Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion What kind of ending structure would have made you happy?

A lot of people - myself included - have told that they didn't like how the ending was structured. Now I'd be interested to hear what kind of structure would have made you personally happy?
Lets leave out single storylines for awhile and instead talk about the structure in this thread.

Here's my list:

1. All of the companion storylines would continue during the Act 3.
Personally I felt that all of them just ended either in the Act 2 or in the beginning of the Act 3 (even the ones that you do have in Act 3 just abruptly stop after one quest). I wish they continued to evolve thoughout the Act 3, since all of them have very interesting dilemmas that are worth a story!

2. Gathering up the companions before the final battle.
It's a pivotal moment where we could build up the tension. I would have loved if the characters would have gathered around a camp fire one more time before heading to a battle that they really don't know if they are able to survive. I wanted to hear how they were feeling, maybe reflect the journey leading to this moment, words of encouragement for the whole group. Maybe resolve some of the companion storylines here. Have a meaningful romantic scene with the loved-ones. (Atm, if you talk to your party members during the final battle, they have reactive comments on the situation, and that's great! I just don't feel that it alone was enough.)

3. Narrative about our impact on the world.
I would have wanted to see the places where we had been and hear the narrator tell how our decisions altered the world. Not just the city but during the whole game. It would have given meaning to the decisions that I made during my gameplay.

4. Epilogue with the companions after the battle.
Some people probably feel the battle is the peak of emotional content and that the story shouldn't be dragged after it. Personally I anticipated the chance to gather up once more and having a closure to the companion storylines. I loved them and they were important to me. I felt that the cut scenes at the dock were hasty and sometimes random and the cut scenes after that were way too short and general. Instead I hoped to have an environment or environments where I could go to talk to the characters, have meaningful last conversations with them, make plans for the future and let go of this epic game in my own pace. It could have ended with me telling one of the companions that I'm ready to go now and then the final cut scene could have rolled.

Yeah, something like that. And I wouldn't mind half an hour of ending slides. I played for like 70-100 hours, so half an hour epilogue is super fine.

+1 Yeah, that's about it.
Also, I really hoped I'd be able to meet all of my companions by the end and have that party and talk to them and get somewhat of a resolution to our journey together. Everything just ended so abruptly, and it's disappointing to say the least. We celebrated after the Grove, let us celebrate saving the f***ing world too.

Indeed, this would be a welcome addition.

In Dragon Age Origins (my gold standard, more or less), after the big final battle, we get a follow-up scene a month or so in the future where we can talk to the major characters, learn what they've been up to, and find out their future plans. Then we get ending slides after that, filling in the rest of the details, telling us about minor characters, etc. Works for me.

That ending was really good, it had everything included seeing the consequences of your decisions. I would add that the night before, in the camp you sleep with your romantic interest, you go to a battle where you can die, I think it is logical that that happens. I don't care if the meeting with your companions is before or after the final battle but It is an important point. And the meeting can be 1 month or six months away as mentioned, it is equally valid and the slides are essential. Long endings after a long time investment are your reward, I don't think anyone will mind

No garbage "pick who becomes an octopus" kind of ending. Really, that twist where only an octopus can manipulate a god-ending magical object made by an elf is so laughably ridiculous. Illithids even look down on wizardry and magic, why is an illithid necessary to use stones who actually channel the Weave illithids shun in favor of psionics? The Emperor should have remained a rebel fighter with his own motives, and Orpheus could have served as a vessel to empower the stones, whatever.

That, and giving Act 3 coherence and restoring the Upper City with Gortash's cut content and reactivity in dialogue to bringing up his past with his parents and as a slave to Raphael. Which reminds me, how in hell did Raphael just give up Gortash if he escaped? Wasn't he bound to the House of Hope by contract through his parents? Why did Raphael make no effort to recover Gortash? Gortash got his idea to steal the crown from information he stole from Raphael while his slave. And Raphael just sat by and made no effort to recapture Gortash.

[quote=Tarlonniel]In [i]Dragon Age Origins[/i] (my gold standard, more or less), after the big final battle, we get a follow-up scene a month or so in the future where we can talk to the major characters, learn what they've been up to, and find out their future plans. Then we get ending slides after that, filling in the rest of the details, telling us about minor characters, etc. Works for me.[/quote]
this right here is why dragonage orgins is still placed higher than baldurs gate 3 on my list. it has a conclusion, bg3 just....ends. it's weird how they thought it was okay to ship the ending like that

+1 . Would just like to add that the threads of incoherence run all the way back to when you are forced to take Emperors side against the githyanki royal guard. So the main story needs to be rewritten or touched up from this point on..

And please don't force me to run around with a tadpole in my head for 90% of the game.

Now all your choices and the directions you and your companions' characters developed in acts one and two, metriculate into how things will play out in the denouement. As opposed to really only coming into play in flavor dialogue if you've brought them along, and within their own companion quests.

I completely agree with all of this but I would add a few more specific points

Romantic interest or "High Approval Platonic" relationships should have unique cutscenes at the pre battle get together

That these above relationships have some reactivity beyond the random click animations during parts of the Final Battle - as in those members you take with you are literally your ride or die companions. I think we should show them some extra love in cutscenes no?

I can not agree with Point 1 more. Companion quests end very very quickly into Act 3. It leaves the world feeling very empty even though there are so many side quests, we are invested in these characters and thus feel the connection to the world through them.

Several people have mentioned Dragon Age Origins but I also want to bring up Cyberpunk 2077 which has in my opinion the best branching ending of all time. In that game the climax is substantially different depending on your choices and there's a big heavy thematically resonant ending choice and several long epilogues to show the consequences of that.

Yes, I took that for granted but it is better to specify. Your romantic interest needs special reactions since in most cases your destiny is linked to theirs, and well, they are the person with whom you should be most intimate.

And of course if you are fucking evil you also have to have your consequences and appropriate ending, it cannot be that you murder half the city and brutalize their corpses to be the hero of Baldur's Gate. Give me consequences that I have played evil because I wanted to not because of an accident

In my first playthrough the funniest thing was that I wanted to let Gale blow up the elder brain, but Orpheus/Emperor was kinda "nah I don't trust him lets become illithid". Then he blowed up the elder brain so that octopus transformation was pointless anyway lol.

Not mentioning that most of romance choices except maybe Shadowheart have their sex/romantic scenes in Act 1 mostly with very slight interactions in the ENDING.

And yeah, I was a hero, a hero who slaughtered half of the city because someone didn't like my face haha.

Actually Dark Urge evil path is the only one viable evil playthrough because you get unique questline with rewards of gear/spells etc for murdering few particular innocents and Bhaal's path really fits the Dark Urge. You get some rewards and unique interactions, maybe not so much as I personally would like to but it's much better than "kill people have no rewards no consequences" stuff for another evil options.

Act 1 did it pretty perfect, and set the expectation that is how acts/the game would conclude which made the lack of anything a gut punch after act 1 had raised the bar on that aspect of the game.

Act 1 style ending party, especially if it was followed by a slide show of longish term consequences, would be my ideal

Don't even underestimate an evil cleric raising go-go undead and throwing them at his loved ones, wonderful

By the way, that explosive ending of Gale needs a correction, the same as not being able to manipulate the emperor and Orpheus to collaborate together if you have great charisma or ask for help from our illicit good friend, he is also a magician, I doubt he would refuse to give us back the crown for Mystra (for us or Gale it wouldn't make any sense).

Another thing that I don't know if it is taken into account: shouldn't it be more difficult to resist the transformation if you have left your brain like a worm-based Gruyere cheese? I don't see it coherent that my characters get more damn worms with the problems you have with only 1, but in that case we should see some special option in this regard

That is actually quite brilliant. If it is done right.

Want me to add it in this thread? https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=893673#Post893673

how about no ending i want an act 4? Q-Q.
i want to see what i choosed what happens to everyone. I need to know the game just gave me a little piece of heaven.
There i was able to have everything i ever wanted since my childhood. A longing that hurts so much.
I would give everything to have the live from my character.
So what happens to all of the companions where do the go will they stay oder leave ?
what happens to the city and and and... i want and need to know.

As other people said: just look at Dragon Age: Origins.

What I want:
- one special scene before the last battle at the camp with all our companions (and allies), talking about the future etc... (it is ridiculous that you have any kind of discussion ONLY with the one you take with you for the battle). Special attention to the scene with your LI.
- The Battle
- A party to celebrate saving the world (throne scene in DA:O), with interactions with all the major character in the game (and obviously a special scene with your LI)
- Ending Slides that narrates all the consequences of your decision (DA:O, Pathfinder etc...)

Ending slides were the MINIMUM to make the ending ok-ish, right now the game is one step below DA:O.
But this (one last night before the battle + post final battle party + ending slides) is the ideal ending the game deserves.