One of the biggest appeals behind Baldur's Gate 3 is that all of its companions offer nuanced subplots that develop throughout the game, with many different directions caused by the player's actions. These arcs often coincide with the main plot in some way, with Gale's potentially leading to a different ending for the game altogether.

Gale is a Wizard who joins the party early in the game and can deal significant damage to enemies from a distance using many devastating spells. He is also a ticking time bomb with a magic orb inside him that will level a city should he activate it, something that can be done to preemptively finish the game. How he obtained the orb, and where his story can potentially go also reflects a tragedy set many centuries before Baldur's Gate 3 takes place.

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Gale's Folly Greatly Mirrors Karsus' Folly

Karsus was a wizard whose abilities would likely rank among the strongest in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. His power would go beyond what players could harness using the magic available in Baldur's Gate 3 and was at the point he rivaled Mystryl, the goddess of magic who was in control of the Weave, which acts as the source of magic.

In his attempt to cast a spell so powerful that it would solidify his position as the most powerful magic user, the Weave began to unravel which would have spelled doom for the world. Mystryl sacrificed herself to save the world, meaning the Weave was lost and magic had been eradicated from the world.

This was until she was resurrected as Mystra, bringing the Weave and magic back into the world. Gale comes into play many centuries later as he met Mystra years before Baldur's Gate 3 and falls in love with her, setting into motion his own tragedy that he does compare to Karsus' in terms of ambition.

Gale sought to prove his love to her by harnessing some of the power unleashed from the initial tragedy in an attempt to return a lost piece of Mystra to her, but would end up losing control of it. This piece would be the orb he has inside his chest, making Gale a living bomb who would be a danger to any person remotely close to him.

The parallels between Gale and Karsus can grow should players decide to entertain his idea of rebelling against Mystra, finishing his predecessor's work by having the power to rival a goddess. Despite generally being a good person when accounting for how the party interacts with others, Gale at one point is set on recreating the Crown of Karsus to gain magnitudes of power. This would involve completing his personal quest and learning more about the Crown, an artifact so powerful it allowed the Absolute to evolve toward the game's conclusion.

In the hands of a powerful Wizard like Gale, that could spell another tragedy in Faerun that repeats what Karsus did. Given that Gale is as much of a mortal as Karsus, using the artifact to attempt the same thing that led to magic being eradicated from the world does not hint toward any positive outcome.

The only way this idea could potentially work is if Gale's abilities surpassed Karsus, but there really isn't anything to imply he can. Given the orb is still inside him if he survives to the game's conclusion, the destruction that could bring would likely be far more than if it had been detonated during the game. Karsus' Folly is an event meant to show how hubris can lead to devastation, and Gale's Folly could be a lesson in not learning from history. It would ultimately be best for Gale if he moves on from wishing to obtain this level of power, because nothing good can come from usurping a god for the sake of it.

Baldur's Gate 3 is out now for PC and will come out September 6 for PS5. A version for Xbox Series X/S is in development.

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