Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion [END SPOILS WARNING] Addressing Karlach (PLEASE PUT SPOILERS IN TAGS)

I know Larian has written quite an extensive post with the previous patch re: cut content and choices, where they say that what was cut was cut because their creative vision wanted it to go.

But there's also a ton of stuff about them listening to player feedback and how crucial it is for them so sometimes even the best options of a developer aren't really selling well with the community. Karlach's story and the lacking of choice for the player to do more about it than fetch two pieces of simple infernal iron is just like that.

Now. I do believe that the easiest way to please the community on rapid-fire solution schedule is to extend the "best" possible outcome to date, which is the Avernus ending. The next-best solution that requires the least editing in the game is to leave it as is and in a potential x months down the line-kind of epilogue, have Tav, Karlach and/or Wyll return as well, talking about what went down in Avernus and IN THERE tell that they found a way to rid her of the problem and she's able to survive in Faer�n and live a happy life again.

The best option however, is to gather all the stuff we've mentioned here and on Discord and see which way of solving her engine issue is the most rewarding for the player, but equally hard to pursue.

In ME3, those who remember the ending drama there, obviously an extended cut was released to develop the epilogues more. Then, and only if you collected more than 95% of all assets kn the game and surpassed a set amount of those, could you get what would pass as the "best/most hopeful" Shepard ending with the destroy ending and rubble breath scene.

The fix ending isn't supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be a trial and hard to obtain. There's battle to be won and checks to pass for it to happen, but in a proper DnD campaign, that is exactly what the players would get. I've been in multiple campaigns where near-impossible feats were achieved because we as players fought tooth and nail to get there, and the dice were thanfully in our favor. I also know of times where that kind of stuff had really bad ramifications and it too should in-game.

But people need to remember that BG3 is based off of DnD and how it operates, how much it's about choice and companionship and fighting for the next day. I doubt Larian would just pass a request as wanted as this one by, but it's not a simple task and I don't think it'll happen for a while.

Once again, time will tell. Until then, I'll hold my flaming wife company in Hell and make sure to fight to see the sky and sea again. Because what else can we do?

They are probably happy only with the fact, that you can complete Karlach storyline from beginning to the end without blocking bugs. With removed content the whole infernal engine story remains one big empty nonsence with bring 2x infernal ore and then let her die, nobody cares. If Swen or somebody from the core team played the game from the start to the end with Karlach in party and observed the empty journal at the end (compared to other origin characters), don't tell me, he said. "Wow, we did awesome job, the quest is just great and the ending is exactly as I expected"

So I don't give up, DE has to come I do hope, (un)fortunately not earlier, that a year from now.

You'd think Karlach would get some special bonus for having flawed Helldusk armor. But as a Barbarian she can't use the chest piece.

The more I think about it, there is NO SHOT the writers are satisfied with her story at the moment.

For instance; you could, hypothetically, enter Act 3, head directly to Gortash, kill him within the first 15 minutes of the final act, get Karlachs monologue and the quest log will say "We tried everything we could" BEFORE YOU EVEN ENTER THE CITY.

Larian would have to be full, top to bottom, of the most incompetent game developers possible for them to think that is ok.

hh,I never thought it that way, but is sounds completely true. Because you complete the quest by killing Gortash, not by doing anything with the heart. I think this is another proof of missing content than incopetence of the writers.

As an avid Skyrim modder (including using ElevenLabs to voice my own followers), AI voice is almost indistinguishable from real VA. To see an example, search "Skyrim Mod: Penitus Oculatus - Updated Voice Lines" on YouTube. It uses ElevenLabs voice cloning to clone the original VA and create new voice lines for this character. Unless someone told you it was AI, you'd think it was the original VA who recorded the lines. As long as you aren't creating adult (or other inappropriate) content or making money from the mod, I think it's perfectly ethical.

It's not "the gang goes to Avernus" though. It's Karlach and Wyll (if you made specific choices in his story) go to Avernus, and Tav, but only if Tav romanced Karlach.

That ending is also not available if you are playing Karlach as an origin character (you can't take anyone with you to Avernus in that scenario).

Karlach was a very late addition to the game. She was not available as a companion in the EA, nor was she visible in any promotional artwork (meaning they didn't even envision her as a companion at the start of development). Hell, her appearance was only finalized a few weeks before launch. Given how little time they had to develop her, they went with the simplest story possible: collect 2 items and die, lol. I don't think any writer is happy with that "story". They simply wrote what they could in the limited time they had. Keep in mind that the character needed to be integrated into existing quests, so the writers' hands were tied. They almost certainly weren't allowed to write new quests as the dev team wouldn't have time to implement them.

i highly doubt the writers are satisfied and i fully believe they had cooked up much more, time and technicalities got in the way for sure, the quality and direction dips in the parts we all pointed out and it's pretty obvious (at least to me) that what we got was what was salvageable in the limited amount of time everyone on the team had left.

If you play as Karlach, there is a scene where the entire party joins you to Avernus? I haven't played as Karlach.

Edit: Nevermind, read wrong!

Well whatever happens, I'm gonna keep screaming about it until they actually give Karlach a good ending. A REAL one. Not this fucking forced tragedy garbage. It's hard to keep my hopes up but I can do that much.

Aye, will be screaming about it along with y'all.

It's ironic isn't it, that the last addition to the gang, which happened mainly because players said "yo these mf all edgy and dark, where's our spark of joy?", would also get least development. In the deluxe and collector's editions, you get to peek into the artbook and a page for each companion there says a bit of what was the inspiration behind them etc.

Karlach's literally says that she was added pretty late on and went throigh multiple stages of creation, once a ranger, even a paladin, before settling on barb. None of her concepts show the engine heart in her chest/glow so that too must've been a very late addition. Going with the characters they've had already, they surely did add her to whatever was available already so they could launch it and went with it.

Problem is, everybody fell in love with Karlach and demand her story and ending/s to be just as meaningful and affected by your choices as the other companions. They ought to do something about it, for real.

JUSTICE FOR KARLACH!

Well, if Larians care that much about quality of their game as they claim they should have cut Karlach from the game on release entirely to be added in later dlcs or expansion, rather than leave this half assed origin companion with embarrasingly short and boring questline.

This is what I did, not that quickly though. It made the tone of her story really weird and inconsistent, though I think it'd feel that way regardless.


This ending was kind of ridiculous also because shortly before it, you can convince Lae'Zel to stay with you, then after she agrees immediately ditch her and go to Avernus. Lol.

Don't have to romance her to go as gang (Karlach, Wyll and Tav). Think I had <40 approval with her too, though maxed out with Wyll ().

I was romancing Shadowheart and when I picked that Karlach ending option, I just left her after making her , so no final chat with her. Reloaded quickly after to have only Wyll go.

Just a reminder that those people you call "incompetent developers and writers" came up with this game and characters. Be patient

Yeeaah I get the frustration and the critique- its why were all here- but we really should reframe from insulting the dev and writing teams, they worked their asses off for this game and even after launch they are working hard on these big patches.
They are looking for feedback which we are clearly giving at now 63 pages of posts lol but we can be respectful while doing it.

Justice for Karlach!

Agreed. the discourse it's still civilized for the most part, luckily.

I don't think anyone called them those things.

I don�t think people are doing that. I saw a lot of the opposite, in fact. They are competent and that is WHY the issue with Karlach feels so glaringly absurd.


You can choose to go to Avernus with Karlach even if you romanced someone else, but you won't get the 'cool' cinematic, it simply jump cuts to credits. It's a bummer, since you abruptly left your romantic partner to be with your friend (sorry Astarion), so I think the cinematic should trigger as well.


Yup. If you play as Karlach origin, you are faced with either dying alone or going back to Avernus stronger, but alone. It defeats the whole purpose of her having company and demeans the powerful monologue she has after Gortash when she mentions how lonely it all was.

It makes for an even sadder ending, imo.