Larian Studios’ Masterful Work On Baldur’s Gate 3 Strengthens The Case For Divinity: Original Sin 3

Old School CRPGs with a rich fantasy world and dungeons to explore with trusty companions were an integral part of our childhood and the genre continues to receive modern iterations. Baldur’s Gate 3 is one such adventure, bringing a fresh but authentic take on the tabletop Dungeons and Dragons formula. Presenting bizarre ideas and the possibility of them becoming a reality rarely happens in video games.

Baldur’s Gate series was initiated by BioWare, and the series received multiple subsequent titles from different developers. Thus, the task of creating the series’ latest venture fell on the shoulders of Larian Studios. The developers of Divinity: Original Sin left nothing to worry about, utilizing their expertise in the genre to deliver an epic product. And thus, we wish the Divinity series receives the same treatment in a possible sequel.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Is A Love Letter To D&D Fans

We all fondly remember the simpler and fun times when we gathered friends and pulled out the old D&D box. The Dungeon Master‘s iconic lines of summoning brave heroes to delve into a rich fantasy world echoed in our minds as we imagined ourselves immersed in that surroundings. For every situation we faced, we presented bizarre solutions to the DM as he rolled the dice to let fate decide.

It’s difficult to reproduce that feeling of freedom in pre-designed games of today, but somehow Baldur’s Gate 3 does that exceptionally, despite being in early access, and fans respond with equal dedication. This is also the game’s biggest achievement, how it lets you do anything imaginable like the classic D&D experience. For every situation you face, even your surrounding, battles, or quests, you can present your solution and roll the D20 to make it happen.

This game is incredibly ambitious.
by u/VeritasLuxMea in BaldursGate3

There aren’t any games that let you bypass a quest entirely by going around and climbing the mountain to reach the objective, and that is some of the things Baldur’s Gate 3 lets you do. In addition, the game presents a rich and intricate turn-based battle system utilizing the dice to influence your actions, and a supposed brutal hard mode to relish in the true thrill of the RPG’s mechanics.

An impressive addition is the ability to explore with both the standard real-time system and the classic dice-controlled D&D fashion. You can switch out of the real-time system to roll the D20 for laying traps and looking for secrets or goodies. This is also incorporated in the multiplayer system, where the player can choose their mode. One player can go out to explore in real-time, while the others can bring up the dice to survey their environments.

To create a truly immersive experience, the game presents you with a highly detailed character creation system. Of course, you have the option to choose and start with a set of pre-determined characters, but the ability to create a character to your liking is something highly desired in an RPG of this scale. Moreover, Baldur’s Gate 3 seems to be putting a lot of focus on the character development and their story revolving around building trust.

A D&D RPG would be incomplete without a good story and party mechanics, and Baldur’s Gate 3 has you fully covered on that front, as it brings hours of cutscenes to deliver it. Not much is known yet, but the game possesses a ton of content and possibilities to explore. With hours upon hours of playthrough and a whopping 17000 different endings, your choices and interactions are bound to play a significant role.

As the game is still in early access, there are many problems to fix and much content to bring, but Larian’s passion for D&D and this game is quite apparent, as a project of this scale is pretty difficult to replicate. It’s the most D&D feel I’ve gotten in years, and the excellent battle system is a thrill in itself. Gather your friends, create your characters, and be ready to craft creative solutions and roll the virtual dice to see them become reality.

Reminder that it is Early Access and not a full release. It'll crash / stuff will go wrong / not everything is polished or even finished. However, it's already loads of fun, it's packed with content and I'm very very proud of what our team accomplished.

— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) October 6, 2020

The Case For Divinity: Original Sin 3

Baldur’s Gate is a franchise that went through many changes over time. The enormous originals were developed by BioWare. Subsequently, Snowblind and Black Isle studios developed the Dark Alliance Saga and Overhaul Games made the enhanced editions. For the latest entry, the developers changed once again to Larian Studios, but we weren’t worried in the slightest because of its work on the Divinity series.

Although there are multiple earlier entries in the franchise, the titles most gamers are familiar with are Original Sin 1 and 2, which brought the series mainstream recognition. Larian crafted an epic adventure with Original Sin; a rich fantasy world with meaningful characters and their development, an immersive story to keep you on edge, and an excellent turn-based battle system with a high degree of strategic elements.

Original Sin earned its place among the best RPGs, but it’s Divinity: Original Sin 2 where the series became immortalized and received widespread renown. The sequel vastly improved everything the prior entry had to offer. A much more refined combat system with tactical options like environmental effects and acquiring the high ground, and a memorable story filled with well-written characters.

The most impressive was how the overall fantasy world was crafted. It felt very genuine and filled with interesting content to do. The straight-up fun combat, companion interactions, and strategic placement, the ability to choose pre-designed characters and witness their story or create a custom character of choice, and the creative dungeon design shoot up the replayability value of this masterpiece.

I was in total awe when I saw everything fit together brilliantly in this epic adventure. The game is among my favorite RPGs and it’s a shame we haven’t got a sequel yet. However, it is quite understandable since the studio had the towering task of Baldur’s Gate 3 on hand. And now, looking at Baldur’s Gate 3, my desire for Divinity: Original Sin 3 has skyrocketed since this new title fundamentally takes Original Sin 2’s formula and builds upon it.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the greatest RPG I’ve ever played, by far
by in rpg_gamers

Baldur’ Gate 3 happened when the devs took Original Sin 2 and mixed it perfectly with D&D 5th edition. A lot of mechanics like the dual gameplay systems, choice of character types, basic combat elements and tactics, and the overall design are straight from the studio’s previous masterpiece. If they can use it to create a great D&D game, I highly look forward to what they can do with Divinity: Original Sin 3.

Larian Studios Has Much Work To Do

As much as I would love Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian Studios’ priority should be to focus on refining Baldur’s Gate 3 first and fixing its issues. Thankfully, the game steers clear of the controversial changes proposed for the D&D 5th edition which I believe is a sensible decision. Instead of overhauling combat rules with every change, the game should stick to its systems and deliver rich content for the full release.

The most critical issue is to fix the game-breaking crashes, performance drops, and visual glitches that are ruining this great adventure. These problems are a turn-off for many players as the game becomes unplayable for them. Similarly, smaller issues like clunky movement and navigation at times need to be fixed. Right now it’s early access so the problems are tolerable, but the gamers will surely be discouraged if they carry on to the final release.

After Larian is done perfecting the game for official release, it would be time to consider a sequel to the critically acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin 2. As we’ve seen with Baldur’s Gate 3, the basic structure and mechanics of Original Sin 2 can be brought back and refined alongside a new cast and story just as impressive if not more. Removing the D&D skin, they have a pretty solid draft to work with.

DOS3 after Baldur’s Gate 3?
by u/Kuraboii in DivinityOriginalSin

An important thing to consider is the attention to detail and dedication depicted in Baldur’s Gate 3 which should be retained. Original Sin 3 should put more focus on the freedom of choice and its involvement in deciding the outcome. The ability to determine self-derived solutions to quests and story choices leading to several different endings is something Original Sin 3 will surely benefit from.

Larian Studios did an excellent job with Baldur’s Gate 3, crafting an authentic D&D experience filled with passion and a thrill of adventure that shines brightly even when surrounded by great RPGs. There is still much refinement to do, but this quality product and the fact that it’s based upon Original Sin 2 fundamentally bolster the case for an Original Sin 3 as fans eagerly await the franchise’s return.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently in early access on macOS and Windows, with the full version releasing for PC on August 3, 2023, for PS5 on September 6, 2023, and on an unannounced date for Xbox Series X|S.