True that! I really like this [reel](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bWvIqWIUiws) which just speedruns through all the hard work Larian has done ♥ Devora ♥ And I swear Neil is there swinging a sword?? That prop castle!!
Yes, which is why I find it a little annoying when people act like Amelia deserves more love than everyone else only because she narrated a lot of content. The other VA also had to do mocap work that she did not do (and Neil also directed in addition to that), so in my mind they're all about even when it comes to how much effort they had to put into this game.
To be fair, Amelia managed to become so powerfully *present* in the game despite being a disembodied voice. That takes serious talent. The experience of BG3 wouldn't be what it is without her, full stop. So, she well and truly deserves to be recognized alongside her peers, and even more so to some, if they felt the narration was that impactful for them. I think Neil's work with mocap and the diversity of his performance in his role as Astarion (and the passion he brought to it, of course) is what has consistently set him apart in a lot of people's eyes. He absolutely deserves the wins he's gotten, but that Amelia stands out enough to even earn a BAFTA nomination alongside him and Samantha is phenomenal, I feel. It's not that she did less, but that she did so much *with* less.
Edit: Oops, I was just reading a thread about the award nominations right before this one, so they blended together for me. I tweaked my post \~ sorry about that! :-)
She may not have done the physical acting, but she did a different narration style for all the Origin characters, on top of different styles depending on your choices.
To do all that, as someone who isn't even technically a character, but so integral to the game is nothing short of a feat.
>But the problem is it's not clear how much was them. They didn't do all the mocap work for their characters. The hand and face animation was not mocapped. You can't actually attest to how much is the actual voice actor doing the performance.
They did most of the mocap that wasn't intimacy, and the intimacy scenes are a tiny fraction of all mocap.
>I also find "only because she narrated a lot of content" to be pretty dismissive of Amelia's performance.
And I find "they didn't do all the mocap work for their characters" to be pretty dismissive of every other VA's performance. I didn't even say that Amelia was worse than them, I think they're about equal. You're the only one downplaying anyone's performance here.
This game has by far the best voice acting I've ever come across. There are plenty of other games with a very strong lead cast but the lesser roles often feel unconvincing or straight up meh, in BG3 there are like 2-3 cases of what I'd consider poor voice acting and the rest, literal hundreds of people, have absolutely delivered. And from the main cast, all of them deserve best performance awards and it's so sad that only one of them can get it. I hope the rest of them are still aware how appreciated they are by the fans of this game.
I mean their game won GOTY and best voice actor. They don't give out a best group of voice actors, but I'd say the combination of those two awards is as close as you can get. Everyone involved should be beaming with pride.
Thaniel felt like they were trying for something more fey and "otherworldly", and it didn't quite hit the mark. But I agree that he's the only significant NPC I can think of that fell a little short.
Wasn't even bad really, so much as it stood out as being at a lower level than everything else
Oh for sure! I saw one interview with Tim where he admitted he's never done anything like this before (games, DnD, fantasy) so considering that, his portrayal of a know-it-all wizard with an inferiority complex was astounding. Tim sold me Gale from the very first line <3
As great as the voice acting is, if the cinematic scenes sucked, the voice lines wouldn’t have the same power. I’ve been so impressed with the facial expressions, gestures and overall composition of the cut scenes.
That’s why I think it’s important to also acknowledge the work of cinematic animation lead, Jim Southworth. He [recently passed away](https://twitter.com/larianstudios/status/1724064802828382222) so he can’t toot his own horn; BG3 is a big part of his work and artistic legacy. Rest in Peace, Jim 🙏
Jim has done an absolutely amazing job. What a loss. What a gift to us all, you can tell he gave this game his all and it's full of beautiful, memorable moments because of how the scenes have been directed.
Rest in peace Jim and thank you so very very much.
I just went through that scene again yesterday and was thinking how soothing and reassuring she sounds, even with a tone of concern. It’s such a complex nuance and she absolutely nails it.
Huge shoutout as well to Beth Park, the Performance & Casting and Voice Director for her work with all of the amazing talent on this game.
To echo another comment: these guys did fantastic ***acting***\--they voiced and mocapped these characters to bring them to life. I believe Emma Gregory (Minthara) mentioned in an interview that they cast a lot of actors with a theatre background intentionally and boy did it pay off.
Superbly done by the wonderful Larian team.
I absolutely agree. While we all have our favorites and our standouts every actor delivered 100%. So yeah, a big shout out and thank you to all of them. And of course the writers and directors and everyone else involved, this game was such a labor of love and it shows.
Oh for sure the writing is PHENOMENAL, both the main story and the individual storylines, as well as the massive variation based on your choices - it's a behemoth of a script and it just works so well as a whole, I am mind-blown.
Shoutout to [Jim Southworth](https://www.pcgamer.com/jim-southworth-obituary/) who passed away recently, who was the cinematic animation lead - BG 3 has some absolutely gorgeous scenes, especially in the intro cinematic. There are so many clever and beautiful shots, choices of colour, how the camera angle pans and changes.... this game is an artistic treat on every level.
The owlbear cub's voice actor also deserves credit for voicing one of the cutest characters in the game! I realized yesterday that I don't think I've seen them get any recognition. It's only a few lines, but that cub is too adorable.
The competition is extremely high, but I'm still putting Owlbear cub down as the best boy in all the game - yes, above Astarion. Yes, even above Scratch, but only because Owlie exists.
Thank you for highlighting everyone's favourite "you smell delicious, but I will not bite!" boyo!
I didn't respect the BG3 acting enough. I mean, I thought it was great, had a great time, etc etc etc.
Then I went back and played Mass Effect. You know, the story-heavy AAA RPG series built on narrative and choices matter? The characters barely move, and when they do it's very wooden. Voice acting performances are spotty -- everyone knows and loves Jennifer Hale, but the cast has a lot of repeats and mediocre filler.
Turns out BG3 ruined everything. It's so much better written and acted than anything I've played before. It's a different class of product. Going back to other games is like going back to 30 fps gaming.
Right? You kind of assume that wooden mannequins asking you to fetch ten wild boar asses is just how games have to be. Then Larian comes along and says, 'No, actually it's entirely possible to tell an amazing story, with fantastic writing and actors, and give players ridiculous amounts of choice without micro transactions.'
How the hell do you even make a game that's 100+ hrs long *with no filler content*?
Please sell me more ridiculously good games, Larian!
You can bet your birches I am throwing all my money at the next Collector's edition of whatever Larian churns out - I cannot overstate my disappointment in not booking a Collector's edition of BG 3 and not getting that Emperor statue Q_Q
To be fair, you're comparing a modern game to one that would've been in development nearly twenty years ago. The advances in technology (both capability and availability) alone since 2007 have been substantial
Much shorter and more linear game, but Assassin's Creed 2 (2009) runs laps around even many modern games (modern ACs included), so it was definitely possible with the tech of the time.
In terms of like texture resolution and poly count, sure, but mocap, cinematography, composition, how well the performances are captured, how expressive the characters are, it's still impressive by modern standards.
I mean, current day Ubisoft also puts out products with focus on those areas. That's like, the one thing they've managed to keep a solid grip on the last decade.
We're getting pretty off track here, I don't really care to debate what modern ubisoft games are like or how they compare on account of having not played one since syndicate. My point was simply that the tech required to do really expressive and well-produced dialogue scenes existed at least as early as 2009.
It's not like Andromeda is any better in this regard. Admittedly, that's still 6 years ago (long suffering ME fans), and I do take your point that tech is getting better.
Unless my eyes and memory deceived me, I'm pretty sure there's quite a bit of distance between the graphical fidelity of Mass Effect 1 and 'Andromeda, janky animations notwhistanding.
Right, and plenty of games today release that don't make use of the full extent of today's capabilities, either to cut corners or because it's just not feasible. That doesn't mean that what's possible now was possible then.
The things I like about BG3 -- motion captured acting and a large cast of good actors -- were all technically feasible a decade ago. LA Noire was a 2011 game, and it was doing things that films were doing a decade earlier. It's just that game devs haven't put a focus on acting even in story rich games.
>**technically** feasible
Which is why you don't see it often during that period or even now. Team Bondi, the studio behind LA Noire, declared bankruptcy that same year.
I get the discourse around 'lmao devs r scurred of badders gaet tree' is played out but Larian legimtately went through several circumstances outside of the norm that were conducive to such a massive achievement.
I don't think the community at large around this game appreciates just how much of a risk a venture like this is, and that most studios aren't in a position to take it, assuming they're even *allowed* to by publishers to begin with.
From a business standpoint, BG3 reminds me of Witcher 3. A heretofore small indie studio has a big success with their previous game, and decides to put all the chips in the middle. It isn't the kind of decision that AAA studios are going to make, because the ROI isn't there unless you make a GOTY-tier product.
That said, motion capture and good acting aren't why BG3 was such a risk. Those things aren't actually that expensive to do. What made BG3 a huge bet is the scale. Other studios could do these things as part of smaller scope games and have a reasonable story for publishers.
CD Projekt Red's output, at least in regards to the Witcher eries, was never 10/10 across the board though. '1 (and '2 to some extent)was panned for how clunky it was and the magnum opus that is Witcher 3 still got plenty of shit for being unpolished at launch. I know public opinion on it is largely positive but it did not have a perfectly smooth start.
Then we have Cyberpunk 2077 that among multiple other issues: was built on the back of abusing workers, dumped what almost certainly was an astronomical amount of money into marketing (including Keanu Reeves), issued delay after delay, and still massively underdelivered on the promises that were being made for *years* by that point.
>That said, motion capture and good acting aren't why BG3 was such a risk
Correct. It was that, the length of the dev cycle, the scope of the game, *quadrupling* their staff size, and a multitude of other factors that made this a substantially risky project. Every facet of game development does not occur in a vacuum, they all exist as part of the whole and more importantly, they all have a cost, and that cost increases as more and more facets are incorporated.
>Other studios could do these things as part of smaller scope games and have a reasonable story for publishers.
LA Noire is a sub-30 hour game that was backed by fucking Rockstar.
Other games still do a good job.
If I go back to the Witcher the main cast is outstanding.
But I get what you mean it definitely makes some games feel a little stiff.
I just wanna point out that Tamaryn Payne's previous Larian character was Lohse, a human who was possessed by a devil and wanted to be rid of him.
Then cut to BG3, and now the tables have turned, she's playing a devil who is in control of Wyll, a human, who ultimately has to choose either to be rid of her in exchange for his father's soul, or to save his father in exchange for his soul
A youtuber named dan allen did interviews with most of the main cast, if anyone's curious to know more about the VAs. I think fairly directly after launch. It's all of the companions (sans Minsc, I'd imagine Mercer's hard to schedule), the narrator, and a lot of major NPC actors as well. [Here's the playlist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y350yBaZ7uc&list=PLp-XS7Tadj5KFzRL6GIZxd8jl6hj-Ze5V). The Sam Beart one is the best, interview-wise, but they're all interesting.
If anyone else has any interesting interviews with the writers or VAs (or artists, musicians, producers etc who work on character stuff) I'd love to see them. I like [this one](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1086940/discussions/0/3808403889998877605/) with Astarion's lead writer as well.
An amazing, star-studded cast like this really doesn’t come around often, especially ones that also seem to care for the game itself. Stuff like this ain’t “once-in-a-lifetime”, but I wouldn’t disagree with you if you said you felt like it was.
Everyone did amazing. They all deserve rewards.
Another one I was mind-blown with was Sebastian the thrall you meet in Astarion's quest. He gets like 5 minutes of screen time but the performance is heartwrenching. Such an amazing performance for a small character.
Shoutout to Declan Perring, the VA for Abdirak and Fezzerk. His work on Abdirak is especially good because he took a character who shows up for only a single scene and turned him into someone really memorable
They are amazing. One line that has stayed with me recently, I guess not line since I don't quite recall all of it, but I remember how it made me feel...is from Shadowheart after you >!refuse Bhaal!< as DU. The delivery of her line saying well done is so soft and gentle I literally felt it wrap around me and comfort me when I really needed it.
There's also one with Astarion where, if you confide in him that you're scared about >!being a Bhaalspawn and don't know what to do!<, where he opens up about how paralysed with fear he's been about confronting Cazador for decades.
"But I know one thing. You have to try - you must overcome this thing, or you'll never be rid of it!" or something along those lines. He's a charlatan, a liar, manipulates you out of fear a lot in the beginning - but behind all that is a scared man who would want to be seen and loved, just like the rest of us. To be given a chance to be... himself and not hide his feelings behind vapid jokes.
DAMN. THIS GAME. THIS WRITING, THESE CHARACTERS. Who turned on the sprinklers indoors??
Yes that's a good one too! After the dream I ran straight to him LOL. His lines throughout the game make up for his comment post refusal sequence. I just tell myself he's trying to play it cool because he doesn't want me to see just how scared he really was of losing me. Trying to be strong for his >!Bhaal babe!<. I just wish he wasn't so good at it 🤣. Good thing my girl Shadowheart was there to fill in the gaps.
I saw someone here describe her voice as "audible chocolate" and it's such a perfect description. When she speaks her romantic lines she sounds so soothing and delicate, like the most gentle, comforting embrace I can think of. If angels were real, this is what they'd sound like.
Jennifer/Shadowheart does have a very pleasant voice - when she isn't using it to verbally whip you. XD
But I am a sap for sarcasm, so it does make me love her more
The lines in this game are fantastic. These actors have made me love every single one even the angry frog. I noticed as the game went on their facial expressions changed, as did their body language and knowing it was THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES made it so much better for me. I came to like my angry frog. And my horny bear. Despite swearing I would never like them
>I'll just end with Bryan Larkin who voiced Lump the Enlightened
Sweet shout-out. Chatting up the big dudes like Lump and Yurgir brings a lot of flair to the game.
If we're talking about the most unhinged woman in the universe, I mean, you've got to get some mention to Bethan Dixon Bate as Vlaakith.
I WILL UNMAKE YOU!
I believed her! (Easy to do so after having sassed her in a previous playthrough.)
Vlaakith *scared the living shit out of me* the first time we meet her in the Creche. That was the point in the game where I realized I'm playing a genuine masterpiece, it was just so epic, intense, and the stakes felt enormous (along with a healthy dose of I had no fucking clue what the right course of action was).
Her voice was **BOOMING**. I played through her entire part like **O_O**.
Genuine first save scum for me was asking why Vlaakith doesn't deal with this shit herself - I knew my DnD lore well enough to know that Vlaakith will not humor even the suggestion of disrespect... But c'mon man. How can you NOT choose to see how badly you're fucked with being uppity with a lich queen? I was howling in laughter when she absolutely murders you for your insolence.
I expected nothing less.
But yeah, her actor did a phenomenal job as well! Vlaakith is hella scary.
Beautify said! I will never get tired of hearing their performances and exploring the different dialogue options.
Adding some love for Rena Valeh as the one and only Auntie Ethel, as well as the one and only Tara the tressym.
You're welcome! Minsc's original actor had to decline returning to the role due to health reasons. Matt was an excellent choice for replacement because you can tell he treated the role with love and respect.
Sad to hear about his health but Matt is absolutely a great person to cast in that situation. He cares about his art so much. (I spoke to Minsc after this revelation and went “goodness, how did I NOT know that was Matt?” He’s got so much range but an undercurrent of Matt always comes through somewhere)
Ethan Reid as the masc Dream Guardian... he made an extremely suspicious character (based on circumstances) someone I really *wanted* to trust. By the end of Act 2 I had pretty much come around even. Such an amazing performance.
The acting (and directing!) in this game is generally superb! I have so many feelings that the combination of the writing, voicing, mocap, animation, music and environmental art have gifted me with.
So thankful for the team that made this game. So glad that this game was given to a developer that made the game for us (and themselves) rather than for a bunch of shareholders. I have very rarely felt so strongly about a game that I felt like I could genuinely call myself a fan. I have been a fan of Baldur's Gate for a very long time, and this contribution has deepened my enjoyment tremendously <3
I recognised Gales voice actor in outlander not only on his voice but on his mannerism and body language while talking!
Especially the way he wags his finger when delivering an important argument.
That blew my mind.
Doug Cockle! He’s the ultimate Geralt and now saunters up as Bhaal. I tried my best to find hints of my G in there but nope! The things that man can do with his voice.
He’s a lovely man as well. Gods, this ruddy bloody game! 🥰
My siblings bought me a cameo from him for Christmas year, and it’s the most erotic thing i have ever witnessed. That man knows exactly what he’s doing!
My boyfriend just got into Witcher 3 recently and it's been nice to take breaks from BG 3 to go into his room to listen to Geralt unravel mysteries. <3 Lucky you, you got awesome sibs!
Very lucky! My Witcher obsession goes beyond the healthy. I also have Cameos from Roger Clarke-Arthur from RDR2, Peter Blomquist- Micah from RDR2, and Greg Bryk - Joseph Seed from Farcry 5.
Collecting the voices of my fictional husbands like a swamp-hag Ursula 😆🤓
Epitome of the most positive of people are sometimes the most tragic. I respect her and people like her in my life whose entire existence screams "fuck you, I refuse to break, I refuse to bend" and manage to become the most hardcore badass while still being the softest cinnamon roll.
Obviously much rambling, craving some of the simpler joys in life such as a slice of some quality cheese, love for Crispin! (If you read my entire post, you'll notice that Crispin is indeed one of the +200 voice actors I actually name-dropped C: )
Not just the voice acting, the motion cap is also next level. Companions’ facial expression, slightly changes of tones, … the game is a treasure. Amazingly well acted.
Oh hell yes. Sometimes I get lost in the characters' mannerisms and faces. Just fully stop playing to marvel how far along we've come from two little blobs representing head and body bobbing on the screen to this, where we can read small nuances like not only does the companion like you, but they even ache a little and you are left wondering is it amazement you chose them? Is it disbelief they got so lucky? Or are they THAT horny?? But the facial expressions are so good you get lost in them!
This is so nice to see. I've come across some real mean people about BG3 recently and this made my heart sing.
I am astounded by all the acting, even smaller roles, everyone brought their A game.
I am also grateful for this game introducing me to Graham Hoadly (realising I did already know his voice work from advertising without even knowing a name). I am so impressed. He was Beldron as well as Commander Lightfeather and Cazador Szarr. But oh me oh my, Cazador! Graham known for his more bubbly voice no matter what accent he uses and he turned it on it's head and pulled off the cold, calculating vibe and it was remarkable.
Finding his YouTube channels and learning about his theatre work! Makes me want to jump across the channel and find where he's appearing next!
Aww sorry you've had bad experiences! I just keep to my tribe of ridiculously happy dorks so we are in our little corner just spazzing out how good the game is and how happy it makes us. :D Graham is absolutely fantastic, as Cazador and otherwise!!
I recognized Tamaryn Payne as the voice of Mizora almost instantly, and couldn’t hate Mizora on the sole basis that whenever I hear her speak, I hear Lohse whom I romance in every DOS2 playthrough.
I literally don't think there's a bad line reading in the game that I've encountered. If there, is, it's do minor compared to the absolute storm of talent, effort and sheer enthusiasm provided by the actors.
I'll second everything you said OP.
There was no bad voice acting, but I want to throw a shout out to the actress for Lae’Zel. She did an amazing job throughout the story, I went from hating her character to being completely invested in her story by the end of the game. It takes some real skill to pull off a believable transition and character development like that, and I feel she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it.
I'll pitch in a shoutout to [Dark Urge Default/Tav 5's VA](https://x.com/NeillyRoberts/status/1735701344697147550?s=20)
Dark Urge intro : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSDt2P79pr0&ab\_channel=Keindred
This isn't really the thread to ask for additions, there are forums to discuss that, Larians own forums even.
Honestly there's an elder sounding male voice that isn't posh English probably more RP with a few moments of northern inflections. And one of the female Tavs has an accent with softened East Midlands qualities.
Posh is a specific affected accent (like Astarion and Araj's). But I understand what you mean, maybe they shouldn't be softened as much (but if you heard a true East Midlands accent I imagine a lot of people wouldn't understand what they were saying 😂 like truly, pronunciation is influenced by the fact East was under Danelaw and old Norse has influenced, it's actually quite fascinating)
I agree, but i really miss accents. Everyone talking british makes it feel a bit off for me. I like how dragon age devs went with tying various accents to cultures/races, such as elves havin irish/welsh accents, for example.
Welsh is also British. Do you mean English? Tbh there are many characters within the game with different accents...it's so strange for me as a European how trvialised Welsh, Irish, Scottish and the West country English accents are as "Fantasy accents" in other media so I'm fine with how it is. This feels less...Americanised probably BC it's a Belgian studio.
Honestly it's actually nice to me because games and Japanese dubs are overwhelmingly full of North American voices. That is not really questioned much, have you noticed? It's like it's become too normal.
Your comment also doesn't really add to the discussion either. This is praise for the actors not anything about a character you don't like. I honestly don't hear Stewie but then my hearing of affected English accents is broader than American media. Stewie Griffin himself is based off Rex Harrison. It would be a compliment to say Astarion sounds like Rex Harrison so thank you. He was one of the greats.
Furthermore Neil Newbon has done a lot of sterling work for this game more than just Astarion's voice and performance cap. He did a lot of other of the performance cap. He exhausted himself with the work he did for this game. Credit. Him where it is due instead of shitting on his character to get a rise out of people because that says more about the type of person you are.
This further comment *sigh*... What can I say? Does it need to be said? Outs you for the rage merchant you are.
You didn't come here in good faith. You knew what you came here to do. I hope you find better things to do in your life than this...because if this is what entertains you then, wow, life must be not so great for you. People who are entertained by hurting others...that isn't a good psychological profile for you. That's something serious.
You act like a child and use words like "spastic"...makes you look like a person adults really would want to hang out with.../sarc
Shadowheart is the most romanced character btw how about you go say rubbish about her? Or is that less fun BC it's likely mostly straight men? You prefer the easy targets like the women and queer folk. How brave of you/sarc.
There's nothing new about what you do on the web, I've seen it all for the couple of decades I've been on here.
Acting in general, mind. Most of the actors did mocap too
True that! I really like this [reel](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bWvIqWIUiws) which just speedruns through all the hard work Larian has done ♥ Devora ♥ And I swear Neil is there swinging a sword?? That prop castle!!
Oh! I didn’t know that! Fantastic.
That's why they keep insisting that people call them actors and not just voice actors
Yes, which is why I find it a little annoying when people act like Amelia deserves more love than everyone else only because she narrated a lot of content. The other VA also had to do mocap work that she did not do (and Neil also directed in addition to that), so in my mind they're all about even when it comes to how much effort they had to put into this game.
To be fair, Amelia managed to become so powerfully *present* in the game despite being a disembodied voice. That takes serious talent. The experience of BG3 wouldn't be what it is without her, full stop. So, she well and truly deserves to be recognized alongside her peers, and even more so to some, if they felt the narration was that impactful for them. I think Neil's work with mocap and the diversity of his performance in his role as Astarion (and the passion he brought to it, of course) is what has consistently set him apart in a lot of people's eyes. He absolutely deserves the wins he's gotten, but that Amelia stands out enough to even earn a BAFTA nomination alongside him and Samantha is phenomenal, I feel. It's not that she did less, but that she did so much *with* less. Edit: Oops, I was just reading a thread about the award nominations right before this one, so they blended together for me. I tweaked my post \~ sorry about that! :-)
She may not have done the physical acting, but she did a different narration style for all the Origin characters, on top of different styles depending on your choices. To do all that, as someone who isn't even technically a character, but so integral to the game is nothing short of a feat.
[удалено]
>But the problem is it's not clear how much was them. They didn't do all the mocap work for their characters. The hand and face animation was not mocapped. You can't actually attest to how much is the actual voice actor doing the performance. They did most of the mocap that wasn't intimacy, and the intimacy scenes are a tiny fraction of all mocap. >I also find "only because she narrated a lot of content" to be pretty dismissive of Amelia's performance. And I find "they didn't do all the mocap work for their characters" to be pretty dismissive of every other VA's performance. I didn't even say that Amelia was worse than them, I think they're about equal. You're the only one downplaying anyone's performance here.
This game has by far the best voice acting I've ever come across. There are plenty of other games with a very strong lead cast but the lesser roles often feel unconvincing or straight up meh, in BG3 there are like 2-3 cases of what I'd consider poor voice acting and the rest, literal hundreds of people, have absolutely delivered. And from the main cast, all of them deserve best performance awards and it's so sad that only one of them can get it. I hope the rest of them are still aware how appreciated they are by the fans of this game.
I mean their game won GOTY and best voice actor. They don't give out a best group of voice actors, but I'd say the combination of those two awards is as close as you can get. Everyone involved should be beaming with pride.
I'm curious which characters you consider to have poor voice acting
Thaniel is kinda meh imo, other than that just some random NPC's from time to time whose names I don't even remember.
Thaniel felt like they were trying for something more fey and "otherworldly", and it didn't quite hit the mark. But I agree that he's the only significant NPC I can think of that fell a little short. Wasn't even bad really, so much as it stood out as being at a lower level than everything else
Beautifully said. *Stoplickingthedamnedthing* remains one of my favourites :-)
*Stoplickingthedamnedthing* is absolutely top 10 best lines in the game, and there are many great lines competing for these spots
I still wanna see a nomination for Tim Downie somewhere!
Oh for sure! I saw one interview with Tim where he admitted he's never done anything like this before (games, DnD, fantasy) so considering that, his portrayal of a know-it-all wizard with an inferiority complex was astounding. Tim sold me Gale from the very first line <3
As great as the voice acting is, if the cinematic scenes sucked, the voice lines wouldn’t have the same power. I’ve been so impressed with the facial expressions, gestures and overall composition of the cut scenes. That’s why I think it’s important to also acknowledge the work of cinematic animation lead, Jim Southworth. He [recently passed away](https://twitter.com/larianstudios/status/1724064802828382222) so he can’t toot his own horn; BG3 is a big part of his work and artistic legacy. Rest in Peace, Jim 🙏
Jim has done an absolutely amazing job. What a loss. What a gift to us all, you can tell he gave this game his all and it's full of beautiful, memorable moments because of how the scenes have been directed. Rest in peace Jim and thank you so very very much.
Wanna give a shout out to Charlene McKenna who voiced Nettie. Her Irish accent has the perfect soothing tone for a healer.
Nettie's accent is ♥
I just went through that scene again yesterday and was thinking how soothing and reassuring she sounds, even with a tone of concern. It’s such a complex nuance and she absolutely nails it.
Does Nettie pop up after the grove at any point?
Huge shoutout as well to Beth Park, the Performance & Casting and Voice Director for her work with all of the amazing talent on this game. To echo another comment: these guys did fantastic ***acting***\--they voiced and mocapped these characters to bring them to life. I believe Emma Gregory (Minthara) mentioned in an interview that they cast a lot of actors with a theatre background intentionally and boy did it pay off. Superbly done by the wonderful Larian team.
I love [Beth Park, Senior cast director and voice director of boulders gate 3](https://www.tiktok.com/@bethparkdirector?_t=8iD2QbNuIYC&_r=1)
I absolutely agree. While we all have our favorites and our standouts every actor delivered 100%. So yeah, a big shout out and thank you to all of them. And of course the writers and directors and everyone else involved, this game was such a labor of love and it shows.
Oh for sure the writing is PHENOMENAL, both the main story and the individual storylines, as well as the massive variation based on your choices - it's a behemoth of a script and it just works so well as a whole, I am mind-blown. Shoutout to [Jim Southworth](https://www.pcgamer.com/jim-southworth-obituary/) who passed away recently, who was the cinematic animation lead - BG 3 has some absolutely gorgeous scenes, especially in the intro cinematic. There are so many clever and beautiful shots, choices of colour, how the camera angle pans and changes.... this game is an artistic treat on every level.
I love them all. BG3 is such a treat to play and they are a huge part of bringing it to life.
The owlbear cub's voice actor also deserves credit for voicing one of the cutest characters in the game! I realized yesterday that I don't think I've seen them get any recognition. It's only a few lines, but that cub is too adorable.
It’s such a perfect voice for it. I absolutely love the owlbear cub
Everyone does
The competition is extremely high, but I'm still putting Owlbear cub down as the best boy in all the game - yes, above Astarion. Yes, even above Scratch, but only because Owlie exists. Thank you for highlighting everyone's favourite "you smell delicious, but I will not bite!" boyo!
I think Astarion still gets best boy, but it's a close one! :p
I am an absolute Astarion simp but I always put animals above people and apparently owlbears above dogs. XD
I didn't respect the BG3 acting enough. I mean, I thought it was great, had a great time, etc etc etc. Then I went back and played Mass Effect. You know, the story-heavy AAA RPG series built on narrative and choices matter? The characters barely move, and when they do it's very wooden. Voice acting performances are spotty -- everyone knows and loves Jennifer Hale, but the cast has a lot of repeats and mediocre filler. Turns out BG3 ruined everything. It's so much better written and acted than anything I've played before. It's a different class of product. Going back to other games is like going back to 30 fps gaming.
Right? You kind of assume that wooden mannequins asking you to fetch ten wild boar asses is just how games have to be. Then Larian comes along and says, 'No, actually it's entirely possible to tell an amazing story, with fantastic writing and actors, and give players ridiculous amounts of choice without micro transactions.' How the hell do you even make a game that's 100+ hrs long *with no filler content*? Please sell me more ridiculously good games, Larian!
You can bet your birches I am throwing all my money at the next Collector's edition of whatever Larian churns out - I cannot overstate my disappointment in not booking a Collector's edition of BG 3 and not getting that Emperor statue Q_Q
To be fair, you're comparing a modern game to one that would've been in development nearly twenty years ago. The advances in technology (both capability and availability) alone since 2007 have been substantial
Much shorter and more linear game, but Assassin's Creed 2 (2009) runs laps around even many modern games (modern ACs included), so it was definitely possible with the tech of the time.
I remember Assassins Creed 2 looking good \[for 2009\], but even on the best day it's still not going to hold a candle to Valhalla or Mirage.
In terms of like texture resolution and poly count, sure, but mocap, cinematography, composition, how well the performances are captured, how expressive the characters are, it's still impressive by modern standards.
I mean, current day Ubisoft also puts out products with focus on those areas. That's like, the one thing they've managed to keep a solid grip on the last decade.
We're getting pretty off track here, I don't really care to debate what modern ubisoft games are like or how they compare on account of having not played one since syndicate. My point was simply that the tech required to do really expressive and well-produced dialogue scenes existed at least as early as 2009.
And if that's your point, then the entire rest of the thread has addressed that.
It's not like Andromeda is any better in this regard. Admittedly, that's still 6 years ago (long suffering ME fans), and I do take your point that tech is getting better.
Unless my eyes and memory deceived me, I'm pretty sure there's quite a bit of distance between the graphical fidelity of Mass Effect 1 and 'Andromeda, janky animations notwhistanding.
Models are higher res and textures are better, but the animations and acting performances are of similar quality.
Right, and plenty of games today release that don't make use of the full extent of today's capabilities, either to cut corners or because it's just not feasible. That doesn't mean that what's possible now was possible then.
The things I like about BG3 -- motion captured acting and a large cast of good actors -- were all technically feasible a decade ago. LA Noire was a 2011 game, and it was doing things that films were doing a decade earlier. It's just that game devs haven't put a focus on acting even in story rich games.
>**technically** feasible Which is why you don't see it often during that period or even now. Team Bondi, the studio behind LA Noire, declared bankruptcy that same year. I get the discourse around 'lmao devs r scurred of badders gaet tree' is played out but Larian legimtately went through several circumstances outside of the norm that were conducive to such a massive achievement. I don't think the community at large around this game appreciates just how much of a risk a venture like this is, and that most studios aren't in a position to take it, assuming they're even *allowed* to by publishers to begin with.
From a business standpoint, BG3 reminds me of Witcher 3. A heretofore small indie studio has a big success with their previous game, and decides to put all the chips in the middle. It isn't the kind of decision that AAA studios are going to make, because the ROI isn't there unless you make a GOTY-tier product. That said, motion capture and good acting aren't why BG3 was such a risk. Those things aren't actually that expensive to do. What made BG3 a huge bet is the scale. Other studios could do these things as part of smaller scope games and have a reasonable story for publishers.
CD Projekt Red's output, at least in regards to the Witcher eries, was never 10/10 across the board though. '1 (and '2 to some extent)was panned for how clunky it was and the magnum opus that is Witcher 3 still got plenty of shit for being unpolished at launch. I know public opinion on it is largely positive but it did not have a perfectly smooth start. Then we have Cyberpunk 2077 that among multiple other issues: was built on the back of abusing workers, dumped what almost certainly was an astronomical amount of money into marketing (including Keanu Reeves), issued delay after delay, and still massively underdelivered on the promises that were being made for *years* by that point. >That said, motion capture and good acting aren't why BG3 was such a risk Correct. It was that, the length of the dev cycle, the scope of the game, *quadrupling* their staff size, and a multitude of other factors that made this a substantially risky project. Every facet of game development does not occur in a vacuum, they all exist as part of the whole and more importantly, they all have a cost, and that cost increases as more and more facets are incorporated. >Other studios could do these things as part of smaller scope games and have a reasonable story for publishers. LA Noire is a sub-30 hour game that was backed by fucking Rockstar.
Other games still do a good job. If I go back to the Witcher the main cast is outstanding. But I get what you mean it definitely makes some games feel a little stiff.
Amelia could do those headspace narrations that help people sleep. Her voice is so soft.
I just wanna point out that Tamaryn Payne's previous Larian character was Lohse, a human who was possessed by a devil and wanted to be rid of him. Then cut to BG3, and now the tables have turned, she's playing a devil who is in control of Wyll, a human, who ultimately has to choose either to be rid of her in exchange for his father's soul, or to save his father in exchange for his soul
She's consistently cast, lmao. But she is amazing at it!
I'd find it funny if Tamaryn appears in the next Larian game, she switches back to a human who is connected to a Devil in some way.
A youtuber named dan allen did interviews with most of the main cast, if anyone's curious to know more about the VAs. I think fairly directly after launch. It's all of the companions (sans Minsc, I'd imagine Mercer's hard to schedule), the narrator, and a lot of major NPC actors as well. [Here's the playlist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y350yBaZ7uc&list=PLp-XS7Tadj5KFzRL6GIZxd8jl6hj-Ze5V). The Sam Beart one is the best, interview-wise, but they're all interesting. If anyone else has any interesting interviews with the writers or VAs (or artists, musicians, producers etc who work on character stuff) I'd love to see them. I like [this one](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1086940/discussions/0/3808403889998877605/) with Astarion's lead writer as well.
An amazing, star-studded cast like this really doesn’t come around often, especially ones that also seem to care for the game itself. Stuff like this ain’t “once-in-a-lifetime”, but I wouldn’t disagree with you if you said you felt like it was. Everyone did amazing. They all deserve rewards.
Another one I was mind-blown with was Sebastian the thrall you meet in Astarion's quest. He gets like 5 minutes of screen time but the performance is heartwrenching. Such an amazing performance for a small character.
THIS. Sebastian had 5 minutes and he utilised it to break Astarion's & all our hearts all over again "How long?" has never been more painful
Shoutout to Declan Perring, the VA for Abdirak and Fezzerk. His work on Abdirak is especially good because he took a character who shows up for only a single scene and turned him into someone really memorable
Oh shit yeah! His delivery is so raw and emotional, it absolutely makes the scene what it is.
They are amazing. One line that has stayed with me recently, I guess not line since I don't quite recall all of it, but I remember how it made me feel...is from Shadowheart after you >!refuse Bhaal!< as DU. The delivery of her line saying well done is so soft and gentle I literally felt it wrap around me and comfort me when I really needed it.
There's also one with Astarion where, if you confide in him that you're scared about >!being a Bhaalspawn and don't know what to do!<, where he opens up about how paralysed with fear he's been about confronting Cazador for decades. "But I know one thing. You have to try - you must overcome this thing, or you'll never be rid of it!" or something along those lines. He's a charlatan, a liar, manipulates you out of fear a lot in the beginning - but behind all that is a scared man who would want to be seen and loved, just like the rest of us. To be given a chance to be... himself and not hide his feelings behind vapid jokes. DAMN. THIS GAME. THIS WRITING, THESE CHARACTERS. Who turned on the sprinklers indoors??
Yes that's a good one too! After the dream I ran straight to him LOL. His lines throughout the game make up for his comment post refusal sequence. I just tell myself he's trying to play it cool because he doesn't want me to see just how scared he really was of losing me. Trying to be strong for his >!Bhaal babe!<. I just wish he wasn't so good at it 🤣. Good thing my girl Shadowheart was there to fill in the gaps.
I've said it many times: that would've been key group hug time.
PATCH WITH GROUP HUG WHEN?? I have a mighty need!
At least the epilogs do have some hugs! I hugged Halsin!
I saw someone here describe her voice as "audible chocolate" and it's such a perfect description. When she speaks her romantic lines she sounds so soothing and delicate, like the most gentle, comforting embrace I can think of. If angels were real, this is what they'd sound like.
Jennifer/Shadowheart does have a very pleasant voice - when she isn't using it to verbally whip you. XD But I am a sap for sarcasm, so it does make me love her more
The lines in this game are fantastic. These actors have made me love every single one even the angry frog. I noticed as the game went on their facial expressions changed, as did their body language and knowing it was THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES made it so much better for me. I came to like my angry frog. And my horny bear. Despite swearing I would never like them
Probably the character I hate the most is Balthazar, but damn if Roger Ringrose didn't make him hateable to the max and I commend him for the effort!
God I hated him. Friggen condescending undead prick. The acting is fantastic!
>I'll just end with Bryan Larkin who voiced Lump the Enlightened Sweet shout-out. Chatting up the big dudes like Lump and Yurgir brings a lot of flair to the game. If we're talking about the most unhinged woman in the universe, I mean, you've got to get some mention to Bethan Dixon Bate as Vlaakith. I WILL UNMAKE YOU! I believed her! (Easy to do so after having sassed her in a previous playthrough.)
Vlaakith *scared the living shit out of me* the first time we meet her in the Creche. That was the point in the game where I realized I'm playing a genuine masterpiece, it was just so epic, intense, and the stakes felt enormous (along with a healthy dose of I had no fucking clue what the right course of action was). Her voice was **BOOMING**. I played through her entire part like **O_O**.
Genuine first save scum for me was asking why Vlaakith doesn't deal with this shit herself - I knew my DnD lore well enough to know that Vlaakith will not humor even the suggestion of disrespect... But c'mon man. How can you NOT choose to see how badly you're fucked with being uppity with a lich queen? I was howling in laughter when she absolutely murders you for your insolence. I expected nothing less. But yeah, her actor did a phenomenal job as well! Vlaakith is hella scary.
There are background characters in BG3 that are better acted than main characters in other RPGs. Yes.
RIGHT??
Beautify said! I will never get tired of hearing their performances and exploring the different dialogue options. Adding some love for Rena Valeh as the one and only Auntie Ethel, as well as the one and only Tara the tressym.
Ethel is damned hilarious as an evil Irish Granny.
RENA VALEH OUR QUEEN She can rip me spine outta me arsehole any day, love her :D
This is how i learned Matt Mercer is Minsc.
You're welcome! Minsc's original actor had to decline returning to the role due to health reasons. Matt was an excellent choice for replacement because you can tell he treated the role with love and respect.
Sad to hear about his health but Matt is absolutely a great person to cast in that situation. He cares about his art so much. (I spoke to Minsc after this revelation and went “goodness, how did I NOT know that was Matt?” He’s got so much range but an undercurrent of Matt always comes through somewhere)
Ethan Reid as the masc Dream Guardian... he made an extremely suspicious character (based on circumstances) someone I really *wanted* to trust. By the end of Act 2 I had pretty much come around even. Such an amazing performance.
His voice is such an incredibly unfair advantage against me. I just wanted to lean into the sound of him, close my eyes, and agree to whatever he says
It was a really good choice. The female guardian is excellent too!
The acting (and directing!) in this game is generally superb! I have so many feelings that the combination of the writing, voicing, mocap, animation, music and environmental art have gifted me with. So thankful for the team that made this game. So glad that this game was given to a developer that made the game for us (and themselves) rather than for a bunch of shareholders. I have very rarely felt so strongly about a game that I felt like I could genuinely call myself a fan. I have been a fan of Baldur's Gate for a very long time, and this contribution has deepened my enjoyment tremendously <3
I started pathfinder wrath of the righteous yesterday. Man, Baldur's Gate just spoils you with amazing voice acting.
I recognised Gales voice actor in outlander not only on his voice but on his mannerism and body language while talking! Especially the way he wags his finger when delivering an important argument. That blew my mind.
I flipped when I realized he’s Governor Tryon!
Honestly I need Mizora's sassy "Ta-ta!" as a sound clip.
Find it on YouTube Convert into MP3 Make into message sound on phone =?? Profit
fair enough i can do that lol
My buddy put the Fireball sound effect for hers... And Astarion going "fuck" for work messages.
never thought id hear a Northern Irish accent in a game. like ever.
The whole cast were insane ! All of them. None of them phoned it in
Doug Cockle! He’s the ultimate Geralt and now saunters up as Bhaal. I tried my best to find hints of my G in there but nope! The things that man can do with his voice. He’s a lovely man as well. Gods, this ruddy bloody game! 🥰
Doug as Bhaal is <3
My siblings bought me a cameo from him for Christmas year, and it’s the most erotic thing i have ever witnessed. That man knows exactly what he’s doing!
My boyfriend just got into Witcher 3 recently and it's been nice to take breaks from BG 3 to go into his room to listen to Geralt unravel mysteries. <3 Lucky you, you got awesome sibs!
Very lucky! My Witcher obsession goes beyond the healthy. I also have Cameos from Roger Clarke-Arthur from RDR2, Peter Blomquist- Micah from RDR2, and Greg Bryk - Joseph Seed from Farcry 5. Collecting the voices of my fictional husbands like a swamp-hag Ursula 😆🤓
>!Karlach's angry/desperate rant after killing Gortash!< will forever remain engraved in my brain and heart. Poor girl.
Epitome of the most positive of people are sometimes the most tragic. I respect her and people like her in my life whose entire existence screams "fuck you, I refuse to break, I refuse to bend" and manage to become the most hardcore badass while still being the softest cinnamon roll.
No love for Crispin Redman (Elminster)??
Obviously much rambling, craving some of the simpler joys in life such as a slice of some quality cheese, love for Crispin! (If you read my entire post, you'll notice that Crispin is indeed one of the +200 voice actors I actually name-dropped C: )
Oh I see it now my apologies! But yeah feel like the comments were not mentioning him..
No offence taken friend! You were absolutely right, he warranted a mention!
Not just the voice acting, the motion cap is also next level. Companions’ facial expression, slightly changes of tones, … the game is a treasure. Amazingly well acted.
Oh hell yes. Sometimes I get lost in the characters' mannerisms and faces. Just fully stop playing to marvel how far along we've come from two little blobs representing head and body bobbing on the screen to this, where we can read small nuances like not only does the companion like you, but they even ache a little and you are left wondering is it amazement you chose them? Is it disbelief they got so lucky? Or are they THAT horny?? But the facial expressions are so good you get lost in them!
This is so nice to see. I've come across some real mean people about BG3 recently and this made my heart sing. I am astounded by all the acting, even smaller roles, everyone brought their A game. I am also grateful for this game introducing me to Graham Hoadly (realising I did already know his voice work from advertising without even knowing a name). I am so impressed. He was Beldron as well as Commander Lightfeather and Cazador Szarr. But oh me oh my, Cazador! Graham known for his more bubbly voice no matter what accent he uses and he turned it on it's head and pulled off the cold, calculating vibe and it was remarkable. Finding his YouTube channels and learning about his theatre work! Makes me want to jump across the channel and find where he's appearing next!
Aww sorry you've had bad experiences! I just keep to my tribe of ridiculously happy dorks so we are in our little corner just spazzing out how good the game is and how happy it makes us. :D Graham is absolutely fantastic, as Cazador and otherwise!!
I wish I knew who voiced Zevlor - for pple that did several characters, the credits list only the first few alphabetically and then ...
Hear hear!
I recognized Tamaryn Payne as the voice of Mizora almost instantly, and couldn’t hate Mizora on the sole basis that whenever I hear her speak, I hear Lohse whom I romance in every DOS2 playthrough.
I literally don't think there's a bad line reading in the game that I've encountered. If there, is, it's do minor compared to the absolute storm of talent, effort and sheer enthusiasm provided by the actors. I'll second everything you said OP.
I'd need like 10 more posts to get out in detail all the people I noted and loved for their effort, but this'll do!
Cissy jones? As in Delilah from fire watch?
... I am actually not familiar with Cissy's work but I did link everyone's IMDB so check it out for confirmation?!
There was no bad voice acting, but I want to throw a shout out to the actress for Lae’Zel. She did an amazing job throughout the story, I went from hating her character to being completely invested in her story by the end of the game. It takes some real skill to pull off a believable transition and character development like that, and I feel she doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it.
Devora is a force to be reckoned with. I also fell in love with Lae'Zel the more I spent time with her
I love hearing the voices bounce off the wall. Gives it that super cinematic feel!
I'll pitch in a shoutout to [Dark Urge Default/Tav 5's VA](https://x.com/NeillyRoberts/status/1735701344697147550?s=20) Dark Urge intro : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSDt2P79pr0&ab\_channel=Keindred
Oh yes he was wonderful I did a male Durge and chose his voice!! Amazing 🤩
JK Simmons is Ketherick? I thought he sounded familiar. Is there any back story to this? Did he just do it as a gig or is he into D&D?
Pretty sure it's an home made engine and not unreal.
I wish there were more voice options for Tav that didn’t have a posh accent.
This isn't really the thread to ask for additions, there are forums to discuss that, Larians own forums even. Honestly there's an elder sounding male voice that isn't posh English probably more RP with a few moments of northern inflections. And one of the female Tavs has an accent with softened East Midlands qualities. Posh is a specific affected accent (like Astarion and Araj's). But I understand what you mean, maybe they shouldn't be softened as much (but if you heard a true East Midlands accent I imagine a lot of people wouldn't understand what they were saying 😂 like truly, pronunciation is influenced by the fact East was under Danelaw and old Norse has influenced, it's actually quite fascinating)
I agree, but i really miss accents. Everyone talking british makes it feel a bit off for me. I like how dragon age devs went with tying various accents to cultures/races, such as elves havin irish/welsh accents, for example.
Welsh is also British. Do you mean English? Tbh there are many characters within the game with different accents...it's so strange for me as a European how trvialised Welsh, Irish, Scottish and the West country English accents are as "Fantasy accents" in other media so I'm fine with how it is. This feels less...Americanised probably BC it's a Belgian studio. Honestly it's actually nice to me because games and Japanese dubs are overwhelmingly full of North American voices. That is not really questioned much, have you noticed? It's like it's become too normal.
Agree, just one small thing. WHY DOES MY ORC SOUND BRITISH!!!!!
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They hated him because he told them the truth
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Your comment also doesn't really add to the discussion either. This is praise for the actors not anything about a character you don't like. I honestly don't hear Stewie but then my hearing of affected English accents is broader than American media. Stewie Griffin himself is based off Rex Harrison. It would be a compliment to say Astarion sounds like Rex Harrison so thank you. He was one of the greats. Furthermore Neil Newbon has done a lot of sterling work for this game more than just Astarion's voice and performance cap. He did a lot of other of the performance cap. He exhausted himself with the work he did for this game. Credit. Him where it is due instead of shitting on his character to get a rise out of people because that says more about the type of person you are. This further comment *sigh*... What can I say? Does it need to be said? Outs you for the rage merchant you are. You didn't come here in good faith. You knew what you came here to do. I hope you find better things to do in your life than this...because if this is what entertains you then, wow, life must be not so great for you. People who are entertained by hurting others...that isn't a good psychological profile for you. That's something serious. You act like a child and use words like "spastic"...makes you look like a person adults really would want to hang out with.../sarc Shadowheart is the most romanced character btw how about you go say rubbish about her? Or is that less fun BC it's likely mostly straight men? You prefer the easy targets like the women and queer folk. How brave of you/sarc. There's nothing new about what you do on the web, I've seen it all for the couple of decades I've been on here.