Baldur’s Gate 3 has special dialogues. However, you will only see them if you reject all companions – and never take them into your group.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, players enjoy nearly complete freedom. While there are a few minor things that must happen and where you have no choice, the vast majority of the game is shaped by the decisions you make during your journey.
However, the larger this selection is, the more cases you have to consider – even seemingly completely unrealistic situations. For example, when you never recruit an ally.
What was said? In an interview with GQ Magazine, Lead Systems Designer Nick Pechenin spoke about the need to appreciate this freedom in all areas – no matter how absurd it may seem.
We pursue the feeling of absolute freedom. I received the numbers today that only half a percent of all players reach the final battle without ever recruiting a companion. There is no achievement for that. The game never suggests to you that it is a good idea, but our dialogues still have to support that.
What kind of dialogues are these? If you have no other companions, then the main story of the game remains unchanged, but some events unfold a bit differently. Instead of consulting with the companions, you only hear the narrator recounting the hero’s inner monologue.
At the same time, there are also some NPCs that you can only see this way. Since you can kill just about everything and everyone in Baldur’s Gate 3, important characters often die before they have introduced players to the main plot points. Adam Smith, the Writing Director, said about this:
The hardest part is to ensure that our players always understand what is happening in the main story. Because we don’t want to slow them down and say: “Here, let me catch you up.” But sometimes we do have to do that and have a character ask: “Do you understand that?” But even then, it’s a Larian game and you can just kill him and move on if you want.
Is it even fun? For many, companions are a significant appeal of the game. Completely forgoing the stories of Shadowheart, Lae’zel, or Gale is not very enticing for many. However, there are also RPG fans who want to work their way through Baldur’s Gate alone – either as a challenge or a character idea. This “Solo Tactician” challenge was particularly popular among many streamers.
Those who manage to do it all the way to the end do not receive an achievement for it – but they can at least count themselves among the 0.5% who simply didn’t need anyone by their side and are at least recognized by the narrator for that.
All this effort has paid off for Larian – because Baldur’s Gate 3 was awarded Game of the Year at the Game Awards.
