| “ | We're all doomed. | ” |
Xan is a lawful neutral elf Enchanter and a potential companion in 
Baldur's Gate (1998)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate campaign., 
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)
This icon indicates content from the original Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast campaign., and 
Baldur's Gate:
Enhanced Edition (2012)
This icon indicates content from the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition campaign.. He is also the owner of a powerful Moonblade, which can only be used by him.
Background[]
Xan is an enchanter and a Greycloak of Evereska sent to investigate the political turmoil of the Sword Coast. Unfortunately, he was captured and held prisoner by Mulahey.
Baldur's Gate & Tales of the Sword Coast[]
Recruitment[]
Xan is encountered near the end of Chapter Two, or the beginning of Chapter Three if the party deals with Mulahey first. He is found held captive in a cave room next to Mulahey's makeshift throne room in the Nashkel Mines, and will ask to help the party defeat him if they haven't already done so. Note that he will leave permanently if you turn him down at this point, but if his offer to join the party (whether Mulahey has already been killed or not) is accepted he can subsequently be released from the party and he will remain wherever he is until recruited again.
He also appears in the tutorial of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and the Enhanced Editions, where he explains how the wizard spells work.
Quest[]
Relationships[]
- Alora constantly pesters Xan for being a huge "grumpypuss" who doesn't smile enough. Xan, in turn, finds her comments annoying and will often lash out at her verbally. Because of this Alora thinks Xan is a big meanie, though this doesn't seem to discourage her efforts to cheer him up.
- Xan and Ajantis don't like each other as Xan sees Ajantis as a narrow minded man who only sees people as either good or evil. There does seem to be some respect between them, however - Xan is able to talk Ajantis down when he clashes with evil party members, effectively postponing a fight between said evil party members and Ajantis.
- Xan seems to have some measure of respect for Dynaheir, and implies that he feels more secure with her around, but if the respect is mutual she doesn't show it.
- Xan dislikes and distrusts Edwin.
- Xan also hates Eldoth, as the bard is egotistic and rude. Xan will suggest that Eldoth could do the whole party a favor by getting himself killed and even has a special quote should Eldoth fall in battle.
- Xan and Jaheira get along surprisingly well, even though they really don't talk much. They will periodically compliment each other, though neither ever responds to the other's compliments.
- Khalid seems to think Xan is a bit rude, but appreciates his honesty.
- Xan gets along well with Kivan.
- Xan cannot stand Quayle and the two often argue, though most characters respond to Quayle the same way.
- Safana finds Xan attractive, and will flirt with him if the two are in the same party. Xan, however, ignores her completely.
- Viconia thinks Xan is a weak man.
- Xan has a poor opinion of Tiax.
Gameplay[]
Xan's specialization is Enchanter, so he can't scribe and cast Evocation spells from his spellbook, either powerful offensive ones like Magic Missile, Fireball, Lightning Bolt and Cloudkill, or good defensive ones like Shield. But alternatively he can use all the powerful arcane wands, like the Wand of Fire and the Wand of Lightning, and also items like the Shield Amulet instead of some of the spells. Combined with the casting of non-evocation "nukes" (like Melf's Acid Arrow, Flame Arrow and Skull Trap), Xan can deal significant spell damage when required.
However, his specialization means that his Enchantment spells are more powerful against enemies, who receive a -2 penalty to their saving throws. Being able to hinder or even shut down enemy groups — and a good way to do this is with Enchantment spells like for example Sleep, Hold Person, and Chaos — might be even more crucial in Baldur's Gate (being a low level setting) than dealing a lot of damage.
When first encountered he is injured and has no spells memorized, though there is a Moonblade in a nearby chest which can only be wielded by Xan. It is very powerful, but due to Xan's low constitution he should really only use the weapon either defensively (with high enough fire resistance, fire damage will actually heal Xan) or to finish off disabled enemy units.
His low hit points mean that spells like Mirror Image and Stoneskin might be crucial for him. Also, using potions like the Potion of Fortitude when needed can raise his survival chances by a lot.
- In
Baldur's Gate I & II: Enhanced Editions
This icon indicates content from all Enhanced Editions of the Baldur's Gate games. May situationally encompass Siege of Dragonspear and The Black Pits I & II content as well., companions who have fewer XP than protagonist at the time of their first joining will be given a certain amount of experience points for you to manually level them up to gain more control of their status.
| Average party level | Level | XP | Gold | Hit Points | Weapon Proficiencies | spells abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 - 2.99 | 2 | 2561 | 0 | 7 (Max possible:8) |
|
|
| 3.00 - 4.99 | 4 | 10042 | 0 | 12 (Max possible:16) |
|
Level 1 Level 2 |
| 5.00+ | 6 | 41549 | 0 | 17 (Max possible:24) |
|
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 |
Biography[]
| “ | When asked about his past, XAN wistfully speaks of his home in the elven stronghold of Evereska, and his role as a Greycloak. It was apparently decreed that he was to investigate the events of the iron shortage, determine who or what were the causes, and ascertain whether there was a greater threat to the region as a whole. This was definitely not a small task, and he accepted the responsibility with a great deal of dread. You get the feeling, however, that he approaches everything with a great deal of dread. He has devoted his life to improving his mastery of magic and has become a skilled wizard, though this dedication has left him little time to make friends or acquire any other pastimes. He strikes you as very capable, though probably not the best influence on morale. |
” |
Quotes[]
| I thank you for my freedom, friends, for I have languished in these dismal vaults too long. | Initial meeting | |
|---|---|---|
| We're all doomed! Run while we're still able. | Morale failure | |
| Ooh, perhaps we'll survive longer than I had originally thought! | Happy | |
| This group is especially hopeless today! | Unhappy-annoyed | |
| Keep up this evil, and we're deservedly doomed. | Unhappy-serious | |
| I cannot abide by these actions! I must take my leave from this barbaric fellowship. | Unhappy-break | |
| While leader, I will endeavor not to get ALL of us killed. | Leader | |
| *yawn* Certainly I shall collapse from exhaustion before I fall on the battlefield. | Tired | |
| If we are doomed to fail, could we at least do it faster?! | Bored | |
| Eh. Onward, to futility! | Battlecry1 | |
| Damage | ||
| My wounds are too grave. I am a dead man. | Hurt | |
| Dying | ||
| The majesty of the forest makes me feel insignificant. | Forest | |
| The bustle of the city makes me feel insignificant. | City | |
| The sun shines, and I am amazed we live to see another day. | Day | |
| We're all doomed. | Select1 | |
| Life is so hollow. | Select2 | |
| Our quest is vain. | Select3 | |
| Whatever. | Action1 | |
| Oh, what is the point? | Action2 | |
| If you want. | Action3 | |
| It is hardly worth the effort of trying. | Action4 | |
| We delude ourselves to think our pitiable band will stand up to our enemies. | Action5 | |
| Let us save our effort and just lie down and die. | Action6 | |
| I'll do what I can, but expect very little. | Action7 | |
| Eldoth, could you stand away from me? The stench is somewhat unnerving. | Interaction1 | |
| Perhaps, Eldoth, you could be a little more polite to our companions? |
Interaction2 | |
| You could do us all a favor, Eldoth, by getting killed in the next battle. |
Interaction3 | |
| Have you ever wondered how hollow your convictions sound, Ajantis? |
Interaction4 | |
| It seems our resident suicide monger, Ajantis, lives in a black and white world. |
Interaction5 | |
| Your stupidity makes you a doomed man. | Insult1 | |
| Well, with you as my companion, who needs enemies? | Insult2 | |
| Around you, I almost feel that we have a chance. | Compliment1 | |
| Another victim in our hopeless crusade. | To death-general | |
| I would grieve for Eldoth if it were not for the sense of joy I now feel. | To death-specific | |
| If I'd wanted your opinion I would have asked for it. | To insult1 | |
| Do not think I will endure your insults indefinitely. |
To insult2 | |
| I hope what you say was well intentioned. |
To insult3 |
Baldur's Gate - Xan dialogue
Xan's quotes.
Personality[]
Xan is a wellspring of pessimistic dialogue, often making defeatist comments and expressing surprise at the party's positive achievements. His excessive gloom, despondency and moroseness is received differently by players; some find the character humorous, others are annoyed by him.
A closer inspection of Xan's voiced remarks against other NPCs, however, reveals a sarcastic – even snide – nature to his comments (especially against Ajantis and Eldoth), which adds a new dimension to his personality by keeping the player guessing about how serious he actually is with his pessimism. This conflicting persona is reflected by how the character wields a Moonblade – an extremely powerful, semi-sentient, good-aligned magical weapon that will actually kill a user it deems unworthy of wielding it.
Trivia[]
- In the Icewind Dale game, the party meets Xan's cousin Erevain Blacksheaf during the prologue.
- In Baldur's Gate 3, one of the hirelings you can recruit, Zenith Feur'sel, is hinted to be his son. His description reads: "Zenith, once an optimistic Evereskan Graycloak, journeyed to Faerûn in search of a new sunrise. An Absolute warband proved his dour father right: Zenith was doomed!" This would suggest that Xan's surname is Feur'sel.
- In Baldur’s Gate 3, in the room “Elminster’s Library” at Sharress’ Caress brothel, there is a book in the bookshelf near the bed called “One Night in Nashkel” which reads “After months of imprisonment in the Nashkel mines, Enchanter Xan cannot bear his solitude any longer, and decides to pleasure himself with the only companion he has: his sentient sword the Moonblade.”
Mod content[]
- This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
With installation of the Xan BG2 NPC mod, Xan can be met again in Athkatla's Government district and once more become a companion.[1]
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Xan on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.
- Moonblade on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.