As is the case with almost any big RPG (Fallout: New Vegas, anyone?), Baldur’s Gate 3 left almost an entire game’s worth of content on the cutting room floor. And now, Larian Studios has teased the biggest piece of cut BG3 content: the triumphant return of Withers’ Epilogue Party.
One of the common complaints about Baldur’s Gate 3 is that its final third, especially its ending, feels rushed as compared to the unbelievable scope and depth of the first two Acts. At some point in development, however, there was an extended epilogue in the form of Withers’ Epilogue Party, which saw the adventuring party’s steadfast undead companion invite them back for a reunion six months after the game’s ending. Now, however, Larian has officially confirmed the Epilogue Party will return in Patch Five, the game’s next major update.
In its original form, the Epilogue Party served as a way to expand upon the choices you made throughout the game, how they affected both the companions that survived the campaign and the world at large, and possibly get guilted by Withers himself if you screwed up really badly. It was essentially like an interactive version of those ending slides you get in Fallout games—or the end-of-game Unity recap in Starfield but less creepy and robotic. Unfortunately, it was cut before the full game’s release, and as of now, your reward for saving the world is a weird smash cut to credits.
Unfortunately, no specific dialogue, either voiced or unvoiced, remains from this early iteration of the Epilogue Party, despite dataminers’ best efforts to uncover something. Then again, this might be for the best, as it means no one will be spoiled on the ultimate fates of their favorite companions ahead of Patch Five’s official release. Did Gale manage to smooth things over with his magical ex-girlfriend in the end? Is Astarion really happy with his new Ascended life (or, well, undeath)? And did Karlach find a way to fix her heart for good?
Those answers and more probably await in Patch Five, which still has no official release date. As further updates for Baldur’s Gate 3 release, it’s likely that we’ll see even more cut content find its way back into the game—unless, of course, Larian is saving it all for an eventual Definitive Edition. Only time will tell!
