Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion The Emperor tadpoled us!

The visualization and sound change for the Flayer on the bridge from EA compared to release is the first thing that stands out. Maybe that was in the last EA patch and I just slept on it, cause he for sure has a different head and voice now, the dude on the bridge I mean. Like the way he says "thrall" and such. Whereas before all the flayers looked and sounded identical. If the Emperor tadpoled Lae'zel in the opening cinematic that just makes me feel all the more righteous about siding with Orpheus and the Githyanki over him. I rewatched it again just now try to see if I could read it as resignation or desperation rather than manipulation or malice, and there's a few points where he kind of appears to hesitate, or like maybe choosing a particular tadpole, but then when he comes back towards the player character's POV, it's all orange pearls radiating malice again, and hard to see anything else there. If the whole thing is coming hot off the heist, and Emperor is piloting the getaway, it makes it a bit strange that he'd be warping out at the last second into the prism somehow. That bit is a lot less clear. I guess it might all have benefited from that idea floated early on that instead of just having dreams or flashbacks, where we "see" what it happened, it might have been cool to have dreams that included gameplay for the exposition.

I could imagine something similar for any of the dream remembrances, where it might become a Nightmare mini level and we play out the memory. That's where I thought Daisy would lead us, but then in EA I thought my analog would be Total Recall, whereas for the full release it became more Groundhog Day and absurdist for me. Anyhow, if it was the Gith heist and all that, guess it also explains Shadowheart's apprehension towards Lae'zel, like if she'd just watched Buddug Vriss and Kurk Deepcroft and whoever get cut in half by badass Githyanki greatswords right before getting scooped into her pod. Dangerous company for sure. Sets up a pretty awkward choice in the initial reveal later on. We'd all maybe be blowed up already if it weren't for the tadpole sure, but clearly it's Orpheus' presence that even makes that a possibility as much as the Emperor's. The idea that I'm going to pick that dude over Lae'zel when push comes to shove is kinda laughable. It's going to be Prince and the revolution all day every day in that case. Then at the end he's all, 'yeah I'm going to "absorb" Orpheus' essence', as if the Emperor were a total Skeksi, and at every point Lae'zel's every reaction is pretty much always 'over my dead body!' to any of that. So of course, it's gotta be Gith over Flayers at the very end. Plus they were always sorta the underdog in the Gith vs Illithid lore for me, like the Illithid always seemed to have the scarier psionic powers.

But then the hangup is the eye color, because the Flayer that tapoles us has the orange eyes, whereas the Emperor has purple eyes now.




ps. Knock on, so for the chromatics of the eyes, Omeluum's are definitely more yellow/gold in hue, sometimes drifts green in the lighting. Perhaps there's some internal lore with the color chromatics like RGB lightsabers in the OST? In that case if they wanted to hammer it home, they could maybe change the Emperor's eye color back to Orange or push even more Red if he pulls the mask and drops all pretense at empathy after we choose Orpheus.

Then you'd get an idea identical to Star Wars, where Redshift is towards the self and Blueshift is away from the self (towards the other) like Vader and Obi Wan basically. Then you get an Omeluum somewhere in the middle, like Luke with the green saber (yellow if we go with the toys.) This could all be expressed subtly in the flayer eye color.



Along these lines, if they sold BG3 action figures they could play with this idea more in the itemization. I don't really need the flayer statue. I want one of Lae'zel! But going there anyway, maybe you get the InfraRed eyed flayer and another UltraViolet eyed flayer, for like a doubles thing.

I would probably get both just so Lae'zel would have two to fight heheh.

Like come on though right, Battlemaster Lae'zel with hella weapons choices! Shadowheart with her alternating Shar/Selune outfits and kit! Seems like a winner to me.

First wave should be the fab 5 and Minthara with the Goblins.

Second Wave Karlach, Halsin, Jaheira, etc

The Emperor as the big bad. Like basically the Emperor is Vader in this analogy, even though that may be somewhat confusing hehe. Third wave they toss in Scratch and Withers and a few skeletons like that, Fourth Wave Ketheric, Orin, Gortash, Raphael and any standouts like Alfira and Florrick maybe a Robocop and Spectator- you get the idea. Good to go! They should totally do that.

I'd settle for partha style miniatures too, but if they made 'em articulated and slightly larger more like gi joe or barbie, I mean that would just hit right now! I wish that was a thing. Early Bird special for the Owlbear!