Baldur’s Gate 3: Saving Orpheus Without Anyone Transforming (Gale Promises to Use the Orb)

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  • Опубликовано: 5 ноя 2023
  • If you have Gale and Lae'Zel in your party as you enter the finale, you can finesse your way throught he dialogue so that no one transforms, but when you reach the brain stem in the Upper City, Gale must use the Orb to sacrifice himself. No one loses their souls. :)
    Note: there does seem to be a visual bug after you tell Orpheus you will be the one to transform if Gale fails to destroy the brain, and your character will appear as a Mindflayer for a split moment.
    Video was captured just after the release of Patch #4 on PS5.
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Комментарии • 699

  • @VasOnTheSpot
    @VasOnTheSpot 6 месяцев назад +3464

    Emperor: "Trust me bro."
    Tav: "Alright bro, but trust me too."
    Emperor: "Aight bro, it was good but I gotta bounce."

    • @zacharyberridge7239
      @zacharyberridge7239 6 месяцев назад +209

      His decision makes absolutely no sense. Why, just why, would he go back to the brain? What possible benefit could this be to him? His individuality would be yet again consumed.

    • @AegixDrakan
      @AegixDrakan 6 месяцев назад +205

      ​@@zacharyberridge7239 The best explanation I've seen is that Orpheus would instantly kill him when set free, since the emperor was keeping him imprisoned and drained for gods know how long.
      Without Orpheus' power to shield himself from the Brain, it would take him over. And he still has no faith in Gale to actually pull through and blow up the brain, and thus only free Orpheus after killing the brain.
      So, it's a simple calculation to him that returning willingly to the brain and ingratiating himself to it would give him the best odds of survival.
      Really though, in this situation, he should accept the Gale solution and allow the player to free Orpheus later, but that would be a huuuuge extra branch in an already huge game that had to cut a lot of endgame content. XD

    • @arcmen2275
      @arcmen2275 6 месяцев назад +65

      ​@@AegixDrakan orpheus won't because he know an ilithid is needed to counter the brain. He was even willing to sacrifice himself if no one want to turn.

    • @mobunagathevoiceofresistan801
      @mobunagathevoiceofresistan801 6 месяцев назад +55

      I always found it funny how quick the Emperor changes sides.

    • @rsrocha1984
      @rsrocha1984 5 месяцев назад +85

      @@arcmen2275 agree, Orpheus saw the party slaughting his honor guard and still dont attack. He is probably the most "big picture" guy in the whole story. He is willing to become a mind flayer (the thing he hates most in the world) to stop the nether brain, not killing the Emperor seems like an easy task. It is one of the few clunks part of the story the way the Emperor leaves. They should have put some aditional reasoning.

  • @KyleA296
    @KyleA296 5 месяцев назад +1121

    I hate the emperor. He expects you to trust him, but then betrays you the first chance he gets because you don't want to do exactly what he wants you to do.

    • @femboygorou
      @femboygorou 4 месяца назад +73

      my theory is he’s just a separate extension of the elder brain that thinks he’s independent, like an ultron drone or something. he’s just a thrall that thinks he’s independent. that’s why he IMMEDIATELY goes to work with the nether brain, his “enslaver” when you even suggest his plan isn’t right.

    • @TheSaival
      @TheSaival 4 месяца назад +49

      @@femboygorou If he was an extension of elder brain then he wouldnt spend the whole game trying to defeat it.
      What is more likely, he actually behaves like an elder brain. After all he is an ilithid at heart and even if he has some inviduality his instincts compell him to do so. He want to defeat the elder brain only because its a threat to him - if he could become an elder brain he would.
      Thats why he doesnt care about losing his personality and joining the elderbrain - he is thinking like an illithid. For humans losing yourself is death, but for illithids its just a state of being. That would explain why he joins the brain so easily in the end.

    • @sanguinesurfer
      @sanguinesurfer 4 месяца назад +12

      I think they just didnt finish fleshing out the story about the prism and emperor

    • @thatoneguy9816
      @thatoneguy9816 4 месяца назад +3

      He’s trying to live

    • @karlwittenburg5868
      @karlwittenburg5868 4 месяца назад +30

      He has two issues that really drive his character: 1) Survival is everything. Better to be a slave to the brain than dead. 2) He always thinks he’s right. He believes that his big brain is so advanced he’s thought of every possibility and is certain that his plan is the only one that will work. So when you refuse to work with him, he sees it as having no other choice than to give up on you for his own safety because in his mind you are guaranteed to fail. But, if you do go along with his plan and work with him, he’s just fine. No double crosses, no surprise twist betrayal, everything goes smoothly and afterwards he even wants to keep working with you

  • @superdeformed
    @superdeformed 6 месяцев назад +2978

    If you resist Emperior the entire game especally when he tries to seduce you he will reveal how he manipulated basically mindcontrolled all of his former allies in the flashbacks from earlier.

    • @rafaelmusacchio5257
      @rafaelmusacchio5257 6 месяцев назад +468

      I'm surprised of How easy we can miss that scene, It changes the context of our relation with the emperor in fundamental levels

    • @InnerFire6213
      @InnerFire6213 6 месяцев назад +549

      I think that's just the game world evolving to fit your narrative. Any decision you make is justified in its own way. Like astarion's ascension, if he succeeds he's happy. If he didn't, he's happy that he didn't have that burden. This is true for shadowheart's path too. There's no right decision. If the emperor is good in your playthrough, he's all the way good. If he's bad, he was cunning from the beginning.

    • @nightcrawlr1035
      @nightcrawlr1035 6 месяцев назад +101

      When I got to the romance scene I accidentally misinput and called him a freak, guess I gotta prison shank his ass now.

    • @yusufkaradag8983
      @yusufkaradag8983 6 месяцев назад +176

      ​@@InnerFire6213 no actually empror is not good person but not bad either he is an opportunist as long as he thinks he gains something from with siding you he will be in your side but when you do not follow his plan he thinks he will lose this battle and changes sides so yes shadowhearts and astarions characters evolves by the choices you made but empror was same from the begining he only wants to use you for his own purposes

    • @NeoCreo1
      @NeoCreo1 6 месяцев назад +303

      @@InnerFire6213 That’s… an interesting take that I strongly disagree with. Ascended Astarion is very clearly Cazador 2.0 and a much more horrible person. Dark Justiciar Shadowheart is the same, being the empty tool of Shar. Just because they do not regret the change that fundamentally warps their personality, does not mean the game is retroactively “justifying” your playthrough. Emps always used mind control, that never changes per playthrough, you just aren’t given the opportunity to discover this unless you consistently oppose him. That is keeping with his character as a ruthless, if pragmatic, opportunist. If he can work with you? Great, he’ll do just that and keep the manipulations to a minimum. If he can’t? He’ll do what it takes to ensure his survival.

  • @Kindelwyrm2
    @Kindelwyrm2 4 месяца назад +455

    It's even sillier that the Emperor went to rejoin the Netherbrain in this context, since it was literally told "We're about to magically nuke the entire area." Like, bro, you're not going to survive that.

    • @ArneBab
      @ArneBab 3 месяца назад +14

      Yes, I think that’s a bug in the story.

    • @boanoah6362
      @boanoah6362 2 месяца назад

      It's more stupid when you realize the Emperor is essentially killing himself, he has 0 freewill or individual thought under the Netherbrain. So he's kind of just throwing away any kind of freedom to spite you, presumably because he knows Orpheus will murder him while the brain will just enslave him.

    • @timbothejedi4146
      @timbothejedi4146 2 месяца назад +8

      It re enthralled him without Orpheus protection.

    • @lodysseedunedolyen5682
      @lodysseedunedolyen5682 2 месяца назад +5

      @@ArneBab no bug in the story, he has not power over Orpheys capacity, so he became controled by the netherbrain

    • @ArneBab
      @ArneBab 2 месяца назад +3

      @@lodysseedunedolyen5682 If you would give him the ring of mental protection you get from Omeluun, that might protect him if Orpheus were to cut off his protection and then he’d actually have a base for negotiation with Orpheus. (sorry for leaving out that part)

  • @InnerFire6213
    @InnerFire6213 6 месяцев назад +1209

    Only sweet noble karlach offered. Truly the best person in the party. For all her talk laezel was never gonna offer herself for sacrifice, not even when her prince was going to become ghaik. The legendary saviour of her race. I think even voss would quickly jump in to save his prince.

    • @Praetorian349
      @Praetorian349 6 месяцев назад +248

      Karlach knew she was gonna die anyways, and doesn’t have Lae’zel’s lifelong experience and hatred of Illithids.
      The idea of becoming one wouldn’t even register to her I don’t think, it’s surprising enough she still finds respect for you if you have transformed.

    • @InnerFire6213
      @InnerFire6213 6 месяцев назад +128

      @@Praetorian349 and laezel knows without orpheus there would be no rebellion, kind of her whole moral compass after turning her back to vlaakith. Can't imagine a higher purpose than that, she was willing to die for vlaakith when she was a fanatic. What would she do when orpheus is gone? Take up a hobby in baldurs gate? I think this was an overlook in the writing room.

    • @Praetorian349
      @Praetorian349 6 месяцев назад +34

      @@InnerFire6213 Well from the ending I saw she was very much looking forward to a life with my Tav, endless sex and fighting Vlaakith's Knights in pursuit of her and my Tav as fugitives.
      Kinda sounds right up her alley. :P

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад +38

      He would, but he's not normal. Lae'zel is a typical gith, they ARE an evil race, selfish, they are raised to be. It's how they survive as a species in such a harsh situation. Red dragons do not ally themselves with good races...ever.
      Orpheus is as close to a good gith as we encounter in game, but if memory serves he's still part of the faction that wants to end the mind flayers to take over the multiverse themselves, a gith empire instead of an illithid one. The faction that feels it's wrong to do what the illithid do isnt really represented here sadly.

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 6 месяцев назад +56

      There is a relatively small cameo of the Githzerai (the "good gith" faction) in the Mind Flayer colony.

  • @blacksage2375
    @blacksage2375 6 месяцев назад +314

    Well look at that Mystra's idiotic plan was the best option all along.

    • @sametekiz3709
      @sametekiz3709 2 месяца назад +5

      yea

    • @Mystra
      @Mystra 2 месяца назад +4

      Of course it was

    • @KillTheDeadMonkey
      @KillTheDeadMonkey 2 месяца назад +1

      Only if Gale survives.

    • @greyngreyer5
      @greyngreyer5 2 месяца назад +5

      Does he at least get to go to her? I don't think I'll ever make the decision tbh. Maybe this honor mode pt, I guess

    • @MirOmran
      @MirOmran 2 месяца назад +7

      @@greyngreyer5 yeah he joins her as her chosen in Elysium

  • @CrimsonTide001
    @CrimsonTide001 6 месяцев назад +570

    Only the Orphic Macguffin, forged in Hell itself by Raphael, can break the bonds of Orpheus... or apparently some random gith monks. And of course Orpheus is angry you didn't know this.

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад +83

      Well... If there's one thing I've learned in my years of D&D play... The one thing as powerful as a macguffin is a monk's unarmed strike past when the fists turn magical..lol. I guess a sufficiently motivated monk could do the job... Or at least, mine could punch through basically anything that was destructible in the game by 8th level.

    • @wildbanana5527
      @wildbanana5527 6 месяцев назад +19

      tbh there is almost nothing that can't be broken with either a dispel magic, an adamantine mace, or a disintegrate

    • @danieljames6138
      @danieljames6138 3 месяца назад +9

      I think the implication is that they would get the optic hammer. I mean Voss was mid deal with Raphael

    • @ScripFing
      @ScripFing 2 месяца назад

      ​@@danieljames6138^^this

    • @BlueMagicite
      @BlueMagicite 2 месяца назад +3

      Voss can be seen practically begging Raphael to give the hammer or to make a deal with him if he tells you to meet with him at Shar's Caress. Presumably Voss's in some sort of connection with the guards (they're on the same side) who do have to deal with the emperor in the prism.
      And of course Orpheus is gonna be pissed off that his most loyal guards were slaughtered all because you fell for an illithid's manipulations. But it's not like he attacks you after the fact beyond some harsh words, which is fairly reasonable all things considered for a gith.
      The writing's pretty good at accounting for a fair chunk of these factors within its own homebrew of 5E so it's not like these are plot holes lol

  • @xMaugrex
    @xMaugrex 4 месяца назад +111

    dude spends the whole game working against the brain and just rejoins with it at the end to spite us for finding an alternative

    • @kutlumzrak2689
      @kutlumzrak2689 2 месяца назад

      I keep telling people.
      Balduran is an asshole

    • @chizhang4369
      @chizhang4369 25 дней назад

      In his opinion, once Orpheus was freed he will be instantly killed, go to the brain is to be a slave again yes but a slave can still live

  • @imuz8644
    @imuz8644 6 месяцев назад +773

    Honestly I wish there was an option to not turn and not to have to kill Orpheus. It would make the fight incredibly hard, yes - but it would be nice if there was a way.

    • @Observer675
      @Observer675 6 месяцев назад +309

      I always kept thinkng back to Omeluum, who was able to resist without using Orpheus's power. Was wary of trusting him at first until the Iron Throne, when he constantly asks you to save everyone else, but him.

    • @AndreaB6
      @AndreaB6 6 месяцев назад +175

      I wish there was an option to say to the emperor something like:
      I'll give you the stones, but I will free Orpheus. You have my word that IF he turns against us instead of joining us, I will hold him up long enough to let you assimilate him and we will proceed with your plan.

    • @j1n2
      @j1n2 6 месяцев назад +32

      by lore it will make the fight impossible because as they figured out one should have full illithid + orpheus powers to use the stones on the brain, otherwise brain can resist

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 6 месяцев назад +144

      @@Observer675 Omeluum could resist the Illithid hive mind because he's a Sorcerer. he was born with an affinity for arcane magic that made him resistant to the Elder Brain's control.
      That's why Mind Flayers canonically find arcane magic abhorrent and shun it's users from their society.

    • @Conscientious_Objector7104
      @Conscientious_Objector7104 2 месяца назад +4

      Maybe if there was an extremely hard persuasion roll to convince the Emperor to stay with you, and maybe the only way to get him to do that is to have really high affinity, be half-illithid, or even (though I don’t like it) if you could only TRY and persuade him if you romanced him. I don’t like the last one though since it would lock you out of any other romances just for this so called “best ending”

  • @shockwave2291
    @shockwave2291 6 месяцев назад +319

    8:36 The Emperor complementing us on our manipulation skills is probably the highest praise you could get from someone like him.

    • @Rad-Soup
      @Rad-Soup 2 месяца назад +2

      More trickery

  • @Oblivinar
    @Oblivinar 6 месяцев назад +399

    Emperor was all too eager to throw away his own ideals and become a servant of the villain he's been helping you defeat, I knew I made the right call not trusting him -- never bet on a mind flayer they will always fuck you in the end

    • @Tomcat_Coyote
      @Tomcat_Coyote 6 месяцев назад +114

      It's the one thing i'd say that was poorly written by Larian. Throughout the Game it's clear that the Emperor is very intelligent, has no intention of submitting to a Netherbrain again, and although he doesn't always tells the whole truth straight away, he does help you in every way he can.
      It just sucks that there's no way to have the Emperor and Orpheus working together, and the Emperor joining forces with the Netherbrain just feels really forced and makes little sense after everything that happened before.

    • @emiliodelvalle4093
      @emiliodelvalle4093 6 месяцев назад +70

      @@Tomcat_CoyoteIt would have been more realistic if I had activated the boss fight instantly like: “I’m going to take away your nether stones and do it myself” literally nothing was stoping him from do that, he sacrifice too much to just choose to be a slave at the end

    • @angelodusoleil
      @angelodusoleil 6 месяцев назад +44

      The idea seems to be that The Emperor truly has no choice in the matter. Without the protection of Orpheus, he’s going to become another thrall of the netherbrain. It’s not like he can just ask that Orpheus continue to preserve his free will either given that he’s slain his honor guard and kept him bound for this long.

    • @b.v.2705
      @b.v.2705 6 месяцев назад +73

      Except Omeluum! He’s a good boi!
      1. He was trying to help you and apologized when the potion didn’t work.
      2. When he asked you to leave him behind and rescue the others in the Iron Throne.
      Something about him is a lot more human than the others. I wish we could’ve recruited him vs. The Emperor

    • @timetochronicle
      @timetochronicle 6 месяцев назад +19

      ​@@b.v.2705the thing is I think even Omeluum knew he had no chance against the Nether Brain. Because mind flayer colonies are a hive mind, Omeluum may have suspected he too would be enthralled if he stayed any longer.
      Its why I have some sympathy for the Emperor. He could only have his freedom through the subjugation of Orpheus. And even if you did side with him, he can only go back to living in the shadows.

  • @novaburst7095
    @novaburst7095 5 месяцев назад +439

    It's possible that Gale's soul is destroyed based on the new epilogue content, Wither's doesn't seem to want to discuss what happened to gale
    Best option IMO is just Orph taking the fall, lae'zel becomes a worthy successor if you let her leave to fight against Vlaakith, She actually accomplishes the same feats with or without Orph

    • @MayaMint
      @MayaMint 4 месяца назад +86

      I agree, Orpheus becomes basically Gith Jesus.

    • @Krynn72
      @Krynn72 4 месяца назад +96

      That's how it played out for me. I let Orpheus transform. In my mind it made sense. He was already a legend to his people, known to be a hugely successful killer of mindflayers. It seemed a fitting end to his legend that he sacrifice himself to end the mindflayer threat.
      Laezel taking up the mantel to spread the word and fight to free her people from Vlaakith suits her character arc as well.
      I was hoping though that since Orpheus gave Laezel his two dragons, that my character might get to ride along Laezel in this next fight.

    • @deisophiagaming8216
      @deisophiagaming8216 4 месяца назад +45

      Lae'zel leading her people to victory over Vlaakith sounds like great sequel content and somehow linked to the hell's and Blade of Avernus and Karlach messing up the devil's plots

    • @dragrn5
      @dragrn5 4 месяца назад +4

      Gale isn't really worth saving, best option for him is to follow Mystras will and sacrifice himself.

    • @novaburst7095
      @novaburst7095 4 месяца назад +94

      @@dragrn5 What's with the hate for gale with everyone, his good ending is so sweet, he becomes a professor for magic, and is just, a generally sweet guy. Mystra fucked him over and his whole arc is dealing with that, dude deserves a break not martyrdom.

  • @gateauxq4604
    @gateauxq4604 6 месяцев назад +116

    Seeing that I’m even more annoyed that Lae’zel never offers to become illithid so Orpheus doesn’t need to transform. Girl, why you kissing ass but not falling on your sword for Orpheus??

    • @asyanimasi3d184
      @asyanimasi3d184 3 месяца назад +2

      She can't

    • @mjf40087
      @mjf40087 2 месяца назад +4

      Everything about her response as is makes sense for her character. It would not make sense for her to INSIST on becoming Illithid instead of him, to the point of making demands and truly criticizing his decisions. Laezel respects that's she's not the leader in the majority of situations. She was reluctant to question Vlaakith under her guidance, and is reluctant to question Orpheus under his guidance, even if she disagrees with it.

    • @user-by1df
      @user-by1df Месяц назад

      Also you reject the Emperor and free Orpheus yet she dare to threat Tav. And you can easily beat her in one v one on her romance scenes.

  • @justincorbett3792
    @justincorbett3792 4 месяца назад +102

    It's a little annoying how Orpheus accuses you of stealing the egg even when you talk with the Githyanki Varsh Ko'kuu and convince him to let you keep the egg, since it was going to be destroyed anyways and he wanted it to have a fair chance at life as the rest of the others. You literally are giving it a chance to live instead of prematurely dying and he's mad...

    • @flamesofhellstudio
      @flamesofhellstudio 3 месяца назад +4

      What? Did they add that in a patch, because all 3 times I freed Orpheus I had the gith egg on me and he didn't mention it at all.

    • @Zyklon_B_still_and_know_God
      @Zyklon_B_still_and_know_God 3 месяца назад +12

      Pretty silly he would mention it all. How would he know unless you pulled it out and told him how you stole it? 😂

    • @MistressScourge
      @MistressScourge 2 месяца назад

      always was annoyed at orpheus' general reactions upon being freed. straight up tells you, "you should have known better and let yourself be fucking killed/kill yourself". bro lmao.

    • @sticky-soup
      @sticky-soup Месяц назад +1

      ​@@Zyklon_B_still_and_know_God he's basically the strongest psionic to ever live. He was able to transform himself into a mind flayer without even taking the tadpole. He knows just from looking at you 😂
      Another idea might be that he basically knows everything that the emperor was able to see from the prism as the emperor was using his power to shield you, so it would make sense for Orpheus's mind to always be focused at you and your actions

    • @Mithcoriel
      @Mithcoriel Месяц назад +1

      @@flamesofhellstudio I gave the egg to the Society of Brilliance, and he mentioned it for me.

  • @PhilPower134
    @PhilPower134 5 месяцев назад +80

    It's so annoying that Orpheus says what we as the player could have done to earn his respect for freeing him, when precisely the option he suggests is nothing more than a game over and reloading a save.

    • @kiloyardstare
      @kiloyardstare 3 месяца назад +6

      Yep. And killing the Emperor at that point is also a game over. Infuriating!

    • @chrisgeraghty9951
      @chrisgeraghty9951 28 дней назад +4

      Also how are the monks actually going to free him?
      he can only be freed by the orphic hammer no?
      It is supposedly the singular way to free him. Makes me question WTF the monks where doing that whole ass time.
      Honestly this whole part of the game feels very poorly written.

    • @K.C-2049
      @K.C-2049 25 дней назад

      right? like yeh sorry I was fighting for my own survival since as far as I knew at the time I was the only one even trying to do anything about the Absolute, dickhead.

  • @seanobrien1323
    @seanobrien1323 6 месяцев назад +787

    Would it been cool if there was a way to convince both emperor and prince 2 work together. E.g if every time we befriend the emperor through out the game the difficulty roll to persuade him later will get easier. While choosing to be more hostile will make the difficulty roll increase. Making it more likely to fail and have to choose a side.

    • @goldenpony822
      @goldenpony822 6 месяцев назад

      Have you checked the texts where the Emperor is the one revealing possiboe brain business to Ketheric, G and O??
      Orpheus might be moat reasonable but we would be right to think the Emperor would be into world domination if given the chance.

    • @whocares427
      @whocares427 6 месяцев назад

      You aren't actually becoming his friend, though. He can't have friends. Illithids are soulless psychopaths.

    • @TheHandgunhero
      @TheHandgunhero 6 месяцев назад +146

      There's no way that could ever happen with how badly the Emperor abused Orpheus and murdered dozens or possibly hundreds of members of his honour guard. Orpheus 100% would be killing him after the brain is dead.

    • @timetochronicle
      @timetochronicle 6 месяцев назад +82

      ​@@TheHandgunheroto be fair, Orpheus would have killed the party if he knew they were infected, and of still had his honour guard. As Voss pointed out, he would only agree to work with the party because he's forced to.
      I think there is no perfect resolution to this choice. It is true that freeing Orpheus means a possible liberation of the Githyanki people. But the Emperor "was" Balduran, and did far more for the party than Orpheus did.

    • @pallen2645
      @pallen2645 6 месяцев назад +51

      The Emperor can't allow Orpheus to survive. He still believes in the Grand Design, he just wants to run the thing.

  • @Aku9466
    @Aku9466 5 месяцев назад +192

    I feel like the Emperor should’ve had an option to convince him (persuasion check) that releasing Orpheus to fight with us would be more beneficial than simply killing him to consume his power. The “screw it, I’m not getting my way so I’m going back to brainwashed servitude” just doesn’t seem like something that character would do.

    • @Cellybeans
      @Cellybeans 5 месяцев назад +7

      I agree :|

    • @omniatronic
      @omniatronic 4 месяца назад +29

      I agree too, but I think it makes sense from the Emperor's perspective. Orpheus *hates* mindflayers and not only has the Emperor kept him caged and abused, he also slaughtered his honor guard when they tried to save him. Once Orpheus is free, the Emperor has no cards left to play and it's likely that Orpheus will either curbstomp him the second he gets out or after the Netherbrain is defeated. In every outcome, the Emperor loses. He only has two choices; trust his fate to you, someone he can't control, or take matters into his own hands and forge an alliance with the super-evolved Netherbrain that's on the brink of victory. He chose the logical option for his own survival.

    • @AimForMyHead81
      @AimForMyHead81 4 месяца назад +29

      ​@omniatronic You hit the nail on the head. The Emperor's primary and only perogative is self-preservation. It makes sense that he would choose the only option available to him in that scenario, so long as it means he will survive.

    • @Foodisgood
      @Foodisgood 4 месяца назад +3

      Why would Orpheus work with the emperor and not just kill him on the spot after being freed? There is literally no way that Orpheus is going to forgive the person that kept him imprisoned for all those years.

    • @TheSaival
      @TheSaival 4 месяца назад +9

      @@Foodisgood Orpheus is willing to become a mindflayer only to save everyone else. A fate worse than death for Githyanki. Working with a mindflayer seems much less extreme - even if he probably would have some qualms about the possibilty of the emperor controlling the nethebrain.

  • @foxxknight8847
    @foxxknight8847 4 месяца назад +148

    I can't fathom how anyone tries to claim that the Emperor wasn't a villain who showed his true colors when you wouldn't let him eat Orpheus.

    • @gabrielrussell5531
      @gabrielrussell5531 Месяц назад +5

      To be fair, Emps could have eaten Orpheus at any point, but only chose to after saving the world required an Illithid operating outside of the the prism.

    • @shaneiceoutlaw6837
      @shaneiceoutlaw6837 Месяц назад +1

      Because he wanted people to manipulate. The moment you were outside of his manipulation he peaced out on you

    • @Mithcoriel
      @Mithcoriel Месяц назад +3

      @@gabrielrussell5531 I believe when you find out he's an illithid you have the option to suggest killing orpheus and taking his power. But I forgot what the Emperor replied regarding why it didn't want to do that.

    • @K.C-2049
      @K.C-2049 25 дней назад +1

      especially when the game really REALLY tries to tell you that he mind controlled Stelmane and everyone around him if you pay close enough attention. there are a few documents that allude to her weird behaviour and a "purple aura" even, and if you call him freak when he comes on to you the mask really comes off lol

  • @rabbidsquerllz13
    @rabbidsquerllz13 2 месяца назад +17

    The Emperor is the worst kind of DM NPC ever. “No, you have to ally with me and bring me to the final battle where I will beat the final antagonist for you!!!” “Fine, if you don’t do what I say then I’ll attack you even though you’re the only hope of the world living 😡😡😡”

  • @jg62190
    @jg62190 4 месяца назад +80

    It took me til act 3 to hit me with the Emporer. I had a feeling things were off but when i thought about it, Larian allowing us to create our own dream visitor was brilliant narratively. Most people created the dream visitor to be attractive to them therefore the emporer taking on that visage for the reason it would make us easier to manipulate. From the beginning he encouraged us embracing the tadpoles which would make it harder for us to resist when he tried to force our conversion to a mind flayer. Later he confirmed it if you side against him that he knew everything about us...etc. The whole game he was manipulating and i think his goals was to eventually control the brain himself. He was a villain from the beginning.

    • @thatoneguy9816
      @thatoneguy9816 4 месяца назад

      Did you play the game? Are you dumb? Do you even know what a villain is?

  • @bessieburnet9816
    @bessieburnet9816 4 месяца назад +87

    To think, if the Emperor had just stayed with us after freeing Orpheus, he'd be the rebel Mindflayer hailed and spared by the prince.

    • @leandrogamarra3163
      @leandrogamarra3163 3 месяца назад +5

      Was thinking the exact same thing, but I could understand that orpheus could be quite mad about using/abusing his powers.

    • @Zyklon_B_still_and_know_God
      @Zyklon_B_still_and_know_God 3 месяца назад +3

      I doubt it. The Emperor basically became the new vlaakith for him after she lost the Astral prism. While inside he was the one killing the honor guard attempting to rescue Orpheus, using his power to keep out of the Netherbrains influence.

  • @Sylvantess
    @Sylvantess 5 месяцев назад +361

    I wish there was an option to convince Gale to turn into a mind flayer instead of persuading him to use the orb. That way, he'd return the crown to Mystra and then she'd return him to his original form - and also return him to her side. He'd physically die, but his soul would live with her in the realm of the gods. I think this would be a perfect ending for a non-romanced Gale. Why isn't this an option???

    • @Emmerlaus007
      @Emmerlaus007 5 месяцев назад +27

      OMG that is so clever! That comment deserve more likes. I wish there was an ending for it!

    • @jelihai7420
      @jelihai7420 5 месяцев назад +70

      Because he explains earlier in the game that the transformation itself will set the orb off immediately anyway, since he won't be able to stabilize it himself anymore.

    • @Sylvantess
      @Sylvantess 5 месяцев назад +43

      @@jelihai7420 He doesn't need to stabilize it, Mystra has literally locked the orb in place and it will go off only if activated at will. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to fully transform when you play as Gale. I'm just saying, if there is already an option to fully transform when you play as Gale, I see no reason to dismiss this possibility when he's a follower. As it is, if the player wants to keep Orpheus intact, our options are incredibly shitty.

    • @voodoowoodpecker4320
      @voodoowoodpecker4320 5 месяцев назад +46

      ​@@Emmerlaus007 There is an ending like that, but only if you play as Gale

    • @BloomingMarsh
      @BloomingMarsh 5 месяцев назад +41

      Because it's not possible as the transformation destroys the soul. Withers says in a post credit scene that's how God's realised what the dead three was up to, mass deaths but no influx of souls to the after life

  • @siedwillemdejong1454
    @siedwillemdejong1454 6 месяцев назад +37

    To think the Emperor would jump ship like that was insane.

  • @bait668
    @bait668 5 месяцев назад +46

    I know Orpheus says his honor guard would have freed him but they had no means to break the chains. So even if we had surrendered to his honor guard, he'd still be stuck.

    • @bibby659
      @bibby659 5 месяцев назад +6

      Especially since even with the hammer, they wither wouldn't be able to use it, or would suddenly not use it. Even still, if there is no reason for people to die, why whine and complain about being "granted death" when it would have been a utter wasteful one that only serves to help his enemies and the Netherbrain. A prince is so shortsighted and easy to anger over overly loyal pets, is not one who will likely make a great leader once he is in charge. While he is better than the queen in charge, he seems just as arrogant and insufferable as her in other ways.
      Especially since, just like the emperor, he just gives you the only ultimatum, and instead of saving his people, he would doom himself. While a noble sacrifice, it is an unneeded one that literally no one considers for some stupid unbeknownst reason.

    • @boianko
      @boianko 2 месяца назад +4

      @@bibby659 I managed to convince him to stay alive after becoming a mind flayer, but was very confused when I didn't get the option to tell him to help his own people with this more powerful form instead of just hiding away somewhere in the Astral plane like a coward. Hell, if he thought him being a mind flayer would be bad PR he could use his powers to just go around and eradicate any mind flayers hiding away in the universe.

  • @user-io3zr4yk1j
    @user-io3zr4yk1j Месяц назад +7

    Oh by the way saving Omelum from the prison for him to help us in the end wouldve been so rewarding

  • @SirUlrichVL
    @SirUlrichVL 6 месяцев назад +154

    Editted: So initially when I tried this I got auto-transformed by Orpheus. I have since found out this is because I didn't pick the dialogue option when talking to the Emperor that I would change into a Mind Flayer, thus no discussion with the party members on the matter and then him not giving me the Astral Tadpole. This meant Orpheus opened my character to be transformed by the Elderbrain.
    It is highly important you initially agree to become a mindflayer when talking to the Emperor, have the break in conversation to talk to the party, talk to Lae'zel and Gale, continue conversation with Emperor, agree to become a mindflayer, get the tadpole, get to the point where he talks of chowing on Orpheus in our stead, Lae'zel interupts, you then say you are going to free Orpheus, Emperor bugs off, pick all top options with Orpheus apart from when saying you trust Gale, cue no transformations. (other than that bug near the end of the conversation with Orpheus where for one shot you are ghaik).

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад +11

      Yah that's frigging confusing. So you have to have these party members with you to do this ending?

    • @SirUlrichVL
      @SirUlrichVL 6 месяцев назад +23

      @@NeoIsrafil Definitely Lae'zel and Gale, the third can be whomever you want, but at this point if you are going for this ending using Gale's orb, then the game is pretty much over as you can stealth through/around the courtyard and beyond with a little help from jump/flying and a greater invis potion, as long as one person makes it to the stem, the cut-scene then will yoink everyone in party to that scene and then tell Gale to use the orb and enjoy the fireworks and end cut-scenes.

    • @DagwoodDogwoggle
      @DagwoodDogwoggle 6 месяцев назад +16

      I had similar fuggery with the "intended" way to deal with Gortash. I did not do it Larian's way, and I accomplished setting three conflicting world conditions that broke the game. I was so sick of it I just raced to the end and blew everything up with Gale.

    • @craiglee3048
      @craiglee3048 6 месяцев назад +10

      I was wondering why you were suddenly ghaik in that one shot.

    • @cOMM4ND3R
      @cOMM4ND3R 5 месяцев назад +2

      ​@@SirUlrichVLWhat happens when you follow this route but instead of letting Gale use the orb, could we just climb as a team and face the NB? Or is that option missing once this route is used?

  • @t0uchme343
    @t0uchme343 Месяц назад +6

    Omeluum ending when Larian...

  • @marshallfurr9522
    @marshallfurr9522 6 месяцев назад +96

    This is actually how I did my first playthrough. I was a Githyanki monk romancing Laezel and I didn’t want me, Laezel, or Orpheus to die/become a mindflayer. Me and Laezel flew off to destroy Vlaakith

  • @alphahunterd
    @alphahunterd 6 месяцев назад +37

    orpheus didn't consider that the party don't want to die and want to save themselves from being a mind flayer. that's dumb of him. if he had offered to save them they would've helped him sooner

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 6 месяцев назад +15

      He assumes the party all have the typical Githyanki mentality and warrior ethos. Big mistake.
      These people aren't raised from birth to fear and hate mind-flayers and to sacrifice everything to stop them.

    • @fumoblitzkrie
      @fumoblitzkrie 4 месяца назад

      ​@@SidheKnight Yeah, even if in the end I helped Orpheus and sacrificed Gale, I can understand if someone doesn't care about the giths. I mean, you don't just CASUALLY end up with Vlaakith as a queen.

  • @liveandletdark
    @liveandletdark 6 месяцев назад +101

    So I think in the scene where you appear as mind flayer it’s more of a symbolic thing of what Orpheus sees of the future, he’s envisioning you as the only mind flayer that he would ever call a hero/comrade. It could also just be a visual glitch lol but it does feel more intended.

    • @AimForMyHead81
      @AimForMyHead81 4 месяца назад +18

      Lol, it's definitely a glitch. The option to have Gale sacrifice himself without anyone turning into a mind flayer isn't available unless you go through all these loopholes to get it.

    • @fumoblitzkrie
      @fumoblitzkrie 4 месяца назад +4

      ​@@AimForMyHead81It's not really a loophole. It seems like an half-finished ending. Some dialogue options are there, others are not. They really should make it more explicit.

    • @AimForMyHead81
      @AimForMyHead81 4 месяца назад +8

      @fumoblitzkrie They've updated and patched this game multiple times, and it's still full of unfinished content and glitches. Larian did a great job with Baldur's Gate 3 but numerous issues still remain unfixed, even after all this time.

    • @honestbenny
      @honestbenny Месяц назад

      @@AimForMyHead81 I don't understand why with Gale blowing himself there still needs to be one mindflayer... It just doesn't make sense.

  • @nickystyx-wj5jc
    @nickystyx-wj5jc 4 месяца назад +37

    Best option is to have a friend’s custom character join you and become illithid. This way, everyone lives. Have wyll go with karlach to avernus, and convince a romanced laezel to stay with you. Change my mind. 🤝🏼

    • @Peteman
      @Peteman 2 месяца назад

      Maybe we could have turned one of those revenants that Withers is puppeting.

    • @gqAlysanne
      @gqAlysanne 21 день назад

      wait this is brilliant

  • @ToyBoxBrain
    @ToyBoxBrain 5 месяцев назад +32

    Did my first complete play through and I was NOT okay losing Gale like that. On my second play through I’m NOT recruiting Lae’zel so I won’t feel guilty of turning Orpheus into a ghaik so we can all live.

    • @NataliaNeeSama
      @NataliaNeeSama 5 месяцев назад +27

      Don't worry: Orpheus turning into a Mind Flayer and dying after the fight is the best ending for her. She takes her place and is a more effective leader than him. She is even bringing truce between the Githyanki (Lawful Evil) and the Githzerai (Neutral Good) to fight Vlaakith. She will unite the Gith race once again.

    • @Dorumin
      @Dorumin 4 месяца назад

      ​@@NataliaNeeSamaThat also happens if the emperor swallows Orpheus and you convince her to trust you with the DC30 check, she was pretty happy with me in the epilogue even though she told me to go fuck myself 6 months earlier. Was funny though

    • @alexdiaz155
      @alexdiaz155 4 месяца назад +4

      @@NataliaNeeSamaShe does that if he’s alive too.

  • @Sitonious
    @Sitonious 3 месяца назад +1

    Thank you for this. Spent quite a while trying to finagle this outcome and this was indispensable!

  • @bibby659
    @bibby659 5 месяцев назад +14

    Its funny that the Emperor is such a control freak that if things dont go his way even slightly, he tosses all his work and effort to the side and just calls it quits... what even then was the purpose of all his sacrifices. Why kill all his friends, family, and life long companions... only to end up giving himself over to the thing he spent forever trying to destroy.
    My guy kept insisting that being an illithid and assimilating Orpheus's power was and is the only way to fight the netherbrain... but refused to elaborate on any other path. If anything, he seemed to have been the only one so deadset on making sure there is only limited options. The Netherbrain was built up by him as something that can predict every move in a matter of seconds no matter how many possibilities. But, maybe, thats only because he was the one only giving himself limited choices to work with from the beginning.
    Its his own fault for what happens to him, and honestly, its for the best that he dies a true death that time, and forever. For all the people he's hurt in his narrow minded ambition, for the friends he betrayed along the way. For the friends he minipulated along the way, and the one he killed because they simply wanted him to keep his soul. There is no greater a disgrace than he.
    Even still, its still very annoying and kind of stupid there isnt or doesn't seem to really be many options here to say no one needs to be an illithid to do all this... honestly its pretty annoying, less there is a way and its just super complicated to make work. Because I really dont see how an illithid is needed for the Netherstones to work when we can use them even after stabbing whoever it is that was using them before. Its just kind of annoying st the lack of alternatives here, even when you have the possibility of making everyone live, and yet, no one seems to bother considering it a possibility.

    • @boianko
      @boianko 2 месяца назад +2

      Yeah, I was a bit confused by this as well. The netherstones seemed to work just fine in controlling the crown when split between 3 people, and you're travelling with 3 other high power allies that could do it. The game kind of implied the Elder Brain was somehow not under the full control of the netherstones throughout the story, but it contradicts itself when we clearly see it following orders that are of little benefit to it. Maybe it evolving into a Netherbrain makes the stones not work anymore if wielded by a being that isn't psychically powerful enough to wield them?

    • @Mithcoriel
      @Mithcoriel Месяц назад +2

      The Elderbrain could be controlled by the stones (barely. With the exception of being able to subtly plant dreams etc), but once it evolved into the Netherbrain, it was harder.

  • @antagonistATF
    @antagonistATF 2 месяца назад +5

    So, the emperor just... Leaves? What an idiot lol

  • @rintheorder
    @rintheorder 5 месяцев назад +15

    Damn, I never knew how intense the debate between Karlach and Lae'zel at the end of the battle. I always assume that one of the party just convince you to not be an Illithid, and that's it.

  • @jakecheck3225
    @jakecheck3225 5 месяцев назад +11

    The Emporer is blind to the fact that hes part of the grand design. Spurning him is the good way to go.

  • @MundMoriginal
    @MundMoriginal 4 месяца назад +14

    I didn't know about the orb option. It's clearly the best solution which also makes Gale a true hero that will be remembered for ages. Given they all know there's an after life of some sort, it's an easy option to pick.

    • @Foodisgood
      @Foodisgood 4 месяца назад +8

      Withers confirms and playing as Gale confirms if you use this option his soul is destroyed so no afterlife for him if he uses the orb.

  • @FeralSheWolf
    @FeralSheWolf 4 месяца назад +1

    Oh shit this is great to know, thanks! I was considering having Gale use the orb anyway, had no idea you could avoid transformation if he's in party too!

  •  5 месяцев назад +33

    Thanks for sharing this. The path here is honestly counter-intuitive. Why did they write it so that the only result where no one has to transform starts by inquiring about yourself becoming a mindflayer, and ends with you saying you're willing to become one?

    • @dzikdziki2983
      @dzikdziki2983 5 месяцев назад +1

      I think it's not supported to happen.

    • @teoteo6185
      @teoteo6185 5 месяцев назад +4

      @dzikdziki2983
      Most definently not supposed to happen like this.
      Like obviously the goal is to have you make a difficult choice on who does the sacrifice

    • @honestbenny
      @honestbenny Месяц назад +2

      @@teoteo6185 well. GALE??? Gale does sacrefice so why the fuck on top of that there needs to be mindflayer?

    • @user-io3zr4yk1j
      @user-io3zr4yk1j Месяц назад

      "No good choice" endings are becoming cliche at this point , most of the time they are forced and dont make sense.

  • @menotme4602
    @menotme4602 Месяц назад +1

    I love how Lae'zel can't say Ghaik without doing a disgusted expression and head movement

  • @lsg9491
    @lsg9491 4 месяца назад +5

    Thank you very much for sharing, this is the best ending in my opinion, unfortunately I couldn't do it in my first run, now I realize it was because I didn't have laezel with me, unfortunately she died in act 2, in the meeting with vlakitth things went wrong control.

  • @ANCIENTWARRI0R
    @ANCIENTWARRI0R 6 месяцев назад +20

    Thanks for posting this. Now I have a reason not to cut Gale’s arm off at the beginning of every play through.

  • @Denkenobi
    @Denkenobi  4 месяца назад +11

    **SOME ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND AND FAQS**
    Hello! I’ve seen a lot of similar comments pertaining to a couple different aspects of the clip since I initially uploaded the video, so I thought I’d answer them here for better visibility.
    1.) How do you have so much health?
    This clip was captured with Explorer Mode active, which doubles your health. My character is also wearing the Amulet of Greater Health from the House of Hope which sets your CON score to 23. He also has the permanent buff Tharchiate Vigor for the extra 20 temporary HP.
    2.) Why did you turn into a Mind Flayer for a second?
    I have no idea. It was a startling bug the first time I had seen it, but upon completion of the rest of the finale, the game recognized that no one had transformed, and Gale was a hero.
    3.) Were any mods used?
    None whatsoever. This was captured after Patch 4 on PS5, so mods are not an option.
    I have not played this scenario again since Patch 5 and the new Epilogue was added, but based on what I’ve read Lae’Zel’s story ends the exact same way, if she returns to her people, whether Orpheus is transformed or not. If you want a non-illusionary Gale to be at your party, however, you cannot play through this scene as shown, and someone has to transform. Just let Orpheus do it. Lol

    • @StormyKopaAMVs
      @StormyKopaAMVs Месяц назад +1

      I know #2 is probably just a bug, but I'm choosing to see it as a moment of artistic poetry. As if Orpheus already sees your destiny as a mind flayer when he kneels to you and speaks of how you will be hailed as a hero, not something that is literally happening in the moment.

  • @legoman7041
    @legoman7041 2 месяца назад +3

    Orpheus: My honor guard would have freed me, and I would have stopped the Elder Brain before it turned into a Netherbrain.
    *checks Orpheus stats*
    *Checks Orin and Gortash Encounters*
    *hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*

  • @brieoshiro
    @brieoshiro 6 месяцев назад +40

    Karlach is an angel and I love her. I wanna save her sooo bad. Let us fix her Larian.

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад

      We will probably have to do it through mods... Larian is determined to not finish their game, and just to spend all their time "fixing" bugs that give the players advantages they "shouldn't have". Gotta love it ....

    • @j1n2
      @j1n2 6 месяцев назад +6

      I actually like her ending my Tav + Wyll + Karlach on top of their abilities go to avernus to kick some ass :) nothing wrong with it. Poor little Zariel
      keep in mind demons always fight each other for power so they the party can find and build some new alliances to overthrow (or negotiate) Zariel at some point. I don't think that Karlach is that important for Zariel to risk everything. (for dnd nerds I checked Zariel starts it's definitely doable after few level ups in Avernus😁 )

    •  5 месяцев назад

      ​@@j1n2my vengeance paladin illithid with Blood of Lathander, berserker barbarian Karlach with returning trident and blade warlock Wyll are kicking devil's butts in Avernus!

    • @lochland9810
      @lochland9810 4 месяца назад

      New patch gives you a glimpse to her good ending :)

    • @JoshSweetvale
      @JoshSweetvale 2 месяца назад +1

      ​@@j1n2Devils are not demons.

  • @EKATERINAS-bv8ld
    @EKATERINAS-bv8ld 3 месяца назад +3

    I never ever trust the Emperor after his disguise as our guardian, couldn't shave off this lie

  • @tiago9977
    @tiago9977 6 месяцев назад +32

    I wish there was a way to free Orpheus without the Emperor turning on you.
    Ngl, the writing in this game is amazing, but it feels out of character for the Emperor to join the Netherbrain if you choose to free Orpheus imo.
    He's been fighting for his freedom against the Netherbrain this whole time, it doesn't make sense for him to sacrifice his freedom just because you disagree with his plan... if anything he should just fight you there & then for the stones so he can carry out the plan on his own.

    • @nonaG123
      @nonaG123 5 месяцев назад +9

      As powerful as he is for a mind flayer, he's also not stupid. He's watched you kill avatars of gods and dragons and what not, he knows damn well he has NO shot at beating you let alone your whole party. He'd be better off just removing his protection of you and attempting to kill you while you're still weak from the change.
      All in all though as much as it feels bad, they did make a fantastic ending sequence where you can't really get a "BEST ENDING", it's more of a choose which double-edged sword you'd like to swing.

    • @DrDarkheart
      @DrDarkheart 5 месяцев назад +1

      Because he knows that freeing Orpheus means all mindflayers will die. His whole sthick is to manipulate his way into power any way he can

    • @Cellybeans
      @Cellybeans 5 месяцев назад

      I agree :(

    • @user-io3zr4yk1j
      @user-io3zr4yk1j 4 месяца назад +3

      ​@@nonaG123The prince becoming illithid is technically the best ending because its poetical , while Lazel and others continue his will. However the emperors decision in the end leads to a really awkward situation. You basically let the only solution you have go away without any persuasion attempts. There s nothing to summarize either because non of the relationship choices matter. That way druid grove chapter has more variability than the actual finale in comparison. The outcome feels rushed and i think there is still plenty of QOL changes coming im regards to story , specifically chapter 3.

    • @TheSaival
      @TheSaival 4 месяца назад

      @@nonaG123 If he had any morals he would just kill himself. Joining the nethebrain is akin to suicide but worse.
      So he either has no morals or is just a badly written moment.

  • @harryb12993
    @harryb12993 4 месяца назад +11

    I can only see the Emperor as a manipulative villain. I didn’t want my character to become a mind flayer and he kept pushing it.
    Once I freed orpheus and he asked me to he basically scolded me and said “fine, I may be the destined savior of my entire race but I’ll be the one to do it. You baby.”

  • @ziltoid420
    @ziltoid420 Месяц назад +1

    The Emperor lacks everything paarthurnax has.

  • @AsbestosMuffins
    @AsbestosMuffins 6 месяцев назад +9

    tbf le'zel I took the orphic hammer more as an opportunity to loot a sick demon vault, have sex with a demon, and then slay said demon. the hammer was the journey

  • @RealWorldGaming
    @RealWorldGaming 2 месяца назад

    I love how between You and Karlach are asking about how to delicate the situation, lae’zael is the only one who first tells you to be Selfless then process to tell you to be selfish to see save her people.

  • @sawysauce1256
    @sawysauce1256 3 месяца назад +3

    You should be able to sacrifice any origin companion here, like the fact you can only change karlach, Orpheus, or yourself is just strange to me because characters like Wyll and Non-ascended astarion would have plenty of motivation to sacrifice themselves to save Baldurs gate. Wyll loves the city and we already know he’ll sacrifice any part of himself to protect it and as for spawn astarion eternity as a lowly vampire spawn isn’t exactly appealing now that his chance for ascension is gone, becoming illithid and saving Baldurs gate could’ve been the ultimate ending to astarions redemption arc.

    • @themanwithnoname3250
      @themanwithnoname3250 2 месяца назад

      I think there's a very slim chance in Hells that Astarion would offer to sacrifice himself here. He's just now gotten his life back, and while he's not thrilled about staying a spawn, he has his agency and freedom. As far as he knows, he's immune to sunlight for the forseeable future, so there's really no downside to being a spawn at the moment.
      He's also not particularly attached to Baldur's Gate in any real way, and is more concerned about his friends than anything else. Would he maybe sacrifice himself for them? Eh, still probably not. In the words of a very similar sellsword in Game of Thrones, "I like you a lot, I just like meself more."

  • @Ragnarokflare1
    @Ragnarokflare1 6 месяцев назад +46

    This is honestly where the game lost me in all honesty. The fact that the emperor whines and cries about not trusting him and then goes to join the elder brain out of fucking spite to fight you. What a load of bullshit man and you have nearly no say in it either, despite all you've done and accomplished they make it you HAVE to choose between Orpheus or him. I wish it was different, oh I wish, that you could at least convince him to fight with you at the end despite his frustration in the matter.

    • @kewpified
      @kewpified 6 месяцев назад +31

      The emperor was always using you. There is some dialog that will reveal his former allies were all subdued and mind controlled by him like puppets.

    • @Vandriar
      @Vandriar 6 месяцев назад +15

      Agreed. It just feels like a HUGE slap in the face to the people who refused to eat a tadpole, become half illithid, and want to give Lae'zel an actual good leader to follow. In video games as well as D&D you do require just enough railroading in order to move the story along but this is too much. We should've been able to stop the big brain without sacrificing Gale, without siding with a Mindflayer, or making anyone transform!

    • @liamwhite3522
      @liamwhite3522 6 месяцев назад +12

      ​@@Vandriar"We should be able to win everything without any sacrifices or losses!"

    • @Vandriar
      @Vandriar 6 месяцев назад +8

      @@liamwhite3522 Now you get it!

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад +15

      ​@@liamwhite3522with high enough stats, good rolls and proper planning you can always achieve this sort of ending in D&D and in life. The game doesn't allow you to because Larian doesn't know how to DM. Time, brainpower, hard work,are all sacrifices of their own sorts too. Can you achieve with no sacrifice? Probably not, but even if you get a perfectly happy ending you still had to plan THAT well, and set things up that perfectly, and spend all those hours prepping for your win. It's a mistake to think that the only kind of sacrifice that exists in trying to reach your goals is the kind that makes you suffer, sometimes the sacrifice is one of removing simplicity.

  • @FernandoCuadro
    @FernandoCuadro 6 месяцев назад +31

    the emperor siding with the netherrealm after all that the party has been through fely a little forced, even if it sees failure as a possible outcome, he can side with the brain at the end, idk it made me hate the character

    • @LolchaiProductions
      @LolchaiProductions 6 месяцев назад +2

      MK1 on the mind I see

    • @FernandoCuadro
      @FernandoCuadro 6 месяцев назад +1

      @@LolchaiProductions ha ha ha I didn't realized hahaha

    • @lokiserpentem8534
      @lokiserpentem8534 6 месяцев назад +5

      His whole philosophy is survival and he's basically afraid orpheus will kill him for stealing his power and being illithid, whether before or after the nether brain. Hes escaped the brain 2 times already so it makes sense that it may be his best chance of survival

    • @FernandoCuadro
      @FernandoCuadro 6 месяцев назад +1

      @@lokiserpentem8534 you got a point there, I must admit. Still when it happened I just felt betrayed. After everything we went through, he could have some faith in us. Either way I guess this shows the great job Larian did.

    • @TheHandgunhero
      @TheHandgunhero 6 месяцев назад +18

      @FernandoCuadro At the end of the day the Emperor was a truly horrible and evil character. He lies, manipulates and gaslights you the whole way, and when you learn the truth of what he did to Stelmane and his implied threats that he could do the same to you if you reject his advances... Fucking yikes.

  • @rustyshackleford2950
    @rustyshackleford2950 2 дня назад

    The Emperor is the epitome of that abusive asshole that goes "look what you made me do".

  • @Santoroz
    @Santoroz Месяц назад

    Proves the Emperor was working with the brain all along

  • @blakewinter1657
    @blakewinter1657 6 месяцев назад +60

    If you use the orb in Act 2, then everyone else becomes a mind flayer who had a tadpole. If you destroy the brain with the crown, you also order the brain to destroy the tadpoles. So if you use the orb this way, do you get a good ending, or do the tadpoles stay around and turn everyone along the coast?

    • @Denkenobi
      @Denkenobi  6 месяцев назад +62

      Gale’s sacrifice ending in Act 3 plays out with everyone’s tadpole being destroyed, and the scenes on the docks play out like normal, with everyone acknowledging Gale as the savior of the Sword Coast.

    • @HaddaClu
      @HaddaClu 6 месяцев назад

      The difference between acts 2 and 3 is that we are making the brain have the tadpoles stop everything / go into forced stasis before we blow up. In act 2 if we blow up there is no such restriction to keep the brain worms from completing their natural life cycle.

    • @hongopedo
      @hongopedo 6 месяцев назад +30

      In the end battle in act 3, everyone that had a parasite (and is not protected by Orpheus) is already transformed.

    • @leintati
      @leintati 6 месяцев назад +16

      My friend is romancing Gale with every intention of letting him sacrifice himself in act three

    • @blakewinter1657
      @blakewinter1657 6 месяцев назад +6

      @@Denkenobi Weird that if you destroy the Absolute in Act 2, the mind flayers take over the coast, then. So do your party's worms die if Gale sacrifices?

  • @mattsmith4027
    @mattsmith4027 5 месяцев назад +3

    You know. When I have a character with just below 300HP my first thought is also "I should probably just grab 20 more temp HP"

  • @smitty78749
    @smitty78749 2 месяца назад

    still makes no since that the "emporer" takes off like that

  • @iriarterafael
    @iriarterafael 4 месяца назад +3

    It doesnt make any sense why the emporer doesnt wait to see if your plan works before rejoining the elder brain

  • @vondarcross
    @vondarcross 2 месяца назад

    What a baby gets mad that you won't work with him so switches sides

  • @noctoi
    @noctoi 3 месяца назад

    Ugh I can't deal with Orpheus. He's fodder every run for me lol. I love how many details and options there are in this game. It's a freaking masterpiece

  • @Blackronin357
    @Blackronin357 4 месяца назад +4

    What's crazy is the game makes you create your "gaurdian" who turns out to be the emperor. So you play ya self in a way because of how much you out into creating your "gaurdian". Very sly Larian. 😂

  • @river8151
    @river8151 2 месяца назад

    you have to turn to a mind flayer in the last battle though

  • @ponglenis9273
    @ponglenis9273 5 месяцев назад +5

    Cant you have omeluum here if he stayed alive?

  • @TheSaival
    @TheSaival 4 месяца назад +3

    Its a shame that the weakest plot point happens right in the ending... Like, you dont know if this is just unfinished or they really wanted to make a point that the Emperor DGAF the whole time.

  • @jayxfour2153
    @jayxfour2153 3 месяца назад +1

    This looks like a graphical bug or something more than “no one getting transformed”. It’s actually the path I took in my last playthrough where I got the ceremorphisis achievement because I transformed myself. It looked like you transformed in the final piece of the cut scene but somehow or another weren’t in game. Weird

  • @955701
    @955701 6 месяцев назад +3

    Does Orpheus have Tavern Brawler? Can you just hand him the returning pike and have him hit the brain from there?

  • @MegaParrotMan
    @MegaParrotMan 22 дня назад +1

    I got Orpheus to change and lived happily ever after with Kar’lach in hell.

  • @lilylollielegs34
    @lilylollielegs34 3 месяца назад

    I’m so annoyed. My game glitched and I even tried going back to an earlier save but every time I got to this conversation I couldn’t get my companions to jump down to this platform, so I was just there by myself. I wanted to see their reactions and inputs

  • @RedAngelXV
    @RedAngelXV 3 месяца назад +2

    The Emperor: “I had to fight my way out of the control and influence of the Netherbrain, join me in this fight for our freedom.”
    Also the Emperor: “You won’t defeat the Elder Brain my way? Fine then, I guess my only option is to join with the enemy I’ve supposedly been fighting against this entire time. Have fun fighting against me and the dragon that should’ve been your trump card, lol.”
    This squid is the definition of a petty biotch I swear to god..🤧

  • @danterik9781
    @danterik9781 3 месяца назад +2

    I kinda felt like they ddint make the emperors end thorough enough, every time you fight an important character, (or youre about to) theres countless oppurtunities to avoid the fight beforehand right up to the point before it happens.
    I feel like there should have been a dialogue or something before you fight The Emperor and try to get him to help you again or something.
    Come on Balduran, look around you, look at your city, is this what you truly want? Maybe even convincing him back would've been crucial to ending the brain, as Balduran and Orph kill it together with Tav.

  • @darkzak47
    @darkzak47 6 месяцев назад +25

    Do you know I’ve sunk quite a bit of time into this game and I’m still only on act three. However, I don’t think I can finish this game because quite frankly this is one of the most depressing endings of any video game I’ve ever played.
    There are no happy endings

    • @Alpha1598753
      @Alpha1598753 6 месяцев назад +9

      Karlach is quite happy to become illithid, for one reason : it shut down her engine permanently
      She become a saviour and live to tell the tale although she aknowledge she's a tentacle monster (jokingly)

    • @NeoIsrafil
      @NeoIsrafil 6 месяцев назад +40

      Yah, it's cyberpunk all over again. It's like this generation of writers have collectively decided that if you can get an actually happy ending it's too cheesy or unrealistic because life is pain and suffering so they write in pain and suffering forgetting that that's what we play to ESCAPE.

    • @AquaMaryn.
      @AquaMaryn. 6 месяцев назад

      @@Alpha1598753 There are two problems with Karlach's situation: 1. Her Act 3 quest that was meant to be a continuation of fixing her heart got removed when the Upper City district wasn't added in the launch version of the game, so what we end up with is a variation of her 'bad ending'.
      2. Ceremorphosis, although physically excruciating, imposes feelings of ecstasy, contentment and elation on the future/transformed victim. This was portrayed back in early access in the form of Daisy, a conjuration by the tadpole tempting you to give in. But with that also cut and not much additional info, it's easy to mistake Karlach's eagerness to transform and happiness afterward as real.
      It's mostly the case of number 1, so hopefully the devs would include her complete quest and Omeluum in a future patch, and everyone can live happily ever after.

    • @garycannon4644
      @garycannon4644 6 месяцев назад +2

      That's precisely how I feel lol

    • @str8Jonesing
      @str8Jonesing 6 месяцев назад +20

      My ending was pretty happy. Lae'zel stuck around Faerun, Astarion is in the Underdark somewhere leading a bunch of spawn, Karlach and Wyll busting demons in Avernus(so she actually had a friend and Wyll gets to stay the Blade), Gale gets his crown Minsc survives along with Jaheira, and Shadowheart is my bae and has her parents. And the world isn't destroyed.

  • @sangvinhun
    @sangvinhun 2 месяца назад +3

    this seems to be bugged? at the end, tav is briefly shown to be illithid and orpheus implies he is one but the not

  • @shannexthedestroyer4037
    @shannexthedestroyer4037 17 дней назад +1

    So killing the emporor leaves you vulnerable to the brain.
    But him leaving to join the brain doesnt...
    Ight. Bet.

  • @Superdonko
    @Superdonko 6 месяцев назад +27

    What just happened? Looked like Tav transformed, but then back to normal?

    • @namelessking8527
      @namelessking8527 6 месяцев назад +3

      Perhaps a glitch or edited

    • @Denkenobi
      @Denkenobi  6 месяцев назад +33

      Some kind of glitch. 🤷🏻‍♂️
      The rest of the ending goes on recognizing that no one transformed.

    • @buildawall5803
      @buildawall5803 6 месяцев назад +6

      ​​@@Denkenobiact 3 is Bethesda games levels of buggyness but I love this game

  • @musiccommands8615
    @musiccommands8615 Месяц назад

    Top 10 anime betrayals

  • @Yas-ii3hu
    @Yas-ii3hu 7 дней назад

    LMAO
    Unless you skipped a part of the dialogue, Orpheus honors human you, kneels, and it shows a naked illithid version of you

  • @karlebykok9177
    @karlebykok9177 6 месяцев назад +20

    personally, just let karlach transform or main character(if u're into tentacle), she deserve better but doesnt need to go back to hell and fight endlessly for survival

    • @HaddaClu
      @HaddaClu 6 месяцев назад +23

      She should have been given the option to go to the house of Hope to be guard or something if we killed off Raph. She'd have someplace peaceful then.

    • @karlebykok9177
      @karlebykok9177 6 месяцев назад

      additionally, keep the prince alive to take care of that lich b*tch away from us

    • @nathanielleguizamo409
      @nathanielleguizamo409 6 месяцев назад +7

      I haven’t romanced Karlach, so I don’t know if she had a contract for her soul, but if not, living even an hour longer after the ending with your soul intact after saving thousands of lives (not for money, but because you know it’s right) is a better option then sacrificing your identity and Soul
      Karlach would basically get her choice of Upper Planes to spend eternity in after being such a LEGEND and saving Fae’run is all I’m saying

    • @vee6961
      @vee6961 6 месяцев назад +10

      ​@@HaddaClushe does have that. if you free Hope, you can ask Karlach if she doesn't want to go back there to be with her, since Hope should make something nice out of the place. Karlach's reply is that places like that will never stay unclaimed by a devil for long and that that's why she doesn't want to go back there

    • @Ryakkusu
      @Ryakkusu 6 месяцев назад +2

      Honestly whats to stop karlach from using her new powers to change her form to what she finds more fitting like the emperor did? I wish she wouldnt have to be a mind flayer but theirs more benefits for her to be one than not being one.

  • @1SaG
    @1SaG 6 месяцев назад +12

    Before I start my lengthy rant: If you even so much as consider letting Karlach turn into a Mind Flayer, you too have no soul. No way I'd let that happen to the best devil-mama in all the Realms!!!
    "You leave me no option but to join the Netherbrain"
    I've said it before and I'll say it again: This is such horseshit. How was him joining the Brain even *ever* on the table? According to his own words, the Emperor wanted "freedom" - and it doesn't matter if it's his personal freedom or that of the people of Faerun. In joining the Netherbrain, he basically undoes everything that's been accomplished by him and the party and starts to work against his own former wishes and aims.
    Plus the one thing he won't be getting out of this is freedom.
    What's the new goal he's pursuing with this? He won't be able to dominate the brain, because he doesn't have the stones or Orpheus' protection and once he leaves the prism, he'll be enthralled. So, best case scenario here would be to help defeat the party and to ensure the Brain taking over the city and probably the entire Swordcoast. And in doing so he would simply be reduced to just another mindless drone in the service of the Brain.
    Even him staying behind in the prism and ignoring the entire final battle would make *more* sense on a story-level (IMO) than him suddenly doing a 180 and deciding to switch sides. Heck, he could just attack the party right there to try and grab the stones - and/or attempt to absorb Orpheus against the wishes of the party. Anything but *this*.
    I understand why this has to happen at this point in the story: This is meant to be a point where some sort of bitter sacrifice has to be made - a moment that has lasting consequences beyond the game's ending. I just wish they could've come up with a different explanation why the Emperor feels his only option is one that doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
    Personally, I couldn't give a crap about Lae'zel's people and their problems, so I didn't have any problems letting Orpheus die or to turn him into a Mind Flayer. The Gith seem way too arrogant and narrow-minded WRT the people of Faerun - they're basically only focused on their own problems. That's why I find it hilarious to hear Lae'zel berate the rest of the party for being "selfish", when everyone in the party are willing to turn into Mind Flayers or sacrifice themselves to save the day. While all *she* can think about is herself and her people whom she wants to liberate from her tyrannical queen's rule.
    BTW: Having the Emperor switch sides makes the final fight a bit harder, but not impossibly so. I did this on my first Tactician run but I struggled more with the final-final bit of the battle that comes after you defeat the Emperor.

    • @Alpha1598753
      @Alpha1598753 6 месяцев назад +1

      Just have whoever became ilithid spam black hole near the dragon to group half the enemies and spam cast AOE spells, works fine to me, especialy with a storm cleric on haste/speed pot and create water spell
      while giving everyone fire resist pots
      On the Emperor switchign side, yeah looked very out of chracter considering he sign his own demise regardless, unless he consider his freedom and free will to be lesser than his life, beign a brain dead puppet or dead isn't really different

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 6 месяцев назад +6

      Letting Karlach transform is the logical choice. She's doomed anyway. Either she commits suicide post battle or she's forced to live in hell for the rest of her life while being chased by her former slavemaster.
      At least this way she gets to choose to die doing something heroic.
      Still, not being able to fix her is bullshit. Act 3 is full of reinforced infernal iron from the Steel Watchers. They should have served to permanently fix her engine.

  • @FaustRSI
    @FaustRSI 6 месяцев назад +8

    Is this some new addition of the patch 4? Because I followed the same pass but Orpheus just says he doesn't trust Gale and transforms.

    • @ianchapman6254
      @ianchapman6254 6 месяцев назад +1

      You have to agree to become a mindflayer with the emperor first and take his tadpole. Then reject the emperor. Only then can you convince Orpheus not to turn you then and there.

    • @FaustRSI
      @FaustRSI 6 месяцев назад

      @@ianchapman6254 so, is it new addition? Because I've tried it before.

    • @zeny5159
      @zeny5159 4 месяца назад

      @@ianchapman6254 When does the Emperor says that to me?

    • @honestbenny
      @honestbenny Месяц назад +1

      @@zeny5159 It's LITREALLY IN THIS VIDEO.... wtf

    • @zeny5159
      @zeny5159 Месяц назад

      @@honestbenny Jesus Christ. No need to answer angryly. It has been two months. I though you would need to do something before this final cutscene

  • @Rathause
    @Rathause 2 месяца назад

    Wow, the game really does not expect you to be able to avoid becoming an Illithid, it made you one for like five seconds near the end.

  • @Alex_Gor_1
    @Alex_Gor_1 6 месяцев назад +16

    Emperor was with Absolute from the beginning, it was a Great Plan to free Absolute. This video shows it.

  • @chuckchan4127
    @chuckchan4127 6 месяцев назад +10

    Orpheus would kill the Emperor on the spot.

  • @sangun123
    @sangun123 3 месяца назад +1

    I’ll admit the emperor gaslit and totally won me over the first time but I wanted to see how it’d be if my dark urge never fully trusts him and he so quickly shows his true character, my gith durge is going to love shittjng on him

  • @RrageKittiii
    @RrageKittiii 2 дня назад

    How did you get the hammer before getting to this step. I played and got changed against my wishes. I was only able to get the hammer once I found Raphael and signed his contract? Help I don’t want to change.

  • @Ireallylikepotatoesandbg3
    @Ireallylikepotatoesandbg3 21 день назад

    I wish I could sacrifice someone I didn't care as much about. Like Minsc. I love Minsc but id rather sacrifice him over Gale.

  • @qzbnyv
    @qzbnyv 6 месяцев назад +1

    Surprise Illithid Tav in the nekki-nu at 13:12 LOL

  • @farfinir4784
    @farfinir4784 3 месяца назад +1

    But how can I open the portal in the crown since no one turns into a mind flayer?

  • @MoonsongReverb
    @MoonsongReverb 5 месяцев назад +14

    This is nope. Just nope…. No matter if romanced or not, i never let Gale die. I like him too much, so i can’t do it ❤
    I rather sacrifice Orpheus, than any companion. I mean, he’s some NPC you just met n the end. Your companions ate those who go through everything with you, and you help them through all,their problems. They are your friends or even partners if romanced
    Does the emperor ending not demand someone become a Mindflayer, too?

  • @nullw8768
    @nullw8768 6 месяцев назад +33

    You should be able to free Orpheus earlier. I really wanted to and it would make a Gith run that much more fun.

    • @SidheKnight
      @SidheKnight 6 месяцев назад +1

      Leaving Orpheus for the endgame means I'm forced to bring Lae'zel for the full story.

  • @Behemoth9030
    @Behemoth9030 3 месяца назад

    What’s that armour that Karlach’s wearing and where can I get it? It looks so fucking cool!

  • @christopherriley6299
    @christopherriley6299 2 месяца назад

    If Tav transforms into an Illithid, SOMEONE is transforming. Your Tav counts as a someone.

    • @honestbenny
      @honestbenny Месяц назад

      Actually if you go by this ending game and NPCs acknowledge that noone transformed so he didn't. That was glitch.

  • @Viperess777
    @Viperess777 5 месяцев назад +4

    Why would The Emperor join the Nether Brain???? That literally doesn't make any fucking sense lmao

    • @Vareiance
      @Vareiance 4 месяца назад +1

      Literally just to spite you, cuz after he kills you he can take control of the nether stones and control the brain. That’s just a theory tho

    • @Viperess777
      @Viperess777 4 месяца назад

      @@Vareiance I would like to think he's smarter than that

    • @Vareiance
      @Vareiance 4 месяца назад +2

      @@Viperess777 tru, there should’ve definitely been a middle ground option for this part of the game. We either give him the stones or don’t

    • @TheSaival
      @TheSaival 4 месяца назад

      @@Vareiance he cant because if he joins the nethebrain he will be controlled by the nethebrain. He no longer will be an invidual.
      The whole moment is just stupid.

  • @samuelevander9823
    @samuelevander9823 5 месяцев назад

    How & where do I get the main character armor seen here in act 3? It looks amazing!

    • @MakuAG
      @MakuAG 4 месяца назад

      You can buy it from a merchant in the lower city if i recall correctly, either Dammon or Karlach's friend.

  • @congruentcrib
    @congruentcrib 2 месяца назад +3

    Wait, is this like a glitch? Showed you as an illithid momentarily.

  • @robertstone9342
    @robertstone9342 3 месяца назад

    What armor is that that you are wearing on your main guy? And the one on Karlach?

  • @ifoundmemallet3394
    @ifoundmemallet3394 5 месяцев назад

    i’m not even getting the option for gale to sacrifice himself

  •  5 месяцев назад

    You dont need to kill emperor for avoid the transformation