When Baldur’s Gate 3 launched, it didn’t just dominate the RPG genre—it redefined it. Winning the 2023 Game of the Year accolade and sweeping every other major GOTY award across the board, Larian Studios’ take on Dungeons & Dragons 5e became a cultural phenomenon that still thrives to this day. Its mix of cinematic storytelling, reactive dialogue, and deep tactical combat created a benchmark for what a modern CRPG could look like. For many, Larian’s magnum opus was the ultimate marriage of pen-and-paper mechanics with video game design.
But beneath its mountain of acclaim lies a reality that hardcore fans of Larian’s earlier work have quietly acknowledged: Baldur’s Gate 3 is intrinsically brilliant, but it’s also strictly tethered to the rules of D&D. The game’s design had to color within someone else’s lines. And while that structure gave BG3 its tabletop authenticity, it also put limitations on Larian’s wildest ideas. That’s why the idea of Larian returning to its own Divinity universe is so exciting. Complete creative freedom towers above all other reasons fueling the support for Larian’s next moves.
Why Baldur’s Gate 4 is Already in a Tough Spot With Its NPCs
Baldur’s Gate 3 redefined RPG storytelling with its NPCs, raising the stakes for the next studio to take on the Baldur's Gate mantle.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Was A Masterpiece, But There Are Drawbacks to Being Bound to D&D
Dungeons & Dragons is iconic for a reason. Its classes, spells, and systems have inspired decades of role-playing games. But for a studio like Larian, known for pushing systemic design to its limits, those rules can feel like a leash. Every class in BG3 had to conform to archetypes defined by Wizards of the Coast. A hybrid character idea created by an experienced tabletop player had to be limited to simple multiclassing and an involved imagination during roleplaying sequences.
Combat design was another area of constraint. 5e’s action economy (Action, Bonus Action, Movement) is foundational, but it leaves little room for experimentation or grace beyond feats and subclass features. Compare this to Divinity: Original Sin 2, where a player’s turn was a true sandbox. Players could chain abilities in unexpected ways, use the terrain to their advantage, and experiment without the constraints tied to an SRD.
To put it bluntly, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterpiece within D&D’s framework. It takes the setting and elevates it to incredible heights. The game is so remarkable that it remains a masterpiece even without the D&D framework. But now that there is no reason to abide by any rules, Larian can now fully embrace the chaos of the unknown—all gas, no breaks.
Why Divinity Unleashes Larian’s Creativity
If Larian pivots back to Divinity, all bets are off. With no SRD or decades of tabletop tradition dictating what’s allowed, Larian Studios is free to build upon the creativity demonstrated in Divinity: Original Sin 2 and the technological achievements of Baldur’s Gate 3. The studio can go back to building systems from the ground up, prioritizing player freedom over legacy mechanics. The hallmarks of Divinity: Original Sin 2 can return with even more finesse, or can be fully reimagined :
- Dynamic Elemental Surfaces During Combat: Fire, oil, poison, electricity, and blood combined into emergent puzzles every turn.
- Hybrid Build Freedom: An effective hybrid build was difficult to conjure and even more challenging to master. However, Larian did not punish a player’s creativity.
- Custom Ability Design: Larian allowed players to create a custom character in DOS2 and invited them to fiddle with presets. It invented skills, attributes, and interactions without needing IP approval.
These systems didn’t just add depth; they sparked imagination and critical thinking. Every fight felt like a creative problem to solve rather than a math problem to optimize. Bringing that philosophy into a new Divinity game, layered with BG3’s cinematic dialogue and production values, could create the ultimate CRPG experience.
Mixed Feelings About D&D’s Systems
BG3 improved on some aspects of Divinity: Original Sin 2 and deserved the praise. That being said, some fans missed the unpredictability of DOS2. The same players who praise BG3’s story and its companions may also lament its more rigid mechanics. Those who grew accustomed to DOS2’s leveling-up system may have felt disappointed that BG3’s didn’t quite allow them the same freedoms. Likewise, environmental combat felt like a side dish rather than the main course.
This isn’t a knock on D&D, but rather an acknowledgment of the trade-offs. BG3 prioritized authenticity and accessibility, which meant some of Larian’s wild ideas had to be restrained. And even then, BG3 is widely known as a game where players can think and act outside the box with ease. Returning to Divinity would simply remove all guardrails.
Why Baldur’s Gate 4 is Already in a Tough Spot With Its NPCs
Baldur’s Gate 3 redefined RPG storytelling with its NPCs, raising the stakes for the next studio to take on the Baldur's Gate mantle.
A Return To Divinity: The Big Opportunity for Larian
Larian now has the experience and resources of a studio that delivered one of the most celebrated RPGs of all time. If it brings that expertise back to Divinity, players could see something extraordinary—a game that combines the systemic chaos of DOS2, the narrative depth of BG3, and completely original mechanics unbound by tabletop restrictions.
If Larian returns to its flagship franchise, players can imagine a Divinity game with BG3’s character-driven arcs, but where shenanigans-lovers need not worry about whether their logic fits in a Player’s Handbook. That’s the kind of creativity that could push CRPG design even further.
And this isn’t just wishful thinking. Larian will not make Baldur’s Gate 4, so a return to Divinity is definitely in the cards. If the studio goes home to Rivellon, it'll be bringing everything it learned from BG3 and leaving the limitations behind. The result will be a game that feels like pure Larian, not Larian-by-way-of-Wizards-of-the-Coast, and that alone makes the idea of returning to Divinity something worth encouraging.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
