In Baldur’s Gate 3, players can romance any of the origin characters in the game, which helps flesh out backgrounds and makes for a richer, more engaging RPG experience. Out of all the characters, there is perhaps no one more virtuous than the warlock, Wyll. Known colloquially to the people of Faerûn as the Blade of Frontiers, the party meets Wyll fairly early in Act 1, upon reaching the Emerald Grove. This can eventually develop into a pretty meaningful and tender relationship if the right choices are made.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3]As a living legend and former noble, there’s a lot of pressure on Wyll’s shoulders to live up to his name. Harboring a dark secret that gets revealed fairly early, he’s made a pact with a demon named Mizora, which has hefty implications on Wyll’s physical form throughout the campaign. While romancing him is certainly a viable option for a pretty good playthrough, Wyll’s romance also has its downsides. Because BG3 is so long, figuring out whether the time investment with Wyll is even worth it by weighing the pros and cons early on is critical.
Wyll’s Romance Is Easy To Miss
To begin with, Wyll is a bit aloof when it comes to romantic connections, so romancing him can be easily missed in Act 1 during the Emerald Grove celebration at camp. This is compounded if Karlach is spared, as there’s a good chance Mizora will show up in camp and turn Wyll into a devil before the close of Act 1, which causes him to drop his regularly positive attitude for a more demure one. Initially reported as bugged in early access of BG3, the full release fixed this first romantic encounter, but it’s still pretty easy to miss.
Tav must search for Wyll, as he’s walked away from the party, and must make the right dialogue choices to find him by the lake to initiate the first kiss. Without this initial encounter, Wyll will friendzone Tav for the campaign’s duration. Making things a bit more complicated is the fact that only one romance scene can take place that night, so if Tav has started to form feelings for other characters like Karlach or Shadowheart, they’ll have to choose between being with Wyll over the others.
Romancing Wyll Leads To A Virtuous Playthrough
Those looking to enjoy the macabre madness that is an evil Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge playthrough will have to forget about romancing Wyll, as he is a generally virtuous character who focuses on defending the innocent and weak, regardless of the impact it may have on the greater good. This starts all the way in Act 1 when the party is given its first large moral choice to side with the goblin raiders or the druids of Emerald Grove, the latter decision being the morally good one.
Siding with the goblins and slaughtering the druids and tieflings will result in Wyll leaving the party for good. In addition, other acts leading up to that point that take advantage of the innocent will reduce Tav’s relationship with Wyll and shatter any romantic chemistry. Alternatively, siding with the goblins provides the opportunity to recruit Minthara to the party later in Act 2, so the choice must be made between recruiting Minthara and having Wyll in the party. While it may be possible to recruit both by skipping key elements in Act 1, most campaigns will be left with the decision to recruit one or the other.
Wyll will follow this virtuous path to a fault. For example, when first meeting Auntie Ethel, initially helping her will improve the relationship with Wyll, though, with foresight, Auntie Ethel’s true intentions are later revealed as evil. Once the party has uncovered this fact, taking actions to stop her will also improve relations with Wyll. Basically, he’ll always want to take the ethical route based on the available information. Unlike a romance with Astarion, Wyll hates greed and deceit unless the deeds are directed toward a demon or evil character.
From the ragged Blade of Frontiers to a Duke, the altruistic path takes Wyll on an adventure of character growth. Toward the end of the game, perhaps one of the biggest decisions involving Wyll has to do with whether to save Duke Ravenguard or break the pact with Mizora. Taking the selfish route actually results in Wyll becoming increasingly guilty, as Duke Ravenguard is his estranged father. Taking the selfless path, on the other hand, is widely regarded as a good decision and opens new narrative paths in the game. With the right dialogue choices, it also results in Wyll becoming a Duke, which has larger implications for the future of Faerûn.
Wyll’s Romance Feels Underdeveloped
While Wyll’s romance has its pros, there are certainly downsides. Unlike many other origin romances in Baldur’s Gate 3, Wyll’s romance scenes feel fairly limited, especially in Acts 1 and 2 of the game. While other characters will act more flirty as the relationship develops, Wyll generally keeps good boundaries. As a result, there isn’t actually a lot of unique dialogue or cinematics involving a romance with him. This makes the overall build-up to his later romantic scenes feel rushed or out of place, which is disappointing because other elements of his romance are so great.
Additionally, the character arc and character growth shown in Wyll are far less than other characters like Lae’zel or Astarion. While those romances focus on breaking down a hard exterior, Wyll’s main character story focuses more on the pact with Mizora and Wyll’s relationship with his father. Not only that, but his unwillingness to budge on virtuous or moral dilemmas over the course of the game’s campaign will make it feel like less change has happened with his character.
Though he certainly undergoes a character transformation throughout the events of the game, it is far less drastic than other characters, at least when it comes to emotional change. This can also diminish the emotional impact that later romantic scenes have, though-the ones that do exist are stellar and some of the better romantic cinematics in all of BG3.
Wyll Romances Tav Like No Other
Unlike some of the more steamy or NSFW romance scenes in Baldur’s Gate 3, Wyll’s romance is straight out of a scene from the show Bridgerton. In fact, one key romance scene with Wyll showcases dancing, something sorely lacking from other potential key romances in the game. For those who prefer to be romanced before getting physical, Wyll is certainly the best candidate for that kind of relationship.
Wyll’s core end-game romance scene sees him actually propose to Tav. While it is with an acorn rather than a diamond-encrusted engagement ring, it’s a tender sentiment that helps flesh out his character even more, as it is a custom from his people. Wyll’s romance is also largely a healthy one that focuses on consent and courtship rather than direct physicality. It’s one of the better examples of a healthy relationship in BG3, even though it may feel underdeveloped at times. While most romances in Baldur’s Gate 3 start and end with a bang, Wyll could certainly be classified as a slow burner.
