Summary
One of the reasons behindBaldur’s Gate 3’s immense success has to do with the memorable cast of characters introduced in the game. Many are within the game’s party, whose clashing personalities and fantastically written arcs have helpedBaldur’s Gate 3become one of 2023’s best games.
Despite gaining most party members at the start of the game’s first act, several more can be recruited even dozens of hours after the game’s introduction, some of whom are returning characters from previous entries in the series. Among them isJaheira, an elf introduced in the firstBaldur’s Gateas Gorion’s friend who’d been trusted to keep his ward safe alongside her husband Khalid, and with there being roughly a century betweenBaldur’s Gate 2andBaldur’s Gate 3, she’s undergone a few changes in her personal life.
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How Jaheira Has Changed Between Baldur’s Gate Installments
An obvious difference between her original appearance and the latest one is that Jaheira has aged slightly between games. Although it might seem odd that she only looks a handful of years older despite over a century passing, it falls in line with elven lifespans inDungeons & Dragons, especially with high-elves who can live for many centuries. How their lives are divided up is also similar to humans, meaning that someone like Jaheira a century would probably be in a single stage of her life if she already hasn’t crossed into the beginning stages of the next one.
This means that she hasn’t lost much strength or power across games since she is still in the prime of her life, not only fighting alongside the protagonist at certain points but potentially becoming a permanent party member. It also means that not much is needed to explain why she’s aged so little across games unlike anotherMinsc, another party member from the originalBaldur’s Gatewhose return and youthful appearance is justified by him spending over a century encased in stone.
Beyond her appearance,the powerful Druidhas also remained a hot-headed individual who is quick to make her opinions known. This means that she can come across as rude at several points, and it’s a part of her often highlighted inBaldur’s Gate 3with sarcastic remarks and irritability being commonplace in any conversation she’s in. Her headstrong personality has been a defining trait for the whole trilogy, as she is quick to annoy and take this out on anyone ranging from NPCs to the protagonist.
Where Jaheira has substantially changed is in her role in the world. She’s introduced inBaldur’s Gate 3as a leader for theHarpers, a prominent group inDungeons & Dragonswho are generally a force for good. Her relationship with the group used to be more complicated, but her feelings toward it had softened over the years as she embraced being one of its full members.
Another big change for Jaheira is that she is a mother by the timeBaldur’s Gate 3begins. In the time between games, she purchased a house in the titular city and started adopting children of varying races to raise and teach them how to fight. This even leads to a funny and heartwarming conversation if she is in the player’s party when they visit her home as her children had assumed she passed away.
Jaheira’s return inBaldur’s Gate 3is a nice touch added that helps the game feel more connected to its predecessors. Seeing that she has grown even more between titles while keeping true to her character adds to that point even more. While the game works perfectly as a stand-alone experience, seeing returning faces who reference the previous games' events in relevant situations is undoubtedly rewarding for long-time fans.
Baldur’s Gate 3is out now for PC and will come out September 6 on PS5. A version for Xbox Series X/S is currently in development.
