In Baldur’s Gate 3, there are many mysterious characters. One of them is the undead Lazarus (en. Withers). He is always waiting for you in the camp to resurrect characters or reset skill points. However, his true background is unknown to many.
What is Baldur’s Gate 3?
- The third installment of the role-playing series was released in August 2023 by Larian Studios
- The RPG features a turn-based combat system and an extensive story that players can influence through many choices
- Like its predecessors, the game is based on the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
Spoiler warning: This contains various details from the game, especially about the ending.
More about Baldur’s Gate 3 can be seen here:
The Mystery of Lazarus
No matter how long you have been playing Baldur’s Gate 3, there are always new surprises to discover. This has been the case for many regarding Lazarus, the peculiar skeleton. From the very first act, he is a constant presence in the camp and helps you by resurrecting characters among other things.
Here on MeinMMO, you can learn more about Lazarus: Baldur’s Gate 3: Who Lazarus, the quirky undead, really is
Given his enormous abilities, one might wonder where Lazarus actually gets his power. In many forums, there has been discussions, particularly about one question: “Is Lazarus actually Jergal, the god of death himself?”
Isn’t that obvious? For some observant players, this may have been immediately clear. “The guy simply resurrects a few people for 200 gold […] Yes, he is definitely someone who comes pretty close to a deity and has something to do with death,” writes one player on Reddit.
Others report a long journey before they came to this realization:
At first, I thought he was just an extremely powerful wizard, magician, or whatever. The further I got (and when I started reading the books and papers), I thought he could be Myrkul. Then, in my second playthrough, I read a hint at the bottom of the loading screen that said a god named Jergal created three gods, and at that moment, I was sure that Lazarus was Jergal.
via Reddit
The Trail Leads to the God of Death
Throughout the game, it is never explicitly confirmed that Lazarus is indeed Jergal. However, various clues keep emerging that support this theory.
These clues exist:
- When you open Lazarus’ sarcophagus at the beginning of the game, he asks you the philosophical question: “How much is the life of a single mortal worth?”
Much later in the game, you can find an old diary in which a wanderer describes his encounter with Jergal. Here, the same question appears again.
The description of Jergal – “masked with gold, his skin fine and worn like parchment” – fits Lazarus. - If you pass a religion test in Lazarus’ mausoleum, you’ll find out that it’s a temple of Jergal.
- In a post-credit scene, you see Lazarus mocking “The Dead Three” Bhaal, Myrkul, and Bane. These powerful mortals once received divine power from Jergal. He wonders how they actually thought they could destroy countless souls without being noticed by the other gods.
The monologue would fit well if one assumes that Lazarus is indeed the god of death. - If you ask Lazarus who he is, he describes himself as “an arbitrator for certain matters.”
- At his sarcophagus, there is a plaque titled “Guardian of the Graves.” This is a title that Jergal also carries.
- As a paladin, you can sense his “divine aura.”
This is what the community says:
There are many good reasons to believe the theory about Lazarus’s background is true. Such hidden details excite many fans of the game.
- “Definitely one of the most profound discoveries in the game so far, especially since Baldur’s Gate 3 is my introduction to DnD! I fell in love with the lore, the game is great!”, writes someone in a discussion on Reddit.
- “The details and stories embedded in the game really show the love Larian Studios put into it,” agrees another.
Even though we will probably never get official confirmation of this, it is a nice thought that Lazarus has such great power not only out of necessity for gameplay.
What do you think, does the theory hold? Did you notice some of the clues while playing?
Lazarus is, of course, not the only mystery in the game. In the extensive story of Baldur’s Gate 3, numerous secrets and Easter eggs are hidden. Here, you can learn about 10 of them that you didn’t know:
