“Too little screentime,” complain some players of Baldur’s Gate 3, referring to a rather nasty but great character.
The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of exciting stories and characters: This includes not only the origin characters that you recruit into your party throughout the game, but also many NPCs that make their appearance. Some of them only live for a few seconds, while others can – depending on the right choices – stay until the end.
However, one particularly cool character died, according to fans, far too early.
Spoiler Alert: This article is about a side character from Baldur’s Gate 3 and his fate.
Who is being talked about? It is about the character Kar’niss, a Drider, whom you will most likely encounter in the second act of the game. He is important to acquire a moon lantern.
Depending on whether you play “good” or “evil,” he escorts you to the Cult of the Absolute or is an enemy that you can eliminate.
Combination of unique model and great story captivates players
Why is Kar’niss so popular? Kar’niss is not only the only Drider in Baldur’s Gate 3, but his appearance is almost perfectly timed and atmospheric. Most of the time, you encounter him at the beginning of Act 2 in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. When his spider-like, deformed body slithers out of the darkness and he comes around the corner with his lantern, you realize that the narrative style has shifted significantly to the darker side in Act 2.
“Drider” is a combination of the word “Drow” and “Spider,” hence it is called “Drider” in English (a mix of “Drow” and “Spider”).
Drow who are devoted to the spider goddess Lolth are occasionally tested by her. If they fail their task – or the goddess simply has a bad day – she transforms her servants into a Drider as punishment. The lower body is transformed into the body of a spider, and sometimes this has further effects, such as the numerous eyes on Kar’Niss’s face.
His voice acting is also well received, as the dark, cursed being with a hint of madness is a pretty good embodiment of what happens to Drow who give in to Lolth and then do not act to her satisfaction.
However, it may also be that he is so well received precisely because you see so little of him. As he also has a unique model, he is himself unique – and will likely stay in most people’s memory for a long time.
This is what the community says: In the Subreddit of Baldur’s Gate 3, the character Kar’niss is actively discussed. The clear opinion is: Kar’niss had far too short an appearance.
- “I believe that was the most immersive moment for me. His words, the voice acting, the design, etc – I was so “in” and scared.”
- “I watched him march confidently into the darkness after he gave me his lamp, so I had to salute him. At least until the screams started.”
- “You all just want the romance option. I bet you all licked the spider, right?”
- “They gave him so little screentime because they knew if my boy Kar’Niss had gotten just one more minute, players at Larian would not only beg for him to be a companion, but also to be able to date him.”
How did you find the Drider Kar’niss? Did you like the character?
Not as popular as Kar’Niss is an annoying bug – you have probably experienced it too.
