Fun fact: In act 1, if you have a full party already before you recruit Gale, he excitedly says he'll go to your camp and start cooking a nice meal for everybody to come back to at the end of the day lol
In a second playthrough I noticed they were playing the theme “Song of Balduran” during the scene when the emperor reveals himself to be an illithid. Such a cool hint and foreshadowing!
While I may dislike the Emperor, it is obvious he killed Ansur in self-defense, with Ansur believing he would do Balduran/Emperor a favor by mercy killing him. From the letter, it is obvious that Balduran was setting Ansur free, but Ansur decided to ignore that. In the end I guess it comes down to will to live/succeed and if Balduran/Emperor did not have that, he would have ended up a standard mindflayer with no memories. But Balduran was amongst the handful powerful enough to go through ceremorphosis without losing themselves.
I really do doubt that the only option was to kill ansur, and it’s mainly due to how it feels the story is set up with tav and him The emperor and tav are undoubtedly foils to each other. They keep telling and showing us how similar the two are, with being young adventurers tadpoled and exploring what they’re willing to do in order to survive. They also mirror the mercy killing scene with laezel; and there are several ways you’re able to handle it that avoid death. Dude is a mindflayer, he could easily have escaped an attempted knife attack It feels like he’s trying to manipulate tav with this, especially with how often he says they’re similar. He feels like the textbook example of someone gaslighting another.
@@CuriouslyKay And if he escaped first attack, Ansur would try again, and again. The moment Ansur realized he could not cure Balduran, he went for the kill. While Tav and Balduran has things in common, this scene always came across as one in which we understand just what he will do to survive. Not so much trying to gaslight you (he is definitely not a good person and from various sources it does not sound like he was really anywhere near as great as the myth around him). Never done a playthrough where I fully trust him, but I do know that it is in his own interest to stop the brain.
@CuriouslyKay Valid points but as much as the two characters mirror each other, there are big differences. Balduran had already transformed, there was no suspending ceremorphosis for him, the prism makes all the difference for Tav. I can agree that Balduran isn't trustworthy, but he was put between a rock and a hard place, much more so than Tav. Ultimately, I agree that we may not have the whole story but at the same time, Ansur didn't deny any of it.
@@dianabialaskahansen2972 oh yeah I totally agree that this shows how far he’s willing to go for the sake of self preservation The way he behaves around tav feels like an extension of that. He seems to be the type to favor manipulation as his ‘Plan A.’ He’s similar to Astarion in act 1, but astarion’s manipulation gave way to vulnerability as they went through more together. The emp is still refusing to meet the relationship half way in that regard, which is why it feels like manipulation instead of being genuine to me Also thanks for discussing this in such depth w me, I really like how the emperor is written so far and it’s a lot of fun discussing it!
@@robertfishburn8545 yeah I can totally agree on that. The way he talks about the issue with ansur is more the issue I had, I feel like he only sees the extreme in situations that threaten him; kinda reminded me of how he argued against having minsc because of the potential threat he posed, yet we can see that minsc is not capable physically (or really emotionally lol) of being a real threat to the mission
One of my favorite little moments in the game was during that interaction with Wyll where the game hints that Gale has been the camp cook the entire time we were traveling. I can only imagine his frustration when I chose like 20 potatoes and a bottle of wine for a long rest. 😂 Also, I had the same reaction to the Balduran reveal. First the Emperor reveal and then that he was Balduran the entire time???
Right?? I did not know Gale could cook like that. I swear I’ve given that man like a pitcher of beer and some cheese for dinner before The reveal had me spiraling, like every time I pass a statue now I give it a side eye
He probably has an "Elminster's Cooking With Magic" cookbook in his camp or something. Yeah the statues and any npc mentioning Balduran gave me a chuckle once I found out lmao. I wonder what Wyll's dad would think if he found out Balduran tried to hit on the MC...
Wyll has a line wayyy back at the beginning of the game that's along the lines of "Despite the tadpoles, we haven't changed into mind flayers yet, thank Balduran" And on my 2nd playthru I definitely chuckled. Like yep literally thanks to Balduran
55:30, if you manage to save the deep gnome on the windmill, Barcus, in act 1, make sure he survives to act 3, he will be here and you can suggest him be the peacful new leader, you would have both deep gnome and godian on your side, only Wulbern got left out because deep gnomes had enough of his hatres too.
Ive never seen anyone complete all Ansur trials (me included because Im too lazy to search it up) until I saw you did it all 😭😭 If you fail one of them there’ll be a bunch of enemies and then the door will be opened.
The Black King can be easily destroyed with lightning damage. Or i had the effect that i had Gale in my party. He told me some moves and they actually worked. Strategy puzzle solved. Sometimes i pays to listen to Gale. 😊 Oh yeah, that moment when Ansur takes control over you like you’re a puppet. Really made me uncomfortable the first time. But in the end the informations you get, they’re just another nail in the coffin for the Emperor, because of the way he plays us all this time^^ As for Wyll, a friend of mine convinced him to become a duke in the end. But i feel it’s important for him and Karlach to let him do what he thinks is right. His ending option is somewhat closely tied to her survival, poor thing ❤
The way i see it, at least from the content provided by the game, i think turning into a mind flayer would require you to lose your humanity in a sense? If I were to compare it to something irl, maybe a mind flayer could be like an AI robot modelled after myself with all my personality traits coded in etc, instead of my actual self and body. So to me, i believe that becoming a mind flayer (esp given that mind flayers are horrible in this world and are dangerous to society with the eating brains and such) is truly a tragic fate so i can understand why Ansur did the whole 'mercy killing' thing. If I were to become a mind flayer somehow, the real human me would probably want my loved ones to sacrifice me too because i wouldnt want anyone to be hurt because of me + that wouldnt truly be me anymore. But to the emperor, i guess the dude has already fully transformed so matters like who he truly is/was or stuff like that isn't relevant to him anymore because mind flayers im assuming just have a whole other way of perceiving their existence. Im pretty sure they also do think that they're a far superior species in every single aspect so why in the world would the emperor want to be back to his OG Balduran self given that his new brain is wired like that LOL. Anyway i love whatever Balduran Ansur lore crumbs i get even though i absolutely hate the emperor ☝️🤓 Really love your playthrough and cant wait for more 😆😆😆
@@CuriouslyKay agreed!! i may hate his ass but i just find their dynamic and interactions SOOO interesting. Speaking about the emperor and tav's interactions, did you see what would have happened if you reject the emperor trying to rizz you up by calling him a freak? Because I did it for the shits and giggles to see all the outcomes and damn did that scene really add another layer to his deceit towards tav fr
26:47 - To be fair, it's not like he'd know the dragon would be Undead. As much as it is a fantasy world, things can die and not become undead, as far as he knew Ansur was just a skeleton deep down the cave and you were wasting time going down there to talk to them. Of course, he COULD HAVE at least said "Oh yeah the dragon is dead" but alas 29:47 - In defense to him, sadly it's not that simple. You were not fully transformed so it was easier to convince Lae'zel to sit down, The Emperor was already a full squid by the time of the mercy killing attempt, so it's not like he had much to bargain with for his own life. And dragons in D&D are incredibly prideful creatures, even if he managed to knock one out they'd come down after him for a vengeance and who knows how much tragedy and destruction Ansur would've left in his wake looking for him. Just reading the letter in Ansur's body makes me very sad because it's just a big tragedy with two beings that just wouldn't change their minds, immovable object vs unstoppable force kinda deal
I would 100% love to fully trust him and his recount of events here as I like to do for the rest of my companions, but he only ever reveals info about himself when he has literally no other choice. He also seems the unreliable narrator sort? I like to think that writing wise it's a conscious choice to make him this way, because he's very interesting as a 'fallen hero' type; like the transformation changed Balduran irreparably. I like the idea that him and Tav could've been proper friends if they met before the mindflayers. Almost like how the dynamic would work if we met Shadowheart AFTER she became a dark justiciar Also, love the feedback! It's always great to hear how others react to both the story and my own reaction to it
@@CuriouslyKayAnd I've been loving watching your playthrough of the game! And I totally agree with you on The Emperor, he is so so so shady and I never fully 100% trusted him for like 99% of the game, but I don't blame anybody for not trusting him for all 100% of it I think his biggest flaw is that he is NOT doing himself any favors because he expects people to think as pragmatically and (almost to the point of being cold) logically as he does. I am someone that can vibe with that so I had no problems with the occasional lying here and there and the omissions, but I can also totally see someone wanting to punch him really hard
Your game crashed because of a known bug right now with the building next to the gate where you received the warning from the Emperor about the Elder Brain, the Jannath Estate. Something with the interior occupants in that building causes the game to suddenly crash if you're close enough to them to make them become active. A lot of people are experiencing the same issue. I'd avoid that building until Larian addresses it.
Oh you thought there were running out of places to put major plot twists? Wrong again. By the end of act 2 I stopped pretending I had any idea what was going to happen.
Gale indeed does know how to solve the chess trial! He literally just tells you and it's shown on the board, easy mode! 😅 PS. Your comparison to The Last Airbender made me think about how old our companions actually are. I don't think any of them are young adults, though. Astarion is 200+, that's how long he spent with Cazador, I believe. We learn that Shadowheart is in her late/mid 40's (if you read the right book in the cloister, she makes a comment about "recorded 40 years of her life"). Wyll seems to be in his mid/late 20's based on what he says about being banished and starting the pact with Mizora. Karlach should be around his age too, maybe a bit older. Gale looks like a guy in his 30's, but I don't think his age is mentioned. I know Jaheira is about 150, Halsin says he's 350 or something. Minsc was 20-30 in previous games, so I guess he's around Jaheira's age now, although idk if being turned into stone counts, lol. I have no idea how old Lae'zel is, though. But she must be young for a githyanki, considering her initial goals in the game (proving herself by killing a mindflayer).
lol, Halsin got kidnapped how many episodes ago? ha ha ha. If it was Lae'zel you can bet Kay would have rescued her in the next 10 minutes. But Halsin? Who's Halsin? lol
I know you’ve mentioned doing multiple characters/play throughs, hope you upload them as well. This series has been awesome so far and I feel like with how you approach the game and it’s characters (with genuine interest, thoughtfulness, and role play considerations) every run could be whole different story!
I dont feel your aggressiveness toward the emperor is emotional and not logical 😂 His only sin is wanting to live while everyone is telling him to kill himself. Like ansur
I fucking love Minsc (and Matthew Mercer) Even though hes the last party member you get, i always end up turning him into a murder god. Gloomstalker ranger + thief rogue is so incredibly nasty. Add an elixir of bloodlust and potion of speed, stuff starts to get nutty
Yeah fun fact that if you have Gale with you for the chess puzzle, he will not only describe to you exactly how to beat the puzzle, he'll point to the exact squares you need to move the pieces to when you pick them up. Your instinct was correct that he was the one who could have helped 😂(I too would have been struggling if I hadn't happened to have him with me at the time)
The impression I got from the confrontation between the Emperor and Ansur was that the Emperor did try to talk Ansur down (The note that said "I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again" implies the subject had been discussed to exhaustion), and Ansur was determined to end the Emperor regardless of anything the Emperor did or said, and attacked (not held a proverbial knife to the throat, like Lae'zel, but actively attempted to drive said proverbial knife through the Emperor's chest without waiting for another word). Once the dragon's teeth are proverbially closing around you, the only choice you really have at that point is to defend yourself (and flee or end the threat), or lie down and accept death. Even if there was something you could say to stop them at that point, it's unlikely you're going to think of it in the middle of dodging dragon claws and lightning blasts (adult dragons don't often come at their enemies with knives. When fighting, they use deadly breath weapons, and claws larger than a person's torso; and adult dragons have ways to resist magic/psionic effects such as illithid mental manipulation; so dominating Ansur to make him stop was about as likely as besting full-sized dragon Ansur in an arm wrestling match). Admittedly, the Emperor probably could have found a nonlethal way to stop Ansur at that point; even if it did, though, Ansur could have easily stalked the Emperor to the ends of the world with a magically-proficient dragon's senses (and move a lot faster if ever there's an overland or overseas chase, with those wings). Even after he died, Ansur seemed to be pretty clear and upfront that the only option he ever had any intention to give the post-ceremorphosis Emperor was death (and then acts like killing him was completely unprecedented). I don't like the Emperor. It manipulates and gaslights you. It's indifferent to your wants or desires, beyond the obvious 'I don't want to be a Mind Flayer' (and even that it doesn't really respect). It's all-too-happy to kill or mentally dominate anything that gets in its way. All of that said, I don't know how it could have handled the situation with Ansur any better if it didn't want to permanently die.
One thing I definitely learned about the Emperor in Act 3, though, is that if it tells you not to do something, you should definitely do it. Because like, it doesn't care if you waste time and risk your life doing quests and fighting dangerous monsters that have nothing to do with the Absolute. So if it tells you not to do something (especially with the justifications that it's an unnecessary risk, or a waste of time)... it's probably hiding something from you. lol
@@arcania4905 Oh yeah I can totally agree on that. I (and by extension my tav lol) tend to value sincerity above most other traits. With the emperor, it seems to prefer lying or omitting details when trying to connect with Tav, which definitely is the cause of doubt in it’s word by now The whole “you only have your word” is like my favorite lesson I’ve been taught, so I don’t take well to repeated dishonesty I do LOVE the way the Emperor is written so far though, it makes for a very interesting dynamic and I adore when writers have the ability to make a character feel real enough to get me to dislike them
31:40 and yet you side with emperor.. until the very end he reveals his true colors.. you claim to love Laezel yet you side with emperor.. hollow love and questionable..
My pardon if I didn't pick up on a chance seeing it in inventory, etc. but I was wondering what armor Lae is in :o? I assume its the blackguard ones or helldusk from dammon but it cant tell!!
when i got to the whole 'ansur talks through you' bit the first time, i was playing as a dragonborn who trusted the emperor at least most of the way so oh BOY did that whole situation turn into an absolutely fascinating parallel, i couldn't stop thinking about it for days after 😅 felt like i'd accidentally created a poetic mirror i do think just. so much about the balduran-ansur relationship, it's so interesting. i think for me i couldn't fully distance myself from the "i tried to tell a loved one i was not in need of saving, but they ignored my wishes" aspect of it all, cause oh boy, but i really liked seeing your thought process and perspective, and just reading the comments about it all as well :D such a fantastic part of the game, just further establishes the emperor's 'survival of myself above all' mindset and gives you a true glimpse into him in a way he never would've allowed - which i think makes it extra fun because ansur basically gives you some tools to stay in some sort of equality with the emperor by forcing that information into the open, like he's keeping balduran's memory alive one more time before dying for good.
Oh the idea of being a dragonborn with that in mind is so cool! I absolutely love the storytelling that players are able to add to narratives, it makes the most interesting differences between playthroughs Storytelling in media is my favorite thing in the world, so being able to discuss characters with other people who love analyzing like that is always so much fun. This scene tells a lot about his willingness to go to extremes, even sacrifice his loved ones, if it means his survival. I just don't really rock with that mentality, and would probably choose dying as 'myself' over becoming a mindflayer There's a quote from cyberpunk that I really take to heart in decisions like the one the emperor faced; "The instinct to survive is part of being human, but so is denying it"
I think you probably just edit it out and not everyone cares about highlighting the loot, but I am curious if got the other legendary item from Ansur, as well as the one from the watcher boss? Also anyone remember what happened to Barcus in this playthrough?
I got the sword that makes you huge, but nothing else from ansur I think. I grabbed the bow from the watcher boss, though I already like the double hand bows so it really doesn’t get used Barcus died at the windmill in act 1 sadly
@@CuriouslyKay If you feel up for it, a quick search of Ansurs lair will get you a pretty nice item that has a little lore significance. And I get that with the crossbows, thats a really fun build that Im currently doing too. I usually just give Laezel Gontr Mael for the celestial haste feature. 5 turns of haste with no risk of lethargic. Not that she needs any more ways to destroy everyone. Thats fair, haha, Barcus is way too fragile for an npc who I think has a really satisfying story
Fun fact:
In act 1, if you have a full party already before you recruit Gale, he excitedly says he'll go to your camp and start cooking a nice meal for everybody to come back to at the end of the day lol
Gale is such a sweetheart
I love how often you reply in character before a listed response pops up that matches you word for word 😂
"Why do you pop in just to say shit"
Exactly. I HATE the Emperor, killing his lover who was trying to save him.
In a second playthrough I noticed they were playing the theme “Song of Balduran” during the scene when the emperor reveals himself to be an illithid. Such a cool hint and foreshadowing!
That is such a dope way of doing that. I love when those kind of details are in a game!
I hope someone gifted Kay a dart board with the Emperor's face on it for Christmas lol
I do think it was stated that lae'zel and wyll are the youngest of the origin characters, both being in their early twenties
That is both endearing for Wyll and fucking hilarious for laezel
@@CuriouslyKay Specifically, Wyll is 24 and Bae'zel is 22.
While I may dislike the Emperor, it is obvious he killed Ansur in self-defense, with Ansur believing he would do Balduran/Emperor a favor by mercy killing him. From the letter, it is obvious that Balduran was setting Ansur free, but Ansur decided to ignore that.
In the end I guess it comes down to will to live/succeed and if Balduran/Emperor did not have that, he would have ended up a standard mindflayer with no memories. But Balduran was amongst the handful powerful enough to go through ceremorphosis without losing themselves.
I really do doubt that the only option was to kill ansur, and it’s mainly due to how it feels the story is set up with tav and him
The emperor and tav are undoubtedly foils to each other. They keep telling and showing us how similar the two are, with being young adventurers tadpoled and exploring what they’re willing to do in order to survive. They also mirror the mercy killing scene with laezel; and there are several ways you’re able to handle it that avoid death. Dude is a mindflayer, he could easily have escaped an attempted knife attack
It feels like he’s trying to manipulate tav with this, especially with how often he says they’re similar. He feels like the textbook example of someone gaslighting another.
@@CuriouslyKay And if he escaped first attack, Ansur would try again, and again. The moment Ansur realized he could not cure Balduran, he went for the kill.
While Tav and Balduran has things in common, this scene always came across as one in which we understand just what he will do to survive. Not so much trying to gaslight you (he is definitely not a good person and from various sources it does not sound like he was really anywhere near as great as the myth around him).
Never done a playthrough where I fully trust him, but I do know that it is in his own interest to stop the brain.
@CuriouslyKay Valid points but as much as the two characters mirror each other, there are big differences. Balduran had already transformed, there was no suspending ceremorphosis for him, the prism makes all the difference for Tav. I can agree that Balduran isn't trustworthy, but he was put between a rock and a hard place, much more so than Tav. Ultimately, I agree that we may not have the whole story but at the same time, Ansur didn't deny any of it.
@@dianabialaskahansen2972 oh yeah I totally agree that this shows how far he’s willing to go for the sake of self preservation
The way he behaves around tav feels like an extension of that. He seems to be the type to favor manipulation as his ‘Plan A.’ He’s similar to Astarion in act 1, but astarion’s manipulation gave way to vulnerability as they went through more together. The emp is still refusing to meet the relationship half way in that regard, which is why it feels like manipulation instead of being genuine to me
Also thanks for discussing this in such depth w me, I really like how the emperor is written so far and it’s a lot of fun discussing it!
@@robertfishburn8545 yeah I can totally agree on that. The way he talks about the issue with ansur is more the issue I had, I feel like he only sees the extreme in situations that threaten him; kinda reminded me of how he argued against having minsc because of the potential threat he posed, yet we can see that minsc is not capable physically (or really emotionally lol) of being a real threat to the mission
One of my favorite little moments in the game was during that interaction with Wyll where the game hints that Gale has been the camp cook the entire time we were traveling. I can only imagine his frustration when I chose like 20 potatoes and a bottle of wine for a long rest. 😂
Also, I had the same reaction to the Balduran reveal. First the Emperor reveal and then that he was Balduran the entire time???
Right?? I did not know Gale could cook like that. I swear I’ve given that man like a pitcher of beer and some cheese for dinner before
The reveal had me spiraling, like every time I pass a statue now I give it a side eye
He probably has an "Elminster's Cooking With Magic" cookbook in his camp or something.
Yeah the statues and any npc mentioning Balduran gave me a chuckle once I found out lmao. I wonder what Wyll's dad would think if he found out Balduran tried to hit on the MC...
Wyll has a line wayyy back at the beginning of the game that's along the lines of "Despite the tadpoles, we haven't changed into mind flayers yet, thank Balduran"
And on my 2nd playthru I definitely chuckled. Like yep literally thanks to Balduran
55:30, if you manage to save the deep gnome on the windmill, Barcus, in act 1, make sure he survives to act 3, he will be here and you can suggest him be the peacful new leader, you would have both deep gnome and godian on your side, only Wulbern got left out because deep gnomes had enough of his hatres too.
Ooh that’s dope, I’ll make sure to remember that for my next run. Barcus bit the dust on that windmill this time lol
Ive never seen anyone complete all Ansur trials (me included because Im too lazy to search it up) until I saw you did it all 😭😭 If you fail one of them there’ll be a bunch of enemies and then the door will be opened.
The Black King can be easily destroyed with lightning damage. Or i had the effect that i had Gale in my party. He told me some moves and they actually worked. Strategy puzzle solved. Sometimes i pays to listen to Gale. 😊
Oh yeah, that moment when Ansur takes control over you like you’re a puppet. Really made me uncomfortable the first time. But in the end the informations you get, they’re just another nail in the coffin for the Emperor, because of the way he plays us all this time^^
As for Wyll, a friend of mine convinced him to become a duke in the end. But i feel it’s important for him and Karlach to let him do what he thinks is right. His ending option is somewhat closely tied to her survival, poor thing ❤
The way i see it, at least from the content provided by the game, i think turning into a mind flayer would require you to lose your humanity in a sense? If I were to compare it to something irl, maybe a mind flayer could be like an AI robot modelled after myself with all my personality traits coded in etc, instead of my actual self and body. So to me, i believe that becoming a mind flayer (esp given that mind flayers are horrible in this world and are dangerous to society with the eating brains and such) is truly a tragic fate so i can understand why Ansur did the whole 'mercy killing' thing. If I were to become a mind flayer somehow, the real human me would probably want my loved ones to sacrifice me too because i wouldnt want anyone to be hurt because of me + that wouldnt truly be me anymore. But to the emperor, i guess the dude has already fully transformed so matters like who he truly is/was or stuff like that isn't relevant to him anymore because mind flayers im assuming just have a whole other way of perceiving their existence. Im pretty sure they also do think that they're a far superior species in every single aspect so why in the world would the emperor want to be back to his OG Balduran self given that his new brain is wired like that LOL. Anyway i love whatever Balduran Ansur lore crumbs i get even though i absolutely hate the emperor ☝️🤓 Really love your playthrough and cant wait for more 😆😆😆
Thank you! And I agree with your points. I really like the way the emperor is written, him and tav’s dynamic is very interesting to watch unfold
@@CuriouslyKay agreed!! i may hate his ass but i just find their dynamic and interactions SOOO interesting. Speaking about the emperor and tav's interactions, did you see what would have happened if you reject the emperor trying to rizz you up by calling him a freak? Because I did it for the shits and giggles to see all the outcomes and damn did that scene really add another layer to his deceit towards tav fr
@@jaminecarissa2159 I haven’t seen that scene yet! There’s a lot I definitely need to still explore in this game
26:47 - To be fair, it's not like he'd know the dragon would be Undead. As much as it is a fantasy world, things can die and not become undead, as far as he knew Ansur was just a skeleton deep down the cave and you were wasting time going down there to talk to them. Of course, he COULD HAVE at least said "Oh yeah the dragon is dead" but alas
29:47 - In defense to him, sadly it's not that simple. You were not fully transformed so it was easier to convince Lae'zel to sit down, The Emperor was already a full squid by the time of the mercy killing attempt, so it's not like he had much to bargain with for his own life. And dragons in D&D are incredibly prideful creatures, even if he managed to knock one out they'd come down after him for a vengeance and who knows how much tragedy and destruction Ansur would've left in his wake looking for him. Just reading the letter in Ansur's body makes me very sad because it's just a big tragedy with two beings that just wouldn't change their minds, immovable object vs unstoppable force kinda deal
I would 100% love to fully trust him and his recount of events here as I like to do for the rest of my companions, but he only ever reveals info about himself when he has literally no other choice. He also seems the unreliable narrator sort?
I like to think that writing wise it's a conscious choice to make him this way, because he's very interesting as a 'fallen hero' type; like the transformation changed Balduran irreparably. I like the idea that him and Tav could've been proper friends if they met before the mindflayers. Almost like how the dynamic would work if we met Shadowheart AFTER she became a dark justiciar
Also, love the feedback! It's always great to hear how others react to both the story and my own reaction to it
@@CuriouslyKayAnd I've been loving watching your playthrough of the game! And I totally agree with you on The Emperor, he is so so so shady and I never fully 100% trusted him for like 99% of the game, but I don't blame anybody for not trusting him for all 100% of it
I think his biggest flaw is that he is NOT doing himself any favors because he expects people to think as pragmatically and (almost to the point of being cold) logically as he does. I am someone that can vibe with that so I had no problems with the occasional lying here and there and the omissions, but I can also totally see someone wanting to punch him really hard
I just destroyed the king with damage. It had hit points, so figured damage did it. And it took double damage from electricity.
Your game crashed because of a known bug right now with the building next to the gate where you received the warning from the Emperor about the Elder Brain, the Jannath Estate. Something with the interior occupants in that building causes the game to suddenly crash if you're close enough to them to make them become active. A lot of people are experiencing the same issue. I'd avoid that building until Larian addresses it.
I deadass thought that the brain came and just killed us until I got sent to the ps home. I thought I was gonna get hit with the game over screen lol
Oh you thought there were running out of places to put major plot twists? Wrong again. By the end of act 2 I stopped pretending I had any idea what was going to happen.
That’s gonna have to be the way to play it at this point
Learn to play chess bro.
Gale indeed does know how to solve the chess trial! He literally just tells you and it's shown on the board, easy mode! 😅
PS. Your comparison to The Last Airbender made me think about how old our companions actually are. I don't think any of them are young adults, though. Astarion is 200+, that's how long he spent with Cazador, I believe. We learn that Shadowheart is in her late/mid 40's (if you read the right book in the cloister, she makes a comment about "recorded 40 years of her life"). Wyll seems to be in his mid/late 20's based on what he says about being banished and starting the pact with Mizora. Karlach should be around his age too, maybe a bit older. Gale looks like a guy in his 30's, but I don't think his age is mentioned. I know Jaheira is about 150, Halsin says he's 350 or something. Minsc was 20-30 in previous games, so I guess he's around Jaheira's age now, although idk if being turned into stone counts, lol. I have no idea how old Lae'zel is, though. But she must be young for a githyanki, considering her initial goals in the game (proving herself by killing a mindflayer).
lol, Halsin got kidnapped how many episodes ago? ha ha ha.
If it was Lae'zel you can bet Kay would have rescued her in the next 10 minutes. But Halsin? Who's Halsin? lol
I know you’ve mentioned doing multiple characters/play throughs, hope you upload them as well. This series has been awesome so far and I feel like with how you approach the game and it’s characters (with genuine interest, thoughtfulness, and role play considerations) every run could be whole different story!
I dont feel your aggressiveness toward the emperor is emotional and not logical 😂
His only sin is wanting to live while everyone is telling him to kill himself. Like ansur
I fucking love Minsc (and Matthew Mercer)
Even though hes the last party member you get, i always end up turning him into a murder god. Gloomstalker ranger + thief rogue is so incredibly nasty. Add an elixir of bloodlust and potion of speed, stuff starts to get nutty
I’m so going to have to incorporate potions more in my next run, because I didn’t realize how much they change the game
Yeah fun fact that if you have Gale with you for the chess puzzle, he will not only describe to you exactly how to beat the puzzle, he'll point to the exact squares you need to move the pieces to when you pick them up. Your instinct was correct that he was the one who could have helped 😂(I too would have been struggling if I hadn't happened to have him with me at the time)
Ah I swear he said something about that game before. Good ole google got me that time though
The impression I got from the confrontation between the Emperor and Ansur was that the Emperor did try to talk Ansur down (The note that said "I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again" implies the subject had been discussed to exhaustion), and Ansur was determined to end the Emperor regardless of anything the Emperor did or said, and attacked (not held a proverbial knife to the throat, like Lae'zel, but actively attempted to drive said proverbial knife through the Emperor's chest without waiting for another word).
Once the dragon's teeth are proverbially closing around you, the only choice you really have at that point is to defend yourself (and flee or end the threat), or lie down and accept death. Even if there was something you could say to stop them at that point, it's unlikely you're going to think of it in the middle of dodging dragon claws and lightning blasts (adult dragons don't often come at their enemies with knives. When fighting, they use deadly breath weapons, and claws larger than a person's torso; and adult dragons have ways to resist magic/psionic effects such as illithid mental manipulation; so dominating Ansur to make him stop was about as likely as besting full-sized dragon Ansur in an arm wrestling match). Admittedly, the Emperor probably could have found a nonlethal way to stop Ansur at that point; even if it did, though, Ansur could have easily stalked the Emperor to the ends of the world with a magically-proficient dragon's senses (and move a lot faster if ever there's an overland or overseas chase, with those wings). Even after he died, Ansur seemed to be pretty clear and upfront that the only option he ever had any intention to give the post-ceremorphosis Emperor was death (and then acts like killing him was completely unprecedented).
I don't like the Emperor. It manipulates and gaslights you. It's indifferent to your wants or desires, beyond the obvious 'I don't want to be a Mind Flayer' (and even that it doesn't really respect). It's all-too-happy to kill or mentally dominate anything that gets in its way. All of that said, I don't know how it could have handled the situation with Ansur any better if it didn't want to permanently die.
One thing I definitely learned about the Emperor in Act 3, though, is that if it tells you not to do something, you should definitely do it. Because like, it doesn't care if you waste time and risk your life doing quests and fighting dangerous monsters that have nothing to do with the Absolute. So if it tells you not to do something (especially with the justifications that it's an unnecessary risk, or a waste of time)... it's probably hiding something from you. lol
@@arcania4905 Oh yeah I can totally agree on that. I (and by extension my tav lol) tend to value sincerity above most other traits. With the emperor, it seems to prefer lying or omitting details when trying to connect with Tav, which definitely is the cause of doubt in it’s word by now
The whole “you only have your word” is like my favorite lesson I’ve been taught, so I don’t take well to repeated dishonesty
I do LOVE the way the Emperor is written so far though, it makes for a very interesting dynamic and I adore when writers have the ability to make a character feel real enough to get me to dislike them
31:40 and yet you side with emperor.. until the very end he reveals his true colors.. you claim to love Laezel yet you side with emperor.. hollow love and questionable..
My pardon if I didn't pick up on a chance seeing it in inventory, etc. but I was wondering what armor Lae is in :o? I assume its the blackguard ones or helldusk from dammon but it cant tell!!
I think it's the flawed helldusk armor, I just dyed it with dark amethyst to make it look silver
when i got to the whole 'ansur talks through you' bit the first time, i was playing as a dragonborn who trusted the emperor at least most of the way so oh BOY did that whole situation turn into an absolutely fascinating parallel, i couldn't stop thinking about it for days after 😅 felt like i'd accidentally created a poetic mirror
i do think just. so much about the balduran-ansur relationship, it's so interesting. i think for me i couldn't fully distance myself from the "i tried to tell a loved one i was not in need of saving, but they ignored my wishes" aspect of it all, cause oh boy, but i really liked seeing your thought process and perspective, and just reading the comments about it all as well :D such a fantastic part of the game, just further establishes the emperor's 'survival of myself above all' mindset and gives you a true glimpse into him in a way he never would've allowed - which i think makes it extra fun because ansur basically gives you some tools to stay in some sort of equality with the emperor by forcing that information into the open, like he's keeping balduran's memory alive one more time before dying for good.
Oh the idea of being a dragonborn with that in mind is so cool! I absolutely love the storytelling that players are able to add to narratives, it makes the most interesting differences between playthroughs
Storytelling in media is my favorite thing in the world, so being able to discuss characters with other people who love analyzing like that is always so much fun. This scene tells a lot about his willingness to go to extremes, even sacrifice his loved ones, if it means his survival. I just don't really rock with that mentality, and would probably choose dying as 'myself' over becoming a mindflayer
There's a quote from cyberpunk that I really take to heart in decisions like the one the emperor faced; "The instinct to survive is part of being human, but so is denying it"
"i am the one who roars" bro thinks he's heisenberg
I think you probably just edit it out and not everyone cares about highlighting the loot, but I am curious if got the other legendary item from Ansur, as well as the one from the watcher boss? Also anyone remember what happened to Barcus in this playthrough?
I got the sword that makes you huge, but nothing else from ansur I think. I grabbed the bow from the watcher boss, though I already like the double hand bows so it really doesn’t get used
Barcus died at the windmill in act 1 sadly
@@CuriouslyKay If you feel up for it, a quick search of Ansurs lair will get you a pretty nice item that has a little lore significance. And I get that with the crossbows, thats a really fun build that Im currently doing too. I usually just give Laezel Gontr Mael for the celestial haste feature. 5 turns of haste with no risk of lethargic. Not that she needs any more ways to destroy everyone.
Thats fair, haha, Barcus is way too fragile for an npc who I think has a really satisfying story
Sure you spotted it but there was a tasty helmet on a table behind Ansur @CuriouslyKay
ruclips.net/video/sltnogpdxSI/видео.html "INTERESTED?!!!" i laughed so hard bro 😂
He had me losing my mind this video 😭
@CuriouslyKay old emperor always making his pranks 😂
I was wondering if you would trust him once you discover who he was
And more 😭??