Cut and unimplemented content

Overview

Unimplemented spells

Helia

Nightsong

Early models of the Chosen

Baldur's Gate 3 had a long development cycle with many features that were cut or unimplemented, and in some cases implemented differently than it was originally conceived. Most of the contents detailed in this article are therefore not canon to the events of the game.

Removed content

A significant amount of content was removed or reimagined during Early Access or at an earlier stage of development.

Characters

Helia

Main article: Helia

Helia was datamined during Early Access as a potential origin. Little is known about her, as she has never been officially confirmed, but the datamined content suggests she might have been intended to be a werewolf bard.

Nerela

Nerela during the cutscene

Nerela was a tiefling refugee that could have been encountered in the Emerald Grove, on a rocky ledge behind Mattis. She was never finished, and was cut sometime before Early Access, though her model, animations, dialogue and interactions still remain in the game files. She was to be in the possession of a Music Box, playing  The Power as the party approached her; Nerela tells the party that her husband used to make music boxes for their daughter in order to keep her distracted. During her family's flight to Baldur's Gate, they stumbled upon a pack of gnolls that soon killed Nerela's husband and daughter, with the music box being one of the few possessions she still has left. She mentions hearing about how entry into Baldur's Gate would require coin and bribes, and how that she doesn't have anything to her name. The party can then offer to buy the music box from her, be charitable and give her gold, or tell her to accept Auntie Ethel's offer of purchase instead.

However, should the party instead inspect the music box and pass an Insight check, it'd reveal that Nerela had been lying the whole time, shedding fake tears and making up an elaborate sob story in order to get the party to part with their coin. The tiefling conwoman reveals her scheme and states that she'd need to coin to enter Baldur's Gate, as guards there fish for bribes. Nerela can then be forced to part with the music box through Intimidation or  Detect Thoughts, applauded for her acting skills, or the party can still give her some gold, to which she'll accept and tell the party to watch out for the tiefling children instead, calling them the real swindlers.

Rurik

Main article: Rurik

Rurik was a dwarven rogue found outside the Risen Road Toll House, in Early Access. He was a member of Anders' group, hunting the origin character Karlach. Unlike Karlach, he was removed from the final game.

Spencer

Spencer was a halfling monster hunter that was cut sometime before Early Access. He could have been situated in or nearby the Emerald Grove, and the currently-existing tiefling called Eramas was once meant to be his associate. He also had interactions with Wyll, could tell the party about his profession, and was at some point involved with a mysterious vampire ambush that would have happened during Act Two, within the Shadow-Cursed Lands.

Items

• The Blade of Frontiers' Eye - was Wyll's starting eye item. During Early Access, the eyes were an equippable item along with Volo's Ersatz Eye.
• Belts - during Early Access there was a slot for belts on the left side of the equipment doll in the inventory screen. Although there were no belts in the game to obtain, there was at least one non-magical belt in the game files. In the release version of the game there isn't a slot for belts anymore.
• Various other items that were present in the Early Access are now unobtainable in the full release version, among them are the Non-Wizard Scrolls due to the fact that wizards could add these scrolls to their spell list in the Early Access.

Non-Wizard Scrolls

• Scroll of Armour of Agathys
• Scroll of Bane
• Scroll of Barkskin
• Scroll of Bless
• Scroll of Cure Wounds
• Scroll of Guiding Bolt
• Scroll of Healing Word
• Scroll of Heat Metal
• Scroll of Inflict Wounds
• Scroll of Lesser Restoration
• Scroll of Moonbeam
• Scroll of Prayer of Healing
• Scroll of Protection from Poison
• Scroll of Resistance
• Scroll of Shield of Faith
• Scroll of Silence
• Scroll of Spike Growth
• Circlet of Fire

Other Items

• Doom Axe
• Gloves of Succour
• Promise
• Ring of Restorative Gravity
• Scale Mail Armour +1
• Wyvern Poison

The world map

In Early Access, when the party reached the Mountain Pass crossing, they were sent to the Overworld menu with the worldmap, where icons of previously discovered locations could be clicked on akin to Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II. The map for the final version still exists, albeit only as a Digital Deluxe bonus image and isn't actually in the game.

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  The world map in Early Access.

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  Digital Deluxe Map

Thralls saving the Mindflayer

In the Ravaged Beach there is a dying mindflayer. During Early Access, it wasn't alone, as there were a few enthralled fishermen trying to rescue it with one of them thinking it's his daughter. They will initiate combat if you fail Persuasion check.

Redesigned content

A significant amount of content was changed during development. Some were placeholder models, like Karlach's and the Chosen from Early Access Patch 5.

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  Karlach's EA Model

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  Astarion's EA Starter Costume

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  Gale's Earliest look

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  Concept Art of Guardian of Faith's Shields that would have changed depending on deity.

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  Placeholder Karlach

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  Chosen Placeholders from Early Access Patch 5

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  Gale in Early Access

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  Harper Lassandra pre-release as seen in the Official Launch Trailer

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  Gauntlet Yeva in Early Access

Minsc

Minsc may have at some point been intended to be an origin character available as early as Act One, with datamined dialogue in the Druid Grove of Guex talking with Minsc and mentioning an attack hamster.

(Minsc is probably proposing that Guex gets himself an attack hamster.)

• Minsc: [Dialogue not found]
• Guex: A hamster? I'm afraid the armory is fresh out of attack rodents.
  • (Followed by Minsc likely telling him to try to rage.)
  • Minsc: [Dialogue not found]
  • Guex: Rage, you say? RrrrrrrARGH! Step-brace, parry, swing - ugh. Still not landing!
  • Minsc: Again! More anger! Make evil quake!
    • [Unknown dialogue branch]
  • Minsc: Spineless exuses! Cowardice is the manure from which evil grows!
    • Guex: Spineless? Well, I'll show you! Brace and step swivel swing! Yes! <...>
    • ( +1  +1  +1  +1)
  • Minsc: Leave

Dream Visitor

In Early Access, the Dream Guardian was known as the Dream Visitor, and was portrayed differently than in the full release, wearing ornate dress similar to the Elegant Robe camp clothing rather than a set of armour.

Named "Daisy" in the game files (even after release), the Dream Visitor would grant the player character visions of domination and power, and became hostile should they resist these visions.

The Dream Visitor would also attempt to seduce the player character. It is likely, the song Down by the River was originally based on these interactions as the Dreams took place by the river and the song asks the player to stay there in the dream with them forever (Don't wake me up, Just leave me there dreaming).

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  Tell me. Who do you dream of at night? - Narrator

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  Waking up in a dream

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  Watching Baldur's Gate burn

Nightsong

Main article: Aylin/Cut content

The Nightsong plot apparently had significant differences during early development from what appears in the full game.

Isobel was supposed to have been killed by Balthazar, and Aylin was framed for her murder. Isobel's father Ketheric Thorm turned Aylin into Nightsong as an act of revenge. A century later, Ketheric tasked Balthazar with bringing Isobel back. This ritual also bound Isobel's life to Ketheric, sharing his immortality with her. If Ketheric was killed before unthethering Isobel from him, they would both go to the afterlife.

Nose of the Nautiloid

An entire area of the Nautiloid ship in the Prologue was removed. This area could be visited right after a slightly different imp battle and provided a roundabout way to get to Shadowheart's room. It was available in Early Access but was eventually removed likely to shorten the Prologue chapter to enhance replayability.

When walking out into open air, a short cinematic played, in which the nose of the Nautiloid in front of the party was badly damaged by attacking red dragons. Thankfully this did not affect the party's route.

Nose of the Nautiloid

The path forward

• Various dead lesser imps and thralls could be looted around this whole area for minor riches and equipment, including a Studded Shield. One incinerated dead thrall all the way towards the nose of the ship had a File:Potion of Poison Resistance Unfaded Icon.pngPotion of Poison Resistance (where the "1" is marked on the map). It was necessary to jump over some fire to reach the body. The thrall also held on to yet another brain in a jar, and this one is called Our Mind.

• Turning back, the party could climb another set of stairs to reach an upper level of the Nautiloid, from either side. An intellect devourer told the party that they must go to the helm of the ship to provide assistance. The party could choose to attack, but the ensuing fight might actually proved difficult as there were also two lively thralls there maintaining some cannons.

• There were also two lesser imps towards the south, having some sort of argument, one of them already wounded. There was a Battleaxe lying on the ground here.

Talking to some of the dying enthralled cultists on the ground around this area granted the party a little insight on how they thought. One talked about red, flying rats in the kitchen clawing at him, clearly referring to the imps who attacked the thralls. Another spoke as if he was talking to his mother, saying that he was tired and wanted to go to sleep early. Although talking to them revealed, rather tragically, that the thralls were just poor victims under mind control.

The path forward was back into the Nautiloid via a corridor to the north, stretching east. There was a mucous membrane the party needed to attack to break through, and then a door leading into the next major room, where Shadowheart was locked up in Mind Flayer pod.

Assaulting Moonrise Towers

Florrick at Moonrise Towers

At some point in development, the Act Two questline called for the inclusion of Counsellor Florrick and the deeper involvement of the Flaming Fists during the Assault on Moonrise Towers. Not only is Florrick involved during the main battle, her usual cohort made up of Fist Cyril, Fist Thadwick, and Manip Vidor can be seen during the assault, accompanied by an unknown masked Harper gnome that bears some resemblance to the failsafe character Lanni. Notably, usual Harper and Fist characters like Lymn, Essius, Ulthred, Helena, and Rhed are nowhere to be seen. In the release versions of the game, Florrick as well as her cohort disappear from Act Two as soon as the party long rests after they encounter them at Last Light Inn.

There are also some very minor differences for Disciple Z'rell, who is instead clothed in white Absolutist robes and missing a Shield in her off-hand.

Illithid powers

In Early Access, illithid powers were much simpler. Instead of consuming other tadpoles to gain points to spend on powers, the tadpole grew more powerful when using Illithid Persuasion options in dialogue. Once Illithid Persuasion were used three times, a special cutscene was triggered during the next long rest and each character gained a single illithid power unique to their class. Some of these abilities were reworked into the current illithid powers. A full list of Early Access powers can be seen below:

Early Access Illithid Powers
Power	Class	Description	How to Obtain
Endless Rage	Barbarian	While Raging, deal an additional 1d4 damage with weapon attacks, but receive 1d4Psychic damage each turn. Prevents Rage from ending early.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Stage Fright	Bard	Drown your enemies in an overwhelming fear of failure. They receive Disadvantage on Attack Rolls and take 2d6Psychic damage each time they miss an Attack Roll. Ends when they hit with an Attack Roll.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Survival Instinct	Cleric	Infuse a creature with psionic force. If it reaches 0 HP, it regains 3d4 HP instead of falling Unconscious.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Aberrant Shape	Druid	Magically assume the shape of an Intellect Devourer that can deal Psychic damage.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Psionic Pull	Fighter	Pull a creature or object toward you.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Fracture Psyche	Paladin	Invade a target's mind and disrupt its defenses (Reduces target's  Armour Class by 1).	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Force Tunnel	Ranger	Charge forward and push all objects and creatures in your path away from you.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Inkblot	Rogue	Create a cloud of magical darkness and immediately attempt to hide. Creatures within the cloud are Heavily Obscured and Blinded. Creatures cannot make ranged attacks into or out of the darkness.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Horrific Visage	Sorcerer	Release the eldritch magic within you and terrify a creature with your twisted powers. Regain 2 Sorcery Points and potentially deal 1d4Psychic damage per turn for 3 turns.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Supernatural Attraction	Warlock	You are part of a greater whole. Concentrate on your connection to teleport to another tadpole-infected creature.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Reflective Shell	Wizard	A protective shell envelops you. It reflects any projectiles targeted at you to their point of origin. Does not affect creatures that don't rely on sight or that can see through illusions.	Succeed on 3 Illithid Wisdom Skill Checks, then rest until you receive a dream cutscene.
Repulsor	All Classes	Channel the power of the Absolute, knocking back all creatures and objects and dealing 2d6Force damage.	Help Omeluum investigate the parasite

Unimplemented spells

Main article: Unimplemented spells

Many spells were never fully implemented in the game, but remnants of them remain in the game files.

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Unimplemented coinage

More Coins - icons for various types of coins from Forgotten Realms can be found in the game files, matching their look from the Fifth Edition of D&D. It's possible the developers were initially going to implement the D&D coin system: copper > silver > gold > electrum > platinum. They were probably cut to make the money system simpler as the previous Baldur's Gate entries didn't have the other types of coin either.

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  CopperCoin

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  Copper Pile

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  Silver Coin

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  Silver Pile

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  Electrum Coin

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  Electrum Pile

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  Platinum Coin

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  Platinum Pile

Unimplemented jewelry

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  Magic Amulet Necklace Gold

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  Magic Amulet Necklace Silver

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  Magic Amulet Necklace Bronze

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  OutpostJewelry

Unimplemented D20 dice

GEN_Quest.dds is an item that looks like a D20 dice. The name suggests it to be a generic placeholder image for a quest-related item, possibly for the Mysterious Artefact.

Unimplemented jewelry

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  GEN Quest

Unimplemented scrolls

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  JergasScrollOfTheDead (sic!)