Dungeons & Dragons: Baldur's Gate 3 Contains a Major Spelljammer Reference

Dungeons & Dragons' upcoming video game contains a surprise reference to one of the game's more [...]

By Christian Hoffer

Dungeons & Dragons' upcoming video game contains a surprise reference to one of the game's more interesting settings. Larian Studios revealed an early look at Baldur's Gate 3 at PAX East earlier today, including an early look at the game's opening cinematic. The opening scene depicting a high speed chase between some Githyanki riding on red dragons and a Mind Flayer piloting a Nautiloid ship. Not only was the opening cinematic a great look at just how deep Baldur's Gate 3 will dive into the lore and mythos of Dungeons & Dragons, it also revealed a surprising tie to another one of D&D's campaign settings - Spelljammer.

Spelljammer was a space-themed campaign setting that gave players the ability to travel to different worlds through the use of magic-propelled ships that somewhat resembled boats or ships. Spelljammer still used the traditional magic and weapons of Dungeons & Dragons, but it provided strange and fantastic avenues for players to explore in their campaigns.

While we knew that Mind Flayers would be a primary antagonist in Baldur's Gate 3, no one expected that the mind flayer would have a nautiloid, a spelljamming ship originally created by the illithid. Mind Flayers can use the nautiloid to literally travel through space (or at least the D&D equivalent to space, which features planetary systems enclosed in crystal spheres), powering the ship using their magic. It's unclear whether the nautiloid in Baldur's Gate 3 had the same abilities, but it did have the power to pass between planes, as evidenced by its brief jaunt from Faerun into what appeared to be Stygia, one of the Nine Hells.

It's unclear whether Baldur's Gate 3 will have a major Spelljammer aspect, or if this was just a fun nod to D&D's past. Dungeons & Dragons has dropped other references to Spelljammer in the not-so-distant past, so this could be a sign that more Spelljammer is coming soon. In the meantime, check out the Nautiloid ship Larian Studios brought to PAX East!

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