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Explore how long it takes to complete Baldur’s Gate 3 and what factors affect your journey through its rich world.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a widely acclaimed RPG that creates a sprawling world and a thoroughly detailed story that ebbs and flows based on your decisions. Created by Larian Studios based on the world and mechanics of D&D 5e, Baldur’s Gate 3 can feel like a daunting game to begin, given its steep learning curve for beginners and its perceived length. Having an idea of how long the game and its constituent acts are helps prepare newcomers with what to expect. Here’s everything you should know about how long it will take to complete Baldur’s Gate 3 across its three acts.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Completion Time
Larian Studios predicts that players may spend between 75 and 100 hours to complete the main storyline of Baldur’s Gate 3. If you like to explore every new area you come across in the game and complete side quests that appeal, the game will likely take 120 hours to complete.
For those who wish to soak in everything a single campaign can offer with a completionist mindset, the game can easily take over 170 hours to complete. Let’s break down how the game’s story unravels in a spoiler-free way to understand why it takes so long and why it may be worth your while to play all the way through.
How Long Each Act Takes to Complete in Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 features three separate open worlds, each of which is represented by an act. While in a particular act, you cannot go back to the maps of the previous act and find anything you may have missed there. This further incentivizes you to spend more time in a particular act before moving forward in the story. Act 3 is the longest, followed by Act 1, with Act 2 being the shortest.
Act 1
The first act begins as you gather your party members and begin searching for a cure to a common affliction. You are drawn into a conflict between druids and a growing cult backed by goblins. The conflict, along with nearly every other part of Act 1, can be skipped if you make a beeline for the map’s exit.
However, Act 1 usually takes a long time to complete for new players. It introduces the game’s mechanics, nearly all the companion characters, and world-building. You can’t throw a stone in Act 1 without hitting a side quest or interaction that presents something new. Additionally, you’ll want your party leveled and geared up well for Act 2. As a result, Act 1 can stretch to 40 hours, depending on how much you explore and engage with the story.
Act 2
The second act sees your party venture into the Shadow-Cursed Lands on their way to the city of Baldur’s Gate. Unlike Act 1, Act 2 has only one large map to explore, and you can’t head straight on the route to Baldur’s Gate without becoming involved in the conflict taking place there. Completing Act 2 can take more than 30 hours.
Act 3
You finally reach Baldur’s Gate in the third act and are soon swept up in a massive conspiracy taking place in the city. The final act is brimming with content and is the longest one by far. It delivers on multiple storylines and involves decisions that determine the game’s ending. Finishing Act 3 can take well over 50 hours of play. This is especially true if you begin exploring every nook and cranny of the city.
By now, you will probably be invested enough in the story to see what the final act has to offer and how your decisions influence the ending.
Beyond Act 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 has incredible replay value thanks to 12 classes, 58 subclasses, and the endless choices you can make to impact the game’s world. Once you know the RPG mechanics and combat system, exploring multi-classing can add to your playstyle’s complexity. Whether you’re rushing through the main story or savoring every detail, the game offers a rewarding experience either way.
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