Summary
A rare interaction inBaldur’s Gate 3reveals a hidden reference to an important piece of video game history, but most players will never discover it, and even fewer will understand it.Baldur’s Gate 3is full of Easter eggsand pop culture references, most of which take place through intricate dialogue wording or the flavor text in Inspiration pop-ups. Whether it’s one ofBG3’s references to classicD&Dconceptsand player hangups, or an out-of-left field quote fromA Midsummer Night’s Dream,these cultural touchstones help connect players to the characters, and immerse them in the story.
But sometimes,BG3’s pop-cultural references can be a little more subtle, and that goes even beyond robotic constructs who may or may not be named after characters fromWestworld. This one callback may only be familiar to those with years of experience in theBaldur’s Gatefranchise. And it’s hard to come by,unless players follow a complicated (and sometimes unintuitive) sequence of events throughout the entire game. That said, it’s a lot more touching than the averageDivinityreference that normally comprises aBG3Easter egg, and may be worth seeking out.
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Lae’zel’s Child In BG3 Is Named After A Character From The Original Baldur’s Gate
A Githyanki Easter Egg
As discussed extensively in a Reddit thread byMalcet, if Lae’zel takes the githyanki egg from the crèche in Act One, and manages to hold onto it all the way through the game,she’ll eventually name the hatchling Xan, after a companion from the originalBaldur’s Gate. There are some significant differences - the original Xan is an elf enchanter, basically equivalent to a School of Enchantment wizard in 5e. Appearance-wise, he’s a lot closer to Gale than he is Lae’zel, with his purple robe and dark, flowing hair. But he does share at least one similarity with Lae’zel: they’re each the resident curmudgeon of their respective adventuring parties.
However,even getting to the point where the githyanki egg hatches is difficult, and requires a sustained effort by the playerto keep it safe throughout all three acts. The party first encounters the githyanki egg near the end of Act One, as they cross the Mountain Pass on their way to the Shadow-Cursed Lands. However, some players don’t even realize it’s possible to go through both the Underdark and the Mountain Pass, and end up choosing the former, larger, more plot-centric area as their sole route to Act Two. Even if the party does go through the Mountain Pass, they’ll have to brave poison pools and convince the crèche guards to let them take it, then refuse togive the egg to Lady Esther(or give her the owlbear egg instead).
In another Easter egg, Xan also appears during the tutorial section ofBaldur’s Gate 2, when he helps the player learn to use their wizard spells.
From there, all the player needs to do is pop the egg in their inventory, and make sure Lae’zel stays alive and on their side throughout the entire game, which can be difficult depending on the paths they decide to take with The Emperor, Orin, and Kith’rak Voss. If they successfully do all of the above before defeating the finalboss ofBaldur’s Gate 3, then, during the big afterparty at the Elfsong Tavern,Lae’zel will reveal that the egg has hatched, and she intends to raise the child, naming it Xan. Few players will get to this point, fewer will catch the reference toBaldur’s Gate, and even fewer will understand just how deep it really goes.
BG3’s Xan Is Actually A Reference To The Baldur’s Gate Devs' D&D Game
Xan As He Was Always Meant To Be
But as Malcet discovered when looking deeper into the reference,Xan didn’t originate inBaldur’s Gate- before that, he was a character in the series developers' game of tabletopDnD. Several characters from that campaign were imported intoBaldur’s Gate: a ranger with a big personality and a small hamster, named Minsc and Boo respectively; a gladiator named Sarevok; and, indeed, Xan. Xan was created and played by Assistant Producer Ben Smedstad, but not as an elf wizard.The original Xan was, much like Lae’zel, a gith fighter. The video game version was only made into a caster for game balance reasons, as the recruitable party had more than enough fighters.
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Smedstad was reportedly unhappy with this change, but nonetheless, Xan entered the public consciousness not as a gith fighter, but as an elf wizard. He remained that way for 25 years, untilBaldur’s Gate 3was released, andfinally depicted Xan, however briefly, as the gith-adjacent fighter he was always meant to be. ThisBG3reference is far more than a sly nod to the original game that started the series. It pays a debt of respect to one of its original creators, allowing his character to finally come into his own.
So, while it may take a while to unlock Xan’s ending, it’s more than worth it for fans of the originalBaldur’s Gate. Even for those who have never played the first two games, knowing how deep this reference cuts may be enough of an incentive to care for the githyanki egg all the way through Act Three. It’s far more meaningful than the averageBaldur’s Gate 3Easter egg, and thus worth every bit of the effort.
Source:Malcet/Reddit
Baldur’s Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
