Unofficial Baldur's Gate III FAQ

mlnevese

This FAQ is organized from the data revealed by BG III's developers. It is in no way an official FAQ. A link to the Official FAQ will be added in this post as soon as one is available.

Notice that right now this post is not formatted in any way being a work in progress

Feel free to offer facts and suggest changes both to the questions and the answers presented here. As more facts becomes known I may divide the questions into categories.



FAQ


Q. Who is developing Baldur's Gate III
A. The game is being developed by Larian Studios the same developers of Divinity Original Sins games

Q. When will it be released?
A. Baldur's Gate early access is expected to be released in 2020

Q. What's the Official Baldur'a Gate III home page?
A. https://baldursgate3.game/

Q. Will it be a 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game?
A. No it will be using the latest rules 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.
Q. Is is Turn Based or Real Time with Pause?
A. The game is Turn Based.

Q. Will it be a direct continuation of Baldur's Gate I & II?
A. No. It will be a direct continuation of the tabletop Modules Murder in Baldur's Gate and Descent into Avernus.

Q. When does it take place?
A. The game takes place 100 years after Baldur's Gate II

Q. Where does it take place?
A. You start close to the city of Baldur's Gate.

Q. How powerful is your character? Do you start at epic level?
A. No. This is a new story. You start at level 1.

Q. Does it add changes to the PnP Rules?
A. Developer's interviews suggest that changes will be introduced. What will be changed and how is currently unknown.

Q. Is it single player only?
A. Single player and cooperative multiplayer.

Q. Is it a solo game?
A. No. It's party based. Current party size limit seems to be 4 plus summons.

Q. Will we see any old NPCs from the Baldur's Gate games?
A. It's a possibility. Minsc and Boo are still alive in Descent into Avernus. They were recently freed from a petrification spell. The elf and dwarf NPCs may still be alive as well.

Q. Who are the NPCs available in BG III.
A.Shadowheart
A loyal cleric of Shar, Shadowheart is the sole survivor of a holy mission undertaken for the Mistress of the Night. She alone must deliver a relic of immense power while threatened by foes on all sides, and a strange, untamed magic burgeoning from within.

Wyll
Noble by birth, Wyll made his name as the heroic 'Blade of Frontiers'. But to become a living legend, he made a bargain with a devil - and he now longs to break free before it consumes him for good.

Lae'zel
Lae'zel is a ferocious warrior, mighty even by the standards of a githyanki crèche. Faced with transforming into the very monster she's sworn to destroy, Lae'zel must prove herself worthy of rejoining her people - if they don't execute her first.

Astarion
Astarion prowled the night as a vampire spawn for centuries, serving a sadistic master until he was snatched away. Now he can walk in the light and has the chance at a new life, but how long can he keep his past buried?

Gale
Gale is a Waterdhavian wizard prodigy whose love for a goddess made him attempt something no mortal should. Blighted by the forbidden magic of ancient Netheril, Gale needs to undo the corruption that is overtaking him, a corruption that threatens to destroy the lives of thousands.

Lemernis

- set about 100 years after the events of BG/SoA/ToB and therefore after the Spellplague and Sundering
- direct story prequels are the tabletop campaign modules Murder in Baldur's Gate and the upcoming Descent Into Avernus
- starts in the Baldur's Gate area, including the city itself but will feature other areas of the Sword Coast or Faerun
- will feature an invasion (from another plane?) by mindflayers
- uses the 5th Edition ruleset
- starts at Level 1

mlnevese

FAQ Updated. Thanks @Lemernis

ThacoBell

Well that answers my "What is this the 3rd game of" question that I've been asking since we had any details on the game. Its the third in a series of P&P adventures. Following Murder in Baldur's Gate and Descent into Avernus. Technically the title is accurate. They should stop pretending that the first two games have anything to do with this one.

Lemernis

I've been going both ways on it as I turn it over in my head, sometimes feeling the way @ThacoBell does. But I ask, again how hard should it be to have the BG III story in some way meaningfully connect to Bhaal's plot to resurrect himself that he set into motion during the Time of Troubles?

Larian/WotC can tell what is in effect a brand new story, the stage for which is however set by something that took place back then.

There were a lot of Bhaalspawn out there. Surely it wasn't only Melissan that hatched a scheme to try to obtain Bhaal's portfolio... We know that Volvo survived the Spellplague by having been captured in an Imprisonment spell. There may have been similar ways that a clever Bhaalspawn avoided detection during the Bhaalspawn War. Maybe such a Bhaalspawn could see the future (foresaw Abdel Adrian, Spellplague/Sundering, etc.) and laid low because of it. Went 'off the grid' precisely for that reason.

One thing I would consider if I was to write it: Bhaal himself now needs help to thwart a such a plot to rob him of his portfolio. His pitch (through surrogates) is that such an event would unravel a delicate balance that has been achieved among the gods during within a very fragile post-Spellplague/Sundering homeostasis. That is definitely a rolepaying challenge for most good aligned PCs! How in the nine hells* are you going to trust Bhaal? Although naturally you can't trust him it may make sense that if the plot succeeds and Bhaal's portfolio is usurped, Toril most likely will indeed unravel. Which ostensibly is a worse outcome that trusting Bhaal to hold onto his portfolio in the relatively stable world that has been achieved 10 years after the Spellplague. (A world still stabilizing after a cataclysm.)

* Hah! IIRC those are changed now too! Seven hells?

megamike15

well they don't have to worry about that. because in 5th edtion bhaal is back.

Lemernis

megamike15 wrote: »

well they don't have to worry about that. because in 5th edtion bhaal is back.

If this is in reference to my post directly above (it may not be, but if it is) please reread it! ;-D

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

ThacoBell

It doesn't matter how Larian may or may not try to connect it. The overrarching plot of the BG series was ultimately to stop Bhaal's resurrection. With WotC undoing that, they've officially tea bagged the franchise. It undoes EVERYTHING the player worked for.

megamike15

as turn based in confirmed what little hype i had for the game is dead. i just prefer rtwp with these type of games.

modestvolta

Reading the Ars article, it doesn’t confirm that the game is turn-based. It just says that Larian talked about the return of turn-based games. Does that heavily imply that BG3 will be turn-based? Sure, but it’s a stretch to say it’s confirmed. From other interviews, the only talk of gameplay I’ve seen is Larian saying the gameplay will be unique and (I think I’m remembering correctly) be a new thing for them.

Ars link for reference:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/06/interview-baldurs-gate-3s-creators-talk-dd-turn-based-rpgs-and-dreams-coming-true/

Zaxares

If BG3 is turn-based, that would definitely put a dent in my desire to play it, but I'll still wait to see some gameplay videos before deciding. I do enjoy some turn-based games (e.g. Heroes of Might and Magic, Disciples, some of the early Gold Box-era AD&D games), but I couldn't stand others (Temple of Elemental Evil and Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor comes to mind). I haven't been able to put my finger on why some TB games are fine and others are not!

Arcanis

Zaxares wrote: »

If BG3 is turn-based, that would definitely put a dent in my desire to play it, but I'll still wait to see some gameplay videos before deciding. I do enjoy some turn-based games (e.g. Heroes of Might and Magic, Disciples, some of the early Gold Box-era AD&D games), but I couldn't stand others (Temple of Elemental Evil and Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor comes to mind). I haven't been able to put my finger on why some TB games are fine and others are not!

I blame movement. Movement in Turn based combat is annoying.. u_u
Or it could the games itself, but I like to complain about TB movement and couldn't pass upon that chance.. =P

About undoing the resolution of ToB @ThacoBell :
Yes, Bhaal did eventually recreate himself. That does not make ToB meaningless. Why?
Because if you would not have stopped the Black Hearted than Ferûn would have a Goddess of Murder after that game, by stopping her you have delayed Bhaals return for centuries. Generations have lived without the terror of another evil god, that is not nothing.
It took two cataclysmic event to compell Viekang to seek out the hero of Baldurs Gate.

(I personally believe that the Spellplague and the sundering damaged the Seal that was placed on the essence at the end of ToB, but that is headcanon.)


So, what did the Hero achieve?
S/he prevented a massive war between Amn and Baldurs Gate (which would probably have destroyed the city)
S/he prevented Caelar from causing even more harm to the Sword Coast and killed a powerful devil (or at least severly weakend him).
S/he stopped an insane wizard with the power of Elminster (probably) from destroying the tree of life, slaughtering a city worth of elves and probably doing a lot of harm with his enfored apotheosis.
S/he ended the murderious Bhaalspawn wars and delayed the ressurection of the Lord of Murder.

So, where are the action of the Hero worthless?
The actions the player does during the games have impact on the world and the decisions do not become worthless just because they do not live happily ever after.

ThacoBell

I mean, the game is very clear that Bhaal's resurrection was STOPPED, not just delayed. And yes, undoing that DOES make charname's journey pretty worthless, since that was the overarching goal of the entire story. Not to mention that no matter what, according to "canon" now, your charname was murdered. WotC (and Larian by extension) has ZERO respoect for the game series they are supposedly now creating for. The only way any of this works is with ridiculous levels of retcons and mental gymnastics for justification after the fact.

Arcanis

@ThacoBell
The ressurrection was stopped, but later events restarted the process.
As a reminder: The dark energy was *sealed* and not destroyed.

I simply don't see the massive retcon you see.

I also strongly disagree that the journey was worthless. Thousands of lives were saved, an archdevil killed, Irenicus got his godhood denied and someone who was supposed to live a short live and just be fuel for Bhaals ressurection was allowed to live a live longer than normal humans.
The events of Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 happened, the only thing changed is that something which was sealed is now free - that is neither a massive retcon nor something that would make the heros live pointless.


WotC decided to restore Ferûn after the unpopular spellplague and revisited some deities that died during the Times of Troubles. They decided to ressurect them.
They even went to the trouble of creating an adventure for Bhaal and using the only other Bhaalspawn who was named in the game AND probably survived the events of ToB. In fact, you could consider Viekang a plothole in the stor of ToB because the Solar never accounted for him, similiar to Imoen should she not be with you but still alive.

If you still think it is a massive retcon please explain it to me. What is it you think I'm overlooking?

Also, why do you think WotC and Larian have no respect for the originals? Because they ressurected a god in a setting which explicitly states that no god can truly die? Or is it once again something I overlook?

I'm geniun in my bafflement of your rather strong oppinion and would love to understand it - even if I may not agree with you in the end and vice versa.

mlnevese

Bhaal originally died to explain why the assassin class no longer existed in second edition. His resurrection happenned when assassins returned as a prestige class in 3rd edition.

PnP always takes precedence over any computer game. Even Baldur's Gate.

Arcanis

mlnevese wrote: »

Bhaal originally died to explain why the assassin class no longer existed in second edition. His resurrection happenned when assassins returned as a prestige class in 3rd edition.

PnP always takes precedence over any computer game. Even Baldur's Gate.

Slight correction: in 3rd edition Cyric was still the god of murder, Bhaal got ressurected at the beginning of the 5th edition.
Also, I could have sworn the Assassin got mentioned in 3.0 DMs Guide.. Anyways, the class was reintroduced loooong before Bhaal got ressurected. ^^

BallpointMan

It's also worth keeping in mind that the Bhaalspawn and the events of BG1 and 2 were never really considered to be a big deal in the context of Forgotten Realms and how WotC controlled canon. I've been playing table top for 20+ years, and I don't think I've ever seen the plot details of BG1 or 2 even referenced before 5th edition.

The games were transformative for crpgs. They were not nearly as big of a deal for PnP (as far as I can tell).

Essentially what I'm trying to say is that the decision to bring back the gods killed during the ToT and undo the spellplague was probably done without consideration for BG series because those things weren't particularly important to WotC (they probably didn't know how to deal with it either, and they might have to accept the novels as the canon - and considering how awful those are...)

Fyrb

Wouldn't it be nice to include the question, what are core differences between 5th and 2nd edition rules?
I'm not familiar with the tabletop games so I don't know what to expect from 5th edition. And I think others may feel the same.
E.g., I found this list of potential classes based on this ruleset:

Barbarian: Path of the Berserker, Path of the Totem Warrior
Bard: College of Lore, College of Valor
Cleric: Domains of Knowledge, Life, Light, Nature, Tempest, Trickery, War
Druid: Circle of the Land, Circle of the Moon
Fighter: Champion, Battle Master, Eldritch Knight
Monk: Way of the Open Hand, Way of Shadow, Way of the Four Elements
Paladin: Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, and Oath of Vengeance
Ranger: Hunter, Beastmaster
Rogue: Thief, Assassin, Arcane Trickster
Sorcerer: Draconic Bloodline, Wild Mage
Warlock, can be worshipper of: Archfey, Fiend, Great Old One
Wizard: School of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation

Timbo0o0o0

Hi @mlnevese ,
I stumbled over one liiiittle thing:


Q. Who is developing Baldur's Gate II
A. The game is being developed by Larian Studios the same developers of Divinity Original Sins games

I guess you meant "Baldur's Gate III". :-)

Thank you for the FAQ, its very interesting.

Best regards.

mlnevese

@Timbo0o0o0 Fixed. Thanks

ThacoBell

@Arcanis You just explained yourself why its a retcon. WotC looked at what events happened in BG2 and decided, "We're gonna undo all of this." And they did. You not being able to see it smacks justification, rather than analysis.

Arcanis

@ThacoBell
The essence got sealed at the end of ToB. Seals can break.
We did *not* destroy the essence of Bhaal so him coming back is not a retcon.

If we would have destroyed the essence it would have probably killed Charname because, as I understand it, the essence of Bhaal is what gives Bhaalspawns their Soul - thus their death returns the soul to the essence.

Seals can be broken.
Also, the Solar was incompetent since she kinda overlooked some Bhaalspawns when she declaired that you are the last one.. -_-

megamike15

this is why i consider table top canon and game canon different things. heck even gms like to pick and choose what they consider canon when they play dnd so why can't i?

mlnevese

New question added:

Q. Is it single player only?
A. Single player and cooperative multiplayer.

JuliusBorisov

New info for the FAQ:

https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgate/comments/f6m0iv/minsc_and_boo_in_bg3/

https://www.reddit.com/r/baldursgate/comments/f5x5vr/baldurs_gate_3_first_characters_revealed/

mlnevese

@JuliusBorisov Added. Thanks

iosfrustration

New info from the gameplay videos released 27th Feb

Q: is combat real time with pause or turn based?
A: combat is stated to be turn based only per gameplay video 27 feb. there is no real time with pause.

Q:what is the maximum party size?
A: maximum party size is 4 (plus an unknown number of summons, at least 1)

And one that I don’t know the answer to but that I hope someone else might
Q: will the game support modding?
A:

mlnevese

Added. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

auburn2

One big problem with NPCs and story is going to be their level. Any Throne of Bhaal NPCs would have been near godlike by the time TOB ended. NPCs that only appeared in BG1 (Coran for example) would be more doable.