Ignoring Rolan in Baldur’s Gate 3’s first act has heartbreaking consequences

Emerald Grove sets the scene for a lot of questlines in Baldur’s Gate 3, but possibly one of the most heartbreaking comes into play if you don’t talk to Rolan.

Rolan is an apprentice Wizard who you meet in Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time in Emerald Grove. It’s a bit tricky, though, because no quest or person directs you to him. He can be easy to miss as a random NPC just standing and talking to his friends near the entrance. 

If you want to make sure that you save all the Tieflings, though, it’s quite important that you do talk to him. Rolan plays a surprisingly big role in a few quests in Act 2 and 3, despite being a smaller side character in general. 

One unlucky player, ‘almostb,’ found out what happens when you miss out on talking to him. First, it’s likely that Bex’s husband will die, along with some of the Tieflings who tried to make it to Last Light.

The worst is what happens when you meet Rolan in Act 3 at Sorcerous Sundries. “I found Rolan at Sorcerous Sundries, but the worst part was when I arrived to fight Lorroakan he sided with Lorroakan and against me,” they explained on Reddit. 

Sadly, even if you try to knock him out during this fight, he will stay hostile when he wakes up. So, if you don’t talk to him back in Emerald Grove, things can go awry very quickly. 

It goes to show that a simple choice can turn the tides of the story quite significantly. When you talk to Rolan in Emerald Grove, you essentially need to convince him to stay and help the Tieflings. This is what brings him to Last Light Inn, where he plays a huge role in getting them all there safely.

Aside from that, his end at Sorcerous Sundries is a lot more depressing than if you helped him through Acts 1 and 2. Here, if you did meet him in Emerald Grove (and consequently save him in Act 2), he takes Lorroakan’s place in Sorcerous Sundries after you defeat him together.

But if not, he just meets a sad ending. And you can’t really blame him, because he doesn’t know you as anyone other than the person who’s trying to threaten his mentor. So, you’re forced to kill him, and nobody gets a happy ending.

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes in Baldur’s Gate 3, and this is one of the best examples in how heavily your choices matter. So, if you want to make sure everyone survives in your next playthrough, be sure to keep talking to everyone you can.