Warning: Major spoilers for Act 2 of Baldur's Gate 3 ahead.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game filled with mystical intrigue and deep lore, and it seems some creative players have found a bizarre and unconventional way to speedrun through Act 2 using Gale, a wizard character with a magical dilemma.
Gale's story begins with a magical nuke embedded in his chest, a remnant of a failed attempt to impress his ex-wife. This magical predicament turns into a game-altering decision when Gale is commanded by Mystra to detonate himself to defeat the Absolute, a giant mind flayer brain. If he chooses to do so, he can take down the game's three main villains, Ketheric Thorm, Enver Gortash, and Orin, in a single explosion.
However, this choice has severe consequences. By completing Mystra's design and releasing the Absolute's magic, Gale triggers a chain reaction that leads to the transformation of every true soul in the Sword Coast into an Illithid. But, if executed correctly, this also allows the player to complete the game in a mere 10 minutes.
In a speedrun recorded by Mae on Youtube, Gale's 10-minute journey is achieved by strategically using spells like Misty Step to skip major battles and Enhanced Leap to traverse long distances. Along with the help of other characters like Shadowheart and some humorous tactics, such as stripping Gale naked before entering the final chamber, Mae showcases a run that's not only astonishing but also completely cartoonish in its execution.
This unconventional route may not lead to a "good" ending by traditional standards, but it certainly delivers an ending—and in the world of speedrunning, that's what counts. Gale's arrival, clad only in his underwear and carrying a city-destroying bomb, brings a new and unexpected dimension to Baldur's Gate 3, proving once again that a wizard always arrives precisely when he means to, even if it's in the most unconventional of ways.
Source: YouTube