Summary
The branching narrative ofBaldur’s Gate 3is vastly adaptable,allowing players to tell their own storiesand change the lives of most of the characters they encounter. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that even Faerun’s heroes can’t save everyone. Some NPCs have a predefined destiny, and that destiny is a date with death.
Whether these characters are doomed to fall by the player’s hand, or simply as a result of them being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the fates of these characters are fairly immutable. All players can do is wonder how their stories would have progressed had their lives not been cut short.
10Kanon
Reason: Players Miss Out On Further Relationship Development With His Sister
Kanon is the first character that players are unable to save, not including the group of nameless fishers who get squashed by the crashing nautiloid. Kanon is one of the many tiefling refugees, first encountered when their safe haven, the Emerald Grove, is attacked by a band of goblins. In this cutscene, Kanon, who was manning the gate, is shot by a goblin archer and dies.
Players can get revenge for Kanon by killing the attackers, protecting the grove, and even letting his sister, Arka, kill a goblin prisoner, but they cannot save Kanon. While it would be interesting to see Kanon’s relationship with his sister develop, he ranks so low because there are already an overwhelming number of tiefling refugees, and his death serves to establish the severity of the goblin threat.
9Edowin
Reason: Could Have Been An Interesting Potential Ally
Just outside the Emerald Grove, players can encounter a dying man, accompanied by his two siblings. The man is Edowin, a True Soul. This means that, like the player character, he has an illithid tadpole in his brain, and he uses it to reach out to them, asking them to take care of his siblings.
The best that players can dois respect his wishes and protect his siblings, but he will inevitably succumb to his wounds. As a True Soul, Edowin could’ve been an interesting ally to evil, but it wasn’t meant to be.
8Meerna
Reason: Could Have Been Another Deep Gnome Worth Learning About
Poor Meerna gets very little screen time, despite many players' attempts to save her. She is a deep gnome, who can be found in Grymforge in the Underdark, where duergar slavers have put her to work trying to clear some rubble and free their True Soul leader, Nere. Sadly, if players free Nere, he will shove the nearest slave into the lava pits.
This happens to be Meerna. There is no way to prevent this, and it’s heartbreaking to see her loved ones mourning her death. While there are a few prominent deep gnomes, Meerna could’ve been a nice addition, if it weren’t for Nere’s characteristic display of brutality.
7Dribbles
Reason: Players Are Robbed Of Interacting With The Real Deal
Players may think they are getting to meetthe famous clown, Dribbles, at the Circus of the Last Days in Baldur’s Gate. This sinister clown, however, turns out to be a Doppelganger taking the form of Dribbles. Dribbles has already met a brutal end, and players can find his body parts scattered throughout the city.
A clown character would’ve been an interesting NPC to engage with throughout the final act, but the cult of Bhaal deprived players of this opportunity. Should players return all of Dribbles’s body parts to the circus owner, Lucretious, she says that she will use her necromantic abilities to reanimate her star performer, but players never get to interact with the real deal.
6Owlbear Mother
Reason: Players Can’t Witness The Mother’s Relationship Develop With Her Cub
Larian doesn’t save all of their tragedy for the humanoid characters. The owlbear in Act One, guilty of causing Edowin’s life-ending injuries, is also fated to die. Whether players confront the mother, killing her and potentially her cub, or leave her in peace, she will perish.
Her death is either by the player’s hand or by a band of goblins. Players gutted by her death can at least adopt her cub to their camp, but it is a shame not to be able to befriend a fully grown mama owlbear. Seeing her relationship develop with her cub would’ve been delightful.
5Johl And Demir
Reason: Given Mayrina’s Importance, Her Brothers Deserved More Screentime
Siblings in Act One ofBaldur’s Gate 3don’t tend to fare very well, and the brothers, Johl and Demir, are no exception. Players encounter them on the outskirts of the Sunlit Wetlands, where they are accusing an old ladyof being a hagand kidnapping their sister, Mayrina. If players side with Auntie Ethel, she will kill the men for “being rude.”
If players side with the brothers, they will head into the Wetlands in search of their sister, only to be found killed in the process. Given the significance of Mayrina and Auntie Ethel throughout the narrative, it is a shame that her brothers' importance is cut short rather abruptly. Admittedly, it does demonstrate the dangers of the Sunlit Wetlands/Putrid Bog very well.
4Ansur
Reason: Players Miss Out On Getting To Know A Fascinating Character
Ansur is an interesting addition and notable outlier. The skeletal dragon was once the companion of the legendary hero, Balduran, but Ansur is already long dead by the time players can meet him.
He is a fascinating character and, unfortunately, a player’s encounter with him is always going to end with the death of the player’s party, or sending Ansur to death for the second time. As brilliant as this fight is, it is a real shame that Ansur can’t be convinced to ally with the party.
3Arabella’s Parents
Reason: Arabella Is Orphaned
Locke and Komira are the father and mother respectively of the important tiefling child, Arabella. They can owe the player a lot if they save Arabella from the severe stand in Archdruid, Kagha, and further assist the tiefling refugees in Act One. In this instance, they comment that death may come for them someday, but it will not be that day.
Sadly, this seems to foreshadow their ultimate fates. In the Shadow-Cursed Lands in Act Two, players can find Arabella, whoneeds help finding her parents. Sadly, they have been tortured and killed in the twisted House of Healing. It is an unpreventable and terrible fate, especially for such lovely characters, but does provide important development for Arabella.
2Ellyka
Reason: She Was Already A Fan-Favorite Character
The snarky lone wolf tiefling, Ellyka, can be encountered in Act One and, despite having a very minor interaction, garnered a lot of love from players, with plenty evenwanting her as a companionin the full release. That is why many were gutted to find her brutally tortured and killed in the Githyanki creche in Act Two.
If only she had taken players up on their offer to join their party. Sadly, players will have to theorize about the direction her story could have gone, as there seems to be no way to prevent this fate for her.
1Alfira
Reason: Unlike Other Playthroughs, Dark Urge Characters Miss Out On Alfira
The lovable tiefling bard, Alfira, is another outlier. This is primarily because, in a normal run of the game, Alfira can make it safely and happily through the whole game, living to see the end credits. She does deserve a mention, though, due to her infamous death in a Dark Urge playthrough.
As another character that players were desperate to have as a companion, Dark Urge players may have been pleasantly surprised to see Alfira show up at the camp and ask to join the party. Unfortunately, this won’t last long. Come morning, players will find their Dark Urge character, with bloody hands,standing over Alfira’s mutilated body. Given many players' desperation to have Alfira as a companion, it is gutting that the closest they can come inevitably ends in Alfira’s death.
