I’ve convinced myself that Larian are going to make a day/night cycle. Time for some wild speculation.
The world design means every event is player-facing and nothing ever changes without player input. Some sort of time system is the obvious answer to bring life into BG3.
There are many ways to simulate time. Day/night would certainly justify putting this much work into the lighting engine.
DoS2 didn’t have day/night, so the original plan for BG3 may not have included it either. If it was added to the plan due to incessant clamor, it might be the kind of thing that doubled the length of EA.
If we know anything about Larian, is that they’re secretive and detail oriented. (They claim to read every forum post, but if they do it’s done in secret). They can’t possibly have missed that every clock is stuck on 4pm. And if they were planning to do anything about that, they certainly wouldn’t leak it before it’s ready.
Lastly, not doing it would be a huge missed opportunity. This game could sell ten million copies if done right and Larian know it. It’s a follow up to a legend made by a studio coming off of a smash hit. Expectations are high and Swen Vincke has repeatedly said Larian will do everything in its power to do the game justice.
Like every good charlatan, I will now make predictions which I will ignore should they fail, but will otherwise be proof of my genuis.
BG3 comes out Q4 2023 with a full day/night cycle.
The resting system stays fundamentally unchanged aside from QoL issues. Higher difficulty requires more food to rest. (Not what I hope, but what I have forseen).
By the time BG3’s definitive edition comes out, the game will have a million rule options, including full 5e.
May the hype be undying. Please, Larian. Don’t crush my dreams.
