Published , by Brittany Vincent
Published , by Brittany Vincent
Larian Studios is making sure everyone looking forward to Baldur's Gate 3 is as up to date as possible on what to expect from the forthcoming title.
After a lengthy gameplay stream from Baldur's Gate 3 that debuted last month, the company has published a new community update that details how several of the in-game systems work, particularly the overhauled combat mechanics, which have changed considerably since we first got to know them in February.
To sum things up, combat is now a turn-based affair that looks a bit different than what you may have been expecting. In the past, your party members could all act at once instead of one after another, but now it's been altered to better resemble the turns in a D&D campaign.
Your characters' moves will also be determined by initiative, as you command each one in order. However, party members who are next to each other in terms of turn order can act at the same time.
"[...] Based on the results of the initiative roll, you’ll experience a different tactical puzzle in each combat that really mixes everything up but still allows you to react to the 'cards' you're 'dealt,' so to speak," the official community update from Larian reads.
"Between the RNG of initiative, and the planning, you should be able to have a fresh experience with every combat while still being able to predict and plan with friends how to combine spells and abilities, and ultimately win the fight."
It's likely clear from these changes alone that combat will be a bit more structured, but it won't be so stuffy that you can't vibe with it. Larian is going to make sure there's a steady flow to combat that doesn't have so many lulls, and there will be constantly-moving, ever-changing moments as a result.
But if you don't want to engage in combat, you won't always have to. You can utilize stealth to get out of it, but you'll need a bit a luck as well as the right type of environment as well. Enemies with darkvision will be able to spot you, but otherwise you can employ stealth in low light scenarios to try and get up through sticky situations by sneaking.
There are plenty of changes coming in the future, but these are some of the most intriguing that you can read all about in the latest community update. As always, be sure to keep it locked on Shacknews for additional updates.