Rendering cutscenes in-engine carries with it certain hazards. As Assassin’s Creed Unity players may know, glitches can undermine an otherwise dramatic moment. But, as wild as that game’s wandering Frenchmen are, Baldur’s Gate 3 has it beat. Watch as this fantasy RPG game‘s bumbling bard comes to an unexpected and explosive end in a brilliant Baldur’s Gate 3 scene.
If you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, then you’ve probably never laid eyes on Assassin Creed Unity’s magnificently glitchy cutscene.
The scene starts normally enough but, about halfway through, two random NPCs spawn in and just start chatting away. If this was a movie set they’d be ejected and the whole scene re-shot, but the conversation just goes on around them.
What it doesn’t have, however, is a massive explosion, which is why this new Baldur’s Gate 3 cutscene is so amazing. This shocking, bard-annihilating moment was encountered by Shawn Murphy, who posted it over on his TikTok.
Going by the clip, Murphy is attempting to replicate the explosive shenanigans that earned the admiration of Baldur’s Gate 3 lead system designer. He uses explosive barrels to help clear out the goblin base and rescue the imprisoned bard Volo, who begins thanking his party.
The catch is that the barrels haven’t quite finished exploding, so Volo is promptly wiped out by a massive explosion. It’s a beautiful moment. “Gods, I really thought I was…” are the final words to exit the bard’s mouth.
@shawn_60_ Volo fuggin EXPLODES 💣💣#bg3 #volo #baldursgate3 #dndtiktok #dnd #bard ♬ original sound – shawn murphy
And just like that, poor Volo is gone. Maybe if Shawn has a Speak with Dead scroll he can apologize? Though, to be fair, there’s no easy way of putting a stop to situations like this.
Larian could make Volo (and other NPCs) temporarily immortal but the explosion would still happen. Freezing time mid-conversation is another option though, as in some of the 3D Fallout games, you end up with everyone in the background becoming a statue.
So, sorry Assassin’s Creed Unity, we love those wonderfully oblivious Frenchman but Baldur’s Gate 3 has claimed the cutscene absurdity crown.
If you’re playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and you haven’t blown everyone to smithereens, you might find our Baldur’s Gate 3 quest guide useful. And here’s our Baldur’s Gate 3 barbarian build guide if you want to create a character who laughs at explosions.