Baldur’s Gate 3 Gortash discovery finally settles ‘young and handsome’ debate
Larian Studios There has been an ongoing Gortash meme in Baldur’s Gate 3 that questions the validity of anyone calling him “young and handsome,” but that’s what your Tav seems to think. Now, one player has discovered a detail that may explain why he is described that way.
Baldur’s Gate 3 players have been talking a lot in recent months about how confusing it is that your Tav – among others in Faerun – seems to think that Gortash is handsome. His appearance has been something of a debate for a while, and it led to a long-running meme in the community that made fun of his “young and handsome” status, when it was clear to many that this was not true.
Gortash is one of the Dead Three, but particularly, he is the Chosen of Bane. Bane is not as well explored as Bhaal, for example, in the game, but it does explain a lot about why Gortash is the way he is.
One player has found this little detail may point to exactly why people describe him as attractive. “He is canonically handsome, Bane takes over young black haired noblemen, turning them into oily, slick talking mad men,” ‘Timely-Comparison572’ shared in a post on Reddit.
Alongside the post, they shared a picture of some text which described the meaning of Bane’s Avatar. In the text, it says that Bane usually doesn’t like to be seen in person. As a result, he takes possession of mortals, preferring “young and good-looking men of slim build, cultured tastes, wealth, and power.”
The text continued to explain that once the possession of the person had been completed, they would turn to a “handsome, black-haired man of oily looks and a derisive, even cruel, manner.”
This description fits Gortash perfectly, according to players in the comments. More than that, it offered an explanation for the kind of things he did to Karlach, and why he would want to try and keep his image of being that handsome young man he once was.
Some players even pointed out that Bane’s possession of Gortash continued throughout the game. “This makes sense. If you kill Gortash and use Speak with Dead on him, you talk directly to Bane, and not Gortash at all,” a player explained.
The detail itself was not found in the game, but actually drawn from Dungeons and Dragons lore, which Baldur’s Gate 3 closely follows.
So, while the explanation makes sense to players, it could just be something that inspired Larian to create Gortash. On the other hand, players do have some compelling evidence that Gortash is gone, and Bane has fully taken his place.
Either way, the end that Gortash meets is still quite tightly sealed depending on the choices you make. Whether you want to fight him or help him get to the Netherbrain, maybe now the decision will have a little more weight.