Summary
One ofBaldur’s Gate 3biggest draws is the large roster of interesting companions players can recruit and grow a strong bond in numerous directions. Each of them has an interesting backstory that informs the type of person they are in the present, and getting to become close to these flawed individuals is often a draw to RPGs whose choices are greatly informed by player agency. SinceBaldur’s Gate 3had been in Early Access for years, developer Larian Studios has had a lot of time to account for player feedback when polishing the final game. This includes some story changes intended to improve weaker story elements, namely with the companion Wyll.
Wyll’s concept as aWarlock trapped in a pact with a Fiendagainst his will sounds incredibly interesting, but he failed to stand out among the cast with some breakouts including Asterion and Shadowheart. In response to this feedback, a decision was made to rework Wyll from his Early Access version so that he can have as much of a spotlight as any other party member.
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How Wyll Differs from Baldur’s Gate 3’s Early Access
In Larian Studios' Panel From Hell presentation meant to display many new features inBaldur’s Gate 3, it was announced thatWyll was extensively rewritten. The reasoning given by lead writer Adam Smith is that while Wyll has a compelling story to be told, the studio was not satisfied with how it was being told. This notably includes more complicated emotions and ties to another potential companion players can recruit.
This companion is the Barbarian TieflingKarlach, whom players meet woundedand on the run from individuals claiming to be Paladins of Tyr. Her newfound connection with Wyll can be emotionally described as shaky at best considering he wants her dead at the start of the campaign. As he is one of the game’s origin characters, his quest will see him kill her, and the only way to get him down a different path is to be a third party that can interject.
Just as Shadowheart and Lae’zel don’t start on the best terms because of the latter’s Githyanki heritage, there will be a new layer of tension given the group dynamic assuming both of them are recruited. Even if Wyll is convinced not to kill Karlach, their history will likely not have them be on the best terms for much of the game. This is not to say that they can’t become close, as Smith clarified that the pair can grow into good friends.
This is a great idea to add further complexity to Wyll’s character, as he spends much of the Early Access version as a straightforward hero who develops a violent side regarding his patron or goblins. According to the panel, depending on whether players allow him to go through with killing Karlach, he will become a radically different companion instead of if she is recruited. This could imply that one path could take Wyll down on one of healing where he can mend some of his past wounds or another to give in more to his violent side as a way to get things done quickly. It also makes him unique as a character whose variables are not simplybased on the type of Warlockhe becomes.
His mention at the presentation focused on his ties to Karlach, but there are other departments his character was probably better fleshed out on, namely with his background as a noble before his village was razed, since there is also room for some more compelling conversations about the person he could have been without that tragic incident. GivenBaldur’s Gate 3’s 174 hours worth of cutscenes, no doubt some will have Wyll finally live up to his full potential.
Baldur’s Gate 3is out now on PC and will come out on September 6 for PS5.
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