Highlights

  • The Dark Urge is a compelling Origin character in Baldur's Gate 3, with a mysterious backstory and a strong thematic connection to the other companions.
  • To fully understand the depth of the Dark Urge's story, it's recommended to first play the game with a custom character and become familiar with the Baldur's Gate lore and context.
  • The Dark Urge can be played as any alignment, and resisting their murderous instincts can lead to more rewarding experiences and character development. Exploration is key to uncovering the character's backstory.

Baldur's Gate 3 offers a wide range of ways to play it, with seven Origin characters and a custom option that allows players to create their own character from scratch. One of the Origin characters is the Dark Urge, a mysterious character with amnesia. Left with no memory and an instinctive urge to kill, the Dark Urge's story is more brutal than any of the other options, but their story is one of the most compelling in Baldur's Gate 3.

While six of the Origin characters are party members and encountered in a normal playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3, the Dark Urge is dead if not selected as the player character and is not encountered while alive, leaving them a complete mystery. As more players have decided to play as the Dark Urge, the character has gained popularity thanks to their role in the story and strong thematic links to the other companions.

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Creating The Dark Urge in Baldur's Gate 3

Do a Custom Playthough First

The Dark Urge's story relies on a lot of Baldur's Gate lore and context to grasp the full depth of it, including the stories of Jaheira and Minsc, the Dead Three, and the three Chosen. To understand the full scope of how the Dark Urge story changes Baldur's Gate 3, it's best to play the game first in its entirety as a custom character. Baldur's Gate 3's story and lore is incredibly dense and has a lot of moving parts. Being familiar with the story, the major players, and its outcomes will result in a Dark Urge playthrough that is more meaningful than playing it completely blind.

Don't Create a Detailed Backstory

As with the other Origin characters, the Dark Urge already has a premade background. Despite their amnesia, the player will discover the Dark Urge's past, which will likely clash with any role-playing background. Rather than creating a backstory that will likely have to be discarded, it's best to accept the amnesia as a blank slate, concentrate on the events of the present, and discover the Dark Urge's past with them as they progress through the events of Baldur's Gate 3.

Customize and Change The Dark Urge

The "face" of the Dark Urge in marketing and in the character creator is a white Dragonborn but, like the custom character Tav, the Dark Urge's class and race are fully customizable. The Dark Urge can be any race, though Githyanki may not work as well as the races that are native to Faerun. The Dark Urge's class is also customizable, with Storm Sorcerer being the default option, though Rogue, Bard, and the other spellcasting classes are also popular. There is no "wrong" class or race, and any can be role-played creatively to fit the Dark Urge.

Playing The Dark Urge in Baldur's Gate 3

The Dark Urge Isn't the Evil Playthrough

Despite the Dark Urge's murderous instincts, it isn't mandatory to follow them and there are many opportunities to resist them. The Dark Urge can be played in any way the player wishes, from lawful good to chaotic evil if they choose. The difference between the Dark Urge and other player characters is that the choice to be good or evil is more deliberate, and that makes it more meaningful. With a blank head and no memory of the past, the Dark Urge's personality is completely up to the player, and is far from the "evil" version of Baldur's Gate 3.

Resisting is More Rewarding Than Embracing

Committing murder is rewarded for the Dark Urge, and following that path would appear to be a natural one to follow. However, resisting the Urge is incredibly rewarding, and shouldn't be discounted as a viable path to follow. The Dark Urge's background is always the Haunted One, which gives inspiration points for both resisting and embracing the Urge. Embracing the Urge also comes with severe story and character consequences that even the most chaotic evil players may hesitate to do.

Explore Everywhere and Everything

The Dark Urge's backstory is slowly revealed in Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3, particularly once Moonrise Towers is reached. But, rather than being revealed in a big cutscene, the player needs to piece together what happened through letters, talking to NPCs, and finding pieces of evidence. Unfortunately, the characters involved aren't very good people, and any information they have is given in pieces. Information on what happened to the Dark Urge is inferred through letters, which are found in corners and odd rooms.

The Dark Urge Brings Out Baldur's Gate 3's Themes

Don't Sweat the Unavoidable

There are a few times in the Dark Urge's story where, even in a good playthrough, the Urge takes over and certain actions can't be undone. These moments can't be avoided, though players have tried ways to cheat around some of them. This can be distressing, but the most important thing is how the player character reacts to these events, such as taking steps to prevent them from happening again and feeling remorse.

The Dark Urge and Their Companions

All the companions in Baldur's Gate 3 are escaping a dark past, and the Dark Urge fits right into this narrative. Unlike Tav, the custom character, the Dark Urge needs help from their friends just as much as they need them. The themes of Baldur's Gate 3 are strongest in a Dark Urge playthrough as they go on a very similar journey to their companions, and feels so much more real as the player experiences them all. When the Dark Urge faces down their demons in Act 3, the story drives home these themes in the most satisfying way, especially during a resist playthrough.