Baldur's Gate News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

One overlooked feature could easily save players thousands of gold, if they would only learn to manipulate it. There's plenty to buy and plenty to sell in the Forgotten Realms, and the flow of commerce all centers on 's diverse range of merchants. They're quite a departure from the usual RPG approach to shopping: instead of carrying the same inventory of generic potions and tools, with incrementally improving weapons and armor as the game goes on, many merchants have inventories full of rare, one-of-a-kind items. They're a reliable source of gear, and always worth checking when the party arrives in a new town.

might seem like a phenomenon unto itself, but there are plenty of other great options to find a similar brand of enjoyment on PC. The original was only one computer RPG among a rash of excellent titles that hit in the late 90s, and games that stay loyal to classic elements of the formula have continued to be released over the years. From fantasy classics to recent innovations, there's something for everyone who had a blast with

Before its release, promised to include 17,000 different endings — but does it really? There's undeniably a ton of player choice and variation in the game. There are even hundreds of contingencies and failsafes in case players try to break . It wouldn't be too much of a stretch at all to say there are thousands of different ways its story can play out, but 17,000 endings is an entirely different kind of claim.

When your character takes a level in a different class from their starting archetype in , you can create powerful multiclass combinations that use the best abilities from both paths. All 12 classes in the game can be mixed and matched to form deeper character builds across a campaign. Some spells and other skills pair up in interesting ways that you may not expect as your character grows.

Many different characters in get killed in gruesome murders, but you have a chance to solve who committed the one that took place in the Open Hand Temple. This place in Rivington has seen the unfortunate death of the Temple's leader, Father Logan. Only you and your party can investigate this crime and find the culprit behind the murder.

Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Guardian's Identity.

may be an adaptation of, but that doesn't always mean it's a perfect, one-to-one conversion. 's rules for resolving dialogue and combat scenarios are drawn directly from the Fifth Edition of rules, which was first released in 2014. This is the first mainline game in the series to be based on the Fifth Edition; the first and second both draw from the Second Edition. However, it draws more expansively from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which has been employed in modules and spin-offs since its very first edition.

Illithid powers are a potent way to increase a character's prowess in , but not every power is created equal. Although customizing growth is a major part of the game across the board, taking from the complex leveling system of tabletop, illithid powers most directly resemble the idea of a video game skill tree. Making the right choices when it comes to illithid powers can make a huge difference in the later parts of, and one particular ability has tremendous potential to transform a character in battle.

There are several characters in that are worth their own spin-off title in the series. The popular RPG by Larian Studios features a compelling story and part of that narrative value stems from the complexity of the characters that are presented throughout the campaign. These include the companions in , as well as several friendly – and even unfriendly – NPCs that players may encounter during their journeys along the Sword Coast. While there are a lot of interactable NPCs that do not have much to offer players, especially the citizens of the city in Act 3, several others are carefully developed over time.

has no shortage of humor, but some of the best jokes are often found outside the central content of the game. Dealing with mind flayer parasites and the threat of a mysterious god that could cause wide-scale catastrophe isn't exactly a lighthearted matter, so although there are plenty of quips here and there, the overall tone of the main story is often somber. Going off the beaten path can frequently end up revealing dark situations or tragic stories, but it also leads to a lot of general amusement that provides a nice change of pace.

In , making deals with devils is repeatedly emphasized to be a bad decision, and that the consequences can't be avoided. However, devils aren't the only creatures that the party can make deals with in. And just like dealing with devils, dealing with other creatures can also have unexpected or surprising consequences, such as debt collectors showing up to demand payment from the party.

Although Honour Mode in offers a unique challenge, the heightened difficulty also comes along with a single save slot, which can put much more focus on one of the game's biggest shortcomings. Added in the game's fifth major patch, Honour Mode is a difficulty setting that goes beyond even the previous hardest mode, Tactician, buffing enemy stats, changing their tactics, and giving bosses unique Legendary Actions to make them even more challenging. Along with the added in-game difficulty, though, Honour Mode also comes with the caveat of only allowing a single save, effectively eliminating save-scumming from the equation.

is playable without any prior knowledge or experience, but that can lead to missing context and a lack of explanation for some elements included in the game. Instead, gives enough information about enemies pulled from to explain why they should be avoided or eliminated, such as the illithid not having souls and seeking to turn others into illithid. However, there's a lot that goes unexplained for those who have no existing knowledge of the Forgotten Realms.

True Soul Nere is one of the many characters in that adventurers can interact with. In the Underdark in Act 1, players will have the choice of killing Nere, letting Nere die, or saving him from his fate after a cave-in leaves him trapped with poisonous gas. As with most decisions in, there are various outcomes depending on which route is taken. However, one outcome seems to be better overall — but it does come with a small caveat that lower-level characters should know. This is becausedeciding to kill or free Nere will result in various fights, depending on what choices are made.

has been fully released for a few months now, but the developers continue improving the game with regular updates in the form of patches and hotfixes. Plenty of those adjustments made through updates are subtle or not noticed without reading the patch notes that accompany them. Some changes, however, have had a larger impact than most others, even if the changes themselves weren't necessarily large.

2023 picked up where 2022 left off when it comes to video game releases. Just like the year prior, there were no shortage of excellent launches; unlike last year, however, 2023 features a slew of Game of the Year contenders. The selection is so strong that taking the five most popular choices for 2023 GotY and stacking it against any 5-year span of actual winners might not look out of place. In a year that began with a bang in and ended with an even bigger one-two punch of and, one game stood tall: , Screen Rant's 2023 Game of the Year.

is an epic game filled with characters and NPCs for the party to interact with and get to know. Strangely enough, several of these brilliant characters just happen to be cats, 10 of which can be found throughout the game and chatted with. With each cat having their own personality and quirks, tracking them all down is a must for anyone looking to uncover all their secrets and hidden quests.

The Adamantine Forge is a powerful crafting opportunity in , but choosing what item to use it for can be a difficult decision. Found in Grymforge, a Duergar camp made among impressive ruins, the forge can make use of Mithral Ore to make any one of a selection of unique weapons and armor. The infusion of a turquoise glow gives items created at the Adamantine Forge a strong cosmetic appeal, but the biggest draw comes from their combat utility, as each one offers special abilities to empower whoever happens to wield it. To craft items with the Adamantine Forge, the party must first find the Mithral Ore hidden above the lava.

Gale Dekarios is 's resident wizard, available as a playable Origin character as well as romance option, who will happily talk anybody's ear off about all things magic. However, there may be more to this loquacious spellcaster than first meets the eye. Because for all his talk about Mystra and his beloved cat, Gale's tales of his magical abilities don't quite add up.

Spells in offer potent buffs vital for survival in the new Honour Mode. This latest difficulty adds numerous challenges for players, including one save file and permadeath if all characters die. Luckily, there are multiple ways to make Honour Mode slightly easier with supportive spells. These can help mitigate the increased damage bosses deal with their new legendary actions.

Sovereign Glut and Sovereign Spaw are two major characters who present a branching path in , and choosing which one to side with can be difficult. These two Myconid sovereigns can both be encountered in the Underdark, the subterraneum realm accessible in Act 1 of the game. Sovereign Spaw is the leader of a Myconid circle seeking protection from (and vengeance upon) Duergar aggressors, while Sovereign Glut has lost his own circle to the same intruders and has taken refuge in the colony that Spaw oversees.

Along with the other big additions brought by the fifth major update for , Patch 5 has also made it significantly easier to recruit Minthara without needing to commit to an «evil» playthrough. Released months after the game's initial launch, Patch 5 brings possibly the largest changes to the game yet, in the form of a playable epilogue and two new difficulty settings — the extra-challenging Honour Mode and the modular Custom Mode. With those major additions, though, the game has also introduced, as usual, a number of smaller fixes and adjustments.

all takes place on the Sword Coast, an area in the Forgotten Realms, which is the default setting for. Along with the world, uses a modified version of fifth edition rules to bring the adventure to life. However, changes have obviously had to be made to translate the tabletop experience to a video game. While some of these are relatively small, others could cause confusion for new players joining from; there are some things in the game that bend or even break the TTRPG rules.

is full of important decisions to make, and meeting Auntie Ethel offers a few interesting choices and branching paths. This trader can be found in the Emerald Grove in Act 1, hawking her wares to tieflings. She may seem like any other trader in the game, but Auntie Ethel is more than she appears. The party will need to use caution when striking a deal with Auntie Ethel, if they don't want to avoid her offer entirely.

The most recent patch for adds two new gameplay settings, one of which is the ultra-difficult Honour Mode. It's one of two new modes added in Patch 5 of , in addition to the highly flexible Custom Mode. In many ways, it's similar to the hardest default difficulty setting in , Tactician Mode, but is far from a simple expansion thereof. In fact, it's so much harder, it includes a lengthy pop-up window warning about all the ways it can screw players over. It's less than ideal for a first playthrough, but could be interesting for a repeat or challenge run.

offers the opportunity to have amazing powers, with magic and powerful items at the party’s fingertips. However, one source of these awesome abilities is being ignored by a surprising number of players. While there could be a few reasons for this, those people are missing out on some great powers that could help save Faerûn.

The latest patch for added many new things, including bug fixes and an epilogue party hosted by Withers. Alongside the combat tweaks and inventory overhauls are two new gameplay modes: Honour and Custom. While Honour Mode is designed to give players a significant challenge with a single save file, Custom Mode allows for an experience which will be completely unique to each playthrough.

The long-awaited and highly anticipated Xbox Series X/S port of has finally released, coming as a surprise reveal following The Game Awards 2023. Delayed due to development issues, 's Xbox release window had remained nebulous, with developer and publisher Larian Studios aiming to get it out before the end of the year. Those still waiting to jump into the smash hit CRPG on Xbox are in luck, however, as the game is available now.

Alongside a new epilogue and other features added by the fifth major update for , the game has also introduced a new hardest difficulty, Honour Mode, which adds a level of challenge that significantly exceeds any preexisting way of playing the game. However, aside from just increasing in-game difficulty, Honour Mode also introduces an extremely limiting, automatically updating single save slot for the entire playthrough, meaning that player decisions, bad rolls, and other potential mishaps can't be walked back once they happen.

There is one specific decision in that transforms the player’s character, known as Tav, into a cheese wheel – and, curiously, that transformation has occurred over a million times, according to stats shared by the developer Larian Studios. The complexity and depth of the world created for the critically acclaimed RPG allow players to tackle the game in the way they prefer and, in doing so, encounter many well-spread secrets, be they hidden items to optional interactions. One of these interactions sees their humanoid character, regardless of race, class, or subclass, transformed into a sentient wheel of cheese that can roll around.

Thanks to Patch 5, good-aligned players can now officially recruit Minthara as a companion, allowing her to join the party on their quests. The evil Drow Paladin was previously only recruitable if players raided the Emerald Grove in Act One, effectively locking out good-aligned characters from experiencing her story. However, to recruit Minthara, you’ll need to follow a few specific steps to the letter.

Larian Studios' latest patch for was a big one, full of bug fixes, new clothes, and, most importantly, a playable epilogue. While the majority of this conclusion is defined by the choices players have made throughout their adventure, there was one tiny addition that everyone will get to enjoy. In an easily missed line of new dialogue, one fan favorite character was officially made part of canon.

The Resonance Stone is a strange, spider-like object available in. It is a round, purple stone on a pedestal with pointed legs and a dragon's face. The Resonance Stone improves the mood of all characters within a 9-meter/30 feet radius. Specifically, they get the Steeped in Bliss status, which has both boons and consequences.

In Act One of , the adventurers encounter Sazza, a sassy goblin stuck in a cage. While the goblins have been an imminent threat thus far throughout the playthrough, a definitive choice must be made here. Either save Sazza or mercilessly let the guards put her out of her misery while she's trapped. This decision can seem like a no-brainer, but it actually has pretty serious implications for the entire campaign of. For this reason, it's important to weigh the pros and cons before making a final decision and potentially venturing down an undesired path.

There's plenty of sass to be had in . Its characters always have something to say, and more often than not, that something is a cheeky one-liner or a snide snipe. Whether they're putting down an omnipotent boss, critiquing one of Tav's decisions, or simply making a flippant remark, almost every character in has a potentially smart mouth — the only difference is how often they choose to open it.

Throughout the first act of , the companion Gale will beg to consume the party's magic items; however, it can be difficult to choose whether to give them up. Gale is one of 10 companions in , a human wizard with an Icarian backstory. In his insatiable hunger for power, Gale sparked an unfortunate romance with the goddess Mystra, and wound up with a Netherese Destruction Orb in his chest. This is more than just heartbreak; the Orb is akin to a bomb, and its timer is forever ticking down. Gale needs to put the big kaboom off as long as possible, and the best way to do that is by consuming magic items.

Orpheus is an essential character tied to several story-defining decisions that could see your party save the royal figure or cause his demise. Captured by the Emperor, the Githyanki Prince only has a short time before the Mind Flayer consumes his brain. Your choices throughout your adventures might make saving Orpheus easy or a tragic sacrifice.[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]The quest appears in 's Act 3 as part of a personal mission tied to the potential companion Fighter Lae'Zel. This Githyanki warrior has remained loyal to Orpheus despite their circumstances and has no doubt been reminding your character of the Prince's plight during your journey. You'll discover that Orpheus has been trapped in the Astral Prism, with his powers used to suppress the Absolute's influence.

Act 2 of takes you and your party toward a horrific Mind Flayer sanctum underneath Moonrise Towers, but the only way to reach this place is to solve a puzzle within a Necrotic Laboratory. A Flesh-Wrought Door blocks you from powerful items and secrets lurking beyond in the hidden lair of the creatures who caused your adventure to begin with. Fixing a shattered consciousness broken by the Flayers will help open the way forward.

As an RPG that places a high emphasis on choice, many of the possible decisions in the quests of can have different outcomes. Rewards, the fates of minor NPCs, and even entire character arcs can change depending on which options are chosen — and, in many cases, not all the options available are clearly outlined. However, as these choices can also have a snowball effect on later events in the game, it can be difficult to make a clear decision, especially as many of them can only be made once in a single playthrough.

Players can now romance multiple partners in if they use a special polyamory mod created by a fan. In Larian Studios’ RPG, characters can often only romance a single companion – while there are one-time romance partners in , developing a meaningful relationship with a companion is often limited to monogamy. Some characters will allow players to have a one-time fling with certain romance options, while others seem somewhat more possessive about their lovers. Lae’zel, for instance, breaks up with the player if they romance with Mizora. Alternatively, some want to have the player for themselves before allowing them to take on any other partners.

Patch 5 delivers another batch of changes to the hit RPG, further expanding and improving an experience that has only continued to grow since its official release in August. As with the other major patches for the game, Patch 5 is a mix of everything from minor bug fixes to major additions, with the latter category receiving an arguably bigger boost now than ever before. It also takes up a whopping 30 GB of space, so it might be necessary to clear out some files before taking advantage of everything new.

throws a lot of choices at the party, some clear-cut and some more morally gray. From saving refugees to dealing with hags, there is no shortage of ways to approach the different situations the party find themselves in. But there is one decision in Act 3 where, strangely, doing the wrong thing is the best choice all round.

Lady Esther's request in may seem like a simple side task, but its end result can have resounding consequences. It's no exaggeration to say that almost every choice matters in — from the slightest difference in dialogue to perilous risks of life and limb, almost everything the party does will come back around in one way or another. That's why it's always important to weigh the options carefully, especially when a character makes a particularly objectionable and gross-sounding request.

To find the Nightsong in, players must embark on a long side quest that stretches from Act 1 to Act 3. Although it initially appears to be a short fetch quest, finding the Nightsong is surprisingly challenging. This side quest ties into the main plot of, is closely linked to Shadowheart’s companion quest, and even involves choices that can affect the game’s ending.

Yurgir may not be the most unambiguously good character in , but the choice over whether to kill him can still cause internal conflict. Almost every choice matters in, from the most minor selection of wording to decisions between life and death. Navigating a situation carefully can often lead to interesting rewards, but the game also has no shortage of consequences, and it's often the most minor ones that come back to bite the party later in the campaign.

The level cap has been a much-discussed limitation of the game, but there's now a way to go much, much further than previously allowed. The leveling system is built around the acquisition of increasingly powerful features, so reaching a certain cap has always been intrinsic to the experience., however, lowered that maximum from the 20 that's standard in tabletop play to a comparatively measly Level 12, which can be somewhat disappointing if the threshold is reached well before the end of the game and XP starts to become meaningless.

To solve the Open Hand Temple murders in Act Three of , players must figure out where and how to use the Strange Flower Key. When visiting the Open Hand Temple in Rivington, the party can volunteer to investigate a brutal murder. The trail leads to an underground cellar, where you will confront a group of bloodthirsty, shapeshifting assassins. One carries a Flowery Key, an essential item for continuing your investigation.

Like many RPGs, allows for characters to be romanced, adding further depth to an already epic tale. These romances can open up new dialogue and create a deeper understanding of the world. However, with so many romance options available, it's important to know who is worth wooing.

’s Dark Urge Origin is unique to the other Origin characters as it allows more freedom while still playing an interesting fixed backstory. Race and class can be changed to suit the particular playthrough; however, the Dark Urge's background provides a fantastic connection to the main plot of. Certain classes and subclass, though, are a better fit for roleplaying such a complicated character.

might have set a new standard in video games, but it's far from the only title associated with the tabletop game to offer a unique and rewarding experience. video games have a rich history, from the unlicensed 1975 RPG to huge projects from major developers. Not every experience has aged perfectly, but the best video games are still plenty of fun today and can make for great alternatives to

is a massive game that weaves together countless side stories along with its main plot, making the world of Faerûn feel alive and fleshed out. But with such a large scope and an enemy that threatens the entire plane, it's natural that there will be a few plot holes spread throughout the three acts. These plot holes might not affect the story as a whole, but they might leave Tav scratching their head and wondering why nobody seems to care about those missing details.

Being based in the world of, is packed full of awesome spells to cover a multitude of situations. However, when they are examined closely, some spells are more than a little odd. Either because of their outcomes or the concept behind them in general, these spells are some of the weirdest in .

Paladins have some of the most interesting class features in thanks to the oaths that play a central role in defining them. Although the idea of upholding oaths comes from the implementation of paladins in the tabletop experience, developer Larian Studios has tweaked the rules for the paladin to fit better with video game mechanics. These changes are focused in particular on creating fun consequences for keeping or breaking the sacred oaths of a paladin.

is great, but its developers have already promised its follow-up will be better. The way players have rallied around since its release is incredible, but not unexpected. There's just so much to be surprised by: a wide variety of good and evil character choices, a staggering degree of character customization, and seemingly simple mechanics that go impossibly deep. People are still finding new secrets, new ways to play, and new contingencies for when they try to break . And through it all, developers at Larian have listened to and incorporated player feedback to create a welcoming, universally enjoyable experience.

is a game built on choices, some simple and some more complicated, but all impacting the narrative to at least some degree. However, one such choice early on is tripping some players up, and the result is a crucial area being completely missed. Given that this area is important to a key companion's personal quest, missing out on it can have repercussions further down the line in .

Act 1 of holds many different side quests, including one that turns your character into an amateur blacksmith as they try to finish creating an item called a Masterwork Weapon. Turning an ordinary instrument of war into a magic weapon, the tool you make through this process can be a powerful addition to your party's arsenal. Three different types of basic weapons can be upgraded by finishing this quest.

Over the course of the party's adventures in the characters go from fresh-faced at level one to powerful adventurers at level 12. However, given the backstories of some of the companion and Origin characters that doesn't make a lot of sense. From wizards powerful enough to catch Mystra's eye to 200-year-old vampires, some of the Origin characters should be a much higher level when first met.

doesn't make all available character options — including whether it's possible to become a vampire — clear from the very beginning. The degree of freedom provided when making a custom character is unprecedented in the video game space, only rivaled by a tabletop game with a very patient DM. However, the choices don't end with character creation. The character a player ends up with might turn out totally different from the one they started with, depending on the opportunities they take throughout the game.

Clerics are one of the most versatile support classes in , capable of providing healing alongside buffs. When creating a cleric, one of the first steps is to choose their subclass, known as their domain, which will determine what spells and abilities the character will have. With seven subclasses currently available, it is important to know which are the strongest and have the most to offer to make the most of any playthrough.

is based on, but reaching the maximum level of 20 isn't possible in this video game version of the beloved tabletop RPG. The level cap is significantly reduced to level 12, which is higher than it was in the early access version of the game but doesn't hold up against 's standard. However, players shouldn't hold onto hope that developer Larian Studios will be increasing the level cap further anytime soon through expansions or DLC.

As the long-awaited third installment in its series, allows for player choice to drastically affect the outcome of the game's many quests and narratives, with many decisions also having a major impact on gameplay and companion approval. One especially important-seeming decision comes in the game's second act, once players have finally acquired a Moonlantern and discovered that a pixie is trapped inside. While the decision of whether to free the pixie is a tough one to make for first-time players, the solution can be relatively simple.

is based on the 5e ruleset. That does not mean, however, that the video game plays exactly like the tabletop RPG. In fact, developer Larian Studios has made a lot of changes to the DnD rules so that the gameplay doesn't get too complicated or bogged down by not having a dungeon master.

The Emerald Grove is a hotbed of conflict in , but there's one particular way to explode it into violence that ends up being a darker path than any other. Act One of the game focuses in part on a refugee crisis, with the druids in Emerald Grove threatening to turn out a band of tieflings who merely seek protection against near-certain death at goblin hands. Although evil parties might be tempted to act uncharitably toward the tieflings or side with the goblins outright to commit a massacre in the grove, these aren't actually the most vile methods of handling the situation.

There are many reasons why sets a strict level cap at 12. There may not be much difference between 12 and 13, but in the upper levels of the Fifth Edition rules it's based on, things get a little out of hand. Starting around level 18, characters are able to cast all-powerful spells, and they begin to take on incredible class features that remove all restrictions on their abilities. It'd be a nightmare for game balance, to say the least, but some of the complex varieties of high-level spells would also be impossible to program into a video game.

is filled to the brim with interesting characters with varying levels of impact on the overall narrative. One character that has a surprising role in the game is Mol, a young tiefling pickpocket who can be met in the Emerald Grove in Act 1 of the game. Though not as important as key origin characters like Shadowheart or important NPCs like Nightsong, Mol, in her own right, has a part to play in the overall narrative and can be met in every act of the game if the right choices are selected.

contains many references to other works of media. While some of them are certainly expected, like the recurrence of characters like Minsc and Jaheira from prior games, others truly come out of left field, subtle enough to fly directly over players' heads.

offers a choice between existing Origin characters or a custom character at the start of the game. While this is one of the earliest decisions made in, it's also among the most important. Specifically, the decision to choose certain Origins affects content, dialogue options, and even the gear that's available throughout the game's three acts. Choosing to play as the Dark Urge — a character halfway between entirely custom and an Origin option — is perhaps the most significant choice that can be made during character creation.

is filled to the brim with witty references to its source material,. This fact shines through perhaps no better than with the game's list of unique instruments. Though many may not ever come to experiment with the lutes or flutes one can pick up along their journey, they are a fun little activity that bards can do whenever there's a little downtime.

The announcement of the Deluxe Edition of for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC is exciting news for fans, as the special bundle offers not only a physical copy of the game for the respective platform, but also a series of additional products related the RPG crafted by Larian Studios. The title is one of the most well-known releases this year. In fact, there were multiple nominations for TGA 2023, which come to prove just how popular and critically acclaimed the title is. The turn-based RPG tells the story of a group of heroes infected by illithid tadpoles.

does an excellent job of adapting the experience to video game form, but there's no small number of differences between it and its inspiration. Some core aspects of are fundamentally impossible to translate, while others just work better in tabletop play than they do in a video game. Most of these changes are minor, but certain ones overhaul the experience in significant ways.

has been nominated for a whopping eight awards for 2023’s The Game Awards. With nominations in categories such as Best Narrative, Best RPG, and the coveted Game of the Year Award, it seems clear the impact that has had on the gaming world in 2023. But it is also a clearer indication of what players want and have been asking for in terms of gameplay and narrative for a long time.

One of the best spells in is also one of the most easily missed. There are a lot of overpowered spells in , from those that characters unlock naturally as they level up to those they have to go out of their way to find. Some of them are simple, sixth-level, high-damage AoE barrages, while others are clever little buffs that take advantage of game-breaking exploits in .

Every campaign is likely to include its fair share of slaughter, but one big act of violence might no longer be necessary to achieve certain results. Certain party members are more inclined toward violence than others, and committing unpardonable acts can sometimes be the quickest way to their hearts. The most extreme example of this is Minthara, a drow Paladin set on the massacre of the Tieflings in the Druid Grove in Act 1 of the game. Getting her on board has traditionally required making a big moral sacrifice, but the most recent patch could change things in the future.

will be getting an official release in Japan, but the version of the game that makes it over won't be the same as the one that most people are familiar with. The Japanese version of the game is being published by Spike Chunsoft, known for a variety of RPGs, visual novels, and more. In addition to the Japanese games that the company develops and publishes, they've handled the localized versions of over a decade of major western games starting with, which includes the games from developer Larian Studios.

allows for character builds that aren't ideal in combat, but can still be fun to play. Then, there's the option to use Wild Magic, which is a high risk, high reward system. And that means the risk could be one or more characters being affected by magic that either makes them useless in combat, or it actively hurts them.

While exploring the Blighted Village in, players may come across the Secret Cellar Door in the basement of the abandoned apothecary shop. Although this abandoned village might seem innocuous at first glance, there are dark secrets lurking underground. By opening the Secret Cellar Door, the party can expect all kinds of magical hijinks as part of the side quest.

When creating a character in it is possible to customize almost everything, from details such as their hair and eye color right down to big things like class and their background. While many will already know what each class entails, those unfamiliar with might not understand the role backgrounds play in character creation. While any class can be paired with any background, there are some that work better together than others to help with role play and gaining all important inspiration.

Closely inspecting one character in reveals some sordid secrets about their love life. It's no secret that romance is a major element of. Besides the core romanceable companions, there are several random, amorous encounters for players to discover. And it's strongly implied that, even off-screen, characters like Isobel and Aylin, Alfira and Lakrissa, Blurg and Omeluum, and other NPCs have romances of their own, constantly sneaking off to spend some private time together.

has strong representation of key fantasy races from overall, but one missing race could add a lot to the game. The roster of races available in character creation is lifted straight from the for the fifth edition of the tabletop game, with a couple of interesting additions to flesh out the roster in a way that's relevant to the story and flavor of the game. Other interesting races that aren't typically playable appear in NPC form, from the memorably devious kobolds to the mindflayers that play a major role in the narrative.

There is still a glimmer of hope for the split screen feature on the Xbox Series S version of , despite the fact that the functionality is one of the factors that is impeding the popular RPG by Larian Studios from arriving on modern Xbox consoles. The game is notably missing from the platforms and the developer has already explained that problems making the split screen function work on the Xbox version of is what is keeping it from being shipped.