Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback better evil options

Let me first start this off by saying I love this game dearly. It may have its flaws, but ultimately, I have recommended it to anybody who will listen and I have yet to stop playing after weeks. HOWEVER. I am incredibly disappointed with the options for evil/evil leaning playthroughs, dark urge or not. The only evil gods you can choose as a cleric are shar and lolth- despite both Loviatar and Umberlee being directly mentioned in game. The majority of evil companions are women, which kind of sucks as a gay fella, but even with that aside, Laezel, Astarion, and Shadowheart can all be experienced perfectly fine in a good/neutral playthrough without much difference at all, so it gets incredibly tired pretty fast. ESPECIALLY when an evil playthrough basically limits your romantic options to them and them alone. Ultimately, it feels like your alignment while playing an evil playthrough actually doesn't matter much other than pissing off Karlach and Wyll- and occasionally Gale.

My suggestions:
- add some more evil flavor where possible
- add the ability to choose more evil gods for worship in game
- add another evil male companion a-la Halsin and Minthara. A mid-game recruit who decides to come hang out for one reason or another. Abdirak, the Loviatar priest in the Goblin camp, would be a SPLENDID candidate for this. Not only does he have a beloved niche following in the fandom, but he's early, he's nuanced, and he's fun to interact with. I also wouldn't turn up my nose at Karn'iss. I'm low-key begging for this, honestly, because while I may love Astarion I am bored to TEARS of romancing him just because he's my best option.

Not tied to romance specifically but an evil run essentially wipes out your potential companions. You add Minthara but lose Karlach, Wyll, Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc! So you go from having up to *9* available companions on a good run to 5 on an evil run. It really undercuts options for additional playthroughs.

And if you play Astarion's origin the evil path leaves you with only Gale and the ladies.

Unfortunately, pretty much all of this was pointed out from day 1 in EA and nothing came of it.

We actually have *less* deity options than in EA since The Dead Three and Shar were removed as selectable deities.

And Swen himself is on record saying that Minthara isn't a 'full companion' and is just a sidekick. Her having little content was intentional.

Honestly, I begin to wonder if the 'evil path' is just decorative. All the time on the subreddit you basically see feedback on the evil path being divided into two parts:

1) Wow, I tried playing evil, but it made me feel so guilty and awful I had to restart-I could never play a full game of this!! Larian are so good at making the evil options feel so consequental!

2) I tried playing evil and is it just me, or is there very little content compared to a good campaign?

IMHO the evil options overwhelmingly feel tacked on because they are mostly there just to make the game feel like less of a railroad.

I am not sure how relevant it is to this post (nor should it be me arguing that this exact thing shouldn't be worked on as I personally would love more evil options), but the BG games have always been very light on the evil options. In BG1, pretty much the only difference between light side and dark side is that you join the bandits rather than killing them. And then you kill them anyway. Same with BG2 and the assassins' guild. You do get some of the more powerful companions, but you also have to contend with the morality system, which is less than ideal.

I do wonder if this is a conscious decision by Wizards, rather than Larian's "fault". Of course I have no proof of this, just a suspicion.

Another aspect that kinda bothers me on this. I started playing a Dark Urge playthrough and decided to fully embrace from the start. Tav is a fighter and the first blood I draw is Gale's. Sadly that means that I don't have a wizard (other than a hireling), which I find a significant handicap. But that may be as much a function of the relatively small number of companions as a whole?

edit: removed non-relevant side comment.

The Dead 3 were options in Early Access, also Gruumish (Orc God) and Laduguer (Duergar God) are Evil gods

I already voted for Ketheric as our evil companion, It's literally J. Johan Jameson (aka guy from Spider-Man, Peter Parker's boss, demands pictures of Spider-Man, the biggest Spider-Man Hater in NYC, has a toothbrush moustache like a certain german, just for anyone who doesn't know who JJJ is) as a D&D villain, I know that means we get 2 Paladins but I feel like he could play a bigger role in act 3 narratively speaking,

WOAH, I didn't actually expect replies to this. Thanks for your feedback, guys!


I AGREE WITH THIS. Gale should absolutely be re-recruitable at a later time instead of totally gone- but maybe at the cost of a heavy persuasion/deception check or something. Handless gale companion would be so funny, and would help even things out party wise.


Ketheric as a companion is something I would NOT turn my nose up at, either. Honestly, that would be badass. I'm not to big to pretend like I cant resist the allure of a righteously evil old man voiced by J.K. Simmons.

yeah, but I can dream </3

My disappointment was immeasurable when I realized on my first run of the story that I couldn't recruit our beloved Loviatar worshiper -- which was a good-aligned one!

Lann Tarv, the Bugbear Merchant in Moonrise Towers, should be someone you can recruit (on a Durge run, at least), and who can join your camp at the end of Act 2. If you prove yourself a worthy warrior, it only makes sense that he would want to join your party to behold the unfolding slaughter of a weak army and it's pathetic leadership.

Sparing the Hag in Act 1 should also have unique consequences in Act 3. Maybe she's willing to barter with you for unique brewing supplies, or she's willing to contract your services to dispatch the hag hunters for an additional augmentation for your Hag Eye.

I could also add Sazza as an evil companion, you get a romancable small race companion, I know people want small race companion, give her a class that no other companion has like Sorcerer, Monk or Bard, might combine bard and monk for her.