One small detail that got lost in the "Panel From Hell" source for Larian's final preview of Baldur's Gate 3 was the final confirmation that multi-classing would be possible.

This feature was often requested during Baldur's Gate 3's long Early Access period and was confirmed in a Reddit AMA with Larian Creative Lead Swen Vincke in 2020, but the company has 3 functionality and had never gone into depth about it. The multi-classing was mentioned when Larian revealed the Respec system for Baldur's Gate 3.

The fragile and unforgiving alchemy of mixing and matching classes at Baldur's Gate 3's ultra-low level cap of 12 would be tough on anyone but the grognards of grognards, if there is any chance of permanently borking a character.

"We wanted to avoid having players restart the whole game. Because this is a very heavy narrative experience," explained Larian designer Nick Pechenin.

"And," explained Larian designer Nick Pechenin, "it's a very heavy storytelling experience. 'There are characters you might meet - you will most likely meet - you can reset your classes and reinvest all your levels. But even with that leeway, the system in "Baldur's Gate 3" seems a far cry from the OP class combos of the past.

For longtime fans of D&D-based CRPGs, multiclassing is synonymous with playing the game well. My favorite way to play the OG "Baldur's Gate" is the fighter/mage multiclassing. In that game, multiclassing meant gaining experience in both classes at the same time, which not only made leveling up slower, but also allowed me to dual-wield legendary weapons and gain super speed and limited damage invincibility.

Some people abuse the "dual classing," which is a completely different system that was also in the original Baldur's Gate, and still makes my head hurt when I remember it. You level up in one class, "dual" into a second class, and are turned into a useless magikarp until you gain enough experience in the second class to gain the power of both. Certain message boards will hound you to talk about "swordsmen/mages" but you don't need to listen to them. No one needs to live like this; you've heard about all the JRPG nonsense.

The 3rd and 3.5 editions of D&D (and its derivative, Pathfinder) opted for a streamlined version of dual classing (but confusingly called multi-classing). The most optimal characters of this generation have always been a subtle combination of "too many classes". In Swordflight, the ultra-hardcore fan campaign for Neverwinter Nights, I chose the "fighter/bard/red dragon's apprentice" monster.

In his GDC talk on Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian veteran developer Josh Sawyer mentioned the Something Awful forum piece "Lol-R-SK8. What's the half of it? Yeah, that's a bit much, isn't it?

The 5th edition D&D multi-class rules are broadly similar to those in 3rd edition and 3.5, but the progression of abilities and attributes is different in 5th edition. Attributes and levels are no longer as high as before, leaving less room and incentive for chaotic multiclassing choices.

In Baldur's Gate 3, I think those basic and vile Lol-R-SK8 impulses will be curtailed by a lower maximum level 12 ceiling, like a hobbit hole ceiling. While I am not as familiar with 5th edition D&D as the earlier (and better represented in video games) variants, level 12 is when 3rd edition multiclass characters begin to come into their own and outperform single class characters. Furthermore, as CRPG YouTuber Mortismal Gaming points out, the 5th edition's attributes and specialties economy, coupled with the level 12 cap, means that multiclass characters miss out on two valuable attribute points (or specialties) against single-class characters This means that.

While the days of Lol-R-SK8 are over in CRPG (at least outside of Pathfinder-based games), there still seems to be a niche for multiclassing in Baldur's Gate 3. Mortismal is a second-level fighter's "Action Surge " He points out that the ability makes it a prime candidate to cheekily dip two levels in various builds.

I'm seriously eyeing the Blade Bard subclass, also revealed in Panel From Hell, as my first character when Baldur's Gate 3 launches on August 3, but I might do a little fighter-based boosting as well. If it doesn't work, I can always re-spec it. Just don't tell my colleague, PCG News Leader Andy Chalk. He says that in D&D you should live with the consequences of your choices. Buddy, I do that enough in real life.

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