So, I finally saw the credits roll on Baldur’s Gate 3. What an adventure, seriously! Took me a good long while. And the first thing that popped into my noggin, as it often does after sinking so many hours into a world like that, was, “Alright, New Game Plus, here I come!” I was all geared up to dive back in, maybe try a different path but with all my hard-won gear and spells. You know how it is.
I started poking around the main menu. Clicked on ‘New Game,’ hoping to see that magical little checkbox or option. Scanned through ‘Load Game,’ just in case it was hidden there. Checked the ‘Options’ menu, thinking maybe it’s something you toggle. Spent a good few minutes at it, actually. But nope, couldn’t spot it anywhere. I figured, I must be missing something obvious, right? Happens to the best of us.
Next step, as always when I’m stumped, was to head over to the good old internet. Typed in something like “Baldur’s Gate 3 new game plus” and started sifting through what folks were saying. Looked at a few forums, some articles, just to get the lay of the land.
And well, the answer became pretty clear, pretty quickly. No, as it turns out, Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t actually have a New Game Plus mode. Not right now, anyway. If you want to start another journey, you’re starting it fresh from level one, no fancy enchanted sword from your last playthrough, no high-level spells ready to go. Back to basics, the whole shebang.
That got me thinking, you know? Why was I so set on it? It’s not just about wanting an easy second run, though I won’t lie, sometimes that’s appealing when you’re short on time.
Why I Even Look For NG+ So Hard
This whole experience actually threw me back a bit. I remember this one game from way back, an older RPG, not super famous but I poured my heart and soul into it. Hundreds of hours. When I finally beat the big bad, I felt like a king. I had the ultimate weapon, the coolest armor, the works. I was so excited to just blast through the story again, feeling all powerful, making different choices with that god-tier setup.
But, you guessed it, no New Game Plus. Starting over meant being a nobody again, scrounging for basic gear. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t replay it – I eventually did – but that specific desire, to do a victory lap with all my endgame toys, that was strong. It really stuck with me. I even remember trying to find cheat codes or some weird workaround, anything to carry my stuff over. Didn’t work, of course. Just ended up feeling a bit deflated about it for a while.
It’s that feeling, I suppose. You’ve spent all this time mastering the game, getting the best stuff, and you just want to experience the world again with that power, see how differently things play out when you’re not struggling for every scrap. Especially now, when finding huge chunks of free time for multiple, full-grind playthroughs isn’t as easy as it used to be.
So, finding out BG3 didn’t have NG+ gave me a little pang of that old feeling. A slight “aw, shucks” moment. But then, I thought about Baldur’s Gate 3 itself. This game is just massive. The sheer number of choices, the different ways your story can unfold… it’s staggering. Starting completely fresh, even if it means re-earning everything, probably means a genuinely distinct experience each time. Try a totally different class, hang out with a new crew of companions, maybe be a complete villain this time around instead of the good guy I usually play.
So, yeah. While a part of me still kind of wishes there was a New Game Plus option – and hey, Larian Studios has been pretty great with adding stuff, so who knows what the future holds – I’m not going to let its absence stop me from jumping back into Faerûn. There’s just too much cool stuff packed into that game to only see it all once. Guess I’ll just have to earn all that epic loot the hard way, all over again. And you know what? Maybe that’s part of the adventure anyway.
