Baldur's Gate 3 Will Let You Own House And we May Have a Proof
In Baldur's Gate 2 we had our own stronghold, in Divinity Original Sin 2 we had our own ship - we are sure that in Baldur's Gate 2 we will have our own home.
In the recently announced Baldur's Gate 3 Collector's Edition and the Digital Deluxe Edition we can find a very interesting and not entirely clear thing. Among the many items and DLCs that we will receive in the game after purchase, there's a mention: "Paintings from Rivellon" – paintings inspired by Larian's previous game, Divinity Original Sin 2. This single piece of DLC gives us hope for a very specific element of the game that will be released as soon as August 31.
After venturing forth, chill at your house
Although we can already play Baldur's Gate 3 in early access and we know a lot about the game itself, some things still remain a mystery. This includes the question of owning apartment(s) in Baldur's Gate 3.
You can have a dog in your campsite.Source: Baldur's Gate 3 developed by Larian Studios
Own estate, such as houses or strongholds, is a common element of RPGs. Even Geralt eventually got his own home in The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine expansion. So, the idea of owning a property in the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 is not really far-flung. And this is more than just a guess – we already have our "base" in the current early access version of Baldur's Gate 3 – it's a simple camp. It's mainly used to rest and recover health points and spells, but in BG3, resting in the camp can also push the story forward sometimes (through important dialogues and interactions between our team members).
Few people are aware of it, because the game doesn't really explain it, but you can also customize the camp in the current build. Like in previous Larian games, most of the items found in the world of BG3 – even large ones – can be stashed in the backpack. If you like a chair, a globe or a candlestick, you can just put it in your backpack or send it to camp. You will then be able to use this item in your camp. This way you can decorate your camp however you see fit. In fact, these items can even be rotated (when holding an item, use the mouse wheel).
However, the camp is not the same as your own beautiful house with a fireplace and all that – but we have a hunch that we will also get that. Apart from the Paintings from Rivellon DLC, the history of Baldur's Gate franchise and of Larian Studios also seems to confirm this.
Remember the Strongholds from BG2?
In Larian's previous game, Divinity Original Sin 2, we had access to something like a base, which was of course The Lady Vengeance, a ship taken over from the magisters, which served as our base. However, managing it did not introduce any extensive mechanic.
It was much more interesting in the old Baldur's Gate 2. Many of you probably don't remember or didn't have the pleasure to play this game (dated 2000), but in this game, we were able to access our own headquarters. Interestingly, it was not mandatory at all and we could have easily missed it. Our headquarters in BG2 were called strongholds and were related to the character class. After completing certain quests – usually involving bringing order to a location overcome by some sort of calamity – we became the owner of the stronghold. And so, for example, a warrior or barbarian could take control of The de'Arnise Keep, a thief could seize the Thieves Guild in the port district of Athkatla, and a mage, the Planar Sphere in the slums district.
After seizing the place, we could start managing it, which usually involved solving unique quests – for example, as the governor of a warrior's fortress, we had to solve the problems of our subjects (many years later, this theme was expanded in Pillars of Eternity, where we manage a fortress). Having our own house also gave us various benefits – money or, for example, potions to use in combat. Strongholds in BG2 was a cherished element of the game, and Larian surely remembers that.
Are we going to have our own house in Baldur’s Gate 3?
However, will we gain access to our own home or fortress at some point in in Baldur's Gate 3, which will replace the camp? It all points to that. This is evident not only from the said DLC, but also from the past of Larian, Baldur's Gate, and Divinity Original Sin 2. In truth, both Divinity and Baldur's Gate 3 were designed so that we could easily change the decor (by freely moving items found in the world) of any room, dungeon, city or forest. So why not use this mechanic to decorate our own home?
Larian hasn't commented on the matter yet, but the said DLC included with the Collector's and Digital Deluxe editions gives us reason to believe that we will indeed gain access to our home in BG3. After all, pictures need walls, and we're not going to decorate a campsite by the river with them, right? So perhaps images straight from Divinity Original Sin 2 will hang in our beautiful new home in Baldur's Gate 3. We should know the answer soon!
