In fairness, it's not really a sacrifice if it can just be "fixed". Gale can no longer return to the mortal realm, which means he won't see Tara (his dearest friend), his parents, or his BG3 buddies ever again most likely... unless Mystra can somehow send him to Withers' prologue party, but I don't know.
@@mistahanansi2264 I agree, but seeing Tav as a Mind Flayer even in the "afterlife" after you choose to end your life is kinda depressing, plus Withers mentions that you (the party) could be needed again so I assume that includes Gale as well, idk
My understanding is that Mystra cannot interfere too much with Faerun. Therefore the only way she can restore Gale, is that if he is no more to return to Faerun. This makes sense for Gale as he is the chosen of Mystra, but for the others? Maybe for Durge Bhaal could do something similar, but Im not sure: a. I would decide to spend the rest of my life in Bhaal realm b. Bhaal gives an effing f about his choosens.
Love that they added this ending- though I''m not sure how I feel about Gale learning NOTHING from the last time he took a tumble in her magical undergarments. Poor fool.
@@traceyxxrose7454 She groomed him just like the Greek gods and goddesses did with mortals. He just finally submitted and is now her boytoy. Forever and ever and ever.
I find it bittersweet but realistically possible. Like Astarion, he gains a lot from a romance. It helps him grow personally and move past his old passion in ways friendship does not.
To be fair, being mystra's chosen (even if you basically die here) is significantly better than staying an illithid. That said, if gale is not an illithid and *still* choose to be with her again, yeah he's an idiot
@traceyxxrose7454 pfft please, mystra doesn't care about "teaching a lesson". What kind of lesson ask the student to die as punishment from making a mistake, which is caused by her in the first place? Do you know that one of mystra's doctrine for spellcaster is to 'seek power and keep trying to evolve magic' (paraphrasing)? Yet the moment gale sees the power beyond the boundary (something that she herself shows him) and wants to have that, it's suddenly not okay. Gale is power hungry, make no mistake, but he won't be this bad if not for mystra's own doing.
It's still a rather sad ending as Gale can't return to the mortal plane, so he's still essentially dead. And he's spending his afterlife with the goddess who manipulated him. That being said though I actually got a little emotional watching Gale's soul being restored and I'm glad we get confirmation Mystra keeps her word.
Only fans with extremely poor interpretations of a goddess (who willingly chains herself to mortals, and who gale was literally devouring with his karsite weave bit by bit) would have thought she wouldn't. From her perspective asking Gale to kill himself isn't nearly as big of an ask as it is for a mortal, after all she's died several times herself!
@@override367 Strong words there, differing interpretations from your own do not inherently mean worse ones. Mystra is complicated, she keeps her word here but she is very flawed. The game suggests that pretty clearly I think. It's why upon Gale being told by Elminster to kill himself and everyone around him in a miles wide radius to save the realm, pretty much everyone besides Gale is angry at her and list valid reasons why Mystra's approach is flawed. Gale is of course also flawed like the rest of the cast, but Mystra clearly has power and control over him. For every noble reason you can assume she has for her decisions in game she also can have a selfish or petty one. Which is it, or is it both? I don't think it is unreasonable for players to be skeptical. I prefer gods written like Mystra for that reason. Extremely interesting.
My tav being a devout cleric of Mysra and watching Gale become chosen after I literally killed 2 other chosen and also a demon and wouldn't even consider not following the word of my goddess:
There kinda is already, after you get the ending where you go to avernus with her, at the party she tells you she has found a way to be cured, is not sure, is in the future, but is good enough according to me
@rettbull9100 Nah, this isn't out of character for Mystra. He surrendered the Karsite stuff and Crown and the Absolute is also gone. The reward makes sense. However, it does feel out of character for Gale to do this, though, after what he's been through.
@@rettbull9100 How is this out of character for her? Mystra isn't evil. The only reason she didn't take gale to elysim before was because he wasn't ready. Now gale is willingly giving the crown and the karsite weave back to mystra, he has learned his lesson, and he has become an illithid. Mystra wasn't going to leave her chosen like that
Additional dnd context- last time someone used karsus’ crown to become a god, it killed Mystra. This event is why the netherese civilization fell and why individual mages are banned from casting spells above 9th level. Gale would 100% be aware of the crown’s history. I’m not saying him bringing up the crown is an implicit threat, but I’m not saying it *isnt* a threat either.
Well it was targeted at Mystra herself if I remember correctly or Karsus tried to make the Avatar of Karsus (the only 12th level spell I believe, again recalling this from memory) target Mystra which attempted to drain her into the Avatar? This is if I recall correctly. As she was losing her power in an attempt to stop the situation she used up all the power she had left and destroyed it, and herself along with it. It apparently took her a long time to come back too.
@@AsreiMurasame pretty sure the canon thing is, cast katsus avatar, it kills the god, give you its power. Turn out, when you kill personification of magic (old mystra who is not a ascended mortal like new mystra) magic stops working, spells fail, weave explode
Actually after checking ed greenwood tweet it seems she did sacrifice herself indeed, damn thats way less funny than the most powerful mage being a mega fool
@@quentinlelievre276 Yeah I think it's the case that if Karsus had targeted a different god, his spell would probably have worked. He shouldn't have tried to use magic to supplant the goddess of magic, it was self-defeating.
He's sent to Elysium which is basically just a tranquil paradise. Probably best outcome imaginable, especially if that goddess favors you and maybe will have you as a boy toy.
Not great, but far from the worst outcome, considering his only other option was "remain a soulless husk who's eventually going to slip into ilithid evilness and eat his lover's brain." He has his soul and his humanity back. Now all he has to do is wait till she tires of him, and then if he's clever, he can resume his life on faerûn almost like it was before...
Although what I like about this scene is HE STILL HAS THE ORB when she brings him back and I think that's a hilarious thing that was overlooked as I highly doubt Mystra would have left that on him bringing him back.
@kozhcaelum8495 As a goddess of magic, there are strict rules she must adhere to. As a deity, she doesn't have the luxury of doing EVERYTHING in her moral compass that she would have had while she was still mortal. She has to think about the fate of ALL things magic rather than just those she personally cares about. And blowing up the Absolute was the most surefire way to stop a threat that could have been the doom of all things, even if it meant sacrificing Gale. Which yes is a heavy thing to ask, and one even she in her divinity had no right to ask of him.
@Spiralpaladin As I said, previous Mystra still has that mortal moral compass. This one doesn't after Ao punished her. You're right that her main thing is preserving the weave (hence why she uses volo as the anchor), but that's precisely why I said she's more true neutral now. Preserving weave isn't something good or evil, but it's just... it. More like natural order/force kindof thung. Well, unless we see weave = good, and shadow/karsite weave = evil. Edit: also, the problem with mystra isn't even her asking her follower to die, but more in how she does things. From romancing a mortal, not telling gale what to do after he ate the orb, telling him to die even though there might be a chance we could defeat the brain, only compromise when gale learn the truth of the crown
this ending feel like a bad one for me because when Mystra looked at gale she looked like she's happy she got her puppet back and Gale is just happy someone needs him. Like odd that she can change him back into his human form but only if he stays with her.
Exactly that why the more Gale talked about her the less I liked her. Also when you go to that temple place with all the gods you can pray too the narrator says she is a "jealous god" and while Karsus power is evil and Gale didn't really know that until after the fact If he chooses godhood and tell her that I think she gets jealous at that fact he achieved his goal and became a god. @@elenalizabeth
@@jassibella5415sometimes I see comments of people being annoyed that he talks too much about his ex. But like people often talk a lot about a certain ex for a reason. It's flawed to look only at the surface and see someone talk about their ex without thinking and listening to why that is. Relationships (especially long ones) have a significant impact on people and can change them for life.
Ao doesn’t like gods interfering in mortal affairs. That’s why Mystra can’t just change him back. The only way she’d actually be able to help him is if he’s not a mortal anymore.
Honestly, I don't like this ending. It feels like Gale's entire character arc was rendered meaningless. At the start of the game, he was grappling with severe self-esteem issues stemming from his gifted-child syndrome and Mystra's manipulation, Gale perpetually felt the need to validate himself, striving to prove his worth. Mystra made things worse by playing on his insecurities and preying on his vulnerabilities, ultimately leading him to attempt seizing control of the Karsic weave to impress her. Not to mention she groomed him and she has a reputation for using "young wizards", as hinted at in Minsc's dialogue about her. Gale's aspiration to claim Karsus' Crown and ascend to godhood was his way of escaping failure. However, with the support of Tav and the events of the game, he gradually comes to realize that he doesn't need external validation to define his worth. He learns to love himself, stoods up to Mystra, and finds fulfillment as a professor. For the first time, he experiences genuine contentment and happiness. Yet, in this ending where he sails off with Mystra, looking all happy-go-lucky, undermines this hard-earned growth. It doesn't resonate with the journey he undertook or the lessons he learned along the way. It feels out of character and diminishes the impact of his personal development. Thus, I find it unsatisfactory.
I remember reading on Reddit about one of the writers self-inserting themselves as Gale, which is why parts of his story are kind of weird, whereas Gale as a character is solid. Makes sense, it's like some nerd having a crush on a celebrity (in this case the writer and Mystra) and thinking they'd be a great partner to them, without knowing what they are like or having similar interests.
@@juanlaise1059 She groomed him ever since he was young. His reliance on her and his over-the-top ambition both stem from Mystra and her "promises". The major reason he is fcked up is because of her. If you ever romance him and show him he is good enough as just a man, you can see for yourself. That, and she could have just saved him without going "Come be my consort again." She's disgusting and a menace (like most of the gods really).
A greater deiety can do pretty much anything, save affecting the fundamentals of Realmspace, which is the domain of Ao. They are however, not allowed to do much of anything by said Overgod, when it comes to the players and their story. At it's heart, this is still just a game that revolves around said players, not a real world with consistency to how nature and/or magic work. It wouldn't be much of a game if all it took was asking a god to solve all your plot-related problems, especially since most of the benevolent ones would probably be willing to do it anyway. Therefore, the system needs excuses to keep that from being an option.
I hate to say it, but it looks like Aurora Borealis. At this time of day, in this time of year, in this part of the planes, localized entirely within... wherever that is.
Mystra: Localized entirely within my domain you mean? In that case you are correct. If that is enough to impress you, then you will be absolutely blown away by my signature pleasure domes. 😏
@@melteddali8000 nah dude. You think that staying with the grooming purple god that asked you to commit suicide and abandoned you for trying to do something for her is the best ending? 😂
@@Keram-io8hv Yes. Which is mature tadpole. You don't call frogs tadpoles either. The tadpoles in the heads of the Re of the crew died out with the Netherbrain.
Its weird how people say that this is a badly written ending because "Gale doesnt learn his lesson about being a god's plaything" My brother, YOU ARE GALE ! YOU DIDINT LEARN YOUR LESSON !"
Realistically, being turned from an Illithid back to a human is probably a terrible feeling. All mind flayers describe themselves as superior beings having the "fog" be lifted from their minds. So assuming Gale still has the memories of being an illithid, and the sense of mental clarity that came with it, it probably feels like absolute shit to go back.
If they are mind flayers, then emotions and morals would be a hindrance and feel bad. If they are humans, they need emotions and morals to find meaning in their lives.
@@TheScavv It doesn't contradict, but would you rather have a soul and have a sense of right and wrong, or would you rather have perfect mental clarity and psionic powers with no soul and no warmth.
So, okay. I would like a definitive statement as to whether mindflayers have souls or not. Mystra said devoid of soul and conscience. If this were true, then would a mindflayer really give up the crown? And, what would there to restore if Gale's soul had either left his body or was obliterated? Her statements, along with Withers, are bafflingly contradictory.
An Illithid Deity without a soul feels like it's never gonna lead to good things for anyone, not even Gale, since the original Gale is gone in this form.
I think they meant why would you choose to go to Elysium just to be Mystra's muse if instead you could use the crown to return from being illithid and become the God of Ambition.
@@Neipalm Yeah but the thing is, what if that's specifically a Mystra related power? Not all gods are equivalent in power, Gale is implied to be on the very minor end of the spectrum. Likely because he was cautious and didn't make Karsus' same mistake. Mystra is a Greater Deity, that's why in the ending where Gale challenges Mystra to a fight - he loses, badly. So what if Gale can't return his soul to its original form? Or what if it takes far longer than Mystra? It's implied that one's Illithid mindset is slowly changing everyone who takes on this state. Eventually even the desire to not be Illithid would be gone.
You know, i probably would have stayed as illithid... IF PLAYER ILLITHID HAD BETTER BLOODY DESIGN. SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS THAT SHIT? FUCKING TEENAGE ILLITHID? COME ON.
idk I find the ending where she returns to Avernus with Wyll and finds the possibility to repair her engine quite promising. Especially if we get a DLC out of that. :3
All right but according to this... Illithids then are still sort of the character, just soulless? Sort of like the vampires of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where vamps are essentially the twisted, demonified, soulless versions of their past human selves, but still are somewhat those people (in their cases with their worst impulses brought to life)? So both the Emperor AND Withers/Mystra are right.
Strenght of Will and passage of time. If the default Tav ends its life while being a Mindflayer, Withers Will say that you Still have your soul. The Emperor sure had a strenght but moral compass was destroyed, leaving only His ambition. If Tav, Orpheus could choose tu surrender their lifes, so did he.
I’m fairly certain that with withers being able to recognize the emperor as balduran in the upper city confirms that they have some form of soul, otherwise withers should have no way of knowing who the emperor was, it’s likely just that their soul loses any “apostolic” aspect, thus leaving whatever soul they have left useless to the gods
Game is very sort of wishy washy with what illithid transformation actually means. In the old lore it's the tadpole consuming you and the tadpole (not you) who emerges. The netherese infused tadpoles as well as the emperor's situation seem to be more alike a shapeshift (you keep your brain and soul, it's just your "shell" that changes). Withers does have some line about the fact that illithids are soulless, which I think is supposed to mean that they don't go to the regular afterlife, thus not strengthening the other gods and thus the dead three becoming comparatively more powerful for a time. Though they don't really get into it all that much for what is kindof an important line, perhaps there was more there originally but they kindof cut it out because it doesn't really matter to the narrative as a whole all that much.
@@studentt6064I took it as one of two things With the netherese tadpoles it's not a polymorph moreso the illithid replacing you but your memories and some remnant of who you once were imprinting on the creature leading to a seperate entity wholly convinced its you and by all means is a illithid replica of you while you die Or It's actually the manipulation of Orpheus' abilities that allows the victim to retain some of what they once were, although still very much an illithid, more like an illithid halfbreed in a sense than a true one. The body is an illithid, the mind is, but the soul is retained either permanently or temporarily.
Normally becoming an illithid wipes out the host entirely. People with very strong wills taken over by really mediocre tadpoles can sometimes have a portion of their personality mimicked by the tadpole, but its not really them, it's an illithid who thinks they are the same person. There's an argument to be made as to whether or not they are effectively the same person if they share enough memory or personality, but that's nitpicking at that point--the host has ceased to exist and been consumed by the mindflayer, if not in one fashion, then in another.
I mean... so you don't have a soul anymore cause illithid (already proven by Withers both in pre final fight speech AND post death dialogue that you DO still have a soul) but she can somehow rescue that non-existent soul and take it to Elysium, idk man, sounds like some gods don't want you to realise you really do have potential as an illithid and try to hide it behind stuff like "they have no souls" (As for WHY would they do that is because illithids don't have a soul... that they can take advantage from, so you're useless to them but doesn't mean you dont' have one, in fact illithids can become liches, and require a soul to do so)
So... now Gale is the only character that have true happy ending as illithid (no more!)? Rest of characters are like "illithid? okay, thanks, but you are terrible"
Idk if I’d call this a “good” ending. More of a “Gale returns to the cycle of abuse fully knowing he had to give up literally everything for Mystra to even somewhat approve of him.”
Not really,she clearly shows that she appreciates his efforts,you can see this while talking the first time with her or even Elminster sending the message
@@domenicc1839She really doesn’t, she’s very much so a manipulative child loving prick. The fact a that she knew of him when he was young and he explains how he was young when he was taken in my her and elmisnster and then became her student, she became his muse and then his lover is weird asf. Also side note, where what letter are you talking about, and if you wouldn’t mind, could you explain what was said in the letter?
On my second playthrough, I’m looking for a fall guy to become the Illithid. I’m salty that in my playthrough I made the sacrifice, off’ed myself, and was *still* a squid in the afterlife.
yeah pretty gross, but luckily its only if you're playing as him and its only if you actively choose this option. Something I'd personally never do as him
Mystra intervened and helped more than any other Gods (though her solution was a bit blunt) besides Jergal to deal with the Absolute. And despite Gale's direct disobedience she still ultimately redeems him once he restores balance. I can't see how she's villainous at all compared to other entities in the setting
It could be that the game has a lower facial animation setting or since this scene comes with the new update the animation hasn't been properly done Baldurs gate 3 facial animation is better than most AAA games that's for sure
this is such a disgusting and tragic ending. Gale has not only learned nothing, but the option "I have someone waiting for me" means he romanced someone and then left them behind after returning everything to Mystra and they just get nothing back from him. Mystra actually opening Elysium to him is what he originally wanted but this also only serves to make him more subservient to her. ... As an aside, bloodweave w/ spawn Astarion romanced in Gale origin for this is so upsetting.
Just finished my first playthrough with Gale last night, i am excited to see where the other relationships go but idk who can offer anything better than Godhood
No, Divine intervention or things on the level of Wish could always cure complete ceremorphosis. Gods just aren't allowed to interfere in mortal affairs casually like that. Also most wouldn't care unless it's someone they really liked.
somehow, i think this is the worst ending for Gale. Bro has to spend eternity with someone who literally groomed him and threw him away when he pissed her off
Yeah it’s pretty bad. Prof Dekarios or God Gale are better. There are canonically other Gods of Magic in Faerun besides Mystra, so becoming the God of Magical Ambition is not a far stretch. If Karsus succeeded then he would’ve definitely deserved this title too.
It's a shame you cannot get this ending when you play not as Gale. Because Gale agrees to sacrifice himself completely then, but there is no option to turn him into a mindflayer, a bit silly.
People are terribly biased by Gale, as if he wasn't willing to unleash a world ending threat just to have more power, like the spoiled, bratty child he is. It is of no surprise that people doesn't understand Mystra, BG3 doesn't really offer all the important context about her, so it's easier for people to just judge her without the full truth. I'll just say: Gale was NEVER a victim of Mystra, he was a victim of HIS OWN ambitions and mortal selfishness. Mystra never asked him to mess with the Karsite Weave or the Crown, he did it out of sheer greed for power and to prove something he was never asked to. What happened to him was a suitable punishment, maybe even too merciful considering what happened to Karsus, who did exactly what Gale tried to do but didn't get a second chance to save the world he could have ruined because of his treachery.
mindflayers can have souls though. If you transform into a mindflayer for the final battle and kill yourself afterwards, Withers will find you (in mindflayer form) in the afterlife and admit he was wrong.
@@Jackie-ms3tn Explicitly that was because you aren't fully transformed at that point. If you choose not to kill yourself, your transformation completes almost immediately afterwards and wipes out what is left (because there's nothing holding it back anymore).
Fucked up how nobody offered Tav to have their soul restored after their sacrifice
In fairness, it's not really a sacrifice if it can just be "fixed". Gale can no longer return to the mortal realm, which means he won't see Tara (his dearest friend), his parents, or his BG3 buddies ever again most likely... unless Mystra can somehow send him to Withers' prologue party, but I don't know.
@@mistahanansi2264 I agree, but seeing Tav as a Mind Flayer even in the "afterlife" after you choose to end your life is kinda depressing, plus Withers mentions that you (the party) could be needed again so I assume that includes Gale as well, idk
@@weeamood9615 Fair point.
My understanding is that Mystra cannot interfere too much with Faerun. Therefore the only way she can restore Gale, is that if he is no more to return to Faerun. This makes sense for Gale as he is the chosen of Mystra, but for the others?
Maybe for Durge Bhaal could do something similar, but Im not sure: a. I would decide to spend the rest of my life in Bhaal realm b. Bhaal gives an effing f about his choosens.
tav does not have leverage
Love that they added this ending- though I''m not sure how I feel about Gale learning NOTHING from the last time he took a tumble in her magical undergarments. Poor fool.
She was teaching him a lesson.. he was power hungry. Now that he finally let go of his power hungry ways, she’s finally taking him.
@@traceyxxrose7454 She groomed him just like the Greek gods and goddesses did with mortals. He just finally submitted and is now her boytoy. Forever and ever and ever.
I find it bittersweet but realistically possible. Like Astarion, he gains a lot from a romance. It helps him grow personally and move past his old passion in ways friendship does not.
To be fair, being mystra's chosen (even if you basically die here) is significantly better than staying an illithid.
That said, if gale is not an illithid and *still* choose to be with her again, yeah he's an idiot
@traceyxxrose7454 pfft please, mystra doesn't care about "teaching a lesson". What kind of lesson ask the student to die as punishment from making a mistake, which is caused by her in the first place?
Do you know that one of mystra's doctrine for spellcaster is to 'seek power and keep trying to evolve magic' (paraphrasing)? Yet the moment gale sees the power beyond the boundary (something that she herself shows him) and wants to have that, it's suddenly not okay.
Gale is power hungry, make no mistake, but he won't be this bad if not for mystra's own doing.
It's still a rather sad ending as Gale can't return to the mortal plane, so he's still essentially dead. And he's spending his afterlife with the goddess who manipulated him. That being said though I actually got a little emotional watching Gale's soul being restored and I'm glad we get confirmation Mystra keeps her word.
Simp in life, simp in death
Gale would have died someday anyway.
Only fans with extremely poor interpretations of a goddess (who willingly chains herself to mortals, and who gale was literally devouring with his karsite weave bit by bit) would have thought she wouldn't. From her perspective asking Gale to kill himself isn't nearly as big of an ask as it is for a mortal, after all she's died several times herself!
@@override367 Strong words there, differing interpretations from your own do not inherently mean worse ones. Mystra is complicated, she keeps her word here but she is very flawed. The game suggests that pretty clearly I think. It's why upon Gale being told by Elminster to kill himself and everyone around him in a miles wide radius to save the realm, pretty much everyone besides Gale is angry at her and list valid reasons why Mystra's approach is flawed. Gale is of course also flawed like the rest of the cast, but Mystra clearly has power and control over him. For every noble reason you can assume she has for her decisions in game she also can have a selfish or petty one. Which is it, or is it both? I don't think it is unreasonable for players to be skeptical. I prefer gods written like Mystra for that reason. Extremely interesting.
My tav being a devout cleric of Mysra and watching Gale become chosen after I literally killed 2 other chosen and also a demon and wouldn't even consider not following the word of my goddess:
Meanwhile Karlach: "where is my happy ending #%#$!!?"
Romance Gale as Karlach and let him ascend, he will cure her condition.
There kinda is already, after you get the ending where you go to avernus with her, at the party she tells you she has found a way to be cured, is not sure, is in the future, but is good enough according to me
I’m just glad she’s sincere
@@lucaluca111 Possible Avernus expansion in the future.
Look up Baldurs Gate 3 but it came out in 2007
i'm glad we have it, but still don't like Mystra at all
yeah, this feels out of character for her.
Same i don't like her but ngl I'm glad she was able to help Gale and restore his soul after everything he went through@@rettbull9100
@rettbull9100 Nah, this isn't out of character for Mystra. He surrendered the Karsite stuff and Crown and the Absolute is also gone. The reward makes sense. However, it does feel out of character for Gale to do this, though, after what he's been through.
Agree @@gagapandega1668
@@rettbull9100 How is this out of character for her? Mystra isn't evil. The only reason she didn't take gale to elysim before was because he wasn't ready. Now gale is willingly giving the crown and the karsite weave back to mystra, he has learned his lesson, and he has become an illithid. Mystra wasn't going to leave her chosen like that
Gale’s smile at the end tells us he’s going to be knocking Mystra’s boots all over the forgotten realms.
Where do you think he started eating boots in the first place?
Hes gonna be tryna knock up mystra as well
Additional dnd context- last time someone used karsus’ crown to become a god, it killed Mystra. This event is why the netherese civilization fell and why individual mages are banned from casting spells above 9th level. Gale would 100% be aware of the crown’s history. I’m not saying him bringing up the crown is an implicit threat, but I’m not saying it *isnt* a threat either.
More like, 200iq mage uses magic to kill magic
Well it was targeted at Mystra herself if I remember correctly or Karsus tried to make the Avatar of Karsus (the only 12th level spell I believe, again recalling this from memory) target Mystra which attempted to drain her into the Avatar? This is if I recall correctly. As she was losing her power in an attempt to stop the situation she used up all the power she had left and destroyed it, and herself along with it. It apparently took her a long time to come back too.
@@AsreiMurasame pretty sure the canon thing is, cast katsus avatar, it kills the god, give you its power. Turn out, when you kill personification of magic (old mystra who is not a ascended mortal like new mystra) magic stops working, spells fail, weave explode
Actually after checking ed greenwood tweet it seems she did sacrifice herself indeed, damn thats way less funny than the most powerful mage being a mega fool
@@quentinlelievre276 Yeah I think it's the case that if Karsus had targeted a different god, his spell would probably have worked. He shouldn't have tried to use magic to supplant the goddess of magic, it was self-defeating.
A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON
God I laughed at this... Made a good start to my day
I laughed so hard at this!
PFFT
LOL
You win Skyrim AND the internet today!
Lol, that derpy smile at the end is precious.
Ah, back to being Mystra's boy toy...Back to square one
not a bad square to be on
He's sent to Elysium which is basically just a tranquil paradise. Probably best outcome imaginable, especially if that goddess favors you and maybe will have you as a boy toy.
Not great, but far from the worst outcome, considering his only other option was "remain a soulless husk who's eventually going to slip into ilithid evilness and eat his lover's brain." He has his soul and his humanity back. Now all he has to do is wait till she tires of him, and then if he's clever, he can resume his life on faerûn almost like it was before...
Although what I like about this scene is HE STILL HAS THE ORB when she brings him back and I think that's a hilarious thing that was overlooked as I highly doubt Mystra would have left that on him bringing him back.
the crown has the power to remove the orb tho right?
Say what you will about her, but Mystra keeps her word.
She is neutral good aligned for a reason, after all
After she manipulated the heck out of gale. This is her keeping her words so she can get her toy back
@@Spiralpaladinmore like true neutral. Midnight might be neutral good, but this mystra doesn't seem to embodied the "good" that well
@kozhcaelum8495 As a goddess of magic, there are strict rules she must adhere to. As a deity, she doesn't have the luxury of doing EVERYTHING in her moral compass that she would have had while she was still mortal. She has to think about the fate of ALL things magic rather than just those she personally cares about. And blowing up the Absolute was the most surefire way to stop a threat that could have been the doom of all things, even if it meant sacrificing Gale. Which yes is a heavy thing to ask, and one even she in her divinity had no right to ask of him.
@Spiralpaladin As I said, previous Mystra still has that mortal moral compass. This one doesn't after Ao punished her. You're right that her main thing is preserving the weave (hence why she uses volo as the anchor), but that's precisely why I said she's more true neutral now. Preserving weave isn't something good or evil, but it's just... it. More like natural order/force kindof thung.
Well, unless we see weave = good, and shadow/karsite weave = evil.
Edit: also, the problem with mystra isn't even her asking her follower to die, but more in how she does things. From romancing a mortal, not telling gale what to do after he ate the orb, telling him to die even though there might be a chance we could defeat the brain, only compromise when gale learn the truth of the crown
this ending feel like a bad one for me because when Mystra looked at gale she looked like she's happy she got her puppet back and Gale is just happy someone needs him. Like odd that she can change him back into his human form but only if he stays with her.
Yeah she got her plaything back. She reminds me of how Mizora treats Wyll, like a toy or “pup” to be led around and told what to do.
Exactly that why the more Gale talked about her the less I liked her. Also when you go to that temple place with all the gods you can pray too the narrator says she is a "jealous god" and while Karsus power is evil and Gale didn't really know that until after the fact If he chooses godhood and tell her that I think she gets jealous at that fact he achieved his goal and became a god. @@elenalizabeth
@@jassibella5415sometimes I see comments of people being annoyed that he talks too much about his ex.
But like people often talk a lot about a certain ex for a reason. It's flawed to look only at the surface and see someone talk about their ex without thinking and listening to why that is.
Relationships (especially long ones) have a significant impact on people and can change them for life.
Ao doesn’t like gods interfering in mortal affairs. That’s why Mystra can’t just change him back. The only way she’d actually be able to help him is if he’s not a mortal anymore.
when they fly it reminded me shrek is love
This made me laugh more than it should have 😂
Honestly, I don't like this ending. It feels like Gale's entire character arc was rendered meaningless. At the start of the game, he was grappling with severe self-esteem issues stemming from his gifted-child syndrome and Mystra's manipulation, Gale perpetually felt the need to validate himself, striving to prove his worth. Mystra made things worse by playing on his insecurities and preying on his vulnerabilities, ultimately leading him to attempt seizing control of the Karsic weave to impress her. Not to mention she groomed him and she has a reputation for using "young wizards", as hinted at in Minsc's dialogue about her.
Gale's aspiration to claim Karsus' Crown and ascend to godhood was his way of escaping failure. However, with the support of Tav and the events of the game, he gradually comes to realize that he doesn't need external validation to define his worth. He learns to love himself, stoods up to Mystra, and finds fulfillment as a professor. For the first time, he experiences genuine contentment and happiness.
Yet, in this ending where he sails off with Mystra, looking all happy-go-lucky, undermines this hard-earned growth. It doesn't resonate with the journey he undertook or the lessons he learned along the way. It feels out of character and diminishes the impact of his personal development. Thus, I find it unsatisfactory.
To be fair, that's only if Tav actively encourages Gale to move away from Mystra's manipulations and Tyranny. It's entirely possible to not do this.
I remember reading on Reddit about one of the writers self-inserting themselves as Gale, which is why parts of his story are kind of weird, whereas Gale as a character is solid. Makes sense, it's like some nerd having a crush on a celebrity (in this case the writer and Mystra) and thinking they'd be a great partner to them, without knowing what they are like or having similar interests.
you put all my thoughts into words so much more eloquently than i
@@niffthesniff8258Do you like spiderman 2
@@niffthesniff8258????? This bait doesn’t even make sense… you choose this path lmfao
1:54 goofy ah face.
What's AH mean?
@@Re3Nsass
Buddy bagged a goddess
Ugh, no. This gives me the ick in ways I cannot adequately describe right now. Stay away from her, Gale!🥺
Why? She is basically saving him?
Gale was the idiot who F'up due to his ambition and insecurity.
@@juanlaise1059 She groomed him ever since he was young. His reliance on her and his over-the-top ambition both stem from Mystra and her "promises". The major reason he is fcked up is because of her. If you ever romance him and show him he is good enough as just a man, you can see for yourself.
That, and she could have just saved him without going "Come be my consort again." She's disgusting and a menace (like most of the gods really).
@@juanlaise1059because she’s manipulative and is known for preying on young boys
@@juanlaise1059its heavily implied she groomed him but ok lmao
@@juanlaise1059 that she pressed onto him
Mindflayer Tav/Karlach be like: *Am I a joke to you?*
Love how there’s four different options for no and one for yes
If she can weave Gale’s soul and body back she can sure as hell save Karlach. RIGHT??
She can do basically anything, but this is the equivalent of killing Gale, she just brought his soul back first.
She can
She could have defeated the absolute if she wanted to
A greater deiety can do pretty much anything, save affecting the fundamentals of Realmspace, which is the domain of Ao. They are however, not allowed to do much of anything by said Overgod, when it comes to the players and their story. At it's heart, this is still just a game that revolves around said players, not a real world with consistency to how nature and/or magic work. It wouldn't be much of a game if all it took was asking a god to solve all your plot-related problems, especially since most of the benevolent ones would probably be willing to do it anyway. Therefore, the system needs excuses to keep that from being an option.
“Well done Agent Gale, the magic powers have been wired into your account, welcome back…and thank you.”
This ending kinda sucks, since Mystra, goddess of grooming and diddling, ultimately wins and takes home her greatest grooming of all.
ugh she is so creepy
I hate to say it, but it looks like Aurora Borealis. At this time of day, in this time of year, in this part of the planes, localized entirely within... wherever that is.
Mystra: Localized entirely within my domain you mean? In that case you are correct. If that is enough to impress you, then you will be absolutely blown away by my signature pleasure domes. 😏
May I see it?
no
@@americannut8062 No.
"Gale! Baldur's Gate is on fire!"
"No, Tara. It's just the northern lights."
@@Aristocles22"Well Gale, you are an odd fellow, but I must say, you steam a good magic item."
"HEEEELLLP!! HEEEEEEEEELLLP!!!"
🤔
👍😁👍
🚶
🚒
ah yes, the worst Gale ending
You mean best
@@melteddali8000 nah dude. You think that staying with the grooming purple god that asked you to commit suicide and abandoned you for trying to do something for her is the best ending? 😂
i felt myself getting angry. like "that frumpy cougar is just gonna float off with my man???"
@@melteddali8000she literally groomed him
@@TheGoodSortOfWeird Right? like Shar-Hot and Mystra just looks like someone who yells at servers during after church lunch rush
Gale: What's this tentacle still doing here?
Mystra: ... Reasons.
Ok, so Mystra could always save us... We was looking for the wrong help all the time....
Not exactly. Gods aren’t allowed to directly interfere in mortal affairs. The only way Mystra could actually help Gale is if he’s not mortal anymore.
it's giving a magical barbie transformation at the end of every movie
Come Galu-san let us find the dragon balls XD
Sorry I can't, laughed my mouth off when they just flew away
Also, the tadpoles our chars had must have been tickled somehow, like she restored Gale
The tadpoles are gone at this point. This is wfter the end.
@@Lahiss He was Mind flayer
@@Keram-io8hv Yes. Which is mature tadpole.
You don't call frogs tadpoles either.
The tadpoles in the heads of the Re of the crew died out with the Netherbrain.
@@Lahiss I have no idea what you mean, I just said that crew's tadpoles were somehow sabotaged, because it did not destroyed souls
@@Keram-io8hvThe crews tadpoles do destroy the souls when the fully mature that's why this video she said she was restoring gales soul
Its weird how people say that this is a badly written ending because "Gale doesnt learn his lesson about being a god's plaything"
My brother, YOU ARE GALE ! YOU DIDINT LEARN YOUR LESSON !"
Gale's face at the end: "Ah! I'm going to nail down a goddes ... again (and then Orin completes: and again, and again and again)
Realistically, being turned from an Illithid back to a human is probably a terrible feeling. All mind flayers describe themselves as superior beings having the "fog" be lifted from their minds. So assuming Gale still has the memories of being an illithid, and the sense of mental clarity that came with it, it probably feels like absolute shit to go back.
You didn’t get it, the fog that was lifted is your soul. The emotions and conscience, morality is the fog. They become creatures of logic and pride.
@@user-mu8ok5xf8d Even if that were true, which it's never explicitly stated, that doesn't contradict anything I said.
If they are mind flayers, then emotions and morals would be a hindrance and feel bad. If they are humans, they need emotions and morals to find meaning in their lives.
@@TheScavv It doesn't contradict, but would you rather have a soul and have a sense of right and wrong, or would you rather have perfect mental clarity and psionic powers with no soul and no warmth.
"all"? Who, besides the emperor?
Say what you will, Mystra always gets her snack. 😂
So, okay. I would like a definitive statement as to whether mindflayers have souls or not. Mystra said devoid of soul and conscience. If this were true, then would a mindflayer really give up the crown? And, what would there to restore if Gale's soul had either left his body or was obliterated? Her statements, along with Withers, are bafflingly contradictory.
Give up godhood after what she put him through, no thanks
An Illithid Deity without a soul feels like it's never gonna lead to good things for anyone, not even Gale, since the original Gale is gone in this form.
I think they meant why would you choose to go to Elysium just to be Mystra's muse if instead you could use the crown to return from being illithid and become the God of Ambition.
@@Neipalm Yeah but the thing is, what if that's specifically a Mystra related power?
Not all gods are equivalent in power, Gale is implied to be on the very minor end of the spectrum. Likely because he was cautious and didn't make Karsus' same mistake.
Mystra is a Greater Deity, that's why in the ending where Gale challenges Mystra to a fight - he loses, badly.
So what if Gale can't return his soul to its original form? Or what if it takes far longer than Mystra? It's implied that one's Illithid mindset is slowly changing everyone who takes on this state.
Eventually even the desire to not be Illithid would be gone.
Now known as 'Missestra'
**watching them fly away** Make a wish!
F* Mystra she'll abandon Gale the moment he's inconvenient just like she did before
You know, i probably would have stayed as illithid...
IF PLAYER ILLITHID HAD BETTER BLOODY DESIGN. SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS THAT SHIT? FUCKING TEENAGE ILLITHID? COME ON.
This looks like one of the WORST possible endings.. no thanks. She gives me the ick
What happens at the epilogue camp in this ending with Gale?
Gale gets back with toxic ex ending
This feels wrong for some reason
Now we just need a happy ending for Karlach lmao it breaks my heart that all of her endings suck no matter what
idk I find the ending where she returns to Avernus with Wyll and finds the possibility to repair her engine quite promising. Especially if we get a DLC out of that. :3
@@ingakozuruba9145 It's confirmed we won't get any DLC.
All right but according to this... Illithids then are still sort of the character, just soulless? Sort of like the vampires of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where vamps are essentially the twisted, demonified, soulless versions of their past human selves, but still are somewhat those people (in their cases with their worst impulses brought to life)? So both the Emperor AND Withers/Mystra are right.
Strenght of Will and passage of time. If the default Tav ends its life while being a Mindflayer, Withers Will say that you Still have your soul.
The Emperor sure had a strenght but moral compass was destroyed, leaving only His ambition. If Tav, Orpheus could choose tu surrender their lifes, so did he.
I’m fairly certain that with withers being able to recognize the emperor as balduran in the upper city confirms that they have some form of soul, otherwise withers should have no way of knowing who the emperor was, it’s likely just that their soul loses any “apostolic” aspect, thus leaving whatever soul they have left useless to the gods
Game is very sort of wishy washy with what illithid transformation actually means. In the old lore it's the tadpole consuming you and the tadpole (not you) who emerges. The netherese infused tadpoles as well as the emperor's situation seem to be more alike a shapeshift (you keep your brain and soul, it's just your "shell" that changes). Withers does have some line about the fact that illithids are soulless, which I think is supposed to mean that they don't go to the regular afterlife, thus not strengthening the other gods and thus the dead three becoming comparatively more powerful for a time. Though they don't really get into it all that much for what is kindof an important line, perhaps there was more there originally but they kindof cut it out because it doesn't really matter to the narrative as a whole all that much.
@@studentt6064I took it as one of two things
With the netherese tadpoles it's not a polymorph moreso the illithid replacing you but your memories and some remnant of who you once were imprinting on the creature leading to a seperate entity wholly convinced its you and by all means is a illithid replica of you while you die
Or
It's actually the manipulation of Orpheus' abilities that allows the victim to retain some of what they once were, although still very much an illithid, more like an illithid halfbreed in a sense than a true one. The body is an illithid, the mind is, but the soul is retained either permanently or temporarily.
Normally becoming an illithid wipes out the host entirely. People with very strong wills taken over by really mediocre tadpoles can sometimes have a portion of their personality mimicked by the tadpole, but its not really them, it's an illithid who thinks they are the same person. There's an argument to be made as to whether or not they are effectively the same person if they share enough memory or personality, but that's nitpicking at that point--the host has ceased to exist and been consumed by the mindflayer, if not in one fashion, then in another.
lmao that fucking smile at the end got me good
I mean... so you don't have a soul anymore cause illithid (already proven by Withers both in pre final fight speech AND post death dialogue that you DO still have a soul) but she can somehow rescue that non-existent soul and take it to Elysium, idk man, sounds like some gods don't want you to realise you really do have potential as an illithid and try to hide it behind stuff like "they have no souls" (As for WHY would they do that is because illithids don't have a soul... that they can take advantage from, so you're useless to them but doesn't mean you dont' have one, in fact illithids can become liches, and require a soul to do so)
So... now Gale is the only character that have true happy ending as illithid (no more!)? Rest of characters are like "illithid? okay, thanks, but you are terrible"
i wouldnt say spending eternity with your groomer is a happy ending, id say thats a pretty bad ending actually
Idk if I’d call this a “good” ending. More of a “Gale returns to the cycle of abuse fully knowing he had to give up literally everything for Mystra to even somewhat approve of him.”
Not really,she clearly shows that she appreciates his efforts,you can see this while talking the first time with her or even Elminster sending the message
@@domenicc1839bro, shes a groomer
@@domenicc1839She really doesn’t, she’s very much so a manipulative child loving prick. The fact a that she knew of him when he was young and he explains how he was young when he was taken in my her and elmisnster and then became her student, she became his muse and then his lover is weird asf. Also side note, where what letter are you talking about, and if you wouldn’t mind, could you explain what was said in the letter?
Whenever a cute woman is around Gale is cheesin eith the goofy ass face 😂
On my second playthrough, I’m looking for a fall guy to become the Illithid. I’m salty that in my playthrough I made the sacrifice, off’ed myself, and was *still* a squid in the afterlife.
And here I thought the glowing octopus ending was the worst.
I want to see the runion 6 months later!!! How does he looks like???
I'm pretty sure he now a ghost
To see this you need to play as gale, I'm not sure if you would get a reunion epiloge if you choose to go to elysim
@@thermicterror2951you get one of you become a god so why wouldn’t you get one if you follow her?
Excellent question
Gale romancer
ME RN
But if the tadpole consumed Gale in the transformation, wouldn't Mystra just be giving the Mindflayer a soul and making it look like Gale?
so he went back to his groomin ex? just like that? ok.
yeah pretty gross, but luckily its only if you're playing as him and its only if you actively choose this option. Something I'd personally never do as him
Mystra intervened and helped more than any other Gods (though her solution was a bit blunt) besides Jergal to deal with the Absolute. And despite Gale's direct disobedience she still ultimately redeems him once he restores balance. I can't see how she's villainous at all compared to other entities in the setting
Its cause she's real creepy
Man Larian is absolutely terrible at facial animations that aren't mocap hahaha
It could be that the game has a lower facial animation setting or since this scene comes with the new update the animation hasn't been properly done
Baldurs gate 3 facial animation is better than most AAA games that's for sure
@@angryvaultguy are you stupid or did you just not read what I said
@@angryvaultguy yes, because it's mocap.... These are clearly not, and they're awful. It's fine, I'm not having a whinge I just think it's noticeable.
@@YeetThyBaby mass effect andromeda wants to know you and play you
this is such a disgusting and tragic ending.
Gale has not only learned nothing, but the option "I have someone waiting for me" means he romanced someone and then left them behind after returning everything to Mystra and they just get nothing back from him.
Mystra actually opening Elysium to him is what he originally wanted but this also only serves to make him more subservient to her.
...
As an aside, bloodweave w/ spawn Astarion romanced in Gale origin for this is so upsetting.
Just finished my first playthrough with Gale last night, i am excited to see where the other relationships go but idk who can offer anything better than Godhood
Isn’t Mystra having the ability to cure Ceramorphosis kind of problematic within Forgotten Realms lore?
No, Divine intervention or things on the level of Wish could always cure complete ceremorphosis. Gods just aren't allowed to interfere in mortal affairs casually like that. Also most wouldn't care unless it's someone they really liked.
Is it really curing if the person is not restored to life?
I think a god not being able to undo something done by mortals would be a bigger problem
somehow, i think this is the worst ending for Gale. Bro has to spend eternity with someone who literally groomed him and threw him away when he pissed her off
Is nobody gonna talk about how in the world this wizard has over 200 hp?
Explorer difficulty has massive HP increase to make it much easier.
Gale gets his god ending but Karlach cant get her heart :(
It's confirmed now Gale was the main character all along.
SOOO
That *itc# knew a cure all along.
I would had taken my chances fighting Mystra and not the absolute.
Oh god, I thought they were going to start singing and dancing like in Balan's Wonderland
I hate mystra so much. Wish they added an ending were you kill her.
Damn this means bro just chooses to not help you after, If someone transforms into an illithid.
Yeah it’s pretty bad. Prof Dekarios or God Gale are better.
There are canonically other Gods of Magic in Faerun besides Mystra, so becoming the God of Magical Ambition is not a far stretch. If Karsus succeeded then he would’ve definitely deserved this title too.
Thanks for this I might actually try a gale gameplay now. Took this video to do so. 🤣
It's a shame you cannot get this ending when you play not as Gale. Because Gale agrees to sacrifice himself completely then, but there is no option to turn him into a mindflayer, a bit silly.
Remember gods can just give you back your soul, But won't.
that derp face xD
This kinda feels like what the devs were originally going for with the dream visitor and its down by the river ending.
Basically, it is the 'Devil' ending from CP2077
People are terribly biased by Gale, as if he wasn't willing to unleash a world ending threat just to have more power, like the spoiled, bratty child he is.
It is of no surprise that people doesn't understand Mystra, BG3 doesn't really offer all the important context about her, so it's easier for people to just judge her without the full truth. I'll just say: Gale was NEVER a victim of Mystra, he was a victim of HIS OWN ambitions and mortal selfishness. Mystra never asked him to mess with the Karsite Weave or the Crown, he did it out of sheer greed for power and to prove something he was never asked to. What happened to him was a suitable punishment, maybe even too merciful considering what happened to Karsus, who did exactly what Gale tried to do but didn't get a second chance to save the world he could have ruined because of his treachery.
be happy goofy gale
Ah yes. They did add some evil endings, indeed.
Dude from the thumbnail she looks like Reyna from Valorant 😂
So Mystra confirms that Ilithid have no soul, as Withers said.
mindflayers can have souls though. If you transform into a mindflayer for the final battle and kill yourself afterwards, Withers will find you (in mindflayer form) in the afterlife and admit he was wrong.
@@Jackie-ms3tn Explicitly that was because you aren't fully transformed at that point. If you choose not to kill yourself, your transformation completes almost immediately afterwards and wipes out what is left (because there's nothing holding it back anymore).
i too need a magical god mommy girlfriend 😭
😱😱😱 He became her concubine again?
How to not spoiler the new ending with a YT thumbnail 101. 😂
and she has the audacity only to make him human, when he goes with her
Not when he'd decide to return to Faerun, disgusting Mystra strikes again
Dont think im ever playing orgin characters so im ginna watch all of these
I figured this ending might be in there.
I didn't want anyone in my team to go squid so we nuked Gale. It was the only way to be sure.
She can cure Gale of his fate as a Mind Flayer, but she can't do anything about her forehead wrinkles and crow's feet?
Gale as the god of ambition just fits so perfectly. Every other ending imo should be non-canon. :D
Hold up wait a minute something aint right why don't i get my soul back to, mistra your realm is next on my list
Hate this. It's what Gale yearns for, sure... but is so wrong...
Kelemvor is gonna be jealous.
All those endings where you meet Mystra is on Gale origin? I haven't seen Mystra playing as Tav and I chose to gave the crown to her.
She chose Gale she loved him . Gale don't screw it up anymore
so they can restore souls that unwillingly became illithid, they just Don't ............ wicked shit fr
What is the name of the song or music that is playing in the background?
'Wash my dreams away' - the full version is on spotify, I haven't been able to find all of it on yt
Just me? But that laat smile ofgale looks so derpy 😂
Oh, there's a cure!
What soundtrack was used here? Sorry, I hope to listen to it for inspiration.
Wash my dreams away. The full version is on spotify, haven't been able to find all of it on yt
@@dreamingsharmat1745 Thanks man. I appreciate your help.