Baldur’s Gate 3 Origin Characters: Gale

Exploring the backstory of one of Baldur's Gate 3's most influential companions, Gale

The world of Baldur's Gate 3 offers a variety of ways to play, involving the existence of pre-made character sheets called “Character Origins”. Now Larian Games have made it so that character creation is as customizable as possible, but for those who want to jump into the action right away, Character Origins are your best bet. With that in mind, there are a number of intriguing storylines you can follow depending on which one you choose.

What Are Origin Characters?

Origin Characters are playable heroes that can impact your Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough in major ways. These preset characters each have unique storylines which are eventually interwoven with the main plot whenever you encounter them as important NPCs. Moreover, Larian also confirmed a plethora of different companions planned for the game's August 2023 debut. When the time comes, you'll also be able to recruit Regular Companions — NPCs with distinct personalities and subclasses — as well as up to 12 different hirelings (one for each class).

Moreover, Origin Characters are available if you ever want to experience the story through their eyes, with the main caveat being that they are race and class-locked. That said, many speculate that this may be changed after the game fully releases. But if you lean towards the high-fantasy aspects of large-scale RPGs, you might be interested in the Wizard Origin Story involving a disgraced archmage named Gale.

Who Is Gale?

Gale is a human wizard from Waterdeep whose magic was taken away by the goddess of magic Mystra after his attempt to steal her godhood failed. On top his spells being removed as punishment, Gale was also cursed with the Netherese Orb, an artifact that threatens to explode into a city-killing blast unless it is continuously fed magical energy.

Now like the rest of the origin characters, Gale ended up with an Illithid tadpole in his brain after a mysterious set of events. The same tadpole now threatens to turn him into a Mindflayer, motivating a very concerned Gale to avoid an unfortunate fate for someone who already has an arcane timebomb permanently strapped to his chest.

Like much of the NPCs found in Faerun, certain dialogue choices can either improve or worsen your relationship with Gale. And if you're familiar with how wizards are usually portrayed, you'll reckon that Gale probably has high expectations in all of his dealings. For a comprehensive list of what not to say when in the presence of someone who has literally interacted with gods, click here.

What is Gale's Class in Baldur's Gate 3?

Gale starts as a Human Wizard who can either take the Evocation or Abjuration subclass.

Similarly, a handful of other character origins are currently available, each with their own set of stakes. Recently, the game devs released the “Dark Urge”, Baldur's Gate 3's first origin character that acts more like a background than a playable storyline. As the name implies, this is intended to be an origin that sets your character down an ominous path as you slowly recall pieces from your dreadful past.

All in all, Gale's story is a wonderful option for new players wanting to get into the D&D magic sim. Albeit lacking with the starting stats, there are a wealth of equipment options that you can get in-game to optimize your wizard build. So if a dishonored sorcerer's race against time sounds like the adventure for you, then take on the prodigy's mantle and find a way to save yourself from ceremorphosis before time runs out.

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