Cazador's Baldur's Gate 3 cut content was right to remain in the tomb

BALDUR'S GATE 3 AHEAD SPOILERS

Baldur's Gate 3 It's a huge game, but it was originally bigger. Dataminers have found evidence of a large amount of cut content, from weapons and spells to companions, quests, and areas to explore. Baldur's Gate 3.

One of the most infamous works The cut content is the Upper City area of the titular city, which features a broader arc and potential redemption for vampiric antagonist Cazador Szarr. Fans will be happy to see most of the game's cut content restored, but Cazador works better as a villain who deserves the ignominious death he receives.

Cazador may have once played a role in a potential upper city conspiracy.

In the final version baldur's Gate 3, The Upper City, home to wealthy chieftains, is visited only briefly. Players traverse a small portion of the area as they work their way towards the game's final boss, Netherbrain. However, datamined content suggests that the Upper City once played a much larger role.

All Upper City content after the final battle appears to have been removed early in development. “It was always our intention for Upper City to be an epic, cinematic epilogue that tells the next story,” Larian Studios said in an August 2023 community update. Baldur's Gate 3 However, it is likely that Cazador Szar, living in an elaborate mansion in the Upper City and pretending to be an ordinary chieftain, was a key party in such stories. (In the final game, the player must access his mansion through a side entrance in the guard tower. The main entrance may have been in the cut area.)

There are hints that it may have been accompanied by a more specific story about Cazador. The vampire lord throws a masquerade ball before his blasphemous ascension ritual. Players will only find the bloody aftermath, but maybe they should have infiltrated his mansion as a guest? In particular, datamined content seems to indicate that Cazador was once a potential ally in the final battle against the Netherbrain.

Why it doesn't feel right to help Cazador

Cazador's presence as a discarded ally indicates that there was a version of the game where players cooperated with the vampire lord instead of killing him or simply ignoring him entirely. The possibility of allying with Cazador doesn't necessarily mean he'll get any kind of redemption arc. In the final version of the game, players can get help in the final battle from some pretty shady sources, including the demon Mizora, the old woman Aunt Ethel, and even Bhaal, the god of murder.

Who is that character?

Check out the silhouette before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Check out the silhouette before time runs out.

Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Eternal Death (2.5 seconds)

The potential deletion seems to indicate that Cazador was staunchly anti-absolute and would oppose the cult of Orin the Red and Bhaal. While it's potentially interesting to work with allies who aren't necessarily heroic allies against the forces of Bhaal, Cazador is a poor choice for this role. First of all, this probably has to do with Cazador losing access to Astarion, having to die for Ascend. If the two somehow coexist, it would be difficult to accept. Forcing Astarion to work with the man who abused him for centuries is a choice not even the darkest Dark Urges can make.

Cazador isn't a complex character, and that's okay.

Baldur's Gate 3 It's full of complex villains. Conflicted Ketheric Thorm was once a really nice guy. Sharran Mother Superior Viconia deVir is a former ally. baldur's gate and Baldur's Gate 2 A person who has been down a dark path since the second game. Minthara Baenre can be a dangerous antagonist or a loyal ally, depending on the player's choices. Even Enver Gortash has a captivating charisma about him, despite being far from the “handsome young man” the game promises.

Cazador Szarr isn't one of these complex villains, and he doesn't need to be. He is a nightmare that has plagued Astarion for 200 years. He is a man who craves power without regard for the 7,000 souls who would sacrifice their lives for it. In many ways, Cazador is a typical vampire. dungeons and dragons It is described as soulless, selfish, and constantly thirsty for power and blood.

The Vampire Lord is doing a great job in his current role in the game's story. Baldur's Gate 3. He is the obstacle Astarion must overcome to regain his freedom and identity. He is evil in the most clichéd way. Insensitive, cruel through cruelty, and never satisfied with what he has. Players can learn a little about him by exploring his mansion and discovering that he began life as an abused vampire under his master, Vellioth. But the fact that he continued such abuse while treating his own spawn makes for a more satisfying end to his long life than it does to inspire sympathy.

Ascended Astarion's story is better

Another reason, and perhaps why the option of an alliance with Cazador was ultimately abandoned, is simple. There are already stories about “working with a cruel and powerful vampire lord.” Baldur's Gate 3 In the form of the ascended Astarion. Players can allow Astarion to complete an unholy ritual of ascension, sacrificing 7,000 souls (including Cazador) for immense vampiric power. Ascended Astarion is available as an ally against Absolute. His ability, “Acolyte of the Vampire Lord”, is likely the same one used by Cazador.

Choosing to ascend to Astarion is an intense and emotional experience.. Baldur's Gate 3 During their journey, the player witnesses all signs of kindness and genuine emotion that Astarion began to show disappear, replaced by a cold, calculating, and cruel vampire. He encourages players to commit evil acts and revels in violence and death. The potential romance between Astarion and the player is twisted and emotionally hollow. He may choose to abuse the player by making them his constructor, continuing the cycle of abuse as Cazador himself once did.

The story of working together with the ruthless Vampire Ascendant towards the common goal of putting an end to the Absolute works much better with Astarion, with whom players have journeyed through many hours of gameplay. Cazador is not encountered until Act 3 of the game, and the player knows very little about him. Perhaps after helping him complete the ritual, allying with him against the Netherbrain would be unnecessary and far less satisfying than giving him an undignified death. (Sadly, the ability to push him into a pit was patched out a long time ago, but he can still be subject to things like being splashed by sunlight or Otto's Irresistible Dance.) Larian Studios' decision to focus on Ascended Astarion while eliminating a potential ally with Cazador was a good one. Baldur's Gate 3 It's a stronger game.