Larian Studios has confirmed that Halsin will only be able to take the form of a bear during his infamous romance scene in Baldur's Gate 3 and that the moment serves to highlight his character more than anything else.
Baldur's Gate 3 has always been a popular game that many people are excited about, but it's easy to pinpoint the moment where it went mainstream - the bear sex scene. During a Panel from Hell showcase, Larian decided to show off some of the game's romance options, including one with a Druid named Halsin. In the scene, Halsin uses his Wild Shape to transform into a bear and, uh, well I'm sure you know enough about the birds and the bees to figure out the rest.
This scene skyrocketed Baldur's Gate 3's popularity and put it on the map even more than it was before. With that in mind, I reached out to Larian Studios to ask some questions about the infamous scene and how the team has responded to it being such a big hit. Let's get one thing out of the way first, though - Halsin will only take the form of a bear during the romance, so don't go expecting a bunch of different animals to get down with.
"There’s only that one moment," Larian Studio tells me. "It serves to highlight a part of Halsin’s character more than anything else – he’s an elf and a druid who’s been around for hundreds of years and has lived among animals, so he’s a bit alien in that sense. As the player who’s decided to pursue a romance with Halsin, you’re beginning to learn a lot more about him in that scene."
If only being able to shag a bear is disappointing to you then I'd consider taking some time to reflect on yourself, but I do have some good news for you. When I asked if things could get weirder, Larian just replied with a simple but seductive "Yes". I'm not quite sure how that's the case if we're not screwing more wildlife, but I'm here for the ride.
As for the massive response from players in regards to the bear scene, Larian says that it purposefully chose to show it off because it represents all of the work that's gone into Baldur's Gate 3 and how much freedom it gives the player with their choices. Larian also said that the response to the scene has inspired new players to look into the game more.
Larian Studios said, "The scene with Halsin and Astarion sparked a surge of interest, but it’s been more of a jumping-off point that got people talking about everything else we’ve shown of Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s just one example of a scene in the game that encompasses a lot: it shows you the quality of BG3’s cinematics, it shows you that player agency and choice and consequence goes further than you might expect, that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game with interesting and complex characters."