It’s pretty well-established that Larian Studios isn’t interested in making a sequel toBaldur’s Gate 3,but that doesn’t mean Baldur’sGate 4won’t get picked up eventually by another studio. If and when that happens, I’d be interested to see one particular character given a complete personality overhaul: Wyll. This devilish NPC has an enjoyable enough storyline in the grand scheme of things, but his personality itself could have used a bit of complexity. This becomes even more glaring when compared to how they approached Wyll’s character in the early access versions ofBG3.
In an early version of BG3 thatwas ultimately cut, Wyll’s personality was intended to be more in line with theDungeons & Dragonswarlock personality archetype. Wyll ended up as more of a “Prince Charming” than he did a Sly Devil, mainly because of early feedback about him being unlikable. I would’ve liked to see this early-access version of Wyll fleshed out more thoroughly in the story ofBG3.If origin characters like Wyll are brought back to life in an eventual sequel, I hope we get to see the darker side of his personality.
Wyll Could Be More Complex In Baldur’s Gate 4
The Devil Is In The Details
After the latest andlast big patch toBG3, we’re not going to see any more major updates to beloved characters like Wyll, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see origin characters pop up in the inevitable sequel. Reviving or re-imagining characters from previousBaldur’s Gategames and introducing them into the story is a common practice in the franchise, andI expectBaldur’s Gate 4will likely do the samewith at least a handful of characters fromBG3.Characters like Jaheira, Minsc,and even Sarevokhave shown their faces in multipleBaldur’s Gatestories.
This could be an opportunity for the next game to do Wyll justice as a warlock and flesh out his character, introducing a more interesting character arc and giving him a slightly more complex personality. Wyll’s romance is consideredone of the worstdue to the limited amount of content and cut-scenes compared to other characters like Astarion.He also lacks the depth that might have been possibleif they leaned into his morally gray personality, embracing certain details like him having a history of thievery and a level of complexity we don’t see inBG3.
You can watch all ofWyll’s cut content herecourtesy of YouTube userContrivanceDisseverto see the various examples of how Wyll’s personality might have been different.
Specific details that were cut and would have given Wyll more of an edge could be further explored if his character were brought back in some form, such as Wyll’s distrust of the Flaming Fist, a more complicated relationship with his father, or any details that show us his sinister side. Part of the issue is thatWyll does not have much of an “evil” aspect to his characterin the way other origin characters do, despite being a warlock and being in a pact with literal devils. As evidenced by Wyll’s cut content, this lack of a dark side certainly wasn’t always the case.
It’s Too Late For BG3 To Restore Wyll’s Cut Ideas
The Days Of BG3 Character Updates Are Behind Us
All good things must end, and unfortunately, we have seen the last ofBaldur’s Gate 3’slong run of content updates over the years, including any possible changes to characters like Wyll. It would have been nice to see a few new threads to his character arc or explore ideas from the cut content that would give Wyll more appeal, but ultimatel,y it’s not in the cards for him in this iteration ofBaldur’s Gate.For the time being,the Wyll we have inBaldur’s Gate 3is the best we’re going to get, for better or worse.
While Wyll is by no means an uninteresting character in his current form, part of the issue is that he isn’t as dynamic as the other options. Limited romantic scenes and lackluster one-on-ones are part of the issue, but it’s not just about having less content than the other companions.Wyll doesn’t have the same level of moral ambiguitythat characters like Astarion or Shadowheart do, making him overall less interesting in terms of decision-making. It often feels like you’re being steered into black-and-white decisions, when players tend to prefer things to be slightly more complex.
“There was likely a plan at some point to give Wyll and Mizora more of a sexual relationship.”
In particular, the early version of Wyll’s content that was eventually cut saw him in a much more “romantic” relationship with Mizora, if you can call it that, sharing in more sexually charged dialogue. There was likely a plan at some point todevelop a more intimate relationshipbetween Wyll and Mizora, possibly even leading to a serious romantic involvement between the two. This is just one path that might have made Wyll more enjoyable or interesting, especially given how important romances are to players when considering their choices throughout each act.
How Baldur’s Gate 4 Could Strike The Balance
Wyll Could Easily Be More Complex By Giving Players Some Distance
One great thing about having a clean slate withBaldur’s Gate 4is that it doesn’t necessarily need to be bound or hindered by any particular detail fromBG3.A sequel has the potential to revive or evencompletely re-imagine characters like Wyll, especially if brought back as an actual companion with more interesting romance options. Giving Wyll a secondary or side role as an NPC in a sequel could also be an opportunity to give him a little more complexity, though this might mean we don’t see romance options for Wyll at all inBG4.
Alternatively, introducing Wyll as a morally questionable antagonist would be an interesting take on his character, and it wouldn’t necessarily need to align him as purely evil to do it effectively. Presenting him as a character who has fallen from grace since his time inBaldur’s Gate 3would likely be fascinating for fans and possibly round out his character arc across the two games. The cut content for Wyll reveals that there arenumerousopportunities and motivations available for him to go against the grain.BG4 doesn’t need to resurrect cut content per se, but exploring these same ideas for Wyll should be a priority if he makes it back in a sequel.
Overall, Wyll is by no means a poorly written or uninteresting character, but he does lack the same complexity as other main characters inBG3. It’s not clear if we will ever actually see aBaldur’s Gate 4, but if it happens and any major characters fromBaldur’s Gate 3are brought back, Wyll is one character that really could use an overhaul and an attitude adjustment.
