Baldur’s Gate 3 player discovers Withers’ true identity hidden right in the game
Larian Studios;
The mysterious Withers is one of the most helpful allies in Baldur’s Gate 3. Now, a player has found his backstory is hiding in the game – and it has deep ties to Dungeons & Dragons lore.
Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to gain allies to help them along on their journey. One of these is the mysterious Withers.
After meeting him in Act 1, Withers will join the player’s Camp. There, they can ask him to recruit hirelings, respec characters, and even bring a fallen comrade back from the dead.
While clearly powerful, the game doesn’t explicitly tell you who Withers is and why he can do the things he does. However, a player has found the truth hidden within some easily missed book in Act 3.
Note, spoilers for Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 3 and the game’s main antagonists to follow.
Larian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 Withers is secretly a powerful entity from D&D lore
Reddit user Serbian-American went over their discovery in a post, revealing that the secret of Wither’s backstory was right in front of their face the whole time.
According to them, by reading some books found in an underground mausoleum in the Baldur’s Gate Graveyard, players can learn that Withers is actually Jergal, Lord of the End of Everything and Faerûn’s original god of death.
While the book doesn’t explicitly come out and say that Withers is Jergal, it’s heavily implied. In the book, Jergal says the same line Wither does upon awakening him from his slumber in Act 1.
According to the book, Jergal ceded his role as the god of death, which lines up with existing Dungeons & Dragons lore. Another book found in the same room even explains his motivation for helping the player: He was usurped by Myrkul, one of the Dead Three who serve as Baldur’s Gate 3’s main antagonists.
This information makes it clear why Withers allies himself with the party, as well as why he’s so powerful. Being the former god of death, it makes sense why he has stronger resurrection powers than even a high-level Cleric. That power can also explain how he can change just about every aspect of what a character is, save for their appearance.
Perhaps a future update or potential Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC could go further into Withers’ story, but for now, this is a great reward Larian Studios has hidden for those players who check every shelf and read every book.
