Baldur’s Gate 3 Players Discover Devastating Consequence of Failing One Early-Game Roll

One of the reasons players can’t get enough of Baldur’s Gate 3 is just how much your choices, and your dice rolls, matter. Each playthrough can be massively different from the last, depending on your character build, your decisions, and how the fickle dice land for you. Much like in an actual tabletop Dungeons & Dragons session, the dice determine whether you’ll fail or succeed as you try to do everything from flirt to save a life. But as one player recently discovered, Larian is not playing around with consequences on these dice rolls.

Seasoned players of Baldur’s Gate 3 and D&D alike know that almost no character is safe. Though some NPCs in a tabletop game might have “plot armor” that prevents their death, this is rarely the case in Baldur’s Gate 3. Minthara? I never knew her, thanks to our first meeting turning into a combat gone wrong. But when it comes to the key group of companions we know and love, you might think their lives would be spared. It turns out that’s not the case, especially when it comes to rescuing Gale from that rock.

Yes, Gale Will Vanish Into the Abyss if You Fail Your Check

The charming wizard companion, Gale, is trapped in a portal when you first encounter him in Baldur’s Gate 3. He’s one of the more missable NPCs, at least in my opinion, since I fully did not see his little rock the first time I played through the game. But once you find him, you’ll be able to choose to help free him from where he’s trapped. Except that you can, indeed, fail that dice roll. And as one player discovered, the consequences are dire.

Players can, of course, choice not to try and rescue Gale at all. But if you try to save him and fail? You’ll be treated to a pretty upsetting situation. The game does give you two chances, as Redditor @RavenSpellff clarified in the comments. But if you fail two rolls in a row, Gale will meet a pitiful end. He vanishes into the portal, saying, “I’ll perish in here! I’ll perish…” as he fades out of sight.

It’s possible he shows up later, but given his unique predicament and ominous last words, it’s unlikely. And as players like me who skipped saving him at all learn, he’s one who won’t find you later in the game if you miss him here. The same can’t be said for every NPC, however. Shadowheart is important enough to the plot that failing to rescue her on the Mindflayer ship early on doesn’t mean you’ll never see her again.

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Even if not every companion is as easily dispatched, seeing what can become of Gale if the dice will it is a solid reminder of just why we love Baldur’s Gate 3 so much. The story is truly altered by both your choices and the dice rolls, much in the same way each D&D campaign is different depending on the table.

Have you experienced this devastating, early end to Gale’s story when playing Baldur’s Gate 3? Or is he a key companion in your group? Let us know in the comments below!