Baldur's Gate games.

[Rath Darkblade]

So, as I mentioned in the Veilguard thread, I am hoping to play Baldur's Gate 3 once it goes down in price a little. (It's currently $90 here, which is $59 US).

I have never played the BG games, so this world is completely new to me. What should I know about it? I'm aware of BG1 and BG2 being RPG classics (developed in the mid-90s, I think?) but I guess my question is this: is playing BG1 and BG2 essential to being able to play, or enjoy, BG3?

[Tawmis]

So, as I mentioned in the Veilguard thread, I am hoping to play Baldur's Gate 3 once it goes down in price a little. (It's currently $90 here, which is $59 US).

I have never played the BG games, so this world is completely new to me. What should I know about it? I'm aware of BG1 and BG2 being RPG classics (developed in the mid-90s, I think?) but I guess my question is this: is playing BG1 and BG2 essential to being able to play, or enjoy, BG3?

You definitely do not need to play the previous ones. The only benefit playing the previous ones would provide is becoming familiar with the setting (Forgotten Realms, which was an old D&D setting that became the primary setting for 5th edition). I will say however, BG3 is a pretty graphically intensive and CPU intensive game.

https://larian.com/support/faqs/system-requirements_47

MINIMUM:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i5-4690 / AMD FX 8350
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space on an SSD
Additional Notes: Default API is Directx11. Vulkan 1.1 API also provided.
RECOMMENDED:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / AMD RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 150 GB available space on an SSD
Additional Notes: Default API is Directx11. Vulkan 1.1 API also provided.

For example, I can run it on mine - but if I want to be able to "enjoy" it without tons of lag (because I have a crap, built-in graphics card), I have to turn EVERYTHING all the way down. And it's still rough.

I've played multiplayer story mode with some friends - and I will tell you this - each time I have learned something new you can do in the game. One of them is near the start - they did something - and I was like, "Wait. WHAT?"

So the game is full of a metric ton of cool surprises and finds... and it's a huge game.

[goatmeal]

The only game in the series I've played is Baldur's Dash.

You move your character around an underground setting, with the goal being to collect diamonds and avoid any falling rocks...

...hey, wait a minute...

[Rath Darkblade]

Well, I have an i5-12400 2.50 GHz ... I'm not sure if that's enough for the processor, is it?

As for the memory, I have 32 GB of RAM, which is more than enough.

I also have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 for the graphics card, but I'm not sure if that's good enough. Can I test it somehow?

My only concern is the storage ... that's one heck of a meaty game! With my connection (which is capable of maybe 1-2 Mbps), that'd take hours (maybe even all night?) to download. Woof!

[Tawmis]

I also have an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 for the graphics card, but I'm not sure if that's good enough. Can I test it somehow?

My only concern is the storage ... that's one heck of a meaty game! With my connection (which is capable of maybe 1-2 Mbps), that'd take hours (maybe even all night?) to download. Woof!

The game, as I said, is HUGE. I mean there is a metric ton of exploring. And I didn't even get far.

As for the graphics card, it's below the min required - but that said, so is mine - so you might have to turn things down (probably not as much as I had to, because mine is way below the min requirement).