Since early access, a lot of content has changed and been cut fromBaldur’s Gate 3. It’s understandable that a lot of concepts would be changed after feedback from fans, but it appears that some characters underwent more changes than others. A more well-known example of this isWyll having his personality remodeledafter fan feedback - but a lesser-known diversion in the storyline saw major changes for Halsin.
The plot players ended up with surrounding Halsin is pretty straightforward. He can be rescued from thegoblin camp in Act One, and drives the player towards lifting the Shadow curse in Act Two. Though it likely wasn’t fan feedback which caused his story to be cut down,keeping Halsin’s original backstory could have massively changed the trajectory of the game.
Halsin Was Originally Going To Kill Isobel
Isobel’s Death Was Going To Be A Much Larger Event In Baldur’s Gate 3’s Backstory
Usermerrinlaon Tumblr shared some interesting content from an early access datamine ofBaldur’s Gate 3.This revealed several unused journal entries, which showed that Halsin had a much bigger involvement in the plot of the game, and a much different storyline. ThroughoutBG3, Halsin sticks to his neutral good alignment, and has little conflict in his story outside the Shadow Curse. However, evidence suggests that in the original storyline,Halsin was responsible for Isobel’s death,having killed her with a glaive namedSorrow, which would add a lot more to his character.
In the official release of the game, Isobel and her mother, Melodia, were killed by an illness,but Isobel was later revived by Ketheric. The post only makes reference to Isobel, which suggests that Melodia’s story was left untouched, while Isobel’s was changed to lump the two together. So what implications does this event have for the original storyline ofBaldur’s Gate 3?
Halsin’s Original Story Could Have Made Him Somewhat Responsible For The Shadow Curse
Halsin’s Actions Led To Ketheric Unleashing The Shadow Curse
Players are able to see a few remnants of this plotline still in the game. Halsin is very adamant about lifting the Shadow Curse, and will only be able to be recruited as a companion if his questline is followed to the end. In the story originally planned forBaldur’s Gate 3,Ketheric was going to unleash the Shadow Curse after Halsin accidentally killed Isobel. Whilst this doesn’t make Halsin directly responsible for the Shadow Curse, as it seems that it could have been an act of self-defense, it still makes sense that he would feel at fault.
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Halsin still has reason for wanting tolift the Shadow Cursein the final release ofBaldur’s Gate 3.Besides the obvious reasons, he is vaguely implied to have a history with Thaniel, and likely knew him as a child.The first rendition of the plot would clearly lay out Halsin’s motivations for wanting to lift the curse- righting the wrongs of his past. It would also leave lots of potential for interactions between Ketheric and Halsin.
How Would Halsin Killing Isobel Play Out In The Current Story Of Baldur’s Gate 3?
Halsin Could’ve Played A Part In The Redemption Storyline Originally Planned For Ketheric Thorm
The cut content heavily points to more plot revolving around Isobel - the post also notes some cut files of her singing.It’s possible that there was originally some form of reconciliation planned to be possible between Ketheric and Isobel.At the end of Act Two, there are several dialogue options which allude to being able to spare Ketheric - some long-time players will likely know thatKetheric was originally planned as a recruitable companion, possibly along with a redemption arc. Perhaps this cut storyline called for major changes to Halsin’s backstory, as he was going to play a part in it.
Something interesting to note here is thatHalsin will approve of any attempt the player makes at trying to redeem Ketheric.It seems like the original story would have involved Halsin being sympathetic towards Ketheric, as he feels responsible for not only the Shadow Curse, but Ketheric’s anguish at the loss of his daughter. This is further supported by Halsin’s journal detailing how he sees “his errors manifest” in Ketheric.
Here’s the full excerpt from Halsin’s journal:
In Ketheric, I see my errors made manifest. He did not fall - he was pushed. His grief was twisted by shadow, but none could deny my hand gave that grief shape.
All of this content begs the question - why were Isobel and Halsin fighting in the first place?
Halsin’s journal states that he doesn’t believe Isobel wanted to hurt him, and that he felt the glaive he used to kill her was cursed, though he didn’t know by whom. Halsin theorizes it to be Selûne, but it would also make sense for it to be Shar, especially considering the timeline and the name “Sorrow.” Halsin is a great character inBaldur’s Gate 3, but has little going for him story-wise. Though it’s evident that this was cut so Larian could focus on polishing what mattered most, it’s still fascinating to think about what could have been.
