Minsc, Boo, and Jaheira are back, too, but Larian won’t be putting them in early access
As you saw, half-elf druid Jaheira’s a smidge older than she was in the originalBaldur’s Gateand its sequelShadows Of Amn, what with more than a century having passed between those and BG3. Time hasn’t affected Minsc quite the same though, because the legendary ranger was petrified all those years. Ashort teaser trailerahead of The Game Awards showed him, and giant miniature space hamster companion Boo, being released from their stony imprisonment.
Larian say that Minsc and Jaheira won’t be in the early access version of the game, arriving with the full Baldur’s Gate 3 next year instead. When you do meet them, it’ll be possible to piss them right off so they become enemies rather than friends. If you’re nicer, then you’ll have the chance to recruit both Minsc and Jaheira as companions, which I’m sure will please many people who played the earlier games. May I be the first to shout: “butt kicking – for goodness!”
Along with the release date announcement, Larian also showed off a limited Collector’s Edition for a whopping £220/€260/$270, which comes with a bunch of Baldur’s Gate paraphernalia. This ranges from stuff such as vinyl stickers of the game’s notable personages and a diorama of a mindflayer fighting a drow, to D&D characters sheets for the origin characters and a silk satin cloth map of Faerûn. Tabletop players might want to look out for the oversized, custom-engraved dice that resembles Baldur’s Gate 3’s in-game dice.
Disclosure: Adam Smith (RPS in peace) is a writer for Larian Studios, and works on Baldur’s Gate 3.
