Jennifer Britain

Glorious fantasy RPG Baldur's Gate 3is full of a wonderful roster of diverse and interesting characters, all of which help to make it one of the best RPGs of the decade so far. However, one mod aimed to callously erase the LGBTQ+ identities of certain characters from the game before it was banned by the folks as Nexus Mods. 

While may have come to an end, that doesn't mean its cast of characters can't go on any further adventures. Following the announcement that Larian Studios won't be developing any DLC for its critically-revered RPG, the community was understandably disappointed that they wouldn't be able to spend any more time with the likes of Astarion and Shadowheart. Fortunately, due to the game being an official part of the universe, there will seemingly be more opportunities for the characters to return either in a sequel or a different medium entirely.

It finally happened – Jennifer English, Shadowheart's actor in Baldur's Gate 3, has reached the iconic fight scene between her high half-elf and the Githyanki warrior Lae'zel, which she and her real-life partner have hailed as "the most sapphic scene" in the game. 

Shadowheart's actor is the latest of Baldur's Gate 3's main cast to romance their own in-game character.

When it comes to potential romantic partners in Baldur's Gate 3, there are quite a few to pick from. Karlach is fiery yet wholesome, Astarion is for everyone that likes a bit of spice in their relationships, and The Emperor is there for people that have strayed too far from the light. However, when it comes to the most popular romance option, there's only one High Half-Elf that's managed to capture the hearts of players across the globe.

Larian Studios' latest patch for was a big one, full of bug fixes, new clothes, and, most importantly, a playable epilogue. While the majority of this conclusion is defined by the choices players have made throughout their adventure, there was one tiny addition that everyone will get to enjoy. In an easily missed line of new dialogue, one fan favorite character was officially made part of canon.

Acclaimed fantasy RPG Baldur's Gate 3may involve an epic quest to save the world from extradimensional horrors, but we all know the real mission is to find love. For some members of the party, romance may be closer at hand than you might think, at least according to one of the game's voice actors.

Baldur's Gate 3's new epilogue, as released in Patch 5, is full of fan service. Well, and horrors beyond our comprehension, if you happen to get a bad ending, but for most players, it's full of laughs. So much so that a popular meme about Shadowheart was snuck in, getting her to call herself a gatekeeper, a princess, and more.

Jennifer English, the voice of Shadowheart the brooding Cleric in hit fantasy RPG Baldur's Gate 3has shed more light on her performance, stating that the character's arc is a «trans allegory.» 

Baldur's Gate 3 developers have seeming certified one of the community's most beloved characters as 'canon' with the game's new epilogue.

Baldur's Gate 3's latest patch is an absolute whopper, coming in at 30GB and including features such as the ability to hide required dice rolls, an alternate Minthara recruitment method, and a whole new epilogue set 6 months after the events of the main campaign. None of that is as important as the discovery we're focusing on here, as someone has discovered that Larian has made legendary community icon Bing Bong canon in Baldur's Gate 3.

The actor behind Baldur's Gate 3's Lae'zel has properly leaned into her character by raiding the growth in the name of Minthara.

Every campaign is likely to include its fair share of slaughter, but one big act of violence might no longer be necessary to achieve certain results. Certain party members are more inclined toward violence than others, and committing unpardonable acts can sometimes be the quickest way to their hearts. The most extreme example of this is Minthara, a drow Paladin set on the massacre of the Tieflings in the Druid Grove in Act 1 of the game. Getting her on board has traditionally required making a big moral sacrifice, but the most recent patch could change things in the future.

I recently sat down for an interview with Amelia Tyler, the voice of Baldur's Gate 3's many, many lines of narration. We talked about the Dark Urge, her favourite lines, and scaring the crap out of carers at an old people's home (hypothetically). But we also spoke about mental health, a subject Tyler's very transparent about.

If you're wondering whether Lae'zel actor Devora Wilde is wracked with guilt over her actions during the Baldur's Gate 3 cast's D&D session, the answer is a resounding no.

The actors behind Astarion, Shadowheart, and Lae'zel have pitched their own Baldur's Gate 3 DLC, and it's a Stardew Valley-like featuring the community's favourite imp Bing Bong.

Oh, Bing Bong, you were too good for this world. Well, not this world, but the world of the Forgotten Realms at least. The baby imp might not officially be in Baldur's Gate 3, but he might as well be now, after being created for a one-shot adventure run for the game's cast. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to the end of the adventure, as Lae'zel killed the poor creature out of frustration. However, this might not be the end of Bing Bong's adventure.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s most dramatic feud is between party members Shadowheart and Lae’zel, but their in-game beef also infested the two character’s fandoms in playful ways... until now, since the actors behind both characters have called for a peaceful truce.

Recently, High Rollers held two streams where the Baldur's Gate 3 cast played Dungeons & Dragons, bringing their in-game characters to life. During these streams, they found a character called Bing Bong whose job was to open the door to Adventurer's Mart for customers, making a bell noise as he did.

is full of memorable lines from a cast of talented voice actors. The passion and emotions put into the dialogue can make it fun to bring into real-life conversations, especially with others who've experienced an adventure through Faerûn. However, many lines from are difficult to fit into everyday life short of falling into specific circumstances that make them relevant.

The performance director of Baldur's Gate 3 has revealed that she had a real-life enemies-to-lovers storyline with Shadowheart, and it's actually so sweet.

It's sometimes surprising just how much creativity can accomplish in , but it's also possible for a unique strategy to be just a little bit too effective. Some classic tricks can be a little silly, like tossing a bundle of rope onto a poison vent to block it completely, but justify their inclusion by adding to the fun of strategizing and exploring mechanics. However, one major plot point can be completely derailed by employing an unusual technique that has the unexpected capability to pull the wool over the eyes of an actual deity.

The actor who plays Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 has revealed the secret sauce that makes the RPG's romances so believable: that sweet, sweet slow burn.

The voice actor behind Baldur's Gate 3's Shadowheart is currently playing through the D&D RPG with her real-life partner. It's mostly been a wholesome affair, apart from when the shadow of Shadowheart's in-game nemesis Lae'zel looms – in those moments, it's dang hilarious.

may be a long experience, but developer Larian Studios found some smart ways to make it engaging across the full course of its runtime. It's possible to play through the game in an efficient manner, skipping sidequests and random activities to focus on the main story experience, but focusing on speed doesn't feel like the most rewarding way to take on its challenges. Although the ways in which maintains interest and variety may not always be immediately obvious while playing it, stepping back to think about its design reveals just how smart it really is.

includes countless choices to make through the game that change the party's path as they try to solve the problem of the Absolute along with the Mind Flayer tadpoles in their brains. Naturally, not every choice has positive consequences. Instead, some result in characters leaving the party, too upset or disgusted to continue traveling with the group, and that might mean losing out on quests or a skill set that rounds out the team in combat.

After playing more than a hundred hours of Larian Studio's Baldur's Gate 3, we finally captured what we believe to be every major romance scene with every origin character and beyond.

has wowed everyone with its attention to detail and nuanced characters. The third installment in the beloved -based RPG series continues the adventure in Faerûn, this time tasking its heroes with stopping a mind flayer plot.

The voice actors behind Baldur's Gate 3's origin characters—Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Shadowheart, Wyll, and Lae'zel—gathered for a two-episode D&D game that was livestreamed this past weekend. An hour into the first 160-minute episode, I can confidently recommend it to fans of our favorite new RPG. I don't know if I'll make get to the end of the whole session anytime soon, but it's a charming bit of fan service. Replays are available on YouTube, Twitch, and as podcasts.

Shadowheart's actor has suffered the ultimate betrayal recently during a stream of Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t short on NPCs, companions and otherwise, but fans are now clamoring for the addition of a new character. And it’s all thanks to the recent live-action Dungeons and Dragons session which saw the game’s origin characters acting out their roles.

If you’ve finished Baldur’s Gate 3 and want to see even more of Astarion, Lae’zel, Karlach, Gale, Wyll, and Shadowheart interacting with each other while abiding by the laws of Dungeons and Dragons (who doesn’t?) then do we have a treat for you. The Baldur’s Gate 3 companion cast of Origin has just started their own game of DnD, and it’s as heartwarming and frantic as you’d expect.

The best spell in Baldur's Gate 3 is already carrying the RPG's cast through their very own D&D campaign.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a popular game for many reasons, and one of the most notable is its cast. From the vampire heartthrob Astarion to the kind-hearted Karlach, many are smitten with the lovable characters. Well, fans are getting more of these characters, albeit in a different but still familiar manner from Baldur’s Gate 3: Dungeons & Dragons.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a standout title this year and continues to be enjoyed by players doing new playthroughs or jumping on the bandwagon and experiencing it for the first time. One of the best parts of the game is the companions you meet on the way, and thanks to Larian Studios, we are about to see them all in a whole new way.

The core cast of Baldur's Gate 3 will reunite for a special one-shot Dungeons & Dragons livestream this week. 

Actual play show High Rollers will be hosting the cast of Baldur's Gate 3 for a special one-shot this week.

This Friday at 7pm BST/2pm PDT join us and the cast of Baldurs Gate 3 for a very special live D&D adventure on Twitch! /highrollersdnd @larianstudios #dnd #baldursgate3 #ad pic.twitter.com/889AYParv7September 18, 2023

The entire core cast of Baldur's Gate 3 will come together to role-play their own characters in what I can only describe as the ultimate D&D session.

Even if you’ve only just started your fourth Baldur’s Gate 3 play-through, you still might be craving more of the game’s captivating characters. The actors behind those voices have been pretty active on social media, reciting memes in character and what not. Now they’re taking the immersion to a whole new level and joining actual play D&D series High Rollers for a special livestream event.

By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.

The core cast of Baldur's Gate 3 are back together, causing raucous speculation among players.

A familiar voice is returning to the Forgotten Realms, as Jennifer English, the voice of Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate 3, has started streaming a playthrough on Twitch. In the end, the bulk of the session went the way most did at the start of Baldur’s Gate 3, as most of it was spent in the character creator.

One of the biggest highlights of Baldur’s Gate 3 has been the incredible companions you meet along the journey. Each is full of personality, unique quirks, and adds so much to the adventure, and naturally, fans have taken to making art and memes relating to their favorite companions.

Baldur's Gate 3 isn't like your typical RPG. Being heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, developer Larian has gone above and beyond to make sure the actions of its players are accounted for, no matter the outcome. As a result, Baldur's Gate 3 is a very unique experience, and one that bucks a lot of the trends and tricks that more standard RPGs typically abide by, meaning RPG lovers might need to unlearn a whole bunch of video game tropes if you want to get the most out of it.

Baldur's Gate 3 will only let you play in split-screen co-op on PC if you're using two separate controllers, meaning those who are playing with keyboard and mouse (presumably most of you on PC) are out of luck.

Sex is a part of life, and it's a part of Baldur's Gate, as well. Heck, it's part of the roleplaying experience at this point, expected even, with Mass Effect's randy Commander Shepard's legendary exploits causing a scandal in at least two separate dimensions. Considering that the two revolutionary roleplaying franchises are kissing cousins (developmentally speaking), perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that salacious gamers are already ensuring Baldur's Gate 3's success.

For Baldur's Gate III, Larian Studios used intimacy coordinators to help with its romantic scenes. In a recent interview with BBC, voice actors Devora Wilde (who voices Lae'zel) and Jennifer English (Shadowheart) revealed the coordinators were brought on to help actors feel more comfortable acting out the more amorous moments. 

In an interview with TRG this afternoon (July 27), Baldur's Gate 3 voice actors Devora Wilde — playing Lae'zel — and Jennifer English, who plays Shadowheart, talked about the use of AI in games instead of human actors. 

When we talk about videogames taking cues from Hollywood, it's normally a reference to bombastic cinematics or a stacked cameo cast, not really behind the scenes staff. That's the case for Baldur's Gate 3 though, which used intimacy coordinators—professional advocates for actors appearing in explicit scenes—to help manage production of its romances between characters.

Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian employed specially trained intimacy co-ordinators to make sure actors felt comfortable during romantic scenes.

Baldur's Gate 3 made use of intimacy coordinators for its sex scenes, an apparent first for a traditional video game.

Baldur's Gate 3's companions are brought to life using motion capture, which means that the various raunchy scenes with the player character had to be acted out in real life. In a new interview, two Baldur's Gate 3 actors share how they shot these scenes, and all the "weirdness" that came with it.