Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Suggestions to Expand on Ending & Romances

So I just beat the game - 220 logged hours and I enjoyed it so much. The themes it explores and the well designed characters are the biggest parts of why I, and I think everyone, love this game.

The problem comes with Act 3 and the ending(s).

I was shocked and surprised by how deep the characters went in Act 1 & 2, especially Astarion and Shadowheart. For context, I romanced Astarion and had Shadowheart abandon Shar. When you get to their main quests and really flesh them out in Act 2 and 3, the themes they explore are deep and meaningful. Astarion starts to open up about his abused past and talks about how important it is to him to have free-will and choice. It's not all about power and control, it's about the ability to say no. This tugged at my heartstrings so hard that I nearly teared up for him and it made me love him even more.
This is compounded when you finish his character quest with Cazador and then even more after you get through The House of Hope and, if you give your body up to the Succubus, Astarion will take you aside the first time you feel them use your form and explains how sorry he is that you have to go through this and how torturous it is to have someone else use you like that.

This set a precedent for me: these are not normal characters. They are raw and real and important.

So imagine my surprise and disappointment when there isn't any ending scenes, expanded dialogues, or moments of heart-felt solace at the end after saving the city. The Astarion ending scene was almost a joke. He realizes he'll burn in the sun and runs off in a comical fashion and me, being the person who loves and cares for him, doesn't even get the option to run after him and make sure he isn't, ya know, dead?
I was hoping for more moments that include him being the person you get to know. I was expecting rage and anger that he has to be in the shadows again, fatigue at being regarded a hero, and guilt over bringing you into his problems again. And in all of that, I really really wanted a chance to console him and care for him.

But instead, you get a small scene where he basically says "Yay, well lets go on other adventures together!" and then we never touch on what he went through ever again.

It isn't a proper send-off and I don't believe this is exclusive to just Astarion; everyone I've talked to didn't feel like they got moments with their companions at the end and I believe there are a couple of suggestions that could really fix this problem:

1. An ending party with all the notable characters. Much like the party after the saving (or destruction) of the Druid Grove, give everyone a heartfelt chance to reconnect with everyone. Have exclusive scenes that are customized to the companion and how they feel about the player much like we already got. If you romanced them, throw in another love scene to cap it off but make it more heartfelt. Establish how they feel about their futures and don't downplay their traumas.

2. Instead of having us have weird disjointed conversations with the companions that all amount to you asking them to stay with you (for some reason?), have ALL the companions at that final scene (I was so disappointed Shadowheart wasn't there for me and I didn't get to talk to her again) and do it at camp. As we're all packing up for the final time, give each character their own scene talking to you and your companions about what the future holds for them. Again, expand extra dialogue and personal moments for your romance option but help us understand what may be next for these characters.
Give Karlach her scene then where it makes more sense for you to offer to go off with her or have someone else help her with her engine. Have Shadowheart explain that she's feeling lost and without community now that she doesn't have a foundation. Have Gale explain his intentions for obtaining the crown and maybe have Mystra show up again to emphasize the consequences of his mistakes. And for the love of God, let us talk to Astarion about his feelings on living in the shadows again! - In short, just expand on everyone's story and feelings.

3. Expand on the consequences of your actions in particular. I didn't get anything done to me for absorbing 9 different parasites and I feel like, especially when they all start dying in your head, there would be a visceral reaction and not just a moment of pain followed up by you being completely fine. Show your companions reacting to the fact that your pain in your head is much more intense and maybe have a moment where you pass out from the pain. When that happens, you may even need to make checks so you don't die from having tried to absorb so much power.

4. The final fight should have more illusion based moments like when you see the Elder Brain in the brine pool. Illithids and Elder Brains are notorious for using your choices and memories against you. Have moments where the character is haunted by illusions of companions, their romance, or people they may have killed or didn't save and have them try and fight against knowing what is real and what is not. The Emperor can even be the catalyst for this being that he knows you so well. I thought this might happen when he said he knows all your weaknesses but it ended up just being regular enemies to fight and nothing special. Would be cool for him to make it look like other people, your custom guardian, and have cutscenes where you rail against your mind's own devices.

These are just my rambly thoughts but you get the picture. The excellence and wonderful fleshed out feel of Act 1 & 2 should be felt throughout the game and the ending cements a feeling of rushed and incomplete material.