Summary
- Withers is a mysterious character in Baldur's Gate 3 who offers unique services to the party, such as resurrecting dead companions and helping respec characters.
- Withers can be found in the Dank Crypt, but it is not necessary to encounter him there for him to arrive at the party's camp later.
- Withers has unusual abilities and is likely hiding his true identity, with the power to banish troublemakers to a different plane and control death and mortal souls.
Baldur's Gate 3 has several mysterious characters, and perhaps the most interesting among them is Withers. In of game mechanics, Withers is a necessary addition to the party's camp. His primary contributions are resurrecting dead companions, allowing for the purchase of hirelings, and helping respec characters. While there was no need to give Withers an in-depth background, Larian Studios shrouded him in mystery and gave multiple hints about his identity, which turns out to be pretty important.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Baldur's Gate 3.]
In Act 1, Withers can be found in the Richly Adorned Sarcophagus in the Dank Crypt. However, it isn't necessary to find him and open his sarcophagus in order to have him arrive at camp. If the party doesn't come across Withers in the Dank Crypt, then it's a matter of time until he shows up at camp anyway with an exclamation point over his head to explain the services he offers.
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Patch 5 Shows How Powerful Withers Really Is
It's no secret that Withers has unusual abilities because the party witnesses him use them throughout the game. Performing a resurrection in the Forgotten Realms isn't an easy feat, especially without access to the body, but Withers does this and charges only 200 gold, which is a cheap price considering the service. However, Withers shows off a new power in the epilogue that was added in Patch 5.
Six months after the events of Baldur's Gate 3, Withers hosts a party so that the heroes of the realm can reconnect and reforge the bonds that led a random group of people kidnapped on the Nautiloid to band together and take on the Dead Three. At this gathering, Withers warns the attendees that fun is mandatory, and he won't tolerate anybody ruining the party's vibes. And if an attendee doesn't listen and commits an action such as killing another attendee, Withers will summon a portal and banish them to an unknown location.
Where Does Withers' Portal Go?
The epilogue doesn't say where Withers sends the attendee who ruins the vibes of his party, but with the suspicions surrounding his real identity, it's possible that he could send them to the Fugue Plane. It's known through the Dark Urge that Withers can prevent a soul from wandering the Fugue Plane for an eternity. In that case, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that Withers would also have the ability to send a soul to the Fugue Plane.
Considering that Withers stresses the importance of the bonds formed during the party's journey to take on the Absolute, he takes it seriously when those bonds are broken. Therefore, Withers would be unlikely to just teleport the offender elsewhere in Faerûn, especially when taking into his speech that alludes to the next time the party will be needed to defeat a new threat. Simply sending the offender somewhere else would come with the risk that they could be a problem for the party later, so Withers' best option would be to send them to a different plane.
The Extent Of Withers' Powers
Clues throughout the acts hint at Withers' real identity in BG3, but it's unlikely that he shows anywhere close to the extent of power he actually has access to. He's an enigma that becomes stranger the more that's revealed about him, even in small conversations such as those he has with Arabella in Act 2 while she stays at camp. He reveals that he's always been the way he currently is, neither dead nor alive. Which is fitting for a character that's likely a god trying to hide his identity. It seems that the only thing that stops Withers from displaying his full power is his unwillingness to interfere too much in mortal lives.
However, with the Dark Urge as the main character in BG3, Withers displays that he has a measure of control over death and mortal souls. While he implies that he doesn't have the same amount of power he used to, using his power to bring back the Dark Urge after the God of Murder kills them seems to indicate that Withers isn't being entirely honest about the strength of his powers. Especially since he says he'll find the Dark Urge's soul a new home after the Netherbrain is dealt with so that they aren't doomed to wander the Fugue Plane for eternity once they die.
Withers' Motivations In BG3
One question that's left largely unanswered in Baldur's Gate 3 is why Withers appears and helps the party against the Absolute, and by extension, the Dead Three. With the hints that he's actually Jergal, the former God of Death who divided his power among the Dead Three, he may regret ing on his abilities or be unhappy with the way that the Dead Three have used their powers. One of the game tips actually mentions that Jergal made a deal with the Dead Three that led to the latter becoming gods, and that the details of that deal are unknown.
The lack of details about the deal that led to the Dead Three becoming gods of death in place of Jergal opens up the possibility that Jergal didn't want to enter into that deal. In which case, he could've been against the Dead Three ascending to godhood in the first place. This would lead to his interest in helping the party against their plot, but without interfering too much aside from performing cheap resurrections and providing access to hirelings.
Baldur's Gate 3 has so many characters that are fleshed out with stories and desires to make the world feel alive, but that also leads to mysteries that don't have clear answers, which is often the case with Withers. It's unusual that Withers has such strong feelings for protecting the bonds formed between the of the party to the point that he'll banish anybody who breaks his rules. But the way that he talks at the party makes it sound like this adventure isn't the end for the characters, and there are still stories to tell in the world of Baldur's Gate 3.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available on macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
