Fan-favorite Baldur's Gate 3 character Karlach is almost universally beloved for a number of reasons — chief among them, her cheery, sweet, and playful personality. But according to her voice actor Samantha Béart, that upbeat exterior belies something far, far darker, shaped by time spent in the bowels of Hell itself.
In an interview with The Gamer, Béart spoke about their time playing Karlach, including the recording process and some very specific plot points. Béart specifically goes in deep on one of Karlach's late-game monologues, delivered after a character who has essentially ruined Karlach's entire life and future is finally dealt with.
Warning! Spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3 lie ahead. Read on at your own risk.
Those who have played Baldur's Gate 3 and seen Karlach's story through know where this is going. Karlach is a tiefling who, prior to the events of the game, has spent a decade in Hell thanks to a fellow named Gortash, who sold her to an archdevil and replaced her heart with what amounts to a bomb that will eventually, inevitably kill her sooner rather than later.
That time in hell will really mess with a person, Béart says. So while most of the player's interactions with Karlach are jovial, that's Karlach making a choice to become someone better — it's not who she's always been.
“For me, [Karlach's story is] a redemption arc,” Béart said. “I think she was a piece of work in hell. She would have had to be […] It was life in prison. That's where I was in my head with that, because otherwise, it's quite hard to relate it to something realistic. You just think about how people behave in those very small communities. Essentially, I think you can completely change to survive.”
When the player finally slays Gortash, Béart as Karlach delivers an incredible monologue unleashing all the pent-up rage, sorrow, and fear that Karlach has felt from spending all that time in Hell and facing her own inevitable demise. It's a really fantastic scene, and according to Béart, that monologue is at the center of who Karlach is:
“That's the core of her. That's the bit of her she's been hiding until she can't anymore,” Béart explained. “It's a piece I auditioned with, so I always knew it was coming. When it did happen, all the gates were off. All the ugliness can come out. It was a very satisfying and cathartic experience to film."
Béart added that this side of Karlach is absolutely something they discussed with Larian during recording, so even during Karlach's most upbeat moments, that undercurrent of pain still exists, which is perhaps why Béart's performance throughout is so effective.
In fact, it's in no small part thanks to performances like Béart's that we gave Baldur's Gate 3 a 10/10. "With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur's Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs," we wrote. Sadly, Larian recently said goodbye to active development on the game with its final major patch in April, as the studio moves onto new projects.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
