After three long years in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally ready for its official full release. Set in the universe of Dungeons and Dragons, this party-based RPG is packed with a vibrant story full of fellowship, betrayal, survival, and sacrifice.
To ensure your party is up to speed and ready to embark on this journey, we’ve included everything there is to know about Baldur’s Gate 3 into this one handy post. We’ve highlighted all the exciting gameplay features, in-depth story, multiplayer features, official PC system specification, and of course, our top PC recommendations!
The Gameplay
Abducted, lost, and infected by a Mind Flayer parasite, the corruption within you is slowly growing more powerful. But so are you. This corruptive power might just be what helps you to survive, or it might just manipulate you further into becoming the ultimate evil. Whatever the case, there is a price to pay. This inner conflict and the one between devils and deities, will push you into making decisions that might just alter the future of the Forgotten Realms forever.
You’ll need to venture through this vast and detailed world, as you uncover its secrets and hone your skills. Explore all the way from the depths of the Underdark to the rooftops of the Upper City. Along the way, loot, battle, and even romance the unique cast of characters that you’ll meet. This includes the evil General Ketheric Thorn, who just may be voiced by legendary JK Simmons…
Character Classes:
You can choose from a number of different character classes and D&D races, each with its own unique personality, interactions, abilities, and weaponry.
Some of the character classes you can choose from include:
- Druid
- Rogue
- Barbarian
- Sorcerer
- Bard
- Monk
Origin Characters:
Alternatively, you can also opt to choose one of Larian’s origin characters or completely create your own by designing their story and background from scratch. If decide to craft your own, the origin characters will be available to select as companions.
There are six origin characters, including:
- Astarion – high elf rogue
- Gale – human wizard
- Lae-zel – Githyanki fighter
- Shadowheart – half-elf cleric
- Wyll – human warlock
- Karlach – Tiefling barbarian
Turn-based Combat:
Inspired by the classic D&D 5e ruleset, Baldur’s Gate 3 features an in-depth turn-based combat system. This includes team-based initiatives, advantages and disadvantages for your party members, roll modifiers, combat cameras, along with expanded environmental interactions.
What’s more, you can even pause the world around you. You may spot the perfect moment for a tactical advantage, have the urge to pull off the ultimate heist, or even create an escape plan.
How Has Baldur’s Gate 3 Been Developed in Early Access?
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been in early access since 2020. This has allowed developers to continue to work on the game, listen to community feedback, along with locating and fixing any unwanted bugs.
Throughout its time in early access, developers, Larian, have expanded on the game by adding new classes such as Sorcerer and Barbarian, made key fixes to the in-depth character customisation, vibrant environment, gameplay, and any character bugs, along with redefining the combat system.
What’s more, players were originally capped at level 5, meaning those who have been waiting since 2020 can now finally enjoy the game’s full release and level up their character. In the full release, the level cap has been increased to 12, allowing players to access Dungeon and Dragons 5e’s powerful suite of 6th level spells.
What’s New in Patch 8
Patch 8 is set to be the last update for Baldur’s Gate 3 but it’s certainly a big one! Set to be released sometime in 2025, this update will add a photo mode, 12 new subclasses, and finally crossplay!
Crossplay has been something Baldur’s Gate 3 has been missing since it’s official release, but now that it’s heading this way, you’ll soon be able to invite your friends to join your party regardless of their platform. Plus, thanks to the Larian Network, you can now enter multiplayer lobbies with hundreds of other players across every platform!
In addition to crossplay, Patch 8 is set to bring one new subclass for all the existing classes in the game. This includes Bard, Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard. These subclasses will feature new abilities, animations, unique dialogue, and much more to further enhance your RPG experience.
The subclasses coming in Patch 8 include:
- Bard – College of Glamour
- Barbarian – Path of Giants
- Cleric – Death Domain
- Druid – Circle of Stars
- Paladin – Oath of the Crown
- Fighter – Arcane Archer
- Monk – Drunken Master
- Ranger – Swarmkeeper
- Rogue – Swashbuckler
- Sorcerer – Shadow Magic
- Warlock – Hexblade
- Wizard – Bladesinging
Finally, Photo Mode introduces a whole suite of new features which allow you to customise and edit your in-game photography. You’ll be able to take virtually any photograph you want whether you are adventuring, fighting off hordes of enemies, or enjoying a cinematic scene.
While Patch 8 may be the last major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios has confirmed that they won’t be stopping support for BG3. There will be future updates designed to help modders, bringing even ‘more functionality’ to allow players to truly tell their own stories. In fact, official mod tools for Baldur’s Gate 3 were released back in September 2024 with over 3,000 mods available to download currently.
Does Baldur’s Gate 3 Feature Multiplayer?
You can play Baldur’s Gate 3 with up to four players thanks to its dedicated online multiplayer mode. Either split up your party to embark on your own individual quests or concoct the perfect battle plan together as a squad.
Is Baldur’s Gate 3 a PC Exclusive?
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available from today on PC. It will also be released on PlayStation 5 in September 2023.
Official PC System Specification
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel i5 4690 or AMD FX 8350 | Intel i7 8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| Memory | 8GB RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD RX 480 | NVIDIA GeForce 2060 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 150GB available space | 150GB available space |
Our Top PCs to Play Baldur’s Gate 3
MSI Corsshair 16 HX Gaming Laptop:
Unlock powerful portable gaming performance with the MSI Crosshair 16 HX Gaming Laptop. Take advantage of the Intel i7-14700HX CPU and 16GB of DDR5 RAM to unlock ultra-fast speeds in both single- and multi-threaded tasks, alike. Plus, with an NVIDIA RTX 4070, all your favourite games will be rendered in hyper-realistic quality, with enhanced Ray Tracing and AI capabilities. Perfect for those late-night immersive gaming marathons! Lastly, harness the sleek 16.0’’ QHD+ display with up to 240Hz refresh rates to unlock crisp high-resolution visuals, along with vivid colours and ultra-fast response times.
MSI Raider 16 HX
- 16.0” QHD+ display
- Up to 240Hz refresh rates
- Includes an Intel i7-14700HX CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070
- 16GB DDR5 RAM
Looking to upgrade your portable gaming power? Be sure to check out our list of all the key features you need to look for in an MSI laptop!
Refract Gaming Jade Pre-built PC:
A part of our Refract Gaming range, the Jade pre-built system has been expertly designed for powerful performance in mid-tier gaming. Harness the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU, with its Zen 4 architecture, to unlock fast processing speeds and seamless multitasking. Both of which are enhanced one step further thanks to the 32GB of DDR5 RAM. Enjoy effortless gaming performance with no slow in-game loading times or input lag breaking your immersion. What’s more, utilise the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti to unlock high-res visuals and silky-smooth frame rates, complete with realistic lighting and shadows, thanks to support for Real-Time Ray Tracing. All of which you can enjoy at up to 1440p resolutions.
Lastly, the Refract Gaming Jade comes with a three year warranty which also covers parts and labour, for extra peace of mind during any much-needed repairs. Unfortunately, any mind flayer corruption isn’t covered.
Refract Gaming Jade
- Pre-built gaming PC
- Designed for mid-tier gaming and budding content creators
- VR ready
- Includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti GPU
- 32GB DDR4 RAM
OcUK Gaming Radiance Ember Configurable PC:
Enjoy next-level gaming with the OcUK Gaming Radiance Ember. This gaming PC comes equipped with all the hardware you need to enjoy playing the latest games, including Baldur’s Gate 3. This includes an Intel i5 13600 CPU, for powerful processing and enhanced efficiency, that is perfect for both work and play! What’s more, take advantage of the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti, to unlock enhanced Ray Tracing and AI capabilities. All your gaming worlds will be rendered in stunning photo-realistic quality with immersive lighting and shadows. Lastly, with a 1TB M.2 and optional SSDs, you’ll never need to worry about running out of precious storage space for your gaming library and more.
In addition to this, the OcUK Gaming Tritium is a configurable system, which means you can adjust the base hardware specification to suit your individual preferences. This includes customising the cable colour, graphics card, operating system, and adding up to three SSDs.
OcUK Gaming Radiance Ember
- Configurable gaming PC
- As standard includes an Intel i5 13600 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti
- 32GB DDR4 RAM
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Will You Be Playing Baldur’s Gate 3?
Will you be playing Baldur’s Gate 3? Are you planning on embarking on a solo adventure or getting the party together? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments below.
*Prices correct at time of writing and PC specs are subject to change.
- 9 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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