It’s hard to understate just how massive Baldur’s Gate 3 became post-launch. Larian’s RPG garnered a lot of fans, who became infatuated with the world, story, and especially its characters. Now, in Patch 5, BG3 solidifies a particular fan-favorite character as a part of the journey.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 5 launched this week with a ton of updates, including a brand-new epilogue. Taking place six months after the conclusion of the adventure, it lets your player character reunite with their friends and reminisce. And, in the process, remark on the lasting legacy of Bing Bong.
If you weren’t following the Baldur’s Gate 3 outpouring post-launch, or maybe even if you were, you might be unaware of Bing Bong. The character does not actually come from Baldur’s Gate 3, originally, but from the Baldur’s Gate 3 tabletop session hosted by High Rollers DnD, featuring the voice actors of BG3.
You see, the Baldur’s Gate 3 cast came together to play a tabletop session as their own characters from BG3. It’s a natural overlap, right? And honestly, the D&D session is one of the most entertaining actual-plays that I’ve seen, if you’re a BG3 fan. Everyone gels naturally and slides right into character, and it’s fun watching them interact and joke around with the same party members they portrayed.
Bing Bong: Origins
Okay, but back to Bing Bong. At one point in their stream story, the party goes on a shopping trip and encounters an imp. The little fellow, wearing a bow tie and a hat with a bell on it, just opened the door for others; thus, Bing Bong. Shadowheart (Jennifer English) takes a liking and starts leading the imp around, much to Lae’zel (Devora Wilde)’s chagrin.
That one little moment, arguably a perfect encapsulation of what makes D&D fun, spun off into its own meme with art, shirts, and, of course, calls to canonize the small imp. Well, with the latest update, they’ve done it.
When talking with Shadowheart at the epilogue reunion, you can talk about past adventures. And she will, among other situations, bring up the beloved imp. Here’s the section in question:
“[…] that stray imp that joined us – Bing Bong, wasn’t it?”
I would share a screenshot here, but my particular epilogue is intensely spoiler heavy, but it does look like this conversation appears for most people who get the epilogue.
Now, what does this mean? Not much. Bing Bong was already the little king of our hearts. Making him canon is nice, though. And it definitely reflects how Larian has been acutely aware of the community, as they patch and add more to this already sprawling adventure.
I’m a bit amazed at how much has already been added to Baldur’s Gate 3 since I initially rolled credits, and there’s still an Xbox version on the way. Maybe Bing Bong the imp will be what firmly secures Larian the big W at next week’s Game Awards.
Published: Dec 1, 2023 04:08 pm