Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 2 spoilers ahead.
Summary
MajorBaldur’s Gate 3villain Ketheric Thorm was once a playable companion, Larian Studios said. This revelation was offered as part of a wider overview of some of the sacrifices that the developer had to make in order to shipBaldur’s Gate 3on time.
The second act ofBaldur’s Gate 3largely revolves around defeating the Thorm familyand learning more about it in the process. Ketheric is the scariest of that bunch, having turned into an immortal monster plaguing the Shadow-Cursed Lands whom the player has to deal with in order to progress to the final act of the acclaimed RPG.
Ketheric Thorm Was Meant to Be Recruitable in Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 2
But the seemingly unkillable villain wasn’t always meant to perish at the end of Act 2, at least not in every possible permutation of the game’s story. The developers had instead originally planned to make him an optional companion. That’s according to Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, who said as much toIGNduring his recent appearance at Game Developers Conference 2024. Elaborating on that point, the executive revealed the developer initially wanted to make the villain recruitable for anyone who manages to pass thedifficult Persuasion check to “spare” Ketheric Thorm inBaldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Cut ‘an Entire Roster of Companions,’ and More
“You can see that a moment where [sic] he breaks, that moment led to recruitment normally,” Vincke recalled. But the studio eventually had to cut that possibility out of the game to ship it without delays, the executive explained. Ketheric Thorm was far from the onlyBaldur’s Gate 3character who was once meant to be playable. On the contrary, Larian Studios had “an entire roster of companions that didn’t make the cut,” Vincke said, noting that Thorm was simply his favorite one. The official also revealed that many locations ended up getting cut from the game as well, because they were too small to truly reward exploration. Those abandoned areas include the Candlekeep, Vlaakith’s palace, the Gith Astral Plane, and even Hell.
You can see that a moment where [Ketheric Thorm] breaks, that moment led to recruitment normally.
If players were indeed able to convince Ketheric Thorm to join their cause, that likely would have made theBaldur’s Gate 3Act 2 boss fightplay out much differently. Doing so would presumably resulted in him assisting in the second phase of the encounter, which many fans found to be fairly challenging. Passing his final Persuasion check is still the path of least resistance, as it skips the Thorm encounter by having him chuck himself into the nearby pit, allowing players to save their precious resources for the Apostle of Myrkul.
The chances of the developer revisiting the idea of making Ketheric Thorm playable appear to be non-existent. During his GDC talk, Vinckesaid that Larian is moving on fromBaldur’s Gate 3and won’t be developing any additional content for its hit RPG, nor does it plan to be involved in a potential sequel.
Baldur’s Gate 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCEChoose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPICForged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian’s next-generation RPG engine.
