Baldur's Gate 3 Editions & Collector's Editions: Should You Preorder?
Jul. 24, 2023Baldur’s Gate 3 Editions & Collector’s Editions: Should You Preorder?
Despite the long wait since its original announcement, the Baldur’s Gate 3 imminent launch has everyone hyping at dangerously cyberpunk-like levels, making many wonder whether we’re entering one of those dreaded “Fall From Grace” cycles that seem to loom over every loved developer.
If you have lived through the fall of beloved giants, and have subscribed to the “We Do Not Preorder” mantra, this article is for you. And it’s also to tell you that, actually, you SHOULD preorder Baldur’s Gate 3
The game is coming to PC first followed by Playstation, and Xbox at a later date. Below is a quick reminder of what you can get, which you can skip if you know already. If you want to score some extra goodies, we have 3 collector’s editions that we are giving away right now: you can sign up on theBaldur’s Gate 3 Mappage on theBG3 Wiki.
Platforms: PC/PS5
Platforms: PC/PS5
So you know what editions are available, what they cost… and now you must decide, should you preorder? With the many and mounting disappointments over the years, it’s only understandable that gamers have become wary of the practice. Many times games are marketed with let’s call it “Forward-looking statements” that are more akin to wishful thinking, and a lot of money is used in manipulating press, content creators and that very gullible friend we all have that eventually talks us into riding that hype train all the way down its fiery derailment.
Distant memories now but many will remember that once upon a time we all LOVED Bioware and Blizzard. They were industry pillars who put out love projects and gave them decades of attention. More recently, there was the No Man’s Sky launch fiasco, the inexplicable duality of user vs critic approaches to Last of Us 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, and the all too recentDiablo 4Seasonnerfhammer that took the wind out of most endgame enthusiasts. It has become apparent that a “wait and see” approach may be needed even with industry darlings such as Naughty Dog or CDPR.
The idea of a disappointing entry on a well-loved series is not new, of course, but the locked-in preorder sales, late or inexplicably good reviews, and dodgy refund practices have made gamers consistently more wary of hitting that “pre-order” button.
The reasons for me risking eating my very public hat are the same that led me to spend the money I’ve already spent buying 5+ copies for myself and friends: everything you can research and look at clearly and pointedly shows Larian, just like FromSoftware did last year, is about to deliver a heavy hitter that is really going to change RPG gaming forever.
Let’s begin with the same analysis we did for FromSoftware. The key issues that any studio finds are usually based around staffing, expansion or acquisition, and how the people who added the original magic are placed within the growing organizations.
Note: This table only focuses on related titles.
If you look at the above table, you’ll notice the following things: Naughty Dog had a consistent tone at the top until the key lead staff exited, and the people left to try to steer the wrap-up of the series could not find the right tempo to rekindle that magic that had carried so well to very different IPs.
Now if we look at Larian Studios, you will find that the blossoming success they gathered from their “breakthrough” withDivinity Original SinandDivinity Original Sin 2did not have a significant impact on their operations. Larian was founded and continues to be very actively and clearly lovingly run by Swen Vicke. You can see him on everything from marketing to bug coding and motion capture. He’s even there at the GameShows and the streams to talk with fans and journalists.
The size of the studio has also remained well in hand, considering it is only 400 people and was founded in 1996, and its 6 satellite offices are thus not an overbearing human resources nightmare for the core dev team. This is a team that has not had major turnover or burnout, and has been consistently putting out a tried and true style of game for decades, and thus are intimately familiar with the product and the audience.
Anyone who visits the channel often knows that I am not against preorders per se, but I do put a lot of consideration into the titles that I will get and why. Most people would say there’s no reason to prepay for something that you aren’t sure will provide what it promises, and that we should not encourage this tactic at all as it creates an unfavorable consumer loop.
But, just likeElden Ring, BG3 deserves your preorder as a reward. The Larian team have a consistent track record for this type of game, so you KNOW what they can put out, what they have already put out, and how they do it. They have provided plans, panels and an almost cruelly extensive Early Access. They said it was to gather feedback, and the changes we’re seeing with the Full Version absolutely demonstrate they put those early access years to work despite their relatively small size.
While Covid seemed to shut development down for everyone else, Larian managed to continue to expand and refine their original promise, getting now to the stage where I am truly impressed with the sheer scale of the possibility of this game. It is an obvious labour of love that benefits from the technical expertise and hard-earned experience of its dev team. We have met them and talked to them so many times that I feel we can vouch for their incredible passion and commitment to honoring Baldur’s Gate. I mentioned this when I createdA Brief History of D&Darticle, and I’m proud to say that years after that video I still feel confident saying there’s nobody better than Larian to bring DnD to digital gaming.
We remember the classics like Kotor,Mass Effect, Skyrim because of how they shook the industry into something new. In this age of disposable and forgettable mass-marketed experiences, I feel it’s important to stand, applaud and support the developers that are still doing this with passion. So I give Larian my preorder vote of confidence. I know their product will change the way I want my RPGs forever, and there will be a before and after in customization and delivery of this style of game. I think it will do so for everyone, even the hardcore realtime players who may be still glaring from the sidelines.
So what are your plans? Are you preordering? Have you been compulsively playing early access? Are you having anxiety where you dream about the game everyday? We’ll have more prelaunch content coming daily so you can kill at least a few minutes.
If you’re planning on picking up Baldur’s Gate 3 be sure to check out our wiki forbuilds,classes,spellsand more.
Fexelea
MMO raider by day and guide writer by night, Fex enjoys multiplatform gaming, good books and animes, and streaming with a cold beer.
