Baldur's Gate III gameplay stream shows reworked dialogue & combat systems, new inspiration system, and more

Larian Studios held a live stream this morning for Baldur's Gate 3 ahead of D&D Live 2020. In the stream, Larian boss Swen Vincke played through an early section of the game, highlighting some of the changes since its PAX East reveal earlier this year as well as showcasing some new elements like the inspiration system.

Find a recording of the stream below, alongside a description of some of the elements shown. Baldur's Gate III is set to release for Steam Early Access in August (maybe).

Here’s some of the new changes and content shown in the stream:

• The narrator that will lead players through the game has changed to present tense/second-person narration.
• Changes have been made to the initiative system. Previous gameplay showed the side initiative, which has evolved over the past month. Characters with similar individual initiative can now be grouped together automatically, allowing players to try out combinations and align their attacks in a group initiative system. Other characters and enemies will have individual initiative.
• Vincke showed the inspiration system for the first time. Inspiration points allow the player to reroll one of their dice — a very valuable tool for when the roll of the dice decides life and death. These points are awarded to the player for finding special solutions during their playthrough.
• Reactivity to the player character: Vincke played as a custom character elf, showcasing how the world reacts to who you are and, more importantly, which decisions you have made in the past.