So just so you know, you don't have to play as any of these characters. You can make your own and these characters will show up in your story as companions.
Popping on the top comment as there's going to be a bunch of these. This. Though if both are playing perhaps one as an origin character might be good. Maybe someone can chime in that's done that on multiplayer?
@@Vhale3702 Playing as an origin you get a new set of narrator lines, as well as the character speaking in internal monologue. You get interesting content this way, especially if you take actions they wouldn't normally as a companion. However, at the end of the day, I think custom is probably the way to go, just because you have an extra character compared to an origin run. In multiplayer, especially splitscreen, having 2 customs also lets each player build relationships differently with the companions, which has some effect (minimal IMO) on the party dynamics.
well, all but the dark urge, who i don't think ever shows up if you don't pick them, and, given the franchise history, they are probably the closest to a canon character that we have. so if you want to experience all story lines in one go, at least one person should probably play them. though of course that's completely optional and not something you absolutely have to do.
@@thechatteringclown Pretty sure you can find his corpse in game if you don't play as him. Though to be fair I wouldn't know for sure as he was what I went through as.
The funny thing is that Gale is like, the nicest dude. He's very firm and unshakable in his self-interested goals, but you can basically just insult him right to his face and he's like, "It pains me to hear you say such things, but I admire your honesty and straightforwardness." He's also really dang witty and blunt. His commentary makes him so much fun to have on your party.
Gale is the most hilarious party member imo, because his solution to any problem no matter how minor it is is to activate his chest nuke and kill every living soul within a mile. What a drama queen.
Fun fact, the actor who plays Astarion was actually the one who did the motion capture performance for ALL these introductions. Not only is he a great voice actor, he's very experienced with mocap and I believe worked as an advisor/director for much of the mocap. You also don't have to play as any of these characters, you can make a fully custom character, and these will all be your companions in the game. In fact, it's heavily encouraged that you play as a custom character first.
Damn for real? Thats awesome. I knew he was a great VA and did a lot of mocap for his character, didnt know he did all the intros. Dude is a chameleon.
Indeed. I made myself a fair skinned, golden haired halfling, just to complicate contrast the veilness of her actions (i fully intend on embracing the dark urge and see what happens. it might have cost me all but 3ish companions, but that's a worthy price to pay.)
@@thechatteringclown I made a blonde, pale-skinned high half-elf bard/cleric of Kelemvor, who is fascinated with death, but really struggles against the Urge and ultimately "tries" to be a good person (with limited success).
@@GirlofCulture That's one of the thing that make it such a great game. Each companion have it's own agenda and they can take independent action to reach that goal. So people who you are suspicious about are probably companion that by nature doesn't align with your own morality and they really nailed that aspect imo.
@@morgothable Yeah I enjoyed everyone a great deal except for Astarion as well. I don't hate him due to actually enjoying the depth of his character, but his flamboyant speech is only a few steps away from nails on chalkboards.
The Dark Urge is the only one who is not a available companion in game. It's basically another custom origin character (you can customize their appearance, class etc. in character creator) with it's own unique spin on the story line that has varying differences and challenges compared to the standard story. Things can get brutal pretty fast so fair warning.
@@Armlace Find me a source from the devs that says Durge is the canon player character, i'll wait, otherwise don't spread misinformation based on your own conclusions
If you plan on playing this game, it’s highly recommended you start with a custom character. It’s the best way to experience the world for the first time.
Shadowheart is a favorite among a good portion of the fanbase. But, I think that it's best to experience her as a third-party, since she's a slowburn and best discovered rather than known. Karlach is just the golden retriever of this band of misfits, which makes an oasis in the desert.
First playthrough I was a custom character, second was 100% Shadowheart, as I knew what her story was, but now got to experience it from her perspective which was awesome! (Let's just say I recruited Minthara in my Shadowheart playthrough, so you can imagine what my decision was when it came to THAT moment >:-)
Important info before starting BG3: You can play as a custom character (called a Tav by the community) who can be whatever race or class you want. Unlike the Origin characters, Tavs have no backstory hooks into the plot, so they're very freeform, but this also means they miss out on custom content. Origin characters (with the exception of the Dark Urge) have set appearances, races and classes when you start, though you eventually unlock the ability to change your class for a small fee. The Dark Urge can be considered a Tav+ - they have no restrictions on class and can look however, but they have an amnesiac storyline that is designed to weave them into the events of the game. And, as alluded to in his character intro, the Dark Urge can get pretty dark (like darker than average), so be prepared for that. Because of this, The Dark Urge is also the only Origin character that doesn't appear in the game as a companion. If you don't play them, then they aren't involved in the story.
Gales actually awesome, yes a bit stuck up but also very kindhearted, self assured, extremely smart and funny. One of my favorites to have tagging along. Also yes he used to be the lover of a goddess so there's that going for him lol.
There’s really not a bad companion in the bunch. Even ones I initially found kind of boring or simplistic like Wyll or Gale eventually showed themselves to be well written and interesting characters. I loved switching my party members in and out constantly so I could hear all their incidental observations about the world and conversations with each other. The way they bounce off each other is fantastic. Lae’zel and Shadowheart definitely need to just get a room already.
The only actual Origin character I'd play would be Gale, personally dont like Wyll (though appreciate his story). All the rest I'd rather have as companions.
I personally think its better to have her as a companion than MC though. Unlocking her story and walking her path with her is, imho, the most satisfying thing in the game. She's the hardest to woo but the most worth it.
Definitely worth playing them after you do a tav run, since it's nice to see the world from a fresh set of eyes before seeing it from the eyes of someone heavily involved with the current world affairs, I can never not play dark urge anymore now though, feels like I'm actually involved in the story and stakes like gorion's ward. Tav gets wrapped up by coincidence, Dark Urge was placed on the Nautiloid intentionally
Did a Durge after I got bored with my Tav, I come back to a Durge every now and then. The unique dialogue, the options to sometimes be incredibly violent for no reason, and then getting to fight it back. Redeemed Durge is my favorite, along with his spawn Astarion. Durge fits right in with this ragtag group of weirdos
I would recommend playing with an original character on your first playthrough. it will give you immensely satisfying moments when you play an origin character and get some background as to for why they act as they do and so on. i should also warn: dark urge is a great story, but things can get REALLY messed up really quickly, definetely not first playthrough material.
It’s only first playthrough material if you’ve got the stomach for what it’s offering. Not for the faint of heart but an amazing story arc if you’re prepared.
I disagree, dark urge is the best. It's just better than Tav. There is no reason to play Tav, there is just less content. I regret my first playthrough, could have saved 150 hours and have a better experience. It was still good, but Urge is better
This is wrong. The Dark Urge is the ideal first playthrough, just like it was in the previous games. People need to stop spreading this and ruining first playthroughs. My biggest regret is listening to people like you.
@@Armlace 1. Its not wrong, it is my personal opinion. You are free to disagree, that is completely up to you as it is a subjective topic. 2. I do not disagree that Dark Urge is a much better story than playing an original character, and for people like you (by your comment mentioning the previous titles i assume that means you have played them and are thus familiar with the lore) it DOES make an excellent first playthrough because you understand the significance of certain reveals. My comment was directed towards the channel owners specifically as they are mostly unfamiliar with forgotten realms lore, let alone the lore of the previous baldurs gate games wich in turn will not yield the same emotional payoff for said reveals. I did not say "NOBODY SHOULD PLAY DARK URGE AS THEIR FIRST PLAYTHROUGH".
The nice thing about this game is whether you swing towards guys or girls, they have the two types anyone wants: actually decent (Gale, Karlach), and “I can fix them” (Astarion, Shadowheart)
A custom character is best at least for the first playthrough. Those characters will show up as companions in your group and you can still interact with them
Karlach is a sweet goof ball and the vampires undergarments have the words " if your reading this you either killed me or bedded me either way you got lucky " 😅
Lae-Zel’s introduction doesn’t do her story justice. Her whole “fish out of water” aspect is great, and teaching her how to act like a normal person plays out like an episode of Breaking Amish
Karlach is simple the best. Great character design with a lot of attitude and personality, everyone loves her but for a good reason. And this Tiefling (deepling) devilish design is super attractive to me. And her voice is just pure honey.
So fun story...all of these characters are "origin characters", meaning that even if you don't pick one to play as, they show up in the world. All besides the last one. The Dark Urge is a custom character. Instead of having a story in the world, it's kind of like...Hard Mode. They're a custom character...and without spoiling anything, their lot in life is VERY troubled. Unlikely to be the best choice for a first time run, but fantastic as a second.
I made a custom character, a golden Dragonborn sorcerer who descends from a bloodline of powerful magic wielding blue dragons and my squad consists of Karlach for upfront angry slashing, Astarion for sneaky long range attacks and Shadowheart to support us 3.
Can’t wait to see more BG3 content from you guys if you ever so choose! Their animated shorts are fun, sillier in tone, and the game itself ofc is amazing. I think this game is great with its characters because as much as I wanted to, and as bad as some of them start off attitude wise, all of these guys are incredibly likeable. Not a single one of this gang do I dislike. And you can romance them! It’s why custom character is so recommended for a first play through, so you can really see all of them in action as non-player characters showcasing their full voice acting and personality. :)
Gale is my favorite, followed by Lae´zel. Playing as the Dark urge is AMAZING, but unless you know the story it´s better as a second playthrough. Most players play a custom character as their first, you then get the origin characters as followers and part of your group. So you can play through their stories without being them if you like.
Playing as a good dark urge is really good story, evil dark urge is pretty good too but man it’s brutal. All of their stories are amazing, can redeem people etc etc all the companion/origin characters have great stories
A thing to mention: Your party size is up to 4 characters. If you play co-op with two costume characters you can stil bring 2 of the origin characters in your party. So you are basically able to get their story anyway while playing your own. For a first playthrough as a D&D new comer it might be helpfull since it "saves" you time from creating a character. But thats most of the fun in D&D for me. The game has mechanics that allow you to easily change your party members at nearly any point. So you can ride along all the different character story quests as if you wish. But like suggested in other comments have one custome and one origin player character to have the difference in story telling might be a interesting approach. BIG note for everyone. The studio head Sven and his lead designers / lead writers said in one of their "Panels from Hell" that the Dark Urge character is not recommended for a first play through. It should show a drastic difference to what the normal story progress can be. On top of that there is to say that the Dark Urge is fully costumizable. You can select a race, class, skills and your stats. It is a costume character with an "new game+ story" if you will. Be aware that this game is big. I just finished my first of many runs clocking in at 140 hours (medium difficulty) played. But i enjoyed 95% of my time with it. To be fair i did miss out on several side storys due to unfortunate story progress. So there is at least 20 hours i missed from the stuff in my quest log. Not to think about what i might have missed besides that. PS: The voice actors of the origin characters had a D&D one shot which is about 5 hours long. Can be found on the "High Rollers" youtube. It's a small side story that doesn't relate to scenes in the game, so no spoilers there. It is realy fun to watch. Panels from Hell are also a fun watch. It's basically a dev diary with the lead designers and studio head (all in cossplay) presenting updates during the early access periode with some live game play. But there are spoilers. Stil a fun way to get some behind the scenes info and a feeling for the team that made this great project the sensation it is.
The general gist of the origins is that all of them are essentially companions (besides Dark Urge and Custom) with their own stories, but the game let's you decide to play as them if you wish (You can change their classes later but not their appearance). You have two options that will let you customize your character: Custom (people call them Tav sometimes because that's the default name) is essentially a blank slate, You pick whatever race, background or gender you want (as well as class), you're just someone who got wrapped up in the game's plot but you have no deeper ties to it. They won't have anything unique about them but they're a lot more malleable and open in what you want them to be. Dark Urge's race, class and gender can also be whatever you want, but you have a locked in background called "Haunted One" and you are an amnesiac who has a compulsive urge for violence and cruelty, and you decide if you want to fight or give into these urges. They also have more ties to the greater narrative then Tav would.
I highly suggest that you build your own character and play as your own and you can then have whichever characters you liked be your COMPANIONS and unlock their beautiful stories. Personally my favorite story so far has been ShadowHeart, but I hear most of them have amazing stories especially Lae'Zel and Astarion and Karlach specfiicaly. There's also other companions out there that are worth the intrigue.
So, The Dark Urge is more of an idea than a person. You can customize it and have that back story. All of the other origin characters are playable, but I think the best way to start this game as your own, customized character. You can have all of the origin characters (other than dark urge) as companions and explore their stories via quests and even romance.
I see a lot of people say custom character is best but honestly for co-op that might not be true. You only get 4 people in a party so in co-op, you will only have TWO other characters in your main party and only those TWO characters will really get any screen-time and development after the first act. So half of your characters will be a blank slate with no real questline/background of their own unless one of u does dark urge at least. Many people give this suggestion since its dnd tradition and with the assumption that you'll play the game twice to experience all 6 characters your party but i doubt you guys will replay it. Ultimately it's not a huge deal since the world outside the companions itself is a ton of fun to explore and is filled with content so just do whatever helps you get immersed in the world the best.
NEVER CLICKED SO FAST IN MY LIFE. BG3 taken over my life for a month now, is all I can think about. I have finished the game and started another one immediately. I am so happy my fav reactors reacted to my fav game hehe. Thank you for your work!! Edit after I watched the video: You can create a custom character and meet these characters as you discover the world of Faerun. You have a lot of control over things but I won't say anymore, I can't wait for you guys to give this game a try. Astarion and Karlach my favorites forever!!!♥♥
I played as a custom character for my first run, now I’m playing as The Dark Urge, one trying to resist- wood elf Druid, and one giving in to it- drow sorcerer. All 3 play throughs have been extremely fun and different! I hope to see you both play together, I’d be very keen to watch 😁
You can play as one of the Origin characters if u like, but you can also play as one of two customizable avatars. Tav is a more typical blank slate player character while Durge (The Dark Urge) has a predetermined story that unfolds as you play.
I used to love Lae´zel at the beginning but that changed through the game completley. She has a strong sense for justice but the ideology of the Githiyanki is not mine sorry, they are to proud and full of themselves, and i understand they used to be slaves of the Mindflayers yadda. Sure there are good reasons for this behavior, but i cannot deal with it. Kinda like the Klingons from Star Trek tbh. But she is still a good character, every maincharacter in this is well written, but she's not my type. But that makes this game so special, because every character is unique, and their pathes and choices game change the whole story and events. Way more in any other choice based game i've played.
it's funny you guys liked Wyll, he's kinda memed on by the community for being the most boring of the origin characters. Just a typical goody two shoes hero type. The only real twist is that he got his magic powers that he uses to be a hero by making a deal with a devil, but generally he's a little lame lol
The Dark Urge is awesome. Baldurs gate 3 includes multiple endings due to your choices being very important and playing a good aligned dark urge character SUCH a good story
my favorite is Lae'zel, she has the best character arc/story in my opinion, and my favorite romance. Karlach is a fan favorite, for reasons you will see once you start playing the dark urge is a customizable origin, which is a cool change to the normal story, but probably not the best for a first playthrough
While it sounds like a tall tale, Gale actually was the chosen of the goddess of magic, and did have a love relationship with her. So his ego is actually well earned and deserved.
The Dark Urge is basically Custom Character +, with a history in the game and main story, along with extra choices and a story line you can still shape (such as giving into the urge or resisting it being the most blatant). Contrast that with a normal custom, you are completely separate from the world itself so if you want to have absolute complete control over your headcanon and actions that's the way to go. Personally my playthrough was with The Dark Urge so I'm biased but I'd say it's the best due to the customizability along with the extra story involved.
You probably SHOULD play as an Origin character (custom char) or The Dark Urge (not a set character, but a custom character with an evil twist) or you can miss out on the character's journeys, they'll all join you as companions either way, but if you PLAY as one of the characters they won't be voice acted and you'll miss out some aspects of the character. It is cool because your character's thoughts are narrated and if you play one of them you'll get to know intimately from the jump them without all the cloak-and-dagger. You're not all necessarily friends more allies born of necessity in the beginning and everybody is hiding something/has their own self-interests that they will put first, besides maybe Karlach who is the most simple as befitting a barabarian and is generally a good person. There is MUCH more to them then what's on the surface.
The Dark Urge character is one of the Origin Characters you can modify and make your own character with it. Chose any race and class, but they have a unique background which means some of the story happens differently for you in the game. He/she/they don't remember why they were that way and in a way you can change your own destiny because you have a new path to chose, but you can also embrace murder. All of the origin characters give you some extra story content if you chose to play as one of them and all are masterfully written. You get stuff from a different perspective when you play as them and different when they are your companions. There are also 4 other companions you can meet and add to your party later in the game (depending on how you played your game). If you play custom characters you can also get unique snippets of story depending on your choices and what race/class/background you chose to give your character. This game lets you do anything and will definitely surprise you with choices you can take in it. I for one can't make myself evil... I'll try the shitlord narcissist route on my third playthrough and play as Astarion :D
Important that you understand this! The first six characters are all designed to be your companions. If you choose to play as them you will miss giant amount of story and excellent voice acting. Dark Urge is not a companion, you can only have him/her/it in your game if that is the character you choose. I made the mistake of starting my first game as Astarion without realize that you can create your own custom character. So I quit out of that game at level 5 and started a new run as a Monk, which is a lot of fun and doesn't duplicate any companion abilities (at least not so far).
The dark Urge is actually kind of a remake of your main character story in Baldur's gate 1 and 2, that why he is the only customizable one. I would advice, like a lot of people, to do your first run of the game with a customise character or with the Dark Urge if you want that "layer" more on your character. Doing the game for the first time with a customise character will feel more immersive and you will have the chance to meet all the compagnons, learn to know them and bond with them. Anyway the choice is up to you, have fun.
ya 60-100 if you are in a rush to the end but it can easily be 200+ if you take in the stories and enjoy it like a fine 7 course meal and a eve of dance. lol best game of the last 10 years.
Gale's cockiness is more his sense of humor than an actual ego... he's actually a sweetheart deep down, he has just been horribly treated by the god he worships
This game has absolutely DEVOURED my existence lol. I've yet to do a playthrough as any of the Origin characters (you also have the option to create a completely custom character from scratch), but other than the Dark Urge (who's kind of a special case) they're all available pretty early on to join your party as adventuring companions...and I gotta say, they're all some of my favorites to fill that role across most of the RPGs I've played. Karlach is definitely my favorite of the Origin companions though. She's an absolute badass engine of destruction, but underneath all the muscles she's an absolute cinnamon roll. If you pursue her personal story into the territory of forming a romance with her, she has some of the cutest and sweetest interactions of the lot of them. They're ALL well-written though, with something to love beneath all their layers. There's a lot of nuance to them beyond the surface-level archetypes. If you guys DO decide to play the game, just know you're gonna be getting into quite the extended experience lol. The game is colossal lol, and an absolute time-sink lol. And Ken...I gotta warn you that as cool and edgy The Dark Urge is, it's a test of your own morality to play that character lol. I've played "evil" runs on a lot of games, and this is the first one I've tried where I've actually gotten a little upset by some of the things my character found himself doing lol, and had to take a minute to re-evaluate the playthrough lol. But that's just a sign of a great game, when it can affect me that strongly lol.
Shadowheart is a character that you get to know better as the story progresses. Her initial mystery is all part of the character and if you do it right you can get to know her overtime and it is a great story.
I made a custom Tav character. That allows you to make choices about your character rather than using what was already selected for you. That said if i were to take an origin character i would probably pick lae'zel or shadow heart depending on which character's story id want to see play out (and whose voice acting I wouldn't want to miss out on)
One thing thats odd is that the dark urges original appearance is a white dragonborn, which i believe in D&D that white dragons are the most evil dragons. So its odd that the initial appearance of the Dark urge seems to not wanna be evil
Byw, the Dark Urge is the spawn of Baal, the God of Murder. He recently lost all his memories, but before that he was Baal's favorite due to sheer sadistic kill count.
I usually play as Dark Urge. Nothing against Tav (the custom character) but I just love Dark Urges story later on. The other companions in Order of how much I like them are: Shadowheart, Karlach, Astarion or Gale (It depends on my mood, sometimes I like Astarion more, sometimes Gale), Lae'zel and Wyll. My first completed playthrough was with a Dark Urge as main and a Tav that followed (via multiplayer) and I had Astarion and Shadowheart (was hard as hell later on with only those two.)
The dark urge is fully customizable unlike the other characters and makes for a very interesting playtrough, you can resist the urge, or give in to it and what you choose affects everything and everyone around you
You can create your own custom characters, almost all of those are preset characters you'll meet in game that'll accompany you. With one exception, the Dark Urge. That character is custom like a character you can make yourself, but it adds a twisted story, one you'll have to play to learn since that's the one character you won't find in the game.
I have heard you get quite the different game if you play as the urge! think someone mentioned horror vibes! so i will save him for for my second play through or when playing with a friend.
You have the option to play any of the Origin Characters, but you can also make a customizable character that also would’ve possessed a Tadpole. This character is usually referred as the “Tav”. The only Origin Character you can customize from the beginning is the Dark Urge. However, it’s not recommended that you run Durge on your first play-through. It can get brutal and dark fast.
As others have noted, you can play a custom character and meet the origin characters as you play. And I think most of us would agree that exploring their stories alongside them is actually more enjoyable than playing as them right away! The one exception is the Dark Urge. That one you never actually run into, and is also fully customizable. Though, as I'm sure you can guess by the intro, playing as Durge (as the community's nicknamed it) does have more... direct impacts on your story than if you were a "normal" custom character. Either way, I hope you guys check out the game! It's got some great stories to explore!
Dark Urge is my personal favorite, REALLY close with Karlach and Shadowheart right behind in that tier list, but the Urge can be the most heroic in some of the most interesting ways
I play a completly custom character, well 2 chars tbh... A tiefling (Draenei) Protection Paladin, and a tiefling Ranger... And i plan on starting a "Dark Urge" character too, it looks interesting...
You can play as all the origin characters technically. When you play you can make your characters n then recruit the origin characters. Or you can select the dark urge background and still recruit the others, your choice.
I highly recommend playing as the Dark Urge. It is the intended placeholder character for the player. It will give you a history with other characters in the game before the start and you are given something personal to fight against. I find it hard to start a custom character who isn't the Dark Urge for this reason. The regular custom option feels empty in comparison.
This game is such a blast in co op. Both players get to make meaningful decisions and are not relegated to a random background character without any agency. Lots of great shenanigans to be had
It is possible to have all characters, except the Dark Urge, in the same party. One of the options is to create a completely personalized character. Likewise, the Dark Urge is fully customizable, in class, race, gender, etc... All characters except Dark Urge can be recruited as companions, regardless of whether you choose one of them as the main character or create a new character. The Dark Urge however has a lot of unique content, but can be quite complicated to play at certain points. It is like a second pre-generated character option in addition to the basic one so to speak and the only one character that is not available if not chosen.
Astarion ( Neil Newborn) Shadowheart ( Jennifer English) Lae'zel, ( Devora Wilde) Karlach (Samantha Beart)and the narrator of the game Amelia Tyler ALL stream the game.. and the only one playing as them self is Karlach....the others play a custom character ( which i recommend you do aswell ) so they can romance the character they voice acted for
The recommended way to play the game is to start out with a customized character, so that you can get all these characters (except the Dark Urge) as your companions. This way you can also get a much better idea of what their personalities are like. The voice acting in this game is phenomenal and unfortunately if you play as one of these characters you will be making the choices for them (most of which are unvoiced). So just for the voice acting alone it's worth starting with a customized character. And if you're desperate for more content afterwards, you can try out playing as these characters to experience things from their perspective, with some bonus scenes added to their story. The Dark Urge is also a customizable character but offers a unique twist to the original story. Through the 'urges' you end up getting different choices in the game and as you progress you find out more and more about what's causing the urges etc. So they basically made two different stories for you to experience. Most people play as a normal customizable character first, then the Dark Urge and then as all or some of the other characters. Personally I'd also recommend that order. Anyway, loved your reactions as usual, can't wait to see more BG3 reactions and hopefully also a playthrough.🥰
I play Dark Urge every time, it adds an extra level of fun whether as a good guy trying to restrain the urge or a villain who gives in to it. I also like making him a Halfling.
Dark Urge is custom character with backstory. It's debatable if you should play your first run with fully custom (Tav), or with the custom with backstory (Dark Urge). Dark Urge links with the previous two games, so it's up for everyone which to play first, but one should definitely eventually play with the Urge - it's an amazing story.
The intention of the game is to play as a custom character. These are all companions that can join your main character... and you'll get to see all of their stories. As far as I know The Dark Urge is the only one that isn't a potential companion, but it is clearly a throw back or someway related to the protagonist of Baldur's Gate 1 & 2
It's definitely best to play a custom character for your first time, all of these characters will be there too, along for the ride and you can explore their stories too.
The Dark Urge is essentially a different spin on a custom character, who only appears in the story if you chose to play as them. They aren't recommended for first-time players When they say they the Dark Urge is CONSTANTLY whispering to them, they mean it. Oh boy do they mean it. It makes for an emotionally rich yet hard-fought and brutal playthrough.
Do any of you have glitched tattoos after the patch? (only some colors are glitched, for example dark red and black, they are like they lack the bright color they had before)
i made my own, 2 of them really, though the second one is because i'm playing with a friend, we both chose Dragonborn, we started as a Fighter and Monk, me being the Fighter and him being the monk, though it changed to him being a warlock and me becoming the monk for a few reasons, we are little bit past the halfway point and gotten lucky in some cases, though i did forget to mention, i live in Canada and he lives in Romania, so there's a big time difference between us
Whether you give in to the Dark Urge or not is entirely up to you. I myself have made numerous runs through the game with the Dark Urge, simply because in my opinion, of all the Origin Chars, he/she/they have the most interesting story (the char doesn't have to look like this, you can almost completely customise him, except for the background of course). Some of the things happening when you play as them just makes me tingle. Especially since I feel this character to somehow be kind of "freer" than the rest. 'Sides, automatically kicking squirrels to nirvana is fun
So just so you know, you don't have to play as any of these characters. You can make your own and these characters will show up in your story as companions.
Popping on the top comment as there's going to be a bunch of these. This. Though if both are playing perhaps one as an origin character might be good. Maybe someone can chime in that's done that on multiplayer?
@@Vhale3702 Playing as an origin you get a new set of narrator lines, as well as the character speaking in internal monologue. You get interesting content this way, especially if you take actions they wouldn't normally as a companion.
However, at the end of the day, I think custom is probably the way to go, just because you have an extra character compared to an origin run.
In multiplayer, especially splitscreen, having 2 customs also lets each player build relationships differently with the companions, which has some effect (minimal IMO) on the party dynamics.
well, all but the dark urge, who i don't think ever shows up if you don't pick them, and, given the franchise history, they are probably the closest to a canon character that we have. so if you want to experience all story lines in one go, at least one person should probably play them. though of course that's completely optional and not something you absolutely have to do.
@@thechatteringclown Pretty sure you can find his corpse in game if you don't play as him. Though to be fair I wouldn't know for sure as he was what I went through as.
@@thechatteringclown yes, you can find his corpse in act 3
The funny thing is that Gale is like, the nicest dude. He's very firm and unshakable in his self-interested goals, but you can basically just insult him right to his face and he's like, "It pains me to hear you say such things, but I admire your honesty and straightforwardness."
He's also really dang witty and blunt. His commentary makes him so much fun to have on your party.
STOPLICKINGTHEDAMNTHING
He's also the most straight up OP of them all once he gets all his spells flying.
He also cant take no for an answer and always sneaks you into his romance path
Gale is the most hilarious party member imo, because his solution to any problem no matter how minor it is is to activate his chest nuke and kill every living soul within a mile.
What a drama queen.
Fun fact, the actor who plays Astarion was actually the one who did the motion capture performance for ALL these introductions. Not only is he a great voice actor, he's very experienced with mocap and I believe worked as an advisor/director for much of the mocap.
You also don't have to play as any of these characters, you can make a fully custom character, and these will all be your companions in the game. In fact, it's heavily encouraged that you play as a custom character first.
Preety sure the voice for tav one did much of the mocap aswell.
@@20storiesunder yes they did a lot of the mocap to I just saw an interview where Neil Newbon talks about doing the character intros specifically.
Damn for real? Thats awesome. I knew he was a great VA and did a lot of mocap for his character, didnt know he did all the intros. Dude is a chameleon.
The cool thing about The Dark Urge is that he's fully customizable. You can choose his appearance, race, gender, class and even voice.
Indeed. I made myself a fair skinned, golden haired halfling, just to complicate contrast the veilness of her actions (i fully intend on embracing the dark urge and see what happens. it might have cost me all but 3ish companions, but that's a worthy price to pay.)
@@thechatteringclown I made a blonde, pale-skinned high half-elf bard/cleric of Kelemvor, who is fascinated with death, but really struggles against the Urge and ultimately "tries" to be a good person (with limited success).
I would love for them to play the dark urge
I think Default Dark Urge is fine as he is. Maybe change up the voice or class at best, but physical appearance wise, he is ok.
@@eagleye2893 Perhaps, but it's nice to have a choice.
Don't disregard Gale too soon, he is quirky and very loyal. To a fault even.
Everyone in the party has his or hers ups and downs. The only one i never trusted and by the end not even liked anymore is Lae´zel.
@@GirlofCulture That's one of the thing that make it such a great game. Each companion have it's own agenda and they can take independent action to reach that goal. So people who you are suspicious about are probably companion that by nature doesn't align with your own morality and they really nailed that aspect imo.
@@Eogard They are individuals and we like or dislike each other for different reasons. And thats okay.
@@morgothable He's over the top but that works for me. And i was really sad in the end for him.
@@morgothable Yeah I enjoyed everyone a great deal except for Astarion as well. I don't hate him due to actually enjoying the depth of his character, but his flamboyant speech is only a few steps away from nails on chalkboards.
The Dark Urge is the only one who is not a available companion in game. It's basically another custom origin character (you can customize their appearance, class etc. in character creator) with it's own unique spin on the story line that has varying differences and challenges compared to the standard story. Things can get brutal pretty fast so fair warning.
It's also the "canon" way to play it. It was that way in the other 2 games at least
@@beisong999 its not the canon way to play it.
@@beisong999 There is absolutely no "canon" way to play BG3. Dark Urge is just one choice of many.
@@tenjenk it absolutely is. The Dark Urge was the original default character.
@@Armlace Find me a source from the devs that says Durge is the canon player character, i'll wait, otherwise don't spread misinformation based on your own conclusions
If you plan on playing this game, it’s highly recommended you start with a custom character. It’s the best way to experience the world for the first time.
Shadowheart is a favorite among a good portion of the fanbase. But, I think that it's best to experience her as a third-party, since she's a slowburn and best discovered rather than known. Karlach is just the golden retriever of this band of misfits, which makes an oasis in the desert.
Fuck, yes!
Golden Retriever analogy is perfect for Karlach!
First playthrough I was a custom character, second was 100% Shadowheart, as I knew what her story was, but now got to experience it from her perspective which was awesome! (Let's just say I recruited Minthara in my Shadowheart playthrough, so you can imagine what my decision was when it came to THAT moment >:-)
NO party is complete without Karlach in it.
@@dalehammers4425 Im doing a fight, and hand to god, she gets 2 crits back to back! HELL YEAH!
Important info before starting BG3: You can play as a custom character (called a Tav by the community) who can be whatever race or class you want. Unlike the Origin characters, Tavs have no backstory hooks into the plot, so they're very freeform, but this also means they miss out on custom content. Origin characters (with the exception of the Dark Urge) have set appearances, races and classes when you start, though you eventually unlock the ability to change your class for a small fee. The Dark Urge can be considered a Tav+ - they have no restrictions on class and can look however, but they have an amnesiac storyline that is designed to weave them into the events of the game. And, as alluded to in his character intro, the Dark Urge can get pretty dark (like darker than average), so be prepared for that. Because of this, The Dark Urge is also the only Origin character that doesn't appear in the game as a companion. If you don't play them, then they aren't involved in the story.
@@morgothable I'm aware, but that is somewhat spoilery info, so I was choosing not to include it.
Dark Urge is just a better Tav. I regret being discouraged to play Urge by Larian and play Tav first.
@@dominika3762 I started with a DUrge, was definitely a good choice for me. Just an awesome experience overall.
@@dominika3762Tav is great if you don't want your first experience to be marred by being a schizophrenic serial killer.
@@Mare_Man ok, but who wouldn't like to be something more interesting?
Gales actually awesome, yes a bit stuck up but also very kindhearted, self assured, extremely smart and funny. One of my favorites to have tagging along. Also yes he used to be the lover of a goddess so there's that going for him lol.
There’s really not a bad companion in the bunch. Even ones I initially found kind of boring or simplistic like Wyll or Gale eventually showed themselves to be well written and interesting characters. I loved switching my party members in and out constantly so I could hear all their incidental observations about the world and conversations with each other. The way they bounce off each other is fantastic. Lae’zel and Shadowheart definitely need to just get a room already.
The only actual Origin character I'd play would be Gale, personally dont like Wyll (though appreciate his story). All the rest I'd rather have as companions.
Shadowheart has one of the best, most interesting storylines. It's very mysterious at first but a lot of the plot revolves around her storyline.
I personally think its better to have her as a companion than MC though. Unlocking her story and walking her path with her is, imho, the most satisfying thing in the game. She's the hardest to woo but the most worth it.
The Dark Urge is certainly the most unique playthrough because it plays so much more different then the other story's!
Haha squirrel go yeet
@@skebaba918 Haha Alfira go OH GODS WHAT HAVE I DONE
I want my Potent Robes, so I knock her out before going for long rest.
Definitely worth playing them after you do a tav run, since it's nice to see the world from a fresh set of eyes before seeing it from the eyes of someone heavily involved with the current world affairs, I can never not play dark urge anymore now though, feels like I'm actually involved in the story and stakes like gorion's ward. Tav gets wrapped up by coincidence, Dark Urge was placed on the Nautiloid intentionally
Did a Durge after I got bored with my Tav, I come back to a Durge every now and then. The unique dialogue, the options to sometimes be incredibly violent for no reason, and then getting to fight it back. Redeemed Durge is my favorite, along with his spawn Astarion. Durge fits right in with this ragtag group of weirdos
I would recommend playing with an original character on your first playthrough. it will give you immensely satisfying moments when you play an origin character and get some background as to for why they act as they do and so on. i should also warn: dark urge is a great story, but things can get REALLY messed up really quickly, definetely not first playthrough material.
It’s only first playthrough material if you’ve got the stomach for what it’s offering. Not for the faint of heart but an amazing story arc if you’re prepared.
I disagree, dark urge is the best. It's just better than Tav. There is no reason to play Tav, there is just less content.
I regret my first playthrough, could have saved 150 hours and have a better experience. It was still good, but Urge is better
@@dominika3762 The end of the good route was so much more satisfying as well.
This is wrong. The Dark Urge is the ideal first playthrough, just like it was in the previous games. People need to stop spreading this and ruining first playthroughs.
My biggest regret is listening to people like you.
@@Armlace 1. Its not wrong, it is my personal opinion. You are free to disagree, that is completely up to you as it is a subjective topic.
2. I do not disagree that Dark Urge is a much better story than playing an original character, and for people like you (by your comment mentioning the previous titles i assume that means you have played them and are thus familiar with the lore) it DOES make an excellent first playthrough because you understand the significance of certain reveals. My comment was directed towards the channel owners specifically as they are mostly unfamiliar with forgotten realms lore, let alone the lore of the previous baldurs gate games wich in turn will not yield the same emotional payoff for said reveals. I did not say "NOBODY SHOULD PLAY DARK URGE AS THEIR FIRST PLAYTHROUGH".
You should watch Montes Harpers Finishing move video like last time they did one for Vanguard
The no hesitation for Karlach being your guys' favorite is pretty universal hahaha love to see it!
oh Karlach..you're so well written
6:32 "she's my favorite" --me the moment I met karlach in game lol
The nice thing about this game is whether you swing towards guys or girls, they have the two types anyone wants: actually decent (Gale, Karlach), and “I can fix them” (Astarion, Shadowheart)
A custom character is best at least for the first playthrough. Those characters will show up as companions in your group and you can still interact with them
Karlach is a sweet goof ball and the vampires undergarments have the words " if your reading this you either killed me or bedded me either way you got lucky " 😅
Lae-Zel’s introduction doesn’t do her story justice. Her whole “fish out of water” aspect is great, and teaching her how to act like a normal person plays out like an episode of Breaking Amish
Lae'zel and Shadowheart have main character plots compaired to the others. Especially Lae'zel. This game is centers around her race (Githyanki).
Karlach is simple the best. Great character design with a lot of attitude and personality, everyone loves her but for a good reason. And this Tiefling (deepling) devilish design is super attractive to me. And her voice is just pure honey.
Meh, Karlach is a good buddy to have, but the weakest, least reactive personal quest.
So fun story...all of these characters are "origin characters", meaning that even if you don't pick one to play as, they show up in the world. All besides the last one. The Dark Urge is a custom character. Instead of having a story in the world, it's kind of like...Hard Mode. They're a custom character...and without spoiling anything, their lot in life is VERY troubled. Unlikely to be the best choice for a first time run, but fantastic as a second.
the dark urge shows up too... as a corpse, but it's there
@@18Rada89 You know damn well that ain't the same thing :v
I made a custom character, a golden Dragonborn sorcerer who descends from a bloodline of powerful magic wielding blue dragons and my squad consists of Karlach for upfront angry slashing, Astarion for sneaky long range attacks and Shadowheart to support us 3.
Wyll is a powerhouse, immediately. He also got some of the best banter.
Can’t wait to see more BG3 content from you guys if you ever so choose! Their animated shorts are fun, sillier in tone, and the game itself ofc is amazing.
I think this game is great with its characters because as much as I wanted to, and as bad as some of them start off attitude wise, all of these guys are incredibly likeable. Not a single one of this gang do I dislike. And you can romance them! It’s why custom character is so recommended for a first play through, so you can really see all of them in action as non-player characters showcasing their full voice acting and personality. :)
Karlach is totally best girl
Gale is my favorite, followed by Lae´zel. Playing as the Dark urge is AMAZING, but unless you know the story it´s better as a second playthrough.
Most players play a custom character as their first, you then get the origin characters as followers and part of your group. So you can play through their stories without being them if you like.
Playing as a good dark urge is really good story, evil dark urge is pretty good too but man it’s brutal. All of their stories are amazing, can redeem people etc etc all the companion/origin characters have great stories
0:30 you are going to want to find the time to finish this game, its going to take you A L O T of time, but it will be worth it.
A thing to mention: Your party size is up to 4 characters. If you play co-op with two costume characters you can stil bring 2 of the origin characters in your party. So you are basically able to get their story anyway while playing your own. For a first playthrough as a D&D new comer it might be helpfull since it "saves" you time from creating a character. But thats most of the fun in D&D for me. The game has mechanics that allow you to easily change your party members at nearly any point. So you can ride along all the different character story quests as if you wish. But like suggested in other comments have one custome and one origin player character to have the difference in story telling might be a interesting approach.
BIG note for everyone. The studio head Sven and his lead designers / lead writers said in one of their "Panels from Hell" that the Dark Urge character is not recommended for a first play through. It should show a drastic difference to what the normal story progress can be. On top of that there is to say that the Dark Urge is fully costumizable. You can select a race, class, skills and your stats. It is a costume character with an "new game+ story" if you will.
Be aware that this game is big. I just finished my first of many runs clocking in at 140 hours (medium difficulty) played. But i enjoyed 95% of my time with it. To be fair i did miss out on several side storys due to unfortunate story progress. So there is at least 20 hours i missed from the stuff in my quest log. Not to think about what i might have missed besides that.
PS: The voice actors of the origin characters had a D&D one shot which is about 5 hours long. Can be found on the "High Rollers" youtube. It's a small side story that doesn't relate to scenes in the game, so no spoilers there. It is realy fun to watch.
Panels from Hell are also a fun watch. It's basically a dev diary with the lead designers and studio head (all in cossplay) presenting updates during the early access periode with some live game play. But there are spoilers. Stil a fun way to get some behind the scenes info and a feeling for the team that made this great project the sensation it is.
The thing about the characters is that the origin intros only give you a snippet of their personality. There's a whole lot more to know about them
The general gist of the origins is that all of them are essentially companions (besides Dark Urge and Custom) with their own stories, but the game let's you decide to play as them if you wish (You can change their classes later but not their appearance). You have two options that will let you customize your character:
Custom (people call them Tav sometimes because that's the default name) is essentially a blank slate, You pick whatever race, background or gender you want (as well as class), you're just someone who got wrapped up in the game's plot but you have no deeper ties to it. They won't have anything unique about them but they're a lot more malleable and open in what you want them to be.
Dark Urge's race, class and gender can also be whatever you want, but you have a locked in background called "Haunted One" and you are an amnesiac who has a compulsive urge for violence and cruelty, and you decide if you want to fight or give into these urges. They also have more ties to the greater narrative then Tav would.
I highly suggest that you build your own character and play as your own and you can then have whichever characters you liked be your COMPANIONS and unlock their beautiful stories.
Personally my favorite story so far has been ShadowHeart, but I hear most of them have amazing stories especially Lae'Zel and Astarion and Karlach specfiicaly. There's also other companions out there that are worth the intrigue.
So, The Dark Urge is more of an idea than a person. You can customize it and have that back story. All of the other origin characters are playable, but I think the best way to start this game as your own, customized character. You can have all of the origin characters (other than dark urge) as companions and explore their stories via quests and even romance.
I see a lot of people say custom character is best but honestly for co-op that might not be true. You only get 4 people in a party so in co-op, you will only have TWO other characters in your main party and only those TWO characters will really get any screen-time and development after the first act. So half of your characters will be a blank slate with no real questline/background of their own unless one of u does dark urge at least.
Many people give this suggestion since its dnd tradition and with the assumption that you'll play the game twice to experience all 6 characters your party but i doubt you guys will replay it. Ultimately it's not a huge deal since the world outside the companions itself is a ton of fun to explore and is filled with content so just do whatever helps you get immersed in the world the best.
These characters have such great Origins and character development. Nothing can top the story telling of baulder gate 3.
What games come close to you?
@@Kickinthescience
Many people mention Planescape: Torment, for example
NEVER CLICKED SO FAST IN MY LIFE. BG3 taken over my life for a month now, is all I can think about. I have finished the game and started another one immediately. I am so happy my fav reactors reacted to my fav game hehe. Thank you for your work!!
Edit after I watched the video: You can create a custom character and meet these characters as you discover the world of Faerun. You have a lot of control over things but I won't say anymore, I can't wait for you guys to give this game a try. Astarion and Karlach my favorites forever!!!♥♥
I played as a custom character for my first run, now I’m playing as The Dark Urge, one trying to resist- wood elf Druid, and one giving in to it- drow sorcerer. All 3 play throughs have been extremely fun and different! I hope to see you both play together, I’d be very keen to watch 😁
You can play as one of the Origin characters if u like, but you can also play as one of two customizable avatars. Tav is a more typical blank slate player character while Durge (The Dark Urge) has a predetermined story that unfolds as you play.
"Dark Urge" seeks redemption, unlike others
i can see why so many people play as "Dark Urge"
I used to love Lae´zel at the beginning but that changed through the game completley. She has a strong sense for justice but the ideology of the Githiyanki is not mine sorry, they are to proud and full of themselves, and i understand they used to be slaves of the Mindflayers yadda.
Sure there are good reasons for this behavior, but i cannot deal with it.
Kinda like the Klingons from Star Trek tbh.
But she is still a good character, every maincharacter in this is well written, but she's not my type.
But that makes this game so special, because every character is unique, and their pathes and choices game change the whole story and events. Way more in any other choice based game i've played.
it's funny you guys liked Wyll, he's kinda memed on by the community for being the most boring of the origin characters. Just a typical goody two shoes hero type. The only real twist is that he got his magic powers that he uses to be a hero by making a deal with a devil, but generally he's a little lame lol
First impression we liked him but will see how he is when we play and he joins our party 😅
Im playing as a Drow Elf called Deadpool, red skin and facepaint and everything. Made him a rogue (obviously) and he likes setting things on fire.
🔥 always a fun trait for a game character to enjoy 😁
The Dark Urge is awesome. Baldurs gate 3 includes multiple endings due to your choices being very important and playing a good aligned dark urge character SUCH a good story
my favorite is Lae'zel, she has the best character arc/story in my opinion, and my favorite romance.
Karlach is a fan favorite, for reasons you will see once you start playing
the dark urge is a customizable origin, which is a cool change to the normal story, but probably not the best for a first playthrough
While it sounds like a tall tale, Gale actually was the chosen of the goddess of magic, and did have a love relationship with her.
So his ego is actually well earned and deserved.
Also Dark urge is notable as being a PC only character, he doesn't exist if you don't play as him, and he's fully customizable.
The Dark Urge is basically Custom Character +, with a history in the game and main story, along with extra choices and a story line you can still shape (such as giving into the urge or resisting it being the most blatant). Contrast that with a normal custom, you are completely separate from the world itself so if you want to have absolute complete control over your headcanon and actions that's the way to go.
Personally my playthrough was with The Dark Urge so I'm biased but I'd say it's the best due to the customizability along with the extra story involved.
You probably SHOULD play as an Origin character (custom char) or The Dark Urge (not a set character, but a custom character with an evil twist) or you can miss out on the character's journeys, they'll all join you as companions either way, but if you PLAY as one of the characters they won't be voice acted and you'll miss out some aspects of the character. It is cool because your character's thoughts are narrated and if you play one of them you'll get to know intimately from the jump them without all the cloak-and-dagger. You're not all necessarily friends more allies born of necessity in the beginning and everybody is hiding something/has their own self-interests that they will put first, besides maybe Karlach who is the most simple as befitting a barabarian and is generally a good person. There is MUCH more to them then what's on the surface.
I'm currently in my third playthrough of baldur's gate and i can confirm that intro-dong-ction is how they say it in that world
The Dark Urge character is one of the Origin Characters you can modify and make your own character with it. Chose any race and class, but they have a unique background which means some of the story happens differently for you in the game.
He/she/they don't remember why they were that way and in a way you can change your own destiny because you have a new path to chose, but you can also embrace murder.
All of the origin characters give you some extra story content if you chose to play as one of them and all are masterfully written. You get stuff from a different perspective when you play as them and different when they are your companions. There are also 4 other companions you can meet and add to your party later in the game (depending on how you played your game).
If you play custom characters you can also get unique snippets of story depending on your choices and what race/class/background you chose to give your character.
This game lets you do anything and will definitely surprise you with choices you can take in it. I for one can't make myself evil...
I'll try the shitlord narcissist route on my third playthrough and play as Astarion :D
The dark urge basically you don't care about everything.. killing everyone and being bad guy route
Important that you understand this! The first six characters are all designed to be your companions. If you choose to play as them you will miss giant amount of story and excellent voice acting. Dark Urge is not a companion, you can only have him/her/it in your game if that is the character you choose.
I made the mistake of starting my first game as Astarion without realize that you can create your own custom character. So I quit out of that game at level 5 and started a new run as a Monk, which is a lot of fun and doesn't duplicate any companion abilities (at least not so far).
To me the better to discover these character is by creating a new and own character and learning to know them during the game.
The dark Urge is actually kind of a remake of your main character story in Baldur's gate 1 and 2, that why he is the only customizable one.
I would advice, like a lot of people, to do your first run of the game with a customise character or with the Dark Urge if you want that "layer" more on your character.
Doing the game for the first time with a customise character will feel more immersive and you will have the chance to meet all the compagnons, learn to know them and bond with them.
Anyway the choice is up to you, have fun.
You mentioned that you want to play it, it's a REALLY big game. 60-100 hours on average
ya 60-100 if you are in a rush to the end but it can easily be 200+ if you take in the stories and enjoy it like a fine 7 course meal and a eve of dance. lol best game of the last 10 years.
All of these characters can join your team besides the dark urge, mainly because you can fully customize him
Good to know. So we will create our own characters and just have these people join us 🙂
Gale's cockiness is more his sense of humor than an actual ego... he's actually a sweetheart deep down, he has just been horribly treated by the god he worships
Typical. Gods always abusing their loyal worshippers. 😢
This game has absolutely DEVOURED my existence lol. I've yet to do a playthrough as any of the Origin characters (you also have the option to create a completely custom character from scratch), but other than the Dark Urge (who's kind of a special case) they're all available pretty early on to join your party as adventuring companions...and I gotta say, they're all some of my favorites to fill that role across most of the RPGs I've played.
Karlach is definitely my favorite of the Origin companions though. She's an absolute badass engine of destruction, but underneath all the muscles she's an absolute cinnamon roll. If you pursue her personal story into the territory of forming a romance with her, she has some of the cutest and sweetest interactions of the lot of them. They're ALL well-written though, with something to love beneath all their layers. There's a lot of nuance to them beyond the surface-level archetypes.
If you guys DO decide to play the game, just know you're gonna be getting into quite the extended experience lol. The game is colossal lol, and an absolute time-sink lol. And Ken...I gotta warn you that as cool and edgy The Dark Urge is, it's a test of your own morality to play that character lol. I've played "evil" runs on a lot of games, and this is the first one I've tried where I've actually gotten a little upset by some of the things my character found himself doing lol, and had to take a minute to re-evaluate the playthrough lol. But that's just a sign of a great game, when it can affect me that strongly lol.
This popped up in my feed as soon as I was done with a BG3 session
Shadowheart is a character that you get to know better as the story progresses. Her initial mystery is all part of the character and if you do it right you can get to know her overtime and it is a great story.
I made a custom Tav character. That allows you to make choices about your character rather than using what was already selected for you. That said if i were to take an origin character i would probably pick lae'zel or shadow heart depending on which character's story id want to see play out (and whose voice acting I wouldn't want to miss out on)
One thing thats odd is that the dark urges original appearance is a white dragonborn, which i believe in D&D that white dragons are the most evil dragons.
So its odd that the initial appearance of the Dark urge seems to not wanna be evil
For those who don’t know you can create you own custom characters so I’ve made 2 of those and made a Dark Urge who is also fully customisable
God's favourite princess Shadow heart, and Karlach are probably my favourites. However their all interesting, with good back stories well written.
Byw, the Dark Urge is the spawn of Baal, the God of Murder. He recently lost all his memories, but before that he was Baal's favorite due to sheer sadistic kill count.
I usually play as Dark Urge. Nothing against Tav (the custom character) but I just love Dark Urges story later on.
The other companions in Order of how much I like them are: Shadowheart, Karlach, Astarion or Gale (It depends on my mood, sometimes I like Astarion more, sometimes Gale), Lae'zel and Wyll.
My first completed playthrough was with a Dark Urge as main and a Tav that followed (via multiplayer) and I had Astarion and Shadowheart (was hard as hell later on with only those two.)
9:50 i Rolled a custom for my first playthrough, but will be playing the darge urge next time.
being the dark urge will definitely make your game longer.
Noted 😯
The dark urge is fully customizable unlike the other characters and makes for a very interesting playtrough, you can resist the urge, or give in to it and what you choose affects everything and everyone around you
You can create your own custom characters, almost all of those are preset characters you'll meet in game that'll accompany you. With one exception, the Dark Urge. That character is custom like a character you can make yourself, but it adds a twisted story, one you'll have to play to learn since that's the one character you won't find in the game.
if you paly as original dark urge you get custom lore, custom answers and custom story
I have heard you get quite the different game if you play as the urge! think someone mentioned horror vibes! so i will save him for for my second play through or when playing with a friend.
You can defintely have a different experience when you do dark urge.
The introduction doesn't do justice to how amazing Karlach is
You have the option to play any of the Origin Characters, but you can also make a customizable character that also would’ve possessed a Tadpole. This character is usually referred as the “Tav”.
The only Origin Character you can customize from the beginning is the Dark Urge. However, it’s not recommended that you run Durge on your first play-through. It can get brutal and dark fast.
As others have noted, you can play a custom character and meet the origin characters as you play. And I think most of us would agree that exploring their stories alongside them is actually more enjoyable than playing as them right away!
The one exception is the Dark Urge. That one you never actually run into, and is also fully customizable. Though, as I'm sure you can guess by the intro, playing as Durge (as the community's nicknamed it) does have more... direct impacts on your story than if you were a "normal" custom character. Either way, I hope you guys check out the game! It's got some great stories to explore!
Dark Urge is my personal favorite, REALLY close with Karlach and Shadowheart right behind in that tier list, but the Urge can be the most heroic in some of the most interesting ways
I play a completly custom character, well 2 chars tbh... A tiefling (Draenei) Protection Paladin, and a tiefling Ranger... And i plan on starting a "Dark Urge" character too, it looks interesting...
You can play as all the origin characters technically. When you play you can make your characters n then recruit the origin characters. Or you can select the dark urge background and still recruit the others, your choice.
I highly recommend playing as the Dark Urge. It is the intended placeholder character for the player. It will give you a history with other characters in the game before the start and you are given something personal to fight against. I find it hard to start a custom character who isn't the Dark Urge for this reason. The regular custom option feels empty in comparison.
The Dark Urges VA was amazing and was the reason I chose the character, I didn't change him at all except his class.
This game is such a blast in co op. Both players get to make meaningful decisions and are not relegated to a random background character without any agency. Lots of great shenanigans to be had
It is possible to have all characters, except the Dark Urge, in the same party. One of the options is to create a completely personalized character. Likewise, the Dark Urge is fully customizable, in class, race, gender, etc... All characters except Dark Urge can be recruited as companions, regardless of whether you choose one of them as the main character or create a new character.
The Dark Urge however has a lot of unique content, but can be quite complicated to play at certain points. It is like a second pre-generated character option in addition to the basic one so to speak and the only one character that is not available if not chosen.
Astarion ( Neil Newborn) Shadowheart ( Jennifer English) Lae'zel, ( Devora Wilde) Karlach (Samantha Beart)and the narrator of the game Amelia Tyler ALL stream the game.. and the only one playing as them self is Karlach....the others play a custom character ( which i recommend you do aswell ) so they can romance the character they voice acted for
The recommended way to play the game is to start out with a customized character, so that you can get all these characters (except the Dark Urge) as your companions. This way you can also get a much better idea of what their personalities are like. The voice acting in this game is phenomenal and unfortunately if you play as one of these characters you will be making the choices for them (most of which are unvoiced). So just for the voice acting alone it's worth starting with a customized character. And if you're desperate for more content afterwards, you can try out playing as these characters to experience things from their perspective, with some bonus scenes added to their story.
The Dark Urge is also a customizable character but offers a unique twist to the original story. Through the 'urges' you end up getting different choices in the game and as you progress you find out more and more about what's causing the urges etc. So they basically made two different stories for you to experience. Most people play as a normal customizable character first, then the Dark Urge and then as all or some of the other characters. Personally I'd also recommend that order.
Anyway, loved your reactions as usual, can't wait to see more BG3 reactions and hopefully also a playthrough.🥰
Nah dark urge be a serial killer and you can customize it 😂
Damn 😳 😜
I play Dark Urge every time, it adds an extra level of fun whether as a good guy trying to restrain the urge or a villain who gives in to it. I also like making him a Halfling.
Dark Urge is custom character with backstory. It's debatable if you should play your first run with fully custom (Tav), or with the custom with backstory (Dark Urge). Dark Urge links with the previous two games, so it's up for everyone which to play first, but one should definitely eventually play with the Urge - it's an amazing story.
The intention of the game is to play as a custom character. These are all companions that can join your main character... and you'll get to see all of their stories.
As far as I know The Dark Urge is the only one that isn't a potential companion, but it is clearly a throw back or someway related to the protagonist of Baldur's Gate 1 & 2
It's definitely best to play a custom character for your first time, all of these characters will be there too, along for the ride and you can explore their stories too.
The Dark Urge is essentially a different spin on a custom character, who only appears in the story if you chose to play as them. They aren't recommended for first-time players
When they say they the Dark Urge is CONSTANTLY whispering to them, they mean it. Oh boy do they mean it. It makes for an emotionally rich yet hard-fought and brutal playthrough.
Highly recommend going with a custom character for your first playthrough
Do any of you have glitched tattoos after the patch? (only some colors are glitched, for example dark red and black, they are like they lack the bright color they had before)
Gale is an amazing person. Trust.
These are actually your Followers/Companions in game, you can play as one of them but it's more fun as your companions.
i made my own, 2 of them really, though the second one is because i'm playing with a friend, we both chose Dragonborn, we started as a Fighter and Monk, me being the Fighter and him being the monk, though it changed to him being a warlock and me becoming the monk for a few reasons, we are little bit past the halfway point and gotten lucky in some cases, though i did forget to mention, i live in Canada and he lives in Romania, so there's a big time difference between us
Whether you give in to the Dark Urge or not is entirely up to you. I myself have made numerous runs through the game with the Dark Urge, simply because in my opinion, of all the Origin Chars, he/she/they have the most interesting story (the char doesn't have to look like this, you can almost completely customise him, except for the background of course). Some of the things happening when you play as them just makes me tingle. Especially since I feel this character to somehow be kind of "freer" than the rest. 'Sides, automatically kicking squirrels to nirvana is fun