Summary
- Larian Studios hinted at making Alfira a temporary companion option in Baldur's Gate 3.
- This addition is set to arrive as part of Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 in September 2024.
Baldur's Gate 3 appears to be making Alfira a temporary companion option. Larian Studios hinted at as much as part of its recent preview of the next Baldur's Gate 3 update, which is planned to debut in September 2024.
Alfira is a wandering tiefling bard who players can first meet during the opening act of the hit 2023 RPG. Despite playing a rather minor role in the game's story, she quickly established herself as a fan-favorite character. Her popularity is reflected in the never-ending barrage of memes and Alfira cosplay that Baldur's Gate 3 fans have been sharing since the RPG's release.
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Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 Is Making Alfira a Temporary Companion Option
In an apparent acknowledgment of her fan-favorite status, Larian is now looking to give her a slightly expanded lore in the game's story. That's suggested by the developer's recent preview of Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7, which states that "a certain bard" will be able to temporarily "join the party as a controllable character" following the upcoming update, assuming there's an empty slot for them. Although the studio did not mention Alfira by name, one of its community managers seemingly confirmed that the preview was indeed referring to her. They did so by stressing the temporary nature of the bard's involvement in the player's party in response to one fan expressing their excitement about the prospect of having Alfira join them.
Baldur's Gate 3 spoilers related to Alfira ahead.
And while many other fans also appear to be looking forward to having Alfira as a controllable companion, the bad news is that this change was teased as part of the Dark Urge section of Larian's patch preview. This would suggest that Alfira might only be able to join a Dark Urge protagonist, which is less-than-ideal because her current role in a Durge playthrough is to end up disemboweled.
Although Baldur's Gate 3 players previously found a way to save Alfira from their Dark Urge tendencies, that loophole requires knocking her out before she gets a chance to arrive at their camp. Assuming her temporary companion status will be related to this sequence, Durge players could still be forced to choose between her short-lived alliance and her life.
Alfira Could Have Been a Permanent Baldur's Gate 3 Companion, But Plans Changed
Regardless, this upcoming update also serves as a reminder that Alfira could have been a permanent Baldur's Gate 3 companion. This was previously uncovered by some data-mining efforts, which revealed that Alfira has multiple unused party interactions—i.e., reactions to the player's dialogue choices—all the way up to Act 3. But Larian's plans clearly changed in the meantime, possibly in a bid to meet deadlines. The studio's founder, Swen Vincke, previously cited that as the reason why the developer also scrapped the idea of having Ketheric Thorm as a controllable companion.
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.
THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.
A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian's next-generation RPG engine.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
