The following article features ending spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age Origins.
I’ve recently finished two ofmy multiple campaignsofBaldur’s Gate 3, and what a blast it has been! I’m gearing up for more as I write this, and this game will definitely be something I’ll be revisiting for years to come. It’s scratched that itch I’ve had for an immersive and validating adventure narrative that I’ve been craving.
One of the most impressive aspects of Baldur’s Gate 3 is how it encourages you to immerse yourself in Faerun. The game’s choices and consequences system is nothing short of exceptional, making every decision you make matter and leading to outcomes that have a significant impact on the narrative. One thing that stands out ishow complicated Astarion’s romance isand what I had to do to achieve it.
The choices you make, whether they involve the fates ofkey characters like Shadowheart, Lae’zel or others, the resolutions of quests, or even your character’s alignment, all result in a multitude of potential outcomes. A lot was built into the game, and while my experience with it has been stellar, the ending of Baldur’s Gate 3 still needs some tweaking.
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Looking to master the multiclass game in Baldur’s Gate 3? This list breaks down a variety of the very best options available to players.
How It Ends (For Me, Anyway)
In my first ending, my Dark Urge friend had become a full Illithid after we decided that we didn’t trust the Emperor — the enigmatic Illithid who masqueraded as our customizable Guardian character and protected us throughout the game. We considered him to be quite manipulative, and my friend had already become half-Illithid, so why not go the full length?
The game recognized him as the main hero, and because he romanced Wyll, and Wyll was vital to Karlach’s continued survival and protection when she went back to the hells, the three of them ended up fighting demons in an awesome slow motion montage, chock-full of electric guitar riffs and everything. Meanwhile, my ending was quieter, featuring my hero and Halsin discussing their intimate night together, and how he was going to leave the city to go and help others find salvation in a torn world.
Beyond that, Lae’zel left emotionally on a dragon to help her people, Astarion lost the ability to live in sunlight, Gale ascended to godhood, Shadowheart was glad she learned how to swim, and Jaheira and Minsc gave us a few words of wisdom, fitting the sardonic mentor roles that they had filled within the group.
At first, the ending seemed quite fulfilling, and I wiped away tears as nearly 200 hours of gameplay came to an end. But when the dust settled…I was left with many questions.
What happened to Astarion afterwards? What happened to Gale when he went on his own quest for godhood? Was Mystra pissed at him? Does she know? What happened to Jaheira’s family? Did Minsc eventually become the leader of the underground guilds that our ending hinted at? So. Many. Questions.
This Ending Problem Isn’t Unique To BG3
This problem with trying to wrap so many bows at the end doesn’t surprise me at all. Baldur’s Gate 3, while not created by BioWare, takes the formula that the developer has used to develop series like Mass Effect and Dragon Age and modernizes it (and does so better, in my opinion). Historically, these series have had a hard time creating a fully satisfying ending at initial game launch time.
Two immediate examples that come to mind areMass Effect 3andDragon Age Inquisition. ME3 infamously had the ending controversy in which many of us fans felt terribly let down by the open-ended nature of it. It was jarring to see, in my original ending, Joker, EDI, and Kaidan, dropping ship in some area full of greenery, giving off some strange Adam and Eve allegory (plus a now lonely Kaidan standing there like a third wheel). Inquisition’s ending had the wild cliffhanger of seeing fan favorite Flemeth extinguished by Solas, who’s revealed to be the Dalish lore god known as Dread Wolf.
Both endings needed to be tweaked. ME3 got an entire rerecorded ending which added a final scene in which your Shepard and chosen romance partner can tell each other “I love you,” and (in my ending) EDI narrated the aftermath of my Synthesis ending choices, telling me that things were mostly peaceful. Inquisition got more added in the form of an after-game DLC, Trespasser, which acted as a prelude to the upcomingDragon Age Dreadwolf. In it, your Inquisitor gets to have more time with the gang, and you get to have a final moment with Solas, who’s decided that the world needs a reset (typical evil mage stuff in the Dragon Age world).
I Can Empathize With Karlach’s Anger In Baldur’s Gate 3
Getting upset, especially when you’ve dealt with a lot is totally natural.
How Larian Studios Can Fix The Ending
ForLarian Studios, there are a number of ways to make the game’s ending more satisfying and positive. A possible option would be to allow you to explore the world after defeating the Elder Brain, allowing you to witness events such as Wyll’s coronation as Archduke of Baldur’s Gate. Another would be to give purpose to the enriched infernal iron that drops in Act 3. I collected them from the Steel Watchers, assuming that they would somehow come in handy for a last-minute Hail Mary to Karlach’s situation. In earlier acts, Dammon helped her out, and he’s still looking for a way to help her if you talk to him before the finale.
Another intriguing prospect could involve seeing what happened to Nightsong and Isobel. Their story was so intriguing, and if you have her fight lorroakan, she notes that something feels off, which gave me a vibe of a paladin losing their oath. Or perhaps they get married?
Larian Studios did note that they were concerned that the length of the ending would be too much with all these smaller scenes concluding the various narrative threads. In that case, there could be a concluding epilogue slideshow, providing closure to the story.
I look back on Dragon Age Origins’s ending for guidance in the right way to utilize the epilogue slideshow. After your final battle and accompanying scenes, you’ll encounter epilogue slides that outline the repercussions of your decisions on the kingdom of Ferelden and its people. These epilogues delve into the fates of major characters, the political landscape, and the overall state of the kingdom. The specific details can vary widely based on the choices you made throughout the game.
For me it was that my character Serenity received a simple yet impactful quote:
As for Serenity’s companions, they went their separate ways. When Serenity finally left Denerim to continue his travels, Zevran went with him, electing to remain with the man he loved. They continued their adventures together — at least for a time.
In a similar fashion, some of the smaller story beats could be concluded this way. Static photos from different parts of the game would appear with captions giving little snippets about what happened to different people.
What makes me feel hopeful, as a huge fan of this game, is that Larian Studios is already working on adding to the game and listening vehemently to player feedback. The first four patches have already given us an alternative ending for Karlach (see guitar riffs mentioned above). The developers have been vigilant in their updates, and I can only be excited to see what they continue to cook up for the game and its conclusion.
