Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General The City of Baldurs Gate

For me one of the most important things they need to get right is the City of Baldurs Gate itself. I was hoping to see a lot more of the city in the previews. Exploring the city of Baldurs Gate and the capital city of Athkatla in Baldurs Gate 2 is really what made the game for me. In Divinity Original Sin 2 exploring the city in Act 4, while fun, it felt like once I cleared out a building or section of the city there was rarely any reason to ever return to that section of the city again. The cities felt like home in the Baldurs Gate series, and would need to be returned to again and again through out the games. Its my hope that Baldurs Gate 3 will be set up more like this and less like in Divinity Sin 2 where every building and encounter basically had a set level for going to it and once you cleared it you were generally done with it. Where in Baldurs Gate 1 & 2 the game pretty much revolved around the cities. Its a important aspect to the game that they will need to get right if they want it to feel more like Baldurs Gate and less like Divinity Original Sin 2.

If I'm remembering correctly, they said in one of their gameplay reveals (or maybe during the AMA) that zones would be similar to D:OS2 in that you'll progress through an area in an act, and then move on. No backtracking or returning. So I don't think we'll be going to and from Baldurs Gate other than within a single act.

Yes, they said the areas are large, and that they are act-based, but that idea isn't totally new; even in BG2, some areas were accessed only as a result of story events, and not returned to.

Also, potentially, an area can be the focus of several acts at different points in the story. This would be most likely for Baldur's Gate itself.

We'll have to see, but I don't think it is negative to close off areas if the story makes them inaccessible for good reason ( like involuntarily visiting and then escaping one of the planes, for example ).

I actually found the AMA, and this is what the question/answer was:

Like the original Baldur's Gate, will locations be broken down into sections or will it be like in DOS2, where you are in a huge terrain?

David: You're in a huge terrain, but between acts you will travel from one huge region to another.

So this seems to indicate that, for example, the city of Baldurs Gate probably won't be in more than a single act.

I actually agree that closing areas off due to story isn't a bad thing. And while I suspect some people may see this as a negative, I don't see anything inherently wrong with this design, either. Just different from the originals. But some people no doubt have expectations that won't be in line with this.

Link to the source: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/fhk1u3/im_swen_vincke_creative_director_at_larian/

I really don't like the "half open world" thing at all, whatever the game...
Many games cut the world like this for several years now and I think it really gives inconsistant worlds (exploration)...

There are no world in which you can't go back, except if everything is on fire after you leave it... I hate those easy and convenient invisible walls or door...

Then, you sometimes have very different biome (don't really know if it's the word in EN... DeepL say it is...) close to each other.
When you look at the entire map, it looks like nothing with lava here, grass here, desert here, snow here... Just an easy moutain chain or water between everything to have an illusion of consistency...
I don't think this second point will be a problem here since they're not designing the world.

Anyway, having maps like this doesn't mean you won't be able to go back (and you won't have any interrests doing it).
I.E you could find great side quests on a map that need to go on the next/previous one to solve it... Or better, on more than one for a great epic quest.
You could find specific points of interrests, such merchants in Baldur's Gate (or another town/village) to buy items you wouldn't be able to buy somewhere else...

There are many reasons that can be created to give an interrests in travel. I like to travel in the world.
I really hope this is going to be a part of the game because this is really interresting for the feeling of a journey.

I'm tired of cleaning a map for 20 hours, then another, then another... then end.

Yes, it seems like another compromise by removing another layer of complexity that BG2 had.

DOS 2 has a terrible sense of exploration and looks they will keep the same for BG3.

I agree, that putting a lot of different places together is not the best way to go. Having big maps is okay, but if they do not get the transition right, it looks funny. That is why a worldmap is a nice way to separate area, without hurting the artistic consistency.

This way-point system, is also quite convenient, even too convenient, I prefer fast travel between maps, mounts or carts to travel, because it is less futuristic for me.

Probably my favourite world structure, is interactive world map with random encounters and smaller individual maps - So Fallout1&2, Arcanum, Kingmaker.

I absolutely don't mind larger, single maps as long as they are taken advantage off. I expressed my dislike regaring some the map design of D:OS2 so I will skip that.

One think to remember is that maps worked a bit differently in D:OS1 and D:OS2. In D:OS2 you couldn't come back after finishing an area, but in D:OS1 you could. Difficult to say what Larian will do in BG3. Perhaps option "C"? For example is Underdark part of the same map as the surface (clearly party can exist in both at the same time, so yes?)? When we enter BG will we be confined to the city ala Arxs or will there be a regular travel between different large zones.

I remember the cast of Larian detailing that Baldur's Gate is as much a character as any of your companions and your opinion on the city can be radically different depending on your own thoughts. As far as I am aware only the custom characters are native Baldurans (if it makes sense, I imagine that Underdark races hail from the Underdark and the Gith hail from different planes) and can have a varied opinion on the city as anyone can living in such a multicultural and expansive metropolitan area. Can't wait to see the city in all its glory in an updated fashion and style. The city in 5e has certainly had its rough patches with the return of Bhaal and the events in Elturel affecting the city and hopefully the story of the game.

They created a lot of lore about the modern Baldur´s Gate city for the "DiA" campaign last September. It's time to put it into good use, it seems.

Good point, Vic. I hope there are also reasons to visit, return and and then discover more as new areas are unlocked/revealed, as in the past games.

Baldur's gate will be the setting for an entire act I guess, probably the second as in the first act the player crashes near Chiontar river not too far from the city. I hope there will be lots of side quests available such as one dealing with the dead three and another involving politics with the Dukes.

I kind of want to make a Custom character who hails from Baldur's Gate just to get a better feel and sense of connection to the infamous city, (default for most playable races except races hailing from the Underdark (drow) or from another plane (Gith)). Having that connection to the city makes a custom PC far more unique than the the Origin Characters I think.

I'm very curious how they will handle BG as city. It's very important and must be way better than DOS2 "shop stops". This must be living organism with many ways to approach.

I loved the open access of Baldur's Gate. I still remember my first time going into Thalantyr's little magic keep outside Beregost and thinking, "Oh, he's got some good items here! I will have to come back later when I have some money." And Beregost itself always felt like coming home, with lots of background noise and chatter, several townsfolk going about their business, etc. It was always a good place to rest and sell off some items. Every house in Beregost had a door and then something inside, unlike the lonely streets of Neverwinter. Certain quests required returning to the town, even very late in the game ... why waste resources on a new setting for every single quest?. Open access to key areas gives a sense of belonging and permanence to the fantasy setting, and I think we humans all feel that kind of connection to a place once in a while ... it's good to come back to familiarity after long outings in the Underdark, sewers, and pocket planes. To quote Pink Floyd, "When I come home, cold and tired, it's good to warm my bones beside the fire."

I think that the Camp serves that function even if its mobile, you can talk to Camp Followers, Mercanaries, and Companions at the Camp, buy things (eventually), events occur at the camp, ect...