Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently ranked 1st in the bestsellers in the Steam charts at the release of this news and currently holds 3rd place in the most played games. This has exceeded all expectations of the publisher Larian Studio and even though most players have not yet completed their first run, the question of DLCs and expansions is on the table. However, why we likely have to wait a long time for Baldur’s Gate 3 to continue and why a new level cap of 20 is unlikely, you can read here.
What happened? Larian Studio has released a true gaming hit with Baldur’s Gate 3. After the publisher’s team expected about 100,000 simultaneous players, they surprised with over 700,000 enthusiastic gamers at times.
With such overwhelming success, the question arises whether the publisher will release DLCs and other additional content for the game.
The demand for Baldur’s Gate 3 is present. Since characters in the game can currently be upgraded to only level 12, while the Dungeons & Dragons template allows builds up to level 20, there is still much content potential.
Development of an expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3 has not yet started
Why are the chances for an early DLC release currently low? In an interview with PC Gamer, Larian founder Sven Vincke stated that the development of an expansion has not yet begun. This means: a DLC would still be at the very beginning.
If Larian Studios applies the same care to a DLC as they did for the main game with its six-year development time, that could mean a DLC release in at least two to three years.
An expansion up to level 20 would make players too powerful in Baldur’s Gate 3
Why is the level cap likely to remain at level 12? Normally, it would be standard for a DLC to also raise the level cap. However, in Baldur’s Gate 3 this would lead to many problems, as the role-playing game closely adheres to the content and rules of Dungeons & Dragons.
Between levels 13 and 20, characters in pen-and-paper can learn some game-breaking spells. Here are three powerful examples:
- astral projection: With the appropriate materials, the caster and up to eight other willing creatures can project their souls into the Astral Sea. This place was the home of all gods.
- foresight: The character cannot be surprised for eight game hours and gains advantages on attack, attribute, and saving throws. Additionally, other creatures have disadvantages on attack rolls against the target.
- wish: The ninth-level summoning is, according to the player manual,
the most powerful spell that a mortal creature can cast.
Possible effects include fully healing up to 20 creatures in the player environment, summoning an item worth up to 25,000 gold, or retroactively changing a dice roll and the resulting change in game reality.
For players, these effects are, of course, absolutely desirable. However, for a game master or a video game studio, they are a pure balancing nightmare. The development time of a DLC would therefore be further extended.
Larian chief Vincke also indicates that when talking about adventures in the range of level 13-20 as material for an expansion, it sounds great at first, but upon closer inspection, it proves to be quite challenging. Therefore, most D&D adventures are designed for players below level 12.
A closer look at the choice of level cap can be found here: Why you can only play up to level 12 in Baldur’s Gate 3 and why that is good
