Can Baldur's Gate 4 Exist After BG3's Choices? My Take on What Larian Studios Should Do!

Hey everyone! It's 2026, and I'm still thinking about Baldur's Gate 3. Like, seriously, what an absolute masterpiece, right? 🤯 It completely redefined what an RPG can be by putting our choices front and center. But here's the million-gold question that's been bugging me and probably a lot of you: How on Toril do you make a Baldur's Gate 4 after that? The third game gave us so much freedom that it created a storytelling labyrinth for any potential sequel. Picking one 'canon' ending would feel like a betrayal to everyone who shaped their own unique adventure. So, what's the solution? I think we need to look at another legendary RPG series that's been there, done that: BioWare's Dragon Age. Let's break this down.

The BG3 Problem: Too Many Stories, One World

Let's be real, the sheer scope of Baldur's Gate 3 is its own worst enemy for a sequel. Think about it:

• Endings Galore: Did you become an Absolute-slaying hero, a Mind Flayer, or maybe even a new god? The game's finale branches in wild ways.

• Companion Chaos: Astarion could be a redeemed spawn seeking sunlight or a powerful, tyrannical Vampire Ascendant. Shadowheart might worship Selûne or remain a devoted Dark Justiciar. Gale? Well, did he return the Crown or keep it? 😬

• World-State Whiplash: The fate of entire factions, cities, and even the core conflict itself rests in our hands.

If a sequel tried to directly continue from one specific version of these events, it would invalidate the personal stories of millions of players. It's not just a creative headache; it's a fundamental design paradox. A direct BG4 would have to account for an astronomical number of variables, making development a nightmare. The game's greatest strength—player agency—becomes its biggest sequal roadblock.

How Dragon Age: Inquisition Mastered the Sequel Game

So, how do you honor past choices without getting stuck in the past? Enter Dragon Age: Inquisition. This game is a masterclass in sequel craftsmanship, and Baldur's Gate 4 could learn a ton from it.

Inquisition didn't just rehash the same old places. Instead, it expanded the known world laterally. It kept us on the continent of Thedas but introduced us to breathtaking new regions:

Region	Vibe & Challenge	Connection to Past
The Hinterlands	Lush, troubled farmlands	Ground-level view of the Mage-Templar war fallout.
The Emerald Graves	Hauntingly beautiful ancient forest	Ties to Dalish elf history and the Orlesian occupation.
The Winter Palace	Opulent, deadly Orlesian court	Political intrigue that references past games' outcomes.
The Frostback Basin	Mysterious, vertical jungles	Brand new area with its own deep lore.

This approach is genius! It gives players that sense of exploration and discovery—a core RPG pillar—while the world itself feels lived-in and connected. Characters, codex entries, and environmental storytelling subtly acknowledge the world state you imported (via the Dragon Age Keep tool), but the new story is always the focus. You're not retreading old ground; you're uncovering new layers of a world you already love.

The Companion Conundrum: Let Them Rest (Mostly)

This might be the toughest pill to swallow, but I think BG4 needs to move on from the OG companions as main party members. Hear me out! 🙏

Our relationships with Astarion, Shadowheart, Lae'zel, and the crew are so personal and varied. Bringing them back as central figures would force the writers to choose a 'default' version of their lives, which would feel wrong for most of us. Imagine meeting a Gale who didn't pursue godhood in your playthrough, but the game acts like he did. Oof, immersion broken.

Inquisition handled this smartly with characters like Varric and Leliana. They returned, but in new roles (storyteller/spymaster) that made sense regardless of your past choices. Their personal arcs from previous games were acknowledged but not the driving force of the new plot.

For Baldur's Gate 4, maybe we hear legends about the "Hero of Baldur's Gate" and their companions. Maybe we find a book written by Gale, or hear a bard's song about Karlach's fate. They could even appear as powerful NPCs in cameo roles where their specific history is kept deliciously vague. But the spotlight should shine on a brand new cast of characters with their own fresh traumas, romances, and quests for us to obsess over.

The Ultimate Solution: A Massive Time Jump

Alright, here's my big idea, and Dragon Age did this too between Origins and Inquisition: Give us a substantial time skip.

A leap forward of 50, 100, or even more years solves a multitude of problems:

1. Mythologizes Past Events: The climax of BG3 becomes history—a pivotal event whose broad strokes are remembered (e.g., "The Netherbrain was defeated"), but the precise details are lost to legend. This lets the writers reference it without nailing down specifics.

2. Refreshes the Setting: Baldur's Gate itself, or a new city, can be dramatically changed. New political powers rise, old magic fades, and new threats emerge. It feels familiar yet excitingly new.

3. Allows for Subtle Cameos: Longer-lived races like elves, dwarves, or maybe even a certain vampire spawn could appear, aged and changed by the centuries, offering wisdom (or trouble) without their BG3 story being a burden.

This isn't running away from BG3; it's building upon its legacy. We'd be exploring the long-term consequences of that world-shaking event, which is way more interesting than a simple "what happened next week."

My Final Thoughts & Hopes for BG4

Look, Baldur's Gate 3 set the bar impossibly high. A sequel can't just be "more of the same." It needs to be clever. By learning from Dragon Age: Inquisition's playbook—expanding the world geographically, using time to create narrative distance, and carefully managing legacy characters—Larian (or whoever takes up the mantle) can craft a Baldur's Gate 4 that feels like a worthy successor.

It won't be our specific Tav's story anymore, and that's okay. It will be a new chapter in the epic saga of the Forgotten Realms, one that respects the chaotic, beautiful mess we all made in BG3 while giving us a fresh canvas to paint on. I, for one, can't wait to see what they come up with. Now, discuss! What do you all think? Should BG4 have a time skip, or is there another way? Let me know in the comments! 🎮✨