Baldur’s Gate 3 has a lot of additional content that, after cuts, didn’t make it into the game. A player on Reddit showcases this cut content in the form of the well-known iceberg meme, illustrating just how deep the unreleased content actually goes.
What does the iceberg show? On Reddit, a player shares through an iceberg diagram which content from the game was never released. The iceberg format shows more commonly known information at the top, while the information that goes deeper under the surface of the iceberg becomes more niche and often stranger.
Some of them were understandable cuts to avoid overwhelming the game, but with the depth of the iceberg, there is also content that could have drastically influenced the gameplay experience of Baldur’s Gate 3 in terms of story and gameplay.
“But seriously, it’s crazy how much they had to cut before release,” says No-Name275, the author of the Reddit post, “Looking at all the removed content, it feels like Baldur’s Gate 3 could have been something completely different.”
Here you can see the trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3:
Baldur’s Gate 3 could have been a completely different game
Spoiler warning! Some of the cut hints spoil aspects of the game from Acts 1, 2, and 3.
What does the cut content include? The tip of the iceberg shows some removed content that is already better known in the community: There was another area in Act 3, a crafting system with a workbench, and additional specific starting values for the various races of the DND universe.
Additionally, you could have been a Shar Cleric and had special dialogues with Shadowheart.
Cazador had a longer questline and played an important political role in the upper city area of Baldur’s Gate.
Z’rell, who you only meet in Act 2, would have been a companion instead of Wyll if you raided the druid grove.
But – that’s just the tip of the iceberg …
Which content could have completely changed the game? Besides Shar, you could have also worshipped Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal as a cleric. Additionally, you could have become Bane’s Chosen after killing Gortash.
The Cult of the Absolute would have taken a stronger influence. In Act 2, you could decide to join the cult and gain unique powers. Those who chose to use the illithid powers would have also faced permanent consequences.
A particularly dark ending for the Dark Urge was removed, which would have occurred if you decided to oppose Bhaal. Bhaal would have turned the Dark Urge into a slave, who together with a Gnoll would have borne further descendants of Bhaal.
A less severe but all the more interesting observation by the player is that the song from character creation “Down By The River” actually refers to the illithid parasite that tries to charm the player and invites them to stay with it “down by the river”.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is still full of secrets years after its release, which regularly come to light. Some of them are hidden, others nearly obvious. Those who want to know more secrets in Baldur’s Gate 3 can learn more in this article: 10 cool secrets in Baldur’s Gate 3 that you didn’t know
