Why Baldur’s Gate 3’s Dark Urge wouldn’t work as a companion

Baldur’s Gate 3 players have been wondering how the game’s murder-hobo Origin character could be implemented as a companion, but leaving the Dark Urge in players’ hands is for the best.

The Dark Urge is unique among Baldur’s Gate 3’s Origin characters. They are the only one whose race, appearance, and class can be customized like a Tav, but they still come with a complex storyline that’s intricately tied to the game’s plot and world in the same way as Shadowheart or Gale’s arcs are.

They are also the only Origin character who, if not chosen during character creation, cannot be recruited as a companion. Picking someone else turns them into a mere Easter egg for eagle-eyed players to spot.

This has sparked fan discussion regarding how the Dark Urge would operate as a companion for Tav or another Origin character, which includes a Reddit thread titled “What would you want If Durge was an origin companion?” The many comments on the post include suggestions both serious and funny, with some suggesting that the Dark Urge would be a dangerous character to recruit who tries to kill other companions and makes every long rest a hazard.

But while there are some interesting ideas, they also prove that Larian made the right call by implementing the Dark Urge the way they did.

Turning the Dark Urge’s storyline into a companion quest presents clear issues. When playing as the Dark Urge, it’s up to the player to decide whether to attempt to resist their urge or give in to it. Plus, if you try to resist, dice rolls decide whether you’re successful or not. This adds a brilliant layer of complexity to the character as a protagonist, adding a gameplay element to the unique power struggle happening within the Dark Urge’s mind.

Translating that to a run where the Dark Urge is a companion you interact with would remove much of that depth. If you’ve attempted a Dark Urge run, you’ll know that no one else really has much of an impact on what they do – even the Dark Urge. This is a character who isn’t in control of themself, and that’s not going to change just because your Tav rolled a nat 20 Persuasion check.

The Dark Urge is written to be the protagonist of any Baldur’s Gate 3 run they are a part of. They have the capacity to inflict great evil on the Sword Coast or become the hero who overcomes every enemy, including themself.

Making them a secondary character means you either have to lose that depth or allow a companion to overshadow the player character. Larian has made clear that they want the player character to be the party leader as evidenced by Patch 6 making the game prioritize your avatar in automatically triggered dialogue.

In fairness, there are some good arguments for adding the Dark Urge as a companion. Assuming the recruitable Dark Urge used the default design and class – a male white Dragonborn Sorcerer – the character would fill quite a few gaps in the roster.

Baldur’s Gate 3 does not have a Sorcerer or Dragonborn companion and the fact that all potential male party members are human or elven has been a point of criticism. However, other characters players have wished were recruitable like Alfira, Barcus Wroot, and Quil could do the same without presenting the issues of the Dark Urge.

If they’d felt it worthwhile, surely a developer as skilled as Larian could have found a way to incorporate the Dark Urge as a companion. Making their actions completely random or giving the player control over the Dark Urge’s desire to resist or embrace their darkness could appeal to some players.

But something being possible doesn’t make it the correct choice. Ultimately, turning the Dark Urge into a recruitable companion would have been a disservice to the character, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is a better game for making them player-exclusive.