After months of anticipation, the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access release date has finally been revealed. That's not all, though — the fine folks at Larian have revealed that this new Baldur's Gate game will be taking players to Hell.
This new information was revealed during Larian Studios' "Panel From Hell," a rather appropriate name considering the setting of Baldur's Gate 3 as was revealed during the stream. If you've missed the Panel From Hell, you can check it out right now and see a fair amount of this upcoming game in action!
Geoff Keighley hosted the Panel From Hell featuring a number of key people from Larian Studios. Creative Director Swen Vincke, Senior Writer Adam Smith, and Dungeons & Dragons Principle Game Designer Chris Perkins all participated in the stream with a somewhat demonic theme. Vincke showed up in style, wearing an honest-to-goodness cuirass and sitting on a throne for the duration of the show.
The release date reveal didn't arrive until much later in the stream, but we did learn a fair bit more about the game's setting. We got a quick recap of some CGI footage that we've already seen, but we also got to peek at some new stuff. Part of this new footage included a surprising reveal: you and your friends are going to Hell.
Well, not Hell per se — that fantastical realm doesn't exist in the world of Baldur's Gate or Dungeons & Dragons. The game will start in Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells of Baalor. As if things weren't bad enough, you'll also be making your otherworldly visit at the height of the Blood War, a ferocious battle between demons and devils.
One of the more interesting reveals was the Intellect Devourer, a new follower that can join you in this game. If you've never seen one of these before, it's quite literally a brain with legs.
The Intellect Devourer represents one of the reasons why the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access release date has been so hard to pin down. Swen Vincke explained that pretty much anyone on the development team can integrate something new into the game. In the case of something like a new follower, that would necessitate new dialogue being created to account for its interactions with the game's many characters.
Many topics were touched on in the Panel From Hell, and one of the most important ones was the "scale and scope" of the game. After you exit Avernus, you'll head out into the wider world of Faerun, the Underdark, and plenty of other iconic places from this Dungeons & Dragons setting. It's not all going to be older content, though — Larian has created some original content of its own, too, such as NPC factions made specifically for this game.
Geoff Keighley went on to say that we're looking at a solid 20 hours of content in Early Access. From there, Swen Vincke confirmed that a Ranger, Fighter, and Rogue be available in the game along with "quite a few races [and] sub-races" for players to pick from. 5 companions will also be available. The game's Early Access period will go up to Player Character Level 4. A fair few other details were revealed during the stream — the whole thing is well worth a watch if you're curious about Baldur's Gate 3!
When is the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Release Date?
The Baldur's Gate games are well-loved by fans and they're surely anticipating the launch of this new game — when is the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access release date?
Baldur's Gate 3 comes to Steam Early Access on September 30, 2020. You'll be able to play all the way up to Level 4 and experience a hefty chunk of this great Dungeons & Dragons game — provided that there aren't any further delays.
Swen Vincke noted that the devs feel "moderately optimistic" that it will make the September 30 release date, but there's still a tiny chance that it could slip. He also made sure to properly set player expectations: if you're hoping for a finished, polished game, then the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access version probably won't be for you.
"I know who we're not targeting — it's the person wants a finished, polished game," Vincke said. "They should wait. They should just wait until Version 1.0 because we'll work very hard on making it as polished as we can, but it's not that yet."
While you're waiting for the launch, you can learn more about this game by heading on over to baldursgate3.game. You can also add Baldur's Gate 3 to your wishlist on Steam.
Are you excited for the Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access release date? What do you think of the game's choice of setting? Let us know in the comments below!
