Rushing to the finale leads to Baldur’s Gate 3’s “worst ending”

An illithid in Baldur's Gate 3Larian Studios

Not all quests have a happy ending, as rushing through the story of Baldur’s Gate 3 can result in a narrative that leaves no one satisfied.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has some dark endings, especially if you follow the will of Bhaal and become an avatar of evil. But at least these offer a conclusion to the story, unlike the many non-standard gameovers, which usually result in the end of the world due to a dice roll gone wrong.

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There are some happy endings in Baldur’s Gate 3 too, but they all involve sacrifice on some level. To that end, some who transform into Mind Flayers can choose to take their own lives in the end, so they can avoid fully losing their minds and souls in the process of becoming monsters.

But what about those who make all of the wrong choices? A user on the Baldur’s Gate 3 Reddit named StormblessedFool has shared the fate of their protagonist, which was brought about by rushing to the ending.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Emperor using powerLarian Studios

“So, at the end I decided to become a mindflayer to save the day. But I was short on time and decided to do a quick ending and go back later to play for real. So anyway I became a Mind Flayer, but then I let Gale blow himself up to destroy the elder brain, meaning I never needed to become a Mind Flayer,” the user wrote.

They continued: “After that I offed myself to stop living as a mindflayer, Karlach (my romantic option for this run) was devastated and also died. 10/10.”

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Using Gale’s Netherese Orb Blast to defeat the end boss is a valid tactic, so most people save it for the final encounter, knowing they’ll lose him in the process. However, it’s usually something they plan for, as sacrificing Gale means they don’t have to use other options, like turning into a Mind Flayer.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has a staggering number of story options, so players can make multiple sacrifices even though they don’t need to. This can lead to unique endings, especially if you’re prepared for a sad conclusion to the story.

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Larian Studios has confirmed it’s not making any Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC, which might be for the best. After all, it could prove difficult to continue the story when half of the party perished for no good reason.