Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Why is Tav the least interesting character?

Yeah... sure it would be nice to have a pre-written story for a custom character, there's a limit to how much it's a custom character at that point. It's like you can play Skyrim and be a blank slate with no personality and a customisable appearance, or you can play The Witcher 3 and your options are Geralt of Rivia. Sure, the Dragonborn is tied into the story because of their destiny, but at that point so are the BG3 characters because of their tadpoles. The way I usually play D&D is that my character is a fairly ordinary person who suddenly gets swept up into extraordinary events.

I also don't understand the idea that it's bad that the origin characters chat to each other without involving Tav. Tav does have conversations with the origin characters, but these stop the game so you can think and respond. I've had plenty of chats with origin characters, many of which were not directly related to the story at that moment. And I think it's great that the origin characters chat to each other. Even if the main quest revolves around Tav leading the party, it gives the illusion that the world would go on existing without them.

I'm in the group that wouldn't want to be given a pre-written backstory for a custom character, because I created my own in my head. Maybe I'm being unfair because I played this game differently, but it's the best experience I've had so far with a character I created for a video game (rather than playing a pre-written character). Of course the game can't display what I've got in my head, but I knew what my character thought about the origin characters, about the missions, about the whole... thing. There are moments where the synergy between what happened on the screen and in my head gave me more than the game could have done alone unless they'd written a fully-realised character that happens to be exactly what I was thinking of; and far more than I could have imagined if I didn't have the game.

Maybe another option for a pre-set background with a custom appearance, like the Dark Urge but different? I've not played it, but the what I heard doesn't appeal very much - just sounds like playing Trevor from GTA 5. But while I can understand that some people might want a pre-set backstory, I can't understand the idea that this makes BG3 a 'bad game'.

I'd love it if Tav had been voiced, and I don't know if the reason they aren't is simply because of the sheer amount of recording needed across all the different voices, or if it's just because they keep trying to introduce themselves. Maybe in a future game that can be done with machine learning - the actor might read the line with a placeholder, like "Pleased to meet you, my name is Player," and the computer replaces it with a synthesized version of your character name in that actor's voice. With an option to turn it off if it can't pronounce it.

This is a great way to describe it (though I may have said 'empty' or 'disconnected' instead of 'generic'). It captures very well how I feel.

Here
I think most people see it that way, whether they have a problem with it or not.

yes, but the official statistics always count the character creation (tav + dark-urge).
it is strange, the official statistics never do the statistics that separate tav and dark-urge.

maybe dark-urge is the real chosen of larian, but i do not like they use the tricky approach make players think dark-urge is the most popular character that players is choosing.

though the plots doesn't give tav outstanding show, but tav is the true chosen by most players in the fact.

Well, they are both "custom" protagonist so it makes some sense to lump them together. I was considering doing first playthrough as DU, but it was Sven's comment during PfH that made me go with Tav (something like: Durge changes so many things it's better to know the base line first). I didn't get far enough with Durge to have my own take on his recommendation. The NPCs that were killed so far, weren't contributing to Tav playthrough much.


On a side note, I dislike how reactivity is handled in BG3 - I prefer if reactivity is reaction to my choices, not an alternative universe. BG3 does "the Witcher2" thing where making a choice makes you enter a different universe where things are different but unrelated to a change you made. So:
I dislike it, as it might be fine for singular playthrough, but I dislike this inconsistancy between NPC actions. I strips what I find about player choices interesting. It's not actions and consequence - and I favour more logical new avenues (oh, of course I can resolve familiar situation in a new way becase I am x or chose to do y), over those weird "oh, they didn't say that in last playthrough, it must be Durge exlusive content".


Anyway, I am curious if Durge was planned from the get go (let's try to make customisable origin this time around), or if it was Larian's response to EA feedback (custom Tav being bland, lack of BG1&2 connections).

Spotted this on a read of the thread and kind of glad it's not just me thinking this
always thought it was the emperor the armor and how he seems to be the one in charge of escaping the gith in the opening scene.
the eye change colour could be more to do his mind control being activated .

only spanner in the works is the dead mindflayer that says he tadpoled you .

On subject though it would of been nice to have a Tav personal quest but as said Dark Urge is probably what they wanted you to play its why you can have your pretty Elven goth's as your screenshot model.
Tav is basically durge with no evil for those who can't stand the bloody history you can't really connect a good Tav to the dead 3 for the story purpose there is too much missing.

I dont mind my Tav's being nondescript entities in the grand scheme of things I can self insert to a point . I do also like playing the Dark Urge not as a Dragonborn though I can't quite get myself to connect with them same with Orcs .

Not tried one of the other origins yet with 16 Tavs/Dark urges at various stages it will be a long time because 2 further Tav's/Dark urge are in the queue of my thoughts

i could see "empty", but i think most people who think it's a good thing don't agree with "disconnected". i connect because it's a blank slate.

Tav is the least interesting character because they have 4 different facial expressions and body stances and don't talk.

As bland as Tav is he/she is an improvement on his DOS2 ancestor. The Durge is another step forward and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them expand on that idea in their next game.

i don't think durge is another step forward of tav.

in the fact, durge is a failed one, or he/she ought to resist all murder urge 15 years ago.

if you play dark urge in bg3, you are actual turge(tav urge) not durge(dark urge).
and the original dark urge weak willed background can not match your will's amazing tough completely.

I think this is the community's fault. Originally in EA it was clear that Tav was going to be fully voiced, with a choice of voices and personality, with the intent to have preconfigured encounters depending on the choices you made for background in character creation. (So I bit like Dark Urge, but voiced and more mix-n-match.) The community here was quite vocal in saying that it didn't want a Tav with a personality because it reduces your own ability to roleplay and imagine your character yourself. So Larian dropped it. You can still see some of the artifacts left in the game - for example Tav will occasionally speak.