I’m about to dive into Baldur’s Gate 3 again after taking a break to let the game get some updates. I put in over a hundred hours when it first released, and I loved it! This time, I’m planning to do a Dark Urge playthrough. I don’t want to be evil just for the heck of it, but I’m definitely going to be self-serving and prioritize what benefits my character. I heard that one of the first choices might be to kill a character, and that some actions will happen without my control, while I’ll have the liberty to choose at other points.
What I’m curious about is whether I should fully embrace the Dark Urge and take every chance to give into it, regardless of the consequences. Is there a progression system or any kind of counter that tracks how often I indulge in my Dark Urge? For instance, if I choose to bite off Gale’s hand early on, will that impact my playthrough in a meaningful way?
3 Answers
While playing as the Dark Urge, you still get full control at most moments. In Act 1, there are a few key moments when the Urge takes over without your say, but for the rest, you still have a chance to make choices, even if you need a good dice roll. If it’s your first time, it’s super interesting to see how companions react to your choices. For the first mentioned scenario, you’ll find it fits into a morally grey story that provides options in Act 3, although it’s not exactly a shortcut. I prefer starting morally grey and either going anti-hero or pursuing a redemption arc—with Astarion being a great companion for that.
The whole ‘hand thing’ you mentioned gives you another option for dealing with a situation in Act 3 if you keep Gale’s hand. As for the Dark Urges, they don’t keep track of your evil meter. Larian wants you to roleplay your character and make choices that reflect your playthrough style, so you don’t have to give in every time.
I’m not aiming to min/max but want to stick to a selfish/evil mercenary style. It seems fitting with the crew I’ll have. I think I’ll embrace the Dark Urge plenty, especially since Durge is naturally a sorcerer, so that choice aligns well.
Half the fun is finding all this out! Yes, giving in to the Dark Urge can lead to losing companions you might have kept otherwise. Don’t fret too much, though—if you don’t like what happens, you can always reload your save!
I think I’ll go along with most urges too, but there’s a squirrel I just can’t bring myself to kick, even if I can!
I’m planning on running a Dark Urge sorcerer, paired with a Shadowheart death cleric and maybe Astarion. Haven’t decided on the last yet. I’m not too keen on some characters, so this playthrough might be a mix of Lawful Neutral and Neutral Evil.