Best endings in BG3

One of the things that makes Baldur's Gate 3 a hugely open-ended and replayable RPG is how unique and different each playthrough can feel. Each quest, fight, and story can have multiple solutions and outcomes, and when they all culminate at the end of the story, they can result in tons of variations and unique endings.

The game's developers stated that there are thousands of different story endings based on the player's choices. While a single player is unlikely to experience all of these variations, a few crucial choices in the game can lead to very different scenarios and provide memorable and unique epilogues.

Beware of spoilers for the various endings of Baldur's Gate 3!

Updated October 28, 2024 by Alfred Robelo: Baldur's Gate only has one final boss, but many options to get to it and what happens once you defeat the dreaded creature. We've updated this article to include even more possible endings for you and your companions: some sweet, some sour, and some disastrous.

10

Wrapping things up in the second act

Once you reach Act 2 of the game, Gale receives some pretty important information: Mystra, the goddess of magic, has tasked him with using his Netherese Orb to obliterate the Absolute along with anyone standing near him when the explosion occurs. While this is a possible ending for Gale during the final confrontation of the third act, you also have the option of ending everything in the second act when you see the Absolute for the first time.

If you do, the plan succeeds, but you have no way to protect yourself from the epic explosion, which means your entire party will be destroyed along with most of the bad guys. A lot of people consider this a false ending, but since the credits are rolling, the game seems to count it as one. Be warned though: this ending doesn't count towards completing Honor Mode runs.

9

Defying Bhaal after accepting his gift

The Dark Urge is an original character who, like the protagonist of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, is the spawn of Bhaal, the god of murder. This deep connection to Bhaal allows him to control you in certain ways, as he is the source of your aptly named compulsion, and can kill you if you resist him too much.

Of course, if Bhaal kills you during your adventure, Withers will revive you as a new person, free of any mystical bonds that bind you to the dark god. However, if you accept all of his gifts but don't give him what he wants at the end of the game, he will take control of your body in the epilogue and force you to take the lives of loyal companions who traveled with you throughout the game. your adventure.

8

Go to Avernus with Karlach

Karlach's tragic story can end in several ways, but they all boil down to either death or sacrificing something in order to live on. The most common way Karlach survives isn't too complicated, and it's something you learn in the second act: she needs to get back to Avernus to keep her infernal engine from exploding.

However, it is not necessary for her to go on this trip alone, because you can go with her on her hellish journey. This is an especially sweet ending if you've romanced her so it'll be a burden you both share and a fun story for the rest of the party once you all join the game's epilogue.

7

Gale's self-destruction

At the end of the first act of the play, the famous wizard Elminister informs Gale that his goddess Mystra wants him to find the Absolute and release the energy in his chest. This would destroy him and the cult of the Absolute in a great magical explosion.

While it's not hard to dissuade Gale from killing himself and everyone else around, some might want to see what would happen out of curiosity or for speedrunning purposes. Indeed, letting Gale detonate will lead to one of the fastest and worst endings in the game. With the elder brain destroyed, each infected individual will turn into a hunter flayer and we will inevitably unleash an illithid army on Baldur's Gate and the rest of Faerun.

6

Deal with the devil

One of the main ways to defeat the underworld is to free Orpheus. For this you need the Orphic Hammer and you can get the item in one of two ways. One of them involves infiltrating the House of Hope, stealing the hammer, and confronting Raphael in one of the best boss fights in the game.

The second way is to make a deal with Raphael and give him the Crown of Karsaus once the underworld mastermind is defeated. However, donating a powerful artifact to the devil may not seem like the best choice. If you complete the deal, Raphael will charge Hell and promise to eventually knock on your door as he conquers other worlds.

5

The sins of your father

If you play for the dark urge, you will eventually discover your past as a Bhaal spawn, a child of the god of murder. If you give in to your evil inclinations and end up accepting your father's gift, the form of an assassin, in the final act, you can fulfill your destiny in one of the worst endings.

In this ending, you betray every ally you've ever had and take over the underworld and the infected to bring death and destruction to the world. If you want to play the devil's game, there's no more satisfying ending than sitting on your throne atop the underworld and watching the carnage ensue.

4

The Emperor's Freedom

While our dream visitor, the Emperor, has been helping us all throughout our journey, as we approach our final confrontation with the Underbrain, he reveals more of his personality and motives. The Emperor's sole motive is survival, even if it means the death of his nearest and dearest friends.

In the end, we have to make a difficult decision when it comes to freeing Orpheus. The Emperor wants to eat his brain and gain his brain subjugation ability, and if we resist him, he will join the hypothalamus to ensure his survival. If we let him kill Orpheus, we can still defeat the Underworld and save the world, but we will betray Lae'zel and condemn all Githyanki to the unopposed rule of the Lich Queen Vlaakith.

3

Let Orpheus turn

If you stand up to the emperor and free Orpheus, you face a difficult decision. Either you or Karlach become a mind-wielding fan, or let Orpheus turn into an illithid. Orpheus is the prophesied savior of his people and it will be a great sacrifice on his part. It will mean that the Githyanki will have to fight their way to freedom without him.

This is one of the best endings, especially if you've resisted the illithid forces up until this point and don't want you or Karlach to lose your soul and become stupid. Orpheus will go against his nature and better judgment to help you, and once it's over, he'll even ask you to end his torment.

2

The ultimate sacrifice

Once you free Orpheus from his infernal chains, either you or Karlach can make the ultimate sacrifice and let Orpheus remain a githyanki and lead his people to freedom once the hypothalamus is defeated. Karlach offers to do this as her hellish heart will soon explode and kill, so he figures he has nothing left to lose.

But you can sacrifice yourself and become an illithid. For a good game, giving up your soul to save the world will be the ultimate act of heroism. But it could also be the end of the evil acting choice for a character who wants to betray everyone and everything at the last minute and take control of the brain for himself.

1

To defy your father

One of the best stories of redemption is told in a dark urge, starting with you resisting the urge and ending with you refusing the gift of Bhaal. If you defy the god of murder, he will take your life.

But that's not the end for your character, as Withers will give you another chance and a rebirth without Bhaal's influence. The best good ending to the game is when you go against your nature as a dark urge and resist your evil nature to be reborn and save the world.