Companion's quest in Baldur's Gate 3 should follow a structure, pace, and story progression similar to Shadowheart's. This structure involves a central objective that progresses throughout the game, aligning with the character's initial presentation in the first half of Act 1. The pacing should be more consistent, with more meaningful interactions at each act of the game. The game already has this structure, but the distribution of content makes some acts feel empty on the companion's interactions and content.

Shadowheart's Quest Overview:


Act 1 - The Grove: Shadowheart's story begins with her amnesia and mission as a Shar Cleric to retrieve an artifact. Her fear of wolves and the mysterious wound are introduced. Some memories start to resurface as she accompanies the player through various locations in Act 1. Her mission to become a Dark Justiciar is also trained and points us toward the Underdark.

Act 1 - The Underdark: In the second half of Act 1, companions become less talkative. In the Underdark, glimpses of a Shar temple, some Dark Justiciar remnants, and Nightsong hints are seen, but Shadowheart's interactions and reactions decrease.

Act 2 - The Shadowlands and the Gauntlet of Shar: Act 2 is dedicated to Shadowheart's quest as she undergoes trials in the Gauntlet of Shar to become a Dark Justiciar. This quest is connected to the main storyline thanks to the Nightsong. The Shadowlands section is related to her due to her resistance to the curse as a Shar cleric. However, companion interactions are minimal in Act 2 until the end of the act.

Act 3 - Baldur’s Gate: Act 3 concludes Shadowheart's quest when she confronts Mother Superior and deals with her parents. After resolving her quest, she gains closure regarding her past, partially recovers her memories, and decides her future. However, her character remains essentially unchanged.

Changes/additions by companion

Shadowheart


1. Dark Justiciars: The Dark Justiciars' plot should be explored more in the Underdark to foreshadow their role in the story in Act 2 and provide clues related to the Nightsong's and the Dark Justiciars tests, setting the stage for the Gauntlet of Shar.

2. Selune conversion: After turning her back on Shar, there could be some quest about her embracing Selune and learning to be a cleric of that goddess. Right now, she doesn’t talk about her, it is only implied and it would be nice to see that change of sides more explicit in the final act of the game. There could also be some changes in dialogue and banter related to that as right now she just starts talking like nothing happened.

Lae’zel


1. Vlakith vs. Orpheus: Integrate at least one fight or encounter between Orpheus and Vlaakith's followers fighting. Additionally, include more interactions with supporters of Orpheus without fighting to make Lae’zel’s potential shift in loyalty more plausible. There should also be an option for Lae’zel to keep being loyal to her queen that doesn’t involve giving her the artifact. That way, she would also have the option to keep being a Vlakith supporter despite everything.

2. Orpheus engraved discs:
These discs should show Orpehu's story in a more interactive and cinematic way as right now the way we get to know about him doesn’t really make us sympathize with his cause enough to want to free him. To make the discs more important, they could have been hidden by Orpheus's followers through the three acts of the game instead of being found in weird random places as they are now. They could have tried to protect them from Vlaakith who wants to destroy them so no one knows the truth. This quest could either be about securing or destroying the discs and what she did would affect her being loyal to Vlakith, Orpheus, or to her people or herself for example.

3. kith'rak Voss: He is an important figure in the matter of Orpheus, but his intervention is too late in the game and too brief. He could interact more with Lae’zel in the Creche and then, after that, before or during Act 2, giving her more information than he does already and playing a bigger role in her quest. She should be influenced more to change her loyalty from her queen to Orpheus as right now it seems to be too easy for her to go from being loyal from one to the other.


Karlach


1. Dammon Upgrades and Repairs: Allow Dammon to repair and upgrade Karlach's engine using infernal iron resources, adding a satisfying resolution to her quest. These upgrades could provide Karlach with new abilities or combat advantages, making her character even more engaging and dynamic.
Incorporate the use of soul coins for these upgrades, making them an integral part of her character development.

2. Confrontations with Zariel's Forces:
Introduce additional confrontations with devils or Zariel's forces throughout the game to highlight Karlach's importance to Zariel, maybe one significant encounter in each Act like the one with the paladins of Tir in Act 1. Those could help to reveal more about Karlach's life in Avernus.

3. House of Hope: Use an object or piece of metal or something that could be added to the House of Hope to aid in repairing Karlach's engine or unveil the reason for its malfunction outside of Avernus. Raphael's collection of items can include a special item or knowledge that assists in resolving Karlach's issue with her engine and also a way to get rid of Zariel’s attention.

4. Interconnecting Karlach and Wyll's stories: Establish a connection between Karlach t and Wyll's stories. Have Karlach and Wyll face the hellish pursuers sent by Zariel together as she seems to be responsible for their fates.

Wyll


1. Expanded Devil Hunt: To expand Wyll's quest, expand his devil-hunting objectives beyond just targeting Karlach in Act 1. Introduce at least two additional targets for him to eliminate or obtain something from them throughout each act of the game. These objectives should be progressively challenging and tied to his transformation into a devi as well as related to Karlach in some way as maybe he has to kill Zariel’s enemies and those could be Karlach aquitances.

2. Transformation: As Wyll fails to kill these targets, his appearance could undergo a more significant and gradual transformation into a devil. For example, he could develop horns and pointy ears after not killing Karlach, then a tail and claws after failing to kill another objective, and ultimately wings after failing to kill the last objective. In contrast, completing the objectives might maintain his human appearance and make him more powerful but corrupt his sense of morality. These changes should be noticeable and impactful, showing the consequences of his choices and the extent of Mizora's control over him. Also, people should have a bigger reaction to his appearance if he becomes a devil or to his change of attitude.

3. Father's Storyline and Past: Add content that delves into the unresolved issues surrounding his relationship with his father all through the game. He could use the tadpole connection to showcase memories and events from his past with him and about his past, providing players with a deeper understanding of him and his conflict. It would be nice if it had cinematics like the ones in Shadowheart sharing her memories about being scared of wolves in the first half of Act 1.

4. Baldur's Gate Connection: Given Wyll's background as the son of a notable figure in Baldur's Gate, add additional content related to the city and his ties to the Flaming Fist. When encountering members of the Flaming Fist in Acts 2 and 3, create meaningful interactions that shed light on Wyll's past and his connections within the city and its people. Add some interactions with friends or acquaintances with a more meaningful history with Wyll, offering insights into his past and personality.

5. Pact and House of Hope: Establish a link between Wyll's pact and the House of Hope in Avernus. Within the House of Hope, add an object or knowledge that could help Wyll to break the pact sooner without having to negotiate with Mizora. Maybe the soul coins could be used to break his pact too and there could be enough of them in House of Hope for him to be able to buy his freedom or something similar.


6. Relationship with the tieflings: Wyll seems to deeply care about the tieflings in Act 1, but that doesn’t carry on to Acts 2 and 3. There should be a deeper connection between them, he is more assertive in wanting to help them through the acts, even wanting to meet them at Baldur’s gate to know how they are doing as well as be more involved in helping Mol get rid of his pact with Raphael, something that isn’t explored enough after Act 2.

Halsin



1.Active Companion Role: Make Halsin an active companion from recruitment, allowing him to engage meaningfully with the main storyline and other companions. He doesn’t seem like the type of person to sit around doing nothing. He even went to the Goblin Camp with Aradin to try to get to Moonrise as soon as possible, so it would make more sense for him to help the party get to Moonrise from the beginning.

2. Doubts about leadership and Inner Conflict: Delve deeper into Halsin's doubts about his leadership role in the Grove and his beliefs about how the city doesn’t respect nature. This is explored briefly through dialogue, so it would be interesting to see some scenes and interactions related to that in the game, especially during Act 3, as a way of showing his character growth.

3. Deepening conflict with Ketehric: Explore Halsin's complex feelings of anger and hatred toward Ketehric, adding emotional depth to his quest in the shadowlands. He seems like a deeply emotional person so it would be a good way of exploring another aspect of his personality.

4. Shadow Druids Influence: Expand on the role of Shadow Druids in Halsin's questline, potentially offering temptations that impact his character development. It could be an interesting introduction in Act 3 but could be foreshadowed from before as he ponders on why Kagha did what she did, as he was the one to leave her in charge.

5. City-Related Events: Introduce quests or events within the city to challenge Halsin's perspective on nature and urban life, potentially involving characters like Jaheira, as a way of helping him understand that nature and urban life can coexist peacefully with one another. There is plenty of nature in Baldur’s gate too, so his attitude could be redirected to specific things that bother him instead of it being more general. These events could involve a Dragonborn druid NPC that is trying to create a more environmentally friendly city that is already in the game.

6. Bear form and lack of self-control: Explore the reasons behind Halsin's lack of control over his bear form, linking it to a curse or past trauma for added depth. That could explain why he didn’t want to have anything to do with Tav at the tiefling party as he could have been ashamed of his lack of control over it.

7. Consistency in Character Behavior: Ensure Halsin's approach to relationships aligns with his character arc, potentially tying it to struggles with self-control or his bear form. It does not make sense for him to be so overly sexual over the years and now he is not that way because of the Shadowcurse when the Shadow Curse has been like that for at least a hundred years or so.

8. Impact of past experience with Drow: Reconsider how Halsin's past experiences with Drow are presented, possibly linking it to a deep-seated distrust of them that could influence his interaction with them and possibly be overcome through his journey.

9. Ongoing Interest in Parasites: Emphasize Halsin's fascination with the Mind Flayer parasites that were present during Act 1, integrating it more substantially into the plot in Acts 2 and 3. That could give him a reason to join the party despite not having a Mind Flayer and make him more important to the Main quest.

Gale


1. Orb instability: Extend the period of orb instability and magical artifacts consumption, preferably until Act 2 when he meets Elminster. He should consume magical objects more slowly than he does now for that to work. This would make his relationship with Tav progress at a better pace, and makes sense for him to be worried about it at the tiefling party as otherwise, his orb stopped way before that moment so Elminster stopping it again kind of makes more sense in that scenario.

2. Orb-Related research: Gale's quest to find a way to stop the Orb should be less passive and involve more investigation. After Elminster proposes that he kills himself for Mystra and despite having a conversation about not giving up and trying to survive, he still doesn’t do anything about it or ask for help in any way. There should be some kind of investigation kind of quest going on to support his investigation about stopping the orb. This research could hint at the existence of a way to control it related to Nethersee magic of the crown or something similar. That would show how Gale honestly is trying to find a way to survive instead of going along the main quest without doing anything about it.

3. Mystra’s worship: There are no signs of Mystra’s worship throughout the game, only in Act 3. There could be some shrines, amulets, or statues of her the same way there are of Selune and Shar amulets and symbols everywhere. That could trigger conversations with Gale about the goddess and get to know the nature of their relationship and faith. Through those conversations, Tav could start to influence Gale’s view of Mystra way sooner, making him notice that his goddess is far from perfect and benevolent and that he is worth more than he thinks. A place that could serve that purpose is The Arcane Tower, as Leonre was a Mystra cleric, but there should be places like that through the three acts.

Astarion


1. Necromancy of Thay: Exploring the possibility of using the necromancy book to cure Astarion's vampirism or at least using it in a meaningful way on his companion quest. There are two prominent necromancers in the game that could contribute to this: One is Balthazar, in Act 2, and the other is Mystic Carrion, in Act 3. That could help to give it a sense of progression paced through all 3 acts of the game and give the book a more satisfying resolution. Mystic Carrion also says that depending on how you use the book it would have consequences, but it doesn’t and the only use it has is bringing ghouls that you can use to fight, which is useful, but unsatisfying in a narrative way. Unlocking this book should have a bigger impact on the story and, possibly, on Astarion’s ending.


2. Involvement of the Gur: If players spared the Gur pursuing Astarion in the first half of Act 1, have him persistently track Astarion through the game as he is trying to find him to know where their children are. Alternatively, if the player killed him, the Gur could send another Gur to locate Astarion through the second half of Act 1 or Act 2. If they are missing their children so much, why are they not more persistent in finding him? Also, if they could track him to the Nautiloid crash site, they would be able to track him anywhere else.


3. Cazador’s power and influence: Astarion warns us about how dangerous Cazador is, about how he could find him anywhere thanks to his contacts, influence, and how powerful he is, but Cazador doesn’t send more people to capture him, which makes him less menacing and makes it seem like Astarion isn’t that important for the ritual as Cazador’s says he is. He could send night creatures through the second half of Act 1 (the Underdark) and/or even Act 2 to bring him Astarion as soon as possible. He could send werewolves or even vampire spawns to get him.


4. Vampires Spawn and Gur children: After killing Cazador, the other vampire Spawn, including his brothers and sisters as well as those he converted (Sebastian and the children) leave for the Underdark. It could be interesting if there was more to it like he reconnecting with them in some meaningful way as they had spent 200 years under Cazador’s abuse. Sebastian's interaction was very interesting and powerful, but there should be some closure for his family too before sending them to the Underdark. There could be a possibility of consulting them if they want to stay in the mansion on their own, leave for the Underdark, or any other thing they might want to do.

5. Cure for vampirism: You can complete his quest about getting revenge early on during Act 3. After that, and despite Astarion wanting to find a way to live under the sun again after so many years in darkness, he just stops looking for a way to do that. There could be a continuation of his quest from that point on focusing on that instead. It could be related to the Necromancy of Thay or something else but that would make more sense than him waiting for the inevitable and succumbing to living in the dark again after the end of the game.

Last edited by Dramamurderer; 14/09/23 08:30 AM.