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Ahead of its early access launch next week, Larian Studios have detailed the races and classes players will be able to embody in Baldur’s Gate III.
Early access commences from October 6 on PC and players will have 16 races and subraces to choose from, with the added option of six available classes. The selection ranges from races such as humans, elves, dwarves and tieflings. The character models are said to feature “photorealistic fantasy races based on 3D scans of actors and models,” and at launch, there will be a total of 150 heads to choose from.
Each race was detailed in a community update that outlined the choices players can make upon starting the game. All of these races can also be tied to one of six classes: Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock and Wizard. As players progress they will unlock additional subclasses for each one, some at level one, whilst others are locked to later levels.
The first race was Humans, which are said to be the “most common face to see in Faerûn” and “are known for their tenacity, creativity, and endless capacity for growth”. Elsewhere, there is the Githyanki race, who are “peerless warriors from the Astral Plane”. They are most commonly known for possessing “legendary silver blades and red dragon mounts”.
Moving onto the Elves, the race splits into two subclasses. First off is the High Elf class, which will “value magic in all its forms”. Alternatively, players can choose to be a Wood Elf who are more akin to archery and camouflaging abilities that are “enhanced by an otherworldly swiftness”.
Moving onto Drows, who are the “result of an ancient schism between the elven deities Corellon Larethian and Lolthagain,” the race splits into two subraces. Seldarine Drows are “aiming to settle their conflict with Lolth – and each other,” whilst Lolth-Sworn Drows “mark her followers with bright red eyes so the Underdark will learn to fear drow on sight”.
There’s also the Half-Elf class, with subclasses that combine both Elf and Drow classes. High Half-Elfs have a “touch of the Feywild” and “possess a hint of wild power”. On the other hand, Wood Half-Elfs resemble their regular class and have “a quickened stride and eye for stealth”, where as Drow Half-Elfs are the “result from liaisons between Seldarine Drow and surfacers”.
Dwarfs are broken into two subclasses, too, with Gold and Shield to choose from. Gold “are known for their confidence and keen intuition”, and Shield surrender their kingdoms in a war between goblins and orcs, yet “will endure anything to restore their ancestral homelands”.
There are also Halflings in the world of Baldur’s Gate III. Two types exist, with the first being Lightfoot Halflings, which are described as being “stealthy but social”. Strongheart Halflings are “resistant to poison” and pack a ton of endurance to survive many encounters.
Finally, there are Tielings. Broken down into three subclasses, players will have multiple options to fine tune their class. The Asmodeus Tiefling class “inherit the ability to wield fire and darkness”, Mephistopheles Tieflings are gifted with arcane magic, and Zariel Tieflings possess high strength, with the ability to “channel searing flame to punish their enemies”.
Depending on what race players pick will also affect how characters in the world respond to them. For example, a Githyanki may struggle to receive the respect and honour that a human class would more than likely receive.
Earlier this year, Larian Studios released a gameplay demonstration for Baldur’s Gate III, which highlighted the reworked combat system. It also outlined updated narrator dialogue and a new Inspiration mechanic.
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