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Baldur's Gate III - Information Thread, update: Larian doesn't plan to release DLC/expansions for BGIII nor develop BGIV

Commissar SFLUFAN

By Commissar SFLUFAN
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Commissar SFLUFAN

Commissar SFLUFAN

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Baldur's Gate 3 is a qualified success on Xbox Series X and S

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Baldur's Gate 3 has finally arrived on Xbox - so how does it hold up to the patched PS5 version on Series X and Series …

 

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Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year, an electronic version of a great D&D campaign without the scheduling challenges that also features an incredible amount of flexibility and an engaging player-driven story. This kind of game doesn't always translate well to consoles, but its PS5 outing from September worked quite well, absent some quibbles with the gamepad controls and occasional performance issues. Now the long-awaited Xbox version has finally arrived on Series X and Series S, so how does it hold up against the patched PS5 version - especially on the entry-level Xbox Series S?

 

Before we delve into the Xbox Series machines then, I wanted to provide a quick refresher on the PS5 version. It's been three months since we last looked at the PS5 code, and the game has seen a dozen updates since then. Initial impressions suggest limited visual changes, with slightly more diffuse and realistic shadows that could be the result of a change to shadow filtering, plus higher-res blood decals and water with more prominent specular effects.

 

Image clarity looks similar between the two patches, with a 1440p-like resolve and slight FSR 2 artefacts evident, but the actual resolutions are different in the latest patch as dynamic resolution scaling has been added. Performance mode now comes in at 1080p internally, up from a fixed 960p at launch, while quality mode remains at 1440p but drops below this are now possible in extremely demanding scenes.

 

Finally, frame-rates on PS5 have been much improved, especially in the CPU-heavy third act of the game, mirroring the advances we've seen on the PC version. Previously we saw frame-rates in the low twenties or upper teens in town areas with lots of NPCs, but now frame-rates are in the low 30s in performance mode (with some screen-tearing) and a nearly locked 30fps in quality mode. Considering this comes without any obvious settings downgrades, this is a clear result.

 

 

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This leads onto our coverage of the Xbox versions. We know that PS5 and Series X tend to be quite evenly matched in multiplatform software, so how do they stack up in Baldur's Gate 3?

 

Visually, there's not a lot to separate them, but there are a few curious differences. The ground surface appears slightly higher on the Series X in my testing across many of the game's environments. If you look closely at character feet, I think the ground on the Series machine is a closer match in many instances for foot placement. The actual ground geometry appears similar though across both machines though.

 

I also noticed a decrease in anisotropic filtering quality on Series X. The PS5 acquits itself pretty well here, while the Series X takes a noticeable hit to clarity. When the camera runs perpendicular to the scene, the difference can be quite significant, though in gameplay from isometric or overhead camera perspectives it's a lot less noticeable. I also spotted some differences in the water, with the Xbox version retaining some of the hazy-looking water at a distance, which I think is an attempt to give the water an impression of more natural sky reflection. At close range, the water looks identical though.

 

Outside of those changes, in general visual settings the two consoles are a close match. That applies equally across both modes on both consoles, because the performance and quality modes have matching settings outside of resolution. The Series X's visual changes carry over to both modes in the exact same manner.

 

In terms of image quality, both systems deliver a reasonably good looking image on a 4K television set, albeit a slightly soft one. On Series X I did notice a couple of curious things though, like visibly lower-resolution HUD elements. But when I went to pixel count the image, it came in at very similar figures to the PS5 build - a straight 1440p in quality mode, and 1080p in the performance mode.

 

 

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Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox consoles comes in more or less as expected. Relative to the PS5 release, there are some slightly odd visual differences and a small performance delta in favour of PS5, but overall it's a very similar experience to the existing console release. That means you're getting a good-looking, very playable interpretation of Baldur's Gate 3, albeit with a control and UI setup that feels a little clunky relative to mouse and keyboard play on a PC.

 

The game continues to have some configuration oddities as well. For example, the graphical modes on PS5 and Series X look nearly identical to each other, primarily separated by different frame-rate targets instead of a meaningful difference in visual features or image clarity. I think using FSR 2 to hit a higher final resolution - perhaps a full 4K - would better suit the quality modes. At the moment, there's not much reason to go with the quality modes on either console, except perhaps in Act 3 where frame-rates in performance mode go a little haywire.

 

The Xbox versions also currently suffer from an issue that can make saved games disappear. I didn't encounter this issue myself - and the problem seems to be related to the Xbox cloud save system on Microsoft's end - but prospective players may want to hold off until there's a definitive fix.

 

Overall I'd consider the Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox Series ports to be a qualified success. There are still some issues here, but this is a perfectly playable and reasonably performant version of Larian's acclaimed RPG.

 

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Baldur's Gate III - Information Thread, update: "A Qualified Success on Xbox Series X|S" (Digital Foundry technical review)
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Well I made some progress with a side quest dealing with a lost shipment. I got some coin out of it but I have searched all throughout the map and everything leads me to the goblin camp where I get destroyed. So I will look at a quide to see what I need to do. 

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6 minutes ago, stepee said:

I haven’t played much but it does sound like the sorta game like Elden Ring where if you hit a roadblock to just explore and do whatever else pops up and go back later when you are more confident.

 

I am seeing the same pattern, yea. The map so far isn't too big and there are way points that help traversing. I'm about to fire it up now and explore. 

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Spork3245

Spork3245

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On 9/27/2023 at 6:24 PM, best3444 said:

 

Yes I absolutely loved KOTOR and it was my favorite game on Xbox. That being said, I watched countless videos of BG3 and it's just not for me. I really understand the greatness behind it though.

 

On 9/27/2023 at 6:31 PM, Spork3245 said:


It doesn’t play too dissimilarly from KOTOR in terms of the overall experience and companion interactions. The main difference is that BG3 is pure turn-based for combat instead of the hybrid style that KOTOR had. I was thinking yesterday that it reminds me a LOT of KOTOR in the way the story branches and how the world and companions changes/reacts.
Do you just not enjoy high-fantasy style games? It’s a shame you don’t have a gaming PC because you could buy it on Steam and return it if you didn’t like it (as long as you play less than 2 hours).

 

On 9/27/2023 at 6:41 PM, best3444 said:

 

I just don't enjoy turned-based combat or the graphical style. Over the head view is not ideal for me as well. Believe me, I did research on this and I know I won't like it. 

 

you-need-to-listen-to-me-listen-to-me.gi

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20 minutes ago, Biggie said:

 

ok we heard you the first time FUCK

 

When I initially tried to post it just said saving....

 

I don't know what happened.

 

But yea, I talked my way into the goblin camp which took me 3 tries and reloading. But I finally got in without fighting. 

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7 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Yeah, the only guide I recommend using is just the map resource I linked a page or 2 ago. It's a sure fire way to ensure you don't pass by a location.

 

I never played a game so detailed like this. I mean every single choice you make has a consequence but the game keeps moving forward regardless in what you do. It’s really interesting and complex but not too difficult for noobs like myself. You just have to be patient and keep at it. 

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Brian

Brian

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3 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

I never played a game so detailed like this. I mean every single choice you make has a consequence but the game keeps moving forward regardless in what you do. It’s really interesting and complex but not too difficult for noobs like myself. You just have to be patient and keep at it. 

Sassy Oh No GIF by Nickelodeon

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@Biggie I never played this genre and it's been simply incredible. Never in a game have I been this strategic and concerned about decision making. I love turned based combat because it's really thrilling in how the outcomes will play out. The sense of discovery in this is fantastic. So many different paths to choose from and the game always has a way forward regardless in what you do.

 

@Bacon I cleared out the bandit area of all leaders and Haslin was hyped. Now we need to head to Moonrise towers but if I leave the main entrance I get ambushed by way too many goblins and a huge ogre.

 

I saved "Vaslo" (I think that's his name) and one other prisoner who claims there is a secret passage out of this dungeon. 

 

Did you sneak out or face the goblin ambush?

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legend

legend

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31 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Only if you like CRPG. I don’t even know what a CRPG is lol. 

 

 

"Computer Role Playing Game," a genre named due to the fact that RPGs released for PC (back in the day) tended to a have a different style than RPGs released for consoles (e.g., JRGPs). Generally means you control a party or character that you can deeply customize to your play style, usually with turn-based or semi-turn based combat in an open environment (compared to lined up in old console JRPGs) with very non-linear stories that branch from your narrative decisions in dialog (or otherwise). Examples:

 

All BG games

Original Fallout 1/2

Dragon Age Origins (not as much the sequels)

KOTOR

Shadowrun games

Wasteland 1/2

Pillars of Eternity games

Divinity Original Sin games (obviously -- these were Larian's previous games)

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