12 things to know before starting Baldur’s Gate 3

polygon.com:

Baldur’s Gate 3 is out of early access, and it’s time to head to Faerun. Whether this is your first experience with a Baldur’s Gate game or you’re a returning player, our beginner’s guide will help you get started.

In this Baldur’s Gate 3 guide, we’ll give you a crash course in the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, talk a little about the quirks of combat, and give some guidance about how to approach conversations, how often to save (a lot), and when to reload your game if you screw up.

Right out of the gate, Baldur’s Gate 3 asks you to make a bunch of decisions about your character — like your appearance, race, and class. It’s a bunch of big and lasting decisions all at once. We’ve got a guide to help you choose your class, but — more importantly — the class you choose isn’t permanent. There’s an NPC you’ll meet who can help you undo any mistakes you might’ve made while creating your character.

Baldur’s Gate has always been based on D&D, and Baldur’s Gate 3 adheres to the most recent edition of the wildly popular tabletop role-playing game. That means a couple things. If you’re familiar with 5th edition, you already understand almost everything that’s going on. If you’re not, though, it makes the game even more intimidating. However…

When it comes to mechanics, Baldur’s Gate 3 does all the work for you — it’s a video game, after all. The game and its engine serve as character sheet, dice roller, and Dungeon Master. All you have to do is click on things.

It’s (obviously) not quite as simple as that, but don't be intimidated. There are things you’ll need to know, but most of them are ubiquitous video game rules at this point. Let’s talk about the basics first.

In D&D — and by extension, Baldur’s Gate 3 — your character