If you’re thinking about a Durge play-through of the game, here is our suggestion for Baldur’s Gate 3: What is Dark Urge Origin & Why You Should Play It!
In Baldur’s Gate 3 the Dark Urge is an Origin Story, which Larian Studios added to the game for the official launch earlier this summer. Consequently, it was unavailable during the Early Access period and was a bit of a mystery to players. For those contemplating a second or even third playthrough, we highly recommend selecting the Dark Urge origin.
In this guide, there are no story or character spoilers for the Dark Urge.
What is the Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3?
The Dark Urge (often shortened to ‘Durge’ by fans) is one of the Origin stories available in Baldur’s Gate 3. In contrast to the regular custom character, which the player can choose to role-play with whatever background they imagine, the Dark Urge is a character with a murky, mysterious backstory. You won’t know what that is at first. In Act 1, your character will find themselves without any memory of where they came from. At the same time, however, they are plagued by a sinister inner voice tempting them to make foul and dastardly choices.
You remember nothing of your past besides that you walked a path paved with blood. As you venture on, you find yourself inescapably drawn towards unimaginable cruelties. Where do these thoughts come from?
Dark Urge Origin – Baldur’s Gate 3
Typically, the Origin Stories refer to a section of Character Creation where, instead of creating a custom character, you can choose to play as one of the regular game companions. These companion Origins currently include:
- Astarion
- Lae’zel
- Gale
- Shadowheart
- Wyll
- Karlach
Why Play the Dark Urge?
Everyone should play as the Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3 primarily because of the added depth it gives to both the player character and how much more strongly it ties them into the overarching story of BG3. When you choose to create a ‘regular’ custom character, that avatar is not tied as deeply to the themes of the story as the rest of your companions. With the Dark Urge, there is more to your story than just being unlucky enough to get kidnapped by Illithids. There is a reason you are there and how you choose to respond to those revelations will have powerful consequences for Faerun.
The dark inner voice your Durge hears will constantly be pulling at them. Urging them to indulge in dark fantasies and participate in (even enjoy) dark acts. The mystery of where this voice is coming from will pull you along the narrative. But the many on-the-spot moral choices will have immediate consequences. Losing companions, gaining another. Cutting off possible future quests in exchange for power now.
While on the surface the Dark Urge may seem like a character specifically made for a strictly evil play-through, players shouldn’t feel so restricted. While there are a couple of evil moments in the story which can’t be avoided, everything else the Durge does is up to you. It is entirely possible to play a Dark Urge character which struggles to resist their impulses. In fact, it could be argued that a redemptive Durge character arc is quite possibly the most powerful heroic version of the Baldur’s Gate 3 story.
Durge Specific Achievements
Additionally, for those players who enjoy achievement hunting in games, there are rewards. Playing as Durge is the only way to get two of the many achievements in Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian lists both of these titles under the Hidden Achievements section. So, we’ll enclose them in a spoiler box for those who would rather be surprised. Just be aware that the game ties these two achievements to the more evil choices, but we won’t disclose more than that.
Dark Urge Companions and Romance
For those who may be concerned that the choice of the Dark Urge will lock them out of potential companions and romances, rest assured that the simple choice of the Durge origin does not automatically keep you from recruiting any of the companions in game. Nor does it cut you off from romancing certain characters. Keep in mind that, as always, your character’s choices made throughout the story may have the consequence of losing a companion.
Keeping companions around can be especially tricky if you are playing an evil Dark Urge. If you give in to every impulse and take every evil action, it is highly likely that you may lose Gale, Wyll, Karlach, Halsin, Jahiera and Minsc. This could happen immediately and they never join in the first place. Or they may leave later on after your choices have made them angry. The timing will likely depend on the order in which you play the story and when you recruit them.
Romance
Romance as the Dark Urge will work much in the same way. If you are playing an evil Dark Urge, then even if a character like Gale stays with you, it’s possible that his approval may never get high enough for a full romance. On the other hand, characters like Astarion and Shadowheart are less likely to disapprove of evil acts. Additionally, you can explore the other side of their character stories in depth. An evil Durge is an opportunity to encourage your companion’s own dark sides, and see how the story plays out.
Another potential companion you can pick up when playing an evil character is Minthara, a Drow Paladin in the Goblin Camp. Many players may pass her up, given that the story consequences of recruiting her causes you to lose several of the other companions. An evil Dark Urge run, however, can be a perfect opportunity to meet her character.
How to Choose the Dark Urge
To choose the Dark Urge for your next play-through of Baldur’s Gate 3, all you need to do is to start a New Game and pull up the Origin tab in the Character Creation screen. Under the list of Origin Characters you will see an icon with the shadowy outline of a figure and the label ‘The Dark Urge’. Click on that first and then you can move on through the character creation process as normal.
IMPORTANT: Some players may mistakenly believe that the albino Dragonborn appearance of the character is set in stone. It is not. The Dark Urge origin gives your character a specific backstory. It does not, however, lock you into an appearance or class. Once you have chosen your Dark Urge origin, you can move on to edit the race, sub-race, class, ability score, skills and looks as you would a normal custom character.
Is it Worth Playing Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3?
The deeper ties your character has to the main story alone make playing the Dark Urge absolutely worth it. In fact, this author would argue that players with the time should make two play-throughs as the Dark Urge. One as an evil Durge, and a second who seeks to resist their sinister thoughts. Each will play out very differently, and can allow players to see the best of both sides of the story – one a tragedy and the other heroic.
An evil Durge play-through is a prime candidate for seeing how things play out when you follow your worst impulses. Recruit Minthara, who is a great character that most players may not be willing to make the sacrifice to obtain. You might even want to try romancing her, as she and Durge make a fantastic ‘power couple’.
On the other hand, a redemptive Durge play-through will have it’s own powerful character moments. Without saying too much, if you’ve recruited Jaheria, her interactions with the Dark Urge, especially in Act 3, have great meaning and depth. Encouraging your companions through their personal quests and helping them better themselves, makes for some powerful moments of reflection as you try to do the same for Durge.
Additionally, for those players who like to collect achievements the only way to get a full 100% on Baldur’s Gate 3 is to commit to at least one full Durge run. That certainly shouldn’t be the only reason you play through a game. And hopefully by the end you feel that it was worth it for more than those two little pop-ups.
With additional mysterious backstory, meaningful character moments and achievements to earn, the Durge origin is one that no BG3 fan should miss!
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