Moving On From Trauma With Baldur's Gate 3

The Origin companions of Baldur’s Gate 3 are a lovable ragtag band of misfits. Each is different in personality and playstyle, but they are unified by the fact they are all victims of a very personal kind of abuse. Arguably, most stories with an antagonist are about overcoming abuse in some form. However, what makes Baldur’s Gate 3 stand out is how accurately it portrays the nuances of trauma, and how different people cope with it.

For example, despite Lae’zel and Shadowheart being at odds with each other at first, they offer parallels. They were both raised from childhood to dedicate their lives to their abusers, under the falsehood that by doing so, they will find purpose. However, it’s revealed in the story that the matriarchs dedicated their lives to only thinking of them as pawns.

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When the illusion is shattered, Lae’zel and Shadowheart have no idea what to do with their lives afterward. It’s like moving on from an abusive parent or guardian - hate them or not, life under these abusers was all they ever knew. It’s terrifying not having someone telling you what to do, after years of having your life laid out for you. But despite that fear, freedom is still worth it. Lae’zel and Shadowheart find new deities to follow, but crucially, out of their own free will.

And Astarion is a man who deeply values free will. When Cazador took that freedom away, he took away what it meant to be Astarion. It’s why the Absolute and Cazador disgust him so deeply. Removing someone’s agency meant removing what it means to be alive.

Astarion is by far the most complicated Origin companion to please in a ‘good’ playthrough. It perfectly portrays the difficulties of deprogramming somebody who has had their perception of relationships thoroughly skewered. It’s important that you make him happy not by enabling his abusive tendencies, but by affirming loyalty to him and promising his freedom. This extends to Lae’zel and Shadowheart too. Their morals have been tainted by their abusers, and it is up to the player to gently but firmly navigate them to independence.

Tip-toeing is less necessary for Wyll, the most goody two-shoes of the entire group. Raised by a virtuous father and himself a morally upright man, Wyll was always fated to be a hero. However, his tendency to play this hero means he forgets to take care of himself.

Wyll’s not at fault here, however. It was Mizora who chose to take advantage of a good man’s morals for her own nefarious ends. Wyll is a little like the overworked employee who never gets promoted.

He loves his job and hopes to raise himself even higher to help more people. However, his cruel boss only sees him as a useful stooge. It’s up to his co-workers to get him out of that rut, and in this case, the co-worker is you.

But Karlach distatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/’t even have the luxury of choice that Wyll did. She has two abusers to escape from. First, she is raised from poverty by Gortash, and in thanks, she pledges her service to him. She is promptly betrayed and sold to an even worse master, Zariel - a literal archdevil.

Karlach is the most outwardly chipper of them all, despite having the least freedom out of all the companions. That, and unlike the rest of them, her life is literally on a timer thanks to her terminally explosive heart.

When you try to make Karlach confront her trauma, she rejects further discussion or sidesteps it into a joke. When Gortash finally dies, she isn’t happy. Instead, she lets loose all of the pain she’s felt in a tidal wave of bitterness, a sharp contrast to her cheery self. Karlach is not even relieved by the end of it. That same bitter feeling remains, and she has to actively work to keep that feeling from overtaking her life, whatever little of it she has left.

Lastly, there’s Gale, who doesn’t seem to be abused at first glance. Mystra and Gale had a consensual relationship, and Gale was under no duress to continue the romance with her. However, it’s important to remember that Mystra is a goddess many millennia older than Gale.

She also happens to be the source of Gale’s powers. The power dynamic is so skewed that there was no chance for this relationship to be healthy, and yet, Mystra went for it anyway. Even worse, when her partner falters, she leaves him in the dust, with a bomb in his chest that could level a city and kill thousands.

It’s like moving on from an abusive parent or guardian - hate them or not, life under these abusers was all they ever knew. It’s terrifying not having someone telling you what to do, after years of having your life laid out for you.

It’s why Gale is so obsessed with getting power. Much like Astarion at the end of his questline, he believes that power is the only way to make what he wants to happen in the world happen. He knows the power Mystra has long held over him and, as violence begets violence, believes hoarding power for himself is the best way to protect himself.

Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t use trauma as a set dressing, or as throwaway remarks to flesh out a backstory. Trauma is baked into every fabric of the game, giving each of the characters nuance. Through this, Baldur’s Gate 3 lovingly presents the best parts of roleplaying, no matter how much it hurts.

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