Summary
- Origin characters offer a range of personalities, making them appealing to different players, but custom characters are a safer option.
- It’s better to replay Baldur’s Gate 3 with an Origin character after experiencing them as a party member, to fully explore their interactions and roleplay them effectively.
- Because of this, choosing a favorite Origin character in Baldur’s Gate 3 might not be the best choice, as playing as them sacrifices their dialogue and personality.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has a strong assortment of great Origin characters that can be chosen as the playable protagonist, but picking a favorite in order to spend as much time with the character as possible might actually be a mistake. The game offers the choice between selecting from the Origin characters and creating a custom character like in tabletop Dungeons & Dragons, both of which can be viable options. If the personality of one Origin character is especially appealing, however, deciding not to choose them can be the best move after all.
The best part of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Origin characters is that they offer a little something for everyone. From the upbeat Karlach to the darkly devout Shadowheart, developer Larian Studios packs a wide range of personalities into the potential party members, uniting disparate types through the common goal of dealing with mind flayer parasites. There might be a lack of any irredeemably evil Origin characters in Baldur’s Gate 3, but there are enough dark possibilities to likely please anyone interested in the grimmer side of roleplaying.
One Thing Prevents A Truly Evil Playthrough In Baldur’s Gate 3
There’s no need to be the good guy in Baldur’s Gate 3, but taking the opposite direction does tend to run into one particular limitation.
Playing A BG3 Character Sacrifices Their Dialogue
Stepping into the shoes of a Baldur’s Gate 3 Origin character comes with one very big sacrifice, as the aspects of their personality that come to the forefront as party members get sidelined in favor of the player’s involvement. This doesn’t mean that they have to lose their identity – it’s very possible to roleplay Origin characters in a way that remains loyal to their innate tendencies – but the bulk of their standard voice acting and dialogue is eliminated. For instance, if clips of Astarion making snarky quips were a major reason to pick up Baldur’s Gate 3, selecting him as the protagonist is the one surefire ticket to minimize exposure to more.
Origin Characters Are Better For Replaying BG3
The best way to enjoy a campaign as a beloved Origin character is after completing one with them as a party member. This method makes it possible to uncover the majority of their interesting interactions first, although the nature of decision-making means that no single playthrough will include everything. It also makes it easier to step into the shoes of the character and roleplay them in a way that best suits their motivations, minimizing the dissonance that can occur when playing an Origin character without understanding them in depth.
There’s ultimately no wrong way to play Baldur’s Gate 3, so there’s no shame in starting up a first campaign as an Origin character that seems appealing. All the same, it’s best to be aware of what exactly will be sacrificed by following this method, as getting deep into a campaign before realizing that a character might be more interesting as one of the many companions in camp can be frustrating. Making the right decisions at the start of a Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign can be overwhelming, but when in doubt, a custom character is often the safest bet.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
