Baldur’s Gate 3 is arguably the new face of Dungeons & Dragons, but what about the most well-known character associated with the tabletop game? D&D’s biggest hero is a notable absentee from Tav’s adventures, and it’s a massive missed opportunity.
Baldur’s Gate 3 features cameos from some of the biggest D&D characters, like Elminster and Volo. These heroes have appeared in tons of books, both narrative-focused epics and offering their insights in Forgotten Realms lore.
However, a certain drow is nowhere to be seen in Baldur’s Gate 3, which is shocking to longtime fans of the franchise, considering how often he has appeared in previous D&D video games.
Drizzt Do’Urden is D&D’s biggest character by a wide margin
While the true protagonists of D&D are the player characters, there’s one fictional hero who can be said to be the face of the franchise: Drizzt Do’Urden.
Created by R.A. Salvatore, Drizzt’s story has been told across many D&D novels. The hero is a drow Ranger who fled the Underdark to live on the surface world, where his kind is not welcome in most cities, thanks to a long and bloody history. Drow are feared across the Forgotten Realms due to their devotion to Lolth, an evil goddess that manipulates them into performing terrible deeds.
Unsurprisingly, Drizzt had a hard time making friends on the surface, but his bravery and heroism eventually made him one of the most famous heroes in the Forgotten Realms. Indeed, his popularity (both in-game and in the real world) helped form a shift in attitude towards drow, which is why they aren’t attacked on sight in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The D&D video games love including the drow Ranger
As a melee-focused character, Drizzt has been a popular choice for video games, both as a playable hero and as an NPC. His appearances include Menzoberranzan, Demon Stone, Neverwinter, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, and a starring role in Dark Alliance.
Notably, Drizzt appeared in the first two Baldur’s Gate games. You encounter him alone in the first game and alongside his friends, the Companions of the Hall, in the sequel. In both games, you can either fight alongside Drizzt or try to kill him and steal his gear.
(Good luck with that second option. Drizzt is one of the most skilled warriors in the Forgotten Realms, and even your 6v1 advantage won’t save you from being sliced to pieces by his scimitars.)
Drizzt is nowhere to be seen in Baldur’s Gate 3
It’s astonishing, then, that Drizzt doesn’t even have a cameo in Baldur’s Gate 3. He’s appeared in so many games, yet he’s not in the biggest D&D title ever.
(Technically, the cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 met Drizzt in an episode of High Rollers, where Astarion got to fanboy over the famous Ranger, but this didn’t happen in the game — although, a certain reference in the new epilogue may make these events canon.)
In a game where we’re forced to suffer through Volo’s bad poetry and Elminster trying to pull a Gandalf on Gale, we don’t get a simple glimpse of Drizzt. Annoyingly, you can find lots of small references to him throughout the overworld, but the drow himself never bothers to show up in person.
It’s a shame that Drizzt isn’t part of the game, as there’s a perfect role for him in the story.
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He would make an ideal post-game boss for the Dark Urge
Considering he’s one of the mightiest heroes in the Forgotten Realms, you wouldn’t have much of a reason to fight him as a good character outside of some special circumstance where he was being mind-controlled or you were facing a simulacrum created by magic.
Not all Baldur’s Gate 3 characters are heroes, however. There are some who are as evil as any monster that stalks the Forgotten Realms.
Those who choose to play as the Dark Urge Origin character have the option to commit some utterly horrendous acts, leading to a conclusion where you wrest control of the Netherbrain.
But what if someone tried to stop you before you could tap into the power of your birthright?
Drizzt and the Companions of the Hall (Bruenor Battlehammer, Catti-brie, Guenhwyvar, Regis, and Wulfgar) would make for incredible optional bosses for evil runs. Heroic characters aren’t likely to run afoul of Drizzt, but a villain can absolutely expect to meet the business end of his blades.
Baldur’s Gate 3 already has powerful optional bosses for good routes, such as Ansur, the undead dragon, and Raphael the devil, so it’s only fitting that villains have their challenging foe awaiting them at the end of the story.
An appearance by Drizzt and his allies would also give players another chance to face the foe that D&D fans love and hate the most: another adventuring party. These guys always have the best gear, but they might be the most challenging enemies in the tabletop game, as they can match the players in action economy, using their own tricks against them.
He could even work as an ally against the end boss
Using Drizzt just so your Dark Urge can kill him would mean that only a small percentage of the player base would see him. After all, Larian Studios’ 1st-year anniversary stats for Baldur’s Gate 3 revealed that only 15% of custom origin players used the Dark Urge.
This doesn’t mean that Drizzt would have to appear exclusively in the evil route, as there’s a perfect place for him, with the “Gathering Your Allies” quest.
At the end of Baldur’s Gate 3, the allies you’ve made throughout the game can be called in on in the final battle. This would have been the perfect place to slot Drizzt in for the good players: give him a short questline in the city of Baldur’s Gate 3 and have him fight alongside you at the end.
That way, your character can fight alongside D&D’s greatest hero without him overshadowing you.
(Although, if he happens to die, then he’s not going to need those magical scimitars anymore. You’ll give them a good home.)
