Baldur's Gate 3 - Community Update #5

Some more info about the Early Access version of Baldur's Gate 3:

Community Update #5 - Early Access

Hello everyone! We hope you've recovered from the Panel From Hell. We have a huge, bumper community update for you today. We're going to talk about Early Access at some length, so get a cup of something ready, and maybe a snack. Nestled in? Let's go.

[…]

If you made it all the way to the end, you learned we're aiming to launch Baldur's Gate 3 into Early Access on September 30. The Steam page has been updated to more accurately describe what we'll be releasing first. While the content will be limited, there should be enough bells and whistles to make it a fun, engaging experience.

Early Access will feature around 20-25 hours of gameplay in a single play-through, with performance captured dialogues and cut-scenes, voice overs for most dialogs, multiplayer (but no split-screen for now), several translations available (but not all) and an Act 1 story that should feel fulfilling to play through many multiple times, with multiple characters. At the start of Early Access, support for custom characters will consist of 6 classes and 9 races, with several subclasses and subraces included. You won't be able to play as an origin character yet but you will be able to recruit 5 of them as companions when your journey commences.

Here's a little about who you're likely to meet on the road to Baldur's Gate:

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.

[…]

More information.

Well can't say that wasn't an informative update.

@Pongo I also found this interview today.

Interview with Larian Studios on Baldur’s Gate 3 - Stadia

This week, Larian Studios announced on their Panel from Hell livestream that Baldur’s Gate 3, the next-generation RPG set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, is launching into Early Access on September 30th. Today, we’re diving deeper into an adventure that gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices.

We caught up with Kieron Kelly at Larian Studios to hear more about the Early Access release of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Stadia.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
@Pongo I also found this interview today.

Interview with Larian Studios on Baldur’s Gate 3 - Stadia

Thanks Couchpotato! Good to see EA is coming to Stadia at the same time.

Gee, every character comes with a lit fuse. Dandy.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Gee, every character comes with a lit fuse. Dandy.

There's also Fred. He likes killing things and taking their stuff. He's a nice guy, though, so he only kills evil things. <grin>

I haven't been this excited for an EA launch in forever, and I haven't been this excited about a game (period) since Pathfinder: Kingmaker.

And I am guessing that BG3 is going to be released in a much more playable form than Pathfinder: Kingmaker was. I played the buggy mess that was release and still loved the buggy mess, now that it's "finished" and has a turn based mode I'm probably going to do another play-through before BG3 comes out.

(And there's EA "Grounded" and "Kill All Humans" that I'm working through at the moment as well. Fun little games, but not exactly RPGs.)

Is the player perspective in BG3 third person like in Dragon Age Origins (with optional top view)? I really liked that.

Originally Posted by SpoonFULL
Is the player perspective in BG3 third person like in Dragon Age Origins (with optional top view)? I really liked that.

Only answer I could find so here you go.

Like all past BG games, BG3 will be played from a third-person isometric perspective with real-time exploration, but will have turn-based combat this time. So, you have time to think about strategies and tactics in combat.