Baldur's Gate 3 Cut Content Reveals An Even Stronger Emperor Romance

Summary There's unused code in Baldur's Gate 3 suggesting players could sleep with the Emperor twice.

This is part of a larger argument that the character is underdeveloped.

Romancing the Emperor doesn't affect other relationships but impacts Tav's storyline.

There’s a brief moment in Act 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3 where players have the option to romance the Emperor and earn an achievement. The moment is fleeting and takes place while the character is asleep after searching through the illithid's belongings in the Lower City. Though there is currently only a small window where players can woo the mind flayer, it seems Larian Studios considered the possibility of making him a more romanceable character.

In an analysis of the Emperor as a character posted by MKlby1998 on Reddit, it seems there’s some unused code that suggests Tav was originally going to have the option to romance the illithid twice. Though the code doesn’t reveal what exactly this second romance scene would’ve entailed, it has the “CAMP” tag, indicating that it likely would’ve been another moment that took place in a dream encounter.

The code comes with the description “Player had sex with the Emperor twice,” confirming that, at the very least, there was meant to be more than one instance where the player could grow their bond with the Emperor. MKlby1998 continues the post with an argument that the mind flayer feels like an unfinished character and pulls other unused pieces of code as examples.

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Romancing The Emperor Doesn’t Impact A Character’s Relationship

But It Will Affect Tav’s Final Form

The sprawling relationship tracks in Baldur’s Gate 3 are part of what makes it such an immersive game for players. Even when romantically involved with one companion character, the player can still pursue other companions (or certain NPCs in Act 3). Flirting or sleeping with another companion will typically have an effect on the player’s relationship with their primary partner, though.

The Emperor seems to be the only exception to this rule, though. At the end of the romance scene in Tav’s dream, the portal between realms opens, giving the party a look at the player’s night with the illithid. Though they initially have some less-than-thrilled reactions to Tav’s flight, it’s never brought up again — even if their partner isn’t fond of sharing. Yes, even Lae’zel remains neutral about the scene despite being typically monogamous.

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That said, sleeping with the Emperor will still have other effects on the player character. If they have not already committed to using the Astral Tadpole, this decision will decrease Tav’s resistance to consuming it and unlocking additional powers. If the player has a strong connection with the Emperor at the climax of Act 3, then he’ll make it clear he would like the player to become an illithid alongside him.

Larian Studios has consistently added new content to the game post-release, fleshing out the storylines and dialogue in Baldur’s Gate 3 based on player feedback. Because of this, potential additions to the Emperor’s character aren’t out of the question — though if there’s not another achievement for sleeping with the mind flayer twice, it’s not likely to become a popular option.

Source: MKlby1998/Reddit