Baldur's Gate 3 cut content breakthrough turns up 15 minutes of "impossible" scenes including more Shadowheart hugs and some surprisingly relevant Minthara dialogue

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As if Baldur's Gate 3 wasn't already big enough

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A Baldur's Gate 3 YouTuber has uncovered 15 minutes of cut content that had been hiding behind a straight-up "impossible" flag in the game's code.

The cut content includes lines from all party members at various stages in the game, from the moment you emerge from the Underdark and are approaching the Shadow-Cursed Lands to the end of the game.

The full video is a worth a watch provided you've played through the game and won't be spoiled by some endgame content, but some of the most noteworthy finds include dialogue from companion Minthara questioning why, precisely, you decided to knock her out and take all of her stuff, which is something that inexplicably never cropped up in my non-lethal run. Like, how do you just move on from that with no further discussion?

There's also some never-before-seen Shadowheart romance with lines like "don't have too much fun without me" and "I'll be here when you rediscover your taste in company," enabled when you earn high approval from God's favorite princess. More to the point, the game originally included a number of Shadowheart "bonus hugs" that are now locked up in the game's code and which each come with their own voiced reactions. "I could get lost in those arms," "Hard to imagine there was a time when I didn't have you to hold me," and "That hit the spot," are all Shadowheart lines that were cut from the final product. Tragic. 

Of course, we've known for some time that Larian cut down Baldur's Gate 3 quite a bit before its release. There was once a version of the game where you could recruit one of its major villains, Moonrise Towers used to actually be two towers, and there's a great fourth wall-breaking Karlach interaction that so far has only been unlocked using mods. I can only imagine what other revelations would be uncovered if Larian ever fully opened the vault to the public.

Meanwhile, D&D Direct reveals 2025 plans to return to the setting of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.