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Larian Studios reveals Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay, plans early access in August

Larian Studios has provided a glimpse into the gameplay of Baldur’s Gate 3, and revealed a possible early access launch in August for the highly anticipated RPG.

Baldur’s Gate 3, which is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, was featured in the first day of the Guerilla Collective, an online digital games festival. Larian Studios released its announcement trailer for early access, which also featured snapshots of the RPG’s gameplay.

Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Release Window Announcement Trailer

Larian Studios then released Community Update #3 for Baldur’s Gate 3, where Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke said that while the plan is to roll out the game on early access in August, it may still be delayed as the team’s progress has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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According to Vincke, there are some factors significantly affecting the development of Baldur’s Gate 3. One of these is the studio’s motion capturing, work on which has already restarted as people have begun returning to the office. He added that if Larian Studios is able to achieve and adequate speed with the process, the RPG should be ready in time for early access in August.

Vincke said that there have been major improvements since the game was showcased at PAX East in February. He also promised that Baldur’s Gate 3 will look even better upon release as development will continue after the early access launch.

A Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay livestream is set for June 18 at D&D Live 2020, so players who want to see the latest updates on the RPG should tune in to the online event.

Larian Studios confirmed in February that Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch in early access this year after a Google Stadia post claimed that the RPG was one of the games that will be coming to the streaming service this year.

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Baldur’s Gate 3 will get modding support and more in next patch
The half elf shadowheart stares pensively at glowing in her hands in Baldur's Gate 3.

Despite Larian Studios moving on to new projects, it's not abandoning Baldur's Gate 3 just yet. The studio announced that Patch 7 is on the way in September, and it's bringing some much-requested features, including the long-awaited modding toolkit. A post on Steam delves into more details surrounding the toolkit, along with new features like dynamic split-screen mode and improvements to the permadeath Honour Mode.

The modding kit uses Mod.io, so players can download mods on both PC and console. Larian will still allow players to make mods outside the toolkit, but using the software will be the best way to ensure mods will remain compatible with any future fixes. It also offers easy access to assets such as cosmetics, classes, the UI, and more, along with an interface that's not just a long list of code.

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A character speaks in Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 will finally get official modding support this September when Larian Studios releases Patch 7.

The developer confirmed this news in its latest community update on the Steam page for Baldur's Gate 3. Although this patch is a few months out, Larian announced it early because it wants to beta test what it's calling the "Baldur's Gate 3 Toolkit" prior to a wide release. It's inviting popular modders to test out the toolkit this month and will hold a bigger closed beta that supports 1,000 players in July.

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Shadowheart post-launch outfit in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 game director Swen Vincke shocked fans of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG when he revealed that the critically acclaimed game would not get any expansions and that Larian Studios would not go right into making Baldur's Gate 4. Considering how much of a runaway success Baldur's Gate 3 has been, it seemed like that would be the most logical continuation of things. Larian isn't the only studio to leave behind a wildly successful game either; Nintendo has confirmed The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also won't get any expansions.

Those might seem like baffling decisions, both from a business perspective and from the point of view of an eager player who just wants more of a thing they love. But they become a lot more understandable when you learn to view these games as complete works, appreciate the post-launch support that has happened for a game like Baldur's Gate 3, and turn that excitement toward whatever is coming next from these developers.
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Vincke explained to IGN that Larian had actually started to do some preliminary work on Baldur's Gate 3 DLC but that the constraints of working within D&D 5th edition meant that work "wasn't really coming from the heart" and that the team's passion lied with two other projects Larian wanted to make. As a result, leadership at Larian made the decision not to work on a massive expansion or sequel to Baldur's Gate 3 for the time being, and Vincke claims the studio was "elated" by that decision. Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma offered a similar sentiment when he revealed Tears of the Kingdom wasn't getting DLC, explaining that "we feel like we have already fully explored and exhausted the gameplay possibilities in this world" and that "the next [Zelda] game will offer a completely new experience."

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