Diablo 4 vs Baldur's Gate 3: 5 major differences between the games

Modified Jun 10, 2024 23:00 IST

Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3 are some of the best titles in the modern fantasy RPG genre. Both games have achieved a lot in terms of innovation in their respective tropes and settings while setting new benchmarks for others to follow. However, despite their similarities, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Diablo 4 have a lot of differences too.

When it comes to accolades, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the clear winner among the two. Both these games may have a large and loyal fanbase, but when it comes to praises, Baldur’s Gate 3 has surpassed Diablo 4 in the long run. Winning all major awards, including Game of the Year 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 has been acclaimed as one of the "greatest RPGs of all time".

In this article, we have discussed five other differences between Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Top 5 Diablo 4 vs Baldur's Gate 3 differences

1) Gameplay

The main difference between the two games is the gameplay (Image via Blizzard)

Starting with the most obvious, the biggest distinction between Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3 has to be the gameplay and combat system. While Diablo 4 is a top-down action-heavy hack and slash, Baldur’s Gate 3 has an in-depth strategic turn-based combat system that is based on the rules and aspects of the popular tabletop RPG, Dungeons and Dragons.

2) Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons in video game format (Image via Larian)

Continuing from the last entry, Baldur’s Gate 3 is based on the lore, setting, and characters from Dungeons and Dragons, owned by Wizards of the Coast. While the game tells an original story, all its elements are borrowed from the RPG. But Diablo 4 on the other hand is completely original.

It expands the lore of the long-running video game franchise and sets up new ends that can be explored in future games.

3) Content updates and DLCs

Vessels of Hatred is coming to Diablo 4 soon (Image via Blizzard)

Larian, the developer of Baldur’s Gate 3 frequently launches updates for the game, improving its graphics, adding content, and fixing bugs but they have confirmed that they have almost moved from the game, and there is almost no chance that there will be any DLCs or expansions in the future. The reason is an alleged sour deal with the Wizards of the Coast.

But Diablo 4 thrives on content updates. The Blizzard has plans to launch content for the game, for many years to come. The upcoming content update for Diablo 4 is Vessel of Hatred, which is slotted to be released in October 2024.

4) Story and narrative

Baldur's Gate 3 explores heavy themes in its story (Image via Larian)

Diablo 4’s story is very straightforward. There aren’t many nuances to it, nor does it tackle any heavy themes. But Baldur’s Gate 3 is a narrative heavyweight. The plot of this game is an intricately woven experience that hits various emotional chords while being very whimsical at times. Baldur’s Gate 3 tackles various delicate themes, like abuse and trauma, meticulously to make the players build a bond with all the characters.

5) Character Customization

Baldur's Gate 3 gives full freedom to customize your character (Image via Larian)

Diablo 4 may have an array of options for abilities, skills, and loot, but Baldur’s Gate 3’s character customization is on a whole different level. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers 12 playable classes, 46 subclasses, 11 races, and 31 subraces, giving you full freedom to create and customize your dream fantasy avatar.

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Edited by Aatreyee Aich