Spoilers for The Dark Urge origin in Baldur’s Gate 3 ahead.
Playing as The Dark Urge just got even more terrifying, as the latest Baldur’s Gate 3 patch adds a new bad ending exclusive to the origin. Now, failing to free yourself from the urge will give you what might be the worst ending in the game, and certainly the most uncomfortable one to experience as a player.
If Bhaal sentences you to a lifetime of madness, this will now be expanded upon in the new epilogue, although it will be far from the merry get-together that most other players enjoy. Instead, your wretched Bhaalspawn will stagger over to the party uninvited, treating the player to one of the most disgusting exchanges in the entire game. Then, as your former companions go to sleep, you make your way into camp to kill them all, before the screen mercifully cuts to the credits.
That sounds awful enough, but I’m really not selling it well. Please, just watch this clip of the ending for yourself. It’s somehow even worse than it sounds.
Oh, and here’s a video that includes some of the lovely dialogue options you have in this scene. Yes, one of them is just “piss yourself”, and the act is narrated.
There’s a lot to unpack here. For starters, the writing is fantastic, creating something so unsettling that I can’t put my reaction into words. Whether it’s your brain being described as a “treacle pulp”, or Amelia Tyler’s delivery of the line, “you scream, for you cannot speak”, everything about this is designed to disgust you. And it works. I think Larian has made it very clear that being Bhaalspawn really, really sucks.
Oh, even if we put the filth aside, there’s a lot of angst here. Your character can’t remember the camp – a place of joy for so many players – or their feelings towards the companions that are gathered there. In fact, if you try to force your character to feel love for your old partner, it doesn’t work, with the narration telling you that you feel sick at the very thought of it. Everything you put into your character is gone, leaving only a sack of flesh directed to do Bhaal’s bidding, which in this case, is stated to be siring children to kill one another, and killing your old comrades.
If you’re on a Dark Urge run, don’t worry, this ending is very avoidable. If you successfully resist your urge, you’ll be fine. Just don’t try to become Bhaal’s chosen, only to either lose the duel with Orin or refuse to hand over the Netherbrain to your evil father. It will not end well. Or, if you want to feel nothing but disgust and despair, go for it. More power to you.
Also don’t fear if you’re not playing as The Dark Urge, no one else can get this ending. In fact, other players will probably get a very fan-service-y send-off – and one that’s definitely teasing a sequel of some kind.
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