In role-playing video games, few titles hold the charm and grand nature of the Baldur’s Gate series. With its intriguing storytelling, complex characters, and immersive world-building, the franchise has captivated gamers with all its titles.
When Baldur’s Gate 3 launched, it not only earned the love of the RPG gamers but also set the standard for any new games. The decisions in BG3 can lead players to countless roads but not all ends are happy as players find themselves confronted with a decision that would shape their experience in unforeseen ways.
The Condemned Path of Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3, much like its predecessors, is a game where decisions made by players affect the world around them. Every decision, small or big, has consequences and has the power to shape the narrative within the game world.
However, one such decision comes early in the story and has sparked controversy among fans: the fate of the Last Light Inn’s Isobel and its proprietor, Fist Marcus. In the Last Light Inn, players will be confronted with a choice, defend Isobel or join Marcus. The moral choice is to save Isobel and defeat Marcus. But if players are pursuing their Evil Playthrough and want to see the world burn, they can side with him.
However, due to this evil decision, players will lose access to many side quests as all the people in the Inn are dead. When asked in an interview about the Last Light Inn and how players could miss the whole bunch of cutscenes and side quests, CEO Swen Vincke replied: “Yeah. That’s a consequence”.
Lead Writer Adam Smith further explained Vincke’s remake, saying that if players decide to be evil, these are the consequences they have to face. If the NPC is dead, these side quests simply become unavailable. He further added if these quests are available then what’s the point of making these decisions?
I think the alternative would be that we just sub in new content, and the choice wouldn’t be meaningful anymore. Letting you desolate and devastate entire parts of the world, that’s true reactivity, it’s real agency. It [story’s ending] is quicker because you get less sidequests along the way because a lot of people are dead
The decision surrounding the Last Light Inn underscores the depth of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s storytelling. It shows that every choice whether moral or evil, carries weight and can change the player’s journey in many ways.
Exploring Alternate Realms: Replay Value and Redemption
By having consequences for almost every decision, Baldur’s Gate 3 leaves a lot of room for players to replay the game for another playthrough (maybe this time let the dark urges inside take control). The story is flexible enough that players won’t be repeating the same lines.
In the development process, to test a single origin character’s every dialogue it took them 18 playthroughs. That shows the hard work and dedication, developers at Larian Studios went through to enhance the player’s experience.
Ultimately, whether one chooses to spare Fist or fight him, the consequence of that decision resonates throughout Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a testament to the power of choice in storytelling and a reminder that sometimes worse consequences come from the decisions we least expect.
