Baldur’s Gate 3’s cover overlooks major character but fans think they know why

Since launch, Baldur’s Gate 3 players have noticed the cover art is missing one of the game’s Origin characters and companions, but there may be a simple explanation.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s cover features most of its main cast, depicting Origin characters and potential companions Astarion, Shadowheart, Lae’zel, Gale, and Wyll, whose patron Mizora lurks menacingly over his shoulder.

There is one glaring omission, though: the fan-favorite tiefling barbarian, Karlach.

Karlach’s exclusion from the artwork has some players confused, with one Reddit user asking, “Why isn’t Karlach on the cover but Mizora is?” and saying this has “always bugged” them.

Larian Studios

While it may seem a bit odd given Karlach’s importance, some fans have offered a pretty compelling explanation.

“This art was made before Karlach was really finished as she was the last main character they add[ed] very late in the game’s development,” said one commenter.

While developer Larian Studios has not officially confirmed this, it would make sense. Karlach seems to have been a relatively late addition to the game, with her design undergoing major changes.

Early on, Karlach looked more like a generic tiefling, not receiving her unique (and now-beloved) look until later. She also was not confirmed to be an Origin character until a month before launch, long after the final early access content update.

That timing likely explains her omission from Baldur’s Gate 3’s box art, though some players had alternate explanations.

One speculated that Larian chose not to revise the art to add Karlach because “it would kind of be a spoiler for Wyll’s quest if you knew she was a ‘main character’ right from the beginning.”

An important Wyll quest in Act 1 has the Blade of Frontiers hunting down Karlach, who he believes is a devil who escaped from Avernus. Players can kill or spare Karlach after learning she’s an innocent tiefling and victim of Zariel, rather than one of the archdevil’s agents.

Sparing Karlach comes with some major consequences for Wyll, and knowing beforehand that Karlach is more than just a regular enemy could impact how players approach the quest. However, this explanation is undermined by Karlach’s status as an Origin character.

Others shared less viable but amusing theories, including that “She’s the one taking the picture” or “She just drank an invisibility potion.”