Summary
Many consider theBaldur’s Gateseries to be among the greatest RPGs of all time. The series was pivotal to establishing BioWare as a prominent RPG developer and laid the groundwork forBlack Isle Studios’Planescape: TormentandIcewind Daleand played a massive role in revitalizing the genre. After a long absence,Baldur’s Gate 3brings the series back from the dead as players find the Sword Coast under threat by the sinister machinations of the Mind Flayers.
Quite a lot has happened since the last timeBaldur’s Gateplayers visited the titular city-state.Baldur’s Gate 3takes place more then a century afterBaldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, and shortly after theBaldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernusmodules fromDungeons and Dragons 5e. This has interesting implications for the timeline of both the games andD&D’s Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
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The Baldur’s Gate Timeline
One of the tricky things abouttheBaldur’s Gatetimelineis figuring out what is and isn’t part of the continuity. It’s tempting to include every game and tabletop module set in the Forgotten Realms setting. However, it might be best to focus mainly onDescent into Avernusand theBaldur’s Gate“family” of games. In addition to theBaldur’s GateandDark Allianceseries, these includePlanescape: Tormentand theIcewind DaleandNeverwinter Nightsgames. It does not include theNeverwinterMMO, which exists in a separate continuity.
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Baldur’s Gate: Descent into AvernusandBaldur’s Gate 3
Looking at the timeline reveals a few interesting things. The most important is, of course, the 142-year gap betweenBaldur’s Gate 2andBaldur’s Gate3. Even counting theDark Alliancespinoffs, that’s still 116 years betweenBaldur’s Gategames. By comparison, the entire stretch fromIcewind DaletoDark Alliance 2only covers 95 years. Meanwhile,Baldur’s Gate,Baldur’s Gate 2, and theNeverwinter NightsandDark Alliancegames all happen in the same 8-year period.
With so much time between games, the impact of the earlier games onBaldur’s Gate 3is limited by design. As developer Larian Studios made clear, players don’t need to be familiar with the past games to enjoyBaldur’s Gate 3. There areconnections toBaldur’s GateandBaldur’s Gate 2, but Larian’s game is doing its own thing. One could argue thatBaldur’s Gate 3is something of a soft reboot, especially considering the transition from real-time combat to turn-based combat.
The main thing that’s relevant toBaldur’s Gate 3isn’tBaldur’s Gate 2orDark Alliance 2, but theBaldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernuscampaign forD&D5e.Baldur’s Gate 3happens only a few months after that tabletop adventure, which devotes about 50 pages to describing the titular city in the year 1492.
The plot ofDescent into Avernussees the nearby city of Elturel sink into Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells. Meanwhile, the city of Baldur’s Gate is slowly being subverted by corruption and the machination of evil gods. Making matters worse, the city’s ruler Ulder Ravengard has gone missing. The adventure module ultimately sees players saving both cites and the Grand Duke back on his throne, but it seems highly likely thatBaldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernuswill have a significant impact onBaldur’s Gate 3.
Granted, Larian hasn’t talked much about what impactDescent into Avernuswill have on the upcoming game. Players have also yet to visit the city directly, as theearly access version ofBaldur’s Gate 3only covers its first act. However, Larian showed off quite a bit of the city in a video last month. Much of what players will find there is still unconfirmed, but it would not be surprising if the Grand Duke’s return and the events ofDescent into Avernusdidn’t play some role, even if it is relegated to background lore.
Baldur’s Gate 3releases on August 3 for PC, and on September 6 for PS5.
