One factor I used to be notably interested by within the lead-up to Baldur’s Gate 3’s mondo-big Patch 7 was its change to Alfira, a reasonably important side-character and quest-giver. In the lead-up to launch, Larian talked about that Alfira would have the ability to degree up and even respec with Withers, elevating questions on her storyline and the way it intersects with certainly one of BG3’s origin paths particularly. In transient: Don’t go loopy, she’s not a full companion now or something. Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1 and The Dark Urge under.
The Dark Urge is my favourite strategy to play BG3: You can nonetheless customise your avatar and even select to be a very good man—the “most heroic” story within the recreation, in line with its lead author—whereas seeing new or alternate scenes and getting a extra private hook within the plot. The solely trade-off is the story getting fairly a bit darker general, with one unavoidable scene particularly setting the tone for the remainder of the sport.
If you are taking part in Dark Urge, a peppy bard will die throughout certainly one of your Act 1 lengthy rests. Usually it is Alfira, however she additionally has a possible stand-in, Quil Grootslang, a dragonborn bard who in any other case solely exhibits up in non-compulsory dialogue and a letter in Act 3. If Alfira’s one way or the other unavailable for her huge second, Quil has to take the autumn.
There’s no saving throw, talent test, or alternate path to allow you to keep away from some type of bard brutalization, however me and fellow followers of fine man Dark Urge playthroughs (The Dork Urge)—or Durges who simply need Alfira’s spiffy Potent Robe quest reward in Act 2—have an outdated mariner’s trick to ensure Quil exhibits up for the fated lengthy relaxation. You can render Alfira unconscious with nonlethal assaults simply earlier than the lengthy relaxation that triggers her homicide: She’ll be unavailable so far as the sport logic is anxious, and you will be despatched Quil as an alternative. It’s nonetheless a intestine punch of a scene, and Quil is an endearing, tragic determine in her personal proper, however you may protect Alfira’s function within the story and see her completely satisfied ending.
Quil’s model of this scene is unchanged in Patch 7, however Alfira will get the added devastating fake-out of being a fully-functional companion—for exactly one evening. You can certainly degree Alfira up, equip her together with your finest gear, respec her right into a barbarian at Withers, however solely till you full the lengthy relaxation that triggers her arrival within the first place. Otherwise, the Dark Urge’s story proceeds as regular, and you may nonetheless set off Quil’s alternate scene in the very same manner.
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This finally will not change how I play the sport sooner or later, however it’s a very evil adjustment that I might see emotionally devastating an unprepared participant: “Oh hey, a cool new companion! Let me simply take the time to dial in her construct and equip her with all my finest stuff. I hope her questline is cool—expensive god.” If BG3 got here out 25 years in the past, you may see playground rumors about learn how to save Alfira and have her as a companion taking over a second life, like all these guys who “knew” learn how to save Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 or discover the Triforce in Ocarina of Time.
And I suppose followers who saved up with pre-Patch 7 scuttlebut additionally received their very own little fake-out false hope—whereas having Alfira applied as a full companion would have taken an absurd quantity of labor, effectively outdoors Larian’s remit at this level, it isn’t fully with out precedent: Halsin, Minthara, and Karlach all grew to become companions after first showing as NPCs in Baldur’s Gate 3’s early entry. Part of me wonders if this modification was partially applied to check the sport’s elasticity with including new companions outdoors the multiplayer or hirelings system, given Baldur’s Gate 3’s new official modding instruments.
I might need cheated destiny and made positive Quil took the bullet meant for Alfira, however I’ve all the time appreciated how, in a recreation that actually facilities want achievement and taking part in the way you need, you may’t fairly save everybody. Even the ole’ “knock Alfira unconscious” trick leaves you with blood in your arms, considering a grim gamer trolley drawback with bubbly bards and their respective fictional lives. Who am I to say which bard’s life has extra that means? Well the ability gamer in me says it is the one with an outsize function within the precise recreation—Sorry, Quil.
