Origins | Baldurs Gate 3 Wiki

Baldur's Gate 3 Origins (Beginner Guide)

BG3 Origin Selection Helpful Notes

• If you did not select an origin, that character may become your companion in later games.
• Only the custom origin is available during the early access of Baldur's Gate 3.
• See Races and Classes for details on other aspects of Character Creation
• Choose between a unique character with no backstory or a character with a predefined Origin.
• Origins have their own stories and impacts on gameplay.
• Some choices might involve dealing with unique character traits or conditions 

Astarion

Astarion prowled the night as a vampire spawn for centuries, serving a sadistic master until he was snatched away. Now he can walk in the light, but can he leave his wicked past behind?

Lae'zel

Lae'zel is a consummate warrior, ferocious even by the standards of a githyanki creche. Faced with transforming into the very monster she has sworn to destroy, Lae'zel must prove herself worthy of rejoining her people.

Gale

Gale has one ambition: to become the greatest wizard Faerûn has ever known. Yet his thirst for magic led to disaster. A Netherese Destruction Orb beats in his chest, counting down to an explosion that can level a city.

Shadowheart

One of Shar's dark disciples, Shadowheart was sent on a suicide mission to steal an item of great power. While wrestling with her faith and strange, untamed magic, Shadowheart has enemies on all sides.

Wyll

Noble by birth, Wyll made his name as the heroic 'Blade of Frontiers'. He keeps his pact with a devil well-hidden, and is desperate to escape the hellish bargain - even if that means rescuing the seductive creature that made the deal.

Karlach

Fresh-escaped from Hell, Karlach is finally free of the archdevil Zariel - but not from the infernal engine Zariel planted in her chest. But even more premier in her mind? Exploring, finding like-minded travelers, falling in love (or lust)...

The Dark Urge

You remember nothing of your past besides that you walked a path paved with blood. As you venture on, you find yourself inescapably drawn towards unimaginable cruelties. Where do these thoughts come from?

What is the Dark Urge in Baldur's Gate 3?

During the Panel from Hell showcase, it was revealed that The Dark Urge is the additional origin character that players can select in the Character Creation section of the game. Unlike other Origin Characters, The Dark Urge is a fully customizable Origin avatar where players can play as whichever Race, Class, appearance, gender and overall build that they would like while maintaining the origin story of The Dark Urge. The Dark Urge origin is also not associated with any Companions in Baldur's Gate 3.

Customized "The Dark Urge" avatar selected by chat during the Panel of Hell showcase.

The Dark Urge is quite unique in Baldur's Gate 3 since the sequences and interactions that are featured are unexpected and it challenges your perception of how to tackle different situations. As you choose to play the origin of The Dark Urge its history is unknown but you awaken to be someone who has dark thoughts that plague your mind and ultimately push you to commit atrocious acts throughout the journey. The choice is completely yours — will you fight what is twisting your mind to be good or will you succumb to madness and wreak chaos?

Can I Recruit the Dark Urge in BG3?

The Origin character of "The Dark Urge" cannot be recruited as a Companion. It is exclusively selected during the Character Creation section of Baldur's Gate 3 where players customize the origin avatar and experience the path of The Dark Urge. Players can change their class and race to whatever they want.

Are there Other Dark Urge Characters?

Yes, you can run into a character in the game that is The Dark Urge where you can interact with but as mentioned, this NPC that you'll eventually bump into cannot be recruited as a Companion.

What is the Gameplay of the Dark Urge?

Upon starting your journey with the origin of The Dark Urge, the story will include a sinister voice of a narrator that speaks of the different impulses that are going on in your character's mind. This unique feature alone changes the many ways of interactions, as well as cutscenes that you haven't seen and dialogues for you to choose from, exclusive items, and at length, its origin story that unfolds. As The Dark Urge, we highly recommend that players enjoy every cutscene and dialogue there is available to it.

Can I Resist Evil Choices as The Dark Urge?

Yes, the choice is completely yours if you play the origin of The Dark Urge. Unlike any other characters or even the player's customized avatar, the Dark Urge will have its own unique cutscenes and dialogue options for different scenarios, and whatever you choose will result in different outcomes. One example that was featured during the Panel from Hell showcase was: during the exploration of a crash site with Shadowheart, the player starts to loot the bodies of goblins and a cutscene triggers where the Narrator reminds you of how the sight of blood and violence gives you pleasure. You then choose if you try to push the smile away, to let that grin fall across your face, or with enough Intelligence, you try to remember the last time you stood above a corpse.

Another example is when Gale reaches his hand out from a portal and asks for help, you are given unique choices such as fantasizing about cutting off the hand, and by doing so, your urges have led you to hacking off his hand. With this, you acquire Gale's severed hand which is a new branching point of interaction and scenarios that are unique and exclusive to The Dark Urge origin. As you dive into its origin, you'll learn what causes these twisted thoughts and experience the dark counterpoint of the game's main storyline.

The Benefit of Playing as The Dark Urge in BG3

The Dark Urge opens up with unique additional cutscenes, interactions, dialogues, and results to the actions that you choose. And with The Dark Urge, you'll be thrown with evil thoughts and sinister actions that question your judgment or simply if you want to explore your darkest thoughts. Some people may find this unappealing since they prefer to project their personality and beliefs towards the character they've created but if you do play as The Dark Urge, it is possible to use these ominous actions to your advantage.

The possibilities are endless here with the different situations and interactions you'll encounter. If you find yourself in a difficult scene, who knows, the urges and thoughts of "The Dark Urge" can save you and your team or even turn the tides in your favor or if a terrible NPC is being difficult to deal with, you have the option to be bad in return. If you are choosing this origin, it's best to analyze the different affairs and weigh the consequences that can occur.