Larian Studios has blessed us with more Baldur’s Gate 3 content this holiday season in the form of an animated Christmas special featuring a myriad of the title’s cast and it’s everything we didn’t know we needed.
On Dec 21, Larian Studios tweeted a three-minute animated passion project featuring five of the game’s most beloved Origin Companions. BG3 senior writer Emily Gera penned the script for the Christmas short, and while I can’t say with certainty the voice actors for Astarion, Gale, Karlach, Wyll, and Shadowheart all returned, the special does speak for itself.
After watching it about two or three hundred times, I’d bet the contents of my stocking that all five characters’ respective voice actors were present for the animation. Finally, the deservedly popular YouTube channel mashed offered their charming animation style to complete the special.
After an opening scene in a tavern (this is Dungeons & Dragons content, after all) the animation features the BG3 crew trekking through snowy mountains to rescue and receive gifts from an “elf” who might look vaguely familiar. The animated short is packed so full of easter eggs, hilarious nods, tasteful fan service, and joyous moments that it almost feels impossible to pick out some highlights.
The BG3 writer’s room has proved time and time again that they know exactly why fans love the characters they’ve created, and this animation could almost be considered a highlight reel of what makes each of the five oddballs so damn lovable. We get to see Astarion sitting in Karlach’s lap, Wyll receiving tastefully artistic nudes from Mizora, Gale recreating Paul Rudd’s famous “Hey, look at us,” meme with his Mirror-Image self, and so much more.
The animation was more than just wholesome fun, too—it also served as a reiteration of the fact that BG3 is finally available on Xbox after three long months of console players being left out of the party (I’m on PC, so I wouldn’t know how awful that wait probably was). I don’t want to say exactly how the Xbox release was worked into the animation so you can experience the wonder the way that Larian intended, but let’s just say a new gold standard for advertising has been set.
Maybe I’m counting my presents before they’re opened, but I can’t help but feel optimistic about the implications of the BG3 writers and voice actors getting back into the studio. While Larian Studios has already released a staggering amount of new content and patches since the game’s August release, there hasn’t been any official statement on whether or not we can expect any DLC down the line.
To me, the fact that Larian Studios brought everyone back to record a cheeky and wholesome Christmas special is another huge addition to the ever-growing list of reasons that we can realistically hold out hope for more Baldur’s Gate 3 content for years to come.
