The Dark Urge (Origin)

This article is about origin. For the character and their full history, see The Dark Urge.

Character

Origin

The Dark Urge is a special origin in Baldur's Gate 3 that can be played using any race, class, and gender, and will not be part of player's party if they are playing any other origin character.

“	My rancid blood whispers to me: kill, kill, and kill again. My ruined body yearns to reap death in this world, and when this foul Urge calls, it possesses my whole being. Injured beyond repair, I know nothing besides this: I must resist the Dark Urge, lest it consume my mind. I must discover who I was, and what happened to me. Before my twitching knife-hand writes a tragedy in blood.	„
	— The Dark Urge, fearing their dark desires in their Introduction cinematic.

Overview

The Dark Urge origin adds new interactions, quests and opportunities for that character, and can be played as good, evil, or anything in-between.

Background

The player character remembers nothing of their past besides that they walked a path paved with blood. As they venture on, they find themselves inescapably drawn towards unimaginable cruelties. Where do these thoughts come from?

Personal quest

Main article: The Urge

The Dark Urge's primary personal quest is called The Urge, and adds a unique storyline that surfaces over time as the true nature of The Dark Urge is revealed.

A character with the Dark Urge Origin remembers nothing of their past and are plagued with dark urges of violence and cruelty. Over the course of the game, the player can choose to resist or indulge in their character's urges, as they slowly learn more about their past and their nature, and will be presented with unique opportunities regardless of which path they follow.

The Urge

Act One

During Act One, the Dark Urge will eventually have a long rest event where they murder a camp follower. If she is available, this will always be Alfira. Otherwise, it will be Quil. Soon after, in a separate long rest event, their butler, Sceleritas Fel will introduce himself, and gift the party the Deathstalker Mantle.

Unique Interactions

• Long resting early in the act can give hints at the character's true nature. The hints given are dependent on the character's race and class, providing a lore-friendly explanation of each.
• Eating the Noblestalk mushroom as Dark Urge will unlock one of two memories:
  • If eaten before meeting Sceleritas Fel, they remember acts of cannibalism.
  • If eaten after meeting Sceleritas Fel, they remember the torture and murder of one of their victims.
• Tearing off Gale's arm through the portal when first meeting him. This prevents you from recruiting him.
• On meeting Timber the Squirrel at the Druid Grove, the Dark Urge will punt the squirrel with no input. The player can only control this choice if they have  Speak with Animals active.
• Breaking Pandirna's legs in the storage room in the Druid Grove
• Encourage Arabella to leave by flicking your eyes towards the exit, leading to her death.
• Biting off Crusher's toe when he demands you kiss his feet.
• Tear off the Wings from the Wounded Bird that is being treated by Nettie ((Has to be done before prodding it))
• During one of the gnoll encounters at Risen Road, the Dark Urge will be very excited about a gnoll being born.
• Killing Alfira while she is visiting the camp or Quil if Alfira is unavailable for any reason, leading to the first meeting of Sceleritas Fel. The player character can not control this choice.
• Killing Minthara after sleeping with her if the Dark Urge sided with the Goblin Camp against the Grove.

Act Two

During a long rest event, The Dark Urge will be given the task of killing Isobel at the Last Light Inn.

If the player kills either Isobel or their companion, they are granted the Slayer form, a gift from their father.

Should the player character forego killing Isobel, then at a later long rest (after completing the Gauntlet of Shar) they will be informed that they will kill their closest companion, usually their lover. The player character can choose to wake their companion up, if they pass a Wisdom check. If they fail the check, choose to go back to sleep, or choose to kill their companion, they must pass a separate check, or the camp will turn hostile. If they kill a companion this way, all the companion's equipment is lost.

Unique Interactions

• The Dark Urge has unique dialogue and interactions with multiple characters at and around Moonrise Towers.
• Killing Isobel. The player character can choose whether or not to do this, but will lead to a different event. Killing Isobel rewards the Dark Urge with the Slayer form.
• Killing the player character's lover or closest companion. The player character can choose to warn their companion of this, or choose to kill them. Doing this rewards the Dark Urge with the Slayer form.
• After freeing the trapped fairy from the Moonlantern, the player character can choose to crush it.
• The player can torture a group of goblins in a variety of ways at the Moonrise Towers.
• Walking by the graves of the Last Light Inn is supposed to trigger a voiceline, but due to a bug, a Tav line plays instead. In the past, the voiceline meant to play at Lower City's Graveyard would play instead.
• The player character can confront and murder the Strange Ox while taunting it for keeping its docile ox form.
• The Dark Urge can kill the cat Steelclaw when trying to remember what was forgotten.
• At Moonrise Towers' kitchen, the gnolls recognise the Dark Urge and no check is needed for them to become friendly. They will not show up during the Assault on Moonrise, however.
• Some guards at Moonrise will remark that the Dark Urge seems familiar.
• The Warden really dislikes the Dark Urge.

Act Three

During a long rest in Rivington, a dream sequence reveals that the Dark Urge is a Bhaalspawn, and was once the leader of the Cult of Bhaal, before being betrayed and murdered by Orin.

Further conversation with Enver Gortash during his coronation reveals they were one of the original members of the Chosen of the Dead Three, and alongside Gortash, had originally schemed to use the  Crown of Karsus on the Elder Brain to falsify the religion of the Absolute. In this sense, the Dark Urge is the catalyst for the main story's events.

The only reason the Dark Urge is not still in this position is because Orin the Red, envious of the Dark Urge's power and control over the cult, betrayed them, inflicted brain damage and amnesia while tadpoling them, and took control of the cult herself.

After confronting Orin, the Dark Urge may restore themselves as Bhaals's Chosen, or refuse the title.

Should they refuse to become Bhaal's chosen, the Dark Urge will be drained of their father's blood and essence, immediately dying, dooming them to be lost in the Fugue Plane for eternity. However, Withers intervenes by investing a portion of his remaining power into the Dark Urge, bringing them back to life. Reborn anew, the Dark Urge is free of the Urge, and able to determine their own path in life. Because of this, they will also lose access to the Slayer form if they had previously obtained it in Act Two.

Should they agree to become Bhaal's chosen once more, they will instead be given the task to control the Netherbrain in the name of Bhaal, and will gain access the Slayer form if they did not already.

After rejecting Bhaal, the player may still select Dark Urge options in dialogue. Additionally, the special Dark Urge voicelines on selecting the character, attacking etc will still play.

Unique Interactions

• The Dark Urge has unique interactions throughout the main plot of Act Three:
  • They may re-establish their partnership with Gortash.
  • They have unique interactions with Orin and the Cult of Bhaal.
  • The Dark Urge has unique dialogue with the Netherbrain.
  • The Dark Urge has unique dialogue and interactions in the majority of quests in Act Three
• After learning of their true self, Oathbreaker Paladins can confront the Oathbreaker Knight, and learn that it isn't the first time they've broken their oath.
• When encountering Bugthimble in the Lower City Graveyard, the Dark Urge has the option to ponder whether they've ever buried anyone alive before. Doing so will cause them to bury Bugthimble and the treasure she found.
• There is a cut interaction at the graveyard. When unearthing one of the graves, other characters would be horrified about the state of the dug up body, while Dark Urge would remark on it being a victim of theirs from before the game.
• The Dark Urge is supposed to remark that the gate was their hunting ground when entering the lower city graveyard. However, that interaction is bugged and a voiceline meant to play at Last Light's Graveyard plays instead.
• When speaking to Tarhun Mnemonis about Lady Jannath's art festival, the Dark Urge can ask whether they have any art depicting Bhaal.
• Helsik will recognize the Dark Urge from when they and Gortash dealt with her before, and gives them Gibus of the Worshipful Servant which Sceleritas Fel left behind. For the price of 100 or 1000 gold she will reveal some of their past, including the fact that she helped them break into Mephistopheles' vault to steal the Crown of Karsus.
• If  Heal is cast on the Dark Urge, they unlock one of two memories:
  • If cast after rejecting Bhaal, they remember playing with friends in childhood, after being taken in by their foster parents.
  • Otherwise, they remember that they killed their foster parents.
  • While Heal could, theoretically, be cast earlier than Act Three, it will only become available to the player character at level 11 and above, which is typically only reached after Act two.

Achievements

Embrace Your Urge
Become Bhaal's ultimate weapon - become his Slayer.

Sins of the Father
Claim your Throne of Blood: take control of the Netherbrain for Bhaal and break the world.

See also

• The Dark Urge page for a more thorough overview of this character. Warning: this page contains unhidden major spoilers.

Notes

• The final origin character was revealed through Blood in Baldur's Gate ARG. The players controlled a detective investigating a chain of murders. On the final day of the ARG, The Dark Urge was revealed, along with Sceleritas Fel. The ARG ends with the white-scaled dragonborn killing the detective.
• The Dark Urge is nicknamed Durge by the community.
• During a playthrough with any other origin, you can find within the depths of the Temple of Bhaal the killed and tortured body of the default Dark Urge figure on the floor of Orin's chambers.

Gallery

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  Default model.

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  Default camp model.

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  Default underwear model.

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  The origin's default appearance

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  Sceleritas Fel, The Dark Urge's guide

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  The origin's default appearance in Larian's Release Showcase.

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  The origin's appearance in Blood in Baldur's Gate.

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  Promotional art.