Baldur’s Gate 3is an extremely extensive RPG with endless story opportunities, but it’s definitely the characters that make it one of the most beloved games of all time. Since release, the ten recruitable companions have quickly worked their way into players' hearts, but there are also several NPCs that are universally adored by the fanbase. Larian did a fantastic job when it came to writing these characters and their various arcs.
Despite this,there’s one significant character inBG3who wasn’t given the same attention as the rest.It’s completely reasonable that not every small character or vendor isn’t completely fleshed out, but anyone who isn’t familiar with the previous installments of theBaldur’s Gateseries will likely have no idea that one NPC played a much larger role in the narrative.BG3seems to cut their story short in a very unsatisfying way.
Jaheira And Minsc Returned As Companions, But Viconia Was Left In The Dust
Some Past Companions Got More Love Than Others in Baldur’s Gate 3
There are severalcharacters inBG3that return from previous games. The most iconic examples are Jaheira and Minsc, who are absolute fan-favorites, even for those who knew nothing of theBaldur’s Gatefranchise before playingBG3.However, while they return as recruitable party members, other former companions haven’t received the same treatment.One character of particular note is Viconia Devir, the Sharran Mother superior.
Fans of previous games have been rather upset with Viconia’s portrayalas an extremely one-note character.Baldur’s Gate 3is already somewhat lacking when it comes tocontent for evil campaigns, so having Viconia be an alternative ally to Jaheira and Minsc in the later game could’ve given her some more depth, and provided players some more incentive to make different choices. Though, admittedly,BG3is already massive to the point where already existing companions like Wyll and Minthara often get sidelined.
Any Redemption Players May Have Helped Viconia Reach In BG2 Went Down The Drain
Leaving Viconia In BG2 Would’ve Been The Better Move After Her Romance Arc
There are some much more realistic solutions to the issues with Viconia inBG3.The main problem that a lot of players have is how she only appears for an incredibly short time, just to be cartoonishly evil. She’s basically only an accessory for Shadowheart’s story as a minor antagonist, but there’s no reason why ithadto be her that filled this role specifically. It’s certainly interesting to have a call-back, but it’s fair to say that mostBaldur’s Gate 3fans would not appreciate any of the companions from the third game getting the same treatment.
You could also change Sarevok’s alignment inThrone of Bhaal,but Viconia is of more interest since she’s been a more consistent companion throughout past games.
InBaldur’s Gate 2,it was possible for the player to set Viconia on a path of redemptionif they romanced her. It’s understandable why Larian decided not to canonize this route, since you could only do this with a male protagonist of the human, half-elf, halfling, or half-orc races, so most players would never have experienced Viconia with a non-evil alignment. Although if Viconia was never inBG3at all and her fate was left up to the imagination, nobody would be left to feel like their previous choices didn’t matter.
Viconia Doesn’t Play A Large Enough Role For Her Changes To Feel Necessary
Players could also romance Jaheira in previous games, but I think it makes more sense to canonize a specific backstory for her without this romance because she’s a major character who needs a coherent history. When it comes to Viconia, she appears briefly at the end of the"Daughter of Darkness" quest, then either dies or is only vaguely mentioned during the final battle.It wasn’t worth ruining the memory of some fans' favorite character for the sake of a couple fights.
“Shadowheart. You should know - Viconia was not half so heartless as she liked to appear.” - Jaheira
There is a small piece of banter betweenShadowheart and Jaheirawhich implies thatLarian did take Viconia’s past into account.The exchange implies that Viconia was once very similar to Shadowheart, and was heavily manipulated by Shar, which caused her to become the person she is inBG3.Regardless, one small conversation doesn’t do a lot to fix what many fans still see as a massive injustice - Reddit userLuxury-Problemsshared their experience with romancing Viconia inBG2and being impressed by her emotional depth, just forBG3to butcher it.
With this in mind, I still don’t think Larian needed to bring back a character from the past for this to hit home. The cycle of abuse story is still very powerful when it comes toVellioth, Cazador and Astarion, who are all completely new characters.Viconia should have either been left inBG2,or played a bigger part in the events ofBG3.It would have been great to see her as a companion inBaldur’s Gate 3,but giving her more general influence on the plot outside Shadowheart could’ve gone a long way.
Not All Companions Are Guaranteed Happy Endings In The Baldur’s Gate Series
It Doesn’t Matter What The Official Story Is - Viconia Still Deserved Better
Viconia’s treatment inBaldur’s Gate 3has made some fans worry for a fourth installment of the series. Even thoughbringing back Jaheira and Minscwas a fantastic move on Larian’s part, it would certainly be disappointing to see a character’s “bad” ending become part of the official story with no further development, and there are many characters who fans want to make sure never returning so that their stories don’t suffer in the same way.Even a ruthless character like Minthara being reduced to one boss fight would be very underwhelming.
There is a right way to handle reintroducing old characters, even if they had a less savory ending, but I don’t think Viconia was handled correctly. Many fans would rightfully be upset with something likeAstarion returning as the vampire ascendantin a futureBG4, but it’s entirely possible that something new and compelling could be done with that concept. Meanwhile, in Viconia’s case, her role inBaldur’s Gate 3doesn’t add anything interesting to her arc.
