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The Dark Urge<\/b><\/p>\n

Over the past three weeks, Larian has left a breadcrumb trail of clues leading to the reveal of their final playable Origin character in the community-driven murder mystery Blood in Baldur\u2019s Gate. While the community was ultimately murdered themselves, their last waking moments revealed their brutal killer and his mysterious companion: their murderer is the final playable Origin hero Dark Urge, by default an imposing dragonborn with alabaster skin with eyes that glare with the piercing gaze of a predator.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike Baldur\u2019s Gate III\u2018s other playable protagonists (Origins), the Dark Urge is a fully customizable character. Their class, appearance, species and gender are completely up to you\u2014after all, evil can reside within anyone, irrespective of how they appear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stepping into the role of the Dark Urge, you\u2019ll begin Baldur\u2019s Gate III with your memory lost after an unfortunate encounter between a parasitic tadpole and your brain. Now all that\u2019s left is an insatiable urge\u2014an urge that makes itself known in your subconscious, through your deepest thoughts and in your dialogue options.<\/span><\/p>\n

Followers of Blood in Baldur\u2019s Gate will already be familiar with the Dark Urge\u2019s simple but effective modus operandi: to murder brutally and indiscriminately. Driven to commit some of the most lurid acts of violence that you\u2019ll encounter in the game, to play as the Dark Urge means to either indulge your most depraved impulses or attempt to resist them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dark Urge is guided by Sceleritas Fel, voiced by Brian Bowles (narrator in Divinity: Original Sin II). Fel is a vile and loyal servant who lives only to see Dark Urge return to your rightful, bloodstained path. His words of encouragement are like a poison in your mind, fueling your impulses\u2014but it\u2019s a poison that tastes like honey, if you\u2019re so inclined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite your impulses as The Dark Urge, you are still a member of an adventuring party facing an arduous journey to Baldur\u2019s Gate. Your party, in spite of your urges, will do its best to be there for you. For those party members you grow closest to, you can still form relationships and romances\u2014but how they manifest compared to the others, however, is a tale only you can tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Orin the Red<\/b><\/p>\n

Following earlier reveals of Lord Enver Gortash (Jason Isaacs) and General Ketheric Thorm (J.K. Simmons) as two of Baldur\u2019s Gate III\u2018s central antagonists, today\u2019s stream sees the reveal of the third and final: Orin the Red (Maggie Robertson), a shapeshifting murderess with the goal of painting the city of Baldur\u2019s Gate in blood.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll meet Orin soon enough, but how and when will be up to her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Character Creation<\/b><\/p>\n

Character identity is at the center of Baldur\u2019s Gate III, and its character creator allows customization of everything from your protagonist\u2019s appearance to their stats and background\u2014whether your protagonist be hero, villain, or Ed Sharran, a simple bard travelling the roads of Faerun with his trusty lute and a barely-concealed inner darkness that gnaws and festers, demanding release\u2014the character creator provides a lot of room for expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

At launch, players will get to experiment with even more ways to create diverse, personalized characters:<\/span><\/p>\n

New skin options like freckles, vitiligo, scars<\/span><\/p>\n

New tattoo designs<\/span><\/p>\n

Heterochromia<\/span><\/p>\n

Lip makeup customization<\/span><\/p>\n

Accessories like earrings and piercings<\/span><\/p>\n

Horn color customization for Tieflings<\/span><\/p>\n

Adventurers need not be slim or youthful\u2014the addition of an age slider will allow you to create an older protagonist, and strong body types allow for larger body sizes across all genders.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Romance<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cHave you ever considered the joys and pleasures of sexual congress with a wildshaped Druid?\u201d says Adam Smith, lead writer, \u201cBecause at Larian, we have, and ultimately landed on the side of giving the people what they want: tender, consensual romance with a man temporarily transformed into a grizzly bear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Baldur\u2019s Gate III offers ample opportunities for romance with the characters you\u2019ll grow closest with, and no two relationships follow the same formula. Emotional intimacy with one party member may slowly bud into mutual physical desire with one party member, while a relationship that begins with a night of post-Goblin-slaughtering passion could also blossom into something vulnerable and sweet, given proper care.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Panel From Hell introduces players to a few romantic potentialities, but there\u2019s no shortage of relationships to explore and allies to smooch when Baldur\u2019s Gate III releases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Catch the Show<\/b><\/p>\n

Through doomed LARPs, exploding bards and an incinerated Geoff Keighley, telling the world about Baldur\u2019s Gate III via the medium of Panel From Hell has been quite a ride. For all we\u2019ve covered here and much more, don\u2019t miss the final Panel From Hell: Release Showcase\u2014catch the video on demand here.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n