„They try to milk the IP dry.” Baldur's Gate 3 won't get DLC, so WotC starts using RPG characters as add-ons for its products
While we can't count on DLC for Baldur, Wizards of the Coast isn't giving up. An „add-on” featuring players' favorite vampire has been created.
It looks like Baldur's Gate 3 is a closed chapter for Larian Studios. The creators of the beloved game have repeatedly stated that there won’t be any DLC for it. What’s more, the Belgian studio plans to completely ditch the DnD franchise and focus on its own projects instead. From an artistic standpoint, it’s a regrettable but understandable choice - though it does clash with Hasbro’s marketing plans.
Wizards of the Coast recently announced a new bundle of add-ons for their latest manuals. One of them was clearly aimed at fans of a certain pale elf from Baldur’s Gate 3.
The Unknown Adventures of Astarion
A new pack of two DnD handbooks has just landed at the official Wizards of the Coast store. For nearly $159.99 you’ll get not just the game books but also a whole bunch of extras - including three digital expansions. One of them is Astarion's Book of Hungers, featuring the star of Baldur's Gate 3 right on the cover.
As for the player, the expansion introduces a new race to the DnD world - the dhampir. Half-vampire fans will get to choose from three different backgrounds, along with unique skills that aren’t available to other characters. The real cherry on top is definitely Astarion himself. The DLC includes several short adventures centered around our companion.
On top of that, Wizards of the Coast made sure to include the story of Astarion’s favorite tavern, along with a handful of love letters written by him. Astarion's Book of Hungers is set to release this fall, with a standalone price of $14.99.
An opportunity not to be wasted for WotC?
Contrary to what may seem, the DLC announcement for the vampire-themed content didn’t exactly spark huge excitement among fans. Many fans mainly view this as a cash grab, especially since they’re not planning to work on the game anymore. It doesn’t help that Astarion is one of the fan favorites, and Neil Newbon is pretty eager to reprise the role in future projects.
I feel horrible doing this, but in defense of WoTC shudders every time this is mentioned on the DnD subs, you get loads of people saying more Astarion stuff where. Wizards would be stupid not too.
Larian is not gonna make another D&D title for WotC, so they try to milk the IP dry. Not surprised and still not interested.
- Gtkall
Kinda "wrong" calling it a DLC for many reasons, when it looks more like a "tie-in prelude." But being fair, dude's probably the new face from DnD for being the most popular character they have right now and with Neil and Samantha being on board with keep voicing their characters Wizards would be really dumb to let the opportunity waste.
Others slammed Wizards of the Coast for not respecting Astarion’s character - pointing out that his flirtatious side wasn’t really his choice - and felt that $159.99 was way too steep just for a few new stories. What's your opinion on this?
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Author: Alexandra Sokol
She joined Gamepressure in the summer of 2023. Talks about games and events from their world. A graduate of English philology, who was able to dedicate her entire scientific work to the character of Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series. She has experience in working on audiovisual translations, and currently combines her job as an English teacher with her passion, which is writing. Privately a bookworm, mother of two cats, and a fervent fan of Dragon Age and Cyberpunk 2077, who has spent half her life on the fandom side of the Internet.
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