Chapter II: Loc ations Goblin Cages Absolute Banner Loot Chests Tribe of the Absolute Embellished with bones, wooden pikes, and bloodstained palm prints that adorn its war-like banners, the ruined temple is a place for those devoted to the Absolute to congregate in worship and where the unchosen are sentenced to a grim and bloody end. 51
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Chapter II: Loc ations Realm of Illusions I n designing the Hag’s Lair, we first needed to create an illusion, then we needed to dramatically break it. Players are initially introduced to the region’s happy and lush façade – a pastoral vision filled with sweet lambs and natural greenery – before having that violently stripped away. We wanted to maximise the contrast in tone visually, and looked to images of European swamplands to inspire us. Hag’s Lair Sacrificial Totem Variations Hag Variations 53
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Chapter II: Loc ations A Network of Caverns Shrouded in Darkness Steeped in shadows and enclosed within cave walls, the Underdark was a challenging level to design given the lack of natural light sources that can reach there. So we sought out ways to light it from within instead, looking to the world of fungi, trees, geodes, and spores to bring a punch of colour and bioluminescent glow to an otherwise desolate setting. Underdark Underdark Rothé Variations Myconid Variations 56
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Chapter II: Loc ations Field Guide for the Underdark In the depths of the Underdark are exotic formations of minerals and flora that appear otherworldly but are actually inspired by the vegetation and rock formations found on the ocean floor. Flora Variations 58
Chapter II: Loc ations Mineral Variations 59
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Chapter II: Loc ations A Sprawling City in the Underdark Grymforge evolved in look and function many times over the course of development. Originally, this location was going to span just two small rooms near a harbour, but its purpose was refined by our narrative team, whose vision grew it into the ancient Sharran fortress it is today. Grymforge Forge Concepts Automaton Concept 62
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Chapter II: Loc ations Crèche Y’llek Worlds Away From Home Some areas in the game are based on locations that had previously only been described in text, and may have lacked original art altogether. This gave us an opportunity to define those visuals ourselves. The gith crèche that we have created is located in an abandoned monastery of Lathander, within underground dormitories once lived in by a monastic order. The area that surrounds Crèche Y’llek is inspired by the Caminito del Rey: the famously dangerous Spanish walkway constructed high atop a narrow gorge, amid yellowed cliffs and sharp rocks. Githyanki Boss Male Githyanki Variations Githyanki Chest Variations 65
Chapter II: Loc ations Vlaakith Concept Githyanki Portal Concepts 66
Chapter II: Loc ations Githyanki Skiffs Githyanki Map Variations Githyanki Tent Variations Alien Technologies Githyanki have developed modes of transportation unique to their society, like astral skiffs – sleek vessels used for patrolling the Astral Plane or for rapid raids on the Material Plane. 67
Chapter II: Loc ations Astral Plane Beyond the Realm of the Material World The Astral Plane was designed from the ground up, building upon descriptions that characterise it as an amorphous, otherworldly location. It would need to be a strange, void-like realm visually unlike anything else in the game – fantastical even next to other fantasy environments. Our final design settled on a backdrop of bright nebulae and the remains of a dead god as our visual centrepiece. Dead God Concepts 68
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Chapter II: Loc ations A Place Without Hope To get to Moonrise Towers, you must first travel through the ShadowCursed Lands. If you can survive them, that is. This is a hostile environment, one placed under a dark curse that infects the land and drains life from all who pass through it. If you’re lucky, you might find a small hub of life somewhere in its heart, an outpost of Harper scouts and survivors who can offer you shelter before you’re dragged into the shadows by an unseen tendril. Shadow-Cursed Lands Shambling Mound Variations Shadow-Cursed People 71
Chapter II: Loc ations Shadow-Cursed Vegetation Concepts 72
Shadow-Cursed Nurse Concepts Shadow-Cursed Mastiff Concepts Chapter II: Loc ations Nurse Weaponry Concepts Into the Shadows The shadow curse affects both fauna and flora throughout this region, creating fields of evil vegetation, blighted creatures, and beings twisted by the shadows. 73
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Chapter II: Loc ations Evil Heart of the Absolute I n the heart of Moonrise Towers lie the cultic headquarters of the Absolute, housing an army of fearsome zealots. It is the tallest structure in the region, casting a long shadow over an already desolate region. In fact, Moonrise was originally conceived as a building so high in stature that it reached the moon. Moonrise Towers Interior Concepts Exterior Concepts 75
Chapter II: Loc ations The Chantry of Loss For the Gauntlet of Shar, we experimented with Sharran symbols as an architectural theme. The Church of Shar is depicted by a black disc, so we wanted to have similar shape-based language throughout, taking inspiration from the sleek geometry of Art Deco and applying it to furniture, levers, murals, and more. Gauntlet of Shar Cultist Concepts Cultist Headwear Concepts Early Cultist Concepts 76
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Chapter II: Loc ations Entrance and Seating Concepts Shar Crystal Journey Into The Shadows Featuring hidden platforms, blood sacrifices, and puzzles that utilise light and darkness, this vast hidden temple is made up of a series of challenges and trials inspired by the goddess of darkness and secrets. 79
Chapter II: Loc ations A Den of Bones There are numerous locations in Baldur’s Gate 3 that are of our own creation, rising out of the fertile soils of our artists’ minds. For areas like the Orthon’s Lair, we looked beyond Faerûn and ventured much farther for our visual references, finding inspiration in Lovecraftian horror, European folk tales, and even Belgian death metal. Orthon’s Lair Orthon’s Weaponry Orthon Concept 80
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Chapter II: Loc ations Mind Flayer Colony Hidden Home of the Illithid Swarm Like a colony of insects, a mind flayer colony acts as a hivemind, and we wanted its structure to reflect this. The interior of a mind flayer colony is made up of a series of antechambers whose rooms are formed out of caves and large fissures, giving it the appearance of a galactic termite mound. Pulling inspiration from the aspects of biological machinery found on nautiloid ships, we used visual references of organic materials like whale intestines to create the fleshy membranes and pillars of tissue that make up the inner materials of the colony while still maintaining a regal, palatial quality in the structural design of its rooms. Environment Concepts Mind Flayer Jewel Concepts 83
Chapter II: Loc ations Outer Ramparts of Baldur’s Gate Wyrm’s Crossing is a hub for refugees fleeing the armies of the Absolute in hope of finding shelter inside the city of Baldur’s Gate. But not just anyone can enter. Only certified Baldurians with the right paperwork can cross its bridge. Wyrm’s Crossing Flaming Fist Banner Variations Wyrm’s Crossing Variations Flaming Fist Soldier 84
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Chapter II: Loc ations An Ancient Arena The entrance to Wyrmway is covered with the ashen remnants of powerful lightning spells from spellcasters long past. This is a place of trials, where one’s courage and wisdom are tested. Wyrmway Bronze Dragon Statue of Balduran 87
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Chapter II: Loc ations A Proud City on the Brink of Invasion Look closely and you’ll see hints of Portugal throughout the city of Baldur’s Gate: from its coastlines and romantic gardens to its villas and stone abbeys, all designed in a neo-Gothic style common to the region. The development of the city of Baldur’s Gate first began with a research trip to Sintra, a region renowned for its 19th-century architecture that mirrors the look of a mediaeval town. We were inspired immediately. Exploring the historic city was like exploring Baldur’s Gate itself – even the Lisbon coat of arms looks like Baldur’s Gate’s heraldry! Baldur’s Gate Baldur’s Gate Guard Concepts 89
Chapter II: Loc ations Building Concepts A Tale of Two Cities The Lower City districts of Baldur’s Gate consist of narrow, twisting streets paved with cobbles and crowded with labourers, beggars, and thieves. Step into the Upper City, however, and you are transported to a very different world – one made up of sunny plazas, clean streets, and marble temples that stand as testament to the stark social inequality found throughout this region. 90
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Chapter II: Loc ations Lighting Concepts 94
Chapter II: Loc ations Environment Concepts 95
Chapter II: Loc ations Noble Civilian Clothing Concepts 96
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Chapter II: Loc ations Factory of Fear It’s here that Steel Watchers are developed and built. These formidable automatons are both mechanical and biological, although you might not realise this at first. But laying within is the husk of a person, controlled psionically by a mechanical illithid brain whose overgrowth of tendril-like wires are designed to mimic the folds of the cerebral cortex. Steel Watch Foundry Steel Watcher Concepts Engine Concepts 98
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