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Baldur’s Gate 3 lets you choose from several origins. These are essentially characters with their own stories to tell. For instance, you can pick a custom character, a blank slate if you will. Alternatively, you can play a campaign as one of the unique companions. And, of course, there’s the Dark Urge, someone who’s guided by a malevolent entity. Our guide discusses what you can expect if you choose the Dark Urge origin in Baldur’s Gate 3. Likewise, please be reminded that this guide contains spoilers.
Table of Contents [hide]Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Origin GuideAlfira the Bard and Your First Meeting With Scleritas FelMiscellaneous Murders: Dark Urge EventsImportant Decision: Isobel and Last Light InnImportant Decision: Your LoverFailure: You Lost Control of the Dark UrgeSuccess: You Managed to Control the Dark Urge TemporarilyRewards: Deathstalker Mantle and Slayer FormSpoilers: Act 3 – The True Nature of the Dark UrgeA Tribunal and a BattleAccept or Reject a Blessing
Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge Origin Guide
Our Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge guide discusses several facets that will come up as you progress further in the campaign. Basically, the Dark Urge has a murderous past shrouded in blood, violence, and gore. It’s quite unlike regular playthroughs: there’s going the evil path, and there’s the really evil-to-the-point-of-being-disturbing path.
Yes, there will be lots of deaths along the way, most of which involve your companions. Also, the Dark Urge is locked to a single background called The Haunted One. You can learn more about it, as well as how it gains Inspirations, in our Haunted One guide.
Alfira the Bard and Your First Meeting With Scleritas Fel
A Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge character tends to have a sinister look whenever certain dialogue options appear, mostly those with a sadistic theme. At first, you won’t think much of it, until one random event that happens as you’re about to sleep in your camp. There, a Tiefling bard by the name of Alfira will ask to spend the night. Let her do so and, once you wake up, you’ll realize that she’s been violently ripped apart. You can choose to hide the body, wash the blood away, or admit your wrongdoing to your companions.
Soon thereafter, your “butler,” Scleritas Fel, will also pop up just as you’re about to sleep. He tells you that he’s been awaiting your return, though you can’t seem to remember anything. This begins the Dark Urge adventure proper, which is filled with unique dialogue options and events. You don’t need to go through with every infamous deed. In fact, part of your journey is trying to hold back your murderous intentions.
Miscellaneous Murders: Dark Urge Events
Below are some examples of key events where you could kill someone as a Dark Urge player in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gale – When Gale first appears, you need to drag him through a portal. Dark Urge players can imagine chopping off the arm, which actually happens. Guess that means we won’t be seeing Gale anytime soon.Nettie’s bird – In the Druid Grove, you can choose to torture the bird that Nettie is curing.Minthara – If you followed an arc that lets you romance Minthara, you can snap her neck after your character sleeps with her.Pixie – When you find a Moonlantern to keep yourself protected in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, you’ll realize that there’s a pixie trapped inside. You can decide to crush her after she’s freed.
Important Decision: Isobel and Last Light Inn
An important decision has to be made during Act 2. There, Scleritas Fel informs you that you have another target: Isobel the Cleric. She has a ward that protects Last Light Inn, the headquarters of the Harpers. You can choose to murder her due to your mission, or you can avoid doing that entirely.
If you kill her, the barrier that wards off the curse will disappear. Multiple NPCs will die or transform into corrupted husks, preventing you from completing certain tasks:
Dammon the Blacksmith will no longer be able to fix Karlach’s Infernal Engine.The sleeping soldier will get killed, which might prevent you from fully recruiting and romancing Halsin.If Jaheira discovers that you murdered Isobel, she’ll be distraught. After defeating all the husks, she’ll attack and you’ll have no choice but to kill her. Naturally, you won’t be able to recruit Jaheira.
As an aside, these incidents can also occur later once you’ve met the Nightsong. If you allow Shadowheart to kill her, the curse will seep through the inn, and not even Isobel can stop it. Jaheira dies off-screen because of this.
Important Decision: Your Lover
The Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge origin has another key event that happens, assuming you kept Isobel alive. This time, it involves your lover (i.e. the one that you’re actively romancing, such as Karlach or Shadowheart).
Scleritas Fel says that the moment you sleep, you’ll lose control and you’ll kill your lover. You obviously don’t want that to happen, which means you need to wake up your partner. However, if you do that, the Dark Urge attempts to take over, and you need to pass several checks. There are two possible outcomes.
Failure: You Lost Control of the Dark Urge
This occurs if you fail the first saving throw (Wisdom 14).Your character will brutally kill their partner, and they can cry over their corpse.The next day, your companions will notice what you’ve done, and they’ll question how many more have to die. You can try a Deception 30 check, but you’ll likely fail.This leads to a battle against all the companions that are in your camp. Your character will probably get killed because of this (especially once Lae’zel and Karlach start bashing you). That’s a game over, so make sure you successfully pass that saving throw.
Success: You Managed to Control the Dark Urge Temporarily
If you pass the first saving throw, your character will wake up with their hands tied behind their back.Your lover promises to help you, and you’ll have to pass three more saving throws (Wisdom 18). You do gain a bonus because your partner believes in you.This ends the major incidents for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge, at least for this chapter.
Rewards: Deathstalker Mantle and Slayer Form
Being a Dark Urge player does have its benefits. Here are two examples:
Cloak: The Deathstalker Mantle – We received this during Act 1, though we’re not sure about the specific trigger. It might have something to do with the attack on the Druid Grove due to how many enemies ended up dead. The cloak has a perk called The Shadow Itself, which makes you invisible for two turns after you kill an enemy.Transformation: Slayer – We obtained this one after the Isobel/Last Light Inn task. It can also occur if you don’t kill Isobel, but you let Shadowheart kill Nightsong. With this, you can turn into a horrifying mutant creature, which has multi-hit attacks with its claws, as well as pincers that can cause the bleeding status.
Spoilers: Act 3 – The True Nature of the Dark Urge
We’re delving deeper into additional spoiler territory now, so read at your own risk. These events transpire during the game’s third act. Likewise, we’ve opted not to include any images to avoid spoiling the fun.
Early in Act 3, you’ll have a dream sequence if you successfully resisted the Dark Urge. It’s what we did during the campaign, since we did not kill Isobel, and we passed the saving throws to prevent us from murdering our lover.
Scleritas Fel will chide you for your folly, and it’s revealed that the Dark Urge player is actually a Bhaalspawn. You can still embrace your true nature, if you wish, or continue to resist it. Either way, this sets you up for a clash with your next foe: Orin the Red who, like you, is another Bhaalspawn.
After this dream sequence, Jaheira, if she’s alive and recruited to your party, will learn of your secret. You can convince her that you’re trying your best to fight the temptations. Likewise, you can ask about her experiences with her Bhaalspawn friend, the player character from the previous games. This includes questions about whether her friend managed to live happily ever after, or if a butler ever visited their camp to tempt the old hero (which got a giggle out of us).
A Tribunal and a Battle
While exploring the Lower City, you’ll have to investigate various murders. Shortly thereafter, you’ll seek an audience with the Murder Tribunal, which is headed by Sarevok. Veterans will remember him as the villain from the first Baldur’s Gate game. Here are the options:
If Jaheira is with you, you can make her a sacrificial offering to be in Sarevok’s good graces. You then need to kill Valeria, the investigator of the murders. This will make you a Bhaal worshiper.You can trick Sarevok into thinking that Jaheira serves you, though you still need to kill Valeria.The final option is to slay Sarevok, either in the throne room or in the ritual chamber. This nets you some nifty rewards, and it also prevents you from killing innocents and companions. This was the arc that we chose for the continuation of our playthrough.
Later in the sewers/undercity, you have to face Orin the Red, one of the three “big bads” in the game. It’s revealed that the Baldur’s Gate 3 Dark Urge character is Bhaal’s Chosen. You were betrayed by Orin, and your position was usurped, which led to your capture by the Mindflayers at the start of the campaign. Your bout with Orin will be a one-on-one duel. If teammates try to interfere, over half a dozen cultists will join the fray.
Accept or Reject a Blessing
Once you’ve beaten Orin, you can rescue a teammate of yours that she captured earlier. Bhaal will then take control of Scleritas Fel. You’re also presented with another major dilemma:
Accept Bhaal’s blessing.Reject Bhaal completely.
If you accept Bhaal’s gift, you’ll receive Power Word: Kill and the Slayer Form (if you didn’t obtain it before). Unfortunately, assuming you’ve recruited Jaheira and Minsc, they will not like it, since they fought Bhaal’s forces in the past. They will ambush you just as you’re leaving the temple, and you have no choice but to eliminate them. Your other companions, including Orin’s intended victim, will not agree with your decision, but they’ll stay in your squad for now.
If you reject Bhaal’s gift, he will instantly kill your character. Thankfully, an entity steps in to rescue you–none other than Withers (the class respec skeleton). Now that you’ve faced true evil like the champions of yore, he’ll revive your character, giving you a chance to continue your adventure. The difference now is that you’re free of the Dark Urge within you. This is perhaps one of the best redemption arcs we’ve seen in a game, and one that you should experience in a playthrough.
These are what we know of the Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 based on our playthrough. We’ll update our guide soon, so stay tuned.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled to the brim with activities and secrets. You’ll no doubt be part of an adventure that can take countless hours to complete. For other tips, you can visit our BG3 guides hub.
