Baldur's Gate 3 Length is a Double-Edged Sword
by Indhu
Updated Sep 04, 2023
Baldur's Gate 3 Length is a Double-Edged Sword
Baldur's Gate 3 is a sprawling RPG that delivers a massive and meticulously crafted open-world experience, providing RPG enthusiasts with unprecedented player freedom and a fresh perspective on the genre. However, the game's substantial size and abundance of content can be a double-edged sword.
While many players appreciate the vastness of Baldur's Gate 3's world, which goes beyond just its map size to encompass branching narratives, side quests, and exploration opportunities, it's essential to acknowledge that this epic adventure is far from a quick gaming experience.
Larian Studios has openly stated that an average playthrough of the game can consume up to a staggering 100 hours. When you factor in the game's missable quests and exceptional replay value, this hour count can easily escalate.
Despite the game's impressive achievements, its extensive nature may pose challenges for some players. The sheer volume of content can be overwhelming and mentally exhausting, potentially making the game feel like an endless task, leading to fatigue during extended gaming sessions.
Additionally, the practical constraints of real-life commitments and the presence of other game releases may prevent some players from fully diving into Baldur's Gate 3, leaving them with a sense of missing out on other gaming experiences.
However, Baldur's Gate 3 distinguishes itself from other massive open-world titles that prioritize quantity over quality. The consensus among gamers is that nearly everything in the game is carefully crafted and genuinely worthwhile, ensuring that players do not encounter the common issue of repetitive or uninspired content.
Moreover, the game's expansiveness grants players an extraordinary degree of freedom to shape their own adventures, even though some players may have criticisms about certain choices and their outcomes.
The length and scale of Baldur's Gate 3's gameplay are a mixed blessing. While it provides an unparalleled RPG experience for those willing to immerse themselves fully, it can be a daunting and time-consuming journey for others with limited time or competing gaming priorities.
Nonetheless, for those who hold a deep affection for the game, its extensive nature stands as one of its most remarkable features.
Baldurs Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3, developed and published by Larian Studios, marks the third installment in the renowned Baldur's Gate series, a franchise deeply rooted in the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system.
Initially introduced as an early access version on macOS, Windows, and the Stadia streaming service on October 6, 2020, the game underwent an extensive early access phase before its official release on Windows on August 3, 2023.
Upcoming releases are also anticipated, with macOS and PlayStation 5 versions set for September 6, 2023, and an Xbox Series X/S version planned for the same year.
Critically acclaimed, Baldur's Gate 3 has garnered praise from reviewers for its engaging gameplay, compelling narrative, wealth of content, and the remarkable degree of player choice it offers.
Baldurs Gate 3 Plot
The storyline of Baldur's Gate 3 unfolds in the year 1492 DR, occurring over a century after the events of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and shortly following the occurrences in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.
The game introduces a branching plot structure where key story elements remain relatively consistent, regardless of the player's choices, but with significant variations in the details, particularly concerning numerous side quests.
The narrative commences with the player character awakening inside an illithid flying ship known as a nautiloid. They soon discover they are implanted with an illithid tadpole, a parasitic creature that can enslave and transform individuals into mind flayers. However, the ship comes under attack from githyanki warriors and their red dragons before the transformation can complete.
Amid the chaos, the protagonist is freed and manages to crash the ship back onto the continent of Faerûn. As they seek a way to remove the tadpole, they encounter other survivors from the shipwreck, each implanted with tadpoles of their own: Lae'zel, a githyanki fighter; Shadowheart, a Sharran cleric; Astarion, a high elf vampire; Gale, a human wizard; Wyll, a human warlock; and Karlach, a tiefling barbarian.
The primary focus of the first act revolves around potential cures for the tadpole infection. Various characters and entities, including the malevolent hag Ethel, the archdruid Halsin, a goblin priestess serving the nascent "deity" known as the Absolute, and the renowned bard Volo, all attempt unsuccessfully to provide a cure.
Simultaneously, the fate of the Emerald Grove takes center stage as local druids and refugees from the town of Elturel face off against a goblin horde from nearby desecrated Selunite temples. A mysterious prism in possession of Shadowheart proves instrumental in protecting the party against a psychic force as they approach the temple.
The second act shifts the focus to Moonrise Towers and its surrounding lands, once a peaceful territory under the Thorm family's stewardship. The fields are now shrouded in an unnatural and sentient darkness, penetrable only through magical means.
The Last Light, a small tavern held by a group of tiefling refugees, Flaming Fist conscripts, and Harpers, offers the only sanctuary. General Ketheric Thorm's resurrected daughter, Isobel, serves as the tavern's protector and unveils the curse plaguing the land, which her father's abandonment of Selune exacerbated. The protagonist delves into the depths of the Moonrise Towers in pursuit of the "Nightsong," a mysterious artifact.
These towers house a vast temple to Shar, leading to Shar's personal domain, Shadowfell, where the Nightsong is revealed to be an imprisoned aasimar named Dame Aylin, a daughter of the moon goddess Selune.
Ketheric had used her as an engine of his immortality and a ritual component for followers of Shar. The player has the choice to spare or slay Dame Aylin, profoundly influencing the plot's progression.
The third act unfolds within Baldur's Gate and the suburb of Rivington, with a focus on the remaining antagonists' efforts to manipulate the protagonist against each other. Companions also find resolutions to their personal quests during this phase.
An ambush by githyanki reveals the true nature of the player character's "Dream Visitor" as the renegade illithid known as the Emperor, who oversees the imprisonment of Orpheus, a powerful githyanki and source of the player's psionic resistance against the Absolute.
The protagonist confronts the Chosens of the Dead Three, gathering netherstones to subdue the Elder Brain. In the climactic battle, the player character, Orpheus, Karlach, or another party member willingly transforms into a mind flayer to wield the netherstones effectively.
The conclusion sees the player deciding whether to rule alongside the Absolute or destroy it, along with the tadpoles, ending the cult's influence forever. Player choices throughout the game significantly impact the ending and the fates of various characters.
Baldurs Gate 3 Gameplay
Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing video game that offers both a single-player and cooperative multiplayer experience. In this game, players have the flexibility to create one or more characters and assemble a party, which can include a variety of pre-generated characters, to embark on their journey through the game's narrative. Additionally, players have the option to join forces with other online players, using their created characters to form a cooperative party.
The game features turn-based combat, a gameplay style familiar to fans of the Baldur's Gate series and reminiscent of Larian Studios' previous titles, Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin II. The combat system adheres closely to the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, providing a strategic and tactical experience for players as they engage in battles and confront various challenges throughout the game.
Baldurs Gate 3 Trailer
Baldur's Gate 3 Length is a Double-Edged Sword- FAQs
Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios, set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
The game was released in early access format on October 6, 2020, for macOS, Windows, and Stadia. The full release for Windows occurred on August 3, 2023.
An average playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 can take up to 100 hours, considering the game's size and replay value.
Yes, the game has multiple endings based on player choices, offering a high degree of replayability.
Baldur's Gate 3 was initially released on macOS, Windows, and Stadia.