Although party members in Baldur’s Gate 3 They are a talkative group, their leader tends not to talk that much. Scenes with a custom Tav or Dark Urge character speaking are very rare, considering how many lines of dialogue there are throughout the game, with most cases of voice acting come from passive interactions with the world. There probably isn’t BG3 player out there who hasn’t heard yet “These boots have seen it all” at least a dozen times when he traveled Faerûn in search of answers about the Cult of the Absolute.
For context, Tav is the default name for the blank custom character that players can create, and has therefore become the collective name that BG3 players use for this character. Durge is the abbreviation for The Dark Urge, an unusual expression BG3 Origin option that adds a mysterious, dark past and an impulse that causes the character to randomly hurt and mutilate innocent characters. As both can only be avatar characters and not companions, They don’t have many lines of dialogue and only speak in very specific scenes all over BG3three acts.
Tav Channels His Inner Booty Ninja
In general, the few lines Tav and Durge have throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 tend to occur in very specific cases. One of the first examples occurs during Act 1 after the ordeal between the Druids’ Grove and the Goblins’ camp. The character will need to side with Minthara and the forces of the Absolute in attacking the Emerald Grove, which, like the path of evil, is often the least traveled. However, this alone is not enough for Tav to win the speaking role.
After defeating the forces of the Absolute, Minthara and her forces throw a party at Tav’s camp, which many of her companions will have difficulty enjoying. Once here, Tav or Durge need to anger Minthara enough that she tries to kill them in their sleep.. This will cause a battle with the goblins, and Tav will finally make his comment after surviving the conflict. Players can also simply channel their inner assassin and decide they’d rather have goblin corpses to decorate their camp.
Once resolved, a companion will make a comment about killing the goblins. This depends on who is in the party, as some members, like Wyll, will not remain in Tav’s party if they attack the Emerald Grove. After that, Tav will channel his instincts and loot ninja state “What’s done is done, but we must check the corpses for valuables.” as seen in CyberDogevideo on YouTube. It’s a pretty lackadaisical response to all this bloodshed, but it could be in Durge’s character.
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Their first encounter with the Githyanki
Except Tav has no party to support them
Players who have gone through Act 1 and followed Lae’zel’s quest are likely familiar with the group of Gith led by Kith’rak Voss and his red dragon. When encountering this group for the first time, a member of Tav’s party will make a remark depending on your level. If it is below level 5, it will usually be a statement that the party probably shouldn’t try to fight the Gith. If it’s level 5 or higher, the remark will be about how this is a fight the party can actually win, which is usually followed by an excited Lae’zel running off to talk to Voss.
In normal situations, neither Tav nor Durge will say anything, as the companions will already do a lot of talking in this case, but someone will always have a line in the scenario. If players take their Tav or Durge alone, so they will make a comment after seeing the red dragon for the first time arriving with Kith’rak Voss on his back. Again, the testimony will be similar to that of the companions, except that Tav will say that fighting the group would be suicide because they are alone, as can be seen in one Phoenix video on YouTube.
It will also depend on whether Tav or Durge are Githyanki. Gith has dialogue options unique to this instance, which extend to the line spoken by Tav/Durge when encountering his kin. They, he’ll even refer to the group of Gith as his relativesstating “My kinsmen wield their spears in a formidable manner. It would be foolish to provoke a battle with them now.” In general, both versions of this line try to discourage players from taking on the Gith alone, since the fight is expected to be one of the trickiest in Act 1.
3
Coming to Shadowlands for the first time
An introduction to Act 2
Of all the lines spoken by Tav and Durge throughout the game, their comment about first arriving in the Shadowlands is probably the most common to most people. All that is required is for the player arrive in Shadowlands after passing through the Underdark. This note will not be made if the party enters the Shadowlands via the Mountain Pass, even though it is still an entry point for Act 2, and will only be made if this is the party’s first time seeing the Shadowlands.
The line spoken will depend on whether Tav/Durge is a drow or not. As seen in MunkyBallvideo on YouTube, the drow line will compare the Shadowlands to life in the Underdarkbut such a life is not applicable to other races. Instead, a non-drow Tav will be confused about the location and say that the “The Underground looks like a sunlit meadow” in comparison, as shown by Fangwarden on YouTube. Since both observations compare Shadowlands to Underdark, it’s no surprise that they don’t trigger after going the other way.
What makes this line one of the easiest to find is that it works even if companions are with Tav, and entering the Shadowlands through the Underdark is a common occurrence. Additionally, a companion will make a comment after Tav in the cutscene, and this dialogue can continue even after the cutscene ends. That’s it one of the few times Tav/Durge can talk to a companion that isn’t managed by the playeralthough it only constitutes a few lines.
2
Fighting Orin like dark desire
One type of representation counts
The Dark Urge receives many stories that are entirely unique to them, whether it’s resisting the Urge in an attempt to save their loved ones or embracing it to take on the deadly form of the Slayer and become Bhaal’s chosen one. One such storyline is a rivalry with Orin in Act 3, which culminates in a duel between Bhaal’s sons. This occurs whether Durge chose to embrace his birthright or notand the Tav version of this fight involves fighting everyone in the area as a group.
Before the fight took place, Orin will use his changeling powers to take the form of Durgestrolling around while describing how she mutilated them and made them a puppet for the Absolute. When in Durge form, she will also take on their voice, essentially describing how she first took down her rival with her own face. It is also revealed here that Orin was once a subordinate of Durge, when they were the champion of Bhaal and allies of Gortash, as seen in a YouTube video by Azumgi.
Technically, Durge isn’t speaking, but the character’s voice is being used nonetheless. While it’s strange to see the player character stroll in front of you while acting like Orin, it’s impressive that each of Durge’s voices is capable of imitating Orin’s behavior so well for such a small scene. Hearing a character who normally only speaks in short sentences deliver a monologue is quite powerful in the moment.
1
Beating the game and controlling the Netherbrain
Whether in the name of Tav or Bhaal
Despite having very little to say other than “These boots have seen it all” and “no traps please” about a thousand times, Tav or Durge might actually have the last line in the game if players decide to go that route with them. By beating the game and choosing an evil ending by taking control of the Netherbrain rather than destroying it, Tav or Durge can sit atop a throne as some sort of dark god-emperor. Essentially, the player character can become the Absolute.
At the end of the cinematic, Tav will sit on his throne and say “In my name” before the game goes dark, as seen in Tiege_Gamingvideo on YouTube. If Durge sits on the throne and gives in to his desire to claim his birthright, there will be a slight change to this ending. Instead of saying “In my name”Durge will say “In the name of Bhaal”which probably sounded a lot cooler in their heads. Either way, the scene ends with Durge having the final say.
It should be noted that both lines can only occur if the player decides that their character will rule alone after taking control of the Netherbrain. They follow the trend of Tav and Druge’s lines in cutscenes only being used in very specific cases, which seems like an odd choice considering that these lines (aside from Orin’s monologue) don’t add much to the game. Perhaps Larian once intended Baldur’s Gate 3 having a fully voiced player character, but in the end, what lines there are are simply little delights.
Source: YouTube (CyberDoge, Phoenix, MunkyBall, Fangwarden, Azumgi, Tiege_Gaming)