Summary
This article contains spoilers for the Dark Urge storyline inBaldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3features a few different options for players starting a new character, including a customizable option and the option of six different Origins. The Origin stories all have their own unique appearances, backstories, and motivations, and cannot be customized. There is, however, a third option inBaldur’s Gate 3: the Dark Urge. The Dark Urge sits somewhere between the other two, where it counts as one of the Origins and has a prewritten backstory, but their class and appearance are completely customizable by the player.
The Dark Urge is a great exampleof how a player character can be directly involved in the plot and have personal connections with the antagonists. These inclusions give the player choices to make about the antagonists and make those choices feel more personal and emotional. Including a character like the Dark Urge inBaldur’s Gate 4, who has an active role in the main plot, would give the player more agency in the plot and the world of the game.
The Dark Urge’s Role in Baldur’s Gate 3
Even as an Origin story, theDark Urge is far more involved in the main story ofBaldur’s Gate 3than the other Origins, and certainly more than a customizable character. The Dark Urge has amnesia and doesn’t know their role in the story in Act 1, but as the player moves through the story and continues to uncover more of the plot, their role in the narrative becomes more clear and damning.Baldur’s Gate 4needs a character like this as it allows for the option to be far more involved in the events of the story, and gives the player character far more connections to the different characters beyond the party members.
Despite being a prewritten Origin, the player has a lot of freedom whencustomizing the Dark Urge and roleplaying them. Unlike the other Origin backgrounds, who still have their own vendettas, motivations, and special scenes in the story that only appear during their Origin playthroughs, the Dark Urge’s personal plot is directly tied to the main story ofBaldur’s Gate 3. It’s revealed in Act 3 that the Dark Urge was the mastermind behind the Absolute plot, and their downfall only came because of their sister, Orin, one of the Dead Three’s Chosen. Once Bhaal’s Chosen, the Dark Urge faces the choice to reclaim their place as Bhaal’s Chosen, or to reject it.
Being the Chosen of a god is a big deal, as is being a Bhaalspawn.The Dark Urge is the purest of the Bhaalspawn, originating from Bhaal’s own flesh. Choosing to reject or embrace Bhaal is a massive choice with consequences that affect the Dark Urge and everyone around them in numerous ways.
Why Baldur’s Gate 4 Needs the Dark Urge
Baldur’s Gate 4doesn’t need to bring in a Bhaalspawn like all of its predecessors, but the option to play as a character that is directly tied to the plot is crucial. While Tav, the shorthand for the custom character, has plenty of motivation to drive the plot, the Dark Urge is all the more connected to the characters involved in the story in a more personal way, as they were personal associates with Gortash and siblings with Orin.
The protagonist needs to drive the story forward, and that’s all the more important in a video game. As a video game protagonist, having personal connections to antagonists and options to deal with them gives the player more agency and makes the game feel more alive.
