Baldur's Gate 3 companions were so forward at launch due to a bug, dev says

Baldur's Gate 3 companion Astarion
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Baldur's Gate 3 game director Swen Vincke has officially confirmed that a bug was the reason for companions acting so forward with the player at launch.

During an interview with TheGamer at PAX West, Vincke was asked to comment on the game's PC launch and why several companions, like Gale, were so easy to romance early on. It turns out, it wasn't because the player was so irresistible in Act One, but because a bug was making them act on their feelings far too soon.

"So... it was a bug," Vincke said. "The approval thresholds were too low when we shipped. That's why they were so horny in the beginning. It wasn't supposed to be that way. We've fixed it since, at least for some of them. We're still fixing a few of them."

Vincke revealed that the bug impacted Gale the most, making him want to sleep with the player far too quickly, saying, "It wasn't intended. Especially Gale. [He] wasn't supposed to be like, instantly there."

As Vincke mentioned, the bug has been fixed for some characters, but Larian is still working on tweaking those approval ratings to make it so your companions aren't throwing themselves at you every time you arrive back at camp. 

"There were a lot of people that enjoyed it. But it was too fast," Vincke said. "It was supposed to simulate how real relationships are," adding that it would be "problematic" if this was real life. 

Baldur's Gate 3 has officially launched on PS5 after a successful first month on PC. Larian recently confirmed that the RPG will be launching on Xbox Series X|S before December, with the game director saying it's “actually very close” to having the game ready.

Baldur's Gate 3 might be one of the best RPGs of all time, but if you're looking for something different, check out our list of the best PC games you can play in 2023.