One BG3 Companion Is Way Younger Than I Realized, But It Makes So Much Sense

Attention isn’t often brought to the ages of the companions in Baldur’s Gate 3. For example, lots of players are often surprised to find out that Shadowheart is in her forties, despite coming across as younger. This could be due to the half-elf aging in BG3 being a little vague, especially with characters like Jaheria, but it may also be a deliberate choice to make her appear younger because of her amnesia, which caused her to forget the first major portion of her life and development.

Details like this are what make the world of BG3 feel so alive. Especially when it comes to the main cast, almost every aspect of the characters’ background and context is thoroughly explored. One character in particular stands out as having some fantastic characterization tied to their place in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons – I’ve only just realized how this seemingly small and insignificant detail surrounding Lae’zel’s age actually massively affected how she was written.

Lae’zel Being The Youngest Shapes Her Dynamics With The Other Companions

Lae’zel’s Knowledge About Mind Flayers Is Commonplace Among Gith, But Not The Party

Other than Minsc’s extended life due to being petrified, there is nothing particularly notable about the ages of the other companions, as they’re all pretty standard for the average members of their species – apart from Lae’zel. Not only is she the youngest member of the group, she is actually very young for a githyanki, only being in her early twenties. At the start of BG3, Lae’zel has never been to the Astral Plane, because she has not yet retrieved the head of a mind flayer – which is when githyanki are generally considered to have reached adulthood.

Though the average lifespan of a gith is only about 100 years, this only accounts for the material plane, and they can live eternally on the astral plane. This is why they raise their children in crèches in the material realm.

Even though she is cognitively a young adult, she is not well respected by her own people – Lae’zel joining the party is one of the few times she has felt “superior” to the people around her, which is why she acts so abrasively. Even if the player is a githyanki themselves, Lae’zel is the one with the most knowledge of mind flayers and their parasites, and she enjoys flaunting that knowledge. She is the first gith most of the companions meet, and she hasn’t experienced the same level of fearful awe and respect that they grant her from others before.

Lae’zel’s Stubborn Nature Likely Stems From Her Trying To Hide Her Fear & Naïveté

She Has A Fear Of Being Insignificant And Not Being Known

Lae’zel is a lot less hostile towards a player who is also a gith, and it seems quite evident that beneath her cold exterior, she’s terrified, and going through one of the worst things she can imagine. She’s infected by an illithid parasite which dooms her to become what she has been raised to hate most. She finds herself alone in an unknown area, surrounded by those with only surface-level knowledge of mind flayers. She clings to anything which is familiar to her, immediately making it clear that her first order of business is to find a crèche.

This becomes extremely obvious to the player if they decide to enter Lae’zel’s mind during the scene where she almost kills them because she believes them to be transforming into a mind flayer. She has a massive fear of insignificance, as well as an extremely rigid view of success, thinking that nothing will matter if she can’t achieve the exact outcome she wants. Her mindset comes across as being quite naive, and until the truth of Vlaakith’s deceit is right in front of her eyes, she will do anything to push her doubt back.

If the player brings up the fact that Lae’zel must be experiencing culture shock, Lae’zel will brush it off, claiming that this is not her first interaction with non-githyanki. While it’s unlikely that she’s completely lying, it’s also unlikely that she is as experienced as she paints herself out to be. Even if she appears to be a seasoned warrior in the eyes of the player, she isn’t in the eyes of other githyanki, which has shaped her insecurities.

Lae’zel is referred to as a “child” by the majority of matured githyanki NPCs – this is more than them simply talking down to her; they genuinely view her as a child – or at least “lesser” to themselves. “Softness” is not commendable in githyanki society, and interactions with other githyanki will lead players to realize that she is actually extremely merciful and perhaps even kind compared to the rest of her kin. She’s acutely aware that she is not the “model” githyanki, and is desperate to prove herself to be as mature and respectable as the rest of her kind.

Players See Lae’zel Mature And Open Up Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3

Lae’zel Has Some Of The Best Character Development

Something that is particularly noticeable in Lae’zel’s character is her constant desire to appeal to the authority figures in her life, in a way which is similar to how a child may look up to a mentor. She does everything in her power to appease Vlaakith unless the player can steer her away from them, and she will become enraged and almost panic-like if the player decides not to comply with Kith’rak Therezzyn and hand over the mysterious artifact to her. Lae’zel’s young mind has been warped to believe everything the elder gith say, without question or critical thinking.

This may not have had the same impact if Lae’zel was a more seasoned member of gith society. She has lots of ideals which she doesn’t fully grasp or understand – she craves respect from her peers, and someone who hasn’t reached maturity in the eyes of the rest of her people was the perfect choice to explore this concept. You could describe her as being sheltered at the start of the game – for example, if you romance Lae’zel in Baldur’s Gate 3, then some banter with Gale will reveal that she has never heard of the word “love” before.

With the help of the player, Lae’zel can undo her programming and properly think for herself. Some players may notice that Lae’zel’s voice changes slightly throughout the game, and there is reason to believe this was a purposeful choice. As Lae’zel develops away from having a snarky, teenage-like personality, her voice becomes deeper and a bit more controlled to show how she’s matured. Lae’zel is a fantastically written character, and many players may miss that her age is such a large part of how she is characterized in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Source: DearPersimmon8155/Reddit