Baldur’s Gate 3 has been hugely successful because it lets players make meaningful choices that shape the story. This success raises a big question about what Baldur’s Gate 4 can do to start up again. The third game in the series has so many different endings and choices that a true canon ending is difficult. It’s something that many sequels have issues with, but it feels almost unique, thanks to all the player agency BG3 has. One possible solution can be found in how BioWare’s Dragon Age games handle this issue.

Instead of following a simple, linear narrative, Dragon Age skillfully deals with player choices and their effects on the overall story. A great example is Dragon Age: Inquisition, which offers a way to honor players’ past decisions without forcing one single storyline. Inquisition uses time jumps, explores new areas while connecting to familiar locations, and subtly manages returning characters. Baldur’s Gate 4 could take a similar approach, especially since the setting is tightly linked to Baldur’s Gate, and the relationships with companions in BG3 are very impactful.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Doesn’t Leave Room for a Sequel

Too Much Has Happened With Choices

Baldur’s Gate 3 stands out because it gives players a high level of freedom in how they play, resulting in many different endings based on their choices. This makes creating a direct sequel really challenging. If a new game tried to pick one specific ending to follow, it would likely upset a lot of players who had different experiences and reached different conclusions. Additionally, the game’s characters have deep storylines that change depending on player decisions, adding even more complexity.

A sequel would have to take into account all these unique experiences, which becomes harder with each different story path players took in the first game. The variety of choices, from major events to little dialogue options, creates a complicated situation that’s difficult to handle in a sequel that everyone would enjoy. This isn’t just about creative challenges; it’s a fundamental issue based on the game’s design. To make a successful Baldur’s Gate 4, the next studio would need to approach the situation differently.

Even tiny decisions in Baldur’s Gate 3 can have huge story implications, which makes it hard to make a sequel.

The real question isn’t whether a sequel can happen but how it can be done without losing what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 special. There are plenty of franchises that deal with giving the player ways to finish them, but none does this as well as Dragon Age. While there are canon endings, they tend not to be referenced very often, but each game still feels like it follows the previous.

Dragon Age Inquisition Kept Players in the Same Area Without Trouble

Nearby Is Similar, But Different

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a sequel to Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, but it successfully avoids the problems of revisiting old game locations that the sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3 would face. Rather than bringing players back to familiar places like Kirkwall, Inquisition offers a large, semi-open world with several unique and interconnected areas. These regions all exist on the same continent of Thedas but feature different environments and challenges, which would help Baldur’s Gate 4.

As the Inquisitor, players can explore diverse locations like the snowy Frostback Basin, the sunny Hinterlands, the lush Emerald Graves, and the elegant court of Orlais. Each area has its own distinct look, culture, and story, but they clearly took place in the same world because the characters and environment sometimes referenced events in previous games. This design choice makes sure players don’t get the feeling of déjà vu that often comes from sequels that revisit old settings.

Inquisition manages to tell new stories within the established world of Thedas while still using familiar elements from previous games. This approach encourages players to explore and discover new things, an important part of the role-playing game experience. By balancing familiar settings with new ones, Inquisition sets a great example of how to create a sequel while expanding a well-known universe.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Companions Can’t Make Big Returns

Players Heavily Influenced Companions

Baldur’s Gate 3 companions were all influenced by the player. Their personal stories and relationships with the player character depend significantly on the choices made during the game. If a sequel tries to continue from where BG3 left off, it would have to pick a way the player would have acted. This would upset many players who enjoyed shaping their own unique experiences.

There’s also the issue of you being able to romance multiple companions, which adds to the complexity of the storyline.

For example, Astarion’s journey of redemption, Shadowheart’s changing beliefs, and Gale’s struggles are all influenced by player decisions. If a sequel wants to bring these companions back in a meaningful way, it would have to handle countless different story paths, which would be incredibly complicated. Simply mentioning past events wouldn’t be enough; players’ emotional connections with these characters require a deeper approach, but managing that would mean creating an overly complex game.

So, without a doubt, crafting a sequel focused on the same companions from BG3 would face major storytelling obstacles. Since the game prioritizes player choice, a straightforward continuation becomes nearly impossible. To make a successful Baldur’s Gate 4, the focus will need to shift to telling a new story in the same world, maybe subtly referencing different endings or introducing a whole new set of characters.

Another Big Time Skip May Be the Solution

Baldur’s Gate 4 May Need A Time Skip

Making Baldur’s Gate 4 a fitting sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3 would require creating a complex storyline that considers all the choices players made in the first game, which would take a long time or be nearly impossible. The Keep, Bioware’s solution for Dragon Age: Inquisition, would be an idea, but a time skip would be an even better way.

To solve this issue, the sequel might need to jump far ahead in time, like the century-long gap between Baldur’s Gate 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. This way, the new story could hint at past events without directly tying back to every player’s choices. This concept has worked well in other games, like Dragon Age: Inquisition.

It’s easy to forget, but Dragon Age: Origins takes place over a decade before Dragon Age: Inquisition. Hence, the effects of what happened took place long enough ago that anything could have happened in between. A fresh start can still honor previous stories by introducing new characters or significantly changing the setting, creating a narrative that stands independently while remaining part of the same world. A time skip in Baldur’s Gate 4 would appeal to a broad audience and keep the amazing player experience that made Baldur’s Gate 3 so popular.