The Ultimate Baldur's Gate 3 Update: An Epic Fusion with Elden Ring

Highlights

Baldur's Gate 3 offers immersive storytelling, polished gameplay, and near-infinite replayability, making it a strong contender for Game of the Year 2023.

Players have the freedom to shape the story through consequence-driven gameplay, resulting in a one-of-a-kind experience. By introducing a feature similar to Elden Ring's Church of Vows, the game would become more inclusive, offering players the opportunity to mend relationships with NPCs or factions they may have previously upset.

With its immersive storytelling, polished gameplay, and near-infinite replayability, Baldur's Gate 3 is already a strong contender for the Game of the Year in 2023. The game offers players a multitude of choices, each with game-altering effects that can significantly shape their experience. While this consequence-based role-playing is a key aspect of Baldur's Gate 3, adding an option from last year's Game of the Year winner, Elden Ring, could enhance its accessibility.

New players to the Baldur's Gate series or Larian games might be surprised by the numerous details that can have a major impact on the story's progression. Factors such as a character's class or race, dialogue choices, skill check failures, and even their gear or companions can shape the storyline. Given that it may take up to 18 playthroughs to fully explore everything the game has to offer, it would be beneficial to provide players with a means of regaining favor with NPCs they may have upset.

Baldur's Gate 3 Needs its Own Church of Vows from Elden Ring

Given the complex mechanics involved in the branching paths of Baldur's Gate 3, players can easily find themselves on the wrong side of an NPC group or faction without realizing it. This can be overwhelming and cause players to unintentionally deviate from their intended route. To address this issue, the game should incorporate a feature similar to Elden Ring's Church of Vows, where players can restore relationships with specific NPCs or factions.

Elden Ring is known for its challenging combat, but it is more forgiving in terms of NPC quest lines and faction alignment. The Church of Vows, situated in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes and home to the beloved turtle pope Miriel, Pastor of Vows, allows players to repent for their actions and rectify any hostilities they may have incurred from NPCs. During their journey through the Lands Between, players can accidentally or purposely attack certain NPCs, risking animosity and missing out on side quests.

In Baldur's Gate 3, players often encounter situations where exploration and risk-taking are encouraged in order to solve puzzles. However, these actions can sometimes unintentionally anger certain NPCs, leading to consequences such as destroying structures or entering forbidden locations. While reloading a previous save is an option, players who don't frequently save may have to backtrack extensively.

To mitigate the risks associated with exploration and experimentation, it would be beneficial to provide players with the opportunity to redeem themselves and gain favor with a faction, albeit at a cost. Some hardcore players may argue that this absolution feature makes the game too easy, but making it an optional service allows new players to have a more accessible experience while still enabling hardcore players to play as they prefer. Additionally, implementing a substantial cost for this feature would discourage excessive reliance on it while still offering it as an option for those in need.

Baldur's Gate 3 is out now on PC; the PlayStation 5 version releases on September 6th, 2023.