# Baldur's Gate 3! {finally Released August 3rd, 2023} **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [February 28, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681 "2020-02-28T23:42:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/1 "2020-02-28T23:42:40Z")
I can’t believe this is really happening, but here’s the [announcement](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maijYOOO-pE). I can’t wait! Woo-hoo! ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/2 "2020-02-29T00:52:58Z")
I like the original BG but didn’t really like the 2nd Edition. Hopefully this will be better. I plan to buy. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/3 "2020-02-29T01:11:47Z")
Here is about [an hour of the gameplay](https://youtu.be/XJhawYZwvPI?t=1550) from yesterday’s demo at PAX East. Looks great. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/4 "2020-02-29T01:14:40Z")
For those that don’t know, this is from [Larian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larian_Studios), makers of the Divinity games. I haven’t played the earlier titles yet, but Original Sin 1/2 were excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/5 "2020-02-29T01:32:40Z")
I’m incredibly pumped for this. I’ve been waiting nearly three decades for a Baldurs Fate game that did away with real time combat. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/6 "2020-02-29T01:50:48Z")
Larian is basically the dream studio for something like that. I wasn’t in love with DOS, but they really stepped it up for DOS2. If they can keep raising the bar, BG3 is going to be an easy GOTY contender. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/7 "2020-02-29T02:11:04Z")
5e D&D is a really solid system that should translate very well to the computer. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/8 "2020-02-29T02:41:28Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > 5e D&D is a really solid system that should translate very well to the computer. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up. It seems the one bone of contention people are arguing about is Baldur’s Gate 3 being turned based combat only. Previously it was real time with pause. I am good with both but it seems there are strong opinions on both sides. To be fair I don’t get the sense this is a huge deal but a point of contention. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/9 "2020-02-29T04:25:03Z")
I don’t know if I’ll get the game just on the turn-based lock. I know there are people to love it, but to me that mode is slow, unwieldy, prone to weird results based on turn order, and just not as fun. A shame, because I’m a massive BG nerd. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/10 "2020-02-29T12:17:06Z")
I for one welcome our new turn-based overlords. I want to play BG when I’m in the mood for D&D but no group is meeting. Like today, because one of our players had to bail ☹ I’m not looking for “real time” because that’s just taking me further away from D&D. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/11 "2020-02-29T18:40:39Z")
I have mixed feelings about this. I played the hell out of Baldur’s Gate 1 back in the day. Baldur’s Gate 2 was okay, but I disliked how many enemies had total immunity to various attacks, especially wizard enemies where you were forced to strip off multiple defensive spells. I thought Divinity: Original Sin 1 was moderately entertaining, but I found the shtick wore kind of thin by the time I played Divinity: Original Sin 2; the fights started getting kind of repetitive. My favourite retro-clone has been Pillars of Eternity, which I really enjoyed. I haven’t played Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire yet. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/12 "2020-02-29T20:26:05Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I have mixed feelings about this. I played the hell out of Baldur’s Gate 1 back in the day. Baldur’s Gate 2 was okay, but I disliked how many enemies had total immunity to various attacks, especially wizard enemies where you were forced to strip off multiple defensive spells. That mechanic never bothered me, but then I was a former paper player of AD&D 2.0-2.5 so I was comfortable with it. What was most enjoyable for me about the BG series is the massive size and epic scope. It really did play like an escalating series of old school AD&D modules. I really enjoy many of the newer Pillars of Eternity/Divinity-style retro party rpgs. But I find most of them mostly disappointingly short. Tyranny for example - not perfect, but a nice game with a nice setup. But quite short, with an annoyingly abrupt ending. There was a great deal of satisfaction( for me )in completing the BG series, with a properly grand ending. I rather miss that. No doubt it is tied to different economics of PC games today, but I do rather miss that feeling of first-level to god-level epic progress over a long period of time. But then I prefer long, interminable games generally. Give me Medieval Total War with its hour-plus length battles over its busy-people friendlier, quicker-playing successors any day ;). Very excited about a BG3, but I’ll temper my expectations. I also much prefer paused real-time, but I a can certainly live with turns. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/13 "2020-02-29T20:45:31Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > That mechanic never bothered me, but then I was a former paper player of AD&D 2.0-2.5 so I was comfortable with it. I have played plenty of old school D&D games, and wizards starting battle with (say) immediate immunity to non-magical and magical weapons was not a thing I ever encountered. YMMV, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/14 "2020-02-29T21:22:55Z")
BG3 is looking really good in previews. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/15 "2020-02-29T21:23:55Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I have played plenty of old school D&D games, and wizards starting battle with (say) immediate immunity to non-magical and magical weapons was not a thing I ever encountered. YMMV, of course. Stoneskin has always been a classic, and in earlier editions was even nastier than in 3E, protecting completely from the first several attacks the wizard faced. Did you play to high levels in those old school games, and did you fight wizards? ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/16 "2020-02-29T21:41:08Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m incredibly pumped for this. I’ve been waiting nearly three decades for a Baldurs Fate game that did away with real time combat. What did you think of Siege of Dragonspear? I remember that I liked it. Granted, the feel was a bit more like fanfic than the writing in 1 and 2, but it was pretty good. Or i was just fiending for another Bhaalspawn adventure in 2E. This can’t be about Gorion’s Ward, can it? What is left to tell? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/17 "2020-02-29T21:41:21Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Stoneskin has always been a classic, and in earlier editions was even nastier than in 3E, protecting completely from the first several attacks the wizard faced. Did you play to high levels in those old school games, and did you fight wizards? Also worth remembering that early edition AD&D wizards were very unbalanced. Weak and fragile as kittens early on, impregnable powerhouses late. I rather enjoyed that - but I’ve always been heavily biased towards spell-casting classes. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/18 "2020-02-29T23:57:12Z")
Ok, that looks great! I loved the first one, no telling how many playthroughs or hours I have in it. I like the tactical aspect of the turn based combat. Really looking forward to this. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/19 "2020-03-01T00:28:53Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > What did you think of Siege of Dragonspear? I remember that I liked it. Granted, the feel was a bit more like fanfic than the writing in 1 and 2, but it was pretty good. Or i was just fiending for another Bhaalspawn adventure in 2E. I never played it. It was turn-based? I thought it was just using the standard BG2 engine. > [@](#): > > This can’t be about Gorion’s Ward, can it? What is left to tell? It’s not. This one is set 100 years after BGII, and is an entirely new story. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681/20 "2020-03-01T01:49:53Z")
I enjoy turn-based and real-time combat, but to me you’ve got to have turn-based combat to really feel like you’re playing a tabletop RPG. I’m happy with the direction they’re taking. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baldurs-gate-3-finally-released-august-3rd-2023/848681.md?page=2)