Big wheel keeps on turnin’
Baldur’s Gate 3might be the third entry in theBaldur’s Gateseries, but it’s also a follow-up to the style of RPG that Larian has been making for years. With that in mind, it’s easy to wonder which lineage it might draw from, especially when it comes to whetherBaldur’s Gate 3goes for real-time or turn-based combat.
While BioWare’sBaldur’s Gateseries utilized the famous real-time-with-pause set-up it would continue to use all the way throughDragon Age, Larian uses a stricter turn-based system in itsDivinity: Original Sintitles. So which one doesBaldur’s Gate 3opt for, and can you choose?
Baldur’s Gate 3is turn-based
Yes,Baldur’s Gate 3is strictly turn-based. There are, as of this writing, no options for changing that either. While you can walk around in real time,Baldur’s Gate 3will go turn-based as soon as combat is initiated.
You do have the option of manually initiating combat from the real-time roaming set-up, though, if you wish. Just hit the Spacebar (or equivalent on a controller) and time will freeze, allowing you to issue orders to your various party members. Once this gets rolling, though, you can’t keep playing in real-time. Combat inBaldur’s Gate 3will shift into turn-based mode, with characters rolling their initiative and playing out their turns accordingly.
This is actually much closer to how proper tabletopDungeons & Dragonsworks, which uses a turn order and initiative rolls. But for longtime fans of theBaldur’s Gateseries, or the real-time-with-pause era of CRPGs, that might be abummer. The good news is there are still a few modern options, like the aforementionedDragon Ageseries from BioWare. Those utilize a real-time combat system with pausing, though they have a bit more of an action tilt as the series has gone on.
