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

As much as I'd like that, I'm not sure how Larian would go about implementing that in a satisfactory way. Let's say, at some point during act 3, Wyll, the PC or potentially both try to convince Karlach to go back to Avernus with them: if Karlach automatically accepts, then all her previous statements on the topic (about how she's never going back and would rather die than going back) lose A LOT of their emotional impact. It makes sense for her to accept during the ending (since she's on the brink of death, in unimaginable pain and all of that), but on an "average" day she's always said no before. On the flipside, if she automatically says no and/or her acceptance is locked behind a persuasion roll, wouldn't the whole exchange feel kind of coercive/guilt trippy on the player's side? "In the end, you've convinced a loved one to do the thing they hate more than death itself, thing that you know will work out only because of your metagaming knowledge, hooray!" (or at least, it lowkey already feels like that to me in the current scene, so)

Edit: for the record, Karlach aside I still love every other aspect of the extended epilogue. It really delivered that feeling of "closure" that the og one was missing, which is why hers, by comparison, still feels kind of "meh", since now her only potentially happy ending is hinted at 5 minutes before the end of the game and never actually "shown"

Still, I'm constantly surprised and grateful at Larian for listening to their customers in a way I'm seeing NO OTHER videogame company do nowadays

I mostly meant that some dialogue with karlach in act 3 where we convince her that we can look for a solution in avernus would avoid us having to coerce her into going back right as shes dying, which like you said yourself feels a little manipulative considering karlachs stated dozen times already that she wants to die rather than go back. Telling her to go to avernus right as shes in unimaginable pain even when we promised to stay with her when she dies feels very dirty, especially now that the epilogue
But also if there really will be an avernus update/dlc, this is something that the characters can adress in that story as well ofc.

This I knew already, but I also remember reading a statement that their current thought process was that if they made DLC/expansions it would not focus on Tav or the current party members. That's what I meant by additional content, obviously they're willing to make additions for the game currently just... deeply unfortunate that an Act 3 quest for Karlach hasn't made the cut and there are now clear signs it won't.

I hadn't seen that post or interview I must've missed it somewhere. Either way I'm still hopeful we'll get an avernus type dlc in the future that'll lead to a real happy ending for karlach not a theoretical one like we have now.

#JusticeForKarlach

In any case, fingers crossed that they'll keep on further improving her story, whether via dlc or basegame content

I'm just curious how Zariel's forge and smiths compare to the Gondians. My reason for asking is because Zariel's goons were the ones to try and "patent" the first version of the infernal engine, which was tried on Karlach and possibly the strong, badass likes of her later. But the prototype that she essentially carries later became a blueprint for Gortash who used the enslaved Gondians to masterfully craft for purposes on the material plane.

Thus, the Gondians created the v.2. Engine which as we see in act 3 is fully stable and functional in Faerûn. Now, would this work within a body and not a machine with a connected brain? That'd likely have to be answered by the quest we didn't get. But I'm curious as to how "perfected" blueprints for a cure compare to what the Gondians could likely have come up with had we gotten the time with them on the plane above.

Once again, I'm really happy with the conclusion to THAT ending and epilogue. That's chefs kiss in every way. But it's the total grandiose cheese-like plothole platter that is Act 3 that still makes me Meh. Because those blueprints serve a purpose in Avernus. But we genuinely know people, amazing smiths who work with this kind of stuff, who were a fucking PAIN to save, who could've conjured something of the kind before we blew up the forge in BG.

Speaking of which, does anybody know if they patched the Gondians' AI during

You're right without a doubt and I can't say enough how annoying the gondians are in act 3 when you can't have an option to ask about a cure. My head canon at this point is they just don't like the look of tav and karlach and won't help. Its as good as any other one I've been given. But the cure could be based on gondian designs refined by dammon and build in the fires of avernus or something like that.

#JusticeForKarlach

can confirm

can someone whose seen the epilogues just tell me yes or no does karlach show up?

That was from a Swen interview in September. However, it seems they have changed their mind about that since then, given what Withers said. Perhaps they've realized it's a lot cheaper to expand upon existing assets than to create new ones. It's also a lot easier to draw people in with characters that are already popular than to try and sell people on new ones.

Yes, Karlach shows up.

Larian please let us fix Karlach's heart!

heres hoping

thats a really good point and its what im going with until proven otherwise given what withers says and some of the info given on karlach ive heard about it seems likely we will see some DLC, expansion, or DE content in her direction in the future. Given the info they also gave us id be safe to assume imo that we will get a permeant fix to karlachs heart in that content which is huge and im here for it

It would appear Larian is listening to the feedback. The added epilogue content is promising for future expansion/DLC. The hints and specific details...

Anyone who has been invested in Karlach's character must be happy after patch 5.

I look forward to revisiting BG3.

My thoughts exactly it's a good time to be a karlach fan

Havnt seen any of the new stuff yet been avoiding spoilers as im half way through act 3 currently. But from what ive headd I am glad there is some* hope* with this patch.
And please if larian sees this, thank you guys for all the post game work you guys have done its more then most any other company ive seen put into a game this quick post launch and without a price tag attached to it. That being said..
I am still pretty disappointed I cant fix karlachs heart in game. As its been pointed out alot through the thread. A big issue with karlach is the sheer lack of content in the game regarding her story and the very obvious *teases* of a fix through out.
I hope to eventuslly get decent content expansion for her either in DE addition of a supposed avernus DLC that ppl be hinting at. Cause i tell you id buy it in a heart beat. The lack of a fix in game just irks the heck out of me.

But otherwise, again, fantastic game !

This sums up my feelings aswell the game has got alot of love from larian that most developers wouldn't even think about doing. But like you I'm still upset all those threads and fixes turned out to be teases and just baits to get rh players hopes up only to pull the emotional rug out from under them. I do think we will see a dlc that will give us a concrete happy ending or fix for the engine given recent hints in game and statements from larian.

Without a doubt the best game I've played in atleast 10 years. It's been atleast that long since I accidently stayed up through the night to play a game

so I saw the epilogue and right now im hopeful that fixing karlach heart and that certain DLC is going to be a real thing in the future, because if that certain DLC is not going to be a thing, I don't know how they are going to explain all the possible solutions that the base game tells you unless they change the base game and after all this time if they haven't done it by now I don't think they are going to do it.I could see Larian saying: you remember all those possible ways to help karlach we told you in the base game? well they are all available in that DLC. What im trying to say is that I could be wrong but between changing the history and quests of a character in ACT 3 and adding a DLC with the definitive solution to karlach heart being a part of it(because Larian is not going to do a DLC just to fix a character problem is going to be a side thing and that's it) I think the DLC is the most possible solution.

Anyway right now we can only hope and wait.

#JusticeForKarlach