Baldur’s Gate 3 returns to the combat roots set out by the original D&D RPGs, as one intrepid modder gets real-time fights working with a nod to Neverwinter Nights
Patch 7 has finally arrived in Baldur’s Gate 3, marking the integration of official mod support – and creative masterminds are hard at work on new mods, including one that reworks combat entirely.
Fans have longed for real-time combat akin to the original Baldur’s Gate games’ own for quite a while now, and it seems it could become a reality soon thanks to genius modder tinybike. Although it’s a “very rough draft” of what tinybike hopes to have in the end, their mod implements real-time combat – and it looks promising so far. In a short new clip showcasing their mod in action, TinyBike’s Tav takes on the bandits in the Chapel Ruins of the first act.
It’s a truly impressive sight to behold, speedy combat between the Tav and the enemies with no pesky turns or waiting. I’m not the only one in awe of tinybike’s mod, either – comments highlight the community’s excitement for real-time combat in Baldur’s Gate 3. “Looks incredible and would warrant a new playthrough by itself,” reads one. Another compares it to Dragon Age, saying it’s “what this game would play like if it had combat like Origins.”
While tinybike says they haven’t actually ever played Dragon Age: Origins themselves and are instead drawing inspiration from “something like” the original Neverwinter Nights, I can definitely see the connection as a fan of BioWare’s iconic RPG myself – combat in real-time that you can pause rather than the turn-based mode typical of more modern isometric games like the third Baldur’s Gate entry.
The mod will only improve over time, too, with tinybike revealing that they’ll be addressing issues like attack speed as they’re “still sorting all that stuff out” and have “lots of details to iron out” before their work is finished. Interested fans can download the mod as it is currently right now for free via GitHub to try out, though – but tinybike does warn it’s “VERY barebones at the moment” and not “suitable for use with the campaign yet.”