Baldur's Gate 3: Should You Evolve or Not?
by Srinithi
Updated Sep 05, 2023
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3, developed and published by Larian Studios, is the third installment in the Baldur's Gate series, inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system. The game initially launched in early access for macOS, Windows, and Stadia on October 6, 2020, and saw its full release on Windows on August 3, 2023. Upcoming releases include macOS and PlayStation 5 versions on September 6, 2023, and the Xbox Series X/S version in 2023.
Critics have praised Baldur's Gate 3 for its gameplay, engaging narrative, substantial content, and the significant impact of player choices on the gaming experience.
Baldur's Gate 3: Should You Evolve or Not?
Players facing the decision of whether or not to evolve should carefully weigh their priorities. If a player's primary objective is to maximize their characters' power, evolving into a Partial-Illithid can be beneficial. This transformation grants access to valuable Tier 1 Illithid Powers for free, the ability to Fly, and Tier 3 Illithid Powers that can be unlocked with points, including:
1. Absorb Intellect (Action)
2. Black Hole (Action)
3. Displacer Beast Shape (Action)
4. Fracture Psyche (Action)
5. Freecast (Passive Feature)
6. Illithid Expertise (Passive Feature)
7. Mind Blast (Action)
8. Psionic Dominance (Reaction)
However, players should be aware that this transformation results in a visual change where the character becomes covered with black veins, which some may find off-putting. Additionally, those who prioritize roleplaying and have characters with certain alignments or beliefs may not find evolving suitable for their narrative.
Nevertheless, evolving into a Partial-Illithid won't restrict access to content or endings, allowing players to continue roleplaying as they did before, provided they can overlook the appearance change.
Baldur's Gate 3 Gameplay
Baldur's Gate 3 is a role-playing video game offering both single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes. Players have the freedom to create and manage one or more characters, assembling a party that includes pre-generated characters for an immersive story-driven experience. Additionally, players can choose to join forces online with others, combining their characters into a collaborative party.
In terms of gameplay, Baldur's Gate 3 features turn-based combat, reminiscent of Larian's earlier titles like Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin II. This combat system adheres to the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, adding depth and authenticity to the gameplay.
Baldur's Gate 3 Plot
Baldur's Gate 3 unfolds in the year 1492 DR, a setting that follows the events of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn by more than 120 years and takes place shortly after the occurrences in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. The game boasts a narrative that branches out, providing a mostly consistent main storyline while introducing significant variations in the finer points, particularly with regards to numerous side quests.
Players have the option to initiate their adventure by crafting an original character, essentially a "blank canvas" in terms of backstory, selecting from six pre-designed "origin characters," or choosing a customizable seventh "origin character." Each of these potential player characters possesses distinct questlines and certain unique paths, although their overall gameplay experiences remain largely consistent, adapting to the player's chosen play style.
Baldur's Gate 3 Development
The original Baldur's Gate, developed by BioWare and Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment in 1998, utilized a licensed version of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) rule set, specifically in the Forgotten Realms setting. This success led to a sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and its expansion pack, as well as Icewind Dale and its sequel, and Planescape: Torment.
Black Isle Studios initiated work on a sequel titled Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound in 2003 but faced financial crises, leading to the studio's shutdown and the cancellation of the game. The rights to create D&D video games were lost to Atari in 2008, who later released Neverwinter Nights and its sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2. Wizards of the Coast, which had acquired the Dungeons & Dragons franchise in 1997, had been making rule set updates over the years.
Larian Studios expressed interest in creating a new Baldur's Gate game after releasing Divinity: Original Sin around 2014. However, Wizards of the Coast initially hesitated, considering Larian too inexperienced. After Larian developed Divinity: Original Sin II, released in September 2017, Wizards of the Coast took notice and contacted Larian, leading to the development of Baldur's Gate 3.
Baldur's Gate 3 was originally scheduled for early access on 30 September 2020 but was later postponed to 6 October 2020. Early access included only the first act of the game, around 25 hours of content and a fifth of the game world's map. Additional features and content were gradually introduced through patches during early access. After the closure of Stadia in January 2023, the full version of the game for Stadia was canceled.
Baldur's Gate 3 was fully released on 3 August 2023 for Windows, 6 September 2023 for macOS and PlayStation 5, and a later Xbox Series X/S release was confirmed. Spike Chunsoft published the PlayStation 5 version in Japan.
Baldur's Gate 3 Trailer
Baldur's Gate 3: Should You Evolve or Not-FAQ
Evolving in Baldur's Gate 3 involves transforming into a Partial-Illithid and grants access to powerful abilities, including Tier 1 and Tier 3 Illithid Powers, the ability to Fly, and more. It can significantly enhance a character's power.
Upon evolving into a Partial-Illithid, characters receive Tier 1 Illithid Powers for free and can unlock Tier 3 Illithid Powers with points. These powers include abilities like Absorb Intellect, Black Hole, Displacer Beast Shape, and more.
Yes, evolving results in a visual transformation where the character becomes covered with black veins, which some players may find off-putting. Additionally, characters with certain alignments or roleplaying preferences may not find evolving suitable for their narrative.
Yes, evolving into a Partial-Illithid does not restrict access to content or endings. Players can continue to roleplay as they did before the transformation, provided they can overlook the appearance change.
Players should consider their primary objectives. If maximizing character power is essential, evolving can be beneficial. However, those who prioritize roleplaying and have specific character alignments or beliefs may opt not to evolve based on their narrative preferences.