One factor I used to be notably interested in within the lead-up to Baldur’s Gate 3’s mondo-big Patch 7 was its change to Alfira, a reasonably vital side-character and quest-giver. Within 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 considered one of BG3’s origin paths specifically. Briefly: Do not go loopy, she’s not a full companion now or something. Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1 and The Darkish Urge under.
The Darkish Urge is my favourite option to play BG3: You may nonetheless customise your avatar and even select to be an excellent man—the “most heroic” story within the sport, in line with its lead author—whereas seeing new or alternate scenes and getting a extra private hook within the plot. The one trade-off is the story getting fairly a bit darker total, with one unavoidable scene specifically setting the tone for the remainder of the sport.
When you’re enjoying Darkish Urge, a peppy bard will die throughout considered one of your Act 1 lengthy rests. Normally it is Alfira, however she additionally has a possible stand-in, Quil Grootslang, a dragonborn bard who in any other case solely reveals up in non-compulsory dialogue and a letter in Act 3. If Alfira’s by some means unavailable for her large second, Quil has to take the autumn.
There isn’t any saving throw, ability verify, or alternate path to allow you to keep away from some type of bard brutalization, however me and fellow followers of excellent man Darkish Urge playthroughs (The Dork Urge)—or Durges who simply need Alfira’s spiffy Potent Gown quest reward in Act 2—have an outdated mariner’s trick to verify Quil reveals up for the fated lengthy relaxation. You may 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 worried, and you will be despatched Quil as an alternative. It is nonetheless a intestine punch of a scene, and Quil is an endearing, tragic determine in her personal proper, however you possibly can protect Alfira’s function within the story and see her glad 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 may certainly degree Alfira up, equip her together with your greatest 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. In any other case, the Darkish Urge’s story proceeds as regular, and you may nonetheless set off Quil’s alternate scene in the very same means.
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This in the end will not change how I play the sport sooner or later, but it surely’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 greatest stuff. I hope her questline is cool—pricey god.” If BG3 got here out 25 years in the past, you might see playground rumors about how one can save Alfira and have her as a companion taking up a second life, like all these guys who “knew” how one can save Aerith in Closing Fantasy 7 or discover the Triforce in Ocarina of Time.
And I assume followers who saved up with pre-Patch 7 scuttlebut additionally obtained their very own little fake-out false hope—whereas having Alfira carried out as a full companion would have taken an absurd quantity of labor, properly exterior Larian’s remit at this level, it is not totally with out precedent: Halsin, Minthara, and Karlach all turned companions after first showing as NPCs in Baldur’s Gate 3’s early entry. A part of me wonders if this alteration was partially carried out to check the sport’s elasticity with including new companions exterior the multiplayer or hirelings system, given Baldur’s Gate 3’s new official modding instruments.
I may need cheated destiny and made certain Quil took the bullet meant for Alfira, however I’ve all the time appreciated how, in a sport that actually facilities want achievement and enjoying the way you need, you possibly can’t fairly save everybody. Even the ole’ “knock Alfira unconscious” trick leaves you with blood in your fingers, 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? Nicely the facility gamer in me says it is the one with an outsize function within the precise sport—Sorry, Quil.
