Baldur's Gate 3 offers an extremely elaborate character editor, not only in terms of aesthetics, but above all in terms of role-playing features. One of the most important choices, on the other hand, is that linked to the Origin: the original characters created by Larian in fact have access to very long and elaborate exclusive missions that take place for the entirety of the plot, progressing slowly over the course of the three Acts that constitute the work.
The original characters are precisely those that you can meet during your travels: Companions such as the wizard Gale, the barbarian Karlach and the vampire thief Astarion have very well-defined characters that guide them along a path that is decidedly more complex than that of a created character from scratch. Then there is a special origin: Dark Drive. This choice was inserted by Larian Studios to provide a unique narrative background also to characters created by players, a sort of "main quest" dedicated to players who wanted to leave a deeper imprint on the game world. In this guide we will cover the origin of the Dark Omen and everything that happens if you choose to use it for your protagonist.
The Dark Drive in brief
It goes without saying that this section contains very heavy spoilers regarding the main plot of Baldur's Gate 3, so we suggest you continue at your own risk.
That of the Dark Pulse is a very particular origin: completely devoid of memories, your character will only have some memories of a path paved with blood and violence. This means, obviously, that by choosing this path it will be very easy to come across very disturbing dialogue options and missions, which on paper could be unsuitable for a positive character. But the truth is even more complex: if you choose the Dark Drive, you can constantly decide whether to indulge in its bloodlust or try to fight it, opening a narrative path extremely close to the past chapters of Baldur's Gate. We therefore feel like recommending it without hesitation to veterans of the series.
A character characterized by the Dark Omen origin will very often find himself faced with exclusive, particularly violent and brutal dialogue options; often it will be up to you to decide whether or not to embrace your nature, but on other occasions you will have no choice: the first time this happens is when the bard Alfira would like to spend a night in your camp, and if you allow her you will wake up in the morning to find her reduced to a thousand pieces. This is just an example of what can happen by playing this origin: from that moment you can decide whether to hide the body or open up to your traveling companions. From that moment on - following the appearance of your mysterious butler - the most intricate adventure of the entire Baldur's Gate 3 will begin, a journey on the edge of madness in which you must constantly make decisive choices.
All the choices and consequences of the Dark Drive
We will analyze some of the key situations in which the Dark Drive is involved, clearly talking about the choices and consequences of the case. If you just want to get an idea of what can happen when you take on the role of this origin, the suggestion is to read only the part relating to Act 1, more than enough to get a clear idea of the game you are facing.
A very important premise to make is that, as briefly underlined, the path of the Dark Drive it is not limited to evil. There are two diametrically opposed ways of tackling this campaign: it is possible to follow the missions assigned by your butler and embody evil in all its forms, but it is equally possible to fight every impulse, talk about it with your companions and completely overturn the progression of the story. 'adventure. The choice is always yours, but disaster is always around the corner.
Act 1
From the opening beats of the adventure there are some choices and situations in which it is possible to find yourself involved only in the role of the Dark Pulse. Many of them, however, lead to the death of several characters and creatures, among which there are also key companions. Let's see the most important ones.
- The first time you encounter the magical portal from which the arm of Gale, you will have a dialogue option in which you can imagine sawing off his arm. By selecting it, his arm will effectively be cut off, making your wizard companion disappear forever into the oblivion of the portal.
- If you have recruited the paladin Minthara and you have entered into a relationship with her, you can kill her immediately after consummating your love for no logical reason.
- There are several situations in which you will have the opportunity to treat creatures and animals with cruelty: you can for example torture the bird that Nettie is taking care of in the druid grove, kill a squirrel, destroy a Pixie that you free from a cage in a secondary mission, and many other events of this kind.
The most important decision undoubtedly concerns your love interest. In fact, once you have entered into a relationship, the butler will warn you that you will lose control in your sleep and you will end up killing him; this means that if you follow through, you will find yourself faced with a sequence that can lead to the death of your lover. If you fail a Wisdom roll of 14, you will kill your partner, which will lead - the next morning - the entire party of characters to attack you if the subsequent Deception roll of 30 fails. If you succeed with your lover, however, you will have to pass three different Wisdom 18 rolls to save the cabin and the puppets, managing to fight your instincts for the first time.
It is worth clarifying the fact that there are not only negative sides in facing the adventure with the Dark Drive; as early as Act 1, for example, a special cloak can be obtained with the unique effect of making the user invisible following each kill, received after carrying out particularly brutal carnage. Going forward it will even be possible to obtain a special transformation into Slayer, which will allow you to take on a demonic form and take advantage of a series of unique attacks.
Act 2
The key choice in Act 2 concerns the cleric Isobel, since your butler will tell you that she is the next target you will have to eliminate. She is the one who keeps up the magical barrier that protects the inn from the curse, therefore choosing to follow this path brings devastating consequences for the game world and above all for your party. In fact, if you kill her, the barrier will vanish, leading to the death or disappearance of various NPCs. Let's look at the consequences in detail.
- The blacksmith will no longer be able to repair the infernal engine of Karlach
- Jaheira he will no longer be available for recruitment, because he will attack you on sight once you defeat the enemies in the inn
- The death of some characters in the area will prevent the druid Halsin to join your party
- These things they can happen anyway, since a choice later in the Act can bring the same consequences, so if you want to save everyone, pay attention to the story involving Shadowheart
- How to reward, regardless of what you do, you will gain the transformation ability
In addition to this central situation you will often come across dialogue options related to the Dark Drive, but this is undoubtedly the most important of the entire act, especially in view of what comes next: having Jaheira alive and in the party, in fact, it is a fundamental condition for continuing along the "good" path relating to this origin. This is, essentially, the definitive choice regarding the evolution of your narrative background.
Act 3
If, in the previous acts, you fought in all situations, sparing your lover and leaving Isobel alive, the third act will open with a dream sequence dedicated to the origin of the Dark Drive. This moment opens a sequence in the company of your butler, in which you will discover the truth: your character is nothing more than a Son of Baal, exactly like the protagonist of the past chapters of Baldur's Gate; this, in the full tradition of the saga, will end up leading you to fight against your peers.
It's here Jaheira comes into play, a fundamental character when it comes to this origin. Once your secret is discovered, he will vow to help you fight your instincts at any cost, just like he did with the hero who was at his side before you. In this phase, in fact, it is possible to converse with her to ask her about her past - essentially the previous games in the saga - asking her how her old friend managed to face her demons.
The most important choice
The most important choice for the Origin Dark Drive comes when you reach the city of Baldur's Gate, and specifically the Lower City area. Exploring the Lower City, you will find yourself involved in a series of investigations regarding murders, and this will bring you in the presence of Sarevok, who some of you will remember as the main enemy of the first Baldur's Gate. At this point you will have to make a fundamental decision:
- If you are with Jaheira you can sacrifice her to impress Sarevok. By also killing Valeria, the head of the investigation, you will become worshipers of Bhaal. You can trick Sarevok into thinking Jaheira is your servant but you will still have to kill Valeria.
- The last choice is to eliminate Sarevok and get a series of interesting rewards.
Once you reach the city sewers, you will once again meet Orin, one of the "final bosses" of the work. Here you will discover the truth about the Dark Drive: you are Bhall's chosen, but Orin betrayed you and stole your position, and that is why you were captured by the Illithids. The one with Orin will be a fight to the death to be faced one on one: if you try to get help from your companions, a sea of Orin's followers will throw themselves into the fight.
The final decision
Once Orin is defeated, you will finally have the opportunity to communicate directly with Bhaal, who will put you in front of the definitive crossroads, the one that closes the question relating to the Dark Drive forever:
- If you accept Bhaal's gift, you will receive Word of Power: Death and the Form of the Destroyer. But if Jaheira and Minsc are in your party, they will ambush you just as you are leaving the temple, and the only thing you can do is kill them. All the other companions will not be happy, but for the moment they will remain in the party.
- If you reject Bhaal's gift, it will eliminate you instantly. But since you have faced evil like the great heroes of the past, Withers will bring your character back to life, giving you a second chance this time free from the Dark Drive.
And this closes one of the best Origin Stories ever made by Larian Studios, as well as the one that practically represents the main campaign of Baldur's Gate 3, the one that more than any other is configured as a sequel to the previous chapters.
