A Baldur’s Gate 3 speedrunner set a record by reaching one of the game’s multiple endings in only 10 minutes. This required some serious sequence breaking, and the ending they got definitely isn’t a good one. However, it still counts as a success for an any percent speedrun. Beware of major spoilers ahead for Baldur’s Gate 3’s second act.
A Baldur’s Gate 3 speedrunner gets an alternate ending in 10 minutes
As Baldur’s Gate 3 players learn, the human wizard Gale has a magic Orb beating inside his chest. The Orb absorbs energy from the Weave with each beat, slowly building up to an explosion that could level cities. However, early in Act 2, Gale’s ex-girlfriend, the goddess Mystra, asks him to use the Orb to blow up the game’s antagonist, the Absolute. This is a very bad idea since it would also free the Illithid tadpoles from the Absolute’s control. The other True Souls would then turn into Mind Flayers, who quickly overrun the Sword Coast. While a catastrophic finale, this is also the fastest way to finish the game.
YouTube speedrunner Mae recently set a record by achieving this ending in only 10 minutes. As explained by PC Gamer, Mae boosted Gale’s strength to 17 during character creation. They also took advantage of the Enhanced Leap and Misty Step spells and Shadowheart’s Sanctuary spell. These allowed Gale to hop across the terrain, avoid encounters, and sequence break their way to the end of Act 2, letting Gale arrive at the villain’s secret meeting and detonate the Orb.
Of course, one could argue that this ending is closer to a non-standard “game over” than an actual conclusion to Baldur’s Gate 3. It definitely feels like one, and there is no getting around the fact that it cuts the game an entire act short. That said, this was an any percent speed run, and Mae technically did make it to an ending.
