Baldur’s Gate 3 Sparks Inspiration for Stranger Things Finale

Stranger Things has always worn its Dungeons & Dragons influences on its sleeve, but the final act of its fifth series took a rather different turn. This time, it wasn’t the classic tabletop game alone that shaped the story’s end, but a modern RPG—Baldur’s Gate 3. The last episode saw the group face off against Vecna and the Mind Flayer, culminating in a rather abrupt end for Vecna courtesy of Joyce Byers. Winona Ryder, as it happens, managed the decapitation scene in just two takes, which is quite something. For those after a blow-by-blow account, there’s a full rundown elsewhere, but the real intrigue lies in what inspired this dramatic confrontation.

Matt Duffer, one half of the show’s creative duo, revealed,

“We were thinking about D&D;, and I was playing Baldur's Gate 3 at the time, and we felt it was very important that the only way for them to defeat it was for the entire party to work together,”

he told Variety. It’s a subtle shift—less about dice and more about digital adventuring, but the spirit of collaboration remains at the heart of it all.

From Tabletop to Screen

Larian Studios’ RPG has clearly left its mark. Swen Vincke, the studio’s head, responded to the mention with a simple,

“That’s pretty cool.”

No grandstanding, just a quiet nod of approval. It’s not hard to see why the showrunners looked to Baldur’s Gate 3 for inspiration. Mind Flayers, after all, are central to both the game and the series’ mythology, and the final battle in the RPG is a sprawling affair against a formidable Illithid adversary. Victory, in both cases, hinges on the strength of the group rather than any lone heroics.

There’s a certain symmetry in the way Stranger Things chose to wrap things up. After the dust settles, the friends gather once more in Mike Wheeler’s basement for a final session of D&D;, a scene that echoes the very first moments of the series. It’s a neat bit of storytelling, bringing things full circle without feeling forced.

Echoes and Endings

Even after the credits roll, the show can’t resist one last nod to its roots. There’s a brief callback to Will Byers’s infamous dice roll—a seven, for those keeping score. It’s a small detail, but one that fans will no doubt appreciate. Whether Eleven survives the ordeal is left hanging, but the sense of camaraderie and shared struggle is unmistakable.

In the end, it’s not just about monsters or magic, but about the bonds forged in the heat of battle—on the tabletop, on the screen, and, now, in the digital realms of RPGs. Stranger Things may have started with D&D;, but it’s clear the story has grown to embrace new legends along the way.