Keeping up with the acclaimed RPG has been a bit trickier than expected

Baldur's Gate 3's Definitive Version Is Finally Here And Thank Goodness For That

Keeping up with the acclaimed RPG has been a bit trickier than expected

It first began in the most ridiculous way possible. Within a month of the game's release, Larian admitted that the cast of heartthrobs were never supposed to be so randy, announcing that their rampant thirst would actually be toned down. For a game whose massive breakthrough with mainstream audiences seemed to be a stream where a player slept with a druid in their bear form, this was a particularly funny, if fundamental, change to a consequential aspect of the game. Forget the endless choices to be made or the tactical nature of trying to fight in a game that's essentially 5e D&D, what ever were we supposed to do if Gale didn't lust after us upon arriving at our camp?

With everyone's libidos back in check, the studio soon moved onto bigger patches and before long, the very nature of Baldur's Gate 3 was constantly in flux. It seemed like anytime I came close to finally picking it up and playing (whether it was on console or my increasingly dysfunctional laptop), I was consistently counseled to wait. "Minthara will be easier to recruit after Patch X." Okay. "Your Durge playthrough will feel better once Larian patches in the new evil endings." Sure, why not? "I refuse to play until I can mod big naturals onto Withers?" Alright man, whatever you say.

For a while, there were weeks where I heard word of some new bit of cut content (cutscenes and dialogue) that was being restored to the game, retroactively altering the text I thought was immutable. Patch 6 made the game steamier by altering and expanding on romantic scenes and Patch 7 introduced more endings for players who completed evil playthroughs. In an almost Mass Effect 3-like move, Patch 5 actually just shipped a whole new epilogue that had never been in the game to provide more payoff for fans disgruntled by one of the game's abrupt endings, of which there are thousands of permutations. In the interest of being economical about my dwindling time, and coincidentally getting the most out of the game, it seemed impossible to jump into Baldur's Gate 3 anytime but now.

Despite being billed as the definitive RPG for experiencing D&D 5e mechanics, the simple fact is that Baldur's Gate 3, which has contorted in several different ways since its August 2023 release (and indeed its early-access launch back in 2020), hasn't really felt definitive until just now. At some point along the way, I became wholly convinced that, like other games with a tremendously outsized impact, Baldur's Gate 3 might never stop. That its post-launch-support-turned-live-servicification would unendingly toil until the game was indistinguishable from its former self. After all, as a masochistic enjoyer of many a live-service title, I've seen games I love cannibalize themselves via similar processes.

Fortunately the same doesn't seem to be occurring to Baldur's Gate 3. With its final patch out now, the story is done. All the edits are in and it is now largely ours to do with what we will. There is a part of me undoubtedly sad that I missed out on Baldur's Gate 3's super-horny era. There is even some nagging voice deeper down that's a little regretful I didn't get to be in on the ground floor and watch this obviously beloved thing continuously morph before achieving its final, momentous shape. But there is a greater part of me just glad that it's no longer something to keep up with and continually put off for a later and better time. Now if you don't mind, I've got a long-delayed date with Shadowheart in my near-future.

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