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

It could be something like an invasion from avernus that needs defeated. I don't know all the endings but something like that should be something that would be in the best interest of all endings to beat. Maybe by going into avernus where you'd be able to do a karlach forge mission and bring her back to baldurs gate at the end of the dlc.

The best thing I can come up with is something akin to Dragon Age : Origins Awakening DLC. Some companions from the base game show up, but not all of them. Some of the companions you get to use in it are completely new and only locked to it. If you don’t have them because they died or something else in the playthrough, then another character is out there as a fail-safe. Because an Avernus DLC really seems to most plausible as a post-epilogue DLC (to me at least) if they go that route, I don’t think it makes sense for every companion to really be there. I can see obvious justification for Karlach and Wyll, and depending on what story they want to tell, I could see honestly Gale being there, since he’s always trying to learn new stuff about magic. Everyone else is kind of a hard guess to make though, but if anyone could do it, I would put my faith in Larian.

The best thing I can come up with is something akin to Dragon Age : Origins Awakening DLC. Some companions from the base game show up, but not all of them. Some of the companions you get to use in it are completely new and only locked to it. If you don’t have them because they died or something else in the playthrough, then another character is out there as a fail-safe. Because an Avernus DLC really seems to most plausible as a post-epilogue DLC (to me at least) if they go that route, I don’t think it makes sense for every companion to really be there. I can see obvious justification for Karlach and Wyll, and depending on what story they want to tell, I could see honestly Gale being there, since he’s always trying to learn new stuff about magic. Everyone else is kind of a hard guess to make though, but if anyone could do it, I would put my faith in Larian.

True. But it all depends on how you ran through the game in the end. As far as companions being in avernus the only one I could seeas not showing up would be lae zel. The rest would be in the same boat as wanting to save the world because they live on in it. I haven't seen every ending and maybe it won't work with some but an avernus dlc with an optional karlach forge questline seems all but certain between all the hints. Withers message, the epilogue, larian statements from a month or so ago, recent deleted tweets, not to mention the sheer number of fans who want this.

An alternative could be setting the DLC during the main story itself. I'm not really sure how it would work, and you could argue that it already makes an already bloated act 3 even more bloated, it's part of the reason why I wouldn't be opposed to it being split off into having an act 4 down the line. But at least then, you don't have to worry about the power level of certain companions/origins and how that would affect the balance of the DLC. And it'd also give Karlach a way to have her story wrapped up during the events of the main game itself like with the other origins, though I still have my own reservations about the idea having to pay for DLC to actually get a full conclusion to a main companion's questline, especially with how it's still one of the most barebones quest in the game.

I guess this is also just me being a little bit selfish, but it'd also be nice to not have to steer Wyll to being the Blade of Avernus if I'm not romancing Karlach, i.e. a Durge character wanting to live a quiet life with Gale. The Blade of Avernus ending just doesn't really feel as satisfying as him succeeding his father and potentially creating long-lasting good changes for the city of Baldur's Gate.

It could be something in act 2. Maybe zariel sends in an invasion to get mizora back from her capture and views her capture as the ultimate slight to her power. Damon could hear about this forge from people escaping the hells in the chaos of the invasion. I doubt it but it would solve the power level of post act 3 stuff.

The thing I hate the most in RPGs (second only to not providing an option to create Custom MC) is DLCs that are set before the ending. I fully understand that because of the different scenarios it's much harder to accomplish. But we have ME and DA series where the whole new games where created taking into account the previous ones, so it's far from impossible.

The issue I think at this point is the epilogue. As of right now, it’s stated by Larian that the epilogue is suppose to give closure to the player for all of the characters stories, which it does do, unless Karlach went to Avernus. She’s still dealing with the same problem she was trying to solve the whole game. They’re put in a situation where they end up giving a post epilogue DLC where she actually gets a conclusion that the player can see (since every other origin companion gets that) or they don’t do that, and leave Karlach fans with the short-end of the stick, which would definitely upset fans moving forward.

The other solution is to give her more content in the base game, since right now it’s “Give Dammond Iron 2 times, and then Kill Gortash (who you’re gonna kill anyway)” which is rather barebones. If they expanded her base game story and actually gave us the fix in Act 3 or a hypothetical Act 4, then that means they’ll have to create a whole new epilogue for her since the current best from her going to Avernus wouldn’t fit narratively.

Larian is definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. The epilogue will definitely throw a hurdle in any plans they make for her going forward (if they decided too), on how to approach it.

Aside from a hint at an DLC, the epilogue could also simply be an "open end" in the sense that it serves up a few plot bunnies, you can spin your own tales with. Karlach and Wyll have the plans they found, if you are in a relationship with Astarion, Minsc hints that Boo knows several ways to cure vampirism and in most of the dialogues which I had during the party, there is some more concrete type of adventure mentioned that the characters had or are planning to go on. Quite good fodder for fanfiction.

Sure it is good for an open ended ending. But those aren't for origin companions atleast imo. Everyone except karlach and astarion is given resolutions to the battles they're fighting at the start of the game. Including gale who has an atom bomb stuffed into his chest by the goddess of magic. Karlach by comparison starts out searching for a cure for her heart and at the end she's still looking for it or dead. If karlach and astarion were more side characters then it wouldn't be that bad. But they are a stark and unnecessary exception to the rest of the companions especially gale who is in a worse position and still gets out free. Not to mention wyl who made a deal with devils willingly and still got out pretty much no consequences. Her story fits into a grim dark world very well, no matter how hard you try she still dies but that's not what bg3 is.

Her being a late addition hurt her alot and I'm hoping to see a dlc that adds more content to her story. Maybe we go to avernus looking for this forge and we meet Flo or something like that. Them adding a 3rd iron option to Dammon that fixes her heart would be alot nicer though honestly

I feel Cazador-dead Spawn-Astarion has a pretty good resolution to his story. Sure, he would like to walk into the sun again one day, but it does not seem to be his top priority as he has reclaimed the night for himself. If as the God of Ambition, you suggest him to pray to you, he declines because he has learned that too much ambition is harmful. - The same lesson Adventurer/Professor Gale has learned. Also I can't agree that Gale gets out free. He gives up on his dream of understanding everything the Weave has to offer that is kind of a hard thing to do if you have an overachiever disposition.

I don't know astarion enough to say one way or the other. But gale made intentional choices that led to his punishment it wasn't some random act of chance like karlach. She wanted a job and it happened to be with gortash who sold her as a slave to zariel who then experimented on her to create a demon hunter soldier with an infernal engine for a heart. Nothing about her story was jn her control where as gales lust for power led to his current issues. Wyl is similar but his was a lose lose situation. My point being if gales ending is he can't chase after magic that's a proper ending where he can move on and find other ways to live. Karlach literally can't and her only mistake was she happened to end up working for gortash and she was way too trusting.

That's why I was talking about Astarion (and Gale) and not about Karlach. I understand why people would want a happier end for her, she is this faultless cute girl that everyone would agree deserves happiness. Still I'd say that with the current epilogue, a headcanon in which the whole gang is back together again after the next half year has passed, isn't that far fetched. So it's not a perfect end for her and Lae'zel yet but a pretty hopeful one at least.

I do agree that Astarion’s good ending gives him closure. He talks about how your faith in him makes him feel good, and he realizes he can love himself for who he is and what he is, and still be a good person, regardless of what he used to do. He even says that “While the Sun is nice, it’s overrated and the night is much more my thing” and that being an adventurer is nice since he learned you can kill and drink the blood of whoever you want as long as they’re criminals, and no one really cares.

Gale also arguably still gets a good ending. While Gale is clearly told to be power hungry, he’s also a good person at heart and he usually listens when people talk him down off power-hungry cliff edges. For example, he ends up not giving the crown to Mystra and just becomes a professor at a college for Magic in an ending. He seemed rather happy about it because he just loves talking about magic all the time.

Karlach’s ending at this point can be called a positive one, but there’s clearly a better one to develop (whether that be more for this ending or a new one with a fix) and there’s also the fact that unless you turn into a mindflayer or she just dies, her Avernus ending doesn’t have any sort of closure for the player. Well, it does, but it’s left up to the players imagination, and I personally think that’s a dropped ball, since it’s really only her. Of course, this could always kinda just be an open-ended ending until Larian adds one that gives her an actual fix of some sort like you’ve mentioned, but I can’t confidently say myself if I believe that’s the case or not. I personally believe (I try too at least) that because she was added so late in the development, that’s why her endings are what they are (because she’s the only one in this weird situation) and that she’ll be reworked on for the Enhanced Edition like Beast was in DOS2. Of course, it’s no guarantee, but I believe the community reaction around Beast was pretty similar to Karlach’s, except Karlach’s has just been louder since BG3 is more wide-spread.

Her ending is more uplifting now but it's far from where it should be. Right now her story is the equivalent of shadowhearts story ending with "I found a temple of Shar and I'll head to there soon". It's really disappointing how they've left it thus far and i really think we'll see more for her. I'm not hoping for a full rework but a cure or fix in an upcoming dlc is something I'm really hoping for. I hope they're listening to the community and give her a happy ending since she is one of the most innocent companions.

I wouldn't worry too much about it with the amount of energy the narrative puts into really making the player want to like her. Though, I would prefer it if a possible DLC wasn't completely based on her because while I do like her and want a happy end for her, she and Wyll are on camp watch most of the time. She is just too perfect for me to really love her. ^^; Also I don't like red environments too much and Avernus sounds very red and firey, but that's personal taste.

It's all personal taste I can't stand gale because he commits far worse crimes and his ending is a professor in the school of magic. He got a really happy ending by comparison and that doesn't sit well with me.

You can always make him sacrifice himself, if you find that more just. Though I don't know what crimes he is supposed to have committed unless you make him commit them.

gale had so much ambition that even being close/ in love/ the muse of mystra wasnt enough and he tried to get more and more and more magic power. When he asked mystra to show him more of the weave and she said no be content and in response he tried chasing down ancient magic with near 0 understanding of it. His crime was unbridled ambition in the face of a life anyone else in his circumstances wouldve been more than happy. Gale went against the goddess of the weave and his punishment is..... a teaching job..... just my 2 cents i know its not everyones opinion or even a popular one but between that and the way he talks he just gets on my nerves.