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Here's Why the Evil Path in Baldur's Gate 3 Is Not as Satisfying as You Might Wish

A former Dragon Age Narrative Designer shared that making an evil path is harder to create "than it might at first appear".

Image credit: Larian, Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 has sparked a discussion among gamers about the portrayal of the path of evil in games. Larian, the developer of Baldur's Gate 3, which in December won the game of the year award at TGA, claimed to have addressed this issue. However, player complaints after the game's release showed that the evil arc was nearly non-existent, "half-baked and completely unfinished" as one user wrote on Reddit. As a result, many players just stopped trying to choose the evil path, assuming that the main content would primarily cater to the side of good.

Recently, the former Dragon Age Narrative Designer and Writer, David Gaider, took to Twitter to join the discussion. Gaider wrote that difficulties with creating a satisfying evil side were frequently discussed among his colleagues in the industry. The main challenge often stems from the inability to accurately predict the player's intentions.

Gaider talked about the need to flag "any 'evil path' conversation option" and added that it might look awkward. Well, since the writers deem this decision unsuccessful, they are compelled to incorporate evil actions that have immediate and visible consequences. However, the issue lies in the scarcity of such scenarios.

Gaider highlighted that addressing this problem goes beyond simply improving dialogue options, as players suggest. It requires a comprehensive adaptation of the entire game, which may result in significant changes that could even make the authors question their own willingness to continue working on it.

If you want to read more of Gaider's thoughts on the evil path, you can check out his Twitter. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on InstagramTwitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.

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