Players have discovered an unfinished companion in the data of Baldur’s Gate 3: A halfling bard who was also supposed to be a werewolf. Now players hope that she will be added later.
Who is the found character? It is a woman named Helia. She is a halfling, one of the two small playable races along with gnomes. Her class is bard.
The special thing about her is that she was supposed to have been a werewolf. Werewolves are people who (usually) transform into a kind of wolf hybrid during a full moon. Most of them lose control during this transformation. In some interpretations, however, they can also transform at will and keep a cool head.
How did the players find her? Helia was discovered through data mining. Players scanned the data sets of Baldur’s Gate 3 and stumbled upon information about her.
This suggests that Larian Studios originally wanted to have the character in the game. For reasons not yet known, she was removed. However, some information about her is still contained in the game data, which is why she could be found.
Why do players want her in the game? For a while now, the community has been discussing how the selection of recruitable companions could have been designed more diversely. The origin companions like Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae’zel offer balanced group options, but some classes are still missing.
For example, with Volo, you can recruit a bard to your camp, but cannot take him into battles. Bards are really good support casters that provide advantages to their group with bardic inspiration. Paladins, rangers, monks, and wizards are also still missing.
Of course, players can make up for this with their own original character like a standard Tav or ‘Dark Desire’, but for a completely free choice of classes, suitable companions would be more helpful.
Additionally, all recruitable companions are members of “large races”. That is, elves, humans, half-elves, tieflings, and githyanki. With Helia as a halfling, at least one of the two smaller races would be represented.
Everything about the selectable classes and races in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be read in our overview:
Baldur’s Gate 3: All 12 classes and 11 races in overview – Which one suits you?
Moreover, players see great potential in the interactions of a werewolf with the world: vampire Astarion and she could be an exciting pair. The druids in the Emerald Grove, on the other hand, could become their first mentors.
What are the chances of later implementation? Larian Studios listens to the players. They have repeatedly proven this. On the one hand, they took the feedback from Early Access to heart, and on the other hand, they are still implementing community feedback now:
After players complained about useless multiplayer characters “hanging around” in the group, Larian implemented a solution for this. With Patch 3, they introduced a magical mirror that allows players to adjust the appearance of their characters.
Recently, they released hotfix #8, in which they “shaved” a cat at the strong request of the players:
Baldur’s Gate 3: Patch 3 transforms majestic hairless cat into furball – Players demand a shave
However, implementing companions retroactively could prove to be more complex. Due to positive community feedback, druid Halsin and dark elf Minthara became recruitable companions. Unfortunately, at least Minthara’s interactions are still bugged and Larian is working hard to fix them.
What do you think: Do you want more possible group members who can fight with you? Or would you prefer to first experience the existing companions as bug-free as possible? Let us know in the comments!
More Baldur’s Gate 3: Baldur’s Gate 3: Player asks “Who is Baldur and why does he have a gate?”
