@@kittydaddy2023 It plays for everyone but with Durge it actually elevates in its meaning. You are quite literally stealing the show/spotlight as you should
That moment when all my companions praise me for breaking out of bhaal's hold on me, only to follow up by disintegrating scratch the next night. Like, you guys thought that meant I was a good guy now? I just don't want to pay fealty anymore.
@@crimsonnick4843 hey, you're the one calling scratch a "thing". I recognize scratch as a sentient, loving creature... That I need to kill right when he trusts me the most. Better than handing him to his handler in any case, at least a disintegration is painless, I'm not without mercy.
@@SnipeOSRS lol i drank a collosus potion and had gale cast enlarge on me while i was in slayer form so i was GIAGANTIC and only when i was bigger than a steel watcher did i maul the owl bear cub to ribbons. Killing it wasn't enough i wanted some overkill. Dark Urge really got me in the mindset.
If you ever want Durge to feel even more naturally evil, remember that they are the purest Bhaalspawn that has ever existed, purer than even Sarevok himself. In essence, Durge was crafted, literally, out of Bhaal's spilled guts, likely after he purposefully disemboweled himself to make a son/daughter. So, y'know, Durge is 100% Bhaal until Withers comes along and does some magical fuckery.
There's just one nuance; according to logic, theories, and observations, "Wither" is Jergal, the one who gave birth to the "Dead Three". In fact, he is the forefather of the powers that Baal possesses. Therefore, his magical shenanigans are quite logical (provided, of course, that he is indeed Jergal). The only downside is that Jergal isn't extensively explored in the plot; only "Withers" is, and that's all we know... Also, there's a moment where he pontificates at the end in front of the "Dead Three," seeing them as fools in his eyes. A plot hole remains in the lack of motivation for "Wither," but on the other hand, there is logic in this, as, according to D&D, we are just simple heroes up to the 12th level, still far from the plan of higher forces.
There's a cut content which explains that Jergal is helping the party due to being in the divine equivalent of mandatory community service, with Helm being his pentientary officer. Hence why he's piloting Withers, his Avatar, the most Ao will allow a divine to fuck with Toril, to help clean his "crime" of relenting powers to the Dead Three. It gets more hillarious if you redeem your Durge, since by making Durge his "chosen", Withers literally acts as your grampa who adopts you after his "son", your father kicks you out.
My dark urge barbarian bard meeting his father and royally pissing him off: “I was fury, I was chaos, I am war, but to you dear father, I’m yours no more.”
Haha I did that, then convince them all, Oh it's fine, i've got a plan!.. The plan being betraying them, slaughtering Karlach (Who I made a mind flayer) and conquering the world. IN BHAAL'S NAME! Honestly such an enjoyable ending, better the the normal evil one tbh
I mean in my current tactical playthrough durge is doing amazing as a paladin. I honestly couldn't see playing him as anything else, especially a squishy caster.
His canon class was going to be cleric, a deathstalker, which is a mixture between cleric and rogue. Bhaal’s only domain is death so a death domain cleric would’ve made sense but they cut that from the game.
@@iterationfackshet1990 Swen Vincke said in an interview it was originally going to be paladin, but was changed due to narrative issues, probably oaths, oathbreaking, and how amnesia would effect something like that. Death Domain was never in the game, only the option to pick Bhaal as a god, and that was probably cut for narrative reasons as well or more likely being more impactful to the story than any of the other god choices
@@SpaceElvisIncDeathstalker is still in the files but never released in EA, it was for Cleric but not the standard Cleric such as Shadowheart, it was more like a rogue. (Rogue archetypes and just base rogue was considered even before Deathstalker, but was redesigned into Deathstalker to fit the mantle of Bhaal better. Durge was then going to be released in EA but was postponned for launch, during this time he was a Paladin but was not yet in the files and we only know this from an interview. This was actually quickly scrapped even faster than the Rogue idea was, and he was for whatever reason turned into a Sorcerer instead of a Warlock with an "unknown patron" which D&D/Forgotten Realms Lore has done before. Or just sticking with the special Deathstalker class only for Durge. But Rogue is the original idea for Durge which makes alot of sense, he was also a Thief Rogue in the very earliest imagining, and was meant to wield Orin's shortsword and dagger in dual-wield as seen in the earliest of concept arts before he was even a Dragonborn.)
@@dragonknight8280 feel like I would have heard people talking about that with all the videos and articles I've read on bg3 by now, you got a source? other than "bro trust me"
@@KoteDarasuum Though it takes the last drop of my blood. I will see the forgotten realms bleed once more. And if they cannot save them from their failure, father, then let the planes burn!
5:21-5:47 I love that this part can fit either a heroic durge or a true villain durge. It can be that ray of heroic light shining through as they fight their urges and their fathers wishes, or it can be the last gasp of those heros around them failing to bring the durge down as they reclaim their throne.
Yes! I love it. How cool is it to be THE bad guy and have your party go like "Wait... you...?" and then say. "Yes. Me. But you will not have to agonise long, it'll all be over soon."
I feel like playing Dark Urge is the true way they intended while writing this game. So many key dialogues, so much lore and interactions... And a wonderful twist if you defy Bhaal and choose to stay good. It really has the novelty as if this is the true playthrough, if you had to put the game in a linear fashion like the rest of the most recent RPGs.
It's mostly cause it's true. Huge spoilers ahead: There were numerous hints in early access that Tav was indeed a Bhaalspawn, so I am guessing that Larian at some point thought that not everyone wants their character to be a Bhaalspawn (not like Gorion's ward had any choice in that though, imho they should've kept their original draft), so they disentangled the Bhaalspawn plot from Tav and created the Dark Urge, gave it some backstory of having dealings with the main antagonists of the game, forced an amnesia on Durge and called it a day. Pretty sure it happened around the same time they took Daisy (the original dream visitor, the song 'Down by the River' is about Daisy's relationship with Tav and the party) and replaced her/him with the Emperor. Larian has changed a ton of things from the early access, not always for the better though. Like currently for example there are barely any consequences for absorbing tadpoles, in EA you had severe consequences for using the illithid powers. Eg. Omeluum's ring used to be different, it used to entirely block illithid powers (so you couldn't use them in conversations but also 'True Souls' couldn't connect with your tadpole), Nere could mind dominate your Tav so you'd fight with him against your party (only if you kept on using illithid powers at every opportunity, but having Omeluum's ring could block it) there were seriously so many cool things in the EA that Larian has completely removed from the game, but not entirely. Eg. whenever our companions talk about 'receiving a gift' from the Guardian (and you look at their skills and there is nothing new there), well it's a left over from EA, every single time you'd progress in your dreams, your entire party would get extra powers (which currently are locked behind normal and astral tadpoles - druids got the displacer beast shape for example), so that's what they're kind of referencing.
one thing i noticed that always makes me laugh is after defeating the goblin camp, speaking to shadowheart, she says " i never saw my self caring for these people. and a response was "Tieflings?" and she said yes. after EA it was changed to not caring about refugees.@@Nicottia
Can confirm, Durge was the only custom playthrough available for quite a majority of EA, Tav was a late addition. While it makes sense, being that Baldur's Gate has and always been about Bhaalspawns, I can see why they would seperate them into two seperate custom origins. Frankly, Durge is one hell of playthrough that is not for the faint of heart (or stomach), and some people are only interested in playing either a blank slate or their OCs without the emotional baggage playing a Bhaalspawn entails.
The Dark Urge's story is one of the best ones I've seen in a long time. And to find out it was you [Dark Urge] who kicked everything off was a really well done twist. And for those who chose to deny Baal. The climax of the game is his redemption were he fights to fix his mistakes.
I love Tav but The Dark Urge makes the story work slightly better. The dialogue options alone are worth the play. Being good feels more consequential and doing bad is very rewarding too
Agreed. And also for Good Dark Urge players like me, I feel like the pursuit of resisting and defying the Dark Urge fits into the theme I've noticed in a good chunk of the cast: We're not just fighting to free ourselves from the tadpoles in our brains, but to break free from the chains that have taken hold of our lives long before we met each other and got infected. Astarion, Wyll, Karlach, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Gale, Durge, they are all pursuing a path to freedom from their own personal tyrants in their good guy paths which I just adore.
Tav is an alternate way to experience the story in the classic "right place, wrong time" trope. Durge is the canon protagonist because he more than any other origin character ties into BG2. He's not at the wrong place at the wrong time, he's the cause of everything. That, and I believe he's the canon protagonist because out of all the casters, Sorcerer has a special cutscene with the sussur flower, and which is Durge's canon class in character creation? 👀
Tav is you my friend. Made to play your own story. Some people wont write a character sheet and story then complains about Tav is worst. In Durge we are playing already written story.
@@ladyselin35 Tav, Tadpoled Adventurer, can be pretty much anything. Maybe a Cleric who devoted herself to recovering lost artifacts to repent for past transgressions. Or is Tav an old Warlock, desperate to kill his patron before his Soul wanders to the Hells for eternity? I've seen people pretend their Tavs were Disney princesses. People be playing RPGs without the RP these days lmfao
BG3 achieved the impossible for D&D characters: Edgy done right. No cringe, no eye rolling dialogue, just unmitigated cruelty inside with some shivers of hope that you could or could not attach to.
"edgy" is such a term that needs to die off. Before in old times we used to just describe things as they were, dark, grim, bleak. Things could be sorrowful, full of rage, malicious ect without all being undermined by one word. So many deep topics and emotions devalued with just one trash word. Internet "slang" and "culture" truly took so much away from the modern lexicon and fucked the vernacular of so many.
Well, once upon a time i was playing with very experienced crew, and my Student of Caiphon totally butchered a certain astral ritual. DM, uh, DMed me: "roleplay the most chaotic and evil person you can". And so i did, and i both loved and hated the monstrocity i was played. It was surely my best RP of all time, but i absolutely despised WHAT i was RPing. I'm not sure if i should take pride at how utterly *horrified* others were at atrocities my character done. Playing as Durge was like meeting old friend from an almost decade old DnD session...
@@thedoomslayer5863 Edgy is these elements done wrong. With no depth, no reason and done not for love of the blackened soul of mankind but for a want to be special.
dark urge in a evil run is the ultimate gaslighter " im not evil bruhh, im your friend C: " and then you take the world for bhaal and sacrifice everyone
@@drno87 Any pure evil run would end up with a dead Karlach, Wyll will leave when you side with the goblins, Gale's hand will be torn off, even if you take him, he appears to be slightly good aligned, he is a bit more neutral than Wyll and Karlach about some decisions but still frowns upon deliberate assholery, which you will do a lot of. Halsin will be slaughtered cuz you're siding with the goblins. Jaheira straight up hates you for being a bhaalspawn, and Minsc thinks whatever she thinks. You will basically be playing through the game with Astarion, Lae'zel, Minthara and Shadowheart. And they are all already kinda evil-leaning when you first meet them... so pretty sure they know what they're signing up for when teaming up with an evil murderboi.
@@masterblaster2678 Don't you snap Minthara's neck on a pure evil run? Staking Astarion would also be in character (unless you get him to reveal his vampirism another way).
My Chosen. My Slayer. Violence incarnate. You will become a testament in blood. Go,child of Bhaal. Claim crown of Karsus,control the Absolute and command a horde fit to butcher this world in my name." (God of Murder Bhaal)
Tell me father... Is it enough for you? The blood ocean, full of our victims guts and shattered lifes? Maybe we must join them there? So after all that bloodshed may i put some elder blood of yours in to that river? *Lifts up the sword* And let this universe fall upon our doom, together
The dark urge is essentially the game's protagonist. I get why they wanted you to be able to play a non-origin character without all the baggage the durge has, but it adds so much to the story that it feels weird to play a random nobody instead.
@@sarrach94 i don't mind that at all. Tav and durge are separate characters. (you can find durge's body in the baal temple if you play as Bhaal) I generalyy roleplay my Tav like my first playthrough I was a bard flok hero. like a bard who fights villains to protect. ( kinda like sylvando in DQ11 if you know the game) and I was able to portray that through dialogue choices that fit it. I think there is lots of potential. But you aright that Durge gets proper story integration whereas tav is the classic outlander. I still believe both to be legitimate and larian has confirmed this as well i am pretty sure. Durge is usually intended for a second playthrough.
@@cloudy978no. Durge is the real canon of how you play the game storyline , playing as durge is the continuation of the previous baldur gate games . Tav is not canon
@@aramean6502I mean it could go either way though. The actions before the memory loss the Durge does still happens even if you play Tav, just Durge doesnt survive the stab in the head, and so never wakes up on a mind flayer ship. Larian said they arent making a nothing BG game so you dont need a certain character for continuity either. Which character you play doesnt have any effect in the grand scheme of the plot.
3:54 I have absolutely fallen in love with this part! It just gives off this... vibe of "You thought you were the bbeg, but the darkness of the abyss has sent me to put you in your place! To remind you what your fear tastes like!"
Nearing the end at 7:45 the tone for a little bit turns so tragic. It feels like the turning point where you either rise up to overcome your nature, your urges, and stand up to reclaim your own destiny.. Or you stand before Bhaal and embrace everything you are and were always meant to be; a sick and twisted villain. A conqueror and a butcher. Either way, the Dark Urge is written so wonderfully that both routes leave you feeling very different emotions but both are excellent and satisfying. This music.. Damn this music man. It is so fucking good.
@onveteran3945 It's just a phrase. Obviously I don't mean forever. Even if you couldn't defy Bhaal. Dark Urge would die someday anyway. It was just to emphasize the severity of the situation.
@@Mephanderos Actually, the Dark Urge has been his father's and would have stayed a slave forever if not for the Nautiloid if you think a bit further. The one who rises after defying Bhaal is not the Dark Urge. It's the hero born on the Nautiloid that very day who did. They may share a name, but a Bhaalspawn would never have betrayed their father, they would have never given up the power for the people accompanying them. Your devotion died, as well as your name and past self. The Urges remained with Bhaal's blood, and as you stand again alive, it's in your own name, and as a child of none. At least that's how I analyse and understand it, and the meaning I give to Durge's story and conclusion
I’m honestly just finding out ironic and nice my Durge run was. A Life Domain Cleric of Kelimvor forced to have these urges. He would think seeking forgiveness from the God of Death would help him atone.
I went Oathbreaker Paladin. After breaking his oath, slowly but steadily, the urge consumes him. And Bhaal’s violation of the oath only furthers the gods’ ire for Bhaal’s Chosen. All his promises of aid turn into betrayal. Many fall for his word, unknown of his identity, and all are blood that stain his twisted smile. Indiscriminate slaughter, death bringer, the murderer, the traitor, the Dark Urge.
@@nobuffer101 'Dark Urge the oath breaker. They, who breathe villainy and deception, whose hands gouge and rip and tear apart, bathing in blood and gore. They, who carry their father's legacy as a crown : a throne of savagery, violence and death. Pray for who steps into Bhaal's chosen's lair, for they have chosen a fate far worse than death.' Your concept is so cool. You make me wanna write so much.
I went Open Hand Monk for my Resist the Urge playthrough. There's a lot of thematic monk dialogue options about maintaining self-control and balance that really suits a repentant DU.
@@rosevalety3408 If you play as Paladin, you can talk to the Oathbreaker Knight about it after discovering you're the Dark Urge. He even remarks that it's not the first time Dark Urge broke their oath, that they have failed and redeemed, and failed again many times before. I love that as I roleplay a struggling Dark Urge, a dark paladin keeps on resisting and often fails against their cruel nature.
@@arinikola9649 Same! I headcanon that my Durge joined a Paladin order of Tyr to control his urges for years but he, one day, fell for them (similarly to what happens with Alfira but if he was still awake but unable to control himself) and slaughtered his entire paladin order. My Durge being broken, lonely and completely helpless, he gave up fighting the "inevitable" and his steps led him to the Temple of Bhaal almost instinctively.
It just occurred to me how fitting it is that default Durge is a white dragonborn. In the D&D monster manual it says that white dragons are the most animalistic and savage of the chromatic dragons.
Ah the sheer difference between fighting Orin as Tav and as Durge is amazing! one it's a slightly difficult fight, against this mysterious assassin, who has this terrifying slayer form, the other.. SHOW HER WHY YOU ARE THE FAVOURED CHILD OF BHAAL! I killed her in one turn haha, Slayer form, potion of speed, so many attacks and she was in shreds on the floor in moments.
My Durge was a Selûnite Cleric 1/Evocation Wizard 10. On Tactician, Orin didn't get a turn. There was no duel, only an execution. Telendas (my Durge) went first. Bonus Action: Perilous Stakes. Action: Cirriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War. Orin Melted less than 5 seconds after Bhaal made her transform. Telendas didn't have the Slayer form, he was horrified by the Urges, and refused to kill Isobel. Shadowheart thankfully managed to tie him up before his possessed body could kill her. Needless to say, he told Bhaal he'd not stand to live while he could still be possessed by the Lord of Murder.
Slayer form vs Orin is so satisfying. Dont get me wrong, I love telling her that shes an unwanted incest baby, but just turning into the Slayer and then jumping up and down on her is so satisfying. "You want father's blessing? Here I am, then."
When facing Orin, my resistUrge (Defiance the tiefling bard) refused to give Bhaal the satisfaction of forcing them to kill their sister. In the dueling ring, they unequipped their weapons, cast ice shield and an armor of agathys at level 6, and spent the rest of the fight playing alfira’s lute. Thus, Orin died to her own bloodlust. Had she restrained herself for but a moment, she would have survived. I never attacked once.
The pic used to illustrate the music is outright terrifying. Let me get this straight. 1-Karlach, a tieffeling adept with killing DEVILS. 2-Gale (possibly) who was once so powerful that he managed to romance Mystra. 3-Shadowheart, presumably next in line to become a Night Justicier. Dark Urge deals with them all, bare-handed. THAT is a statement of how "built different" he is. He is the most absolute beast the Forgotten Realms ever knew. The only person who could possibly be more powerful than him would probably be Elminter, and even then, it's quite not sure.
There us no Level 30 though. D&D 5e caps at Level 20. Challange rating goes up to 30 though, which is a different system, not really having much to do with levels. And Elminster is strong. Like really strong. If he would be able to use all the spells in the roleplaying game thst he would have, that aren't included in this game, then he could singlehandedly defest the absolute with his powers alone and a bunch of people keeping him alive - which would be high level arcana clerics of Mystra, of course. So yeah...
@@Baalslegion07 Eh, not really. Elminster is powerful, but the Absolute's defeat is only enabled by a combination of specific narrative circumstances from the tadpoles to the Emperor/Orpheus and the Astral Prism. The Netherbrain isn't an ordinary Elder Brain, it's much stronger- and in the words of Mystra herself, on its way to becoming a new kind of God. In the evil ending cinematic, it literally instantly kills several red dragons, which would be CR 17 or 24 apiece. That's a pretty ridiculous feat considering even the stats of a CR 17 adult red. It also has an entire army of Illithids and thralls of various races, let alone the danger of it enthralling other Illithid colonies and Elder Brains. Considering multiple parties throughout the game talk up the threat that the Absolute poses, to include Elminster himself and Gods like Mystra and Jergal, it should be treated with the appropriate gravity: it's not just something that could've been stopped by anybody if the heroes of BG3 hadn't. Especially when you consider the Illithids have conquered the multiverse before, and _without_ a Netherbrain. Not to say nobody else could have stopped it at all, but it certainly would not have been easy. And if it had taken any longer, it would've been far more costly to the world.
My best decision was playing Dark Urge on my very first playthrough, you actually feel part of the world, and to me is the true main character of the game.
Man I'm not even fully versed in BG1&2 but that impact of 6:00 hits HARD. From what I've read up on the protagonist in 1 and 2 combined with my experience in the Durge playthrough, this perfectly drives home the epic and tragic journey of the Bhaalspawn as well as the malevolent legacy of death woven by Bhaal himself.
Ah man, you have no idea it's a bit late to play these games nowadays, but this theme represents well the shift in tone in Throne of Bhaal. Basically, there is no society anymore, it's the ultimate war of all the blood and power hungry bhaalspawns against each other. And may the most savage win. Ilasera built a wall with the skulls of her brethren, Yaga Shura is an invincible cannibal giant ... And you even get to tell a father that you murdered his son and hope he will die less cowardly than him. All while being accompanied by the bloodthirsty Sarevok... yeah the game had just stopped pulling punches, and it felt great!
I definitely urge (hah) you to play BG1 and BG2. Sadly a lot of the lore from BG3 is a bit.. I don't want to say 'tainted', but the choices made by Wizards of the Coast kinda force me to do so.. with regards to the protagonist from the original BGTrilogy. The fanbase tends to differentiate between the protagonist of the games (Charnam, as the game code refers to them) and the one from the very terribly written novels (Abdel Adrian). Unfortunately, WotC opted to make the novel version canon, which is a shame because Charnam's story is by far the more involved, gripping and engaging of the two versions. As such it's definitely worth checking the original games out, as most major wiki entries will sadly base themselves off of the Abdel Adrian lore.
@@Felana1988 Unfortunately, haha. I'm fairly certain it's what Jaheira is referring to in-game when talking about terrible bard tales about her, since the author for the novels turned her into a wide-eyed, clumsy bimbo who fawned all over Abdel.
@@Felana1988 In broad strokes. It's a small thing, but at the very least the only thing the "canon" Charname/Bhaalspawn shares with the books' protagonist is their name, Abdel Adrian; and that's it.
@@IAmTheStig32 I wholeheartedly agree. Tried doing an open hand monk redeemed Durge run. Game glitched/corrupted and I had to scrap it, unfortunately. Which sucks because I was preparing for the Orin fight as the last boss before I took on the Brain. Overall, it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had. Currently doing a beastmaster ranger redeemed Durge because you never really get to experience all there is with Minsc being an act 3 only character.
Last night I finally reached this part of the game. It was as wonderful as I expected. I'm so glad I made myself a rug of Bhaal beforehand. Afterwards I stood on it, playing this video, arms extended. Then my husband came out of the room, saw me and only asked "You killed Orin?" Me, smiling "IN BHAAL'S NAME!"
I get that 3:54 is where the buildup for it starts, but I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned that sick drop at 4:11. This whole track is sick though and I feel it compliments both good and evil durge. My first time doing durge I went for a full resist path, or more accurately: control. I played a Seldarine Drow rogue/sorcerer who was entirely against their urges to harm those who have done no wrong, but perfectly willing to be the monster under the bed to the villains who believed themselves to be untouchable. Using magic and stealth I would incinerate scores of enemies, only to blink out of existence before anyone can retaliate, and reappear behind their leader with a knife stuck firmly in their back.
@@Ma1n_Zane That I'm still working on. It hurts my soul choosing all of the evil options so I have to keep taking a break to go play as the good guy in another save.
Pile the corpses high, watch them squirm, young acolyte- and hear the tale about our greatest champion- he who gave the most service to bhaal, he who is most decorated, he who caste out the false sister, He who Made a tapestry in blood for his lord....
I've heard the tale of the Champion of Bhaal, but it ended with the blood-splattered warrior standing before the Lord of Murder himself, and seeing the flashing faces of his horrified victims. Something stirred deep within the champion's rancid heart and he stepped forward and told father and maker the last words he would ever say. "No. I reject you, father. The killing stops here, one way or another." And the champion was thrown to the floor. As his life faded and he began to welcome the featureless and peaceful purgatory that awaited in the Fugue Plane, he felt a familiar pull violently yanking him back up into the world of the living...
i know that those three corpses aren't the companions, but I find it interesting how well they closely represent their appearance (karlach, astarion or gale, and shadowheart). as if a little spoiler of what going for this origin might entail.
I think that might actually be Gale and Shadowheart's Beta looks. Too small to be Karlach in the back but the other two I think actually are what the companions looked like before their updated aesthetics
@@cadenmcerlean4920 It looks a lot like Karlach back in Early Access. She was a lot less big back then from what I remember. Or maybe her armor just accentuated it less.
I love how on a normal tav play through Orin is this mysterious and scary assassin but in a durge play through everybody bullies her including durge lol
@@Jay3upI love playing Durge and pretty much making my way straight to Orin after picking up a few important items for my build in act 3. My Durge was a Half-Elf Selûnite Tempest Cleric 1/Evocation Wizard 10 when he *melted* Orin before she could do anything after Bhaal forcibly transformed into the Slayer. First thing he did was use Perilous Stakes on her. Second thing I did was cast Cirriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War. This was on Tactician. After Orin was naught but a puddle of blood and gore, and Bhaal made his appearance, my Durge told Bhaal that he would rather die than continue to live a life where Bhaal could possess him.
i’d be joyed beyond words if anyone was able to translate the lyrics to this piece. it’s so reminiscent of bloodborne’s ost, the way it dwindles between hope and pain, all the while having a righteous and powerful air to it. borislav really outdid himself with this score. (5:47 and it’s impact is insane)
Started playing the Dark Urge... thinking it was the custom character choice. I realized near the end of Arc 1 that it wasn't a custom character. Near the end of Arc 3 and best mistake I've made, amazing character development, lol.
Quick spoilers If you play a paladin, find out the truth, and break your oath, you actually find out from oathbreaker that you've broken your oath countless times before
The Lord of Murder shall perish. But in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passing. So sayeth the wise Alaundo. But Alaundo did not see. He did not know. He did not revel in the glory that is to come!
"Famed, of course, for my unique red skin and unparalleled skills as a general of the House of War, I, the Dark Urge, was raised within the vast palaces of the fabled Forbidden City. I was destined to become the next emperor, but my ambitions suffered a bit of a setback when I fell from grace for cavorting with demons. Now I'm exiled and hunted by assassins, but I assure you: I remain undaunted - and as determined as ever to claim my rightful throne!"
I decided to play a monk durge and there was a number of times all of my companions got downed and it was just me vs a small group of enemies and lemme tell you that is such an in character power trip
@@mementomori771 I prefer Bard, myself. It already has big Main Character energy. Plus, it's sense of humor synergizes well with Dark Urge. Not to mention its competence.
The Dark Urge: A mysterious figure, shrouded in amnesia, haunted solely by a trail of blood that marks his tumultuous past. Struggling with every ounce of courage and strength, he fights against the insidious influence of his enigmatic father, determined to resist succumbing to The Dark Urge that threatens to consume him.
I have to say ny playthrough with durge is so much more satisfying as you can play as a grey and nuanced character, especially if youre doing the "finding the light" route. Your confusion and worry amounting to fear and attacking those close to you as you desperately try to stave off your inner desires. Beautifully written :))(
I've played thousands of hours of BG3 and fell in love with the music immediately. This is so well put together I searched frantically for it in the official release. Fantastic mix of some of the best themes in the game.
This banger should play on the credits when you get the Dark Urge Ending. Only note I have is that the transition at 5:46 is a LITTLE bit noticeable compared to the rest as it's a drop to a slower piece, I would have the previous bit fade out a bit more first - especially since it's the best part of the track to me!
0:00 that beginning with the deep voice chants and 4:37 are definitely the best parts. Honorable mention to 8:06 and 6:00, those parts were really good too.
After accepting the duel with Orin I was a bit worried about how the fight would go and then I saw it in my spells, Hold Monster. Cast it. Instant success. 1 create water and 3 cones of cold later there was nothing left but red snow.
I was a wizard for my redeemed run, on tacitian and we all know how squishy wizards are both in BG3 and DnD. What saved me against Orin was Charm, Perilous Stakes, artistary of war and magic missle on a speed potion. For once im glad i invested in my mind flayer powers.
Thank you for this dude and thank you for that comment on the Waterproof Blonde-Just Close Your Eyes video all those years ago. Hope you're doing good you legend
A truly haunting soundtrack with multiple meanings Is it a sound that heralds your coming and the doom you bring with it? Or a constant haunting reminder of your dark heritage that follows you everywhere you go?
“Entrails….. blood, disenbowlment, claws….. Impaling, skewered hearts, split throats…. Tail…. Scales stained red by blood, skin cold as ice, the gaze of a brutal predator…. Finally awake my lord! Good! *Back to the killing*
Now that I realize, the reason Bhaal doesn’t extinguish you the moment you disobey him as a good Durge is because in the end you end up killing cultists and enemies en masse either way, so Bhaal is satisifed or at the very least doesn’t mind you resisitng as long as you pave the roads with goblin and cultist corpses.
![KSI - Dirty [Official Visualiser]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VoDh1h1dPUE/mqdefault.jpg)
The best moment for my Durge playthrough was the sudden realization that this isn't a 'fight music' for my enemies. It's a melody heralding ME
this doesn't play for non-Durge? I guess I should stop playing as Durge over and over again.
@@kittydaddy2023 It plays for everyone but with Durge it actually elevates in its meaning. You are quite literally stealing the show/spotlight as you should
@@olchum7605in my experience this theme plays more commonly if we’re Dark Urge, usually once we killed someone in fight
It's your wwe entrance music
@@Denny_Boi BAH GAWD THAT'S DURGE'S MUSIC
PAVE MY PATH WITH CORPSES! BUILD MY CASTLE WITH BONES!
Oh I like this one!!!
THEY'RE DYING FOR ME! ALL OF THEM!!
This feals like the bg3 equivalent of rock and stone
That sounds like the orthon xD
Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull throne!
Baal: I give my children my hardest battles
Durge: GIVE ME HARDER BATTLES
Harder daddy
@@atbkhaveiturway😏
Durge becomes so, so much more terrifying by one, singular line
"Relish: With Bhaal gone, your sins will truly be yours."
That moment when all my companions praise me for breaking out of bhaal's hold on me, only to follow up by disintegrating scratch the next night.
Like, you guys thought that meant I was a good guy now? I just don't want to pay fealty anymore.
@@SnipeOSRSwow scratch of all things. Your not even a monster your just a mistake
@@crimsonnick4843 hey, you're the one calling scratch a "thing". I recognize scratch as a sentient, loving creature... That I need to kill right when he trusts me the most.
Better than handing him to his handler in any case, at least a disintegration is painless, I'm not without mercy.
@@SnipeOSRS lol i drank a collosus potion and had gale cast enlarge on me while i was in slayer form so i was GIAGANTIC and only when i was bigger than a steel watcher did i maul the owl bear cub to ribbons. Killing it wasn't enough i wanted some overkill. Dark Urge really got me in the mindset.
@@SnipeOSRSas fucked up as that last part is you kind of have a point lol
If you ever want Durge to feel even more naturally evil, remember that they are the purest Bhaalspawn that has ever existed, purer than even Sarevok himself. In essence, Durge was crafted, literally, out of Bhaal's spilled guts, likely after he purposefully disemboweled himself to make a son/daughter. So, y'know, Durge is 100% Bhaal until Withers comes along and does some magical fuckery.
There's just one nuance; according to logic, theories, and observations, "Wither" is Jergal, the one who gave birth to the "Dead Three". In fact, he is the forefather of the powers that Baal possesses. Therefore, his magical shenanigans are quite logical (provided, of course, that he is indeed Jergal).
The only downside is that Jergal isn't extensively explored in the plot; only "Withers" is, and that's all we know... Also, there's a moment where he pontificates at the end in front of the "Dead Three," seeing them as fools in his eyes.
A plot hole remains in the lack of motivation for "Wither," but on the other hand, there is logic in this, as, according to D&D, we are just simple heroes up to the 12th level, still far from the plan of higher forces.
There's a cut content which explains that Jergal is helping the party due to being in the divine equivalent of mandatory community service, with Helm being his pentientary officer. Hence why he's piloting Withers, his Avatar, the most Ao will allow a divine to fuck with Toril, to help clean his "crime" of relenting powers to the Dead Three. It gets more hillarious if you redeem your Durge, since by making Durge his "chosen", Withers literally acts as your grampa who adopts you after his "son", your father kicks you out.
My dark urge barbarian bard meeting his father and royally pissing him off: “I was fury, I was chaos, I am war, but to you dear father, I’m yours no more.”
@@Tutamun I think that Ao order him to intervin
@@franciscojaviermirandaperl6887 Quite likely since he pretty much tells you hes only here because someone higher on the foodchain told him to be
durge is the ultimate "it's just a prank, bro" run if you gaslight everyone into thinking you're not evil and then take your rightful place as chosen
Haha I did that, then convince them all, Oh it's fine, i've got a plan!.. The plan being betraying them, slaughtering Karlach (Who I made a mind flayer) and conquering the world. IN BHAAL'S NAME!
Honestly such an enjoyable ending, better the the normal evil one tbh
@@voidshade9526 Only one word.... DIABOLICAL
hey im doing that right now lol
I never tricked anyone. Anyone who cared knew that my goal was to slaughter the multiverse.
@@voidshade9526 new Dutch Van Der Linde just dropped. "Trust the plan, have some goddamn faith!"
So the whole time, this was OUR boss music?!
Always has been
*Me as my twitching knife hand writes a tragedy in blood*
me as my willing knife hands pens an epic saga worthy of godhood.
Me as my twitching knife hand gouges a poor bard tiefling and paints the camp in red.
Me as my twitching knife hand gouges a poor bard tiefling and paints the camp in red.
@@rosevalety3408 What are we gonna do on the ritual circle Durge?
me as i resist the twitching of my knife hand and instead carve a story of the breaking of chains! suck it baalsack, god of murderhobos
apparently early on the dark urge's canon class was going to be paladin, which explains this concept art
I mean in my current tactical playthrough durge is doing amazing as a paladin. I honestly couldn't see playing him as anything else, especially a squishy caster.
His canon class was going to be cleric, a deathstalker, which is a mixture between cleric and rogue. Bhaal’s only domain is death so a death domain cleric would’ve made sense but they cut that from the game.
@@iterationfackshet1990 Swen Vincke said in an interview it was originally going to be paladin, but was changed due to narrative issues, probably oaths, oathbreaking, and how amnesia would effect something like that. Death Domain was never in the game, only the option to pick Bhaal as a god, and that was probably cut for narrative reasons as well or more likely being more impactful to the story than any of the other god choices
@@SpaceElvisIncDeathstalker is still in the files but never released in EA, it was for Cleric but not the standard Cleric such as Shadowheart, it was more like a rogue.
(Rogue archetypes and just base rogue was considered even before Deathstalker, but was redesigned into Deathstalker to fit the mantle of Bhaal better. Durge was then going to be released in EA but was postponned for launch, during this time he was a Paladin but was not yet in the files and we only know this from an interview. This was actually quickly scrapped even faster than the Rogue idea was, and he was for whatever reason turned into a Sorcerer instead of a Warlock with an "unknown patron" which D&D/Forgotten Realms Lore has done before. Or just sticking with the special Deathstalker class only for Durge. But Rogue is the original idea for Durge which makes alot of sense, he was also a Thief Rogue in the very earliest imagining, and was meant to wield Orin's shortsword and dagger in dual-wield as seen in the earliest of concept arts before he was even a Dragonborn.)
@@dragonknight8280 feel like I would have heard people talking about that with all the videos and articles I've read on bg3 by now, you got a source? other than "bro trust me"
Durge is the play full where you realise. The boss music isn't for your enemy. YOU ARE THE BOSS FIGHT.
THE ONE WHO KNOCKS!
@@RorytheRomulan A wizard opens a portal and gets his hand cut off. I AM THE ONE WHO CUTS
Breaking Bhaal
@@Cereal11Guy Sceleritas, we need to cook!
@@RDR911 We need to cook dwarf meat
When you forsake bhaal, then get the dialogue option to "Now all your sins will truly be yours alone!"
"They're dying for me, all of them!"
Easily one of my favorite spoken Durge lines
😈
Pave the road with corpses! Build my castle with bones!
Head hurts. Blood whispers
Love how a Durge playthrough escalates from twitchy serial killer to Horus Lupercal
"From the skies of Toril, to the Astral Plane, let the seas boil, let the stars fall!" - Durge
@@KoteDarasuum Though it takes the last drop of my blood. I will see the forgotten realms bleed once more. And if they cannot save them from their failure, father, then let the planes burn!
WE DISEMBOWELING A BARD WITH THIS ONE🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
We kicking a squirrel with this one 🗣️🔥💯
A real toe biter this one
WE RIPPING OUT A HAND WITH THIS ONE 🔥🔥🔥
Playing bard for first playthough and then going to durge was an experience that
Why? Dragonborn durge bard is kinda sick
my favorite durge moment is at the door to the temple "FATHER SAYS ITS MY TURN IN THE TEMPLE"
In
My
Name.
In
Bhaal's
Name
In
Scratch
Name
"BEHOLD THE DANCE OF DEATH!"
"Who dies today? Who will die tomorrow?"
"They're dying for me! ALL OF THEM!!"
„Is that blood? Nonevermind.“
Pave my path with corpses! Build my castle with bones!
A beautiful death!
5:21-5:47 I love that this part can fit either a heroic durge or a true villain durge. It can be that ray of heroic light shining through as they fight their urges and their fathers wishes, or it can be the last gasp of those heros around them failing to bring the durge down as they reclaim their throne.
Ik people love 3:54 but people don't give that part enough appreciation. It's the entire reason I made this mix in the first place
Sounds too heroic for a evil dark urge imo... doesnt fit one who fully accepts murder in their hearts.
Yes! I love it. How cool is it to be THE bad guy and have your party go like "Wait... you...?" and then say. "Yes. Me. But you will not have to agonise long, it'll all be over soon."
Tav : The world is full of ennemies
Dark Urge : I AM THE ENNEMY !
I AM NOT "YOUR" ENEMY!
I AM "THE" ENEMY!
Aatrox lol@@gigabeep1150
That's funny considering that Tav was an invistigator hunting the Dark Urge some time before the start of the game.
@@SithEmpiredidnothingwrong naturally if tav is alive durge is dead
@@ladyselin35mindflayered
I feel like playing Dark Urge is the true way they intended while writing this game. So many key dialogues, so much lore and interactions... And a wonderful twist if you defy Bhaal and choose to stay good. It really has the novelty as if this is the true playthrough, if you had to put the game in a linear fashion like the rest of the most recent RPGs.
It's mostly cause it's true. Huge spoilers ahead:
There were numerous hints in early access that Tav was indeed a Bhaalspawn, so I am guessing that Larian at some point thought that not everyone wants their character to be a Bhaalspawn (not like Gorion's ward had any choice in that though, imho they should've kept their original draft), so they disentangled the Bhaalspawn plot from Tav and created the Dark Urge, gave it some backstory of having dealings with the main antagonists of the game, forced an amnesia on Durge and called it a day. Pretty sure it happened around the same time they took Daisy (the original dream visitor, the song 'Down by the River' is about Daisy's relationship with Tav and the party) and replaced her/him with the Emperor.
Larian has changed a ton of things from the early access, not always for the better though. Like currently for example there are barely any consequences for absorbing tadpoles, in EA you had severe consequences for using the illithid powers. Eg. Omeluum's ring used to be different, it used to entirely block illithid powers (so you couldn't use them in conversations but also 'True Souls' couldn't connect with your tadpole), Nere could mind dominate your Tav so you'd fight with him against your party (only if you kept on using illithid powers at every opportunity, but having Omeluum's ring could block it) there were seriously so many cool things in the EA that Larian has completely removed from the game, but not entirely. Eg. whenever our companions talk about 'receiving a gift' from the Guardian (and you look at their skills and there is nothing new there), well it's a left over from EA, every single time you'd progress in your dreams, your entire party would get extra powers (which currently are locked behind normal and astral tadpoles - druids got the displacer beast shape for example), so that's what they're kind of referencing.
one thing i noticed that always makes me laugh is after defeating the goblin camp, speaking to shadowheart, she says " i never saw my self caring for these people. and a response was "Tieflings?" and she said yes. after EA it was changed to not caring about refugees.@@Nicottia
@@dennishogan5696 Oh, hell yes! I don't really understand why they changed it though and yeah, it still baffles me! 🤣
Can confirm, Durge was the only custom playthrough available for quite a majority of EA, Tav was a late addition. While it makes sense, being that Baldur's Gate has and always been about Bhaalspawns, I can see why they would seperate them into two seperate custom origins. Frankly, Durge is one hell of playthrough that is not for the faint of heart (or stomach), and some people are only interested in playing either a blank slate or their OCs without the emotional baggage playing a Bhaalspawn entails.
@@dennishogan5696They needed Astarion to be the group racist lol
"Wretched thing, pull yourself together"
I love this line. For some reason it makes me laugh
Me when I wake up each morning, sleep deprived and tired of the bs of this world
The Dark Urge's story is one of the best ones I've seen in a long time. And to find out it was you [Dark Urge] who kicked everything off was a really well done twist. And for those who chose to deny Baal. The climax of the game is his redemption were he fights to fix his mistakes.
What do you mean "chose to deny Bhaal" and "redemption"? I only renounced Bhaal because he was unworthy of laying claim to MY handiwork.
I love Tav but The Dark Urge makes the story work slightly better. The dialogue options alone are worth the play. Being good feels more consequential and doing bad is very rewarding too
Agreed. And also for Good Dark Urge players like me, I feel like the pursuit of resisting and defying the Dark Urge fits into the theme I've noticed in a good chunk of the cast: We're not just fighting to free ourselves from the tadpoles in our brains, but to break free from the chains that have taken hold of our lives long before we met each other and got infected. Astarion, Wyll, Karlach, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Gale, Durge, they are all pursuing a path to freedom from their own personal tyrants in their good guy paths which I just adore.
Tav is an alternate way to experience the story in the classic "right place, wrong time" trope.
Durge is the canon protagonist because he more than any other origin character ties into BG2. He's not at the wrong place at the wrong time, he's the cause of everything. That, and I believe he's the canon protagonist because out of all the casters, Sorcerer has a special cutscene with the sussur flower, and which is Durge's canon class in character creation? 👀
Tav is you my friend. Made to play your own story. Some people wont write a character sheet and story then complains about Tav is worst. In Durge we are playing already written story.
@@IronLordEXOBecause Sourcerers are the only class with unique dialogue xd
@@ladyselin35 Tav, Tadpoled Adventurer, can be pretty much anything. Maybe a Cleric who devoted herself to recovering lost artifacts to repent for past transgressions. Or is Tav an old Warlock, desperate to kill his patron before his Soul wanders to the Hells for eternity?
I've seen people pretend their Tavs were Disney princesses.
People be playing RPGs without the RP these days lmfao
BG3 achieved the impossible for D&D characters: Edgy done right. No cringe, no eye rolling dialogue, just unmitigated cruelty inside with some shivers of hope that you could or could not attach to.
"edgy" is such a term that needs to die off. Before in old times we used to just describe things as they were, dark, grim, bleak. Things could be sorrowful, full of rage, malicious ect without all being undermined by one word. So many deep topics and emotions devalued with just one trash word. Internet "slang" and "culture" truly took so much away from the modern lexicon and fucked the vernacular of so many.
Well, once upon a time i was playing with very experienced crew, and my Student of Caiphon totally butchered a certain astral ritual. DM, uh, DMed me: "roleplay the most chaotic and evil person you can". And so i did, and i both loved and hated the monstrocity i was played. It was surely my best RP of all time, but i absolutely despised WHAT i was RPing.
I'm not sure if i should take pride at how utterly *horrified* others were at atrocities my character done. Playing as Durge was like meeting old friend from an almost decade old DnD session...
@@TovKafur you already sound cringe, man, no offense, but good try.
@@thedoomslayer5863 careful, you might cut yourself on that edge
@@thedoomslayer5863 Edgy is these elements done wrong. With no depth, no reason and done not for love of the blackened soul of mankind but for a want to be special.
dark urge in a evil run is the ultimate gaslighter " im not evil bruhh, im your friend C: " and then you take the world for bhaal and sacrifice everyone
Pretty sure a properly evil Dark Urge run has most companions dead by your hand before Act 1 is over.
@@drno87 I still have Karlach. In two pieces stuffed into a box, sure, but she's still with me.
Holy shit💀@@Gleowyn
@@drno87 Any pure evil run would end up with a dead Karlach, Wyll will leave when you side with the goblins, Gale's hand will be torn off, even if you take him, he appears to be slightly good aligned, he is a bit more neutral than Wyll and Karlach about some decisions but still frowns upon deliberate assholery, which you will do a lot of. Halsin will be slaughtered cuz you're siding with the goblins. Jaheira straight up hates you for being a bhaalspawn, and Minsc thinks whatever she thinks. You will basically be playing through the game with Astarion, Lae'zel, Minthara and Shadowheart. And they are all already kinda evil-leaning when you first meet them... so pretty sure they know what they're signing up for when teaming up with an evil murderboi.
@@masterblaster2678 Don't you snap Minthara's neck on a pure evil run? Staking Astarion would also be in character (unless you get him to reveal his vampirism another way).
We're denying preordained fate with this one🗣️🔥🔥🔥
My Chosen. My Slayer. Violence incarnate. You will become a testament in blood. Go,child of Bhaal. Claim crown of Karsus,control the Absolute and command a horde fit to butcher this world in my name."
(God of Murder Bhaal)
Tell me father... Is it enough for you? The blood ocean, full of our victims guts and shattered lifes? Maybe we must join them there? So after all that bloodshed may i put some elder blood of yours in to that river? *Lifts up the sword* And let this universe fall upon our doom, together
Orin: Yeh durge let's fight, um, why do i hear boss music
Because *I* am the Boss!
Durge: "You think you're the boss? That's cute."
Orin after realizing that she will NOT survive all those level 3 divine smites and a haste potion:
Orin after I triple crit her to death in one turn with my barbarian/fighter multiclass with crit build -
There's nothing quite like struggling against fate.
“What’s better, to be born good, or over come your evil nature through great effort”.
Thanks for all the likes and comments
My durge: "to stay evil"
@@xavion5727 to stay evil.
Reject being good. Remain terminally chaotic evil.
Best line in Skyrim and so fitting to Durge
Cutting the strings that compel you to do evil, just so that you finally call your evil deeds yours and yours alone.
*In MY name*
playing as durge is my absolute fave way to play this game especially as a defiant bhaalspawn
The dark urge is essentially the game's protagonist. I get why they wanted you to be able to play a non-origin character without all the baggage the durge has, but it adds so much to the story that it feels weird to play a random nobody instead.
@@sarrach94 i don't mind that at all. Tav and durge are separate characters. (you can find durge's body in the baal temple if you play as Bhaal) I generalyy roleplay my Tav like my first playthrough I was a bard flok hero. like a bard who fights villains to protect. ( kinda like sylvando in DQ11 if you know the game) and I was able to portray that through dialogue choices that fit it. I think there is lots of potential. But you aright that Durge gets proper story integration whereas tav is the classic outlander. I still believe both to be legitimate and larian has confirmed this as well i am pretty sure. Durge is usually intended for a second playthrough.
@@cloudy978no. Durge is the real canon of how you play the game storyline , playing as durge is the continuation of the previous baldur gate games . Tav is not canon
@@aramean6502I mean it could go either way though. The actions before the memory loss the Durge does still happens even if you play Tav, just Durge doesnt survive the stab in the head, and so never wakes up on a mind flayer ship. Larian said they arent making a nothing BG game so you dont need a certain character for continuity either. Which character you play doesnt have any effect in the grand scheme of the plot.
3:54 I have absolutely fallen in love with this part! It just gives off this... vibe of "You thought you were the bbeg, but the darkness of the abyss has sent me to put you in your place! To remind you what your fear tastes like!"
Nothing important is ever easy
These boots have seen everything
Got a lot on my mind... Or, well, in it...
Hope your soul is in good hands
Is that..blood...no nevermind.
THEY'RE DYING FOR ME, ALL OF THEM!!
3:54 is so haunting, I love it
Does anyone knows a melody similar to this specific part? I just love it
@@khorne5711 some of Bloodborne tracks are similar to it.
@@maximiliansinigr3505 thanks
@@khorne5711 It sounds uncannily similar to a theme from Attack on Titan. That's what I heard, at least.
@@souldanny.Song name?
Spawns come from the Bhaals haha
Nearing the end at 7:45 the tone for a little bit turns so tragic. It feels like the turning point where you either rise up to overcome your nature, your urges, and stand up to reclaim your own destiny.. Or you stand before Bhaal and embrace everything you are and were always meant to be; a sick and twisted villain. A conqueror and a butcher.
Either way, the Dark Urge is written so wonderfully that both routes leave you feeling very different emotions but both are excellent and satisfying. This music.. Damn this music man. It is so fucking good.
God damn, that picture is sad and badass at the same time
how is it sad, it just goes hard
@@onveteran3945 It's sad because Dark Urge has no control over it; he is forever a slave to his father, his vile doing.
@@Mephanderos chapter 3, when you defy bhaal proves otherwise
@onveteran3945 It's just a phrase. Obviously I don't mean forever. Even if you couldn't defy Bhaal. Dark Urge would die someday anyway. It was just to emphasize the severity of the situation.
@@Mephanderos Actually, the Dark Urge has been his father's and would have stayed a slave forever if not for the Nautiloid if you think a bit further. The one who rises after defying Bhaal is not the Dark Urge. It's the hero born on the Nautiloid that very day who did. They may share a name, but a Bhaalspawn would never have betrayed their father, they would have never given up the power for the people accompanying them. Your devotion died, as well as your name and past self. The Urges remained with Bhaal's blood, and as you stand again alive, it's in your own name, and as a child of none. At least that's how I analyse and understand it, and the meaning I give to Durge's story and conclusion
I’m honestly just finding out ironic and nice my Durge run was. A Life Domain Cleric of Kelimvor forced to have these urges. He would think seeking forgiveness from the God of Death would help him atone.
I went Oathbreaker Paladin. After breaking his oath, slowly but steadily, the urge consumes him. And Bhaal’s violation of the oath only furthers the gods’ ire for Bhaal’s Chosen.
All his promises of aid turn into betrayal. Many fall for his word, unknown of his identity, and all are blood that stain his twisted smile. Indiscriminate slaughter, death bringer, the murderer, the traitor, the Dark Urge.
@@nobuffer101 'Dark Urge the oath breaker. They, who breathe villainy and deception, whose hands gouge and rip and tear apart, bathing in blood and gore. They, who carry their father's legacy as a crown : a throne of savagery, violence and death. Pray for who steps into Bhaal's chosen's lair, for they have chosen a fate far worse than death.'
Your concept is so cool. You make me wanna write so much.
I went Open Hand Monk for my Resist the Urge playthrough. There's a lot of thematic monk dialogue options about maintaining self-control and balance that really suits a repentant DU.
@@rosevalety3408 If you play as Paladin, you can talk to the Oathbreaker Knight about it after discovering you're the Dark Urge. He even remarks that it's not the first time Dark Urge broke their oath, that they have failed and redeemed, and failed again many times before. I love that as I roleplay a struggling Dark Urge, a dark paladin keeps on resisting and often fails against their cruel nature.
@@arinikola9649 Same! I headcanon that my Durge joined a Paladin order of Tyr to control his urges for years but he, one day, fell for them (similarly to what happens with Alfira but if he was still awake but unable to control himself) and slaughtered his entire paladin order. My Durge being broken, lonely and completely helpless, he gave up fighting the "inevitable" and his steps led him to the Temple of Bhaal almost instinctively.
What Orin hears when my level 12 Oath of Vengeance Paladin Durge walks through the temple's doors:
WE BUTCHERING ORIN WITH THIS ONE
It just occurred to me how fitting it is that default Durge is a white dragonborn. In the D&D monster manual it says that white dragons are the most animalistic and savage of the chromatic dragons.
Also Makes sense that Bhaal would procreate with one since I can’t imagine that’s a non-painful process
Ah the sheer difference between fighting Orin as Tav and as Durge is amazing! one it's a slightly difficult fight, against this mysterious assassin, who has this terrifying slayer form, the other.. SHOW HER WHY YOU ARE THE FAVOURED CHILD OF BHAAL! I killed her in one turn haha, Slayer form, potion of speed, so many attacks and she was in shreds on the floor in moments.
My Durge was a Selûnite Cleric 1/Evocation Wizard 10. On Tactician, Orin didn't get a turn. There was no duel, only an execution.
Telendas (my Durge) went first.
Bonus Action: Perilous Stakes.
Action: Cirriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War.
Orin Melted less than 5 seconds after Bhaal made her transform.
Telendas didn't have the Slayer form, he was horrified by the Urges, and refused to kill Isobel. Shadowheart thankfully managed to tie him up before his possessed body could kill her. Needless to say, he told Bhaal he'd not stand to live while he could still be possessed by the Lord of Murder.
Slayer form vs Orin is so satisfying. Dont get me wrong, I love telling her that shes an unwanted incest baby, but just turning into the Slayer and then jumping up and down on her is so satisfying.
"You want father's blessing? Here I am, then."
My surge was an oathbreaker paladin, smites hit so hard and it fits pretty well imo. Killing Orin was easy as pie with that
When facing Orin, my resistUrge (Defiance the tiefling bard) refused to give Bhaal the satisfaction of forcing them to kill their sister.
In the dueling ring, they unequipped their weapons, cast ice shield and an armor of agathys at level 6, and spent the rest of the fight playing alfira’s lute. Thus, Orin died to her own bloodlust. Had she restrained herself for but a moment, she would have survived. I never attacked once.
Try someting harder than casual mode
The pic used to illustrate the music is outright terrifying. Let me get this straight.
1-Karlach, a tieffeling adept with killing DEVILS.
2-Gale (possibly) who was once so powerful that he managed to romance Mystra.
3-Shadowheart, presumably next in line to become a Night Justicier.
Dark Urge deals with them all, bare-handed. THAT is a statement of how "built different" he is.
He is the most absolute beast the Forgotten Realms ever knew. The only person who could possibly be more powerful than him would probably be Elminter, and even then, it's quite not sure.
and they're only level 12....
@@theshadowdoctor5500 i mean if you factor in all the illithid and bhaalspawn stuff they're probably near level 20 powerwise
@@Quail_I_Guess I think level 30 would be an understatement. Level 30 would be more accurate (Elminster is technically level 34 or something, so...)
There us no Level 30 though. D&D 5e caps at Level 20. Challange rating goes up to 30 though, which is a different system, not really having much to do with levels.
And Elminster is strong. Like really strong. If he would be able to use all the spells in the roleplaying game thst he would have, that aren't included in this game, then he could singlehandedly defest the absolute with his powers alone and a bunch of people keeping him alive - which would be high level arcana clerics of Mystra, of course. So yeah...
@@Baalslegion07 Eh, not really. Elminster is powerful, but the Absolute's defeat is only enabled by a combination of specific narrative circumstances from the tadpoles to the Emperor/Orpheus and the Astral Prism. The Netherbrain isn't an ordinary Elder Brain, it's much stronger- and in the words of Mystra herself, on its way to becoming a new kind of God. In the evil ending cinematic, it literally instantly kills several red dragons, which would be CR 17 or 24 apiece. That's a pretty ridiculous feat considering even the stats of a CR 17 adult red. It also has an entire army of Illithids and thralls of various races, let alone the danger of it enthralling other Illithid colonies and Elder Brains. Considering multiple parties throughout the game talk up the threat that the Absolute poses, to include Elminster himself and Gods like Mystra and Jergal, it should be treated with the appropriate gravity: it's not just something that could've been stopped by anybody if the heroes of BG3 hadn't. Especially when you consider the Illithids have conquered the multiverse before, and _without_ a Netherbrain.
Not to say nobody else could have stopped it at all, but it certainly would not have been easy. And if it had taken any longer, it would've been far more costly to the world.
My best decision was playing Dark Urge on my very first playthrough, you actually feel part of the world, and to me is the true main character of the game.
BEHOLD THE DANCE OF DEATH!
THEY'RE DYING FOR ME, ALL OF THEM!
THEY SHOULD ALL BE RUNNING.
PAVE MY PATH WITH CORPSES, BUILD MY CASTLES WITH BONE.
INTESTINES THROB! BLOOD WHISPERS!
KILL, KILL, AND KILL AGAIN!
Man I'm not even fully versed in BG1&2 but that impact of 6:00 hits HARD. From what I've read up on the protagonist in 1 and 2 combined with my experience in the Durge playthrough, this perfectly drives home the epic and tragic journey of the Bhaalspawn as well as the malevolent legacy of death woven by Bhaal himself.
Ah man, you have no idea it's a bit late to play these games nowadays, but this theme represents well the shift in tone in Throne of Bhaal.
Basically, there is no society anymore, it's the ultimate war of all the blood and power hungry bhaalspawns against each other. And may the most savage win.
Ilasera built a wall with the skulls of her brethren, Yaga Shura is an invincible cannibal giant ... And you even get to tell a father that you murdered his son and hope he will die less cowardly than him.
All while being accompanied by the bloodthirsty Sarevok... yeah the game had just stopped pulling punches, and it felt great!
I definitely urge (hah) you to play BG1 and BG2. Sadly a lot of the lore from BG3 is a bit.. I don't want to say 'tainted', but the choices made by Wizards of the Coast kinda force me to do so.. with regards to the protagonist from the original BGTrilogy. The fanbase tends to differentiate between the protagonist of the games (Charnam, as the game code refers to them) and the one from the very terribly written novels (Abdel Adrian).
Unfortunately, WotC opted to make the novel version canon, which is a shame because Charnam's story is by far the more involved, gripping and engaging of the two versions. As such it's definitely worth checking the original games out, as most major wiki entries will sadly base themselves off of the Abdel Adrian lore.
@@Terralventhe Oh damn there's a novelization? And it's canon? Huh...
@@Felana1988 Unfortunately, haha. I'm fairly certain it's what Jaheira is referring to in-game when talking about terrible bard tales about her, since the author for the novels turned her into a wide-eyed, clumsy bimbo who fawned all over Abdel.
@@Felana1988 In broad strokes. It's a small thing, but at the very least the only thing the "canon" Charname/Bhaalspawn shares with the books' protagonist is their name, Abdel Adrian; and that's it.
This shit goes hard as a monk just beating orin to death with the deadliest weapons of all
These hands
The thing I love about Monk is all the class dialogue options about maintaining self-control and balance. Perfectly fitting for a repentant DU.
@@IAmTheStig32 I wholeheartedly agree. Tried doing an open hand monk redeemed Durge run. Game glitched/corrupted and I had to scrap it, unfortunately. Which sucks because I was preparing for the Orin fight as the last boss before I took on the Brain. Overall, it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had. Currently doing a beastmaster ranger redeemed Durge because you never really get to experience all there is with Minsc being an act 3 only character.
Withers casually just reversing what is essentially a pure blood Bhaalspawn is some of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in video games.
Last night I finally reached this part of the game. It was as wonderful as I expected.
I'm so glad I made myself a rug of Bhaal beforehand. Afterwards I stood on it, playing this video, arms extended.
Then my husband came out of the room, saw me and only asked
"You killed Orin?"
Me, smiling "IN BHAAL'S NAME!"
I think you might be Orin…..
@@jaylouttit9171 noooo, I'm Durge, it's worse 🤣🤣🤣
4:16 gets to me every time. I feel a wonderful cold chill down my spine. IN BHAAL'S NAME!
"You are the end. The last living creature, with all else felled by your hand. Alone, amidst their gall, at the close of eternity."
I get that 3:54 is where the buildup for it starts, but I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned that sick drop at 4:11. This whole track is sick though and I feel it compliments both good and evil durge. My first time doing durge I went for a full resist path, or more accurately: control. I played a Seldarine Drow rogue/sorcerer who was entirely against their urges to harm those who have done no wrong, but perfectly willing to be the monster under the bed to the villains who believed themselves to be untouchable. Using magic and stealth I would incinerate scores of enemies, only to blink out of existence before anyone can retaliate, and reappear behind their leader with a knife stuck firmly in their back.
And what about the evil playthrough?
@@Ma1n_Zane That I'm still working on. It hurts my soul choosing all of the evil options so I have to keep taking a break to go play as the good guy in another save.
@@killerkarma3574 You're no true dark urge then lol, you have to make all the evil choices with a ear to ear grin for full immersion.
This music says "I'm not trapped in here with you your all trapped in here with me"
Pile the corpses high, watch them squirm, young acolyte- and hear the tale about our greatest champion- he who gave the most service to bhaal, he who is most decorated, he who caste out the false sister, He who Made a tapestry in blood for his lord....
I've heard the tale of the Champion of Bhaal, but it ended with the blood-splattered warrior standing before the Lord of Murder himself, and seeing the flashing faces of his horrified victims. Something stirred deep within the champion's rancid heart and he stepped forward and told father and maker the last words he would ever say.
"No. I reject you, father. The killing stops here, one way or another."
And the champion was thrown to the floor. As his life faded and he began to welcome the featureless and peaceful purgatory that awaited in the Fugue Plane, he felt a familiar pull violently yanking him back up into the world of the living...
@@IAmTheStig32In bhaal's name......
i know that those three corpses aren't the companions, but I find it interesting how well they closely represent their appearance (karlach, astarion or gale, and shadowheart). as if a little spoiler of what going for this origin might entail.
I think that might actually be Gale and Shadowheart's Beta looks. Too small to be Karlach in the back but the other two I think actually are what the companions looked like before their updated aesthetics
@@cadenmcerlean4920 It looks a lot like Karlach back in Early Access. She was a lot less big back then from what I remember. Or maybe her armor just accentuated it less.
@@TheExterminatorGuyYe Early Access Karlach was essentially a skinny Ranger Type Character with a Crossbow.
they're artistic renditions of the characters, same as how durge is missing his signature red scales in various places like his neck and such.
me on my way to give orin swirlies
I love how on a normal tav play through Orin is this mysterious and scary assassin but in a durge play through everybody bullies her including durge lol
@@Jay3upI love playing Durge and pretty much making my way straight to Orin after picking up a few important items for my build in act 3. My Durge was a Half-Elf Selûnite Tempest Cleric 1/Evocation Wizard 10 when he *melted* Orin before she could do anything after Bhaal forcibly transformed into the Slayer. First thing he did was use Perilous Stakes on her. Second thing I did was cast Cirriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War. This was on Tactician. After Orin was naught but a puddle of blood and gore, and Bhaal made his appearance, my Durge told Bhaal that he would rather die than continue to live a life where Bhaal could possess him.
Relish in your slaughter, your spilled guts and gore. I have the strengh to say what you could not:
6:05 *_"No."_*
Oh I love playing as Durge so much.
I feel so badass everytime, you even have your own villain music. ❤
i’d be joyed beyond words if anyone was able to translate the lyrics to this piece. it’s so reminiscent of bloodborne’s ost, the way it dwindles between hope and pain, all the while having a righteous and powerful air to it. borislav really outdid himself with this score.
(5:47 and it’s impact is insane)
When bhaal has the urge idk haven't played the game
3:53 lovely
you're missing out
@@onveteran3945 it's a joke
@@Men_dra dont remember asking
Well he did have the Urge in his ranks
*Orin has left the chat*
Started playing the Dark Urge... thinking it was the custom character choice. I realized near the end of Arc 1 that it wasn't a custom character. Near the end of Arc 3 and best mistake I've made, amazing character development, lol.
Playing this while doing chores at home is something...
I particularly like this artwork. Dark Urge as a vengeance paladin and later potentially an oathbreaker is very fitting if you know his backstory.
Quick spoilers
If you play a paladin, find out the truth, and break your oath, you actually find out from oathbreaker that you've broken your oath countless times before
"WORSHIP ME, THE PROPHET OF THE END!"
This is exactly what I was looking for
This has gotta be the baddest piece of illustration about the relationship between Dark Urge, Sceleritas and Bhaal
It captures EVERYTHING about them
The Lord of Murder shall perish.
But in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny.
Chaos will be sown from their passing.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
But Alaundo did not see. He did not know. He did not revel in the glory that is to come!
"Famed, of course, for my unique red skin and unparalleled skills as a general of the House of War, I, the Dark Urge, was raised within the vast palaces of the fabled Forbidden City. I was destined to become the next emperor, but my ambitions suffered a bit of a setback when I fell from grace for cavorting with demons. Now I'm exiled and hunted by assassins, but I assure you: I remain undaunted - and as determined as ever to claim my rightful throne!"
this is inspiring me to make a dos2-themed party for my next run LOL
@@kyojins9467 will they yield to anyone?
@@chimoska9170 they yield to none!
“The opening chants are an acclimation worthy of I, The Chosen.”
I decided to play a monk durge and there was a number of times all of my companions got downed and it was just me vs a small group of enemies and lemme tell you that is such an in character power trip
I think monk is the perfect class for good durge the inner peace conversations are amazing
@@mementomori771 Yeah I kept seeing how pure and calm all the [Monk] options were and going "Nooo I'm suppose to be evil!!"
@@mementomori771 I prefer Bard, myself. It already has big Main Character energy. Plus, it's sense of humor synergizes well with Dark Urge. Not to mention its competence.
3:52 I have never heard that part before! Definitely making a Dark Urge character while listening to it and let it flow, dammn!
The Dark Urge: A mysterious figure, shrouded in amnesia, haunted solely by a trail of blood that marks his tumultuous past. Struggling with every ounce of courage and strength, he fights against the insidious influence of his enigmatic father, determined to resist succumbing to The Dark Urge that threatens to consume him.
I have to say ny playthrough with durge is so much more satisfying as you can play as a grey and nuanced character, especially if youre doing the "finding the light" route. Your confusion and worry amounting to fear and attacking those close to you as you desperately try to stave off your inner desires. Beautifully written :))(
it's sad that i'll never get to experience the story for the first time ever again
I havent gotten to playing Dark Urge yet, but from what i see in these comments. I feel like Durge is "that guy"
Durge is definitely "that guy"
durge is like if you combined "that guy" with the quiet kid
3:50 when that violin kicks in alone it is absolutely haunting.
I've played thousands of hours of BG3 and fell in love with the music immediately. This is so well put together I searched frantically for it in the official release. Fantastic mix of some of the best themes in the game.
That fuckin violin
I thought it cello
This banger should play on the credits when you get the Dark Urge Ending. Only note I have is that the transition at 5:46 is a LITTLE bit noticeable compared to the rest as it's a drop to a slower piece, I would have the previous bit fade out a bit more first - especially since it's the best part of the track to me!
0:00 that beginning with the deep voice chants and 4:37 are definitely the best parts. Honorable mention to 8:06 and 6:00, those parts were really good too.
Good soundtrack for drowning the swordcoast in blood.
Arise, child of none.
4:11 My favorite part
After accepting the duel with Orin I was a bit worried about how the fight would go and then I saw it in my spells, Hold Monster. Cast it. Instant success. 1 create water and 3 cones of cold later there was nothing left but red snow.
I was a wizard for my redeemed run, on tacitian and we all know how squishy wizards are both in BG3 and DnD. What saved me against Orin was Charm, Perilous Stakes, artistary of war and magic missle on a speed potion. For once im glad i invested in my mind flayer powers.
Thank you for this dude and thank you for that comment on the Waterproof Blonde-Just Close Your Eyes video all those years ago. Hope you're doing good you legend
Holy fuck that is a deep pull 😂
I'm doing well
A truly haunting soundtrack with multiple meanings
Is it a sound that heralds your coming and the doom you bring with it? Or a constant haunting reminder of your dark heritage that follows you everywhere you go?
I like to imagine this is what the bhaalist cultists are chanting during the fight
Imagine Absolute Durge being the BBEG….
I mean, pre-memory wipe Durge IS the BBEG.
“Entrails….. blood, disenbowlment, claws….. Impaling, skewered hearts, split throats…. Tail….
Scales stained red by blood, skin cold as ice, the gaze of a brutal predator…. Finally awake my lord! Good! *Back to the killing*
3:12 to 5:00 is straight 🤌🤌🔥🔥
Orin shitting across the entire temple as she sees 1/3rd of her HP evaporate from one divine smite:
When it's closing time and the rest of the team called out
ORIN!!! There’s only room for one of us in Baldur’s Gate!!!!
Masterpiece
Now that I realize, the reason Bhaal doesn’t extinguish you the moment you disobey him as a good Durge is because in the end you end up killing cultists and enemies en masse either way, so Bhaal is satisifed or at the very least doesn’t mind you resisitng as long as you pave the roads with goblin and cultist corpses.
Transforming to sacrifice Valeria while 6:25 plays. Perfection
Durge Paladin is just too Based. Like it's the best match for him.
6:25 is my favorite part. It is so forceful and driving
Why does the murder hobo have the hardest theme song?