Baldur's Gate 3's Meanest Characters Aren't Who You'd Expect

Summary Baldur's Gate 3 characters like Astarion and Lae'zel are known for frequently delivering cutting insults.

Even pleasant characters like Halsin and Gale can occasionally be vicious, showcasing multi-faceted personalities.

Player choice influences companion behavior, highlighting the importance of dialogue options in revealing hidden savagery.

No Baldur's Gate 3 party is truly complete without a healthy dose of bickering, but when it comes to the art of trading barbs, the most vicious characters aren't always the most obvious candidates. As a game that's full of moral grays, Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't only elect do-gooders as potential party members, tossing some downright malicious characters into the mix. Although no one who can be recruited in the game is completely irredeemable, characters like Astarion and Lae'zel are capable of plenty of cutting words.

Overuse can be the death of any conversational technique, however, and Astarion's consistent flippant remarks do tend to lose their edge after a while. He's capable of being truly mean, but cattiness is mostly just his default method of interaction. When other characters step into the same arena and attempt to bring each other down, they sometimes do it with even more edge, and the results are often even more memorable in the long run.

Related One Baldur's Gate 3 Choice Leads To The Most Toxic Origin Character Ever It's possible to majorly influence the fate of Origin characters in Baldur's Gate 3, and there's a choice that turns one into their worst self.

Halsin Isn't Always Pleasant In Baldur's Gate 3

Even The Kindest Druids Can Be Cruel

One great example of a typically peaceable character going for the conversational killing blow was noted by Reddit user polspanakithrowaway, who had the good fortune of featuring Halsin and Shadowheart in the same active party in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. Halsin, who reveres nature, speaks regretfully of the damage done to the now-dead area, which earns a mocking offer from Shadowheart to make animal noises for him. In turn, he hits her with "You bleat well enough as it is," a comeback that even the rudest Baldur's Gate 3 characters might be jealous of.

It's easy enough to see why both characters are leaping down each other's throats in this scenario, as the Shadow-Cursed Lands represent the work of Shadowheart's goddess and a deep affront to Halsin's sensibilities. Halsin tends to go after Shadowheart's religious beliefs in general, which is a reasonable prerogative considering their nature. It's not the only example of Halsin eviscerating another character, however, and it points to a level of simmering savagery that can be found beneath the surface of even the game's most affable party members.

Related Baldur’s Gate 3 Theory Says Everything You Know About Halsin Is Completely Wrong Although Halsin is a fan-favorite companion, this theory suggests that he may not be completely honest with the player about his real identity.

Every BG3 Party Member Is Capable Of Being Vicious

There's No Monopoly On Rudeness

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Reddit user Wise_Owl5404 references another great example of Halsin's capacity for verbal cruelty as well as an example of Gale's similar streak. If the player character attempts to take the love test found in Act 3 of Baldur's Gate 3 with Halsin, the druid responds with "Nature is my true love. You, I merely tolerate." It's to the point in a way that only Lae'zel's rejection really rivals, and it shows how little tolerance he has for those who get on his bad side.

For those actually willing to participate, the love test can be a great way to boost affection, so picking the right love test answers can be important.

Although Gale's response in that scenario is a bit more diplomatic — if potentially slightly passive-aggressive — he can be just as mean in other scenarios. If Gale abandons a relationship with the player character due to low approval, he's capable of going on a rant that culminates in some words that definitely can't be taken back.

Gale: "I'd wish you a bright future, but since you cannot escape your own company, that would be a futile gesture. So long. It hasn't been a pleasure."

This certainly isn't the only harsh companion result of a disastrous approval rating, but in this particular instance, Astarion's own insults don't twist the knife in quite the same way. It's possible to read a lot into the psychology of different companions through encounters like this — Astarion's response leans more heavily on how he feels after trusting someone for once and being let down as always — and analyzing what exactly pushes each party member's buttons the most could easily turn into an endless rabbit hole.

Related One Baldur’s Gate 3 Mechanic Makes Your Party Dumber Than They Should Be The core party members in Baldur's Gate 3 all have their strengths, but they can occasionally betray even those in particularly absurd ways.

Even Wyll, the party's knight in shining armor, isn't immune from cattiness, especially when it comes to those that don't fit into his standards for good behavior. As noted by redhandedjill1, Wyll doesn't hesitate to toss a barb about eating rats to Astarion upon finding out about his vampire identity, which isn't exactly the most empathetic way to approach the situation. He's certainly capable of setting aside his prejudices, as shown early on by his willingness to reconsider his hunt for Karlach once he understands the full scope of the situation, but he isn't without them.

Why Baldur's Gate 3's Nicer Companions Can Be So Mean

BG3's Approach To Storytelling Is Consistent

The big difference between the Baldur's Gate 3 characters that are known for being mean and the ones that are often nice tends to lie less in how cruel they're capable of being and more in what exactly gets them to that point. Gale is no less capable of tossing out a well-considered insult than Astarion is, he's just less likely to do so casually. Karlach might be the least likely to say something mean at any given moment, but she's certainly willing to go after characters like Mizora who deserve her scorn.

Related Baldur's Gate 3 Player Discovers The Real Reason Karlach Won't Go To Avernus Alone After Playing 500 Hours Karlach has a bittersweet fate at the end of Baldur's Gate 3, and this is why she won't go back to the hells alone to save herself from overheating.

None of Baldur's Gate 3's primary characters are ever reduced to one-dimensionality, and a major part of developer Larian Studios' approach to making them multi-faceted seems to be giving even the nicest ones strong ammunition for insults. There's something rewarding about eliciting a reaction that's so unexpected, and the same goes for coaxing a gentle remark out of a character like Lae'zel. Having a wide gulf between the potential extremes of each party member's behavior emphasizes the significance of player choice, even if everyone being skilled at retorts can invoke a bit of incredulity.

It's generally pretty easy to keep companion approval in the green in Baldur's Gate 3, so any player that isn't looking to push the boundaries of party members might not often see their capacity for savagery. On repeat playthroughs, however, it might be worth pushing some buttons or tossing characters with opposed viewpoints into tense situations just to see what Baldur's Gate 3 characters like Halsin and Gale are capable of.

Source: Reddit (polspanakithrowaway, Wise_Owl5404, redhandedjill1)