A group of Baldur’s Gate 3 modders taking on the task of remaking the original Baldur’s Gate as a custom campaign have shown off one of the first major milestones since their ambitious quest kicked off in earnest. They’ve gone back and revamped Candlekeep, the library-fortress that served as the location of an inital demo published last year.
“If you played our very first demo, you’ve already walked the cobblestones of our initial Candlekeep build,” the team – who go by Deathbringer’s Reign wrote in Reddit post the other day. “But as our team has grown and our mastery of the Baldur’s Gate 3 engine has evolved, we decided we needed to go back to the beginning and give your childhood home the massive visual overhaul it truly deserves.”
So, the group’s level designers have cracked open their sheds and reimagined the location “with a much heavier focus on a lush, overgrown garden vibe”. “We wanted Candlekeep to feel like a truly ancient, peaceful sanctuary that has been softly reclaimed by nature over the centuries,” the modders wrote. That means walls coated in climbing ivy, courtyards overflowing with foliage, and some tastefully weathered statues.
For a point of comparison to the screenshots of revamped Candlekeep in the post above, it’s worth looking at the ones on the Nexus Mods page of the modders’ initial Candlekeep demo. Said demo’s not been updated to reflect the revamp so far, though that’s not surprising as the group note they’re currently still “in the process of adding the final layers of polish to this overgrown environment”.
As projects of this nature often are, they’re also looking for new recruits. “Whether you want to help us build out the world, script encounters, or translate classic dialogue into the new format, there is a place for you here,” the team wrote, though they did note they’re specifically keen to get skilled 3D & 2D artists on board at the moment. Interested parties can apply via the Deathbringer’s Reign Discord server.
For a more in-depth picture of what the modders are looking to accomplish with this remake of BioWare’s original Baldur’s Gate made with the modding tools of the RPG series’ latest entry, make sure to check out my interview with Deathbringer’s Reign project lead 786r786 from March.
