Summary
ABaldur’s Gate 3fan cannot complete the epilogue due to an extremely bizarre set of circumstances, as they keep unceremoniously dying in camp over and over again. When theEpilogue ofBaldur’s Gate 3was added in Patch 5, it was meant to be both a celebration of the game’s lovable cast of companions, and a culmination of Larian’s vision forBaldur’s Gate 3. Provided that players survived the events of the main quest, Withers sets up a celebratory party six months after the ending that can change depending on choices made over the course of the campaign.
It’s similar to the famous Citadel DLC ofMass Effect 3, in that it serves as a farewell for the player protagonist and the game’s companions. However, while Citadel canonically takes place before Priority: Earth,Baldur’s Gate 3transfers the characters (and their state) from the final battle directly into the epilogue party, which is ultimately what causes the issue to occur in the first place.
When Boomsta22 finished themain quest inBaldur’s Gate 3, they ended up entering the Epilogue with a rather unfortunate status effect: Warding Bond. This Level 2 Abjuration Spell allows players to place a protective ward on an ally, increasing their Saving Throws, Armor Class, and Resistance to all damage, albeit at the cost of the spell-caster receiving the same amount of damage as the warded ally. During the final battle, Boomsta22 had a Warding Bond established with Gale, who in turn had the Heat effect for 7 turns. With no way of removing the Warding Bond, or dousing Gale with water, Boomsta22’s character is fated to die a slow death at the party’s happy reunion.
To further add insult to injury, Karlach’s ending in this particularBaldur’s Gate 3playthrough turned her into an illithid, and upon seeing Boomsta22’s corpse, did not hesitate to inform the other companions that it was hungry. The only way this situation could have gone worse for Boomsta22 was if it turned out to be an Honour Mode run. Unlike the other difficulties,Honour Mode inBaldur’s Gate 3is not only the hardest to complete, but players lose their entire progress with a single party wipe, and any death is permanent.
While Larian has been diligent inprovidingBaldur’s Gate 3updatesat a regular pace, removing all combat status effects would be a smart way to fix issues like this occurring in the Epilogue. As for future content set in the Forgotten Realms, though the developers have been tight-lipped about any details, players are hoping that Larian isn’t quite done withBaldur’s Gate 3and its characters just yet.
