To this day, Baldur’s Gate 3 stands as one of the most popular CRPGs to date, introducing countless players into the genre and fantastical world of Dungeons & Dragons. While I was more than a little excited at the prospect of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s release when it was first revealed 5 years ago, the level of success was unprecedented for both the series and the genre. Offering an excellent mix of accessibility, high-quality game design, and stunning visuals, it’s unlikely that an impending Baldur’s Gate 4 will come close to reaching its legacy anytime soon.
Even years after release, Baldur’s Gate 3 has received several game-changing updates, from introducing brand-new subclasses, questlines, and exciting areas that keep me coming back to the game. While it’s unfortunate to hear that Larian Studios has finally finished with their content additions to Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s the perfect time to look towards the future that its foundations have to offer. There’s no doubt that Wizards of the Coast will try to capitalize on the success of BG3, but it’s going to be more than a little challenging to up with a simple sequel.
A Direct -Up To Baldur's Gate 3 Would Be A Massive Undertaking
Larian Studios Left Behind Large Shoes To Fill
After ending their historic run with Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios has made it clear they aren’t interested in developing any DLC for the game, outside of simple bug fixes, and will be moving on from the franchise to work on their in-house projects. It will likely be some wait before Larian Studios’ mysterious next project is revealed, and someone else will have to pick up the torch they left behind with the Baldur’s Gate franchise.
Baldur’s Gate 3‘s popularity has far surpassed anything that came before it.
While the issue of finding a new studio normally wouldn’t be much of a problem, given that Larian Studios has only worked on one entry in the 27-year run of the series, Baldur’s Gate 3‘s popularity has far surpassed anything that came before it. Even years later, there’s still plenty of brand-new content to discover in Baldur’s Gate 3, regardless if you’ve already played countless hours of the game. Given the unique and critically acclaimed experience Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to provide, it’s unlikely that many developers would be willing to face the additional scrutiny a -up would entail.
Given that BioWare had developed the previous two mainline entries in the Baldur’s Gate franchise already, they are the first studio that comes to mind for developing the next Baldur’s Gate, but it’s unlikely that BioWare will have either the time or the resources needed for the project anytime soon. With the highly anticipated release of the next entry in the Mass Effect franchise on the horizon, and the controversial release of their recent projects, I can’t see BioWare readily lining up for the task.
Another Return To Baldur's Gate Wouldn't Have Nearly The Same Impact
A Longer Cooldown Period Would Help
Part of the reason Baldur’s Gate 3 was so popular when it released was simply how revolutionary it was and still is for the genre, on top of its graphical and technical leaps that pushed it beyond the quality that was expected from triple-A titles. While a quick sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3 could take advantage of returning fan-favorite characters in their original forms or continue the events of the story, I find it hard to believe that a rushed sequel would reach anywhere near the same heights.
This isn’t to say that Baldur’s Gate 3 has lost its popularity by any means, as it still has a massive fanbase that reaches considerable player counts to this very day. On top of the overwhelming dedicated modding community, the gameplay offering of Baldur’s Gate 3 just keeps getting better over time. While I’m not exactly ready to say goodbye to my favorite characters just yet, a sequel that wants to achieve the same heights needs just as much care and development time as Baldur’s Gate 3, if not more, to make up for the absence of Larian Studios.
Locations Like Waterdeep Have Just As Great Storytelling Potential As Baldur's Gate
An Underrated Setting That Is Worthy Of A Standalone Release
It’s little surprise that Baldur’s Gate is one of the most developed locales in Dungeons & Dragons, given that it’s one of the largest and grounded cities in the series, emphasizing the difference between its more prosperous side and crime-ridden underbelly. The popularity of Baldur’s Gate itself also benefited greatly from the success of the game franchise, further boosting its notoriety far outside the tabletop community. While there’s still plenty more potential for stories to flourish within Baldur’s Gate itself, after several games and expansions, it’s the perfect time for WOTC to give a new setting the chance to shine.
Despite being a popular choice of setting within the world of WOTC’s Forgotten Realms, Waterdeep hasn’t had nearly the same level of attention that it deserves. Also coined the City of Splendors, the sheer prosperity and wealth of the influential city bring with it countless opportunities for heist stories and other high-stakes missions for your band of adventurers to experience. Ruled by a secret elite of masked lords that watch over the vibrant and diverse city, it could reasonably incorporate elements of political intrigue, power struggles, environmental storytelling, and even returning characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 with ease.
Waterdeep hasn’t had nearly the same level of attention that it deserves.
Even the world of Neverwinter has received several critically acclaimed games over the years that take perfect advantage of its unique setting to provide satisfying gameplay and rich storytelling in its fantasy world. Even the most recent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves film adaptation of the tabletop game took place in the ever-popular Neverwinter, leaving one iconic locale to fall far behind the two settings.
Some Of D&D's Best Modules Already Takes Place In Waterdeep
Offering Fantastic Source Material To Start With
While the modding community has already started recreating both official and their own fan-made modules to help achieve Baldur’s Gate 3‘s full potential, a few of the franchise’s best modules are hidden miles away, around the depths of Waterdeep. While much of Waterdeep’s official content is locked behind old editions of the tabletop game, the region’s incredible storytelling potential was more greatly explored in 2018 with the release of two official campaigns.
An emphasis on exploration and meaningful player-driven choices that thrive in games like Baldur’s Gate 3.
The first of these two modules is Dragon Heist, which s players from levels 1-5 through a race to find a stolen horde of loot, with an emphasis on exploration and meaningful player-driven choices that thrive in games like Baldur’s Gate 3. The ing expansion was the Dungeon of the Mad Mage, which acts as a direct sequel to Dragon Heist, allowing players to continue progressing up to level 20 as they explore a wide variety of unique dungeons, deadly encounters, and challenging puzzles to solve.
Both these modules are right up there with what Baldur’s Gate 3‘s gameplay can offer, both in terms of gameplay variety and storytelling quality, but with plenty of differences to make it feel like a fresh experience. Not only does Waterdeep deserve the chance to shine in its own standalone game or as an indirect sequel to BG3, but it could also bring more attention and content to an underrated area of D&D’s Forgotten Realms. Given the historic success of Baldur’s Gate 3, a spiritual successor, rather than Baldur’s Gate 4, could be the perfect chance to start a brand-new franchise to explore.
