From The Gutter To The Globe: “Baldur’s Gate 3” Boss Demanded “Less Poo, More Shakespeare” from Writers

The Bard class in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterclass in roleplaying and creative freedom. The class’s signature cantrip, Vicious Mockery, allows players to verbally eviscerate their opponents with a flurry of insults, causing psychic damage and giving them a disadvantage on their next attack. The sheer variety and wit of these lines have become a fan-favorite feature, but as it turns out, the spell’s insults were almost a lot less varied, and a lot more… scatological. In a recent livestream, a junior writer for Larian Studios revealed that the game’s creative director, Swen Vincke, had to intervene after noticing a peculiar trend in the insult list. His simple, yet powerful, note to the writing team: “Less poo, more Shakespeare.”

“Why Are So Many of Them About Poo?”

According to junior writer Martin Docherty, the team was compiling a massive sheet of insults for the Vicious Mockery spell. In a moment of a true creative singularity, the writing team, in an effort to be as “vicious” as possible, had collectively gravitated toward a very specific kind of humor. As Docherty put it, “We’ve all kind of gone very scatological.”

The moment of truth came when Vincke reviewed the list. His note, a mix of genuine curiosity and a bit of professional concern, was a simple question: “Why are so many of them about poo?” The Larian boss, who is known for his hands-on approach to game development and his focus on player freedom, was clearly looking for a more varied and nuanced approach to the game’s humor.

The result was a note that the writing team “will remember for a long time,” a direct request to broaden the comedic horizons beyond the latrine. While some of the more infamous insults—such as “Majesty of manure, sovereign of shit!”—did make it into the final game, the creative team was clearly encouraged to add a more refined and, dare we say, elegant variety of insults.

• A Deeper Look at Writing: The anecdote is a fascinating look into the writing philosophy of Larian Studios. The team is known for its ability to create a world with an unprecedented level of depth and player choice. This story is a testament to the fact that even in the smallest details, the studio is constantly striving for a higher level of creative excellence.
• The “Roleplaying” of Insults: In the world of Dungeons & Dragons, on which Baldur’s Gate 3 is based, the Vicious Mockery spell is a simple cantrip that deals psychic damage. But in the hands of Larian’s writers, it was transformed into a roleplaying opportunity. The fact that the insults are so varied, so specific, and so often hilarious is a key part of the game’s charm.
• The Bard is a “Creative” Class: The Bard is a class that is all about creativity and performance. The story of the “less poo, more Shakespeare” note is a perfect example of how the developers’ own creativity was challenged and refined, resulting in a game that is a truly artistic achievement.

The Humor That Made a Masterpiece

The story of the Vicious Mockery spell is a perfect microcosm of why Baldur’s Gate 3 has been such a critical and commercial success. It’s a game that is constantly surprising you with its depth, its attention to detail, and its willingness to be both serious and incredibly silly. The fact that the game’s creative director had to ask for “less poo” is not a sign of a bad creative process; on the contrary, it’s a sign of a team that is so passionate and so dedicated to its craft that they are constantly pushing each other to be better. The high CPC keywords for these discussions, such as “Baldur’s Gate 3 Vicious Mockery,” “Larian Studios writing philosophy,” “Dungeons & Dragons humor,” and “Swen Vincke quotes,” all point to a passionate and ongoing conversation about the future of a game that is, for so many, a true masterpiece of the RPG genre.