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've never heard these songs they're so good thanks for sharing them. I'm really hoping we get news about a DE with more companion endings or maybe some fallout NV style narration that gives them more closure. Always gonna stay hopeful we get a fix for karlachs engine but even if it is a cyberpunk style great price to pay to save her that's fine. It makes the story better to have so many options for characters people are so passionate about.

Im just gonna ignore Conrad as this point. There's no point or productivity in trying to deal with them so *shrug* .

#JusticeForKarlach

Random story wuestion, currently in sct 3 with my first durge playthrough, and romancing Karlach, as a oathbreaker palli trying to resist the urge. And is it just me or is the paladin durge romancing karlach just so god damn good narrative wise? Between the duel relationship with gortash and this idea of karlach trying to save you from your self and you tfying to save her from her engine AND your self only to find out you were best friends with the guy wjo sold her to zsriel in another life?
Im finding the concept my favorite by far

Currently doing the good durge paladin playthrough and I just got to act 3 I'm loving it so far. It's definitely the most interesting and compelling in my opinion.

Durge/Karlach romance, imo, is the cutest. That little part in act2 (spoilers for anyone who hasn't finished act2 with durge)

Good point yeah!

Yeah for real. If you think about it, Karlach's situation is the same as Gale's. But of course, Gale is the one who all of sudden got the orb stabilized and even a cure down the road. But Karlach isn't allowed a cure because she's made to be a bait for 'drama', basically for no reason. Gale literally brought himself into this situation and he gets off scot free? Karlach on the other hand was forced into this and you are telling me she doesn't deserve a second chance at life? And far away from Avernus as possible?
If anything, it should've been Gale the one who gets his fate sealed because of what he did. Consequences and all.

Sorry for any Gale fans, I guess I'm just salty with this massive level of unfairness.

Yea it's really sad how dirty they did her since gale had the goddess of magic on his ass but just gets off because??? Plot I guess? It's so dumb imo especially when you've got elminster in your camp and you can't just ask to help karlach. I guess he'd have to take a nap tho so that's fair I suppose. That's not even counting wyl who made a deal with a devil willingly and got off pretty ok. Karlach was forced into being zariels pet soldier and experiment and she gets shafted because???? I really hope larian fixes this it makes 0 sense compared to the other companions.

#JusticeForKarlach

I Just want the effort we put into companions to be rewarded. Larian fir the most part did a great job regarding that. Just very glaring when you look at karlachs situation and lack of well any real choice in the matter regarding player actions/ effort.

Minthara also needs some work and wyll could use some more content. And astarions ending could be given a glow up (its always sad seeing him scurry away.

But karlach just..god damn hits different. Like i was personally robbed from trying to pursue her solution. Her happy ending. And from my first playthrough THAT for some reason was my priority. Lol bbeg? Yeah we will get to that, what about my girls heart? Anyone?!


But that is probably also due to Sams VA that woman took that role and ran away with it. They all did fantastic work but sam did amazing with what little time she got compared to the other origins

Oh that's a big mood yeah

My Tav was so concerned with everyone's personal quests and ESPECIALLY with Karlach's situation that by some point in Act 3 I was literally like "RIGHT, the tadpoles, the Absolute, kinda forgot about that"

It really did become secondary once I found out Damon was at the last light inn I got tunnel vision and ignored alot of stuff the first playthrough cause I thought there'd be a solution

I'm not really sure I'd want Gale to have his fate sealed either, though. But I'm probably biased since his whole thing about being clinically depressed and suicidal, self-esteem issues and his "damn you caring about me and making me want to live now" dialogue in the star-gazing scene in act 2 is almost too relatable.

i dont want any of them to have a sealed fate it doesnt make sense for a game based so heavily on choice and player action to have a companion whose fate is predetermined from the beginning whether the player acts or not. I do want Karlach to be given the same options to be saved as wyl and gale though since her situation is very similar and it would make so much more sense to give that option within the game. But at the same time im biased having dealt with heart issues her story hit really close to home, thats also probably why i want to see her get a happy ending too.

Oh I don't want it either, got a little carried away because talking about Karlach and how unfair her whole situation is can get me a bit salty haha. I just want everyone and especially Karlach to get their good outcomes. And most do already, it's just Karlach (and Astarion).

Exactly this. It would be different if this was a game kike cyberpunk or last of us. Where the player is kind of *along for the narrative ride* so to speak. But from the get go this was a game heavily invested in making player choices matter and larian HAULED ASS to do so many amazing little dialogues/events and mocaps that will take some ppl YEARS before they unlock due to how much choice can affect the game. Which of course is amazing! But thats kind of why alot of us have posted on this thread i think...because karlachs story and lack of player action affecting her outcome aswell as having really no good* ending option or way to be saved. Is so glaring in contrast to the rest of the game. And honestly the character deserves a good ending/ fleshed out content. What little that made it into the game has just been an absolute blast to experience. But it just very much feels unfinished/unresolved.

#JusticeforKarlach

it really hurts seeing how linear karlachs story is when i heard about dark urge and just some of the things that play through entails. im still doing my pure dark urge run but some of the stuff ive been spoiled on already is crazy and to think they put so much effort into that many different and extremely varied play throughs make me think karlachs whole situation is just due to time constraints and not a deliberate choice my the dev.

#JusticeForKarlach

Pretty much, Karlach's story would fit perfectly in a linear game where we don't get any choice and we just go for the ride. But bg3? It just feels so odd and out of the place. Almost like the DM is 'forcing' the player to go to that route and nothing else to offer us to do something.

yea now that you mention it thats exactly what it feels like

Indeed, but I think this is why so many of us ere suspect that her ending was due to time constraints. I mean, in the purely working sense, our fiery barbarian was originally a quest NPC. Larian upgraded her as best they could…and I guess we as players upgrade her as best we can, given the constraints all around.

Bad joke. Sorry. Anyway, for those who asked (I think it was Conrad Curze) about other games or media where a character pulled through after a “terminal” type illness, we have the treasure which is TV Tropes.

Specifically, I recommend checking the two following spoiler-filled pages at TV Tropes:

Billy Needs an Organ
Working for a Body Upgrade

There are probably more pages than that, but the basic idea is there. There’s no shortage of games, films, series etc. wherein characters with similar conditions to Karlach found a cure by the end.