Baldur's Gate 3: Why Gale Is The Main Character

Highlights

If players choose to create a custom character in Baldur's Gate 3, they can recruit all Origin characters except for The Dark Urge as party members during Act 1.
Gale, an Origin character, plays a larger role in the story and can be considered the true main character of the game.
Gale's death in battle prompts a dialogue and cutscene, unlike other companions, and players must revive him within two days, or it's game over.

Baldur's Gate 3 lets players create their own character or choose a pre-written Origin character when starting a new campaign. If a player chooses to make a custom character, all the Origin characters except for The Dark Urge can be recruited as party members during Act 1.

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Most players choose a custom character, and likely identify with that character as the main protagonist, but the Origin characters still play unique roles in the story. Gale plays a larger role than some of the others, and it could be argued that he is the game's true main character.

10 His Death In Battle Has Unique Consequences

Gale's Death Prompts An Urgent Cutscene

Gale from Baldur's Gate 3 with his hand on his chest, clearly in pain. He is glowing purple

When a companion dies in battle, the other party members might shout out "No!" but their death does not prompt a dialogue or cutscene. Gale is the sole exception to this. The first time players see this can be alarming, especially if they have seen other companions die without any sort of fanfare.

The conversation begins when the player's character interacts with the magical projection of Gale standing over his body. The projection explains that many lives depend on him being revived within two days, but without expounding on the reasons why. The game isn't bluffing either; if Gale is not brought back to life before the third day, it's game over.

9 He Is The Former Chosen (And Lover) Of A Goddess

Only The Most Talented Or Devoted Are Chosen

The deities of Baldur's Gate 3 occasionally choose an exceptional mortal follower to become their Chosen. This mortal is likely fanatically loyal to their patron and definitely someone of extremely rare talent. Throughout the campaign, players will encounter several Chosen, most notably those of the Dead Three who serve as the game's primary antagonists.

Gale was the Chosen of Mystra, the Goddess of Magic, until he went behind her back in his endless pursuit of magical knowledge. Gale was actually even more than her Chosen, despite how rare an honor that title is, because he was also her lover. The kind of person that can become a god's partner is definitely worthy of the main character mantle.

8 He Is The Only Mortal To Survive The Karsus Weave

Gale Survived Something That Threatens All Of Magic

The mage Karsus stands in despair as his flying city Netheril crashes and people fall to their deaths

The Weave is as fundamental to the universe of Baldur's Gate 3 as the forces of gravity or the laws of physics. It runs through everything that exists, and it is through manipulating the weave that mages can cast spells. Mystra, as the current Goddess of Magic, tends to the weave, and so all wizards rely on both it and her.

In the distant past, Karsus of Netheril aimed to usurp this order and become a new god. He very briefly succeeded and started to create a new Weave so that he would rule over a new kind of magic. He died before it was complete, and it was locked away. Gale is such a talented wizard that he was able not only to release the Weave but also survive it feeding on his magic. While it is slowly consuming him in Act 1, the very act of carrying a burden that would have killed anyone else makes Gale a unique force to be reckoned with.

7 Even A Goddess Needs His Help Directly

Gods Only Turn To Mortals In Their Most Desperate Moment

Because Gale absorbed the Karsus weave into his body, he carries all the energy of a corrupt and unstable source of magic within him. The amount of power at his fingertips is unimaginable to most. Mystra's new Chosen, Elminster, reveals that the Karsus weave is more powerful and dangerous than even Gale understood during Act 1. When Act 2 begins, Mystra has temporarily saved Gale from being consumed by the weave by allowing it to consume her weave (and by extension, herself) instead.

However, this salvation is only a short-term solution because Mystra is not powerful enough to contain this energy forever. Only one person can help her: Gale of Waterdeep. The kind of call to adventure where a god asks a mortal for help is typically reserved for the most powerful or most important character.

6 He Can Single-Handedly End The Campaign

The Story Can End Sooner Because Of Gale

The 3 Chosen from Baldur's Gate 3 stand in front of the blinding white light caused by Gale activating the orb to kill them

The way that Mystra asks Gale for help is controversial, to say the least. Whether players chose to go through the mountain pass or the Underdark, Elminster meets the party at the beginning of Act 2 to relay Mystra's message. He says that Gale must sacrifice himself in order to destroy both the Karsus Weave and the Absolute.

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If the player brings Gale to the final fight at Moonrise Towers, Gale can detonate the Karsus Weave orb inside him to release a giant explosion. The Absolute, along with the three Chosen and the player's party, are all killed in the process. Elminster is revealed to be watching from a safe distance, relieved that the disaster is over but saddened by Gale's death. After that, the credits start to roll, just like when players defeat the Netherbrain at the end of Act 3. There is no other way to end the game and see the credits except to allow Gale to live, indicating his significance.

5 He Faces A Grave Choice

Act 2 Builds The Tension Around His Arc

Gale, glowing purple, is stabbing himself in the chest and clearly in pain

Understandably, Gale is distressed over Mystra's request. The beginning of Act 2 is a rock bottom that he probably could never have imagined in his days before the story began. He has fallen from greater heights than any other character in the party, and has sunk to the lowest point of them all. Mystra's request indicates that she won't take him back, but cuts Gale deeper than that by showing how callous she is about his death.

Despite these troubles, Gale continues to tread the path towards his possible death and is ready to make the difficult choice. He has multiple conversations throughout Act 2 in which he reveals his thoughts and struggles about the upcoming battle. The exploration of his desires weighed against the fate of the world is the sort of theme an audience typically only sees revolving around the main character.

4 His Backstory Sheds Light On The Main Story

The Chosen's Plan Revolves Around Gale's Past

The Netherbrain from Baldur's Gate 3 wearing the Crown of Karsus

Most RPG companions have detailed backstories that flesh out their own individual stories. These stories typically intercept with the main plot at a few points, but not many are as central to their game's narratives as Gale's. Players learn about Karsus' attempt to become a god from Gale when he starts to explain how the Netherese orb became embedded in his chest.

It is Gale that explains what the Crown of Karsus and the Netherstones are, and through him, players learn how the Chosen enslaved an Elder Brain. Without his expertise and experience, the party would not as easily have found a way to overcome the Netherbrain.

3 He Might Become A God

Godhood Is Not For The Weak

The 3 Gods of Death from Baldur's Gate; Bane, Myrkul, And Bhaal

In Faerûn, it is possible for mortals to ascend to godhood. The so-called Dead Three - Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal - were once men who aimed to become gods. Jergal, the original God of Death, was tired of his duties, and so he willingly gave them up, splitting his role into three parts for the ambitious men. Gale has spent a considerable amount of time and effort to achieve an ascension of his own.

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These games give players the feeling of godhood as they either allow gamers to play as a god or carry out god-like tasks.

Gale believes he can achieve his own ascension to godhood by using the Crown of Karsus and the Netherstones. He aims to challenge Mystra and become a new god. These kinds of ambitions are not typical of side characters, and help affirm the notion that Gale is more of a main character than others.

2 He Has A Solid Redemption Arc

Gale Grows From An Arrogant, Selfish Man To A Hero

best gale build companion race class subclass baldur's gate 3 bg3

Before the campaign, Gale was an arrogant mage who could never be satisfied. It was not enough for him to have the approval or even the love of a goddess, and neither was learning secrets that no other living mortal knew. At the start of the campaign, he has been humbled, but mostly because he was in survival mode. He knows that he will die and explode if the Karsus Weave within him is not fed magical objects, and so he is focused on getting through every day alive.

By the time that Act 2 has taken off, Gale is different. He has mulled over his options and ultimately decides that he is ready to sacrifice himself and save all of Faerûn from the cult of the Absolute. Despite still struggling with his ambitions and dreams, Gale is no longer the man who takes a goddess' love for granted. His willingness to sacrifice his own life to save others redeems him of his selfish past and allows the player to see his growth.

1 He Is The Most Played Origin Character

He Has Been The Player Character More Than Anyone Else

Gale from Baldur's Gate 3 with his level 1 stats, spells, and cantrips listed on the right

Larian released statistics about player choices like romance options, class selection, story-driven decisions, and Origin character selection. While Shadowheart remains the most popular choice for romantic relationships, Gale is far in the lead for player characters. Nearly half a million players have chosen to play the campaign as Gale, which is over 20,000 more players than Astarion, who came in second place.

This means that Gale has been the central character for almost 500,000 players, since players tend to gravitate towards the character they control the most. It would seem that the player base has spoken, and Gale is the best main character out of the Origin options.