Spoilers abound for Baldur’s Gate 3.
After more than 90 hours, my (first?!) play-through of Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally complete. I took my sweet time in the campfire epilogue which was recently added in December. It’s an absolutely lovely ending, and I can’t imagine finishing the game without it.
As I checked in with my companions, I was sad that I wouldn’t get to battle with Shadowheart again. I loved when she cast Spirit Guardians and sprinted around the battlefield wiping out enemies. I already missed the confidence of knowing I could count on Wyll’s Charisma-enhanced Eldritch Blasts to come through in a pinch. I felt like I was just getting to know Minsc and Boo, and there was never enough time with Karlach.
But then, like any gamer in the modern age, I thought, what about DLC?
While Larian has not committed to any DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3 as of January 2024, the epilogue is filled with possibilities that inspired me. Here are a few ways I think Larian Studios could go.
Possible Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC and Expansions
1. DLC Could Help Players Heal Karlach’s Heart
Karlach’s journey throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 is an emotional one. She’s a companion that, from the get-go, you have the option to kill before even bringing her into the fold. Her backstory is heartbreaking—as a child, she was traded into slavery with Zariel, an Arch Devil. Then, Zariel replaced her heart with an infernal engine so she could be a super-powered soldier. As a result, Karlach hasn’t been able to touch anyone or see the stars for a decade.
Along the journey, she learns the engine has a time limit—she must die on Earth or return to Avernus, the layer of Hell where Zariel rules. Despite all of this, Karlach keeps a good sense of humor and zest for life. She strives to make the world a better place, even if she’s not long for it. In Karlach’s final moments at the end of the pier, I began to cry.
But all hope is not lost. In one of the patched endings, if players made certain choices throughout the game leading ultimately to Wyll becoming the Blade of Avernus, then Wyll offers to go to Hell with Karlach. He promises that she won’t be alone, that they’ll fight demons, and he won’t let Zariel touch her. The player can choose to go with them (I did!), unlocking a bad ass cut scene.
In the campfire epilogue, Karlach and/or Wyll reveal a) that they’ve been having a blast, and b) that one of the Cambions they fought had blueprints for a special forge. They believe there’s a possibility to fix Karlach’s engine-heart, and they’re confident they could go for it. This epilogue conversation is one of the clearest communications from Larian that a DLC could be around the corner to save a fan-favorite character.
I’d drop cash on that in a heartbeat. It’d be pretty sweet to charge through Hell with two of my best mates again.
2. Bring Down Vlaakith with Lae’zel
Another major story arc of Baldur’s Gate 3 is Lae’zel’s pursuit of the liberation of the Githyanki people. As time goes on, Lae’zel learns the truth about corruption and control in her culture. Originally on a self-serving journey for glory, Lae’zel goes through one of the most dramatic personal growth arcs in the story. By the end of the game, Lae’zel can swear to take down the evil lich queen, Vlaakith, who has built her kingdom on lies and consuming her most powerful allies.
Depending on player choices, in the final scenes of Baldur’s Gate 3, Lae’zel takes off on a Red Dragon to embark on freeing her people from the leader she used to blindly worship. It’s a hero’s journey that Lae’zel has always wanted, even if it doesn’t look the way she once imagined it.
In the campfire epilogue, Lae’zel attends via an Astral Projection. She has been on diplomatic missions, inspired by the player-character’s pursuit of alliances. She shares to the player that she is close to being ready for the final assault on Vlaakith.
While this might be one of the more technically complicated DLCs to make, taking down Vlaakith with Lae’zel would be epic. The stakes are high! The set-pieces are grand! And wouldn’t it be sick if a player-character (and not just those of Gith descent) could ride a dragon?! Perhaps bringing down Vlaakith would be The Big One of Larian’s DLCs for Baldur’s Gate 3, the epic of all epics, the final mission.
3. Help Minsc and Boo Turn the Thieves’ Guild into a Protectors’ Lodge
Somebody was having a great time writing Barbarian-turned-Ranger Minsc and his “space hamster,” Boo. Minsc provides the majority of the comic relief in the game, even though he only appears halfway through Act 3. He’s a joy to be around.
Depending on player choices, by the end of the game, Minsc can pledge to reform the Thieves’ Guild into a Protectors’ Lodge inspired by his homeland. In the epilogue, he’ll show up at the private party with a petty thief he’s just spent two hours dangling off the High Hall. Minsc shares how, inspired by the player-character, that he is now on a mission to pep talk all baddies—small and large—to be better. Nervously, the petty thief chirps that he’s definitely going to change.
A Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC that lets players run around the city with Minsc and Boo could be silly, good-hearted fun. He’s got great chemistry with the sassy Jaheira and the sharp-tongued Nine-Fingers Keene. Perhaps we could get answers about what Boo’s whole deal is. The map of Baldur’s Gate is already made, and if you throw in some of the alcoholic flying elephant celestial Inspector Valeria, there could be hours of entertainment ripe for the making.
4. Citadel-Style Shenanigans in Baldur’s Gate
In the style of Mass Effect 3’s beloved Citadel expansion, Baldur’s Gate 3 could invite players back for a variety pack of shenanigans while rebuilding the city. I was frequently astounded and delighted by the level of detail in Act 3. The city is massive, and full of twists and turns, and is already filled with characters that could provide fodder for more content, such as:
- Zombies and Hag Survivors! Two of my favorite, heartwarming side quests were creating safe spaces and community for the city’s undead and escapees from the hag, Ethel. There’s plenty more that could be done with both of these groups.
- The Circus — I could’ve spent another few hours here, easily! So many funny characters here.
- The Strange Ox — perhaps players could help him continue to assimilate?
- Alfira’s Bard School — what if players had to watch the equivalent of a middle school play and pass Charisma/Deception checks to smile along and pretend it’s not awful?
- Join Astarion on some Assassin’s Creed style murders
- Fans have wanted to see the Upper City
- What about a date night for you and your beloved at the Elfsong Tavern?
5. Rescue Minor Gods with Withers and Arabella
Eagle-eyed players will notice there’s a bard playing atop a podium in the campfire epilogue. If they talk to him and pass Deception or History/Religion checks, they’ll discover that he’s not just any bard but Lord Milil, God of Song, who Withers has rescued.
After the credits roll, Withers lectures a mural of Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal, scolding them for not thinking that other Gods would noticed their misdeeds. From the get-go, Withers has been a mysterious and cryptic skeleton man with incredible powers, able to bring characters back from the dead. These conversations give more hints to Withers identity, whether he is a god in his own right or perhaps is a modulator of a balanced world state (“Fate spins along as it should”).
He does seem, however, invested in Good Over Evil, and this can be seen in his gentle nurturing of the tiefling orphan, Arabella. In the epilogue, players can find (if they saved, recruited, and supported Arabella’s journey), a letter from her. She shares that she is continuing to learn the ways of the Weave and that Withers is guiding her. This unlikely duo were one of my favorite pairings in the game.
A DLC where we spend more time with Withers and Arabella could provide both great combat and great storytelling, especially if we can rescue other minor gods from painful fates.
Will Baldur’s Gate 3 have DLC?
There’s no word from Larian saying that there will be, but there’s also no word saying that there definitely won’t be. And given Baldur’s Gate 3‘s massive success and the range of content they could do (including the five they’ve already laid the ground work for above!), it seems like a perfect opportunity to give players more of their beloved world and characters.
What DLC would you love to see for Baldur’s Gate 3? Perhaps a return to the House of Hope, or seeing the Shadowlands restored? Let me know in the comments!
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Update: March 22, 2024 — RIP the idea of DLC or Baldur’s Gate 4! A few days after we pushed our Baldur’s Gate 3 spoilercast podcast episode live, the leads of Larian shared at Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 that they do not plan to make any DLC or make a sequel. You can read more about that news in this piece at Polygon.
