Summary
- RPGs like Baldur’s Gate & Dark Alliance prioritize exploration, offering unique side-quests and hidden lore.
- Games like Planescape: Torment provide unforgettable exploration experiences in underused settings.
- Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate 3 encourage exploration for players to uncover secrets and immerse themselves fully.
One of the core parts of any Dungeons and Dragons tabletop game is exploration. Players need to traverse across whatever world they find themselves in to find new quests, monsters to slay, or any hidden treasure the DM might have hidden away in one corner of the map.
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RPGs and similar genres in the video game world owe their existence to Dungeons & Dragons, and these games embody the franchise well.
This is something that should be translated to any D&D-themed video game, giving the players the agency to engage in the world the developers built while taking in the beautiful scenery. For D&D players who are always charging ahead to explore their surroundings, these are the perfect games for them.
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Dungeons And Dragons: Dark Alliance
Breathtaking Scenery Demands To Be Explored
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance was met with a rather tepid reception among fans, as the game was seen as slightly repetitive and released with many frustrating bugs that would have ruined many players’ first experience. The story was seen as lacking by many fans too, boiled down to a reductive plot of enemies claiming a shard of evilness, and now the party must hunt down their quarry. But that is not to say there are no redeeming qualities to be had when playing Dark Alliance.
For starters, famed Forgotten Realm characters such as Catti-Brie and Drizzt Do’Urden rally together to take on the bad guys, and the level design is where the game truly shines. There are plenty of areas with some sort of unique features, such as frozen tundras or atmospheric enemy camps. Players are free to look for hidden paths that will take them away from the main plot, and just soak in the atmosphere and immerse themselves in this carefully crafted world. It is just a shame Dark Alliance shines as a walking sim over the action RPG they were going for.
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Baldur’s Gate 2
Players Are Free To Explore The Major Locations
- Released
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November 15, 2013
- Developer(s)
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Overhaul Games
The sequel to the original Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2 is seen as an improvement upon the original, with the player character finding the fate of the continent once more burdening their shoulders. They must defeat the evil siblings Jon Irenicus and Bodhi and their machinations.
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The sweeping sense of adventure the narrative holds would make one wonder what exploration opportunities are on offer. Players can wander away from the linear path to a lesser extent than its predecessor, but the more compact maps mean that the places they do explore are likely to be rewarded more frequently, containing a scrap of lore, interesting side quest, intriguing NPC, or even loot to be found.
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Baldur’s Gate
Plenty Of Opportunities To Explore Off The Beaten Path
The first entry in the Baldur’s Gate series starts off in the library fortress of Candlekeep, where the player dwells as a ward to the mage known as Gorion, until one night they are baded to leave, just in time to avoid the mysterious group who are searching for them. As they adventure across Faerun, they gather the allies needed to put a stop to Sarevok and their attempts to fuel distrust between Baldur’s Gate and Amn.
But besides chasing the main quest and defeating the bad guys, players are free to explore the map as they wish, treading into the places in between the next major location. By exploring, players will be rewarded with a few excellent and unique side quests. Exploration is often cited as one of the game’s many charms by fans, so for those looking for a D&D game made for exploration, the first Baldur’s Gate might just be the game for them.
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Solasta: Crown Of The Magister
The Campaign Editor Opened Up More Exploration Opportunities
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5
- Release Date: May 27th, 2021
- Developers: Tactical Adventures
- Genres: Adventure, RPG
Based on the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, Solasta: Crown of the Magister includes many features fans have come to expect from the tabletop game itself, such as character customization, though players can also choose from one of the premade characters to set out into the eponymous land of Solasta. Up to four adventurers must work together to search Ancient Elven ruins for jewels needed for a powerful artifact that may just be the answer to their prayers.
As such, exploration is the key to success, as they must find the jewels that are hidden away from plain sight. Not only that, a substantial campaign editor mode allows players to take on the role of a DM, creating new opportunities for exciting exploration, as who knows what crafty DMs might have hidden throughout the world.
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Planescape: Torment
Though Aged, This Game Provides A Phenomenal Experience In An Underused Setting
Planescape: Torment
- Released
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December 12, 1999
- Developer(s)
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Black Isle Studios
Planescape: Torment is one of the most underestimated D&D games of all time, as it is a fantastic game that while slightly aged, still holds up well to this day. It is a vastly different experience from anything D&D gamers might have otherwise experienced, as it abandoned the more favored locations such as Faerun for the Planescape, a setting that remains largely forgotten by WotC and any studio that gets their hands on the license.
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Dungeons & Dragons Settings That Have Never Featured In A Video Game
The world of D&D extends far beyond Faerun. These settings would make great backdrops for future D&D video games.
For those interested in this setting, they would be doing a disservice to themselves if they didn’t check this game out. Though the combat is certainly rough around the edges, the storyline and the world that is created is nothing short of impressive, and a great medium for exploring the fabled Planescape. What’s more, the exploration in this game is the main way players will piece together tidbits of the lore and story by finding new NPCs to chat with and searching the hidden nooks and crannies of the places they find themselves in.
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Neverwinter Nights
Exploration Is Part Of The Experience
A plague threatens the tentative peace across Faerun and the city of Neverwinter, and it is up to the hero of the story, which is of course the player character, to stop these attacks and defeat the cult that is behind it. The player needs to build their character, including determining their gender, species, and class before embarking out into the world, gathering companions to help them in their fight.
One thing that Neverwinter Nights encourages from the players is exploration. Wandering off the beaten path will open up new opportunities that previously would have been missed, such as NPCs, side quests, secrets, and immersing themselves more in the world around them.
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Baldur’s Gate 3
The World Of Faerun Has Been Beautifully Recreated
Baldur’s Gate 3 might be one of the most ambitious Dungeons and Dragons games to date, boasting an impressively intricate story with a colorful cast of characters, and a beautifully created world players are free to roam around, finding new challenges, NPCs, side quests, and locations. In this game, players control one of the origin characters or their own custom “Tav” as they attempt to find a cure for the mind flayer parasite they have been affected with before it takes over.
Thankfully, the deadline posed is one for the story only rather than being a mechanical threat, so players are free to take their time. With the beautiful graphics and the fact that most exploring is either rewarded or punished with loot and powerful enemies, players will want to explore the world to see what they can find. The high-risk, high-reward nature of the game is too much to resist for most D&D gamers, as everything in the tabletop game is determined by luck and a roll of the dice.
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Open-world games give players a ton of freedom to work with. These titles have stood out the most over the years.
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