Baldur's Gate 3 promises to update the classic roleplaying series in a number of ways, and one change to classes could make a huge difference for players. The last mainline installment in the Baldur's Gate series released in 2000, mixing years of waiting into fans' anticipation for the new title. In many regards, Baldur's Gate 3 seeks to recapture old-school attributes of the games, but the time that's ed since Baldur's Gate 2 has also provided testing grounds for new ideas that can enhance player freedom and fun.

Character creation is set to be a huge part of the Baldur's Gate 3 experience, offering players a level of customization that few games can match. While many games feature character creators that focus mostly on cosmetic options and offer a few basic choices for class and specs, Baldur's Gate 3 offers several subclasses for every class that can lead to hundreds of different options in combat and branching possibilities in dialogue. Although this level of freedom is no doubt enticing for veterans of CRPGs or tabletop games, it might prove paralyzing to some players who fear getting stuck with a build they don't ultimately like.

Baldur's Gate 3 Will Let Players Respec Their Classes

A Baldur's Gate 3 Paladin That Has Taken The Oath Of Ancient Druids, Wearing Armor That Has Nature Motifs

The From Hell: Release Showcase for Baldur's Gate 3, viewable on the magic mirror in Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian's previous RPG that offered a similarly exhaustive roleplaying experience without alienating newcomers to the genre. As a first for the Baldur's Gate series, the ability to respec classes and levels incorporates a fan-favorite feature that remains fully optional for players who like to stick to their guns.

Baldur's Gate 3 Class Changes Are A Big Help

The Baldur's Gate 3 NPC players encounter when a paladin breaks their oath, a ghastly, undead knight with shining red eyes and ornamented armor.

Although the Baldur's Gate series always offers a multitude of ways to progress, building a well-optimized character is often important to find a solution to various challenges. The option to re-assign character abilities can prove far more important than in a game where a couple of extra levels can take care of any obstacle, preventing players from feeling like they've reached a dead end at any point. This function also mimics one of the best features of tabletop roleplaying games, where players unhappy with their characters can often work with their game master for a solution or simply roll a new one and jump back into a campaign.

The new features in Baldur's Gate 3 will also allow players to try multi-classing without worrying about dire repercussions, which could lead to more creative choices across the board. After several years of an Early Access version on PC, the Baldur's Gate 3 release date will arrive on August 3 for PC and Mac and August 31 for PS5; Baldur's Gate 3 isn't coming to Xbox just yet. For any players jumping in at launch, the knowledge that class choices aren't set in stone could help get the ball rolling more quickly. Baldur's Gate 3 might have a complicated class system, but the freedom to tinker and create should make it an exciting sandbox for newcomers and veterans alike.

Source: Larian Studios/YouTube