The game is set in 1492 DR, over 120 years after the events of the previous game, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and months after the events of the playable Dungeons & Dragons 5e module, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. It features a branching plot where the main story elements stay mostly the same, regardless of the players' choices, but with considerable variation in the details, especially concerning the numerous side quests. At the beginning of the game, players either create an original character who is essentially a "blank slate" in terms of back story, choose one of six pre-made "origin characters", or a customizable seventh "origin character.” Each of the possible player characters have unique questlines to each other and certain paths, but largely play the same depending on play style.
