| Baldur’s Gate 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Baldur's Gate 3 is an action-adventure RPG where you can pretty much do anything and be whomever you want to be in the land of Faerun. Read on to learn more about the game’s core gameplay mechanics and important story beats.
Baldur's Gate 3 Gameplay
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the journey begins with a choice: start your story as one of seven unique Origin characters, each with a distinct background and skill set, or use the game’s expansive character creator to bring your own hero to life.
The character creation screen offers incredible freedom, letting you customize every detail—appearance, race, background, and, crucially, your starting class and ability scores. Once you've shaped your hero, you’ll also get to customize your Dream Guardian.
Ability Scores and Skills
In Baldur's Gate 3, your character's prowess—their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of expertise—is shaped by their Ability Scores and Skills, set during character creation and improved as they grow. These scores include Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, each representing the core of your character’s physical and mental capabilities.
Each Ability Score affects the bonuses you receive for Skills, representing your character’s talents in specific areas. Higher Ability Scores mean higher bonuses, which enhance not only your skills but also many other actions that scale with these stats.
Ability Scores range from 1 to 20, with 10 representing typical human ability. This baseline has a Modifier of 0, and every two points above or below add or subtract 1. For instance, a score of 12 has a +1 modifier, while a score of 6 has a -2 modifier. Each character also has a Proficiency Bonus, starting at +2 at level 1 and increasing by 1 for every four levels gained.
Skills, on the other hand, are specialized actions. Being proficient in a skill means you can add your Proficiency Bonus to the modifier derived from its corresponding Ability Score. For example, if your Dexterity score is 12 (giving you a +1 modifier), then your Stealth modifier, which scales off Dexterity, is +1. However, if you’re proficient in Stealth, you can add your Proficiency Bonus (a +2 at level 1) for a total modifier of +3.
Dice Rolls, Skill Checks, and Damage Rolls
Much like the tabletop game it’s based on, Baldur’s Gate 3 determines the outcome of your character’s actions by using dice rolls that simulate uncertainty. Every time a character attempts a skill—like Persuasion or Intimidation—or makes any action where success isn’t assured, a dice roll decides their fate. Enemies are subject to the same rules.
Most often, a 20-sided die (D20) is rolled to determine success. The roll result is measured against a target known as the Difficulty Class (DC), typically between 1 and 20, though it can sometimes be higher. If the roll meets or exceeds the DC, the action succeeds. A roll of 1 is an automatic failure, while a roll of 20 is an automatic success, regardless of modifiers. In the case of attacks, the former is an instant miss, and the latter is a critical hit.
On the topic of modifiers, these are bonuses from your character’s Proficiencies, Skills, Ability Scores, Equipment, or other sources. Modifiers are added to the dice roll, which often improves the odds in the player’s favor—unless, of course, they roll a 1.
In certain cases, other dice come into play, represented by their number of sides (e.g., D6, D8, D12). If a number appears before the dice notation, it indicates the number of dice to roll. For instance, 5d6
means five 6-sided dice. These dice rolls are generally used for determining weapon or spell damage, or small sets of random events.
Combat and Narrative Encounters
The core gameplay loop in Baldur's Gate 3 revolves around Combat and Narrative encounters, with exploration and resource management filling in the spaces between.
Combat begins whenever the player encounters a hostile creature—like a monster—or provokes one through dialogue. Once combat is triggered, the game switches to turn-based mode, where each character has a set action economy
that limits what they can do on their turn. Turn order is determined by each character’s initiative, which involves a D20 roll influenced by their Dexterity score; higher initiatives allow characters to act sooner.
On each turn, characters can move a limited distance (affected by terrain and other factors) and may use Actions, Bonus Actions, Reactions, and Free Actions as they choose. Combat typically ends when all enemies are defeated, all player characters are defeated, or if either party manages to escape or complete a specific objective.
Narrative encounters occur when the player interacts with NPCs or during key moments in the main storyline. These encounters allow players to choose how they respond to questions or others' actions through dialogue options. Some choices may require specific Skills, Backgrounds, Races, or Sub-races to be selected, which will be indicated before the player selects an option.
The progression of the story depends heavily on the player's choices in dialogue and combat scenarios. Not every fight needs to be fought, and saying the right thing can change an entire playthrough. This freedom of choice is integral to BG3’s allure as a role-playing game, manifesting a world where choices not only matter but are plentiful.
Exploration and Camping
When players aren’t battling monsters or advancing the story, they’re either exploring the game world or setting up camp to recover resources.
Exploring in Baldur’s Gate 3 is technically linear, yet each path between major areas offers multiple, interconnected routes. Players can choose their approach to the next area, encountering unique quests and NPCs depending on their path. Best of all, choosing one path doesn’t lock out the others, allowing players to explore freely and fully if they wish.
The game’s maps are richly interactive, filled with containers, levers, doors, and sometimes ancient forges. The immersive exploration mechanics capture the spirit of tabletop D&D, rewarding curiosity and encouraging players to interact with the world in creative ways.
Players can camp when resources are low. Setting up camp requires Camp Supplies, which can be collected or bought from vendors. A Short Rest uses fewer supplies and provides only partial recovery, while a Long Rest requires more supplies but fully heals the party and restores all limited-use abilities.
The camp also serves as a hub where players can manage their party: adjusting party composition, resetting classes, hiring mercenaries, storing loot, or even resurrecting fallen companions—provided they have the resources to do so.
Classes and Subclasses
In Baldur's Gate 3, each party member has a Class and a Subclass. A character’s Class defines their primary role and skills both in and out of combat, while their Subclass is a specialized path within the Class that further distinguishes their abilities. Among the nine playable classes, each has a unique area of expertise: Fighters excel in weapon-based combat, Wizards are powerful spellcasters, and Bards shine in narrative encounters.
Party members start with a chosen Class, either selected by the player or based on their origin, and gain access to a Subclass as they level up (typically around level 3). Each Class has a unique set of abilities and upgrades that unlock with each new level. However, players can also choose to multi-class, combining elements from multiple Classes to create more versatile characters.
Characters level up by earning experience (EXP) through combat and narrative encounters, with a level cap of 12. Leveling up not only increases a character’s health but also provides opportunities to enhance their ability scores, making them stronger and more resilient as the game progresses.
Items and Equipment
A character’s strength in Baldur's Gate 3 is determined not only by their Class and Abilities but also by the quality of their gear. Each character has specific equipment slots for weapons, armor, and an inventory for other items.
However, not all characters can use every piece of equipment effectively, as many items require proficiency to wield or wear properly. Armor, for example, boosts a character’s defense, but without the right proficiency, it can hinder movement or prevent spellcasting. Weapons add damage and unique abilities, though both are reduced if used by a character lacking the necessary skill.
Items also vary in rarity and power, as denoted by name color: Common items (white) are basic, Uncommon items (green) offer modest power, Rare items (blue) are significantly stronger, Very Rare items (purple) provide unique abilities, and Legendary items (gold) are the most powerful, often game-changing pieces of equipment.
Baldur's Gate 3 Story
In Baldur's Gate 3, a band of unlikely heroes finds themselves united by a grim twist of fate: abducted by the tentacled Illithids, they’ve each been infected with a mind-altering parasite destined to turn them into monsters. Yet, something mysterious is halting their transformation, shielding them from a darker power lurking in the shadows.
Driven by personal quests and haunted pasts, each hero seeks to return to Baldur’s Gate, though the road is fraught with mistrust and fragile alliances. For now, they agree to journey together, uncertain if their bonds will last long enough to reveal the nature of their shared curse.
The Druid Grove
After a harrowing crash on the shores of the Sword Coast, the party stumbles upon a Druid Grove under siege. The druids, desperate to protect their enclave from an encroaching goblin cult, are preparing to seal their gates. But the situation is dire: a group of tiefling refugees, also seeking shelter in the grove, now face expulsion, which would leave them vulnerable to the growing threat outside.
As tensions mount, whispers of a mysterious god rising in power cast a dark shadow over the conflict, complicating loyalties and foreshadowing a much greater danger on the road to Baldur’s Gate.
The Shadow-Cursed Lands
Venturing into the Shadow-Cursed Lands—a kingdom shrouded in lethal darkness—the party becomes ensnared in a treacherous web of supernatural forces. They find a fragile sanctuary at the Last Light Inn, a rare bastion of hope amidst the shadow’s reach. However, looming nearby is Moonrise Towers, the heart of a twisted cult dedicated to The Absolute, a godlike entity with dangerous ambitions.
As the party uncovers disturbing truths about this enigmatic being and its schemes, alliances blur, and every step draws them closer to the core of the cult’s sinister influence.
Entering Baldur’s Gate
At last, the party reaches the storied city of Baldur’s Gate, burdened with the knowledge of a looming catastrophe that could consume the city and all its people. Within its bustling streets and shadowy alleys, companions’ quests reach their climax, revealing long-hidden truths and forcing fateful choices.
Here, the dark origins of the party’s affliction are finally unveiled, and the full scope of The Absolute's sinister plot to conquer Faerûn stands starkly revealed. As dawn approaches, the fate of Baldur’s Gate—and perhaps all of Faerûn—rests on the party’s shoulders, with each decision more critical than the last.
