Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Justice for Gale

Yeah, I mean, he had meat book store (I'm a bookworm myself), but getting to loot all those goodies, was the cherry on top

I think, he might have had me at: "Perhaps I should have clarified, a helping hand, anyone?" to be completely honest. ^^

While I preferred both EA Shadowheart and EA Wyll to their final forms Gale was much improved. Not that I ever took him with me but he no longer annoyed me so much that I forced him to leave the camp or just ran around his portal.

I have romanced him and I don't know what this is about either. Generally, he is a pretty good sport about teasing him (unless it gets too mean) and is aware of his faults enough to joke about them, which leads to a couple very memeable situations. Other than that I noticed that Shadowheart especially is fairly dismissive about him - though that might just be her in general.

I think some people project a lot of their own experiences onto Gale when he is 100% supposed to be an insufferable wizard who needs his ego taken down a peg or two or three. The game teases him because part of him thinks (or wants to think) that he is hot shit. But that is also why I like him. He is an insufferable, cocky wizard, but does have a heart under all that. I believe he can live a good life when he's not chasing unattainable dreams or women.
Hence I do disagree that blowing himself up is a good ending, but I think the writers were going along with what the interviewer was saying rather than making a statement.

I find some fans of Gale don't see the man's astronomical ego and have been complaining about people "being too mean" to him since EA. I just don't want all the hubbub to encourage Larian to make Gale as much of a "poor me" baby like some fans think he is.

What is insufferable about him? (Edit: Say in comparison to Shart who is absolutely full of herself too until the end of Act2) I mean, I assume it is a question of which type of people you usually like but he is one of the few companions that are pleasant to be around with, he doesn't stir trouble in the group and I only want to thunderwave him off a cliff once or twice much later in the game, when the whole crown business starts. He is confident (if sometimes overconfident and prone to temptation) in the skills he is actually good at but ready to dish out praise for others.

I think the only way you run into serious problems with him is, when you also play as a highly ambitious sorcerer or wizard and are dismissive about him and his expertise - but in that case the player character is just as bad. ^^

And I don't mind teasing him, I fully approve of kissing Gale after licking the spider, and prompting the "Fine" speech, but I just reviewed the Elminster scene for a bug report and making fun of him during his own scene is maybe a bit much?

It does seem like the game itself punishes the player for romancing Gale--or at least second-guesses their choice and shames them for it. Between the "mock me if you will but I have a thing for Gale" being a player choice when romancing him to also telling Sorn that if the player wants boring sex they can ask Gale (when in a romance with him), when there's none of these kind of dialogue options when romancing other characters. It's... off-putting. Like *why*? Why have this if not to just dunk on Gale needlessly?

I get Gale was bugged on release and that led to the player-base memeing him as a horny, pushy guy and what-not, but the game beginning to reflect the more meme'd aspects of Gale's character and how fans responded to him because of bugs leaves a bad taste.

And then to see the IGN interview also just entertain his "blow up" ending and call it "right" and continue calling him "annoying". I don't know. Especially when I don't get why people complain so much about giving Gale 2-3 magical items when no one complains to the same degree about needing to fetch Karlach's internal iron. Just double-standards.

Where even is that mock me line? Or is it in the brothel as well?

My current pet peeve is Karlach's dialogue after the Elminster visit. It is unproportionally long compared to that of the other companions, centers on her, breaks the mood of the scene with funny lines and worst of all, while all the other companions question Mystra's or Gale's motivations, Karlach tells the player what to think, that wizards are stupid and finishes with a joke at his expense. In his scene, of which he has not many.

By contrast during Karlach's big scene everybody is very moved, Jaheira's dialogue is long but focuses on Karlach's feelings and while Minsc also has a humorous line, it is one that reflects sincere concern. Double standards. And a double shame because the writing and performances of the Elminster scene are beautiful.

It's when talking to Quil Grootslang. Here's all the dialogue options re: romantic interests, and only Gale's is negative.

Quil Grootslang: Is there someone who you think you might love? Come on, I won’t tell.
“Astarion might be the most perfect being to ever walk the day.”
“Shadowheart is pure grace.”
“I’ll never meet another like Lae’zel, that’s for sure.”
“Wyll is such a gentleman, I imagine he’d make an even better partner.”
“Karlach seems like she has so much love to give, if she found the right person.”
“My mind and loins are captive to thoughts of Halsin.”
“I met the most amazing, bewildering Drow the other day.”

and then we have...

“Mock me as you will, but I have a thing for Gale.”

There's just a lot of things like this where it seems like Larian did not care much for Gale at all. Dark Urge has a special, unique interaction to murder him (and only him). He gets mocked so much by NPCs (and apparently the player as well).

Like, I guess it is what it is. But as a fan of Gale as a character it is alienating.

Ouch ... that is very cringe-worthy dialogue in general. Thank you for explaining.

Wow, that's just so bad. I knew there were scenes where we could tease Gale a bit ourselves, which just looked like funny rival banter, but this is just tasteless and mean.


I also found her response to the whole thing cringeworthy, she was making the situation look trivial, while she herself was a ticking time bomb. It was the final nail in the coffin that made me not want to put her in my party anymore. She didn't say anything about wizards being stupid though. When does that happen?

Well in my Opinion the Problem with Gale Character its that he was not Created to Be a Companion..
Karlach Falls in the Same Stuff..
They were Made for yu to Play as Then.. not to Bring then as companion..
Thats why Both Tales are so Weak and fall super Short..
and the Game Force your Hand to Make Gale the Main of the History if yu Bring hin in the Party during act 2,3 witch sux a Lot.. and made a Bunch of People Hate the character..
I my Self never Take hin out of the Stone as Tav/Durge becouse of that..
I dont Creat a Custom Character to Become Gale Hireling.. thats stupid in my opinion..
and the Game gave yu a BUNCH of hints that he was the Origianl Main of the Tale no Joke..
Bunch of Times during the Game yu can see it Clearly that he was intended to be the Main Protagonist..
they Made this Stuff of Custom Character i Bet Latter Becouse for a Bunch of People its a NO GO playing without a Custom char..
Larian notice that and Made Tav/Durge..
and thats why the tale of this 4 sux.
Gale/Karlach/Tav/Durge.

All the Other Companions dosent Have this Problem..
Becouse they were Write as Companions..
Shadow, Astarion, Lae'zel, Minthi.. all of then are Ok and work super well as companions..
Wyll its a Joke.. he dosent Have nothing..
Only thing good in hin is Mizora if yu Scrap his Character changes nothing..
yu can even Save Ravengard without hin and Floric Make yu the Hero, yu just lose the sex with Mizora.. haha

I paraphrased. "Fucking wizards, man! They always need help picking the simple, obvious option." is her text in full.

It's funny that you wrote that Laezel was ok as a companion. I've found Laezel was by far the worst when playing a githyanki. My character was sidelined by her in the gith questline, and even the ending felt like tacked onto her story. It just shows that with different characters the experiences can be very different.

You are however wrong on the custom characters, only Tav was available to play as in EA, you could not play as origins. So the game had this option from the start, only DU is the late addition.

I see. She doesn't dare say things like this to a wizard Tav's face.

Still... now I have yet another reason to dislike her. Time to load up the game and set someone on fire.

I *strongly* disagree here. Gale has *lots* of content as a companion from act 1 to act 3, far more than say, Shadowheart or Astarion. He's literally the companion that explains everything surrounding one half of the main plot; namely that particular object that the main villain wears. He also is the only one that can uniquely influence how you end the game. And, as a companion, Gale has probably the most growth as a character during the campaign- where he can take the route his Goddess asks of him..... Or where he goes completely off-the-rails hungry for power. I'd say that Gale is actually one of the best written companions from start to finish, seconded only by Lae'Zel.

If you play *as* Gale, you're basically a Human Wizard Tav. You get a really fun cat in camp, but otherwise would never know that you're Gale of Waterdeep until the very, very end.

Maybe yu are right but i Hate bring hin as companion.. becouse of what i Say..
so i only use hin when i Play as Hin..
BTW was the Only run when i felt i was Playing the Canon way.
when i PLay as Tav/Durge always Felt Wrong/incomplete.

(i Hate the way Mystra and Elmister talk to yu like yu are Nothing and he is the most important thing Ever.. and the game do it to yu more then one Time.)
Even in His Final Talk.. he goes alone.. ?!
wait what ?!
i face Vlakith with Laezel, i Face Shar with Shadow and The scumbag Vampire Lord with Astarion all the time by there Sides not feeling like im nothing.. but with Gale.
The game made me feel this way.. like i was Nothing.
Anything i Did was Nothing, his BLowing Chest and the stupid Crow its the only thing that Matter.. felt like Shit no Joke.
Hate it a LOOOOOT.
So i never take hin out of the Stone..
Or when i take it.. i leave hin Behind in the underdark and Kill elmister just to show Mystra that im the Boss in the Roon. haha

Depending on how you interpret that it can also be shitty. And I think we all know how the writers expect us to interpret that.


You can Durge Minthara too. Hers is... I'd say worse than Gale's.

Exactly this. I started this thread in the hopes of shedding some light on Gale and how the community treats him. I see now that some people just don’t get his character at all. Him being reduced to just being the annoying one takes away the impact of his arc, everything he stands for, and labels his fans as annoying too. This is not to say he is free of fault or that we see him as some “poor me” baby, quite the opposite. The man is quite literally paying for his hubris and has acknowledged it multiple times in the game, where the players can even weigh in and give him shit for it too. My point was, however, that the game and the writers focus too much on mocking him and making him look like a joke during a lot of his pivotal moments that we don’t get with the other companions. I feel ashamed to be a Gale fan at times because the game makes me feel this way. I constantly have to defend why I like him. Not even Gortash fans have to fight for their lives like we do lol.

Not to mention the countless times I’ve come across videos and livestreams of players making fun of Gale and hacking his hand off for the fun of it just because he wants a few magic items, as if the other companions don’t ask you to do deadlier things for them. Also what precedent does this set for people who relate to him because he has a chronic condition or even depression? That they’re annoying and should kill themselves? That interview was just so dismissive but we don’t see that treatment with any of the other companions and their tragic backstories. They’re validated and seen but god forbid you relate to Gale. I can’t tell you how many discussions I’ve seen that show people don’t take Gale’s story seriously and that they’ve missed the point completely. And I guess I can’t blame them, because even the game doesn’t take him seriously and that’s where the issue lies.

Does Gale have a huge ego? Sure, but honestly who else in the game doesn’t? That’s not a really good reason to constantly be the only character that has opportunities to dunk on him. Other companions don’t have half as much of the mean dialogue you can say to or about them like you can with Gale. All I’m really saying is, Gale is a great character with an amazing storyline and it’s a shame it doesn’t get recognized by the players or the writers. I don’t think a lot of players get to experience his story because of all this bias around him, and all these jokes are only adding to this. And if Larian put as much supportive dialogue options for him in the game as much as they’ve put mean ones, then that’d be great too.


Still so bitter that a late addition character has better treatment, unique dialogue and cutscenes, and support from the companions than Gale does. Granted, her story is still not finished but everyone’s so nice to her right off the bat. Imagine if Karlach had the same dialogue options that Gale had… can you imagine the outrage?

Lorroakan also recognises him - unless you meant that.

I partly disagree. I really like his Origin, not just because of Tara. I think the thing with the ring at the beginning was a pretty genius move to efficiently drive home that his situation is painful. (I sacrificed the sword from the Nautiloid to keep the thing. I fought so hard for that blade ...) I love how the war of his conscience is reflected by opposing the narration's reminders of what Mystra would want with Astarion tempting you to do the opposite. You have these very nice choice moments in the Shadowcurse during which you can also ponder whether you grasp for power or follow your goddess's command - which correspond with the explanation about Shadow Magic he gives you as a companion. I also really like that you get to choose why not to explode, get a much more productive audience with Mystra - and if you wish to go down that route - a possible grander reason for detonating the crown in the end. I am very happy with the Origin, it has nice roleplaying incentives. Also I think that Gale did get some really good Tav lines, complete with jokes and all. They felt very him. It's just a pitty that not more of his party banter was left in, especially in Act 3 a lot is missing.

What I would love, is an option for him to reclaim his name in the "good" version, as that seems rather essential for him.