Baldur’s Gate 3’s newest update addresses over 1,000 bugs. That’s not a typo, the 2GB patch is extensive and fixes issues big and small, from combat glitches to short characters not being able to smooch with their taller lovers. But on top of that, it’s making it easier to avoid an unwanted romance with Gale, the charming Wizard companion with whom several players have been accidentally stumbling into a loving relationship.
The issue apparently stemmed from the backend coding of an early scene with our Wizard friend. He teaches the player how to manipulate the Weave, a magical force within the Dungeons & Dragons fiction that he is especially attuned to. If you choose to play it that way, it can be a pretty sensual moment and there’s even some magical, telepathic flirting thrown in for good measure.
However, some dialogue options in this scene and those leading up to it that could be misconstrued as platonic, despite being recognized by the game as romantic. Now, Larian Studios is making some tweaks to this scene to let players choose something nicer than telling him to fuck off but maybe not quite as forward as “imagine kissing Gale while he’s looking into your mind’s eye.”
Read More: We Have Opinions About Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Approach To Romance
The relevant patch notes read as follows:
- Made it less ambiguous that you’re starting a romance with Gale when choosing certain dialogue options.
- During Gale’s spell-teaching scene, you now have the option to picture a future with Gale that falls somewhere in between kissing him and kicking him in the head.
As a Gale romancer, it was funny finding out other players were dealing with this issue because I thought my relationship with him was the most natural thing in the world. But I did run into an issue where the game, for some reason, thought I had initiated some kind of romance with Karlach, as I had an option to “break up” with her after solidifying my relationship with Gale via Gale’s astral projection space sex.
I have no idea how that happened, but the real lesson here is that on top of having very direct and clear dialogue options, we need a heart icon next to romantic dialogue choices so we are clear on player intention. BioWare was right. Fight me.