Although the modding community was prevalent before developer support,Baldur’s Gate 3modding stepped up an extra gear when Larian gave players an official toolkit. Now, more ambitious projects are in the works that will make the already massive game even larger, bringing more than just the many cosmetic and quality-of-life mods that have been filling everyone’s load orders. Of course, there are gameplay-related mods that add some ofD&D’s most popular subclasses, and some Homebrew classes like the bloodhunter, but none so far are quite as ambitious as theCurse of Strahdadaptation.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a Game Master Mode forBG3, unlike Larian’s prior title,Divinity: Original Sin 2, so many players have been unable to port their campaigns into the game. That hasn’t stoppedone team of fans from trying to recreateCurse of StrahdinBG3, building a total conversion mod from the ground up.CoSis widely considered to be one of the best adventure modules forD&D5e, having been released in 2016 and showing the darker, gothic side to the Forgotten Realms' lore while giving everyone a classic, vampire-hunting story.
Project Strahd Will Bring Curse Of Strahd To BG3
Bringing One Of D&D’s Biggest Bads To The Gaming World
Project Strahdis the working name of the mod that hopes to bringCurse of StrahdtoBG3. According to the Reddit post by the creator onr/CurseofStrahd,the mod will stay as close to the source material as it can while telling a compelling story in the mists of Barovia. The development team will be playing the part of the DM, guiding players through the fan-favorite adventure module, and the hope is that the campaign will be told in the same style asBG3’s story, although reaching the same level of quality might be too much to expect.
Curse of Strahdtakes place in Barovia, one of the Domains of Dread in the remote corners of the Shadowfell.
Still, massive fan projects have matched or surpassed the quality of the games they’re based on before.Fallout: LondonforFallout 4andEnderalforSkyrimare two examples of this, andProject Strahdlooks like it could do something similar, given the popularity of the source materialand size of the team behind the project. According to theProject StrahdReddit account, the team is made up of over 100 volunteers, which is a good sign considering many projects promise the world but are made up of several burnt-out college students who never had a chance to begin with.
According to theProject StrahdQ&A, the mod will feature new companions, who will be romanceable, each with their own interactions, encounters, and development, similar to theBG3cast, with Ireena being among this cast. While these characters cannot serve as Origin Characters, like Gale, Shadowheart, and the rest can,Project Strahdwill offer players four Dark Urge-style protagonist options to make up for them. Players won’t be able to bringBG3companions or Tav to theCurse of Strahdcampaign, and will have to start afresh before they venture through the barren lands of Barvoia.
Fan-Created Content Could Be The Future Of Baldur’s Gate
Adventure Modules Could Add Hundreds Of Hours Of Content
WithCurse of Strahdtaking players to level 10, it is safe to assume that it will be shorter thanBG3’s campaign (givenits level cap at 12), although not by much. IfProject Strahdmanages to complete its work,the vampiric campaign could take 60+ hours for a single playthrough, and with diverging paths, many will probably end up playing through it more than once, givingBG3a longer shelf life.Project Strahdcould be the start of many projects adapting adventure modules, adding hundreds of hours of gameplay toBG3and satiating the hunger for a true sequel.
Strahd, the antagonist ofCoS, calls himself the first vampire, but his age of around 500 years seems to contradict this.
Fan-created content could be the future of theBaldur’s GateIP, considering how strong the modding community is only after a couple of years. With Larian no longer at the helm of the franchise, it left the perfect gift behind with themodding toolkit in Patch 7. Although consoles have access to mods,projects likeProject Strahdwon’t be available due to the restrictions via Mod.io verification, which stops anything that adds new levels. This makes PC the only home for such projects. However, PC is whereBG3will find extreme longevity, and projects like this are only going to help.
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It isn’t known how longProject Strahdwill take, having been announced in February earlier this year, andit has been made clear by the team that the project is still in its early days and has years left. By the time it comes out, it could come at a time when people are getting ready to move on fromBG3and are looking for a sequel. While not quite the same thing,Project Strahdand other projects could effectively act as sequels, especially for those that have heard ofCurse of Strahdbut have never got the chance to play it.
There Are Only Questions Regarding Baldur’s Gate 4
It Isn’t Known Who Is Going To Take The Project Forward
AlthoughProject Strahdhas years left in its development, more about it is known than a potentialBaldur’s Gate 4.With Larian leaving the IP behind for something original, it isn’t known who will take over, even if makingBaldur’s Gate 4will be the perfect cash grab for Wizards of the Coast. Many have said that Obsidian could be the right fit, considering itsproficiency with CRPGs likePillars of Eternity, although its recent track record doesn’t seem like it will recreate Larian’s success, especially since the Belgian studio’s charm is what made the game so unique.
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Another studio that could do a decent job is Owlcat, a recent contender in the CPRG space familiar with working on big IPs, like with theWarhammer 40KCRPGRogue Traderand thePathfindertitles, but taking on a project the size ofBG4might be too much for Owlcat. Larian left massive shoes to fill, and no one can probably fill them, but the fans understand the studio’s charm more than any other developer can. While there are only questions aroundBaldur’s Gate 4, there is a visible path forward with mods likeProject Strahd.
Baldur’s Gate 4is a title with all the expectations and none of the tools to meet those expectations. The original team at Wizards of the Coast who greenlit the project are gone, the original developer is gone, and no one has been announced to take over.Project Strahdwill use the skeleton provided byBaldur’s Gate 3and adapt something that fans already love or at least have heard of. It feels like a project that makes sense, and for the averageD&Dplayer who enjoysBG3, there couldn’t be a better sequel for theBaldur’s GateIP.
