Analysing a piece of media with athree-act structureis always interesting. You need to balance the narrative, ensuring the stakes remain high throughout while keeping the audience focused on the story’s ultimate objective.
Baldur’s Gate 3utilises a three-act structure to tell the story of the tadpole-afflicted party rising to defeat the chosen of the Dead Three, and then the Netherbrain itself. The first act is perfection, massive in size and packed with interesting characters and plots. You can immediately feel the scope of the world and its potential.
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The second act is appropriately the smallest, as it serves as a transition between the larger first and third acts. The Shadow-Cursed Lands are still quite large and the ending of Act 2 is climactic enough to make you feel a little fatigued going into the final third of the game. Still, the second act of Baldur’s Gate 3 is a well-designed experience, except for one aspect that irks me.
Lifting The Shadow Curse Doesn’t Feel Impactful Enough
Act 2 would feel even better and more conclusive if they tweaked the conclusion of Lift The Shadow Curse. Currently, if the player helps Halsinpurify the Shadow-Cursed Landsby reuniting Thaniel/Oliver then they’ll be told that they need to defeat Ketheric Thorm for the shadow curse to lift. If the player doesn’t pursue this quest then Halsin remains behind.
Once you defeat Ketheric, the land won’t actually begin healing until your party commits to going to Baldur’s Gate. Then, you’ll get a brief cutscene where a dead tree begins to sprout golden leaves. It’s a nice sentiment, but I think after the graft we put in, we should be getting more gratification for our hard work.
I’d prefer if the land began to heal as soon as Ketheric meets his demise, allowing us an opportunity to explore the purified area. It wouldn’t have to be the entire map, just a small section with a couple of characters so we can feel the impact we’ve had on Faerun. Cleansing an area of an evil that’s lasted over a century is a big deal, after all. It’s one of the most impactful things you can do in Baldur’s Gate 3.
If you were to go down the small scene route, then placing it after the party chooses to advance to Act 3 would be the right move. A get-together in a notable area on the map, like the House of Healing, perhaps some new do-gooders are trying to revive the place in the spirit of its founding? Naturally, we’d need to have a long talk with Halsin where everyone can pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
Speaking of Halsin, it’s jarring to see him agree to leave the Shadow-Cursed Lands before the curse even begins to lift. This is his life’s work, he’s not even going to stay behind to ensure the balance of nature is restoring itself? A simple scene like Halsin watching an animal scuttling about and beaming with happiness would serve to fix this narrative jankiness.
Currently, the ending of Act 2 isn’t wholly satisfying, I want to see the land healed, a moment of pure hope as I march towards my ultimate opponent. Especially since purifying the land is optional, you can leave the place as scarred and broken as it was when you arrived. The moral path should be rewarded, and Halsin should care more.
