Baldur’s Gate 3 Players Are Feeling Weirdly Undervalued by Gale

Baldur’s Gate 3 has fascinating ways to make you feel like you rule the world or know nothing. At its core, you craft your own story; however, you’ll often find yourself acting as the underdog to Origin characters with fantastical stories and significant power buffs. As a recent Reddit post highlighted, you’ll encounter this almost immediately with Gale, who has a dramatic backstory explaining why he is so powerful. If you’re a wizard who has to listen to it, it’s no wonder you’ll feel overshadowed or undervalued.

To briefly sum up Gale’s story, he is considered a prodigy among wizards who is in love with the Goddess of Magic, Mystra, and even going so far as to have intimate relations with her. This bond with Mystra strengthens him further until it ends, eventually leading to the Netherese Orb fiasco and the party’s meeting with Elminster. As u/Page8988 puts it, he is the bomb.

Meanwhile, our character is, at best, considered a slightly above-average wizard who has to work hard just to keep up with Gale. Even then, we don’t have the Netherese Orb to wipe everyone out or Mystra’s attention in any capacity. My first Baldur’s Gate 3 character was a wizard, so this story resonates with me, too.

Realizing this, the community has taken to Reddit about it, with u/Cranyx initiating the discussion and others sharing their stories as different classes. One suggestion by u/Daye4455 describes the alternative of playing as a sorcerer who, instead of reading books to reach Gale’s level, your character is born with magical powers instead. This difference leads to wacky shenanigans and banter, completely changing the friendship dynamic.

Others in the thread post similar stories with other characters, with some comparing this relationship to one between a starting cleric and Shadowheart. With strong devotion and adoration for her Goddess, Shar, she is responsible for carrying out an important mission to prove her loyalty, which you experience firsthand during the game’s second act.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s depth with its Origin characters’ backstories proves there’s plenty of value in crafting your story and proving that you are the hero. In other cases, companions with powerful backstories can be refreshing, allowing you to sit back and let them carry out important tasks while you step in when needed. It’s all about perception and how you wish to play, which may be why there are so many opportunities to replay the game repeatedly.