Baldur's Gate 3 spoils Karlach and Halsin fans with new kiss animations and leaves Astarion devotees in the friend zone
Nov. 3, 2023Astarion is a little shy
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The latestBaldur’s Gate 3patch has changed Karlach and Halsin’s kiss animations for the better - but left Astarion fans demanding more.
In theBaldur’s Gate 3 patch 4, which went live on November 2, developer Larian made a few changes to the RPG. One of the most noticeable changes saw improvements to “the appearance of Karlach’s kiss,” as well as fixes to “some kissing animations for large female humans and female dragonborns.” It didn’t take long for fans to investigate these changes themselves, with several asking Karlach for a smooch soon after the patch was released.
Larian should be proud of itself as Karlach’s new animation has made the Tiefling Barbarian’s fans go absolutely feral. “THE NEW CASUAL KISSING ANIMATION FOR KARLACH IS MAKING ME INSANE,” one Twitter user hasshared, along with a clip of them locking lips with the companion. “Whoever animated the new Karlach kiss… You need to buy me more memory because I can’t stop screenshotting,” another fanrevealed.
Similarly, fans have pointed out how much smoother Halsin’s kissing scenes are. “Halsin has a new ‘casual’ kissing animation too, it matches the vibe of his romance well I think,” one Baldur’s Gate 3 player shared, along with a clip that proves it. “Short Kings & Queens stay winning with Halsin with #BG3 Patch 4,” another has alsosaid, along with a clip from their playthrough, which features the NPC crouching down to kiss a short Tav.
Unfortunately, Astarion fans have been left feeling pretty unloved by their favorite companion, as his kissing animations haven’t received the same treatment. Instead of feeling like a grand romantic gesture, Astarion’s new kiss is simply a peck on the lips. As one fan haspointed out, maybe “Larian didn’t have any budget left after animating Halsin’s new kiss that all Astarion gets is a tiny boop”? Another Astarion fan has been friend-zoned completely after asking the companion for a kiss and the game skipping over the kiss animation completely. That must have hurt.
Elsewhere in the new patch, Larian has added the ability forBaldur’s Gate 3 players to give themselves, and their party members, a nice sponge bath. How stinky must the whole team have been if this has only been implemented now?
Test out the latest patch with ourBaldur’s Gate 3 romances and relationshipsguide.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I’m also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.
How Metaphor ReFantazio pulled Atlus out of its Persona rut
Dev behind new Doki Doki Literature Club-style psychological horror says it’s not “for those with weak hearts,” but with 98% positive Steam reviews, I’m not sure I can stay away
