Yeah, but it has to suit the villain. Raphael is so theatric and likes the drama that this theme with his own singing is on point for him in my opinion.
As a classic BG 1/2 player, I didn't really like Acts 1 and 2 and almost quit the entire game. After 2 months, I decided to push through and the city, finally, was all I had ever hoped for ... I did every last quest in act 3, I think :D But yeah, easy to miss out on this grand moment.
Friendly reminder that Raphael is quite literally an evil bard. In his devil form, he wears the Boots of Brilliance, that restore Bardic Inspiration, his allies in a 18m perimeter all get Inspiration (advantage to STR and DEX saves), his boss song can qualify as Unsettling Words from the College of Eloquence (making the enemy dou t themselves), he's characterised as singing and enjoys writing as well, he presents himself as a refined man and master schemer... Raphael is an Evil Bard and I love that so much. He's so delighfully entertaining.
@@harryb12993 Yo same. I went from being squishy as hell, to a literal tank. Every fight after Raph was a cakewalk. then again, every other boss didn't resist EVERY spell my sorcerer had...
- gets hit with stunning strike first turn - misses his attack second turn - gets stunned again third turn - can’t turn into his ascended form - refuses to elaborate further - dies
@@jonwoods4590ranger walks up in bhall armor does 400 damage in one arrow does 400 damage again action surge multitarget arrow multitarget arrow drink haste pot multi target arrow multi target arrow haste spell multi target arrow multi target arrow dread ambusher kills the entire enounter in one turn on tactician lol
@@Director-32 I was so shocked when this song came on, I was expecting an ordinary boss fight, and then you hear actual singing, and you get the feeling that you REALLY f***ed up. Definitely better to experience it first time in game
Raphael overshadowed the end boss, as an antagonist he is a near perfect example. I will never forget him and him singing his own song, the best fight in the game.
The last battle is totally boring, I hope Larian brings an expansion or improves the final battle of this game. Raphael should be the final villain for sure
@@logangraham3689 What about Mother Knows Best? Or Shiny? Admittedly, one (Shiny) wasn't from the main villain and the other (Mother Knows Best) isn't as great as Friends on the Other Side, but I think they still count as good villain songs. Don't get me wrong, "This is the Thanks I Get" from Wish is terrible, but those two were pretty decent villain songs.
@@logangraham3689 Oh... fair enough. Didn't actually think of it like that. I agree, Dr Facilier is definitely a Warlock, especially since his pact is broken when the amulet is smashed.
Anyone got the feeling that in game awards, when Astarion's voice actor got his reward for best character actor, he wasn't competing against characters from other games, he was competing against other characters from Baldur's Gate 3?
Yuri is goated, but his performance in SM2 just wasn't as good as his performance in the first game, nor anywhere good enough to have matched Astarions VA.@@april-lemon
Honestly Raphael's questline is what all dnd campaigns want to be. Starting out at level 1 barely able to take on a band of goblins to killing a Devil in his own home at 12, amazing!
I remember the first time I met him as a level 3 just outside the village being absolutely horrified as I saw the briefest glance of something with 666 HP. It just made finally hacking away at the last of his health as the last man in my entire party standing all that much more awesome.
Just as a reminder, we could barely beat one Cambion while it was soloing a Mind Flayer that kept trying to stunlock it and didn’t have a +1 weapon, now we can quite casually massacre a small army of them that are stronger and all have advantage and battle master manoeuvres. While tangoing with another powerful boss we were expected to struggle with near the end of Act 2. While ALSO dealing with the actual main devil boss. It all started in Hell, mostly fighting Imps and barely scraping by a single Cambion and possibly cheesing the remaining 2 with explosives before narrowly escaping, now they’re just foot soldiers to us while we end things with this story arc in Hell. He really should’ve been the final boss IMO.
Also reminder, if you kill anything above lesser devil outside the hells they just re'spawned if few days to few decades or so back in the hells yet again. but if you you kill devil in their own home turf in the hells they are permanently dead. ~For fun game fact/tip, after killing raphael and you take peek at the spying globe of at the mamon's lockpick's house, you see as mamon is devouring the body you left behind as you killed "the" devil. inheriting his powers and standing. hope had no hope in the first place running the house of hope in the first place.
I remember entering the house of hope at level 10, going through all of it and then realising I had no more short rests and guzzled a bunch health potions, b-lined for the exit and then he appeared. I then remember going "ain't no way" when the camera pulled back and I saw everyone and then the song kicked... What a masterpiece
If you go in the boudoir, there is a fountain there, but I think you need a perception check on the faucets. Basically if you get in the fountain with all your party and click on the faucets you get all your hp and spell slots back but it does not count as a rest so items that are working on short/long rest won't reset
Halsin died when i got there, he got knocked off by a beholder. I had to use Shadow Hearts divine intervention to revive him, I was out of scrolls, didn't think i'd ever need the revive spell, so didn't slot it in. Mistakes were made.
@@SuperBlooh I had done sorcerous sundries and taught gale the deva summon spell so I had that guy using fly to fly around whacking at the pillars with wrathful smite and he has a free revive as well
Tav: “Nah, Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength is worth it.” Lae’zel: “What about the Orphic Hammer?” Karlach: “What about the Helldusk armor?” Shadowheart: “What about Hope?” Astarion: “What about the Amulet of Greater Health?” Wyll: “What about Mol’s contract?” Gale: “What about the Incubus? *I mean* what about the Staff of Spellpower?” Halsin: “What about all these innocent people Raphael enslaved?” Jaheira: "What about our promise with Helsik?" Minsc: "I am here because Jaheria is here." Boo: _*squeak_ Minthara: "I'm just here to fight Raphael." Tav: *”No. Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength.”* I'm so glad I was able to find something for every companion. Edit I: I forgot Minthara... Edit II: I forgot Halsin… Edit III: I forgot Jaehira... Edit IV: I forgot Minsc... Edit V: I forgot Boo... OKAY, NOW I'm pretty sure I have everyone. (Hirelings don't count)
I actually doubled back into the hallway, to force his minions into a chokepoint at the doors and the song actually only plays in the entrance hall, so first time I fought Raphael I only heard maybe twenty seconds if it loo
I made Raphael dance and laugh with the spells the whole fight while Shadow Heart and Karlach beat his minions with a good dose of radiant spells and some heavy bludgeoning hits. Yurgir was there on my side too but he just misses all his attacks for some reason.
This was actually the first time I was sure of my decisions. An epic battle against an enemy my PC already despised, and hated more after learning about the vile things he did to Hope.
My favourite part about this song is that it's not only musically flawless, but narratively it makes perfect sense. Because of course someone as narcissistic as Raphael would sing his own song. Best boss theme I've ever heard.
He easily gives off classic Disney evil villain vibes, this right here should wake Disney up to what they threw away with their villains. Make them narcissistic and pure evil again
@@spartanhuntergaming I would LOVE an animated music video for this in 20th century Disney style. 'Classic Disney' was the first thing I thought when I heard this song. Reminds me of 'Hellfire' from Notre Dam
I got a nat twenty my second attempt and Yurgir was the MVP. An ogre who can freely go invisible every turn as a quick action is quite powerful especially when you dont have any tools to see him
@@PandemicIndex Oh, that sense of RELIEF! I loved when Yurgir just kinda "blew Raphael off." At least a smidgeon of hope against that IMPENDING SENSE OF DOOM was appreciated!
It's funny the game tries 2 times to get you to fight him but if your charismatic enough you can first convince him to kill himself, and second to fight Raphael
This is a reason why this game is freaking masterpiece. This fight is entirely optional. You can play this game completely and never come upon this if you make certain choices. With that in mind, look at the effort Larian spent here. This is AAA motion picture quality music. Not to mention that fantastic dialogue and voice acting. This might be the greatest game ever made.
Was really doubting myself when I first heard Raphael singing like a Disney villain while fighting him. This song just fits him so well and it was executed very well in game that it didn't feel cringey at a sudden musical number. Thank you Sir Borislav for your wonderful work. BG3 OST will be a lifelong listen for me.
Same. I really had a sense of defeat like I just knew I was gonna die when the song started...that same feeling grew bigger once the organs came in. That, plus the gameplay that led up to the fight, and how Satan held the feeling of "Hope" hostage in her own house, and realizing he was angry and coming back in full rage...I didnt know when he was gonna show up I was legit scared. It was great. When Raphael belittled us I was like..."hey maaannn we're friends though right?" LOL. I was able to beat him on my second try but first impressions matter most. I also love how Hope was small as if the devs were saying there was a "small" bit of hope left to survive. Masterful work.
What 'Disney Villain' is anything like him? I am genuinely curious. I have heard that comparison many times and I have no idea what you mean. To me, he's just a classical devilish character, done quite well. I've heard Andrew Wincott ask the same question. He has no idea what 'you' mean by Disney villain, educate me if you please, and thank you.
Honestly what i love most about Raphael is the fact that he comes off as what i picture the legit Devil would be...not just horns and hellfire, but charismatic, narcissistic, controlling every scene he's in...throughout the whole campaign up till his amazing boss fight, whenever Raphael said he could do something...i legit believed he could. If he said he could remove your tadpole, i legit believe he had the power to bypass all Asterial and Gith magic just with how confident and sure he was in the scene. Amazing character all around.
He's kind of like Mephistopheles from Faust which I think all devils are based off of. He will give you anything for your soul but it has to be a deal agreed too.
@@theoutlander1411 Funny nuff, Meph is his daddy, and he planned to rebel and overthrow him using us the players. So the apple did not fall far from the tree.
He's so charming and charismatic, yet you feel the power and control right there under that facade. Everything he says is perfect and smooth, yet you shouldn't really believe a single word coming out of his mouth.
@flamingrubys11 and you get to convince him to help you in the final fight. Where you can have him wack mind flayers and go insivisible lmao. They have no means of finding him.
@@nurgleschosen8145 god it just feels so fucking good i didnt have see invisibility for the longest time on my first playthrough so watching him beat the shit out of raph every turn was funny
@@flamingrubys11 if you let volo LITERALLY GAUGE OUT YOUR EYE WITH A BOTCHED ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE PARASITE which is pretty gruesome lol he shoves in an eye that has see invisibility permanently. Enemy's have a chance to succeed a dexterity check however and the orthon has a lot of dexterity I think. You always need a couple detection spells, especially when dealing with those damn bhaal cultists.
@@nurgleschosen8145 haha yeah by late game i learned that but i also started learning how to just throw a fireball at their predicted location... turn order kinda gives their location away haha
I'd argue that Ketheric Thorm takes that title, But like it's very close. Just the fact that Rapheal has been a thorn in the party's side the entire game, then eventually you match him in strength and he doesn't quite realize just how much trouble he's in. He was never the cat, nor the fox, he was the mouse who tried to trick the cat, only to fall victim to the claws.
@@ilikegames828 Same. Even though Raphael has more screentime, the build up when we finally strike down Ketheric made it better in my opinion, and when he offers himself to become an avatar of Myrkul... it gave me shivers. I had Shadowheart in my party for that fight so when she said "Shit" it pretty much sum up how I felt when he emerged, and it was pretty funny too.
@@ilikegames828 Agree. And this is considering I missed Ketheric's intro in my first playthrough because I avoided Moonrise Towers like the plague (yes, I am ashamed to say that gnomes and tieflings in the prison died). The only time I saw him was during the actual fight yet it still hits hard.
All my characters had a third of their health left, almost no spells to attack, and then 10 enemies with 100hp appear and a boss with HIS OWN THEME with 666hp and that we got told again and again that he was impossible to beat. I check my last save, it says 1 hour ago. I have never been more afraid in my life.
@@KrellenFireball I don't think the fight is possible in a first playthrough without that restauration spot. I was so sad thinking about all those cannon powder barrels I left in my camp.
And then Hope casually casts a spell that restores everyone's HP and gives them all their spells back! I was backed into a corner and desperately scanning through her spells for anything that can help me and noticed she can literally do the FF14 healer LB3 XD
Now imagine me, being lvl 9 doing this for the first time and forcing hope to use divine intervention the moment it’s her turn so we get some health and abilities back. Still had to load back to before I entered because he full transformed and nuked my entire party and that’s when I realized a lvl 9 with my skill cannot beat him 😭
Lyrics: [Mariya] Lives, all mortal lives, expire Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more [Raphael] Hell, hell, hell has it's laws Hell, hell, effects and the cause Curtain falls, but hold your applause Squirm, squirm, for now down here come the claws [Mariya] Lives, all mortal lives, expire Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more [Raphael] Fools, fools, how hard you have fought Brave, brave, but it's all been for naught True souls, that couldn't be bought Doomed, detected, and caught No more dеals, it's over The final act, your doom No more grace, it's over This House of Hope Your tomb [Mariya] Lives, all mortal lives, expire Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more [Raphael] Doomed, detected, and caught
@@galaxymoon8071 It's a mixture of accent and the music cutting in. It's more like 'Yaur' than 'Your' because of it. Almost to the point where it's 'Yar Tomb'. The Y is brief and pretty sharp.
This song is the ONE reason even veteran players starts doubting themselves ; and that’s EVERYTHING in a roleplaying game boss. That music hard carries the chills in the spine and hair standing on end expected of an endgame experience. Bravo to composer and singers, they gave us the mystical dread that battling a Devil should bring !
I think it's a bit more than that. The entire House of Hope quest spends all its time slowly building a sense of dread about Raphael, all the torment you see he's caused, the mirror room displaying how he can just go wherever-the-hell he pleases, the luxury, that bloody incubus, the guards by the hammer; all there to make you feel more-and-more on-edge. Hope often showing-up to help and her descriptions of him and that place feed into it more. And that's saying nothing of the decidedly off-putting, too-friendly vibe he nailed throughout the game beforehand. This track is just the culmination of all that, and yeah, I too had the _oh shit I done f'd up_ reaction.
@@liesdamnlies3372I legit had a minor anxiety attack walking around the house of hope, looking for some way to get the hammer WITHOUT triggering the alarm. But it evovled into a sort of existential dread when I found NO way to do that. The house of Hope is horrifying.
Up until that fight, I was loving the game but less than BG1&2. Don't know why but I kept focusing on what it does worse than the old ones. Right this moment its brillance hit me, and it hit me hard.
@@liesdamnlies3372 Yeah I was gonna say. As a crpg veteran I was like "I can just double-cross a devil and steal from him it's *fine*" but the house of hope had me legit wondering if I needed to revert to a previous save 'cause it really did not feel like a good idea. Everything about Raphael from writing and voice acting to dungeon design and that final song. The rest of BG3 is fun, but these parts are just so damn good that even I can admit that BG3 is a worthy successor even though I would originally have preferred Obsidian doing it. But this is just... it's different from BG1 and BG2 for sure, but it does it's own thing *so damn well* and honestly manages to capture the magic of a TTRPG in a way the original games never quite could.
When I told my friend I was going into the House of Hope, they said, "OMG GET READY FOR THE BEST SONG IN THE GAME." No lies told. This absolutely rules.
My Sister got mad at me and my BIL because we spent about 15 hours figuring out how each of us was going to Solo Raphael. Best boss battle ever, especially if you consider the lore.
Hearing someone say this was the main reason I made sure to go out of my way to do House of Hope (though I might have either way). I was hyped. When the song hit, I was like, "Oooh, vocals, nice!" Then Raphael himself started singing and I knew it wasn't the best song in the game, it was one of the best boss songs of all time.
I will put this here because I haven't seen much credit given. A BIG shoutout to Andrew Wincott, who not only delivered an absolutely spine chilling performance voice acting Raphael, but also rocked THE HELL OUT of the most thrilling fight in the best RPG to grace our gaming rigs in many, many years!
@@ShyVioletIsShyhe has quite a bit of VA work on Audiobooks under his belt (177 results on Audible). You can literally listen to him for hours, and yes, he’s great.
He Is the VA in the Audiobook version of the Night Lords Trilogy. One of the best Trilogy of novels from Warhammer 40k, written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
Fun trivia fact if you didnt know- Raphael is canonically a Bard. They had him sing in this track so you can feel what its like to have him using his Bardic magic against you.
The Raphael fight was hands down the biggest highlight of the entire game for me, mostly because of this song! You guys did an absolutely amazing job with the soundtrack.
I struggled through it on the first try, but only because I saved Hope and had a very persuasive Bard that convinced Yurgir to join us. Bards are the best, they can use almost any scroll. But this fight was difficult on Bards because the Soul Pillars could not be targeted by Psychic damage.
@@natchy99 unlike original DnD tabletop 5e rules in BG3 any class can cast any spell with the appropriate scroll, even if that class cannot normally cast spells.
I think the game warns you like 20 times before this man for a reason, he's like that super secret final boss that is meant to really give you the true experience, I feel bad for anyone who missed him on their runs
His fight was easy af for my knowledge cleric as long as I have Bae'zel and Karlach with Halsin for sleet storm and crowd control plus my man Yurgir. Glad I wasn't forced into a pact that claws at my freedom (my clerics main quest in life is for people to be free and think independently without manipulation)
Baezel can be recruited? OH WAIT...Ignore me.... well, for me it was a nightmare, our man Yurgir kept missing and only hit ads.... missed them too... @@sweatergod5386
How can you possibly miss him? He has the very thing you need to free opheus. Unless you trust the Emperor 100%, you should go in and get it. I suppose you can accept his deal, but then you’re incentivized to break free from his contract.
Raphael acting all smug and emboldened catching the party as we try to leave. In his arrogance he did not anticipate something so foolish, so utterly mortal. *I had no intention of leaving undetected.*
I straight up told him. "I wanted to kill you since I first met you." He thought I was there for the Orphic Hammer. He failed to realize I was there for him.
Yes! Every time he appeared, I could not help saying "oh, it's you" in that way that movie characters say it to a recurring villain. And it's a testament to the acting, animation, and design that he elicited that response! Such a phenomenal character, and they do such an amazing job building him up. If I set down my controller after finishing his fight and never finished the game, I think I'd still feel satisfied
Netherbrain is literally a self aware cyborg hivemind central server drive, all her agony and spite come from the answering machine, all that makes players think the Absolute is a woman and a person is a mind trick, a cognitive trap of human situation
Final battle is the cookie-cutter first fight a bunch of minions and then the "big bad boss" in stages. You also expect this fight to happen from like 1/3'rd of the game onwards, Raphael on the other hand is a surprise.. you are just about to exit a location and best fight in the game happens
@@akilahposhwow can you IMAGINE?! The brain's incredible VA layered over ethereal, mindbending vocals, with a chilling underscore. Um, how do we clue Borislav Slavov and Swen Vincke in on this?
The real tragedy is there will be some folks out there who played through the entire game and never even saw this bit. Its a freakin SIDE QUEST, thats how good BG3 is! :P
Tbf if you've kept Lae'zel alive until this point, getting the Orphic hammer or breaking your contract is something the game very much guides you towards
@AbraGaming I think he meant the overall design of it. The design of the dungeon and the Raphael boss fight had a much bigger impact and was more memorable than the final fights. Especially since in the final fight you have a "long rest" statue in-between each encounter. This dungeon if you didn't bring enough resources and manage your spells or bring potions of angelic rest this fight was much tougher and memorable
I think the charm of Raphael is that he isn't our story. We're just the setup, the prologue to another campaign. Makes the world feel bigger and more alive.
@@jamesnicholas8652 This fight was by far the most memorable fight of the game. Final fight was meh. The setting, the difficulty, the Disney villain - it's perfect
He kinda is if you think about it. He has the item required to help you figth the Netherbrain, and if didn't break into his house and you decide against the Emperor's plan, he will pop up, rubbing salt in your wound and you will have no choice but to accept his contract. When you finally defeated the "final boss", he will get the Crown, and he will rule, well, everything. He will have an easy time to conquer all realms with the power of the crown, starting with all major Devils pledging alliance to him... so yeah, the biggest threat in this world is actually Raphael, given that his plan will automatically start once you've defeated what is the current major threat, and there's nothing your heros can do against him.
@@HiYesThisIsJake Even if it's not intentional, I think, 'twas what Raphael actually said, for devils are cosmic lawyers and adjudicators in D&D and Pathfinder.
@@seandlax9 Aye but I think that there is a possibility that this is a play on the word that can fit multiple situations And if it isn’t, well at least thats a cool coincidence!
Now, all the love to Raphael and the VA and the composer, their parts are beyond impeccable, but I think Mariya deserves a lot more recognition for her part in this song. It's some of the best female vocals I've heard in... forever really.
Too bad she didn’t get a cameo character that accompanies Raphael. Something like Raphael’s girlfriend who’s just as evil and narcissistic as him and who we could see singing alongside Raphael. I also really want to hear a true duet version of this song.
It's actually hope singing it actually, same with raphael. If you cast silence and either one is in the bubble they dont sing their part of the song. If both of them are in the silence bubble the music changes to another combat theme until one of them is outside of the spell again.
This fight was when I finally felt like Baldur's Gate 3's soundtrack reached the level of Divinity Original Sin 2. The absolute best track in the game. The whole House of Hope quest was probably the most thrilling part of the story. This whole feeling of suspense and looming danger while sneaking around Raphael's lair. And then he comes. And while looking at his 666 health, contemplating how fcked I am, I'm suddenly shocked that the soundtrack has some actual singing. And then come the organs, sending the chills of epicness down my spine. And if that wasn't enough, then I'm completely struck by the fact that *he starts singing his own boss theme!* And I just stand there gawking, not doing any fighting, just vibing until the whole song passes. And then later after I closed the game, I kept listening to Raphael's Final Act on loop for a solid hour or so. The House of Hope was *the* highlight of my first playthrough, thanks to both the amazing writing and amazing soundtrack.
Yes! I couldn't believe how invested I was with Hope even though I literally only knew her for an hour or two at most... but damn I got misty eyed when she started talking about her own hopes... and about how even in hell, there should always be hope.
This song was PRECISELY what was missing from the Doctor fight in DOS2 imo. The whole mission reminded me of that tentacle demon so much, both masterpieces crafted by larian
@@wilbur4212 Yeah, pretty much. Adramahlihk should have had a unique battle theme like the Shadow Prince or Raphael. Something like a battle-oriented variation of Lohse's theme. Same with the very final fight in DOS2. I really liked the new theme we got during the first muffled part of the fight, but was disappointed that the second phase only had regular voidwoken music.
@@SereglothIV That muffled sound effect made the fight feel so surreal... it's moments like those that really elevate these games. Both BG3 and DoS2 felt more like movies masquerading as games.
@@chuchubagIt all made me extremely willing to kill her sister. Knowing she was out, drinking in Sharess’s Caress and following us around while Hope was still clinging to her half-mad courage just made her all the worse to me.
I'm a huge dork but when this song started playing, all "Liiiivees, all mortal lives EXPIRE," I got chills. And then Raphael comes in with his freestyle and I couldn't stop laughing. I fucking love this song. The haters are all incorrect 😆
In over 30 years of gaming, this was by far my favourite moment, ever. A true masterpiece. There's nothing like it. This one moment pushed the S tier BG3 into a pantheon no other game has ever been in
Great moment for sure, excellent score but I've played a few moments that have also gave me the giddies, this isn't the first it ain't my last, it's easily in my top ten. One of the best for sure
This fight was so hard for me the first time, my party was down to the wire and this is the fight I decided to use my Divine Intervention to heal everyone back up and stabilize the whole party towards the end, made for such a cool memorable gaming moment of the cleric saving the day against a literal devil in his own lair, easily a top 10 boss fight I'll never forget.
I cannot overstate how brilliant the whole soundtrack is! You and your team pulled off a top notch job! Now please excuse me while I add about 100 views to the view count.
In 30 years of gaming this is the only time a boss fight track started and I just sat there for 2 minutes with my hands off the keyboard reflecting on all the choices I made to get there and contemplating whether to reload and submit to Raphael.
That's the comment right there. I went to sleep singing the song and woke up the next morning singing the song, so in the end, who really won? Oh my gosh, did I just write that last bit in Raphael's voice? 😳
My first playthrough was as a bard and the very first moment I met Raphael I made the headcanon that he and my bard were the direct rivals, the type that deeply admires each other but also is aware that they WILL try their best to defeat each other. Every encounter felt like a battle of wits and when this part came in it all felt like the great conclusion of the main arc.
They went full "Screwtape Letters meets D&D" and I love it. I actually got distracted during the boss fight, listening to this 😅 Seriously, Raphael's VA and Mr. Slavov deserve every award they've gotten.
I'm glad everyone else cheesed this fight as well. I just cast globe of invulnerability and kept my party inside it throughout the whole fight lol. The other demons will try to get in the globe but for some reason Raphael is the only enemy that doesn't.
FINALLY THE FULL VERSION, thank you so so much Mr. Slavov for everything you have done in this game. I'm in love with each and every soundtrack, and I listen to the BG3 Spotify playlist everyday. You gave this game a real musical identity, and it adds so much to this already amazing game. As a musician and as a player, thank you so much for that 💙🙏
Raphael was just the perfect Combo in my Playthrough: Name of an Archangel, Living in the House of Hope, Having 666 HP, Imprisoning Hope, Getting utterly destroyed in the Boss fight, when Yurgir joins my side, Singing a Song all the While and STILL managing to kill Hope while she had the highest HP and Spellslots left in my Party. Gorgeous
@OtomostheCrazy that actually came to mind my last try and I have like 5ft less movement to recast it on her so she died when Raphael was at like 40hp 🤣😭
When I heard this in the House of Hope the first time, the moment that opening line hit, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. I proceeded to go through that fight with the biggest, dumbest smile on my face. What an incredible, memorable and truly awesome (in every sense of the word) song
When the first word hit my brain, I sunk into my chair and thought ''You are not prepared". I was like oh shit. The soundtrack is literally about my incoming death. Masterpiece of a song and of an encounter.
I don't care that the Absolute and the Chosens are the main villains. Raphael is the main big bad of Baldur's Gate 3 to me. The boss fight with him was the true climax of the game. Wonderful build-up, excellent confrontation and a wonderful song that makes for a perfect experience.
@@CheletibaYou are right, but Raphael is also potentially much more dangerous than the Elder Brain and the Chosen because if you didn't deal with him prior and he gets his way, then things will be a *lot* worse. Never give a Devil the means to Godhood, that's a recipe for ultimate disaster
I play video games for almost 30 years. (I love CRPGs.) I probably never experienced a fight better composed and staged like that scene. I literally was speechless. It send shivers down my spine. Thank you, @LarianStudios. Thank you so much for that game, for that glorious experience. May all your rolls be 20s. 😘
When this started playing, I shit myself, regretted all of my choices, and was so fucking excited. Haven’t finished the game yet but this is definitely my favorite boss so far.
Time to join the rest of the commenters in praising this song: the organ in the beginning, making you feel like you're in some abandoned cathedral, the rhythmic low strings adding so much intensity, the vocals, this whole piece is masterful. One of the few times I've truly felt the "oh shit, I messed up" going into a fight. Feels almost like a sequel to Hellfire from Hunchback, but instead of a corrupt priest you're dealing with the devil himself. Absolute perfection.
In the history of video games and video game music, this was one special moment that has never been there in decades of the industry making games. Whoever had the idea to make this song and have the antagonist you fight be true to his character and sing his own battle song, is a genius!
Dude for real. This shit was mind blowing. Nothing else in the entire game even came CLOSE to how insanely badass and cool this whole scene and fight were.
It was none other than Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke that gave the idea to Slavov to include Raphael's VA to get involved in his own theme. Absolute legend ! (it's in a Slavov itw)
I’ve never played a Larian game before or anything related to turn-based, and I came here at level 11, safe to say the fight was quite tough for me, but it’s also the absolute unequivocal highlight of the entire game due to this soundtrack alone, I was amazed and awestruck throughout the entirety and I give the biggest compliments to everyone that came together to help create this musical masterpiece.
You should definitely give the Divinity Original Sin games a go if you like BG3. It's more tongue-in-cheek with some of its quests and the narrator's commentary, but it's the game that got me into these types of RPGs, which I'd always dismissed as a JRPG fan.
@@CharlieM Absolutely he should. Divinity Original Sin 2 is probably one of the best game I have ever played. Larian Studios are one of the studios that just seem to do everything right atm.
Netherbrain: This town isn't big enough for TWO super villain's... Raphael: Oh you're a villain alright, just not a SUPER ONE. Netherbrain: Yeah? What's the difference? Raphael: PRESENTATION!
So delighted that you got Andrew to sing this song! Its beyond amazing! Best moment in the whole game. Thank you! And please do let Andrew know how much we all love his song!
I was shocked when I first heard it after getting the hammer.... It felt like I teleported there myself, the level of immersion this song and the overall art/game design provided is INSANE. My weak fantasy obsessed heart barely made it out alive. Masterpiece.
It was like 2am when I got to this fight. “okay here is a good stopping point for the night.” And then the music kicked in and Raphael started singing. I was grinning like a child. I was having a full ratatouille moment. I stayed up until 4am to beat him. Favorite moment from a game in I don’t know how long.
That's what happened to me last night. It was about 2am when I got to him, and I managed to Crit Success getting Yughir to join me, and thought I'll stop before the big fight, but decided just to have a little play... and the music just dragged me into the fight lol
He was the most genuine endgame boss I fought until the end of the game. Other battles were almost easy for me compared to fighting with Rapheal, but he... I have been pushed so hard that I regreted the decision I made, but with anger. Just I was thinking somehow I must kill him and get his body, I would display it as an ornament in my camp. Any enemy should be like him, as ambitious and unique as he is. You will not be forgotten, Raphael.
[Chorus: Mariya Anastasova] Lives, all mortal lives, expire Souls go to their dooms In flame, forevermore [Verse 1: Andrew Wincott] Hell, Hell, Hell has its laws Hell, Hell, effects and the cause Curtain falls, but hold your applause Squirm, squirm, for now down here come the claws [Chorus: Mariya Anastasova] Lives, all mortal lives, expire Souls go to their dooms In flame, forevermore [Verse 2: Andrew Wincott] Fools, fools, how hard you have fought Brave, brave, but it's all been for naught True Souls that couldn't be bought Doomed, detected, and caught [Verse 3: Andrew Wincott] No more dеals, it's over The final act, your doom No more gracе, it's over This House of Hope, your tomb
This song is so brilliant. An absolute masterpiece. For the first time as a gamer (who started during the 80's), this combat combined with this song made me actually feel like a naive fool that thought that I would be strong enough to defeat a demon (despite the warnings from the game). My first try was so brutal 😂 Thank you so much for your hard work Borislav and team ! Will definitely listen to this soundtrack for decades.
I busted out laughing when he started singing the first time. So on brand for his character and the setting. Hes so vein and so full of himself and this is HIS house, he thinks hes basically going to serenade himself while he slaughters you, only to get nuked by barrelmancy
I cannot express the emotion I had when this song started playing in the fight. I was delighted, elated, utterly ENTHRALLED. I had to stop playing for a second just to listen. Thank you so much for this brilliant soundtrack! Also, thank you for uploading this version with the interlude included! My new favorite track on the OST. :>
I know i come late to this, but I wanted to share my experience here. Yesterday i've battled Raphael and it was fcking amazing. I dont know how to play this game well, its very complex and i just entered to the world of dnd so there are a lot of things i dont understand. But when this son started playing, i KNEW i cant lose, because it will break the experience, i didnt wanted the song to restart after respawning. So I focused all my thought in each turn, in a few turns i lost Shadowheart and Laezel, and i started fleeing with the protagonist, Gale and Hope. I managed to arrive to the room with a table and food, and there Hope and Gale died too. So i teleported with the protagonist, without any more spells, to try to get to the room where you can heal. Well, I strugeled a lot but I arrived, only to see that you cant use that room in that moment. So i ran to the other part of the table room, and used a potion that heals you like a long rest, and made myself invisible to try to get to the fight room. Raphael and most of his minions left the room while they chased me, so i had time to kill one minion that stayed there and i revived Shadowheart and laezel. I broke the 4 columns, and exit the room, revived Gale with my last scroll and attacked raphael again. The minions fell quickly, but raphael transformed into the devil form and i thought i was screwed, but I kept trying, healing the team with the protagonist, shadowheart and all the potions I had, and spawned a water elemental to help. Gale fcking died again but after a lot of time, i killed Raphael. Yes, Hope died, but the experience was amazing. Thanks if someone reads this, and sorry if my english is not too good, im spanish haha
Wow, me too. I also fought him only yesterday too in co-op, continuing since August as the game realesed. But we lost, I guess we will definitely strike him down in the next party. Btw playing with characters: Laezel and Shadowheart.
The reason Raphael doesn't attack you immediately after you pick up the hammer is because he has to get in one last song rehearsal before the fight
Raphael, thinking about how that last rehersal cost him *everything*: "Worth it."
And, he's right about that.
😂
"Until it was perfect"
This made me snort my soda 😂 I can picture this way too easily
@@grzegorzt6987 all I can picture is him dramatically singing into the mirror to make sure he gives off just the right level of menacing
The fact that Raphael is so egotistical that he made a perfect copy of himself to bang means him singing his own boss music is so in character
Actually it's him. Cast silence on him and the song stops or so I've observed. He's singing as he fights. What a lad.
@@nurgleschosen8145 Wait, so Korilla stops singing the female part too if you silence her boss? Very loyal.
@@VinceValentinecould have sworn that was Hope. When she got knocked down the female vocals were silenced but Raphael kept going
What's even sicker is that he didn't make that copy of him, his father -- the archdevil Mephistopheles -- sent him that.
@@abduljah9355 his dad sent him a boytoy💀
Me when I'm doomed, detected, and caught.
Lol
It's all been for naught
@@siern7 No more deals it's over
Hope, such a tease.
@@fyka2902 It always burns you in the end
My only regret is that I'll never be able to experience this song for the first time again.
trueee
the shivers i had omg couldnt play anymore had to backseat and enjoy
I’m a calm person, but when I heard the song for the first time I was screaming, “HOLY SHIT.”
I didn't encounter this in game cause I am here xD but I'm sure just like the Rohirrim charge the build up will make it feel extra crispy.
actually i want, and also never want to experience it again
It was an absolutely amazing decision to have the villain sing their own battle theme.
I only saw this in another video game "Conker Bad Fur Day". Remember "The Great Mighty Poo"
We need more developers like Larian in our life...
Yeah, but it has to suit the villain. Raphael is so theatric and likes the drama that this theme with his own singing is on point for him in my opinion.
@@sobornes239man i loved that song
aaand I just gave you your 666th like lol
Every player had the same exact moment of "Wait...is that Raphael singing his own song?" lol
Haven't had a gaming music experience like this since Wasteland 3's quirky hymns in the middle of epic fights.
If you cast silence on him it mutes his singing 😂
He is so prideful that cant allow other than himself sing his song. No one than himself has the qualifications haha
It almost made me feel bad for killing him. Faerun lost some big music talent that day.
pretty sure its also Hope signing the bridge!
And you can finish the entire game without ever hearing this masterpiece.
my first run i completely skipped the house of hope it's one of my biggest regrets 😭
well, everyone skipped somenthing amazing on their first playthough as you cant do everything :D is the beauty of this game.@@homoscotian
As a classic BG 1/2 player, I didn't really like Acts 1 and 2 and almost quit the entire game. After 2 months, I decided to push through and the city, finally, was all I had ever hoped for ... I did every last quest in act 3, I think :D But yeah, easy to miss out on this grand moment.
First time I played didn't do this mission.
@@homoscotianyou mean you were just that much more excited to start your 2nd play through?
Friendly reminder that Raphael is quite literally an evil bard. In his devil form, he wears the Boots of Brilliance, that restore Bardic Inspiration, his allies in a 18m perimeter all get Inspiration (advantage to STR and DEX saves), his boss song can qualify as Unsettling Words from the College of Eloquence (making the enemy dou t themselves), he's characterised as singing and enjoys writing as well, he presents himself as a refined man and master schemer...
Raphael is an Evil Bard and I love that so much. He's so delighfully entertaining.
Ohhh this just changed everything for me. I already loved the guy but he’s a BARD as well? Come on, what’s not to love!
@@benten2462the part about Mephistopheles, and the Hells :P
I just figured he was the most "elegant" version of Lucifer.
@@MDestron2282 borh
i meant both
*gets hold monster'd
*Starts singing 'till he's been beaten to death
* Doesn't elaborate further
* Dies and drops the best armour
That dope armor is what kept Gale alive...
That armor took my sorcerer from strong to unbeatable
@@harryb12993 Yo same. I went from being squishy as hell, to a literal tank.
Every fight after Raph was a cakewalk. then again, every other boss didn't resist EVERY spell my sorcerer had...
- gets hit with stunning strike first turn
- misses his attack second turn
- gets stunned again third turn
- can’t turn into his ascended form
- refuses to elaborate further
- dies
@@jonwoods4590ranger walks up in bhall armor
does 400 damage in one arrow
does 400 damage again
action surge multitarget arrow
multitarget arrow
drink haste pot
multi target arrow
multi target arrow
haste spell
multi target arrow
multi target arrow
dread ambusher
kills the entire enounter in one turn on tactician lol
It caught me totally by surprise when Raphael started singing. Felt like a Disney movie. Awesome experience!
Same. It truly participates to establish his power level. The guy is so strong he takes over the soundtrack !
I'm starting to wish I didn't listen to this because I haven't fought Raphael in a playthrough
My jaw DROPPED
apparently if you cast silence on him the singing actually stops
@@Director-32 I was so shocked when this song came on, I was expecting an ordinary boss fight, and then you hear actual singing, and you get the feeling that you REALLY f***ed up. Definitely better to experience it first time in game
Raphael overshadowed the end boss, as an antagonist he is a near perfect example. I will never forget him and him singing his own song, the best fight in the game.
Agreed!!! So much better than the brain fight. I would have been happier to do this fight again instead tbh 😆
The last battle is totally boring, I hope Larian brings an expansion or improves the final battle of this game. Raphael should be the final villain for sure
It really felt like they wanted him to be the end boss, too. The mindflayers are just a staple of BG.
@@candiedcrusader7841are they? I thought it was more about the story of bhaals children
^^
@@snule349
Larian does a better Disney villain song than Disney.
Disney hasn't had a good villain song since friends on the other side.
@@logangraham3689 What about Mother Knows Best? Or Shiny? Admittedly, one (Shiny) wasn't from the main villain and the other (Mother Knows Best) isn't as great as Friends on the Other Side, but I think they still count as good villain songs.
Don't get me wrong, "This is the Thanks I Get" from Wish is terrible, but those two were pretty decent villain songs.
@@TheAwkwardGamer in fairness, I was thinking about Friends From The Other Side cuz Facillier is a Warlock like in this D&D 5E game
@@logangraham3689 Oh... fair enough. Didn't actually think of it like that. I agree, Dr Facilier is definitely a Warlock, especially since his pact is broken when the amulet is smashed.
@@TheAwkwardGamer Pact of The Talisman, probably a homebrew patron that can offer Polymorph as an option.
Anyone got the feeling that in game awards, when Astarion's voice actor got his reward for best character actor, he wasn't competing against characters from other games, he was competing against other characters from Baldur's Gate 3?
100%, once he got the nomination the battle was over
Darling I thought you'd never ask!
Not possible, because of our BUDDY, also known as V:IV Rusty
yuri lowenthal: >:0
Yuri is goated, but his performance in SM2 just wasn't as good as his performance in the first game, nor anywhere good enough to have matched Astarions VA.@@april-lemon
Honestly Raphael's questline is what all dnd campaigns want to be. Starting out at level 1 barely able to take on a band of goblins to killing a Devil in his own home at 12, amazing!
I remember the first time I met him as a level 3 just outside the village being absolutely horrified as I saw the briefest glance of something with 666 HP. It just made finally hacking away at the last of his health as the last man in my entire party standing all that much more awesome.
Just as a reminder, we could barely beat one Cambion while it was soloing a Mind Flayer that kept trying to stunlock it and didn’t have a +1 weapon, now we can quite casually massacre a small army of them that are stronger and all have advantage and battle master manoeuvres. While tangoing with another powerful boss we were expected to struggle with near the end of Act 2. While ALSO dealing with the actual main devil boss.
It all started in Hell, mostly fighting Imps and barely scraping by a single Cambion and possibly cheesing the remaining 2 with explosives before narrowly escaping, now they’re just foot soldiers to us while we end things with this story arc in Hell.
He really should’ve been the final boss IMO.
I had two scrolls of irresistible dancing and legit was amazed at level 10 I just managed to kill him lol...the song was perfection
@@raquelbrown1759 For me it was Hopes divine intervention that carried the day. Without a doubt the best boss battle in BG 3.
Also reminder, if you kill anything above lesser devil outside the hells they just re'spawned if few days to few decades or so back in the hells yet again.
but if you you kill devil in their own home turf in the hells they are permanently dead.
~For fun game fact/tip, after killing raphael and you take peek at the spying globe of at the mamon's lockpick's house, you see as mamon is devouring the body you left behind as you killed "the" devil. inheriting his powers and standing.
hope had no hope in the first place running the house of hope in the first place.
I remember entering the house of hope at level 10, going through all of it and then realising I had no more short rests and guzzled a bunch health potions, b-lined for the exit and then he appeared. I then remember going "ain't no way" when the camera pulled back and I saw everyone and then the song kicked... What a masterpiece
*laughs in restoration faucet*
If you go in the boudoir, there is a fountain there, but I think you need a perception check on the faucets. Basically if you get in the fountain with all your party and click on the faucets you get all your hp and spell slots back but it does not count as a rest so items that are working on short/long rest won't reset
Same omg. I just knew I was gonna have to plan a second visit to hell lol
Halsin died when i got there, he got knocked off by a beholder. I had to use Shadow Hearts divine intervention to revive him, I was out of scrolls, didn't think i'd ever need the revive spell, so didn't slot it in. Mistakes were made.
@@SuperBlooh I had done sorcerous sundries and taught gale the deva summon spell so I had that guy using fly to fly around whacking at the pillars with wrathful smite and he has a free revive as well
When this theme started playing, it was the first time in the entire game I regretted my choices
Tav: “Nah, Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength is worth it.”
Lae’zel: “What about the Orphic Hammer?”
Karlach: “What about the Helldusk armor?”
Shadowheart: “What about Hope?”
Astarion: “What about the Amulet of Greater Health?”
Wyll: “What about Mol’s contract?”
Gale: “What about the Incubus? *I mean* what about the Staff of Spellpower?”
Halsin: “What about all these innocent people Raphael enslaved?”
Jaheira: "What about our promise with Helsik?"
Minsc: "I am here because Jaheria is here."
Boo: _*squeak_
Minthara: "I'm just here to fight Raphael."
Tav: *”No. Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength.”*
I'm so glad I was able to find something for every companion.
Edit I: I forgot Minthara...
Edit II: I forgot Halsin…
Edit III: I forgot Jaehira...
Edit IV: I forgot Minsc...
Edit V: I forgot Boo...
OKAY, NOW I'm pretty sure I have everyone. (Hirelings don't count)
I actually doubled back into the hallway, to force his minions into a chokepoint at the doors and the song actually only plays in the entrance hall, so first time I fought Raphael I only heard maybe twenty seconds if it loo
@@nobuffer101 Surprisingly you can pay the diabolist with the gauntlets of hill giant strength, then turn around and buy them from her for a pittance.
I made Raphael dance and laugh with the spells the whole fight while Shadow Heart and Karlach beat his minions with a good dose of radiant spells and some heavy bludgeoning hits. Yurgir was there on my side too but he just misses all his attacks for some reason.
This was actually the first time I was sure of my decisions. An epic battle against an enemy my PC already despised, and hated more after learning about the vile things he did to Hope.
My favourite part about this song is that it's not only musically flawless, but narratively it makes perfect sense. Because of course someone as narcissistic as Raphael would sing his own song. Best boss theme I've ever heard.
Absolutely agree, and boy was Raphael so *angry* at you. I'd never seen him angry before.
Thats still twice as long as harleep says it takes to finish you.
He easily gives off classic Disney evil villain vibes, this right here should wake Disney up to what they threw away with their villains. Make them narcissistic and pure evil again
the guy has s3x with a literal duplicate of himself. Top 10 Narcissist of all time
@@spartanhuntergaming I would LOVE an animated music video for this in 20th century Disney style. 'Classic Disney' was the first thing I thought when I heard this song. Reminds me of 'Hellfire' from Notre Dam
"Don't worry bro the test won't be that bad"
*Opens test book to look at first question*
What are you:
a) Doomed
b) Detected
c) Caught
d) All of the above
@@sunbleachedangel e) b and c
Gotta say, nothing felt better than convincing Raphael's own demon general to attack him in his own house. "Huh. Alright, I'm with you."
I stumbled into this by chance and it was the greatest confidence boost I could have prayed for when Raph started singing
I got a nat twenty my second attempt and Yurgir was the MVP. An ogre who can freely go invisible every turn as a quick action is quite powerful especially when you dont have any tools to see him
@@jackhazardous4008 i save scummed that shit for like,... 20 minutes, so i just give up and casted banishment with hope on him
@@PandemicIndex Oh, that sense of RELIEF! I loved when Yurgir just kinda "blew Raphael off." At least a smidgeon of hope against that IMPENDING SENSE OF DOOM was appreciated!
It's funny the game tries 2 times to get you to fight him but if your charismatic enough you can first convince him to kill himself, and second to fight Raphael
Fun fact: Raphel's performance check is so high he actually sings all the parts of this song.
Cast silence on him or use the sussur blade and that removes his vocals from the song while he is silenced.
@@Nuinwing I see why it won game of the year..
@@Nuinwing holy shit it does?
TV Trope in action: Story and Gameplay Integration. And that's some great attention to detail, and adds a second Trope: The Devs Think of Everything.
@@xshock__ Can confirm. Just used silence on Raphael's boujie ass and his lyrics stopped.
This is a reason why this game is freaking masterpiece. This fight is entirely optional. You can play this game completely and never come upon this if you make certain choices. With that in mind, look at the effort Larian spent here. This is AAA motion picture quality music. Not to mention that fantastic dialogue and voice acting. This might be the greatest game ever made.
And you can say similar about so many other parts of the game.
@@vinceA3748 Larian has always made good soundtracks but this soundtrack was next level. So incredible
Was really doubting myself when I first heard Raphael singing like a Disney villain while fighting him. This song just fits him so well and it was executed very well in game that it didn't feel cringey at a sudden musical number. Thank you Sir Borislav for your wonderful work. BG3 OST will be a lifelong listen for me.
Same. I really had a sense of defeat like I just knew I was gonna die when the song started...that same feeling grew bigger once the organs came in. That, plus the gameplay that led up to the fight, and how Satan held the feeling of "Hope" hostage in her own house, and realizing he was angry and coming back in full rage...I didnt know when he was gonna show up I was legit scared. It was great. When Raphael belittled us I was like..."hey maaannn we're friends though right?" LOL. I was able to beat him on my second try but first impressions matter most. I also love how Hope was small as if the devs were saying there was a "small" bit of hope left to survive. Masterful work.
It's the perfect level of campy and cheesy that you can't help but love it
@@DsTslylee big facts bro
This track is what elevates Raphael from a boss to the boss. The definite article, you might say.
What 'Disney Villain' is anything like him? I am genuinely curious. I have heard that comparison many times and I have no idea what you mean. To me, he's just a classical devilish character, done quite well. I've heard Andrew Wincott ask the same question. He has no idea what 'you' mean by Disney villain, educate me if you please, and thank you.
Honestly what i love most about Raphael is the fact that he comes off as what i picture the legit Devil would be...not just horns and hellfire, but charismatic, narcissistic, controlling every scene he's in...throughout the whole campaign up till his amazing boss fight, whenever Raphael said he could do something...i legit believed he could.
If he said he could remove your tadpole, i legit believe he had the power to bypass all Asterial and Gith magic just with how confident and sure he was in the scene.
Amazing character all around.
Hail Satan 🖐️❤❤❤
Don’t see enough differences from a vampire (Bram Stocker’s)
He's kind of like Mephistopheles from Faust which I think all devils are based off of. He will give you anything for your soul but it has to be a deal agreed too.
@@theoutlander1411
Funny nuff, Meph is his daddy, and he planned to rebel and overthrow him using us the players.
So the apple did not fall far from the tree.
He's so charming and charismatic, yet you feel the power and control right there under that facade. Everything he says is perfect and smooth, yet you shouldn't really believe a single word coming out of his mouth.
Yurgir going invisible and occasionally whacking Raphael randomly made me cackle during this fight
god it feels so good watching ralph have to deal with yurgirs vanishing bull shit
@flamingrubys11 and you get to convince him to help you in the final fight. Where you can have him wack mind flayers and go insivisible lmao. They have no means of finding him.
@@nurgleschosen8145 god it just feels so fucking good i didnt have see invisibility for the longest time on my first playthrough so watching him beat the shit out of raph every turn was funny
@@flamingrubys11 if you let volo LITERALLY GAUGE OUT YOUR EYE WITH A BOTCHED ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE PARASITE which is pretty gruesome lol he shoves in an eye that has see invisibility permanently. Enemy's have a chance to succeed a dexterity check however and the orthon has a lot of dexterity I think. You always need a couple detection spells, especially when dealing with those damn bhaal cultists.
@@nurgleschosen8145 haha yeah by late game i learned that but i also started learning how to just throw a fireball at their predicted location... turn order kinda gives their location away haha
Easily the most hype moment for me in the game, more than the actual final boss. Awsome song.
Same, this song absolutely blew me away
Defiinitely more than Gortash, what the fuck was even that fight man
I'd argue that Ketheric Thorm takes that title, But like it's very close. Just the fact that Rapheal has been a thorn in the party's side the entire game, then eventually you match him in strength and he doesn't quite realize just how much trouble he's in. He was never the cat, nor the fox, he was the mouse who tried to trick the cat, only to fall victim to the claws.
@@ilikegames828 Same. Even though Raphael has more screentime, the build up when we finally strike down Ketheric made it better in my opinion, and when he offers himself to become an avatar of Myrkul... it gave me shivers. I had Shadowheart in my party for that fight so when she said "Shit" it pretty much sum up how I felt when he emerged, and it was pretty funny too.
@@ilikegames828 Agree. And this is considering I missed Ketheric's intro in my first playthrough because I avoided Moonrise Towers like the plague (yes, I am ashamed to say that gnomes and tieflings in the prison died). The only time I saw him was during the actual fight yet it still hits hard.
Making Raphael a disney villain with his own disney villain song moment was a stroke of utter Genius
All my characters had a third of their health left, almost no spells to attack, and then 10 enemies with 100hp appear and a boss with HIS OWN THEME with 666hp and that we got told again and again that he was impossible to beat. I check my last save, it says 1 hour ago. I have never been more afraid in my life.
That's why I spammed the boudoir faucet. it gives a long rest. even at full health and lvl 12 it was a challenge
@@KrellenFireball I don't think the fight is possible in a first playthrough without that restauration spot. I was so sad thinking about all those cannon powder barrels I left in my camp.
And then Hope casually casts a spell that restores everyone's HP and gives them all their spells back! I was backed into a corner and desperately scanning through her spells for anything that can help me and noticed she can literally do the FF14 healer LB3 XD
Now imagine me, being lvl 9 doing this for the first time and forcing hope to use divine intervention the moment it’s her turn so we get some health and abilities back. Still had to load back to before I entered because he full transformed and nuked my entire party and that’s when I realized a lvl 9 with my skill cannot beat him 😭
Good thing you have complete free healing for all your party as much as you want in the boudoir!
Lyrics:
[Mariya]
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more
[Raphael]
Hell, hell, hell has it's laws
Hell, hell, effects and the cause
Curtain falls, but hold your applause
Squirm, squirm, for now down here come the claws
[Mariya]
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more
[Raphael]
Fools, fools, how hard you have fought
Brave, brave, but it's all been for naught
True souls, that couldn't be bought
Doomed, detected, and caught
No more dеals, it's over
The final act, your doom
No more grace, it's over
This House of Hope
Your tomb
[Mariya]
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Souls go to their dooms, in flame, forever more
[Raphael]
Doomed, detected, and caught
It sounds more like he’s saying ”consumed” and not ”your tomb”
@@galaxymoon8071no it doesn't
@@galaxymoon8071 It's a mixture of accent and the music cutting in. It's more like 'Yaur' than 'Your' because of it. Almost to the point where it's 'Yar Tomb'. The Y is brief and pretty sharp.
@@galaxymoon8071 The word consume would make no sense in context. You're tomb on the other hand does.
it's definitely "consumes". "this house of Hope consumes". as in consumes souls. it makes perfect sense
This song is the ONE reason even veteran players starts doubting themselves ; and that’s EVERYTHING in a roleplaying game boss. That music hard carries the chills in the spine and hair standing on end expected of an endgame experience.
Bravo to composer and singers, they gave us the mystical dread that battling a Devil should bring !
I think it's a bit more than that. The entire House of Hope quest spends all its time slowly building a sense of dread about Raphael, all the torment you see he's caused, the mirror room displaying how he can just go wherever-the-hell he pleases, the luxury, that bloody incubus, the guards by the hammer; all there to make you feel more-and-more on-edge. Hope often showing-up to help and her descriptions of him and that place feed into it more. And that's saying nothing of the decidedly off-putting, too-friendly vibe he nailed throughout the game beforehand.
This track is just the culmination of all that, and yeah, I too had the _oh shit I done f'd up_ reaction.
@@liesdamnlies3372 you have a point, it’s the cherry on top ; I guess I was trying to say the song is the tipping point :)
@@liesdamnlies3372I legit had a minor anxiety attack walking around the house of hope, looking for some way to get the hammer WITHOUT triggering the alarm. But it evovled into a sort of existential dread when I found NO way to do that.
The house of Hope is horrifying.
Up until that fight, I was loving the game but less than BG1&2. Don't know why but I kept focusing on what it does worse than the old ones. Right this moment its brillance hit me, and it hit me hard.
@@liesdamnlies3372 Yeah I was gonna say. As a crpg veteran I was like "I can just double-cross a devil and steal from him it's *fine*" but the house of hope had me legit wondering if I needed to revert to a previous save 'cause it really did not feel like a good idea.
Everything about Raphael from writing and voice acting to dungeon design and that final song. The rest of BG3 is fun, but these parts are just so damn good that even I can admit that BG3 is a worthy successor even though I would originally have preferred Obsidian doing it. But this is just... it's different from BG1 and BG2 for sure, but it does it's own thing *so damn well* and honestly manages to capture the magic of a TTRPG in a way the original games never quite could.
The Elder Brain: "I am THE villain of the game!"
Raphael: "Oh, are you sure? You seem to think so... but I find you lacking."
Raphael: oh youre a villain alright, just not a super one
@@jeremygeller9145"Oh? What do you have that I don't?"
@@ollikoskinen1 PRESENTATION!
When I told my friend I was going into the House of Hope, they said, "OMG GET READY FOR THE BEST SONG IN THE GAME." No lies told. This absolutely rules.
My Sister got mad at me and my BIL because we spent about 15 hours figuring out how each of us was going to Solo Raphael. Best boss battle ever, especially if you consider the lore.
Hearing someone say this was the main reason I made sure to go out of my way to do House of Hope (though I might have either way).
I was hyped.
When the song hit, I was like, "Oooh, vocals, nice!"
Then Raphael himself started singing and I knew it wasn't the best song in the game, it was one of the best boss songs of all time.
I will put this here because I haven't seen much credit given. A BIG shoutout to Andrew Wincott, who not only delivered an absolutely spine chilling performance voice acting Raphael, but also rocked THE HELL OUT of the most thrilling fight in the best RPG to grace our gaming rigs in many, many years!
I honestly could listen to him speak forever... but I'd always be afraid he'd be tricking me into a contract!! 😅
Best RPG in "many years"?
You haven't heard about owlcat games huh?
@@ShyVioletIsShyhe has quite a bit of VA work on Audiobooks under his belt (177 results on Audible). You can literally listen to him for hours, and yes, he’s great.
He Is the VA in the Audiobook version of the Night Lords Trilogy. One of the best Trilogy of novels from Warhammer 40k, written by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.
Fun trivia fact if you didnt know- Raphael is canonically a Bard. They had him sing in this track so you can feel what its like to have him using his Bardic magic against you.
The Raphael fight was hands down the biggest highlight of the entire game for me, mostly because of this song! You guys did an absolutely amazing job with the soundtrack.
Amazing, wasn't it?
yes, that's the best ark and boss fight in game
same here, it was amazing
I struggled through it on the first try, but only because I saved Hope and had a very persuasive Bard that convinced Yurgir to join us. Bards are the best, they can use almost any scroll. But this fight was difficult on Bards because the Soul Pillars could not be targeted by Psychic damage.
@@natchy99 unlike original DnD tabletop 5e rules in BG3 any class can cast any spell with the appropriate scroll, even if that class cannot normally cast spells.
I think the game warns you like 20 times before this man for a reason, he's like that super secret final boss that is meant to really give you the true experience, I feel bad for anyone who missed him on their runs
I wished I missed his run and pretended this was a fan service background music. sobs at TRAUMA
His fight was easy af for my knowledge cleric as long as I have Bae'zel and Karlach with Halsin for sleet storm and crowd control plus my man Yurgir. Glad I wasn't forced into a pact that claws at my freedom (my clerics main quest in life is for people to be free and think independently without manipulation)
Baezel can be recruited? OH WAIT...Ignore me.... well, for me it was a nightmare, our man Yurgir kept missing and only hit ads.... missed them too... @@sweatergod5386
How can you possibly miss him? He has the very thing you need to free opheus. Unless you trust the Emperor 100%, you should go in and get it.
I suppose you can accept his deal, but then you’re incentivized to break free from his contract.
Raphael fight anyways much more easier than Dragon battle.
Raphael acting all smug and emboldened catching the party as we try to leave. In his arrogance he did not anticipate something so foolish, so utterly mortal.
*I had no intention of leaving undetected.*
what a great post
I straight up told him.
"I wanted to kill you since I first met you."
He thought I was there for the Orphic Hammer. He failed to realize I was there for him.
Raphael is a perfect villain all around! Voice acting, design, his lines, his ominous look, his devastating power, THIS SONG! the health bar!
Yes! Every time he appeared, I could not help saying "oh, it's you" in that way that movie characters say it to a recurring villain. And it's a testament to the acting, animation, and design that he elicited that response! Such a phenomenal character, and they do such an amazing job building him up. If I set down my controller after finishing his fight and never finished the game, I think I'd still feel satisfied
Fuck that.
666 hp
@@shahabodinphoenix7502 I beat him with a. I stock pile 30 supreme healing potion.
Agreed! Also, I felt bad for disappointing and slaying him - that's one of my measurement for perfect villain 😂
The villain is not Raphael, the villain is an antagonist because he came to steal from the poor demon, or to break the contract
His fight was more memorable and epic than the fight vs the Netherbrain. It felt far more personal
Netherbrain is literally a self aware cyborg hivemind central server drive, all her agony and spite come from the answering machine, all that makes players think the Absolute is a woman and a person is a mind trick, a cognitive trap of human situation
Final battle is the cookie-cutter first fight a bunch of minions and then the "big bad boss" in stages. You also expect this fight to happen from like 1/3'rd of the game onwards, Raphael on the other hand is a surprise.. you are just about to exit a location and best fight in the game happens
He also has way more health. He's the real final boss as far as I'm concerned.
I agree. Netherbrain should’ve had a villain song too.
@@akilahposhwow can you IMAGINE?! The brain's incredible VA layered over ethereal, mindbending vocals, with a chilling underscore. Um, how do we clue Borislav Slavov and Swen Vincke in on this?
The real tragedy is there will be some folks out there who played through the entire game and never even saw this bit. Its a freakin SIDE QUEST, thats how good BG3 is! :P
thats like saying that killing shadowheart makes her sidequest.
this is part of main quest if you want different ending.
Tbf if you've kept Lae'zel alive until this point, getting the Orphic hammer or breaking your contract is something the game very much guides you towards
It honestly feels like he was intended to be the main villain
nah that would be lame. The whole charm of these villains is that they're "side"quests. Like gaunter o dimm from witcher 3
@AbraGaming I think he meant the overall design of it. The design of the dungeon and the Raphael boss fight had a much bigger impact and was more memorable than the final fights.
Especially since in the final fight you have a "long rest" statue in-between each encounter. This dungeon if you didn't bring enough resources and manage your spells or bring potions of angelic rest this fight was much tougher and memorable
I think the charm of Raphael is that he isn't our story. We're just the setup, the prologue to another campaign. Makes the world feel bigger and more alive.
@@jamesnicholas8652 This fight was by far the most memorable fight of the game. Final fight was meh. The setting, the difficulty, the Disney villain - it's perfect
He kinda is if you think about it. He has the item required to help you figth the Netherbrain, and if didn't break into his house and you decide against the Emperor's plan, he will pop up, rubbing salt in your wound and you will have no choice but to accept his contract. When you finally defeated the "final boss", he will get the Crown, and he will rule, well, everything. He will have an easy time to conquer all realms with the power of the crown, starting with all major Devils pledging alliance to him... so yeah, the biggest threat in this world is actually Raphael, given that his plan will automatically start once you've defeated what is the current major threat, and there's nothing your heros can do against him.
You know, the Claws can also be interpreted as the Clause, which is perrrfectly fitting
Hadn't thought of that. Nice
This had to be intentional. This is the type of double entendre that lyricists love to play with
@@HiYesThisIsJake Even if it's not intentional, I think, 'twas what Raphael actually said, for devils are cosmic lawyers and adjudicators in D&D and Pathfinder.
It’s more of a callback to your first encounter with him, where he describes himself as “a cat playing with a mouse”
@@seandlax9
Aye but I think that there is a possibility that this is a play on the word that can fit multiple situations
And if it isn’t, well at least thats a cool coincidence!
3:45 God the organ solo is just straight fire
Now, all the love to Raphael and the VA and the composer, their parts are beyond impeccable, but I think Mariya deserves a lot more recognition for her part in this song. It's some of the best female vocals I've heard in... forever really.
Ikrrrr, the high note especially
Too bad she didn’t get a cameo character that accompanies Raphael. Something like Raphael’s girlfriend who’s just as evil and narcissistic as him and who we could see singing alongside Raphael. I also really want to hear a true duet version of this song.
It's actually hope singing it actually, same with raphael. If you cast silence and either one is in the bubble they dont sing their part of the song. If both of them are in the silence bubble the music changes to another combat theme until one of them is outside of the spell again.
@@genghiskhan6809 if you talk to dead harleep yo know he is mostly if not all the time a bottom so while beeing bi he is more into guys
More like, Raphael is Raphael-sexual. Peak narcissism. And a quick shooter to boot!
This fight was when I finally felt like Baldur's Gate 3's soundtrack reached the level of Divinity Original Sin 2. The absolute best track in the game.
The whole House of Hope quest was probably the most thrilling part of the story. This whole feeling of suspense and looming danger while sneaking around Raphael's lair. And then he comes. And while looking at his 666 health, contemplating how fcked I am, I'm suddenly shocked that the soundtrack has some actual singing. And then come the organs, sending the chills of epicness down my spine. And if that wasn't enough, then I'm completely struck by the fact that *he starts singing his own boss theme!* And I just stand there gawking, not doing any fighting, just vibing until the whole song passes. And then later after I closed the game, I kept listening to Raphael's Final Act on loop for a solid hour or so.
The House of Hope was *the* highlight of my first playthrough, thanks to both the amazing writing and amazing soundtrack.
Yes! I couldn't believe how invested I was with Hope even though I literally only knew her for an hour or two at most... but damn I got misty eyed when she started talking about her own hopes... and about how even in hell, there should always be hope.
This song was PRECISELY what was missing from the Doctor fight in DOS2 imo. The whole mission reminded me of that tentacle demon so much, both masterpieces crafted by larian
@@wilbur4212 Yeah, pretty much. Adramahlihk should have had a unique battle theme like the Shadow Prince or Raphael. Something like a battle-oriented variation of Lohse's theme.
Same with the very final fight in DOS2. I really liked the new theme we got during the first muffled part of the fight, but was disappointed that the second phase only had regular voidwoken music.
@@SereglothIV That muffled sound effect made the fight feel so surreal... it's moments like those that really elevate these games. Both BG3 and DoS2 felt more like movies masquerading as games.
@@chuchubagIt all made me extremely willing to kill her sister. Knowing she was out, drinking in Sharess’s Caress and following us around while Hope was still clinging to her half-mad courage just made her all the worse to me.
haarlep: Come to bed darling.
Raphael: No, you're going to listen to me perform my evil theme until it's right.
haarlep: ...
I'm a huge dork but when this song started playing, all "Liiiivees, all mortal lives EXPIRE," I got chills. And then Raphael comes in with his freestyle and I couldn't stop laughing. I fucking love this song. The haters are all incorrect 😆
Not finding any, the devil bard seems to have either entranced or exterminated them
She was hitting the notes so good, and then Raphael “ 👹Hell hell”
There are haters??
Yeah this was intense. And trying to win that battle at the same time
I completely agree. This game and this boss fight were simply a masterpiece of storytelling. I cannot say how much enjoyed this game!!
In over 30 years of gaming, this was by far my favourite moment, ever. A true masterpiece. There's nothing like it. This one moment pushed the S tier BG3 into a pantheon no other game has ever been in
Truly a amazing experience,i was not expecting having any way to beat him when he appear at the end XD
Great moment for sure, excellent score but I've played a few moments that have also gave me the giddies, this isn't the first it ain't my last, it's easily in my top ten. One of the best for sure
@@hismajestylordsmenkhare5878 the battle at ostagar.
@@SativaSwift battle of ostagar was also a great one
I absolutely agree
The difference between a villain and a super villain is presentation
This fight was so hard for me the first time, my party was down to the wire and this is the fight I decided to use my Divine Intervention to heal everyone back up and stabilize the whole party towards the end, made for such a cool memorable gaming moment of the cleric saving the day against a literal devil in his own lair, easily a top 10 boss fight I'll never forget.
That was the Orin fight for me! Her leap kept knocking everyone prone and I finally caved and used the Divine Intervention
I did the same, it is sooo narratively satisfying having hope cast Divine intervention
I had Hope with me on that fight and used her own divine intervention for the same reason as you, so I could keep Shadowheart's.
@@WSJButtersI used telekinesis to toss her off the edge before the fight started lol
You could have use Hope for it, I didn't used my divine intervention this run, I finished in tactician, the next is honor and I'm scared af.
I cannot overstate how brilliant the whole soundtrack is! You and your team pulled off a top notch job! Now please excuse me while I add about 100 views to the view count.
In 30 years of gaming this is the only time a boss fight track started and I just sat there for 2 minutes with my hands off the keyboard reflecting on all the choices I made to get there and contemplating whether to reload and submit to Raphael.
That's the comment right there. I went to sleep singing the song and woke up the next morning singing the song, so in the end, who really won? Oh my gosh, did I just write that last bit in Raphael's voice? 😳
Raphael was such a beautiful villain, and this ending was such perfection.
Easily my favorite villain
Just talked with a friend of mine about her first playthough... AND SHE DIDNT EVEN GO THE HOUSE OF HOPE AT ALL. And i was like bruh... PLAY IT AGAIN.
My first playthrough was as a bard and the very first moment I met Raphael I made the headcanon that he and my bard were the direct rivals, the type that deeply admires each other but also is aware that they WILL try their best to defeat each other. Every encounter felt like a battle of wits and when this part came in it all felt like the great conclusion of the main arc.
That fits real well with one of his diaries where he mentions he had a nightmare where you got the better of him
The devil went down to Georgia style
God i can only picture your joy when he started SINGING
@@Bluetanmancan omg yes it all fit so perfect for the bard experience. Btw cool profile pic you Heir of Wind xD
@@nickbailey9784 I even forced myself to get the killing blow being Vicious Mockery, had a hell of a run haha
They went full "Screwtape Letters meets D&D" and I love it. I actually got distracted during the boss fight, listening to this 😅 Seriously, Raphael's VA and Mr. Slavov deserve every award they've gotten.
After being stuck on him for 3 hours, I finally did it during the crescendo of the song. Felt absolutely amazing.
It didn't take 3 hours for me because I brough a runepowder bomb and and a bunch of smokepowder barrels
i did it first try because i kept making him fall prone on ice, breaking all his towers, and attacking him heavily with karlach when he was prone
I'm glad everyone else cheesed this fight as well. I just cast globe of invulnerability and kept my party inside it throughout the whole fight lol.
The other demons will try to get in the globe but for some reason Raphael is the only enemy that doesn't.
He made a whole diss track on the group to send him off. I can't commend this game enough for bringing joy back into gaming. Larian is the goat.
I like to imagine 1:54 isn't Raphael's turn and he's going nuts on pipe organ
The fact that he sings his own final battle theme makes me smile every single time. I love everything about this masterpiece of a game.
FINALLY THE FULL VERSION, thank you so so much Mr. Slavov for everything you have done in this game. I'm in love with each and every soundtrack, and I listen to the BG3 Spotify playlist everyday. You gave this game a real musical identity, and it adds so much to this already amazing game. As a musician and as a player, thank you so much for that 💙🙏
Raphael is a level 20 college of lore bard and storm sorceror in my heart
When the villian starts singing his own theme you know things are about to get real.
Raphael was just the perfect Combo in my Playthrough: Name of an Archangel, Living in the House of Hope, Having 666 HP, Imprisoning Hope, Getting utterly destroyed in the Boss fight, when Yurgir joins my side, Singing a Song all the While and STILL managing to kill Hope while she had the highest HP and Spellslots left in my Party. Gorgeous
Cambion of Champions
Gotta say it was pretty jarring to see how the best villain in this game has my name with the same exact spelling.
I have yet to beat him bc every time he kills Hope I reload 😂
I managed to help Hope survive using an invincibility sphere
@OtomostheCrazy that actually came to mind my last try and I have like 5ft less movement to recast it on her so she died when Raphael was at like 40hp 🤣😭
When I heard this, I started scrambling through my scrolls and potions bags.
When I heard this in the House of Hope the first time, the moment that opening line hit, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. I proceeded to go through that fight with the biggest, dumbest smile on my face. What an incredible, memorable and truly awesome (in every sense of the word) song
Song hits harder when you are in honour mode.
Exactly.
In my second play through first time that I heard it I said fuck me my wife jumped up In awe(usually don't curse)
@@shahabodinphoenix7502 Lmao
Truth
His soulstream hits harder though
I died on my honour monk to this music. First time ive heard it. Been listening to it ever since. Good death.
I replayed this battle like 7 times in a row. As soon as I won, I’d reload just to experience it again lol. Absolute masterpiece of a fight.
When the first word hit my brain, I sunk into my chair and thought ''You are not prepared". I was like oh shit. The soundtrack is literally about my incoming death.
Masterpiece of a song and of an encounter.
I don't care that the Absolute and the Chosens are the main villains. Raphael is the main big bad of Baldur's Gate 3 to me. The boss fight with him was the true climax of the game. Wonderful build-up, excellent confrontation and a wonderful song that makes for a perfect experience.
Raphael is the greater scope villain
Honestly we need a "Best Video Game Villain Award"
Role he played scheming in hope to get crown is brilliantly devilish
The Absolute are the BBEG, Raphael is the guy who fucks with the party and becomes their nemesis. Prove me wrong, you can't.
@@CheletibaYou are right, but Raphael is also potentially much more dangerous than the Elder Brain and the Chosen because if you didn't deal with him prior and he gets his way, then things will be a *lot* worse. Never give a Devil the means to Godhood, that's a recipe for ultimate disaster
I think it is largely because of this song that Raphael's voice actor won a BAFTA.
surely was a major factor but honestly each time Raphel made an appearance it was such a treat to listen to him
I play video games for almost 30 years. (I love CRPGs.) I probably never experienced a fight better composed and staged like that scene. I literally was speechless. It send shivers down my spine. Thank you, @LarianStudios. Thank you so much for that game, for that glorious experience. May all your rolls be 20s. 😘
Same, I started that game thinking "no way this can top BG2" but they did this.
When this started playing, I shit myself, regretted all of my choices, and was so fucking excited. Haven’t finished the game yet but this is definitely my favorite boss so far.
And then comes a juiced up multiclassing sorcerer/warlock and blasts Raphael into oblivion by 0:06
Me as a Paladin/Fighter smiting him 3 times using a potion of speed
Not me multiclassing bard fighter to just spam a juiced up volley of Magic Missile.
Time to join the rest of the commenters in praising this song: the organ in the beginning, making you feel like you're in some abandoned cathedral, the rhythmic low strings adding so much intensity, the vocals, this whole piece is masterful. One of the few times I've truly felt the "oh shit, I messed up" going into a fight. Feels almost like a sequel to Hellfire from Hunchback, but instead of a corrupt priest you're dealing with the devil himself. Absolute perfection.
This man's Disney Villain song is absolutely my favorite part of the best game of the last 10 years.
Absolutely incredible choice to have Raphael sing his own theme song. Whoever came up with this, you are the reason videogames are considered art.
Incredible piece. Incredible scene. The music in this game elevated it to the next level. ❤❤
Borislav took GOTY and made it GOAT
In the history of video games and video game music, this was one special moment that has never been there in decades of the industry making games.
Whoever had the idea to make this song and have the antagonist you fight be true to his character and sing his own battle song, is a genius!
Dude for real. This shit was mind blowing. Nothing else in the entire game even came CLOSE to how insanely badass and cool this whole scene and fight were.
100% yes!
It was none other than Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke that gave the idea to Slavov to include Raphael's VA to get involved in his own theme. Absolute legend ! (it's in a Slavov itw)
Raphael needs a Disney movie.
Honestly this deserves the amount of cultural penetration the Sephiroth theme does.
Even Ardyn is a better ff villain than Seph
Instead of: You're screwed
Say: Doomed, Detected, and Caught!
I’ve never played a Larian game before or anything related to turn-based, and I came here at level 11, safe to say the fight was quite tough for me, but it’s also the absolute unequivocal highlight of the entire game due to this soundtrack alone, I was amazed and awestruck throughout the entirety and I give the biggest compliments to everyone that came together to help create this musical masterpiece.
And the entire sequence is optional! Same for Alfira.
You should definitely give the Divinity Original Sin games a go if you like BG3. It's more tongue-in-cheek with some of its quests and the narrator's commentary, but it's the game that got me into these types of RPGs, which I'd always dismissed as a JRPG fan.
@@CharlieM Absolutely he should. Divinity Original Sin 2 is probably one of the best game I have ever played. Larian Studios are one of the studios that just seem to do everything right atm.
@@Osmotic It's optional yes but only if you take the deal with him which I think most people won't do
I fully recommend Larian's entire catalogue, even the really old stuff. They've been killing it for years.
Netherbrain: This town isn't big enough for TWO super villain's...
Raphael: Oh you're a villain alright, just not a SUPER ONE.
Netherbrain: Yeah? What's the difference?
Raphael: PRESENTATION!
So delighted that you got Andrew to sing this song! Its beyond amazing! Best moment in the whole game. Thank you! And please do let Andrew know how much we all love his song!
Baldur's Gate 3 truly never ceases to surprise and amaze.
I was shocked when I first heard it after getting the hammer.... It felt like I teleported there myself, the level of immersion this song and the overall art/game design provided is INSANE. My weak fantasy obsessed heart barely made it out alive. Masterpiece.
This fight is a moment in gaming that we will remember forever. A true masterpiece from a legendary composer.
It was like 2am when I got to this fight.
“okay here is a good stopping point for the night.”
And then the music kicked in and Raphael started singing. I was grinning like a child. I was having a full ratatouille moment. I stayed up until 4am to beat him. Favorite moment from a game in I don’t know how long.
Thought this was me typing up the experience. Exact same thing happened.
"The song has restored my strength."
That's what happened to me last night. It was about 2am when I got to him, and I managed to Crit Success getting Yughir to join me, and thought I'll stop before the big fight, but decided just to have a little play... and the music just dragged me into the fight lol
Same! Albeit at 4am...nearly 6am by the time I finished 🤣
That's the easiest way to explain to someone just how good this game is. It really makes you feel like a kid again playing video games.
He was the most genuine endgame boss I fought until the end of the game. Other battles were almost easy for me compared to fighting with Rapheal, but he... I have been pushed so hard that I regreted the decision I made, but with anger. Just I was thinking somehow I must kill him and get his body, I would display it as an ornament in my camp.
Any enemy should be like him, as ambitious and unique as he is.
You will not be forgotten, Raphael.
BG3 was snubbed for the Best Score award.
they had to give something to the others too, they couldnt have gotten away with all of it
While I love this soundtrack, FFXVI definitely deserved it too.
Bruh, the part when Bahamut uses Zettaflare deserved the best OST by itself
[Chorus: Mariya Anastasova]
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Souls go to their dooms
In flame, forevermore
[Verse 1: Andrew Wincott]
Hell, Hell, Hell has its laws
Hell, Hell, effects and the cause
Curtain falls, but hold your applause
Squirm, squirm, for now down here come the claws
[Chorus: Mariya Anastasova]
Lives, all mortal lives, expire
Souls go to their dooms
In flame, forevermore
[Verse 2: Andrew Wincott]
Fools, fools, how hard you have fought
Brave, brave, but it's all been for naught
True Souls that couldn't be bought
Doomed, detected, and caught
[Verse 3: Andrew Wincott]
No more dеals, it's over
The final act, your doom
No more gracе, it's over
This House of Hope, your tomb
When I first heard this in the game I inmediately thought "oh dear" but what a battle it was
This song is so brilliant. An absolute masterpiece. For the first time as a gamer (who started during the 80's), this combat combined with this song made me actually feel like a naive fool that thought that I would be strong enough to defeat a demon (despite the warnings from the game). My first try was so brutal 😂
Thank you so much for your hard work Borislav and team ! Will definitely listen to this soundtrack for decades.
This song hit me so hard during the fight. Felt like a Disney film of old.
When it started playing, I got literal chills. The fight was so bad ass, until we wiped and had to try again... 😂
When the boss battle has unique music playing : "Oh, shit."
When the boss starts singing half of the lines himself: "OH SHIIIIT!"
YESSS MY EXACT REACTION. I was like damn this is about to be hard he has his own song ?… HES SINGING HIS OWN SONG ?!
I busted out laughing when he started singing the first time. So on brand for his character and the setting. Hes so vein and so full of himself and this is HIS house, he thinks hes basically going to serenade himself while he slaughters you, only to get nuked by barrelmancy
One of my all time favorite video game/boss moments ever. Honestly, as a whole, I would say BG3 is one of the best games I've ever played.
When this song started playing I felt CHILLS down my whole body and I truly felt afraid that I won't make it, absolute masterpiece!
I cannot express the emotion I had when this song started playing in the fight. I was delighted, elated, utterly ENTHRALLED. I had to stop playing for a second just to listen. Thank you so much for this brilliant soundtrack! Also, thank you for uploading this version with the interlude included! My new favorite track on the OST. :>
I know i come late to this, but I wanted to share my experience here. Yesterday i've battled Raphael and it was fcking amazing. I dont know how to play this game well, its very complex and i just entered to the world of dnd so there are a lot of things i dont understand. But when this son started playing, i KNEW i cant lose, because it will break the experience, i didnt wanted the song to restart after respawning. So I focused all my thought in each turn, in a few turns i lost Shadowheart and Laezel, and i started fleeing with the protagonist, Gale and Hope. I managed to arrive to the room with a table and food, and there Hope and Gale died too. So i teleported with the protagonist, without any more spells, to try to get to the room where you can heal. Well, I strugeled a lot but I arrived, only to see that you cant use that room in that moment. So i ran to the other part of the table room, and used a potion that heals you like a long rest, and made myself invisible to try to get to the fight room. Raphael and most of his minions left the room while they chased me, so i had time to kill one minion that stayed there and i revived Shadowheart and laezel. I broke the 4 columns, and exit the room, revived Gale with my last scroll and attacked raphael again. The minions fell quickly, but raphael transformed into the devil form and i thought i was screwed, but I kept trying, healing the team with the protagonist, shadowheart and all the potions I had, and spawned a water elemental to help. Gale fcking died again but after a lot of time, i killed Raphael. Yes, Hope died, but the experience was amazing. Thanks if someone reads this, and sorry if my english is not too good, im spanish haha
Wow, me too. I also fought him only yesterday too in co-op, continuing since August as the game realesed. But we lost, I guess we will definitely strike him down in the next party. Btw playing with characters: Laezel and Shadowheart.
best character, fight and song i have ever experienced
Chills every time. An absolute masterpiece.
Yes! I'm surprised it still has so much impact every time I hear it