Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian has teased some… unusual romance options in the upcoming fantasy role-playing game.
Spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 ahead.
One character Baldur’s Gate 3 fans have had their eye on throughout the game’s early access period is the Druid Halsin. Halsin is an NPC and potential companion who can be rescued from a prison. But play your cards right, and Halsin can be so much more.
Literally. As a Druid, Halsin can temporarily ‘wildshape’ into a bear, and he does this during a romance cutscene. Larian showed off the furry encounter during a Panel From Hell livestream. You can see it in the tweet video below:
So Baldur’s Gate 3 is a 10/10… this is the proper D&D experience. #baldursgate3 pic.twitter.com/HEi2PJRLLu
— Vaughan (@vaughandavies97) July 7, 2023
It proved too saucy for TikTok, which pulled the livestream offline an hour before it ended. “TikTok canceled our stream because it was too artistic and they don’t understand,” tweeted Larian Director of Publishing Michael Douse.
Larian got banned on TikTok for the Halsin as a Bear/Astarion scene 😂😂 #PanelFromHell @baldursgate3 pic.twitter.com/m0evr7JaoJ
— Cypher 🔪 Queer Wrath & Villainy (@cypheroftyr) July 7, 2023
In an interview with IGN, Larian boss Swen Vincke called Baldur’s Gate 3’s bear sex scene “hilarious”. “Every single person who’s seen it is like, ‘oh my god.’ But it’s funny.”
Buff “Daddy” Halsin is perhaps the most sought after NPC for romance within the Baldur’s Gate 3 community. Fans have even datamined the game on the hunt for voice lines and assets that hinted he’d be a romance option. Now, they need wonder no more.
“Have you ever considered the joys and pleasures of sexual congress with a wildshaped Druid?” added lead writer Adam Smith. “Because at Larian, we have, and ultimately landed on the side of giving the people what they want: tender, consensual romance with a man temporarily transformed into a grizzly bear.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a sprawling open-ended Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from the makers of the Divinity: Original Sin series. Larian announced it had brought the PC version release date forward a month, from August 31 to August 3, in order to avoid a clash with the likes of Bethesda’s upcoming behemoth Starfield in early September. The PlayStation 5 version, meanwhile, is delayed slightly to September 6, and the Xbox Series X and S versions are without a release window (more on Baldur’s Gate 3’s Xbox hold-up here).
Speaking to IGN, Vincke said the developer is seeing a standard playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 take 75 to 100 hours. However, players who want to “do everything” should expect to double that figure.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.