I have never been one to play tabletop RPGs such asDungeons & Dragons. Not for lack of want, mind you — but regardless it’s only recently I developed a significant interest inthe world ofD&D. When I started upBaldur’s Gate 3for the first time, I was met with a confounding choice.
Should I choose an origin character, or make my own persona from scratch?
Every origin character inBaldur’s Gate 3, listed
For those lacking context —an origin character in this sense is a pre-built, pre-spec’d characterwith an appearance and personality all their own. These characters (for the most part) appear in the story as companions if you decide to select a custom character, and include:
In most cases, these origin characters have their own canonical backstory, goals, and motives that you can see play out in real time should you choose to play as a custom character. I think it’d bea different kind of experienceif I opted to play as Shadowheart, for example.
Not a worse experience, mind you. Just different. If for no other reason than the player character doesn’t talk — much of the appeal of characters inBaldur’s Gate 3is their dialogue and voice acting. If I couldn’t hear Karlach talk about her experience in Avernus, or Shadowheart about her devotion to Shar, I get the impression I wouldn’t be as engaged in their respective stories.
It should be mentioned that the origin characters can be re-spec’d if you so choose, but then again, they can be re-spec’d as companions as well. I personally went with a custom character — a Wood Elf Barbarian named Steve — and I have never once looked back. It makes perfect sense to play a choice-based RPG likeBaldur’s Gate 3from the perspective of an original character, sort of how you might whilst playing a real game ofDungeons & Dragons.
So, if you were to ask me, I’d suggest putting together a custom character over an origin. It might take some time, but I would also encourage you to have fun with it. Think about what kind of character would be fun to play as in Faerun. It also doesn’t have to be a self-insert if that’s not what you’re into — I made Steve have hair of a similar color to mine, but I also gave him heterochromia with one blue eye and one orange because those are my favorite colors.
While I may have created my own character in this run, I am very seriously considering starting a second run with The Dark Urge, where I will go out of my way to be the biggest jerk in Faerun. That’s the thing aboutBaldur’s Gate 3— no matter what kind of character you pick, so long as you’re enjoying yourself, you can’t really go wrong.
