Skipping One Conversation in Act I of Baldur's Gate 3 Ruins Lives of Many Characters. This Shows How Important This Side Character Is
Never underestimate a devilish magician who wants to find the right teacher.
Decisions made throughout Baldur’s Gate 3 accumulate in the final third act, when the protagonist can finally set foot in one of the most famous cities of the DnD universe. We get to know there the further fate of the characters we met along the way, who either found happiness or, on the contrary, collided with the harsh realities of life in the Gates.
Important tasks or conversations in the first act can still be easily overlooked in all of this. This, in turn, has its negative consequences in the later part of the story.
Do you still remember Roland?
Emerald Grove is one of those places where we can meet the first important side characters, including demons trying to safely reach the Baldur's Gate. Among them is a wizard named Rolan, whose dream is to start learning magic under the guidance of Master Lorroakan.
Rolan is impossible to miss, as we meet him right at the entrance to the Emerald Grove, arguing with his siblings. Since that time, the wizard shows up with the other refugees in the second act, when we have the opportunity to rescue him from the forest's cursed shadow.
In the end, Rolan ends up under Lorroakan's wing, but not in the role he had hoped for - the tiefling is treated more like a slave than a student, which leads him to be on our side during a potential confrontation with the powerful sorcerer. We can buy magical items from him earlier, of course.
Tragic consequences of miscommunication
As one player discovered, ignoring Rolan during his visit to the Grove can have disastrous consequences. A Reddit user only became aware of this during the second act, facing the initial repercussions - in The Last Light Inn, there were no specific NPCs (including Bex), and Rolan himself didn't require rescue from the shadows. Later it only got worse.
Once I got to Act 3 I heard that Bex was actually dead had to listen to her boyfriend cry about it. I found Rolan at Sorcerous Sundries, but the worst part was when I arrived to fight Lorroakan he sided with Lorroakan and against me.
-- almostb
Judging from the comments section, the lack of interaction with Rolan has a deeper and more sinister meaning. Despite coming across as arrogant and self-absorbed in his abilities during the initial conversation, it is because of him that numerous tieflings, including children, were able to survive the journey to the capital. If we convince him in the first act to help the rest of the refugees, then in the next one we will find out that his abilities saved the lives of many tieflings during the journey.
Regarding the climax of the Lorroakan thread, the reason for Roland's hostility is simple: he doesn't trust us. The situation is different when we have completed all the tasks for him and rescued his siblings from the cult of the Absolute.
So the conclusion from this story is simple. Make sure you've talked to all the NPCs before you move forward with the main plot - otherwise, you might be quite surprised when you enter the Baldur's Gate.
