The next installment in the much beloved Baldur’s Gate series — Baldur’s Gate 3 — has finally gotten its first teaser trailer.
Fans of the series have been anticipating this game for a very long time. Baldur’s Gate III: The Black Hound was announced way back in 2002, just to be quietly canceled in 2003. Despite that, rumours of Baldur’s Gate III kept going around until the enhanced editions for Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II were announced.
This time the game is being developed by Larian Studios, the same studio that gave us Divine Divinity and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Like previous games, Baldur’s Gate 3 will be set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting, and according to the press release, the game will be based on D&D 5th edition mechanics. The team at Larian Studios is also working closely with Dungeons and Dragons creators Wizards of the Coast to make sure the lore in the game checks out, though Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke tells PCGamer that they are also helped by the many D&D sessions the people at Larian Studios play.
The trailer shows a knight with a flaming fist insignia on his tabard (something people who have played the original games will most likely recognize), stumbling around the corner of a building in obvious distress. The next part is nothing for the squeamish since there is a very graphic transformation that shows the knight taking on the new form of an Illithid, or mind flayer, one of the nastier monsters you can come across in D&D. It seems as if Baldur’s Gate is being overtaken by these creatures, who usually inhabit the Underdark, but now have come up to the surface to attempt to regain their former glory.
If you want to build the hype and experience even more adventures in Baldur’s Gate, you can play through the coming D&D adventure Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, where players will leave the Material Plane and start their descent into hell. Chris Perkins (principal narrative designer) describes this new adventure as “Dungeons and Dragons meets Mad Max: Fury Road,” and amongst other things, this will introduce players to massive rolling vehicles known as infernal war machines.
Descent into Avernus has officially been named the prequel to Baldur’s Gate 3 and will be available on September 17.
Though there is no solid release date for Baldur’s Gate 3 yet, it will be released on both PC and Google Stadia, which is slated for release on November 14 of this year.
Other games in the Google Stadia lineup are Destiny 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XV, Doom, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Mortal Kombat 11.
Check out the Baldur’s Gate 3 announcement trailer below!