'Baldur's Gate 3' characters' persistent thirstiness was due to a bug

Baldur's Gate 3 has allowed millions of people to indulge in their fantasy of performing magic, talking to animals, and being completely irresistible to a diverse plethora of eligible singles. However, it turns out the fantasy roleplaying game accidentally made players a little too irresistible. Or, more accurately, made everyone else's standards way too low.

Speaking to The Gamer at PAX West, Baldur's Gate 3's game director Swen Vincke confirmed that the tendency of non-player characters to hurl themselves into players' beds at the slightest provocation was the result of a bug, rather than some supernatural sexual appeal. 

Specifically, characters' approval thresholds weren't set high enough, meaning they were ridiculously easy to impress — and subsequently bed.

"There were a lot of people that enjoyed it," Vincke told The Gamer. "But it was too fast. It was supposed to simulate how real relationships are."

Developer Larian Studios has since patched Baldur's Gate 3 to slow down some of these characters' overeager libidos, though Vincke stated that others are still being worked on.

Vincke also confirmed that Gale was one of the characters heavily impacted by the bug, which will be a surprise to nobody who has played the game. Numerous players have reported accidentally romancing the Human Wizard, or having him continue to pursue them even after being repeatedly turned down.

In fact, some players have shared tips on how to avoid ending up in a relationship with Gale, in a reversal of many video game guides which aim to help you romance a character. Tip: Pretending to hate cats might help you dissuade Gale from unilaterally appointing himself your boyfriend. It isn't a foolproof plan, though.

"I literally chose the dialogue option to mock his cat and still had to break up with him some days later," noted redditor r/tinebiene94.

Baldur's Gate 3's pro-Gale slant wasn't restricted to his bugged approval thresholds either. Larian Studios released a patch last month that made it less ambiguous when choosing a dialogue option that would lead to a romance with Gale, and tweaked a scene to allow players to "picture a future with Gale that falls somewhere in between kissing him and kicking him in the head."