Summary
Every time a player boots upBaldur’s Gate 3, they are greeted with artwork depicting several of the game’s key companions. While this image features major party members who can be acquired early into Act 1, it alsostrangely leaves out one of the game’s most important supporting cast members, Karlach. Meanwhile, aminor character like Mizora, whose story is interwoven with Karlach’s, is fairly prominent, standing just behind the game’s signature warlock, Wyll.
Karlach is typically introduced just after meeting Wyll, but she remains relevant throughout the game. The fiery barbarian is often a source of humor but also has one of themost tragic stories in the game. Because of this, it is no wonder that her absence was noticed, withmany wondering where the companion is and why they aren’t featured on the artwork for the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Everyone That Can Join The Camp
In Baldur’s Gate 3, 25 characters can join your Camp, allowing you to share meals, stories and moments with your companions throughout the story.
Karlach’s Appearance Would be a Spoiler
Players Meet Karlach Slightly Later In Act 1
Baldur’s Gate 3is a largely narrative-driven game, and because of this, it can be preferable to go into the game blind on the first playthrough. This makes it possible that one reason for Karlach’s absence is to avoid spoilers, as most fans will beintroduced to the tiefling as an antagonist to Wyll, whom players are likely to meet first. If it was widely known that Karlach was a playable character, players may be more inclined to trust her at their first meeting.
The 10 Best Karlach Quotes In Baldur’s Gate 3, Ranked
Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3’s extensive runtime, Karlach wins the hearts of players with her emotional story which is propped up by excellent dialogue.
While this sounds plausible at first, it has a major issue that makes it unlikely. Thebiggest problem is that Karlach is front and center on the physical discof the game, which was released in early 2024. The PS5 version shows her alone on the disc, and the Xbox Series X version shows her next to another missing origin character, the Dark Urge. It could be argued that the only spoiler to be gleaned from this is that Karlach is in the game, but that would still be more of a spoiler than leaving her off all the artwork.
Dark Urge is often depicted as a dragonborn by default but can actually be customized to have any appearance.
Karlach’s Role Changed During Development
Karlach Plays A Bigger Role In The Final Release
Baldur’s Gate 3first became playable as an early-access title in October 2020. While this version greatly resembled the full version, which launched in August 2023, it had its differences, especially with its characters.Karlach’s role in early access was much more trimmed down, with a story more comparable in scope to other minor companions. This suggests that Karlach’s importance was minimal at first but grew as development continued.
Between the two theories, it is much more likely that Karlach’s absence from the game’s signature artwork isnot a design oversight but a result of changes during development. It is possible that she has also been removed to avoid spoilers, but this is challenged by Karlach’s appearance on the physical copies of the game. The artwork is likely from an earlier version ofBaldur’s Gate 3, which would have been incredibly different without Karlach’s presence.
