An epic saga about the children of a god: The story of Baldur's Gate is still burned into the memory of many role players. But Baldur's Gate 3 will not continue this story directly; the Bhaalkind no longer plays a role in the new part of the series.
This has only partly to do with the fact that the new developer Larian Studios wants to put its own stamp on the game – and much more with the fact that it is simply not possible.
The Baldur's Gate story will be part 3 myth
Baldur's Gate 3 takes place 100 years after the events of Part 2 and its add-on throne of Bhaal. Because the underlying 5th edition of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons is officially located in this time frame.
A direct story sequel was not an option. However, Larian has found a way to build connections to the known stories anyway, as Adam Smith from the team of authors explains in an interview:
"It goes deeper than pure fan service. We really want to appreciate the characters and events of the original games. There are memories of these events. We don't have to include Easter Eggs because they are simply deep in the structure of the world When you visit the city of Baldur's Gate, people will remember what happened back then. So we can refer to it, kind of a nod. "
According to Smith, the story of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 in the sequel will have an almost mythological note: "These incidents are legendary." The residents of Faerûn, the classic fantasy world from the D&D universe of the Forgotten Realms, talk about the Bhaalkind and his story as we did about the siege of Troy or the fall of Icarus.
"We want to tell a story that fits into this world and the historical events. This is an exciting opportunity. We want to stay true to the themes and soul of the original games. […] We make a game of which I think it's going to delight fans of its predecessors, but it's also our own story. "
However, despite his best intentions, Larian could split the fan community with his new role-playing game – you can read the reasons for this in the large Baldur's Gate 3 title story.
We saw far more of Baldur's Gate 3 than was shown in the PAX livestream. Now there are the answers in the cover story: How do sneaking, climbing and dialogs work in Baldur's Gate 3? What does history promise? Is there an open world? You can read and see all the details at GameStar Plus!
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Larian Studios also has permission from D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast to allow certain well-known characters to reappear in the game. Larian senior writer Adam Smith explains this:
"There are people [from the time of the Bhaalkind story] who are still there who survived. You saw Volo [the storyteller]. He won't be the only character. Some people are dead, some don't come back. But death isn't always the end either. Baldur's Gate 3 takes place in a world in which many, many things are possible. "
Among other things, Ranger Minsc could appear, who has existed as a petrified statue for almost 100 years and has recently come back to life in the Pen & Paper. His miniature giant hamster Boo, of course, included.
However, seeing the Bhaalkind, the protagonist of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2, is less likely, but not impossible, as Adam Smith's suggestion suggests.
In the meantime, the hero of the old bioware games has given up the spoon, and according to the official D&D canon, he died in a murder attack.
Before his death, the hero served as a council member in the city of Baldur's Gate. However, you can speak to the dead in Baldur's Gate 3.
You can see an example of this ability and many other features in our extra-long preview video for Baldur's Gate 3.