The Origins in Baldur's Gate 3 open up a world of possibilities that I would love to see more RPGs do
Nov. 2, 2023Opinion | Baldur’s Gate 3 Origins bring added depth and scope to an already densely packed RPG
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Nothing beats having companions by your side in RPGs. As well as being useful in a fight, party members can bring so much added depth and heart to the overall experience. It’s often through their worldviews, motivations, and backstories that you get keen insight into the setting you’re in, and they can breathe so much life into your journey as you go up against any number of dangers together. Ultimately, it’s why I’ve loved spending so much time inBaldur’s Gate 3.
Larian’s RPG is home to a cast of characters that join you in your quest through the Sword Coast. Getting to know them as Tav over the course of several playthroughs has been one of the highlights of my gaming year, and as such I feel closer to the characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 in comparison to almost any other RPG I’ve played. That’s thanks to the Origins, because not only can you experience their personal stories by developing a bond with them, you can actually role-playasthem.
Personally speaking, this is the first time I’ve experienced a game that lets me role-play as the very companions I’ve gotten to know as a custom character. Not only does this give you the unique opportunity to experience the story and world from their perspective, but you get to experience their personal story first-hand. I’ve yet to play Larian’s previous RPG, Divinity Original Sin 2, but hearing that it also features Origin characters only makes me want to try it out all the more.
Changing perspectives
Ever since I started playing Baldur’s Gate 3, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the many ways Larian lets you experience the Sword Coast. From the different classes, races, sub-races, and backgrounds, how you build your custom character feeds into how you can interact with the world and how it reacts to you. Much the same applies when it comes to Origins characters, who all have different assigned classes, builds, and backgrounds to their name. But it’s their personal stories that make a run in their shoes so unique.
Karlach’s heartache in Baldur’s Gate 3 spoke directly to my own isolation, and it caught me totally off guard
Plus, playing as a character I’ve come to know as my own customized character changes the way I role-play. I try to make my decisions based on what I think they’d likely do in any given scenario, and base my dialogue responses on what best fits their personality. It’s also simply fun to interact with the other cast as a party member you’ve come to know and love as a companion.
I love how playing as Astarion, for example, leaves it up to me to decide whether I should tell my companions that I’m a vampire. In one instance, I couldn’t help wondering how Shadowheart would react if I used the bite attack on her before she knew I was a spawn. Naturally, she didn’t take it well, and a confrontation unfolded you would just never see if you weren’t actually playing as Astarion.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
It factors into one of the best things about Baldur’s Gate 3: it’s impossible to see everything in just one playthrough alone, with so much to discover, and the Origin runs are home to plenty. Whether it be unique lines of dialogue, interactions, occurrences, or encounters that are tied to a particular character, playing through the origins feels like it’s further lifting the lid on the companions I’ve gotten to know as Tav, as well as the Sword Coast itself.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is home to a wealth of possibilities, with so much freedom and choice to tailor your experience. But one of the great joys of getting swept up in the Sword Coast is how effectively it makes you care about the characters that journey with you. I can’t help but wonder what other RPGs would have been like had I been able to role-play as one of the cast I got to know so well. It brings something else to the table I’ve not experienced before, and you better believe I’m going to pick up Divinity Original Sin 2 because of it. While it might not work for every adventure, I would love to see more games in the genre play around with this idea in future.
In my second bard run, I’ve turned Baldur’s Gate 3 into a full-blown musical.
I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I’m not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.
The Witcher 4 may not have Geralt after all: his actor was “slapped by CD Projekt” for accidentally sharing a rumor that he’d be in it, just not as the protagonist
Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a surprise update a year after its once-final update, even after CDPR moved basically every dev to other games: “Sometimes, you want to do it ONE MORE time!”
Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in the Great Circle, but the Bethesda boss later told him “you’re doing a hell of a job”
