2023 has been full of fantastic releases, but Baldur's Gate 3 is the only game from this year to make an assault on my all-time top ten, where it slips in at number four, one place above the last new entry in the list, 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2. I've written many, many, many times about the greatness it exudes and why it is both a major hit for me personally, and why it stands amongst the medium's greats. But there are a lot of things missing, and one of those things is kobolds.
Mostly when we talk about games missing things, we discuss them in terms of features or mechanics. It's weird that Pokemon games don't have voice acting, for example. It's disappointing that Spider-Man 2 has cut a lot of the additional trimmings of the first game. It's odd that an entirely optional online connectivity feature in Elden Ring means you can never pause the game. There's not much in this sense that Baldur's Gate 3 wants for. It's incredibly expansive, encourages you to play your own way, and to introduce something like action combat would fundamentally change what makes the game so great. That's why I'm talking about kobolds.
Minion of the Mighy by Oriana MenendezKobolds are little dragon people, like dragonborns mixed with gnomes. Not in terms of their lineage (they were actually the first dragon people created by the dragon god Io), but that's a good way to think of them. They're not entirely absent from the game either - Popper in the Act 3 circus, the merchant who can be coaxed into giving you some important quest items, is a kobold. But there aren't very many of them, and that's a huge shame.
The most we get of them is in Rosymorn Monastery, where we see exactly what the kobolds are about. There’s a pack of them asleep and drunk on wine, who we must tiptoe past or fight. This is a great battle that shows the comedic potential of the kobolds - if you hit them with a fire attack, they’re so full of wine they will ignite and explode. Unfortunately, all you can do here is fight rather than interact meaningfully, so Popper is the only kobold to engage in conversation.
There are a few species Baldur's Gate 3 cuts from the roster
CloseBaldur's Gate 3 may be a huge game, but it was never going to be big enough to contain every species or slice of lore that Dungeons & Dragons has to call upon. However, it makes some very smart choices in that regard. I miss the tabaxi and the loxodons, and I wish I could have been an Echo Knight Fighter, but this absence makes sense. Larian has made the decision to stick to Faerun and the Player's Handbook, other territories or additional manuals get left out. This distills D&D to its purest form, and avoids having to weigh up every individual case.
But kobolds are in the Player's Handbook. They're in the game already. There just aren't very many of them, and with so much you could do with them, that feels like a missed opportunity. I already think there are too many humans in the game, and they're closely followed by elves, the most humany non-humans there are. Being a drow Barbie in the Underdark was one of my favourite parts of the game, while Karlach and her internal heart was my favourite character narrative. It was in the tales more unique to Dungeons & Dragons that I felt the game come to life most, and the kobolds represent that.
The most popular way to play Baldur's Gate 3 is as a human male paladin who romances Shadowheart, so clearly I am not in the majority when I say I want fewer humans and humany elves.
Kobolds are the quintessential silly little guy in Dungeons & Dragons, but they can have a much darker edge to them. It's a little light on dragons as a whole (probably to its credit, as too many gigantic beasts would limit the effectiveness of the Absolute and that whole angle), so having some kobolds would keep this traditional element of D&D in full song. We could do with some more filthy little schemers too - a lot of these darker characters have the brash confidence of Raphael or are generic street thugs, but kobolds offer something in the middle.
The first Dungeons & Dragons module I played through was The Rise of Tiamat, which is heavy on the kobolds. This might be part of why I see them as such a major component of D&D, but it goes beyond that. Kobolds are uniquely charming and charmless in equal measure, and would add some carnage to Baldur's Gate 3 - it's the same reason Dark Urge as a companion interests me so much. The pack mentality mired by a deep running selfishness makes the kobolds way more fascinating than meeting yet another human being. The fact Popper is a lone wolf of a kobold also takes away this side of the species.
I don't know what comes next for Baldur's Gate 3. I'm sure a million different expansion ideas are out there, including extending beyond the Player's Handbook for species and subclasses. But rather than push through the limitations, it could remain in them and explore the current offerings far deeper. Starting, if you please, with kobolds.
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Like Follow FollowedBaldur's Gate 3
RPG Systems 5.0/5 25 9.4/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 98% Released August 3, 2023 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0WHERE TO PLAY
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