Wyll is the most forgettable character inBaldur’s Gate 3. Odds are you kept him at camp throughout most of your quest to stop the Absolute, occasionally reminded that he existswhenever Mizora appeared, or after his dad finally became important in Act 3. And yet, Wyll is the only companion I want to see more of in whatever Wizards of the Coast does with the series going forward.
On paper, Wyll is one of the most interesting party members. He’s the moral compass of the group, always trying to steer us in the right direction as the famed Blade of Frontiers. But this beloved hero of the people also made a deal with a devil for his power, becoming a pawn to the Hells so that he could better protect the Sword Coast.
So, while undeniably heroic, he is willing to deal with the worst dregs of the Forgotten Realms to further his own goals, which leaves him vulnerable to higher powers. His father’s life is used against him by Mizora, and his refusal to murder innocents like Karlach leaves him permanently branded. Wyll is one of the most captivating concepts for a companion that we’ve seen from Larian Studios in its near 30 year history, but he isdwarfed byeveryoneelseas they are given far more room to stretch their legs.
Last year,one Reddit userbroke down just how much screen time each character has — Astarion and Shadowheart are unsurprisingly top of the list with over 12 hours, while Gale and Lae’zel have around 11. Wyll has the least of the big six: just eight and a half hours.
It’s no wonder then that he’s often voted the least favourite companion, left to the wayside completely. He isn’t nearly as fleshed out, and that’s not factoring in the myriad updates in the year since that have mostly focused on the favourites, leaving Wyll to trail even further behind.
The lack of screentime is only compounded by the fact that the majority of his scenes involve someone else, whether it’s Karlach, his dad, or Mizora. We don’t get the same level of intimacy as we do with characters like Gale, spending far less time in the quiet moments between battles in our adventure together. And the conflict bubbling within him as he is pulled between his two obligations — his steadfast morals and his unwavering pact — is never interrogated in the same depth as Astarion’s traumatic past with Cazador or Shadowheart’s manipulative relationship with Shar.
Larian Studios even revealed that it cut an entire areafrom the game that would have fleshed out Wyll and his story, the Red War College. Why this happened when he is the most underdeveloped companion is beyond me. Regardless, I would love to find out more about these scrapped ideas and the story Wyll never got to tell. Rightfully so, Larian is moving on to new things — I’d argue it spenttoo longon Baldur’s Gate 3, appeasing every single fan desire — but the series will continue at Wizards of the Coast under a new developer. So, there’s a chance to steer the ship back on course.
People are hoping to see their favourites return so that they can spend another couple of hundred hours questing alongside them, but so many of the companions already have fully fleshed out arcs and stories, interrogating their abuse, the dogma of their masters, and the newfound freedom that their quest to stop the Absolute gave them.
Karlach’s fate is left more open-ended, venturing back to Avernus to find a way to rid herself of the Infernal Engine, but that is still a satisfying conclusion. She is determined and stronger than she was when we found her hiding on the riverside, running from Avernus and the life she had so narrowly escaped. Wyll was never given that chance for development because his story is always overshadowed by someone else, whether that’s the Emperor, his father, Mizora, Karlach, or even us, the player, as we strip away his agency and make every decision for him. Even his ending sees him play a big part in Karlach’s story.
Bringing the others back would be little more than fan-service, riding the coattails of Baldur’s Gate 3 in the hopes of capturing even an ounce of what made it resonate with so many people. For a fleeting moment, it might be exciting to see our favourites return, but it wouldn’t make for a compelling sequel because their stories are over. Bringing Wyll back, on the other hand, would be righting a wrong, giving the character a second chance to show why he can be every bit as gripping as the others while finally unravelingwhohe is with the same care as everyone else.
That’s what we need from the future of this series: bold storytelling, not catering to the whims of a fan base who can’t accept an end.
Baldur’s Gate 3
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.
