When Baldur's Gate 3 took the game industry by storm in 2023, it only seemed logical that it would get robust DLC support to further flesh out its (already robust) story and gameplay to give the flourishing fanbase reason to stick around. Larian Studios did offer a good amount of post-launch support, like Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 adding a wealth of new subclasses, but no DLC ever appeared. Larian Studios has confirmed that it's moving on from BG3, so fans shouldn't expect any other major content drops. That's especially heartbreaking because Dungeons and Dragons just started playtesting a class that would've fit BG3 perfectly: the Psion.
It's not every day that Dungeons and Dragons adds a whole new class, especially the current addition. Over the course of a decade after DnD 5e launched, Wizards of the Coast only added one more class to the starting roster: the Artificer. That may change soon, though, thanks to the new Unearthed Arcana document detailing the Psion class, an Intelligence-based psychic spellcaster with a lot of possible playstyles. Any Baldur's Gate 3 fan knows that psionic creatures and psychic powers are central to the game's story, which means the Psion would've been the perfect class to add post-launch, but it's clear that BG3 and this ideal bonus class just barely missed each other.
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Dungeons and Dragons' New Psion Class Arrived Just Too Late to Join Baldur's Gate 3
Dungeons and Dragon's UA Psion Class Explained
The new Psion class is an intersection of a lot of existing DnD 5e concepts. It's an Int-based caster with a d6 hit die, much like a Wizard, and it uses a secondary resource pool of Psionic Energy Dice to activate various class features, just like certain psionic-themed DnD subclasses like the Psi Warrior Fighter and the Soulknife Rogue. It's also similar to a Cleric in that the subclasses cater to widely varying playstyles: the mutating Metamorph encourages the Psion to fight in melee range but also packs notable healing abilities, while the Psi Warper is rich with teleportation and crowd control abilities.
Dungeons and Dragons previously tested a very different version of a Psion with a ton of customization options, but it never made it to print, likely due to being far too overpowered and versatile.
Why the Psion Would've Been Perfect for Baldur's Gate 3
Altogether, there are a ton of reasons the Psion would've been the perfect bonus class for Baldur's Gate 3. For one, it's just an obvious thematic match. The whole main plot of BG3 is all about mind flayers and mysterious psychic phenomena, so it would be a major flavor win to play as a Psion pitting their psychic prowess against equally potent psionic adversaries.
For another thing, its mechanical design would play very nicely with the design of Baldur's Gate 3. BG3's combat makes excellent use of terrain: rooftops, cliff faces, and environmental hazards like lava encourage players to spend their movement carefully and use spells or Strength to shove enemies into disadvantageous positions. The Psion is packed with movement options like telekinesis and teleportation, so it could wreak havoc in BG3's many encounters.
The Psion also would've filled a simple need in BG3's class roster. The Wizard class in Baldur's Gate 3 is the player's only option for an Intelligence-based class, meaning Intelligence factors into few other builds, save for certain Int-based subclasses. As a more Bard-style spellcaster with a limited spell list but lots of extra class features, the Psion would've been a great change of pace from the Wizard.
The Psion and BG3 Stand Apart Officially, But Can Meet Unofficially
Admittedly, it was always a long shot that Baldur's Gate 3 would add this class, even if WotC had unveiled the Psion during BG3's post-launch support period. Balancing a whole class is no easy task, and the Psion may have felt a bit redundant due to BG3's mind flayer tadpole mechanics. Still, there is a way that the Psion can join BG3; Larian Studios has built lots of mod support into the game, so Psion-loving modders can hand-craft a way for this compelling new class to feature in BG3. In the meantime, though, it's a shame that BG3 and the Psion never got to meet, given how much they have in common.
Baldur's Gate 3
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Engine
- Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Full cross-platform play.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
