Baldur's Gate 3: Missing Romance Elements & How Dragon Age: The Veilguard Might Support
Baldur's Gate 3 is mostly successful, although there are still some lacking elements that can make the game better. Baldur's Gate 3, one of 2023's top releases and a front-runner (and winner) of several of the year's awards ceremonies, stands out in its own genre as few other games in its particular archetype of Rpg ever have in widespread appeal. Other role-playing games, however, are demonstrating that there are several areas the biggest game of 2023 could need improvement on.
Though since the game's release Baldur's Gate 3 has received overwhelmingly excellent response, some elements of the game have nonetheless generated criticism. Most importantly, Baldur's Gate 3 is a famously buggy game, like many other games in its genre; while this is a problem that has gotten better over time with multiple patches targeted on addressing the most urgent problems. Updates to the game's real content were also incorporated via patches; a new epilogue helped to offset what some players felt to be a disappointing finish. Though support for BG3 is declining, the game might benefit from one extra element.
Drawing lessons from Dragon Age: the companion features of The Veilguard
In the run-up to another much awaited RPG, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it has been revealed that the companions of the game would be able to create romantic connections with each other as well as the player character—a capability Baldur's Gate 3 might also employ. Implementing this functionality would go a long way toward making the companions of BG3 feel more like their own characters, with their own lives and personalities apart from the player, and lead to better, more in-depth party dynamics - a major weak aspect of the game even after numerous patches.
Past BioWare games also show companions being able to create romantic relationships with each other; most famously with Garrus and Tali in Mass Effect and Dorian and Iron Bull in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Fairly, Baldur's Gate 3 already has elements of this; the narratives and personal searches of Karlach and Wyll are somewhat entwined, and if they travel to Avernus together without the player character having Romanced either of them, they will at least have the implication of a romantic relationship in the epilogy. Even still, the great majority of interactions in Baldur's Gate 3 center on their relationship with the player character above all else, hence even ignoring romantic elements, relationships and interactions amongst companion characters can be shockingly scarce and minimal.
The need of improved companion relationships in Baldur's Gate 3
The Companions of Baldur's Gate 3 have one really obvious flaw: they hardly communicate with one other at all. Unless one of them is the player character, Shadowheart and Lae'zel, who begin the game in antagonism with each other to the point where one must be spoken down from killing the other, don't really see a significant development in their relationship. Even when friends admit the personal goals of other friends, they nearly always speak with the player character, or else in brief one-liners if they are present at specific narrative events.
Although every friend in Baldur's Gate 3 can have a significant and fleshed-out relationship with the player character, their interactions with one another can seem nearly non-existent, which in the worst scenario could make them appear like strangers merely coincidentally working together. Allowing them to romance each other, like in the upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard, could help to alleviate that issue; but, even outside of Romance, it would go a long way for the companions of Baldur's Gate 3 to even feel like friends, albeit improbable it is for that to happen in the updates the game has left.
Will Companion Relationships in Baldur's Gate 3 ever get better?
Though it would be great to have some more in-depth party interaction in Baldur's Gate 3, it's not very likely to happen. Larian has already started on its next game even with another significant patch on the coming; support for BG3 is declining, hence large content additions are less expected in the next patches. Even if this isn't the case, while introducing more interactions amongst friends across the whole game would need significant adjustments most of which would probably be outside the purview of post-launch patches.
Although Baldur's Gate 3's absence of companion contact can be frustrating, it also in certain respects enables the highest degree of player freedom. Many of the game's romances aren't "locked in" until somewhat late in the game, allowing players to move between love partners more or less as wanted - something that might change if some Companions developed romantic relationships with one other. Even in the already-existing scenario of Karlach and Wyll, their suggested relationship only comes to pass at the very end of the game, so sparingly interfering with player decision.
The Prospect of Baldur's Gate 3 and RPG Companion Development
Designed and released by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is a forthcoming role-playing game slated for August of 2023. Players will design a character to start a long-scale adventure either alone or in groups with friends. This time, combat is a turn-based tactic.
Seeing how creators are stretching the bounds of what's feasible with companion relationships as the RPG genre develops excites me. With its aspirational companion features, the forthcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard might redefine the genre. Future role-players will be interesting to see how they expand on this idea and provide even more deep and interesting interactions with their friends. From romance and friendships to nuanced character dynamics, the future of companion relationships in role-playing games seems to be more interesting and immersive than ever before.
