Longtime fans of the Baldur's Gate franchise will remember the infamous villain, Sarevok, from the original game, and were surprised to see him resurface in Baldur's Gate 3 considering his previous fate. Sarevok's role in Baldur's Gate 3 is significant, yet players may never access some of his most important dialogue without attempting to play as the Dark Urge, one of Baldur's Gate 3's unique Origin characters. Players will have the opportunity to interact with Sarevok during the "Impress the Murder Tribunal" quest, where the Dark Urge will have to either resist or embrace their evil impulses.
This unique dialogue can only be accessed playing as the Dark Urge, and it reveals details about the origins of the Cult of Bhaal and the Dark Urge themselves, as well as Sarevok's resurgence and master plan. In order to hear Sarevok's true intentions, players will need to select specific dialogue and make a series of important decisions that impact major aspects of the story, including characters such as Orin.
Who Sarevok Is In Baldur's Gate Lore
Sarevok Has A Long, Twisted History In The Baldur's Gate Universe
Sarevok was first introduced as an antagonist in the original Baldur's Gate, a Deathbringer dressed in spiked armor with a deep, booming voice. Canonically, he is one of the mortal children spawned by the Lord of Murder, Bhaal, a lawful evil deity that players will be more than familiar with after playing as the Dark Urge. Above all, Sarevok's intentions were to become the Lord of Bhaal through a sinister plan that would start a war between Baldur's Gate and the kingdom of Ahn. Through some elaborate scheming, he was eventually nominated to be the next Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is absolutely packed with quests large and small, and there are likely plenty of great ones players accidentally missed out on.
Importantly, in executing his grand design, Sarevok builds a following of devotees that see him as a divine leader, which will become important years later during the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Sarevok ultimately failed and was slain by his brother, but fortunately for him, all Bhaalspawn leave behind an "echo" of their souls in the realm of Bhaal, and he is eventually reborn thanks to a deal with his sibling, Abdel Adrian. In Baldur's Gate 3, players find that he is back to his old ways, scheming, plotting, and murdering, still intent on fulfilling Bhaal's evil wishes.
Dark Urge & Sarevok Have Unique Dialogue
Returning To Sarevok After Defeating Orin Reveals His Sinister Plot
During the "Impress the Murder Tribunal" as the Dark Urge, Sarevok will task players with killing Orin, the current Chosen Bhaalspawn, of which there can be only one. In the encounter with Orin, the Dark Urge has the option to tell her that Sarevok is the one who ordered Orin's mother to kill her as a child, causing her mental collapse - and beginning her transformation into the Slayer. Upon defeating her, players will need to return to Sarevok, as requested, and finally allow him to express his true intentions. He congratulates the Dark Urge, stating:
"Your despicable sister lies dead, and
your Chosen body bathed in her blood."
Selecting "And yet you still live, Sarevok, after all these years" in response will reveal Sarevok's sordid past and some details of his deal with the aforementioned Abdel Adrian:
“A long while ago, my wretched sibling brought me back. The fairest of Bhaalspawn, soul-bound me to this husk.”
Here, it becomes clear what Sarevok has been up to all this time, and the rise of the Cult of Bhaal is revealed:
"Worship death though I do, I refused it. I roamed the Coast, gathering those who still held Bhaal in their black hearts. The cult survived, festering beneath the city, with me as the Gate’s everlasting poison."
By becoming an Unholy Assassin of Bhaal, the Dark Urge has bathed the streets in blood in service of Bhaal, and Sarevok appears quite grateful - at first. However, in true Sarevok fashion, he pulls the rug from under the Dark Urge's evil feet:
"Bhaal's will is absolute. The strongest of his bloodline will be Chosen. A spawn who kills a Chosen must then become Chosen themselves. You have done me a great service, Child of Murder. In eliminating Orin, you have cleared the way for me. With your death, I will prove myself anew. It is Father’s way.”
The Dark Urge has a few dialogue options here, but selecting,"Come on, I did the work of killing her," will lead Sarevok to a pretty sassy retort:
“And who counseled you to do it? Who laid a trap for the hot-blooded young Bhaalspawn, and tricked them to return? I knew the old way. Two feral Bhaalpups, jostling for position at the top. One was going to die by the other’s hand. Thus, one would halve the work of murdering to the top. They would never consider that another remained yet with a claim upon their title. You didn’t even think of it when we spoke earlier.”
The Dark Urge, feeling like a dunce, slaps back at Sarevok: "That's pure delusion. Bhaal would never anoint you as the Chosen, worm." To which Sarevok replies:
"Perhaps not. But for his honor I must try. To die by the hand of a Chosen is the only death I could ever wish to take. My aching bones in this husk still feel every spark of pain from the crystalline moment of my first death, in the Temple."
At this point, the Dark Urge has no choice but to fight Sarevok to the death and become Bhaal's Chosen once and for all.
What Sarevok & Dark Urge's Conversation Reveals
The Cult Of Bhaal Is Part Of A Grander Scheme
This unique conversation provides players with a glimpse into Sarevok's master plan, and it turns out it was a trap all along. He used the cult as a vessel to gain prominence in the underbelly of Baldur's Gate, and to garner favor with Bhaal himself through the Unholy Assassins of Bhaal and the Murder Tribunal. By manipulating the Dark Urge to commit murders throughout the city, Sarevok can become Chosen of Bhaal by defeating the most worthy Bhaalspawn. And by convincing the Dark Urge to murder Orin, he "halves" the difficulty of becoming the last remaining Chosen.
Not only did Sarevok intend on killing the Dark Urge from the beginning, as there can only be one true Chosen of Bhaal, by pitting Orin and the Dark Urge against each other, he "cleared the way" for his own ascent as the Lord of Bhaal. In a tragically poetic display of devotion to Bhaal, Sarevok, the mastermind behind the Cult of Bhaal, faces the Dark Urge for a final battle to the death that will determine the last remaining Bhaalspawn. In his final words, Sarevok declares, "Let us die Chosen, as only Bhaalspawn can."
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic
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