Summary
Baldur’s Gate 3is a masterpiece of storytelling that paints arich and immersive narrativebyleveraging moral complexity, emotional depth, and unrestricted player agency. At the heart of this grand narrative are some of the most difficult choices that players make,shaping the fate of their companions,the world around them, and the many characters inhabiting this world.
While some choices result in triumph over evil and even earn solid approval from your companions, others can be utterly downright devastating. Here are 8 of the most heartbreaking choices in Baldur’s Gate 3 that leave many players grappling with the consequences long after the dice have been rolled.
8Raising Mayrina’s Husband From The Dead
Mayrina’s Hopes Shatter As Her Husband Returns In An Expected Form
Mayrina is an NPC that players first meet in Act 1 at Auntie Ethel’s teahouse. She struck a deal withAuntie Ethel, with the latter promising to bring back her husband from the dead in exchange for Mayrina’s child. Exploring Auntie Ethel’s teahouse,players can discover a magical wand that could raise the dead.
Once players have dealt with Auntie Ethel and rescued Mayrina, they can find her near her husband’s coffin and choose to raise him or break the wand. Opting to resurrect Mayrina’s husband results in an undead version of him rising from the coffin, and he is no more than just a husk meant to be commanded by the wand. On the other hand, breaking the wand results in Mayrina turning bitter and heartbroken as she witnesses the final opportunity to get her husband taken away from her.
7Killing The Nightsong
Nightsong’s Death Dooms The Inn While Sealing Shadowheart’s Fate
Players discover the existence of the Nightsong in the first Act of the game,assuming her to be a relic of great value. In Act 2, Shadowheart learns that to become a Dark Justiciar she must kill the Nightsong. When players discover the Nightsong in the Shadowfell, they realize that she isn’t some ordinary relicbut a celestial being touched by Selûne.
Players can choose to support Shadowheart in killing the Nightsong and fulfill her destiny at the heartbreaking cost of dooming the lives of all the refugees in the Last Light Inn.
6Wyll’s Pact With Mizora
Wyll’s Pact Forces Him To Choose Between Freedom & Family
In Act 3, just when Wyll was starting to believe he would be free from Mizora’s pact, the silver-tongued devil shows up at the camp with yet another impossible bargain. She offers Wyll a choice: uphold his pact, and she will ensure that his father is rescued, or break the pact but doom his father to an uncertain fate. The emotional weight of this decision is further elevated if players have no clue about Duke Ravengard’s whereabouts or presume him to be dead, which adds a layer of urgency and tension to the choice.
Wyll has already endured enough under archdevil Zariel, from being tricked into hunting Karlach and punished for sparing her, which makes upholding the pact even more unwise. Yet, breaking the pact would mean robbing Baldur’s Gate of a figure who is a beacon of hope for the citizens and refugees in the city. While it’s possible to save Duke Ravengard despite breaking Wyll’s pact, first-time players face a gut-wrenching choice — one that satisfies no one.
5The Fate Of Shadowheart’s Parents
Shadowheart’s Choice Is A Battle Between Family And Freedom
When she was just a child, Shadowheart was tricked by Viconia DeVir into following Shar, the goddess of loss. As Shadowheart continues with her quest, she discovers that her parents are still alive and that she intends to save them. However, when the moment arrives to save her parents, she is confronted by Shar, who puts Shadowheart in a difficult position:save her parents or free herself from Shar’s curse.
Despite Shadowheart’s parents asking her to sacrifice them and claim her freedom from Shar, it’s still an emotionally challenging decision to make and no matter what option players choose, the game will continue to remind them of its consequences long after the decision has been made.
4Killing Or Sparing The Vampire Spawns
Astarion’s Past Comes Full Circle In A Cruel Choice
Towards the conclusion of Astarion’s personal quest, the players have the choice to either kill all 7,000 of Cazador’s spawns or release them to claim their freedom. Some of these spawns have beenheld captive for over 170 years and all they want is to be free from their cages and live in peace.
Killing the vampire spawns may seem like a rational choice as they can potentially pose a threat to other creatures in Baldur’s Gate. On the other hand, granting them their freedom may seem to be more of a moral choice, but it doesn’t guarantee that the once-imprisoned spawns will not go prowling on other creatures for sustenance.
3Turning Orpheus Into Mindflayer
Orpheus’ Sacrifice Leaves The Githyankis Without A Future
The Githyankis harbor unfathomable hatred for the mindflayers, which they colloquially refer to as the ghaiks. Asking Orpheus, a respected leader of the Githyanki people, to turn into a mindflayer is a tough choice to make. If players want to truly free Orpheus,they’ll need to sacrifice their own soul to become an Illithid or accept Karlach’s proposal and let her become the mindflayer.
Given how much hope Lae’zel and Kith’rak Voss have in Orpheus' leadership in freeing the Githyankis from Vlaakith’s tyranny, asking Orpheus to become a mindflayer is one of the most painful decisions players would ever make inBaldur’s Gate 3.
2Karlach’s Fate
Watching Karlach Die In Baldur’s Gate Is Mercy Disguised As Cruelty
Karlach is one of the liveliest and joyful companions and all she ever wanted in life was to fix her infernal engine and live a happy life in her home, Baldur’s Gate. After the Netherbrain’s defeated, Karlach’s infernal engine reaches its limit, leaving her on the brink of death. Players can persuade her to return to Avernus, where she could live forever, but also contest with Zariel’s forever, or let her spend her final moments among friends.
This choice is extremely heartbreaking if players broke Wyll’s pact, as he can no longer accompany Karlach to Avernus. On the other hand, players can choose to accompany her instead, though it’s a decision that’s no less heartbreaking if they romanced someone else.
1Becoming A Mindflayer To Defeat The Netherbrain
The Debt That Can Never Be Repaid
Accepting the mindflayer evolution in Baldur’s Gate is one of the game’s most heartbreaking choices. It’s a decision that cuts to the core of what it means to be selfless for the greater good. After countless hours of battle against the Absolute and Illithids, the grim realization sets in — only a mindflayer can truly defeat the Netherbrain.
While players can refuse the mindflayer evolution, the choice remains heartbreaking, as it’s made with full awareness of the tragic and irreversible cost of such sacrifice.
