Larian Studios delayed the early access portion of Baldur's Gate 3 back in July, but didn't give a new estimate on when we might finally get our hands on the game. Now today, during a 90 minute livestream showing new gameplay details, we have an answer.
Early access for Baldur's Gate 3 begins on September 30th on Steam. The stream highlighted the sheer size of the game, using Larian Studios' other popular RPG, Divinity: Original Sin 2 as a comparison when it hit early access.
● Number of combat encounters: 22 in DOS2 EA vs. 80 in BG3 EA
● Number of English dialogue lines: 17,600 in DOS2 EA vs. 45,980 in BG3 EA
● Number of characters: 142 in DOS2 EA vs. 596 in BG3 EA
● Number of spells/actions: 69 in DOS2 EA vs. 146 in BG3 EA
The final part of the game’s now roughly six-minute CGI introduction revealed that players begin their journey in Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. Avernus featured heavily in the recently released D&D adventure module Descent Into Avernus, which saw the entire city of Elturel dragged into hell. The city was saved, but the aftermath of that cataclysmic event casts a shadow over the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. Players won’t just see the aftermath, however; captive aboard a nautiloid, they’ll take part in a daring escape as the ship jumps between planes of existence and is caught in the fury of the eternal, apocalyptic Blood War that rages across the hellscape. Avernus will be featured throughout the game, alongside many other locations to be announced later.
Baldur's Gate 3 will feature four player online co-op throughout the story.