A Dark Sun game… or more of Jergal’s machinations?
Baldur’s Gate 3’s newly added epilogue sequence contains a letter some fans have speculated to reference the Dark Sun Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.
This letter is found in the chapel area that Withers strolls around in while everyone else is partying. It’s certainly cryptic, but the words ‘Dark Sun’ have everyone’s imaginations racing. The text is as follows.
“A missive in Withers’ hand, addressed to some unknown entity. Though you understand the alphabet, the script, and the words themselves, the meaning eludes you. You glean only the impression of a dark sun in white sky, and an offer. Perhaps a warning?”
Two theories are circulating. The first is that Larian intends to create a game based on the Dark Sun campaign, an alternate Dungeons & Dragons universe set on a post-apocalyptic desert world.
It would be a bold choice as there hasn’t been a Dark Sun video game since Strategic Simulation’s adaptations in the mid-90s. It’s also a less popular and recognisable setting than the Forgotten Realms. Larian did tease Baldur’s Gate 3 at Divinity: Original Sin 2’s conclusion, so it wouldn’t be without precedent.
The other theory and what seems the more likely outcome is that this references Cyric, the Faerunian god of lies, trickery and strife. The Dark Sun is one of Cyric’s titles, and a significant symbol in his church.
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Everyone’s happy… kinda.
In official Forgotten Realms lore, Cyric works against the Dead Three (Bhaal, Myrkul and Bane) as he seeks to usurp them. With the plans of the three foiled by the party in Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyric may be eyeing this as an opportunity to move against them. Naturally, Jergal (Withers) will be attempting to stop him.
Withers also implies that the party’s adventures aren’t finished during his speech at the party, teasing “It is over… for now.” All of this has led to speculation that Larian is working on an expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3 where Cyric is the primary antagonist.
Baldur’s Gate 3
23 years on from the release of the seminal RPG, Baldur’s Gate 2, the third game in the series has been developed by Larian Studios (of Divinity: Original Sin fame). Set over 120 years after the events of the last game, Baldur’s Gate 3 tasks you and your party of heroes to fight off a mind flayer invasion of Faerun, while seeking a way to remove the tadpole in your brain that’s slowly turning you into the enemy…
- Franchise
- Baldur’s Gate
- Platform(s)
- PC, Stadia, macOS, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
