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Baldur's Gate 3 writer says they're sorry they 'fumbled' an infamous community romance: 'At least you know I ship it'
Baldur's Gate 3's companion and romance lead regrets not including a romance option for the popular antagonist Gortash due to his unexpected youthful appearance, despite fan demand.
If there's one thing Baldur's Gate 3 stans have been dreaming about, it's the ability to romance Gortash - and one of Larian Studios' former narrative design leads wishes they could make it come true.
The Baldur's Gate 3 companions are unique, each with distinct personalities and looks - from the aggressive Lae'zel to the cunning Astarion. There's just one flavor of companion missing, and it's one that would complement Dark Urge Tavs quite nicely - evil. You could argue that Minthara fits the bill, but she just doesn't cut it compared to the main three antagonists - Orin, Ketheric, and the handsome devil stealing fans' hearts, Gortash.
It isn't just fans, though - the RPG's companion and romance lead would also love to rewrite the script to allow for long-requested Dark Urge x Gortash action. Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, writer Baudelaire Welch reveals that while they personally "believe in the Dark Urge x Gortash ship wholeheartedly," they "never saw it coming." Gortash's popularity came as a surprise - as did his presentation in-game.
Sorry I fumbled the aging scene band frontman x bad dragon you guys, at least you know I ship it - seeing durgetash stuff is perhaps my favourite fan content 🖤 https://t.co/IMRAs7rfxp[August 12, 2024](https://twitter.com/space_poets/status/1822935343898710134)
"I think we always imagined that Gortash was going to be an 80-year-old man over the course of development, and then we saw his model and it was like, 'Oh!'" Suddenly, the villain was more akin to a hot emo boy band vocalist than an elder like Ketheric. "I so, so, so wish that I had seen that coming and added some optional hints of reactivity into that whole thing," says Welch, thinking back on the possibilities.
In a follow-up post about the Dark Urge x Gortash ship that sadly never sailed, Welch jokes that they're "Sorry I fumbled the aging scene band frontman x bad dragon" - but says "at least you know I ship it." Unfortunately, it's likely that Larian won't get around to allowing us to smooch the bad guy with good hair - the studio recently said you still can't make out with the "complicated" yet handsome Gortash in the RPG's upcoming patch.