Baldur's Gate III

Baldur's Gate III is a computer game released by Larian Studios and is the third main game in the Baldur's Gate series. It is based on a highly modified version of the 5-edition Dungeons & Dragons rule set and is set after the Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus tabletop adventure. It was first released as an early access game, after which other races, classes, features, and the rest of the story was added. "An ancient evil has returned to Baldur's Gate, intent on devouring it from the inside out. The fate of Faerûn lies in your hands. Alone, you may resist. But together, you can overcome."

Gameplay
Baldur's Gate III is a role-playing game with turn-based combat. The non-combat exploration can either be top-down or in third-person view. The player creates their character, including their race and any class from the Player's Handbook. The ranger class is largely modified, and some subclasses are essentially new, such as the Wildheart barbarian subclass that replaces the Totem Warrior. The character also chooses a background from the standard 5-edition list, their ability scores, and skills they are proficient in. Alternatively, the player can choose an "Origins" character, which is pre-created. If an "Origins" character is not selected, they may still be available as a party member. The game has a tutorial system to introduce the players to the basic mechanics.

The game takes characters from levels 1 to 12. In combat, the player can interact with the environment with standard actions (as well as bonus actions), such as attack, hide, or shoving a creature. Many other Dungeons & Dragons systems are implemented, such as rolling for initiative and death saving throws, imposing advantage or disadvantage, and being in difficult terrain. When combat has taken its toll, the player can make camp, which expands over time as more companions are recruited.

Plot
The player character starts off on a nautiloid. Along with their fellow prisoners, the character has been confined within a holding pod, and a mind flayer tadpole has been inserted into their eye. The spelljammer makes its way across Faerûn, and begins to destroy buildings as it flies across Yartar. A group of red dragon-riding githyanki intercept and attack it, and the dragons start to gain the advantage. The mind flayer then commands the nautiloid to seemingly disappear, and it spawns in a different location, and courses through Hell. The githyanki, however, manage to track down the spelljammer, and attack it once more. Finding an opening in the damaged vessel, a red dragon breathes fire over a vulnerable spot, causing an explosion that throws the illithid off balance. The mind flayer tries to relocate the nautiloid yet another time, but the explosion causes it to become very badly damaged. Teleporting back to Faerûn, the nautiloid crashes to the ground.

The player character awakes, stranded close to the bank of River Chionthar (somewhere seemingly very close to Elturel), where the rubble of the spelljammer covers the ground. They find themselves with new abilities, including telepathy. The player adventures on and finds companions and followers along the way (some of which were also alongside them on the nautiloid). However, their potential companions believe that ceremorphosis will soon take hold, and they seek out a powerful cleric to heal them.

Trivia

 * A game under the title, Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound, was being worked on but was cancelled in 2003. The games are not the same.


 * The Larian website pictured only the III part of the logo before the release announcement. Many speculated that the game was the sequel to Baldur's Gate II, and this was hinted in metadata. The actual announcement came on June 6, 2019.