Baldur’s Gate 3’s full companion portraits shock players with bizarre poses
Larian StudiosA Baldur’s Gate 3 player shared how the game handles companion portraits in a shockingly in-depth way, but many are fixating on one aspect of the character models.
One dedicated Baldur’s Gate 3 player has figured out how the game handles its character portraits, sharing their findings with the community.
As Reddit user grey_anonym explains, rather than using simple still images for the UI, the game actually has the character models posing in a normally inaccessible area. This allows the game to update the portraits from time to time rather than sticking to one image for the entirety of the game.
Of course, since this staging area isn’t meant for players to see, there are some surprises in store, from bizarre poses to uncensored genitalia.
Baldur’s Gate 3 companions get explicit portraits
The Reddit post features screenshots of each of the main Baldur’s Gate 3 companions in a normally inaccessible area. They are surrounded by colored squares, which serve as backdrops for the portraits, making the whole thing feel a lot like a school picture day.
As grey_anonym explains, “The portraits are not a simple image insertion. They’re taken from an out-out-of-the-bonds area that has fully rendered models with armor you put on the companions.” This allows the game to retake the photos each time the player levels a companion up or respecs them via Withers.
However, there are some limitations, such as Wyll’s horns and Shadowheart’s hair color change not being reflected here.
Seeing the full poses is amusing enough. Each was clearly chosen to fit the needs of the portrait, making the companions look pretty melodramatic or absurd when viewed in full.
Lae’zel, in particular, is reminiscent of an archetypal old man yelling at those kids to get off his lawn, while one commenter referred to Shadowheart as “an anime character who just took an oath of honor.”
But commenters are really latching onto instances of the character models clipping through their armor, specifically the male party members. In fact, the poster notes that they had to crop the images of Astarion, Wyll, and Gale because their genitals were visible.
Character models in out-of-bounds areas not being fully covered are nothing new. Developer Larian Studios previously explained why the so-called “The Realm of Naked Men” exists during character creation.
Unintentional explicit content aside, these full portraits provide some fascinating insight into Baldur’s Gate 3’s development and how much goes into something as seemingly simple as companion portraits.