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''Baldur's Gate 3'' contains a number of '''Cultural References''' to other pieces of media, such as books, television, and other video games. These references are collected here, although this list is certainly incomplete.
''Baldur's Gate 3'' contains a number of '''Cultural References''' to other pieces of media, such as books, television, and other video games. These references are collected here, although this list is certainly incomplete.


== Games ==
== Television ==
=== Divinity ===
Most of Larian's previous games are part of the ''Divinity'' series, beginning with ''Divine Divinity'' (2002) and ending (for now at least) with ''Divinity: Original Sin'' (2014) and ''Divinity: Original Sin II'' (2017). The latter game has many things in common with ''Baldur's Gate 3'', including the use of "origin characters" who can be chosen as the player character or recruited as companions; physics-based effects like [[surface]]s and [[Dippable|dippable weapons]]; and the ability to talk to most animals.
 
The [[Digital Deluxe Upgrade]] contains several references to ''Divinity: Original Sin II'' (DOS2 for short):
* It adds portrait paintings of the DOS2 origin characters [[Portrait of Fane|Fane]], [[Portrait of Ifan ben-Mezd|Ifan ben-Mezd]], [[Portrait of Lohse|Lohse]], [[Portrait of Marcus Miles|Marcus "Beast" Miles]], [[Portrait of Sebille Kaleran|Sebille Kaleran]] and [[Portrait of the Red Prince|the Red Prince]] to Act 1 as loot items.
* Characters who can [[Perform]] gain access to three additional songs which reference DOS2: [[Of Divinity and Sin]], [[The Queen's High Seas]] and [[Sing for Me]].
* The Divinity Item Pack contains several items from DOS2: the [[Mask of the Shapeshifter]], [[Cape of the Red Prince]], [[Lute of the Merryweather Bard]], [[Needle of the Outlaw Rogue]] and [[Bicorne of the Sea Beast]].
 
There are other references to DOS2 which don't require the Digital Deluxe version:
*Micheil Ros' pig Lulabelle is referenced in a [[Deception]] check during a conversation with [[Manip Nestor]], the Fist guarding the barn at the beginning of Act 3. (May only be available when you're caught sneaking into the barn.)
 
=== Final Fantasy XIV ===
The popular MMORPG by Square Enix is referenced in an [[inspiration]] pop-up in Act II for the Folk Hero [[Backgrounds|background]]. The quote is from the character [https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Haurchefant Haurchefant], who says it during the main story of the Heavensward expansion. The line in the pop-up says "A Smile Better Suits..."; though the full line is: "Don't look at me so. A smile better suits a hero." The phrase is repeated several times throughout the following expansions as a bittersweet form of encouragement.
 
=== Danganronpa ===
Pre-ordered copies of the Japanese PS5 version of the game from publisher Spike Chunsoft came with a special “Dice of Hope and Despair” [[die designs|die design]] “with the motif of Monokuma appearing in the ''Danganronpa'' series”, which is also published by Spike Chunsoft.{{cite web|work = Official website |url = https://www.spike-chunsoft.co.jp/baldursgate3/top/ |title = Baldur’s Gate III |publisher = Spike Chunsoft |accessdate=2023-12-23}} In the ''Danganronpa'' series, Monokuma is a black and white robotic teddy bear who forces the students of Hope’s Peak Academy to kill each other in deadly games. The dice is mostly white, but the "20" face is black with a symbol matching Monokuma’s distinctive red left eye.
 
=== Dragon Age: Origins ===
Completing the quest [[Find the Missing Letters]] grants inspiration to [[Noble]] characters via a background goal called "Interrupted Communications". This title alludes to a quest from ''Dragon Age: Origins'' called "Correspondence Interruptus" which also involves tracking down missing letters.
 
== Films & Television ==
 
=== 'Allo 'Allo! ===
 
* When first encountering [[Hope]] in the [[House of Hope]], she says "You have to listen very very very closely. I will say this only once.", alluding to the famous phrase "Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once", a line spoken very often in the series by several characters, but mainly by Michelle Dubois, a woman in the French Resistance during WWII.
 
=== Apocalypse Now ===
 
* The [[Soldier]] background goal "Love That Smell", granted for bombing the [[Steel Watch Foundry]], alludes to a scene in the film ''Apocalypse Now'' in which an American military officer proclaims "I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" as an attack on a civilian target commences.
 
=== Asterix and Cleopatra ===
 
* The [[Guild Artisan]] background goal "Special Iced Arsenic...Brew?" references a song about poisoning a cake (a "special iced arsenic cake", according to the lyrics) from the animated film ''Asterix and Cleopatra''.


===Avatar: The Last Airbender===
===Avatar: The Last Airbender===
* The NPC [[Geezer Loryss]] is a merchant in the [[Lower City]], who bemoans the destruction of his cabbage stand. This references the recurring [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRFDr8Vgp_Q Cabbage Merchant] bit character in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', who is a frequent victim of collateral damage from the heroes' adventures. Loryss also has unique dialogue for the [[Monk]] class, referencing protagonist Aang's monastic character.
* The NPC [[Geezer Loryss]] is a merchant in the [[Lower City]], who bemoans the destruction of his cabbage stand. This references the recurring [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRFDr8Vgp_Q Cabbage Merchant] bit character in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', who is a frequent victim of collateral damage from the heroes' adventures. Loryss also has unique dialogue for the [[Monk]] class, referencing protagonist Aang's monastic character.
=== The Fifth Element ===
* "Multipass", a [[Noble]] background goal, is enthusiastically repeated a number of times by Milla Jovovich's character Leeloo in the film ''The Fifth Element''.
=== Ghostbusters ===
* The [[Outlander]] background goal "I Ain't Afraid of No Shadows" paraphrases a lyric from the title theme to the film ''Ghostbusters''.
=== Gravity Falls ===
* The item [[Shield of Shielding]] is a reference to the episode ''Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons'' where a main character, Grunkle Stan, casts a spell of the same name due to rather unimaginative quick thinking.
=== Indiana Jones ===
* The [[Guild Artisan]] background goal "These Belong in a Museum!" is a reference to ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'', in which Indy says this about historical artifacts being pilfered by private collectors.
=== Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ===
* The greataxe [[Sethan]] and its abilities are a reference to a character in ''Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders'' named [https://jojowiki.com/Alessi Alessi]. Alessi wields an axe and possesses a stand spirit named Sethan that similarly wields an axe and who has the power to de-age people, usually reducing them into young children.
=== Parks and Recreation ===
* The [[Charlatan]] background goal "Not to Worry, I Have a Permit" quotes a scene from ''Parks and Recreation'' in which Ron Swanson offers a park ranger a permit that simply says "I can do what I want".


== Literature ==
== Literature ==
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Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a series of comic fantasy novels set on a flat world which travels on the back of an enormous turtle. While it developed into its own fantasy universe, it was born from and always contained elements of parody of other fantasy - including ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Larian's Swen Vincke has said on Twitter that the first book he gave to his wife was the Discworld novel ''Small Gods'', and that he has converted "countless people" to the series via that book.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a series of comic fantasy novels set on a flat world which travels on the back of an enormous turtle. While it developed into its own fantasy universe, it was born from and always contained elements of parody of other fantasy - including ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Larian's Swen Vincke has said on Twitter that the first book he gave to his wife was the Discworld novel ''Small Gods'', and that he has converted "countless people" to the series via that book.


* In addition to the Poe reference (see above), '''Quothe the Raven''' is likely also a reference to the talking raven named Quoth (no "e") appearing in the Discworld novels ''Soul Music'', ''Hogfather'' and ''Thief of Time''. Quoth was originally a wizard's familiar, but in the novels he is the companion, translator and flying mount of the Death of Rats, the rat equivalent of the grim reaper.
* In addition to the Poe reference (see above), '''Quothe the Raven''' is likely also a reference to the talking raven named Quoth (no "e") appearing in the Discworld novels ''Soul Music'', ''Hogfather'' and ''Thief of Time''. Quoth was originally a wizard's familiar, but in the novels he is the companion and flying mount of the rat equivalent of the grim reaper, the Death of Rats, and Death's mostly human granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit.
* '''Lupperdiddle Swires''' is a gnomish adventurer famed for their ability to leap extraordinarily high. While they don't appear in the game, they're mentioned several times in the name or description of various items, including the [[Potion of Glorious Vaulting]], {{uncommon|Arsonist's Oil}}, {{rare|Swiresy Shoes}} and {{very rare|Swires' Sledboard}}, as well as in notes and letters. "Swires" is the name of two different gnome characters in Discworld: Swires, the first gnome in the series, who appears in ''The Light Fantastic''; and Buggy Swires, a member of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, who isn't known for leaping but does give aerial support by riding on various birds. (On the Discworld, gnomes are only about six inches tall.)
* '''Lupperdiddle Swires''' is a gnomish adventurer famed for their ability to leap extraordinarily high. While they don't appear in the game, they're mentioned several times in the name or description of various items, including the [[Potion of Glorious Vaulting]], {{rare|Swiresy Shoes}} and {{very rare|Swires' Sledboard}}. "Swires" is the name of two different gnome characters in Discworld: Swires, the first gnome in the series, who appears in ''The Light Fantastic''; and Buggy Swires, a member of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, who isn't known for leaping but does give aerial support by riding on various birds. (In Discworld, gnomes are only about six inches tall.)
* The in-game book ''[[The Butler's Cane Has A Knob On The End]]'' is a reference to "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob on the End", a bawdy Discworld tavern song frequently sung by the witch character Nanny Ogg.
* The in-game book ''[[The Butler's Cane Has A Knob On The End]]'' is a reference to "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob on the End", a bawdy Discworld tavern song frequently sung by the witch character Nanny Ogg.
* The in-game book ''[[You've Got Friends in the Guild]]'' contains the sentence "Their view is this: if you got to have crime, better it be ''organised'' crime!" This is a paraphrase of a line from the novel ''Men at Arms'', attributed to Lord Vetinari, ruler of Ankh-Morpork, explaining the logic behind having a legalised Thieves' Guild.
* Another book{{Verify}} contains the sentence "If you're going to have crime, it might as well be organised." This quotes Pratchett's explanation of the Thieves' Guild in Ankh-Morpork, which in return for dues ensures no-one is robbed too much or too often.
 
=== Other Novels ===
 
* The [[Guild Artisan]] background goal "Trust and a Little Pixie Dust" references J. M. Barrie's novel ''Peter Pan'', in which it is said that all one needs to make one's dreams come true is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust.
* The [[Sage]] background goal "All Knowledge is Worth Having" is a saying from Jacqueline Carey's ''Kushiel's Dart''.
* The [[Urchin]] background goal "Artful Dodger" is taken from the nickname of the leader of a street urchin gang in Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''.
 
== Music ==
 
* The [[Entertainer]] background goal "Eclipse of the Heart" references the 1983 Bonnie Tyler song "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
* The [[Haunted One]] background goal "Who Let the Gnolls Out" references the 2000 Baha Men song "Who Let the Dogs Out".


== External Links ==
== External Links ==
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*Avatar: The Last Airbender – [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender Wikipedia] ● [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender TV Tropes]
*Avatar: The Last Airbender – [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender Wikipedia] ● [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender TV Tropes]
*Discworld – [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld Wikipedia] ● [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Discworld TV Tropes]
*Discworld – [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld Wikipedia] ● [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Discworld TV Tropes]
*Final Fantasy XIV – [[wikipedia:Final_Fantasy_XIV|Wikipedia]] ● [https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Haurchefant FFXIV Wiki]
*Jojo's Bizarre Adventure – [[wikipedia:JoJo's_Bizarre_Adventure|Wikipedia]] ● [https://jojowiki.com/JoJo_Wiki Jojo's Bizarre Encyclopedia]
== References ==
{{reflist|url}}


[[Category:Easter Eggs]]
[[Category:Easter Eggs]]
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