currently in development.
The post Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe Edition Update Address Delay appeared first on Siliconera.
With the world of Dungeons & Dragons now officially behind it, Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has confirmed it currently has two new projects in development, both based on its own IPs, which studio founder Swen Vincke has described as "our best work ever."
Vincke revealed Larian was exploring two new games in a conversation with Eurogamer earlier this year, describing them as "big and ambitious" projects "we want to make". That wording suggested things were still up in the air, but it now sounds like plans have solidified following today's announcement Larian is "currently working on two new projects".
Larian shared the news at the end of a Steam blog post detailing Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming patch, which reiterated the studio's previous announcement it "won't be introducing any major new narrative content to the story of Baldur's Gate 3 or its origin characters and companions, nor will we be making expansions or Baldur's Gate 4."
This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, after the success of Amazon's Fallout TV series, we discuss the TV and movie adapatations of video games we'd love to see next.
Not every video game series fits an adaptation, and even the ones which do might need some work. You need to adapt the game's story well - such as in HBO's The Last of Us - or find space to tell your own narrative without contradicting the game's own.
So which games do we think might fit the bill? Well, we have a few ideas - and how to go about them. Joining me this week to discuss are Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy. And if you're reading this, Jeff Bezos, please do give us credit whenever you're commissioning TV series with our ideas - thank you.
Hot off the heels of its BAFTA wins, developer Larian has given a little tease for Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming "improved" evil endings.
Sharing a community update on Steam, the developer spoke more about its plans for Patch 7 and the game's future. Along with fixing a number of bugs and other more typical fare, this particular patch will also begin introducing official modding tools to Baldur's Gate 3. This, Larian said, will allow players to "overhaul Baldur's Gate 3 into the weird nightmare realm of your dreams".
And, with the mention of nightmare, I will segue into those evil endings. Before I do, though, please be aware of potential Baldur's Gate 3 spoilers.
Larian Studios didn't so much smash last year's Baldur's Gate 3 out of the park as launch it straight into orbit, collecting countless Game of the Year awards and even a few BAFTAs along the way. But while the studio has made it clear it has no interest in returning for a Baldur's Gate 4, Dungeons and Dragons owner Wizard of the Coast is definitely onboard for more, and is currently "talking to lots of partners" about the future of the series.
That's according to Eugene Evans, senior vice president of digital strategy and licensing for Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro, who spoke with PC Gamer following Baldur's Gate 3's recent BAFTA wins. Evans confirmed the company is keen to continue the series, and has started having conversations to that effect, although it sounds like it'll be some time before anything specific is revealed. "We're now talking to lots of partners," Evans explains, "and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of, what does the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise look like?"
"So we certainly hope that it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that," Evan continued. "But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate."
With the world of Dungeons & Dragons now officially behind it, Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has confirmed it currently has two new projects in development, both based on its own IPs, which studio founder Swen Vincke has described as "our best work ever."
Vincke revealed Larian was exploring two new games in a conversation with Eurogamer earlier this year, describing them as "big and ambitious" projects "we want to make". That wording suggested things were still up in the air, but it now sounds like plans have solidified following today's announcement Larian is "currently working on two new projects".
Larian shared the news at the end of a Steam blog post detailing Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming patch, which reiterated the studio's previous announcement it "won't be introducing any major new narrative content to the story of Baldur's Gate 3 or its origin characters and companions, nor will we be making expansions or Baldur's Gate 4."
This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, after the success of Amazon's Fallout TV series, we discuss the TV and movie adapatations of video games we'd love to see next.
Not every video game series fits an adaptation, and even the ones which do might need some work. You need to adapt the game's story well - such as in HBO's The Last of Us - or find space to tell your own narrative without contradicting the game's own.
So which games do we think might fit the bill? Well, we have a few ideas - and how to go about them. Joining me this week to discuss are Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy. And if you're reading this, Jeff Bezos, please do give us credit whenever you're commissioning TV series with our ideas - thank you.
Hot off the heels of its BAFTA wins, developer Larian has given a little tease for Baldur's Gate 3's upcoming "improved" evil endings.
Sharing a community update on Steam, the developer spoke more about its plans for Patch 7 and the game's future. Along with fixing a number of bugs and other more typical fare, this particular patch will also begin introducing official modding tools to Baldur's Gate 3. This, Larian said, will allow players to "overhaul Baldur's Gate 3 into the weird nightmare realm of your dreams".
And, with the mention of nightmare, I will segue into those evil endings. Before I do, though, please be aware of potential Baldur's Gate 3 spoilers.
Larian Studios didn't so much smash last year's Baldur's Gate 3 out of the park as launch it straight into orbit, collecting countless Game of the Year awards and even a few BAFTAs along the way. But while the studio has made it clear it has no interest in returning for a Baldur's Gate 4, Dungeons and Dragons owner Wizard of the Coast is definitely onboard for more, and is currently "talking to lots of partners" about the future of the series.
That's according to Eugene Evans, senior vice president of digital strategy and licensing for Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro, who spoke with PC Gamer following Baldur's Gate 3's recent BAFTA wins. Evans confirmed the company is keen to continue the series, and has started having conversations to that effect, although it sounds like it'll be some time before anything specific is revealed. "We're now talking to lots of partners," Evans explains, "and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of, what does the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise look like?"
"So we certainly hope that it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that," Evan continued. "But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate."
Baldur's Gate 3 players who have modded their games are seeing references to a popular NPC character that suggests they were once set for full-on companion status.
The Overexplained Interaction Options mod allows you to see which of your party members will approve or disapprove of conversation options, and was originally uploaded to Nexus Mods last year.
Over time, players have been using the mod as they progress into Baldur's Gate 3's final third - and it's within Act Three that references to a very familiar name pop up.
Zakladatel studia Larian a ředitel Baldur’s Gate 3 Swen Vincke minulý měsíc prozradil, že další hra studia nebude souviset s IP Dungeons and Dragons, a tým nyní poskytl další informace o tom, kam se chystá dále.
V příspěvku na Steamu, kde se podrobně rozepisuje o chystaném obsahu pro Baldur’s Gate 3 – včetně nástrojů pro modifikaci, nových zlých konců a dalších věcí – se Larian dotkl také své budoucnosti a prozradil, že v současné době pracuje na dvou nových hrách, přičemž obě vycházejí z jeho vlastní IP.
„Možnost vyvíjet hru zasazenou do světa Dungeons and Dragons byla pro nás všechny splněným snem,“ napsal Larian. „Jak ale Swen nedávno potvrdil, nebudeme do příběhu Baldur’s Gate 3 ani do jeho původních postav a společníků vnášet žádný nový významný příběhový obsah, ani nebudeme vytvářet rozšíření nebo Baldur’s Gate 4.“ A tak se rozhodli, že se do hry pustí.
„Jako nezávislé studio od roku 1996 si ceníme svobody následovat naši kreativitu, kamkoli nás zavede. V tomto případě jsme se po šesti letech působení ve Forgotten Realms a mnoha diskusích a úvahách rozhodli využít příležitosti a vyvinout vlastní IP. V současné době pracujeme na dvou nových projektech a nemůžeme se více těšit na to, co nás v budoucnu čeká.“
Poté, co společnost Larian zopakovala, že bude chvíli trvat, než se o těchto nových projektech dozvíme nějaké konkrétní podrobnosti, poskytla ujištění, že její další projekty budou stále postaveny na pohlcení a hratelnosti založené na volbě, kterými byly její předchozí hry proslulé.
„Ještě je brzy – o těch vám řekneme více později,“ napsal vývojář. „Ale vězte, že i když se naše pozornost soustředí na tyto nové hry, citlivost, která vám přinesla Baldur’s Gate 3, je zde na hradě Larian živá a zdravá. V břiše nás pohání stejný oheň, který nás žene k vytváření pohlcujících zážitků utvářených vašimi volbami, a nemůžeme se dočkat, až se k nám připojíte v dalším dobrodružství.
Zakladatel Swen Vincke se také vyjádřil, že na základě „příběhových, vizuálních a herních plánů“ studia budou projekty, na kterých v současné době pracuje, „naší nejlepší prací vůbec“.
„Nevím, jestli se nám to podaří, ale při pohledu na naše příběhové, vizuální a herní plány si myslím, že to, na čem nyní pracujeme, bude naše nejlepší práce vůbec,“ řekl Vincke. „Jsem nadšený jako dítě, když se dívám na klíčové obrázky, chci je hned všem ukázat a frustrovaně brblám, že musím čekat, až to všechno bude skutečně fungovat. Ano, je to humbuk, ale je to humbuk, protože to opravdu vypadá a působí dobře.“
Stojí za zmínku, že vývojáři již dříve potvrdili, že jejich další hrou nebude Divinity: Je možné, že jeden ze dvou projektů, na kterých se v současné době pracuje, je nová hra Divinity, ale i kdyby tomu tak bylo, na základě toho, co Larian řekl v minulosti, to bude pravděpodobně ta, která je dál.
Co se týče budoucnosti Baldur’s Gate, Hasbro – mateřská společnost Baldur’s Gate a vlastník IP Dungeons and Dragons Wizard of the Coast – nedávno uvedla, že „jedná se spoustou partnerů a je oslovena spoustou partnerů“ ohledně budoucnosti této série. Více se o tom dočtete zde.
Článek Larian Studios pracuje na dvou projektech založených na vlastním duševním vlastnictví se nejdříve objevil na GAME PRESS.
Larian Studios has given a few details on what it’s up to after Baldur’s Gate 3. And it’s projects plural! The team is apparently working on two new games after the success of its Dungeons & Dragons RPG last year.
Larian Studios may not be making Baldur’s Gate 4 and Hasbro is talking with new partners about the series’ future, but Baldur’s Gate 3 still has some juice left in it. The development team has released some new information about the game’s big Patch 7, and it sounds like it will be another substantial update with new…
Larian aren’t just not making Baldur’s Gate 4 – they’re treating Baldur’s Gate 3’s success as an opportunity to develop their own intellectual properties, with two new games in the works. These games will build on the “sensibilities” of Baldur’s Gate 3 in being “immersive experiences shaped by your choices”, but by the sounds of things, they won’t be adaptations of anybody else's narrative or setting. Divinity: Original Sin 3? It’s the obvious call, but come now, free your mind. How about a kart racing game, Larian, or a banging old school mascot platformer? When are you going to make a platform game, Larian?
With Larian having now officially handed the reins of the Baldur’s Gate series back to Dungeons & Dragons owners Wizards of the Coast (and their Monopoly-making parents at Hasbro) - with the developers saying they have no plans to make any DLC or a sequel - the ball for a Baldur’s Gate 4 now sits in Wizards’ court. The good news is that, yes, they also want to make a follow-up to one of the most acclaimed and successful video games of the last few years. Just don’t expect that to necessarily be anytime soon.
As if you needed more proof that Baldur's Gate 3 is, in fact, a pretty damn fine video game, Larian’s D&D RPG swept through the video game BAFTA awards yesterday, picking up five of the British entertainment org’s top trophies. Even more impressively - after all, Baldur’s Gate 3 winning a shedload of awards is old hat by now - its latest Best Game triumph means that the sprawling RPG-slash-fanfic machine is now the first video game to win all five of the industry’s major Game of the Year awards.
Přihlásit se