A "Larian" Version Of Baldur's Gate 4 Could Be Possible, But Not In The Way You Think (2024)

Despite the immense success of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios has been firm in denying the opportunity to make a sequel to the 2023 Game of the Year winner. Because of the success and name recognizability of the franchise, Wizards of the Coast will likely find another studio to make Baldur's Gate 4, much to the disappointment of many fans. Still, Larian has been updating its game constantly since its release. The Belgium-based studio may be winding down its work on BG3, but it has one last major gift to its players before it says goodbye.

It would be almost impossible for a studio to follow Larian in making Baldur's Gate 4. So much of what makes BG3 a great game is ingrained in Larian's identity as a developer. The studio's charming writing and the freedom that it gives its players are practically unmatched in the CRPG scene, and this has always been the case back when the studio worked on the Divinity: Original Sin series. Still, this could be preserved in a pseudo-sequel thanks to an official modding toolkit launching in the autumn.

A Larian Style Baldur's Gate 4 Could Still Happen

It Just Needs To Be Made By Fans

Although not everyone is aware of modding toolkits, their impact on a game should not be underestimated. The Creation Kit for Skyrim has made that game practically immortal and has enough support to make it into a next-gen game. More than that, it has expansion-sized mods that add new countries and incredibly well-written quests. With a mod toolkit, this could be the exciting future that awaits Baldur's Gate 3. The game is already incredible as is, but if the community adds to it, it could become immortal, too.

Quest mods will inevitably be made and add content to a game that is already filled to the brim with it. As time goes on and modding development teams grow, players could have access to expansion-sized mods, giving them the DLC that Larian didn't make. This could even evolve into total-conversion mods, like Fallout: London or Enderal: Forgotten Stories. These total conversions could even become a kind of sequel, taking players from level 12 to 20 and continuing the story of the BG3 cast or a new batch of characters.

Although Baldur's Gate 3 looks amazing with its Divinity 4 Engine, graphical fidelity will improve as time goes on. A modding toolkit is a great way to get players to improve the visuals of a game so that it can stay up-to-date for as long as possible. With new textures, updated models, new lighting infrastructure, and script extenders, the game can see visual improvements to the point where it looks like a proper sequel.

Don't Worry, Even Console Players Can Get Involved

But Only With The Official Mods

Traditionally, modding has been exclusive to PC gaming. This is due to the need to access to third-party tools (like Vortex and BG3 Mod Manager) or the file locations. Sometimes, both are needed to get mods working, but Larian has made sure that console players won't be left out on its big gift to the community. There will be restrictions for console players as certain mods won't be supported within Larian's pipeline, like NSFW content and script extenders. Still, some mods for consoles are better than none.

This modkit will require some testing before it is shipped out in September. This testing has already begun in closed alpha and will add a further one thousand players in July. The mod toolkit will be released with Patch 7, but in the meantime, Larian still intends to keep updating the game. A photo mode and crossplay between PC and consoles are still on the list to be added and are currently in development, alongside several more fixes.

Unofficial mods will still be available for PC players and will be the ones to look out for. These will be the mods that change Baldur's Gate 3 the most and will be the ones where players can flex their creativity with massive quest mods. These mods will need to be downloaded manually, but the game's browser will still recognize the mod and allow players to manage the load order in game, similar to the add-on system that Larian implemented in Divinity: Original Sin 2.

Mods Could Provide A BG4 Before An Official Release

Since Larian has decided not to make Baldur's Gate 4 and has chosen not to make any expansions for the game, a modding toolkit is the best thing for BG3 to keep it alive. This way, the game can be continually supported without the Belgium-based studio needing to do all the fixes themselves. This isn't a unique idea since CD Projekt Red did the same thing with The Witcher 3 and its Redkit modding tool and is likely looking at similar results for its beloved game. Hopefully, both will recreate the modding success of Skyrim and Fallout 4.

This is a particularly good move, since Larian is looking at making more ambitious RPGs. It opened a new studio in Warsaw to facilitate this, and its expansion is a good sign for the games that the developer is looking to make. If Baldur's Gate 3's development time is to be taken as a template (although it took longer than intended due to COVID), it could be at least 4 or 5 years before these games hit shelves, and the mod support could tide players over until then.

All in all, the introduction of a modding toolkit is always exciting news for any beloved game. Mod authors are capable of some truly incredible creations, and with a base as good as Baldur's Gate 3 to work with, the opportunities are endless. Visual upgrades, quest mods, new companions, and even total conversions that give players a glimpse at what BG4 could have been are all possible. As final send-offs for games go, Larian has struck gold with a mod toolkit and its community will be stronger than ever.

Baldur's Gate 3

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence