Larian Studios held its extravagant “Panel From Hell” this morning, a six-hour livestream detailing the studio’s patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 that’s been released into the wild as we speak. Among the reveals was the long-awaited Barbarian class, a Dungeons & Dragons near-immortal melee warrior.
The Barbarian class is Baldur’s Gate 3’s frontline, anger-fueled killing machine; they are specialized in dealing a large amount of damage and mitigating just as much by using their signature ‘Rage’ ability, a self-buff that can enhance their damage and damage resistance. The Barbarian can specialize as either the ‘Berzerker’ or ‘Wildheart’ subclass. The ‘Berzerker’ is an offensive powerhouse, and the ‘Wildheart’ is an animal-themed brute bearing but a modest resemblance to what the D&D fan all know as the ‘Totem Warrior.’
With over 1,100 new or revamped cinematics, a new light/darkness system, and many more features, Patch 7 and its over-12 pages of patch notes promise to have improvements that many fans have been waiting for.
Larian Studios is a Belgian game developer whose eccentric humor has been instrumental in catapulting their games to the top of my best-of lists. In fact, we’ve never seen the founder in normal clothing; he’s always smiling ear-to-ear in full plate armor. Each of Larian’s livestreams, or “panels,” bear a style entirely their own, with elaborate costumes, weapons, stunts, and campy special effects. They’re chaotic in the extreme and deserving of the name Larian themselves have given them.
Speaking on the subject of Baldur’s Gate 3’s full release, studio head Swen Vincke said on the panel, “We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s a long tunnel. We reckon we have a year left. We might not make 2022 as we originally said,” but Vincke went on to affirm Larian’s dedication to publishing a quality product and releasing it only when it’s done.
