Is Baldur‘s Gate 3 Better Than Divinity: Original Sin 2? This Passionate Gamer Says Yes!

As a hardcore RPG fan who has put over 200 hours into Divinity: Original Sin 2 and participated in the Baldur’s Gate 3 Early Access, I can definitively say Baldur’s Gate 3 improves upon the Divinity formula substantially. Everything that made Divinity one of the finest RPGs of the decade has been enhanced with cutting-edge technology, deeper systems, and unprecedented freedom. If you loved Divinity 2 as much as I did, then let me break down exactly why Baldur‘s Gate 3 is the game to watch in 2024 and beyond.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 Sets a New Standard…

I still vividly remember first booting up Divinity: Original Sin 2 in 2017. Over four acts spanning well over 100 hours, Larian Studios wove together one of the most reactive and compelling RPG narratives I’d ever played. With six unique origin characters, hundreds of skills to mix, complex elemental interactions, and turn-based tactical combat, Divinity gave players an unprecedented amount of freedom.

It quickly became one of my favorite games ever. And judging by its Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam and multiple RPG of the Year awards, many shared my experience. So how could Larian possibly top that with Baldur‘s Gate 3?

How Baldur‘s Gate 3 Builds on Divinity‘s Foundation

As the above table summarizes, Baldur‘s Gate 3 iterates on Divinity 2‘s systems in major ways:

Fully Simulated 5th Edition Rules

Divinity‘s custom RPG system, while great, was cobbled together based on D&D influences. Baldur‘s Gate 3 features the most accurate implementation of actual D&D 5th edition rules ever in a video game. This leads to even deeper character builds, more flexibility in action economy/movement on the battlefield, and truer tabletop roleplaying flavor.

Multi-Origin Party Banter

With 7 intricately detailed origin companions revealed so far and more to come, the opportunity for emergent storytelling through party banter is huge. Mixing companions like the haughty Astarion with down-to-earth hero Wyll already proves more combustible than even Divinity 2‘s pairings.

Stunning Environmental Reactivity

Larian hascompletely overhauled their tagging system to make conversations even more reactive to factors like origin, class, race, and more. On top of that, next-gen facial capture technology enables lip syncing that realistically mirrors your dialogue choices. Immersion is taken to unprecedented levels.

As just one example early on, my dwarven cleric‘s innate poison resistance unlocked special dialogue options when interrogating a suspicious tiefling. Meanwhile, my elven ranger struggled more with resisting poison, opening up entirely different conversation paths based on our strengths and flaws. That level of reactivity multiplies with larger party sizes.

More Meaningful Choices Than Ever Before

From smaller roleplaying moments like choosing to take a swig of alcohol at a party or passionately defending your religion, to larger branching narrative decisions on par with Divinity 2‘s biggest dilemmas, Baldur‘s Gate 3 is brimming with opportunity for meaningful character expression.

Based on a recent panel, Larian estimates over 500,000 lines of voiced dialogue! And with fluid real-time with pause or turn-based combat letting you control the pace of action, you have ample time to consider all choices.

Jaw-Dropping Environmental Fidelity Powered by New Hardware

Built in Unity leveraging the might of modern GPUs like the beefy RTX 40 series, Baldur‘s Gate 3‘s environments are simply staggering to behold. Lush forests teeming with fireflies, rich magical cities positively glowing at night, foreboding ruins with light shafts piercing the gloom – I often find myself just panning the camera around to admire sweeping vistas dripping with atmosphere.

Ray tracing support takes these locales to another level once enabled, with realistic shadows, reflections, and global illumination. Even simple conversations become engrossing when you can see individual strands of gleaming hair or the deep natural pores of an orc‘s green skin. It‘s immersive eye candy.

Why Baldur‘s Gate 3 Can Become An All-Time Great RPG

Could Baldur‘s Gate 3 dethrone beloved classics like Planescape: Torment and Baldur‘s Gate II as the greatest RPG ever made? Having played Larian‘s ambitious vision during Early Access, I believe so.

• Its simulations promise unparalleled freedom in combat, exploration, and roleplaying potential – three pillars key to exceptional RPG experiences.
• By integrating the hugely popular D&D 5E ruleset in full, near-limitless viable character builds become attainable.
• Expanded origin companions means more personalized, emotionally resonant stories can play out during the journey depending on your party makeup.
• The exceptional writing talent behind Divinity is still helming narrative design, suggesting an epic adventure awaits.

For any fan of classic CRPGs or tabletop roleplaying that adored exploring risky builds, unexpected stories emerging organically, and high fantasy heroism, Baldur‘s Gate 3 represents the exciting next evolution of the genre.

I fully expect it to set the benchmark that future RPGs are judged against when it launches, just as Divinity: Original Sin 2 did in its era. Consider wishlisting it on Steam and GOG now so you don‘t miss Baldur‘s Gate 3‘s full release on August 12, 2023!

What do you think? Is Baldur‘s Gate living up to the hype based on what we‘ve seen so far in Early Access? Let me know in the comments! I‘m always down to geek out about RPG mechanics and experiences.