Baldur’s Gate 3 gives players the option to use a premade character called an Origin character that has a unique background and possible relationships with other Origin characters. However, players might notice that one Origin is different from the others in a few ways, especially since almost all the Origin characters have a set race, class, design, background, and name that players are unable to change to suit their own tastes. While players are able to make a custom Origin and play the game however they wish, it does seem like the developers had an intended main character.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3.]
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers several ways for players to customize their game experience. The choices that players make during character creation affect the story that they experience throughout the game, from dialogue options to cutscenes. While players are free to make a custom character and create a protagonist that’s completely their own, this doesn’t seem like the intended option, especially when the extra content and storylines that are shown as The Dark Urge help to make players feel more like a part of the game’s world throughout every act.
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The Dark Urge Feels Like BG3’s Intended Main Character
The Dark Urge is the only Origin Character that lets players customize their race, appearance, and class. The Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 is set up to be vague enough that players aren’t forced to adhere to a detailed past, but it also adds more personality to the main character that isn’t seen in the custom option. This balance makes it feel like the intended choice for the main character, especially for characters who want to be evil or violent in their playthrough. However, selecting The Dark Urge doesn’t force players to take an evil path as it’s possible to resist the dark urges that are part of this Origin.
Baldur’s Gate 3 describes The Dark Urge as being unable to remember their past, but knowing that it was bloody. This is also a character that has violent thoughts and tendencies, which is made clear early in the game. And while this Origin seems more suited for a darker character, players can resist the violent urges to tell a story of somebody working to be better and beat their instincts. Overall, The Dark Urge gives players a stronger feeling of being part of the world of BG3 without having to take on the identity of a character completely designed by the developers like Shadowheart, Astarion, and the other Origin options.
Why The Dark Urge Feels Like The True Main Character
Part of the allure of creating a character in Baldur’s Gate 3 rather than using a premade one is the ability for the player to feel connected to Tav, the default name given for a custom character. The Dark Urge offers an option in-between custom and pre-made by including some preset features like memory loss and a bloody, forgotten past, but still allowing players to change the character and make it their own. It seems like a creative solution to tailoring the story to a particular character without a Dungeon Master present to lead the campaign.
As a result, players get to watch extra cutscenes as early as the moment they step out of their pod on the Nautiloid. Combined with specific dialogue options that aren’t available to other Origins, players can begin deciding whether they want to embrace the monster in their heart or suppress it and start a new life helping others instead of hurting them. It’s an interesting way to add depth to a player character without forcing them to completely take on a set identity.
The Dark Urge Isn’t For Every Baldur’s Gate 3 Playthrough
Of course, the design of The Dark Urge means that players might not want to select this origin depending on the type of character and story they want to experience in their playthrough. Despite feeling like the intended main character, Baldur’s Gate 3 is designed in a way that players aren’t forced to approach the game in any certain way, and that includes character creation. However, players who want to play a more murderous character might find more benefit from The Dark Urge compared to players who want to be a kind-hearted adventurer who has always been a pure soul.
There are situations that The Dark Urge gets the player into that can lead to NPC deaths, and this includes putting the character players are romancing in Baldur’s Gate 3 at risk of dying if they aren’t able to clear a set of saving throws. That can be a deterrent for some players who aren’t willing to take the risks that The Dark Urge Origin comes with, and it seems like a high risk high reward option. But players who are willing to take the risk can witness an amazing redemption arc if they decide to fight against the instincts of The Dark Urge throughout the game’s acts.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Should Have Included Another Origin As The Dark Urge’s Opposite
While The Dark Urge makes it easy to play a murderous character who feels like they belong in the world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it won’t appeal to every player. As such, Larian Studios should have included another Origin that’s customizable to act as the opposite of The Dark Urge. It could’ve used the same memory loss trope, but been more along the lines of a forgotten hero, perhaps somebody choosing between continuing to follow the thankless path of helping others or pursuing a different path that’s more self-interested.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: All Backgrounds (And Which To Use)
The Dark Urge brings a lot of extra details to a playthrough, and while it might not be the type of character that every player wants to play as, it’s worth checking out at some point, even if that’s as a second or third run through Baldur’s Gate 3. It would’ve been nice to have another Origin as customizable as The Dark Urge, but the feeling of redemption after successfully resisting and beating the urges through the game can be particularly satisfying. The depth of the storyline given to The Dark Urge makes it seem like this Origin is the intended main character, and it might be worth trying this option at least once in Baldur’s Gate 3.
