(Image credit: Larian)

While doing some research on Baldur’s Gate 3’s sick assassin armor that you no longer have to kill a baby elephant to wear, I made the shocking discovery of some readily available, not secret at all information: Doug Cockle of The Witcher fame had an important, but somewhat-hidden performance in Baldur’s Gate 3. I figured if it was news to me after 400 hours, it’d be news to at least some people, but spoilers ahead for Baldur’s Gate 3’s third act and Dark Urge origin.

Doug Cockle plays no less a role than Bhaal, the Lord of Murder, in Baldur’s Gate 3. The bloodthirsty deity was the reason for the season in the original Baldur’s Gates, and he still plays a big part in BG3’s story as a patron/father to both Orin the Red and Dark Urge player characters.

It’s only as a Dark Urge that you get the scene featuring Cockle as Bhaal. The Lord of Murder takes over capering goblin butler Sceleritas Fel as his mouthpiece, delivering a final ultimatum for Dark Urge player characters to either reject Bhaal entirely, or come back into the fold. I never once clocked this as being Cockle even after two playthroughs as the Dark Urge, but of course now, rewatching the scene, I can totally hear it.

It’s a real playing against type moment for Cockle, who’s just giving a full send of sinister, venomous contempt. Also, leave it to Larian to hide a cameo by a beloved voice actor at the end of a path through the game a majority of players won’t even see.

If you need more Doug Cockle in your life, he’s 100% guaranteed to make an appearance as Geralt in The Witcher 4⁠—hopefully as the final boss of the Gwent minigame, but if he pulls a Vesemir and dies I will be retreating to the hills and forests with a trusted cadre of guerilla fighters. In the meantime, Cockle already reprised his role as Geralt in the animated Netflix show, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, which we liked well enough, and he also spoke to PCG associate editor Lauren Morton about returning to his iconic role.