Baldur's Gate 3 has been a huge success because it allows players to make meaningful choices that shape the story. This success raises a big question about what Baldur's Gate 4 can do to start again. The third game in the series has so many different endings and choices that a true canonical ending is difficult. It's something a lot of sequels have trouble with, but it feels almost unique thanks to all the player agency BG3 he has. A possible solution can be found in the way BioWare Dragon Age Games solve this problem.
Instead of following a simple, linear narrative, Dragon Age Deftly deals with player choices and their effects on the overall story. A great example is Dragon Age: Inquisitionthat offers a way to honor players' previous decisions without forcing a single storyline. Inquisition uses time jumps, explores new areas while connecting to familiar locations, and subtly manages returning characters. Baldur's Gate 4 could adopt a similar approach, especially since the environment is closely linked to Baldur's Gateand relationships with peers in BG3 are very impactful.
Baldur's Gate 3 leaves no room for a sequel
A lot happened with the choices
Baldur's Gate 3 stands out because it gives players a high level of freedom in how they play, resulting in many different endings based on their choices. This makes creating a direct sequel really challenging. If If a new game tried to choose a specific ending to follow, it would likely upset many players who had different experiences and came to different conclusions.. Furthermore, the game's characters have deep stories that change depending on the player's decisions, adding even more complexity.
A sequel would have to take into account all of these unique experiences, which becomes more difficult with each different story path players take in the first game. The variety of choices, from large events to small dialogue options, creates a complicated situation that is difficult to deal with in a sequence that everyone would like. It's not just about creative challenges; is a fundamental question based on game design. To make a success Baldur's Gate 4the next studio would need to approach the situation differently.
The real question is not whether a sequel can happen, but how it can be done without losing what it does. Baldur's Gate 3 special. There are many franchises that try to give the player ways to finish them, but none do it as well as Dragon Age. Although there are canonical endings, they tend not to be referenced very oftenbut each game still seems to follow the last.
Dragon Age Inquisition kept players in the same area without any problems
Close is similar but different
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a continuation of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2but it successfully avoids the problems of revisiting old game locations that the sequel Baldur's Gate 3 would face. Instead of bringing players back to familiar places like Kirkwall, Inquisition offers a large, semi-open world with several unique and interconnected areas. These regions they all exist on the same continent of Thedas but present different environments and challenges, which would help Baldur's Gate 4.
As the Inquisitor, players can explore diverse locations, including the snowy Frostback Basin, the sunny Hinterlands, the lush Emerald Graves, and the elegant court of Orlais. Each area has its own distinct appearance, culture and history, but they clearly took place in the same world because the characters and environment sometimes referenced events from previous games. This design choice ensures that players don't get the sense of déjà vu that often comes from sequels that revisit old settings.
Inquisition manages to tell new stories within the established world of Thedas while still using familiar elements from previous games. This approach encourages players to explore and discover new things, an important part of the RPG experience. Put balancing familiar settings with new ones, Inquisition gives a great example of how to create a sequel while expanding a well-known universe.
Baldur's Gate 3 Companions Don't Get Big Returns
Players strongly influenced teammates
Baldur's Gate 3 teammates were all influenced by the player. Your personal stories and relationships with the player character depend significantly on the choices made during the game. If a sequence tries to continue from where BG3 left aside, it would have to choose a way the player would have acted. This would upset many players who liked to shape their own unique experiences.
For example, Astarion's journey of redemption, Shadowheart's changing beliefs, and Gale's struggles are all influenced by the player's decisions. If a sequel wants to bring these companions back in a meaningful way, it would have to deal with countless different story pathswhich would be incredibly complicated. Simply mentioning past events would not be enough; players' emotional connections to these characters require a deeper approach, but managing this would mean creating an overly complex game.
So, without a doubt, crafting a sequel focused on the same teammates BG3 he would be face major obstacles to tell stories. As the game prioritizes player choice, a direct continuation becomes almost impossible. To make a success Baldur's Gate 4the focus will need to shift to telling a new story in the same world, perhaps subtly referencing different endings or introducing a new set of characters.
Another big leap could be the solution
Baldur's Gate 4 may need a time jump
Doing Baldur's Gate 4 a suitable sequence for Baldur's Gate 3 it would require creating a complex storyline that considered all of the choices players made in the first game, which would take a long time or be nearly impossible. The Keep, Bioware's solution for Dragon Age: Inquisitionwould be an idea, but a time jump would be an even better way.
To solve this problem, the sequence may need to move very far forward in time, such as the century-long gap between Baldur's Gate 2 and Baldur's Gate 3. This way, the new story could hint at past events without being directly tied to each player's choices. This concept has worked well in other gamesas Dragon Age: Inquisition.
It's easy to forget, but Dragon Age: Origins takes place more than a decade before Dragon Age: Inquisition. Consequently, the effects of what happened occurred long enough ago that anything could have happened between them. A new beginning can still pay homage to previous stories by introducing new characters or significantly altering the setting, creating a narrative that remains self-contained while remaining part of the same world. A leap in time Baldur's Gate 4 would appeal to a wide audience and maintain the incredible player experience that made it Baldur's Gate 3 so popular.