Baldur’s Gate 3 Guide: Everything you need to know about The Dark Urge
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a little under a month away (for PC gamers, anyway), and RPG fans are chomping at the bit to dive face-first into the Dungeons and Dragons setting of Faerun, lovingly crafted by Larian Studios. One of the features that has gamers most excited is companions, such as Astarion and Shadowheart – but is The Dark Urge considered a companion too?
Who is The Dark Urge?
Larian Studios revealed The Dark Urge during their last Panel From Hell live stream event. They are considered an Origin character, with a set background full of brutality and a spotty, inconsistent memory. Their character profile introduces them like so: “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?”
Players who watched Larian Studio’s Panel from Hell got to see the cruelties bubbling beneath this Origin character firsthand during a cutscene where you sliced Gale’s hand off despite him begging for help. The Dark Urge is also capable of giving into bloodlust even during rest, with there being an incidence where you can wake up and find a corpse next to you. Rock Paper Shotgun’s Jeremy Peel also described there being a near “dissociative quality” to the character, where things can happen (such as a squirrel being kicked to oblivion) without you knowing it, leaving you no choice at all but to react to the horror unraveling before your eyes.
Is The Dark Urge a companion?
You don’t have to travel alone in Baldur’s Gate 3. Along the way, you’ll meet a selection of fine (and not-so-fine) people who each have their own reason for joining you on your quest. Some of these companions are Origin Characters – aka, people who have their own set background and stories. The Dark Urge is considered one of these Origin Characters, but because they are different from characters such as Wyll, Gale, Shadowheart, Astarion, Karlach and Lae’zel, you won’t actually be able to recruit The Dark Urge.
Unlike the others mentioned above, The Dark Urge does not come with its own set personality and, in many ways, can be considered another custom character – but with a dark twist. If Tav — the name of the original custom character — is considered the goody-two-shoes hero, The Dark Urge should be considered their evil alter-ego… Vat. But not Vat, because they’re called The Dark Urge. You get it, right?
Can I customize The Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3?
While The Dark Urge is considered an Origin Character, they have quite a few differences from the other Origin characters – outside of not being a companion. One big difference is that you’re able to customize The Dark Urge from their race, their class, and even their appearance. That means even if the preset is a Dragonborn with absolutely terrifying eyes, you can design this raging murder-hobo to look however you want.
Outside of their appearance, you’re not exactly locked into being a terrible, evil character. As conveyed in the Panel From Hell, you can play as someone who either gives into these bloody urges, or tries your hardest to resist them. Whether you do or not is another question entirely.
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