Baldur’s Gate 3: Understanding the origin of the game’s name

Baldur’s Gate 3 It was released on August 3rd and is receiving a lot of praise, including being a strong nominee for Game of the Year. but, One important detail in the series didn’t quite make sense in the original games – and still doesn’t: the name Baldur’s Gate.

The answer to this question is simple, but the path to it is very interesting. With that in mind, we decided Explore some of the history of each of the Forgotten Realms, with some inevitable spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3.and the concept of the first game in the franchise.

Forgot what?

For those who are not familiar Dungeons & Dragons, an action role-playing game that is not a single story Where players play characters. Every system has it A set of rules based on master data. Just as Storyteller (Vampire, Werewolf) uses d10 (10 sides) and GURPS uses d6, D&D uses d20.

As in every tabletop RPG, one of the players is in control of the narrative, being the master (DM). For this, he can create a world with its own history, myths and characters, or he can use ready-made scenarios.

The essential campaign guide for the Forgotten Realms area where the Baldur’s Gate games are set.source: Amazon

Forgotten Realms is one of the first published D&D settings., along with Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and others. Each of these worlds has its own characteristics, the main ones What sets the Forgotten Realms apart is the heavy influence of magic, in both the story world and the campaign elements..

Official map of the Sword Coast, one of the main areas in the Forgotten Kingdoms.source: Dungeons and Dragons beyond

For this reason, the Forgotten Realms have become so popular, and have become the “default setting” for D&D. If there is no indication that this is another world, then the game is supposed to take place in the Forgotten Realms. Baldur’s Gate, is one of the largest cities in this scenariowhich is considered the most important port in the Sword Coast region.

Why Baldur’s Gate?

In the 1990s, the original team at BioWare created a tech demo to translate the narrative RPG campaign experience to PC. When the demo was submitted to Interplay, the publisher who had licensed the rights to use the D&D trademark realized that The project has the ability to adapt the rules of tabletop RPGs, which led to the emergence of the first Baldur’s Gate.

The story of the first game accompanies an orphan, seemingly without anything special, who is adopted by the sorcerer Gurion. After his adoptive father is murdered, the character sets out on a journey to find Gorion’s killers and discover the secrets of his origin.

Unsurprisingly, powerful witches rarely adopt orphans out of sheer kindness. Searching for answers, the hero discovers that he is a descendant of Bhal, an evil deity from the Forgotten Realms, whose saga only officially ended in the latest expansion of Baldur’s Gate 2.

Focusing on a character shrouded in many mysteries, the BioWare team didn’t want to spoil the first game’s key discovery. To this end, he located the expedition on the Costa da Espada, creating a scenario of economic and political crises, with All answers take the player to Baldur’s Gate.

The city is where the story of the first title concludes, but its own connection to the narrative is exactly that. like A huge success of the first game, BioWare has kept the title for the sequels and expansionsdespite the fact that the city is practically not visited in the sequels of the saga.

Is there a Baldur’s Gate in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Yes but not too much! Without going into the content for those who haven’t played it yet, the sequel follows the same dynamics as the original title. The focus of the game is on the character and why they are so special..

Searching for answers on a personal journey, the player is taken to explore several important areas of that world, in a storyline divided into 3 acts. The first two work between 30 and 50 hours of gameplay, depending on your style.

The third term is shorter, between 8pm and 30pm, depending on how advanced your group is. Just like in the beginning Baldur’s Gatethe The city is barely visible. Everything points to it, most tasks – including optional ones – end there.However, she is only seen for the first time at the end of Chapter 2.

So Larian Studios, the developer of the third game, has done its homework to create Baldur’s Gate 3. In addition to updating the mechanics created by BioWare in 1995, the fidelity to the original material is even worthy of the importance of the name, which only indicates where the story ends.