Karlach realizes she's in a video game

[@Chubblot]

All options for this scene: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWSVo61_a81rjLc

[@MsAnimeEagle]

I bet they made this knowing someone would find it. YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE, CHUBBLOT.

[@mad127the]

@@MsAnimeEagle He absolutely is.

[@009_Ghostly_Systematic]

Or bugged.

[@Danko18101993]

This cutscene triggers on repeated playtroughs. Never on 1st.

[@Khantia]

@@Chubblot so... we need to find Sarah and talk with her :P

[@Evulchair]

Imagine you start a new playthrough after having had that conversation with Karlach, and she greets your next character with: "Oh a half-orc this time huh?".

[@user-mu8ok5xf8d]

Dude yes

[@jacobmosovich]

Brooo id keep this game forever. Ill show it to my children before i die and gift it as an heirloom lol

[@gentlemanlyjerk4686]

i'd actually be more interested in a variant of this event after a completed save where you get to break character and tell karlach about the end when she asks

[@thecursed01]

Reminds me of how new game plus is done in starfield

[@dsheep9937]

Bro, it will be awesome hahahah

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

Karlach: [Having a deep conversation with the player] The party: [Sees Karlach talking to a tree]

[@RadXader]

Party: What is she doing? Player char: She's beginning to believe..

[@Long-Horse]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fISsdIKDZdilq5Y

[@arandomcrowe]

@@Ihatevideogames334then why did you click on the video?

[@Antenna96]

@@RadXaderShe's the one...

[@DirtyWeeb]

Not a tree. A wall. The fourth one specifically.

[@MagiRaz]

when you roll a nat 20 for perception and really wish you hadnt

[@Ore_Keeper]

Heard a story of people who did that. The dm stated "for just a moment you feel as if you are on a table surrounded by giants playing a game papers and your companions are just statues then it all goes back to normal after that breife moment."

[@SakuraBellx]

Something I have not experienced yet, my favourite RP character I have created is a legend at perception and she hasn't seen anything she regrets seeing yet.

[@zichithefox4781]

What having 20 wisdom really does to a mf

[@DamascusVT]

When you somehow roll a nat 30 on a d20.

[@enderfire3379]

@@Ore_Keeper i also heard that

[@JoshuaNaslund]

Karlach: -Unwinds the very fabric of her existence, peering beyond the 4th wall and sees the truth- Also Karlach: "Careful, or I'll make a coin appear behind your ear!"

[@thatoneguy7404]

@@Ihatevideogames334 i feel like you hate something but im not sure what

[@witherverse1351]

​@@thatoneguy7404 i like how his comment is at least about balders gate but then his name adds another layer to his anime

[@pestilence2499]

what do you hate again i forgot?@@Ihatevideogames334

[@Tw0Dots]

@@witherverse1351losers will loser 🤷‍♂️

[@witherverse1351]

@@Tw0Dots indeed

[@NonFatMead]

"This is a story about Karlach. Karlach worked as an adventurer in Faerun, where she was adventurer number 427."

[@babaduk7679]

Until she took a adventurous arrow to the knee lol

[@pejman3]

@@babaduk7679 nah it's until one day no more quests come in and everyone has disapeared and she doesnt know what she has to do

[@ВладиславБулаев-л3э]

I'm sorry, but Is this Stanley Parable reference?

[@LiquidSleepSolid]

⁠@@ВладиславБулаев-л3эnaa this is a Stanley Parable deluxe edition reference

[@Demortra]

@@babaduk7679 I think a lot of players wish they had the option to get married to her in game. Arrow to the knee means literally getting married.

[@M3A7]

I love that she goes from Ignorant, to realization, to grief, to full acceptance. Fully realizing her place in this "universe" and then happily accepts it and goes back to playing her literal role. That's some great writing there.

[@paulsmith5684]

It is the most fantastic fourth wall breaking this year the writing seriously is top-notch.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

It’s absolutely beautiful

[@ZeallustImmortal]

Fourth wall breaking has generally gotten overplayed and lame in the past few years. This was a case where it was done well.

[@christopherwray9215]

Tiber Septim tier

[@Micolino9878]

Tav: "Karlach honey, I don't think you're meant to see all that." Karlach: "Really? Then why is this whole scene written down just here?"

[@ChronoTriggerHappy]

Tav: *opens a text bar* alright omnipotent ones, what do we tell her now Gamer: nothing! I dont like spoilers! Karlach: what!? Tav: what!? Gamer: what!? Game: Baldursgate.exe has encounter an unexpected problem. Windows will now shutdown the program. Would you like to send a report to Larian Studios*trademarked ? Larian: Oh for pete's sake, the AI is growing again!

[@Quietb3ar]

Back ground music changes to Megalovania

[@kaiman593]

​@@ChronoTriggerHappy that would be EPIC

[@adams13245]

The lines, the lines, they control where we walk what we do... The script, and the code. The code made by the god machines. And you, you Tav, you're controlled by a mad person! Someone who would see us all suffer for your own sick amusements or use us as pack mules. That's why you made me carry 300 fish heads last week.

[@bowenorcutt78]

And now I'm flashing back to watching Loki. Oooh, there's an idea!

[@Umbra451]

This certainly puts the “it’s a little early in the game to share tragic backstories” line in a new light

[@krzlcve]

Oh lord

[@DanteD84]

I nearly spit my drink when she said that. Like I know it’s a phrase that’s fairly common but in the context of being in a game I nearly lost it 😂

[@nuclearocean]

This is one of the best 4th wall breaks I've ever seen. It's evocative in the fullest sense of the word. Imagine one day you discover something as world shattering as this, and your only concern is - "Is my purpose fulfilled, at least?" And yet you still can find happiness in the thought that yes, _they_ are having fun. Indomitable human spirit right here. I got chills, man...

[@Svendsor]

"Evocative - making you remember or imagine something pleasant:" Are you sure you used the correct funny word for this reply? :P

[@JohnSmith-ls3um]

Agreed-up there with Geralt’s at the end of Blood and Wine.

[@LairdDeimos]

​​@@Svendsor Merriam Webster says: evoking or tending to evoke an especially emotional response.

[@frisk9394]

Yes, but now imagine how disturbing it would be to our audience for them to realize that we do, in fact, know that they exist, and that we are merely a work of fiction for use as their entertainment. That would certainly be creepy.

[@Svendsor]

@@LairdDeimos Very well then.

[@y_stu_k]

There's a conversation a bit earlier in her quest line after you kill the false paladins but before looking for a mechanic for her infernal engine, where you ask about her past and she says something along the lines of "it's a bit early in the game for tragic backstories."

[@mikairu2944]

what a smart line, it's not completely out of place for her to say that without really breaking the 4th wall

[@DeathByOr3o]

Yeah! I just went through that and noticed for the first time yesterday. (Probably my 6th time playing that part of the game on diff characters)

[@CandyHatsuneWolff]

Fantastic double entendre.

[@RainbowGamx]

i thought you hated tmnt shredder's revenge@@Ihatevideogames334

[@king_sheridan_]

who asked@@Ihatevideogames334

[@Salt-Upon-Woundss]

I was half expecting her to hit me with "Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

[@ShadowPa1adin]

Karlach just achieved CHIM.

[@Adzelio]

"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to escape the Illithids, right? Walked right into that Goblin ambush, same as us, and that Gith over there."

[@Salt-Upon-Woundss]

@@ShadowPa1adin Then the game just boots up Skyrim automatically

[@amuro9624]

wake up, Biden.

[@Moonlightgirlful]

I read that in his voice omg 😂

[@X-SPONGED]

3:34 One of the only moments a roleplaying game manages to insert an in-game player feedback section in it's gameplay and it feels oddly natural despite the immersion breaking nature it's supposed to entail. This _IS_ the quintessential DnD game, probably one of- if not **THE** best of all time.

[@Pavel-Geleznov]

are you having fun in game?

[@B2H1-97]

For me, it’s equal to how I felt when Detroit: Become Human threw in surveys or Chloe would actually start showing signs of deviancy

[@X-SPONGED]

@@B2H1-97 yeah, but personally this hits you much more since it's actually an in-game event and not just in the menu

[@356z]

What happens if you say no?

[@L337P1R4735]

The "hundred hours" line got me. Brilliant easter egg and shockingly good acting for something other games wouldn't have treated as seriously.

[@lyntonfleming]

That is, in fact, exactly how long my first play through took. 100 hours and 29 minutes.

[@rat_dragon]

My 1st playthrough had over 135 hrs. I explored the whole map - several areas 3x. Didn't want to miss a single thing. I wouldn't take those hours back for anything

[@kalicula7718]

Oh man the 4th wall breakers. I remember during combat sometimes Minsc says something like "Why are we all just standing around waiting for everyone to make their turn?"

[@Joshx2415]

Minsc has a lot of funny little details, Lae'zel comments on Boo the miniature giant space hamster and how she's only ever seen regular giant space hamsters, and now in my second playthrough I'm noticing some of the githyanki in the creche have miniature giant space hamster meat so I slaughtered them all

[@souv1aki]

That was like if person who plays Minsc in real life DND decided to break immersion.

[@ЛимонныйСорбет]

"yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"

[@zemo9656]

​@@ЛимонныйСорбетomg i forgot about that line!

[@TriangleChloros]

​@@Joshx2415 That's not actually a BG3 thing. Giant space hamsters have been a completely real thing in DnD since 2E, before even BG1. They're kept as livestock, and used to power magical spaceships by running in giant wheels. Even *miniature* giant space hamsters first appeared in 1990. They were created by Dragonlance tinker gnomes, and there's a shop in Sigil (the city at the centre of the multiverse) that sells them as pets. The thing that makes Boo weird is that if he's really a minature giant space hamster, Minsc somehow has the only one *in Toril.* (most of the time- the Illithid space pirate Captain N'ghathrod has one too, and he visits Toril sometimes). So that's why most people who've never left the planet have no idea what he's talking about. But Lae'zel *has* left the planet, so it's completely reasonable that she would have seen giant space hamsters. But not miniature ones, because the githyanki probably don't really go in for cute fluffy pets. Not even psionic ones that can go for the eyes.

[@PollexTheCat]

"This is going to be fun!" ...... *existential dread*

[@zarthered]

Absurdist Joy

[@bluju24]

I like the fact that she says look me in the eyes and instead of staring directly at your character, she looks at us, the player. And she finds truth in us.

[@Freetheebees]

That is indeed the point

[@D3Smok3]

​@@Ihatevideogames334get a therapist then

[@alextribeck4041]

@@Ihatevideogames334 Thanks for the information, I can’t imagine how we would all live without it

[@paulsmith5684]

It's literally better than the She-Hulk we got stupid show.

[@raeds8218]

shes staring at the camera.

[@edmanne]

Call me crazy, but the excitement of “we did it everyone! They’re having fun!” In the context of this is is just one of the developers / programmers etc that worked their asses off for YEARS to make this game happen . . . actively made me feel a little emotional. Like someone that poured their heart and soul into making this game asked me if it was worth it, and was hyped that the answer was a resounding “yes”

[@DIE-DIE]

Yeah for a second I thought she would've been enraged knowing someone is taking an enjoyment in the darkness and suffering of her world

[@RuneKatashima]

I appreciate your realization. Something happened similarly in FFXIV's latest expansion. Though the question was phrased, "Your journey, was it worthwhile?" it had the subtext of, "Was your life worth living?" and not in a, Hey you're wasting your life kind of way. But to say, Do you love the life that has been granted to you? It got me fairly emotional as well.

[@SkyWolfWanders]

That got me right in the heart as well. The hearts behind the devs can be seen that they just wanted to give their best and beyond to making a game people would enjoy. The happiness at seeing your work really appreciated must be so fulfilling and cathartic. Kinda envy them for that. At the same time, I don't envy all the hours they put in. All I can be is extremely grateful to their passion for true excellence and fun. Hat's off to all of them.

[@djmewtwo6981]

I don’t mean to disappoint you, but it’s clear that the ‘are you having fun’ part is the devs asking the players if the game is fun

[@WilcrezTheWanderer]

Yeah, it got me, too. I haven't even played the game, just watched hours and hours of it.

[@BreakfastCroissants]

This actually explains how she knows you directly or indirectly got the tieflings killed and hates you for it off the bat despite just bleeding in the mountains until you find her. She’s metagaming.

[@Shiruvi]

imagine if the canonical way you could save karlach from the infernal engine was to find a way to mod it out, and the game actually acknowledged that. that conversation would be crazy.

[@mikieswart]

⁠@@Shiruvi 🤯 that’s some doki doki literature club shit right there bwah

[@Shiruvi]

@@Ihatevideogames334 i think you'd like spyro then, it's a g-rated platforming game series. very fun!

[@justSomeOthaGuy]

ok@@Ihatevideogames334

[@mvalesmvales7096]

@@Ihatevideogames334how do you feel about tmnt shredders revenge?

[@ParadoxAAA]

This reminds me of that one story someone shared online about how they were playing DnD and one member of their group wanted to roll a perception check in a room but there was nothing in that room that hadn't already been described so when they roll a critical success the DM described how their PC for a brief moment saw the world around them as a massive table with pieces strown about and surrounding them were giants and when they looked to the rest of the party, they saw minitures baring their resemblances and just as quickly as they witnessed that scene, they returned to only seeing the world around them as a real place.

[@mekaelbayati8040]

That sound so awesome! You’ve just inspired my next DnD character lol

[@bknwuzheer1]

Some mild cosmic horror

[@nothanks9503]

I once smoked some strange herbs from a gas station and everything looked like a cartoon

[@f.g.5967]

Yeaaah i was going to post that story. It was awesome.

[@XMaster340]

​@@mekaelbayati8040Honestly, I don't think this would make for a good character concept. I mean, having that scene mid campaign would be awesome. But as part of a backstory? To me that just screams "metagamer".

[@prod.a.b.i.l1930]

I don't know what's more terrifying, the idea that Karlach is aware that she's in a game (I mean all those lines she saw could be all the code that was used to make the game) or the fact that she is the only one in the whole party who knows that she's gone on this journey hundreds if not thousands of time because you (specifically you) the player keep replaying the game over and over and over again

[@FraeuleinSeptimus]

She would be the number 1 to prefer this over the literal hell. I think she would prefer an adventure with friends quit a lot

[@gwendaljambu4310]

To her, as long as you are playing she is still alive. Just like Monika :D

[@Papierzification]

@@gwendaljambu4310 Who is Monika?

[@Celadonis-the-Lore-Seeker]

@@Papierzification Just Monika.

[@AV524]

@@PapierzificationMonika is from Doki Doki Literature club who gets aware of the player and realizes she too is in a game.

[@shadowbear1231]

I feel heavy love for the character they built for her. This is also in character for her. Even in the face of cosmic, unknowable horror for her, shes at peace once she knows she has a purpose. I strive for that kind of peace, and that kind of purpose.

[@nealenthenerd399]

I also saw an interpretation that despite everything, what ever dirty is looking down at her, they show they love her and she has a reason to exist and it she is doing everything right in her life.

[@Ikanamable]

I love that the "giant web" she mentions is basically just the quest design document format that devs use to format questlines into a readable "schematic". She's peeking behind the curtains.

[@kaygirl10101]

I thought it more the internet, like interweb, at first. There's so many webs woven in this game. The code itself can be a web, or all the people attached and connected by playing the game.

[@awanderer3047]

@@kaygirl10101 this would be a very different conversation if she could see the internet, especially "that" side of it

[@kaygirl10101]

@awanderer3047 Lol, do you think for horrified or flattered? Or maybe jealous that Astarion is in the lead?

[@heoniebee9566]

​@@kaygirl10101same here - more players would understand a reference to the internet than video game coding.

[@LET4M4RU]

​@@kaygirl10101funnily enough, Astarion isn't even the most romanced character according to Larian

[@Cenauru]

Aside from everything else that has been said, I love that Karlach's biggest priority is that the player is having fun, and her reaction shows how much she cares about that. She's too sweet, being fine with her tragedy if the player gets to have fun in an adventure with her. There's a reason she's my favorite character.

[@stephenwood6663]

Oooor, she understands that this is a *game*, and that the purpose of a game is to be entertaining. If a game isn't fun, you switch it off and don't come back to it. Her life - tragedies and all - exists conditionally, and that condition is that the player finds it entertaining. That's... honestly pretty dark.

[@christos3280]

Bro this was the developer team speaking to us, wanting to know if the game is fun.

[@nts4906]

Our lives may be tragic but if we entertain the Gods, then we have at least some worth

[@archaicsentinel]

@@stephenwood6663This was the same theme in Nier Automata as well if you played the game through the end.

[@Vanity0666]

As long as the player is having fun they have a reason to continue the existence of the world instead of locking it away in the library

[@Naro_Rivers]

I love when the music cuts out to underline something, be it for comedic or dramatic effect, like it does here just before her line, “You’re having fun, aren’t you?” And then, as she waits for your response, it quietly fades back in.

[@joemarais7683]

I like how this whole thing goes meta without betraying her character. It would have been easy for the writers to do the “ha ha funny we’re in a game, the writers are talking to you, now laugh” thing in a bombastic manner, but it’s still approached by displaying Karlach’s main character traits of perpetual existential dread and genuine kindness and caring for others. It’s still a progression of the character while still referencing the ha ha 4th wall stuff, and that’s pretty neat.

[@thursday8382]

What helps is that she doesn't know what a video game is, meaning she couldn't be the annoying type of self aware even if she tried

[@lightworker2956]

Yeah, it works on both levels. It works both as in-universe existential dread, and a 4th wall break / the developers have brief moment to talk to the players. It's not just a pure 4th wall break, which wouldn't be as clever as this.

[@mattyryon]

They literally did that with the response to the "are you having fun" line though, I cringed out of my chair

[@highdefinition450]

i mean it's still haha bombastic tho lol, it is karlach after all

[@MidRankedDeity]

@@mattyryon How's that cringe? If you were in a simulation you'd atleast like to know that whoever's controlling you is having some sort of enjoyment.

[@NeoCreo1]

I really like all the subtext going on. Karlach increasingly talking directly to the player through the mc and the player talking back via mc but the mc never understanding, then her absolute relief and joy that this being that is the ultimate arbiter of their fate confirming that they are having fun, reassuring her that everyone isn’t screwed.

[@arduous222]

"And here, at last, I discover a strange truth. That I am only a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding."

[@skeyedrake5929]

Just hours later Tav then gives in to his dark urges and genocides all of faerun. MURDER! MOUNTAINS OF SKULLS! OCEANS LITTERED WITH CORPSES

[@supernewbie694]

"reassuring her that everyone isn't screwed" seeing as a lot of us will do evil playthroughs next or make shit hit the fan in multiplayer, I wouldn't call that reassuring.

[@NeoCreo1]

@@supernewbie694 Considering that Karlach is a giant cinnamon roll and she’s also really out of it due to having peaked beyond the veil I could see her believing that means they are safe, even if that isn’t necessarily accurate

[@T0NI_]

@@supernewbie694 The player having fun means they and their world get to continue existing for as long as the player decides to continue playing. I'd say whether they're evil or not doesn't really matter at that point. Anything is better than non-existence

[@Gagac]

But the big question is: "How do I get to this conversation?" Everyone in the comments writes how great it is, etc., but no one asks how you got there. Strange...

[@Sara-uq6km]

Yeah i am so confused as well

[@FlareBlitzBanana]

​@@Sara-uq6kmIt's unused. It's straight up tagged as "impossible" in the code. There's no way to trigger it without hacking.

[@spotlightanimation6719]

It got cut

[@Mdgld]

I still think nobody knows at least according to the VA

[@moofy69]

@@Mdgld VA likely doesn't realise it was cut content

[@jmerridew124]

Hey, cant blame her for finding joy in the fact that she has meaning. Being told "yes you have a purpose and you're doing a good job at it" sounds really nice actually.

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎ ‎

[@gudemik5335]

Interesting, I wished she got angry that we're having fun at the expense of her freedom... To me its super fascinating how wr van have so different reactions, starting from a very similar perspective. I'm curious: why it's comforting to realize that someone else decided your place in the world?

[@TheBluestflamingos]

​@@gudemik5335 I'd define myself a optimistic existential nihilism, so I don't relate to the feeling myself, but as someone who's had to grapple with feelings that life and reality are too big and too complicated to process, I can understand the appeal of having a benevolent overseer who has it all planned out. I was raised Christian and grew out of my own faith gradually over time, so I remember the feelings of reassurance and relaxation that came with those promises. Being told what to do means you don't have to worry if you made the right decision. You just do your best, and Sky Daddy will sort out the rest. It's peaceful. As an atheist, I have to be my own parent and decide my values for myself. I have to come up with the plans, and I have to evaluate my own work. It's freeing, yes, but overwhelming. That's where the beauty of Nilihism comes it. We are all but ice sculptures, beautiful and exstant for such a short window of time, but with the potental to take any shape. And eternal rest waits, for the day when my body becomes too worn and weary to fight back decay for any longer, there will be peace.

[@blakeowens5996]

@@gudemik5335do you truly design your own place in our world? Or you simple treading the path fate laid out for you? Maybe we are all puppets in hands a some cosmic being… at very least, seeing the truth and knowing your purpose was fulfilled is about the best you could hope for

[@gudemik5335]

@@blakeowens5996 of course I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be happy if I realized I'm just treading a path that someone else decided beforehand without asking my opinion. Maybe I'm superb, but I don't feel good at the idea of being a good puppet. I'd like to make my way through mistakes and struggles and maybe failing but by my own will (even if I don't believe in free will so yes maybe I'm not making any sense).

[@charleshenrick6104]

"are you having fun" hits close to the heart, not as strong but is damn close to Venat's "Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile?" from ffxiv's endwalker

[@havocarius]

Now that someone said it, it's blowing my mind. At least nobody's chanting "Hear, feel, think" every now and then.

[@sierraramirez2065]

definitely what i thought of too tbh, made me smile to hear it

[@kinglfc4life11]

I was going to say this exact thing

[@MrKarnac]

Same vibes as Geralt at the end of Blood and Wine looking at the camera smiling while agreeing with Regis that 'we' deserve a bit of rest. 🥲... We're having fun Karlach.

[@siegfread9683]

Honestly for some reason dispite it being no where near as sinister it hit me the same way "do you feel like a hero yet" did in spec ops

[@tyrant-den884]

"It's a beautiful day outside; flowers are blooming, birds are singing. On days like this, soldiers like you: should be having a grand ol' time!"

[@bubblepop3063]

i've seen characters who peek behind the fourth wall confront it with horror or depression at the concept that their world is just a toy for us to play with, but i absolutely love this angle on it instead where she recognises all the love and care and effort that was put into this world so that those in it can have *fun* and finding purpose in that instead

[@jooot_6850]

it only works because Larian isn't a soulless AAA husk

[@C21232]

I think the first character who emulated a fraction of that was actually Asriel from Undertale. I alludes to his desire to fight, to keep you from winning, just so he may keep living on. Keeping "Frisk" there to play forever.

[@shan4697]

It’s interesting how she cope with this by asking if we the players are having fun at least because I feel like if other characters were to be subjected to this they would immediately fall into despair. She truly is best girl

[@jamieellis4048]

No I think it is a little despairing, if the player isn't having fun she won't exist for very long. They'll turn off the game.

[@NotAGoodUsername360]

It's harder to kill something you care about. Sans in Undertale basically admits that was his plan and the reason for his goofy antics in the dark ending.

[@anxia-tea5846]

there’s something so unsettling about how she so easily and flawlessly goes back to her usual mood… It doesn’t seem like she forgot, but she still acted none the wiser

[@worlondawnstrider7477]

Further proof that Karlach is indeed best girl.

[@steeledminer616]

"I may be a character in a game, but that still means I should do my best to make others happy, right?"

[@thewizard4200]

If not the best character. Maybe Will can compete, and he turns thiefling too. I wonder how people could say this game is racist...

[@KieroSi]

@@thewizard4200 They can write layers into tieflings, they have plenty of decent examples by previous and associated games. Consider Neeshka from nwn2, though 2nd running was Shandra Jerro and then Qara that was also played well. They should have done more to differentiate whether Will is more demon, merely a planestouched tiefling or what exactly this penalty of the contract represented... tieflings as a 'race' have been befuddled into a more complicated mess in later editions. It was better when they were more a randomly occurring subrace that could affect any group but mostly represented by humans and their past, generational, contracts with otherworldly beings.. they weren't too clear on the refugees either. We know they're tieflings but were they before the fall of the city? And if they weren't, then it was poorly adapted to the overall story. They hint around the notion they were transformed by the hells but it wouldn't make sense for how the elderly characters reacted to the situation. We also see too many tiefling families, which would make sense for the town but not so much if they were born tiefling unless this specifically was a tiefling town. . . but if it was, they would have been more adaptable to their circumstances... lest they were more isolated. We could argue that Will only plays adventurer, he's basically a rich kid that had a disagreement with daddy but despite his successes, he lacks common sense and practical experience, he treats it more as holiday or a gap year, hence given the opportunity, he established a contract with a demon to breakaway from daddy's authority. .. he's a romantic that dealt in absolutes or the stereotype of most players when they enter a game more like a know it all action hero; lawful good vs chaotic evil when they're flipsides of the same coin, and true neutrals, of course too, so much of an uptight bore, you wonder how they get out of bed. . . hence, how self absorbed most of the druids seem. . . even if their leader's midlife crisis that left them absence. or was that abstinence? Meh. They focused too much on making every character "damaged" in some fantastical way. Karlach, however, comes across as the more human experience. . . therefore, she's more relatable and a favored character for many. Whereas Will is a poseur that keeps singing Wheelchair Jimmy's Started From The Bottom, though we all know he spent his youth at BG's version of DeGrassi.

[@Ariescz]

@@thewizard4200Technically not a tiefling, he gets cursed to look like a demon. He still remains human.

[@lanmandragoran8337]

@@Ariescz If you're cursed to look like a newt, are you not a newt? Unless of course, you get better.

[@TheHiddenNarrative]

I think she would go crazy if she could see and realize that she was just a puppet subject to the whims of beings outside her understanding, and that the story was both essentially “written,” yet still enmeshed into the unpredictable chaos of choice.

[@westrim]

Elder Scrolls called that CHIM.

[@asudesokmen1277]

What if they'all already know but they just have to "act"

[@SonicMegaKing]

Nah, she wouldn't. She'd just want to know if we're having a good time.

[@QueenStarNova]

That's how Doki Doki Lit Club happened.

[@CYI3ERPUNK]

she's literally living in a world where the inhabitants are perpetually subjected to the whims of insane gods and ruinous powers , that is her daily life XD

[@thesuspiciousorange2526]

I love that she asks if youre having fun and when you confirm and shes ecstatic, its like the devs checking in and making sure youre enjoying yourself and are so relieved that everything they put into this game brought you joy. I love them so much for this

[@tempesttossed6029]

I want to know what se does if the player responds with a negative.

[@Kalamari24]

​@@tempesttossed6029there"# a video with all the options- she very meekily says something like "I'm sorry. I'll do better."

[@Fushionforever900]

Legitimately disturbing. I'm actually a bit scared lol

[@no_L_in_sight]

Same👀

[@VirgoVyrus]

I was expecting something like this from the title. But the camera work and eye contact is jarring and caught me completely off guard.

[@benjaminbeltran7004]

same

[@zerogrey3798]

Really now? Do you need to check under your bed for the spooks, the closest for the boojums still? Grow up.

[@rory9088]

@@zerogrey3798somebody struggles making friends

[@Koboggyn]

If you've not played as Karlach, she's like this in all of the scenes where your character thinks to themselves. For other characters you pick from a list and the game kinda narrates what's going on, but for Karlach it's like you, the player, is directly having a conversation with her about how she's feeling.

[@Gethin469]

wait, seriously? so in five of the six origins (plus tav) it's narrator describing it, but karlach is the only one who looks at the camera "emperor's new groove" style?

[@kloklon]

huh? really? this sounds amazing. i suppose i will have to add another playthrough to the evergrowing list of additional playthroughs i'll do after i finish my first one

[@sourcejosh]

Welp going to go start new game with Karlach.

[@thediethrower1803]

Well damn, now I need to do a Karlach playthrough.

[@underdog353777]

That's very occasional though - and a bit weird. I remember she was most vocal after killing Gortash, but mostly she doesn't acts like the player avatar does. Is it different for the other origin characters?

[@solblackguy]

Just started playing Karlach as the main character. This game's writing is a national treasure

[@2tired2p15]

"But it's a bit early in the game to be getting into tragic backstories. Let's save the scar-show for later after we've worked up an appetite for tragedy." always thought this line could've been interpreted as having a double meaning as a fourth-wall breaking joke.

[@colonelomaly8543]

This is definetely meant this way, but I understood it as just a developer joke, not as Karlach knowingly breaking the fourth wall.

[@Zay_Jay]

I love her lines. *crouch* "Stealthmode activated"

[@ВладиславБулаев-л3э]

I don't think she says "the game" but other than that the quote is spot on.

[@brandondennis7527]

Gale will sometime say "the dice roll in my favor" when you get to his turn in combat.

[@g_vost]

i took a screenshot if it, she definitely says 'the game'

[@TerroValeris]

The moment she looks away from the character and looks directly into the camera I was shook, the rest was just a weird, emotionally devastating rollercoaster

[@leightonpetty4817]

It’s amazing what playing with expectations can do. When every single conversation in the game uses cinematic over-the-shoulders that flit all over the place, having a conversation be a single continuous center-frame shot staring you dead in the eyes can throw you completely into unease.

[@Zerum69]

This can be a nod to that old story of someone rolling 35+ on Perception, and their DM hits them with the "Everything seems normal but for a second it seems as if all of your companions are no more than plastic statues, you're standing in a sheet of paper with many numbers you cannot understand and many giants are looking at you, but as the second ends everything goes back to normal"

[@matthewgriffin3486]

Karlach’s dialogue genuinely had me tearing up at times; brilliant game

[@Eak12345]

The part where [SPOILER] She starts crying and is afraid to die, I think it was after you kill one of the dudes with the gems, I got so much goosebumps and started tearing up! Phenomenal actress!

[@heyitsmetrevor9352]

How do you get This to happen I’m on my 3rd play through it never happened

[@juicer3154]

@@Ihatevideogames334 ok?

[@WoodsmanRay]

@@heyitsmetrevor9352I romanced Karlach and she’s my follower. When we killed gortash I got a little quest that said “Take Karlach to Gortash’s body” or somethin like that and she proceeded to have a mid-life crisis. I’m not sure for the exact criteria to make it happen but I do know toward the end of her meltdown, there was a lot of talk about us loving each other

[@raembes]

2:47 This dialogue option hits hard. The player thinks this option will certainly end the conversation, but as Karlach said you actually don't know. The developers (They) know, you don't. And the "game" goes on. Insanely good execution.

[@thesong7877]

the effect of this feels slightly increased by the fact you're playing a short race, meaning when she turned to the camera she was looking way over your head, not just to the side or something

[@steeledminer616]

Like sure any other race might have worked here, given the player might excuse the idea they went into first person from a weird angle suddenly but that's physically not possible here.

[@chenkunnie]

Totally agree

[@thunderstar7682]

She’s doing the thing where u talk to short people respectively by lifting them up to face level

[@maj0ra124]

@@thunderstar7682 wait, there are other ways to do it?

[@flashbang684]

She legit looked right into my eyes 😅 would’ve lost it right there then asked who tf Doki Doki’d my Baldurs Gate

[@literally_a_crow]

This conversation has single-handedly convinced me that Karlach always knows she's in a game, she's sort of trapped in a time loop in that way. But anything, even a time loop of a game, is better than Avernus, so she's fine with it.

[@mrleigh19821]

You can tell the voice actor who did this character was so into this role she's practically laughing as she is saying her lines.

[@bluntlyhonest6803]

3:40 the voice of the developers happy about their Work.

[@Fr34d0m]

The way she celebrates when she hears you're having fun is so wholesome. That was the whole mission all along.

[@yyldlawi-an3789]

-Just Monika- *Just Karlach*

[@Shiverwar]

A fate I can live with.

[@long_jontaro_silver]

Karlach has achieved CHIM, and she survived! She didn't Zero-Sum like the Dwemer; she made it out on top, like Talos! By the nine! Edit: Why did this blow up so much? It was a drunken rumination I had while watching the video like 3 months ago. Imagine Septimus Signus downed 5 bottles or Nord mead and just started rambling some nonsense. That was my mindset.

[@Mad_Catter_]

The Dwemer are still around though.

[@battlesheep2552]

Nobody actually knows what exactly happened at the Battle of Red Mountain, or rather the few people who do arent trustworthy and many contradictory accounts have been made. It's unknown whether or not Kagrenac accidentally deleted his people with his hubris, or perhaps he got the heart to do exactly what he wanted, and perhaps the Dwemer still live in some far off plane of existence, beyond even Oblivion and Aetherius.

[@battlesheep2552]

@@Aristocles22 well I'm pretty sure it wouldn't erase the Dwemer that were already dead

[@battlesheep2552]

@@Aristocles22 okay but where do you even get this crap about "zero summing", because I've never seen it in-game?

[@battlesheep2552]

@@Aristocles22 ...such as?

[@BlueMagicite]

This is hilarious, there's already a measure of metatext in the game in regards to full dominating control and awareness of all possible outcomes in the game with how the Absolute as a story works but to hear Karlach get really flowery with her words in describing how she's literally part of a game coded and scripted to play out scenarios in a relatively random yet ordered fashion is beyond funny and amusing. Describing the events as a web of connections, the obvious awareness that these game campaigns can get close to 100 hours on a first run, it's earnest yet funny at the same time.

[@masteromeat]

I'm around 300 hours in, though I got to part 2 and had to backtrack to a previous save to get the owlbear cub. still in part 2, by the way

[@josephdoria5237]

I’m 80 hours in and I’m just now exploring the Githyanki crèche and the underdark. Had to leave the creche to get money so that I can buy those dexterity gloves that the quartermaster sells before she becomes hostile. I can’t imagine what the games is gonna be like by the time I reach Balder’s Gate.

[@Ilkanar]

Took me 160h to finish game first time on journey mode. But i journeyed alot xd

[@samskirim97]

120h and I just entered Act 3 but I dont really know how it is yet as I just entered Baldur's Gate proper a few steps in. For context, playing the Dark Urge

[@pajamaman2989]

80 hours in, just nearing the end of Act 1

[@The_Texorcist]

This is why Karlach is not only my favorite character but my main romance in the game. Her personality is just so good, the writing and acting really brings the character to life.

[@thatguywade5384]

The writer of The Stanley Parable was in the studio the day they got Karlach's voice actor in the soundbooth.

[@kibuki91]

For some reason the gnome look horrified as his default expression at the end of Karlach's outburst makes this scene hilarious

[@tempesttossed6029]

I laughed out loud when the scene cut back to his face.

[@evilemperorzurg9615]

It’s the same face before and after but the after face looks 5% more concerned somehow.

[@sugipulaboule]

Whenever a character in a game looks at the camera with intent, I always get the shivers 😂

[@Xahnel]

I think the reason she's comforted by being told the player is enjoying themselves, is because she already somewhat accepted that her life was controlled, at least partially, by fate and gods. Every character has in this universe. Learning that the gods go by different names, and a minor one is directly involving itself with her, makes her wonder. Is this god pleased with her? This being that owns an instance of her reality, does it like her, the others, the story, the world? When you say yes, she's relieved and cheered. That means that she's pleased the gods. She has served her role well. She was carefully hand crafted, created with love, and is beloved by many. Her existence has a purpose, her life has meaning. She knows without a shadow of a doubt that the true creators and observers of her world love her, a fiend spawned creature. I can't imagine how overwhelmingly happy that could make someone.

[@lorekeeper685]

I feel like player is slightly stronger than greater gods

[@corwyncorey3703]

@@lorekeeper685 I see your point (the Player can, after all turn off the game, and never come back.) but I don't agree. The greater gods built the world. Built *her* and designed her situation. Her perils, and the "tragic backstory" she hints at early in her travels with us. At best the Player is a minor power... able to affect a small number of people, in limited ways, working within the structure the greater gods designed. But a minor power that may indeed be pleased with her... even though they could quit any time they wanted. Yes I could! Any. Time. I. Want!. I just choose not to. It is NOT AN ADDICTION! It's not... not really...

[@lorekeeper685]

@@corwyncorey3703 you ate more like an over deity And since this is Fetish realms the world is built selune-shar (they were one before) so not really greater gods don't do much they just there in the game You have power of tharizdun in the min

[@clarence9871]

Can u do short terms 😅 that’s a lot to read 🫠

[@Xahnel]

@@clarence9871 no

[@ImpishCreations]

As wholesome as Karlach being excited that you are having fun there is a darker direction that can go. Her story is only told when a player engages with the game, and the game's success is another hundred or so hours she gets.

[@JoeVO24]

whats crazy is you can play the entire game and not interact with her once, leaving her on the side of that mountain road to hide forever...

[@rrraven369]

@@JoeVO24 does she never appear later on?

[@cupknee]

makes me feel better for having over a thousand hours now! thanks larian!

[@diverguy3556]

​@@rrraven369no she doesn't, she's just in one location.

[@mydrillasanjay5397]

​@@rrraven369on my first playthough I completely missed wyll and in turn I missed karlach, I went through the entire game waiting for them to show up lol but they never do if you miss them at emerald grove

[@That_0ne_Dev]

"I'm stuck here" Believe me dearest Karlach we all wish we could pull you out

[@adumplayz]

Honestly the most disturbing part about this was seeing her face the player directly instead of looking slightly away from the screen towards your in game character

[@Baraz_Red]

Damn, it is like Karlach had 20 Wisdom for a moment and saw part of the matrix. EDIT: Oh, and essentially I would say she feels here like an avatar of the Larian team. Sent to create more fun in the adventure.

[@Sychyov]

- What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge arrows? - No, Karlach. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.

[@joriswegner8421]

That's more like 40 wisdom tho 😅

[@OcelotArdent]

Wait, so you're saying I slept with the Larian team?

[@Nworthholf]

There was a joke out there about a player rolling nat 20 perception where there was absolutely nothing special to notice, and DM going with "for a moment, you see yourself as a miniature on the desk surrounded by giants"

[@inflamesfan03091993]

Working a user survey into a fourth wall break in the game is genius.

[@CertifiedSunset]

It would be cool to have this as a branching alternate ending to Karlach's story where you tell her of her fate from the first playthough and then find a way to fix her engine permanently on the 2nd run. This way it will incentivise players who love Karlach to play the game a 2nd time to actually save her/keep her in the overworld and out of the hells.

[@itsmefirefox]

Yes

[@xaniso6955]

Honestly, this is a wonderful idea. I'd love to have a proper NG+ in a game full of story where the second time through actually adds to the potential, while taking nothing away from that first experience. So long as the devs make players well aware that a second playthrough would be needed to unlock other endings for character stories and the such.

[@chriscanfly6386]

​@@xaniso6955literally starfield actually, I haven't played it but ik every playthrough adds to it with like real changes to the world in new game plus, changes and differences for at least 10 playthroughs , maybe more

[@LutherLee]

That'd be a very solid reason for me to play NG+

[@sev1120]

​@@xaniso6955even if you have to start again from level 1, having the option to play through again with different quests and narrative moments sounds fun. Meanwhile characters can't shake that feeling that they've done this all before

[@optimus439]

This Game is fucking next level, in my 42 years of playing video game i have never experienced anything like what Karlach just did. Bravo Larian

[@wow_wee]

I am currently crying out of happiness of this moment, I'm so in love with this game and just this scenerio truly made me emotional. Such a perfect scene showing curiousity, happiness, achievement whilst breaking the 4th wall, I loved this so much.

[@Otsuko]

That last part is the devs, the actors, and the entire team basically asking if all their work paid off, and by the god it has.

[@blazefoster5845]

The "are you having fun" line really threw me through a loop. This is some really good writing

[@heseme2]

Reminiscent of Bo Burnham's work. "Are you happy" in particular.

[@moisesfreire6408]

*Meanwhile at Larian Studios* Dev 1: man what a crazy scene, when did you made time to program this? Is amazing and a bit scary Dev 2: programmed what? Dev 1: The forth all brake scene. Dev 2: forth wall what now!? Dev 1: Ahh, don't be silly. Hey, Samantha, when did you guys recorded that scene where your character apparently gets self aware she was in a videogame? Samantha Bèart: Hey, is this a new scene you guys are planning? Awesome, is a update or DLC? Dev 1: ... Dev 2: ... Dev 1: Maybe we should review the code and- Dev 2: nah, bro, nah....

[@xAyumu94]

It's a D(D)LC

[@theangriestpigeon4403]

Imagine if they brought this back as an update to tease future expansion. Karlach's new ending is her becoming a doomsday prepper.

[@KonStarStudio]

Like maybe a questline spanning three different play throughs where you’re trying to get to the “good ending” universe where karlach, astarion, minthara/Halsin, and everyone lives

[@mservice5229]

@@KonStarStudio Sort of like how Star Field new game plus plays out slightly differently each time you play it to the end. (up to 5 times anyways, won't spoil past that)

[@DZombieDragon]

That slow turn of her head to look directly into the camera is already creepy enough, but then she reveals what she sees. Though I have a feeling this was originally a meta joke by the developers which got pretty far in development, but was cut cause it probably had the potential to freak players out a bit too much and ruin the immersion. But it looked fun nonetheless 😅

[@283leis]

see OP playing a gnome made it more obvious, because she was originally looking straight down at the gnome. So if she was talking to a short character the angle would likely be pointing downwards, so the fact that she wasnt made it obvious she wasn't looking at your character. She was looking at YOU

[@gemmafire8628]

I’ll be honest, I’m watching this video stoned and it was. An experience. Glad I didn’t take anything stronger because holy shit that would have been nightmarish

[@robinrose6283]

It's still in the game! Its apparently just very hard to trigger, confirmed by her VA I believe

[@korenn9381]

@@robinrose6283 I wonder if it requires multiple playthroughs to trigger, as that would make the most sense in context.

[@The_Keeper]

It kinda reminds me of that story/joke, where a character rolled a nat20 on a perception roll. The GM then asks the person to roll it again. Nat20 again. Player asks; "So, what do I see?" GM says; "Ok, so you suddenly are aware of every bird in the sky, every blade of grass in the field. Then your viewpoint shift up and up, until it is as if you're viewing the entire world from above. You can see your friends below, small like miniature statues on a table, frozen in time, and you suddenly become aware that you're not alone up there. You share this space with other beings. Beings more powerful than the gods. Wielding papers, pens, and dice. ...Aaaand, everything is back to normal."

[@rat_dragon]

I've always enjoyed how Gale knows what's going on too...listen to a piece of dialogue when you click on his character. I won't spoil it ;)

[@jasongaunt]

Larian Studios, I hope you (directly) or one of your staff read this.. thank you. Thank you for not only making a fantastic and immersive game, but for also breaking the fourth wall in a creative way and emotionally stirring way. Also thank you to Samantha Béart for putting your heart into this and the game and making this so compelling ♥

[@DiZh0]

This is certainly the most creative way to ask your playerbase, do you like the game? hats off for that

[@ne0n3yez59]

This comment needs to an up-voting.

[@FDJUwe]

Unpopular opinion: as interesting as this interaction with karlach is, I'm just not a big fan of 4th wall breaking. It completely ruins immersion for me. I had to give up on my first run because I had Karlach in the party and she made me feel like I was playing a video game. I don't want that immersion break all the time. "Yoink!" Stop. Yoink to your head. I'm trying to have a serious playthrough. Don't force me to think of this whole thing as a joke. But yeah good thing you have the option to have her killed and have a relatively normal experience. After I'm done with the story possivilities I will happilly eecruit karlach once again and play a goof run with 4th wall breaks.

[@OptimusGPrime]

Let's be honest. You wrote this for yourself and so others would comment on or like your post. No way in hells Larian is going to see your comment on the random "Chubblot" KZbin channel. Cringe/Sad.

[@Ian.Ian_BoBian]

@@FDJUwethat’s certainly an odd take.. I wouldn’t have thought she was THAT immersion breaking, she just kinda says one liners occasionally

[@remconoordermeer7015]

Now this was an epic 4th wall break. Only thing left is a Wilhelm Scream.

[@jarrick3907]

we already have it in the cinematic when you leave character creator

[@gemmafire8628]

It’s at the very beginning!

[@oliviawolcott8351]

there was in the opening intro.

[@1337penguinman]

There's one in the opening cinematic.

[@Anvilshock]

Wish that scream would die. Joke's getting real old.

[@tiph3802]

This gave me an existential crisis and I almost cried. We love you, Mama K!

[@Dhaygames2162]

I hope Karlach is having fun being in this loop of hundreds of hours of adventuring

[@izzy1164]

god I love her voice actress! she did so good playing karlach!

[@syteanric]

"I see you like Silent Hill".... something like that would have blown this interaction away!

[@zensayaku]

Shame it doesn't normally trigger. Would be really cool to just run into this dialogue.

[@dylanmcla]

the VA confirmed it can be triggered normally

[@lancehetfield6396]

How do you get this dialogue to trigger?

[@trixon2118]

​@@lancehetfield6396you finish the game for the first time, and make a new game. Don't know if there are other requirements, it just triggered for me after some time running around with Karlach

[@GioFireheart]

@@trixon2118 do you know if the game can be modded? Or does it have to be vanilla?

[@infinite--solace7151]

@@GioFireheart not sure about ps5 but on pc you can mod it fairly easy off of nexus mods and using the bg3 mod loader, plenty of videos go in depth and keep it simplistic

[@Fem_V]

Karlach is easily my favorite character. They've written her so well..

[@LET4M4RU]

She's so well written in fact that she's the only companion that is universally liked, start to finish, by every other member of your party. And that's saying something when Minthara is in the mix

[@StMike27]

And the universe said I love you because you are love And the universe said you have played the game well

[@danikahicks2210]

It made me cry. I just want to give her a hug and tell her it will be ok... but this damn screen is in the way.

[@rpgshadowmorn2683]

Ironically if she could actually see it would hit hard psychologically but also she would notice literally millions of people adore her lol so that could bring some form of comfort to the whole mindfuck knocing at least it isn't all bad.

[@penwozhere]

even the "thanks for playing along" line is relevant, not just in the sense of literally playing a game but also as a double entendre for suspension of disbelief i love when i'm playing a game and theres a little bit of meta commentary from the devs as a treat

[@twilightvulpine]

Love that she is actually excited for us having fun rather than horrified by being stuck inside a game or something.

[@Invuska]

God, Karlach is so cute even 4th wall breaking I C A N N O T

[@ocskopf]

Karlach's original lore is the she was playing with time and space from Stanley Parable then ended up as a BG3 character, constantly breaking the fourth wall

[@natathetata1648]

What scares me (in theory) is that even if this was a moment of self awareness she would even be aware that her self awareness is just another prescripted event and her moment of breaking the illusion actually means nothing

[@itsmefirefox]

Wow that is truly sad

[@amog8202]

The thing is, it's not even self awareness. Not really. She looks at it, and tries to understand it. But she can't. After a point, she and the universe she sees are the same. She cannot fully understand it. It is too much. There is too much. It is unfathomable. It is her, and everything else she knows. She cannot see beyond that veil, and cannot see well enough through it.

[@davidmansell5008]

@@amog8202 This sounds a lot like Simulation theory.

[@amog8202]

@@davidmansell5008 it's almost like video game characters are simulated...

[@davidmansell5008]

@@amog8202 no shit, I’m referring to the reality we live in smart ass

[@westrim]

2:45 Yes Karlach, I like to read spoilers and walkthroughs and chosen which ending I want to minmax for.

[@preguicadetu]

you have beautiful eyes - jake peralta's voice i love this, thanks for the video

[@jsilva4706]

ok when she looks straight at you actually caught me off guard

[@VaughanDavies]

I utterly adore this game

[@stalwart56k]

wow, I can't believe I missed this in my playthrough

[@nicolasrodriguezbadala1024]

I love that this deep 4th wall breaking interaction is done by the barbarian of the group. 😂

[@WavyCats]

The permutations and connecting lines she saw were the different story choices and how they were related to one another, with each permutation of choices leading to a different result, dictated by the chaotic nature of random number generation (dice rolls), and guided by you who controls the mouse pointer hand

[@TheNerdyOne]

Her: "This hundred hours...or less or more." Me: more. Much more.

[@addisonsani1552]

In a way, Karlach's engine is still going as long as someone somewhere is playing the game

[@NiskaMagnusson]

tying the fourth wall directly into the lore like that is a really unique experience to say the least. I enjoy it when games go in new directions like that

[@blutarchmann9070]

Karlach breaking the 4th wall, seeing past the code, finding the _player(s)_ was... unexpected.

[@jacklox1234]

honestly this is how you do in-game reviews right