Baldur’s Gate 3 will be stacked with playable races from Dungeons & Dragons at launch, but that’s it, as the developers have revealed no plans to add more after release. This will be a crushing blow to those who want to play the more fantastical D&D races, such as the massive Goliaths, serpentine Yuan-ti Purebloods, or the winged Aarakocra.
Larian Studios has revealed the line-up of playable races and classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, with most of the list coming from the D&D 5E Player’s Handbook. There are a few races that come from other books, like the Githyanki, and a couple are tweaks on existing ideas, such as different versions of the Drow and variants of the Half-Elf tied to the elven subraces, such as the Wood Half-Elf.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 2’s Slayer Form Makes Surprise Return In Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 Won’t Add More Playable Races After Launch
Fans hope that Baldur’s Gate 3 will add more content after launch, but playable races won’t be on the cards. Baldur’s Gate 3 Lead Character Artist Alena Dubrovina told Kotaku that there are “no plans whatsoever” to add more races to Baldur’s Gate 3. Players will have to be satisfied with the eleven races and their numerous subraces in the base game.
It’s easy to see why more races won’t be added to the game, as many of them have drastically different sizes and appearances to the humanoid races that are already there. Many players might want the Centaur or Satyr added to Baldur’s Gate 3, but they have drastically different physiologies to humans and would be a nightmare to implement into the game to be used as a player character. Just imagine being the person who needs to code all of the Centaur pants!
The same has yet to be confirmed for new classes or subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3. There is only one main class from D&D 5E that isn’t already in the game, and that’s the Artificer, which would be easier to add than a whole new race, as its main gimmick is using spells from existing lists and infusing magic items with powers. Many subclasses are also missing from Baldur’s Gate 3, with varying degrees of complexity, with some being easier to implement than others.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: What’s The Level Cap?
While no races are planned for Baldur’s Gate 3, it doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen further down the line as part of a significant expansion for the game. Baldur’s Gate 3 currently has a level cap of 12, while D&D 5E rules go up to level 20. This means there is plenty of room for a Throne of Bhaal-style expansion, which adds more races, classes, and levels to the game.
