Among the many decisions players will be forced to make along the way Baldur's Gate 3 campaign, the one near the end of the story is arguably the most important. With the fate of the world at stake, players will have to choose between them freeing the imprisoned Gith Prince Orpheus or letting the Emperor handle the situation himself.
After taking the Orphic hammer in the House of Hope, Baldur's Gate 3 players will have the opportunity to break the shackles of Orpheus. However, this may not be the best thing to do as it can drastically affect the party's own destiny. Here are the possible outcomes for this scenario.
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Updated on February 29, 2024, by Nahda Nabiilah: In addition to all the tough decisions players must make, they must also defeat Ketheric Throm, Lord Enver Gortash, and Orin before they can decide Orpheus' fate. To achieve this, players must thoroughly explore both the upper and lower quarters of Baldur's Gate, locating each of the three “chosen” and slaughtering them individually. Furthermore, the decision carries significant weight, as some Baldur's Gate 3 companions may choose to sacrifice themselves for a greater cause. To change their views and make them stay before and after facing the Netherbrain fight, players must be well prepared, as certain interactions require a sum of 30.
The following contains spoilers for the ending of Baldur's Gate 3. Reader discretion is advised.
Should you release Orpheus in Baldur's Gate 3?
This is a difficult decision to make and will depend on what players want from their game. At the start of Act 3, the Emperor will tell the players that keeping Orpheus in check is the only thing keeping the party from turning into Illithid. Natural, if Orpheus is freed, one or all of the party members may be fated to become Mind Flayers.
After failing to defeat Netherbrain, the Emperor will teleport the party inside the Astral Prism. Here, they will be presented with a choice: does he release Orpheus or let the Emperor assimilate Prince Gith to exploit his power?
Joined with the Emperor
Being on the Emperor's side spells the end for Orpheus as he absorbs all of his brain's knowledge. Lae'zel and Karlach may not appreciate this, as his survival is directly tied to their personal quests. This will give the party the edge it needs to defeat Netherbrain, but may not be the most appealing outcome for fans of these characters.
The release of Orpheus
On the other hand, freeing Orpheus will cause the Emperor to side with the NetherBin Baldur's Gate 3. Also, as mentioned earlier, at least one of the party members can be doomed to become a Mind Flayer, which is counter-intuitive to why they joined in the first place. However, Orpheus will join the fight against the Netherbrain alongside the rest of the Githyanki in the encounter and if you ask the Gith Prince to transform into a Mind Flayer for them, he won't hesitate to save his people.
To summarize, players should side with the Emperor if they don't want to become Mind Flayersand should release Orpheus if they don't mind risking tentacles on them or their companions. The former can cause Lae'zel to turn against the player and will force Karlach to return to Avernus so that her Infernal Engine can no longer cause problems. In any case, the players will decide which outcome suits them better.
What is the good moral play here?
This largely depends on what the players think is good, but ultimately, it all comes down to loyalty. Orpheus is the rightful ruler of the Githyanki by virtue of being a descendant of Gith herself, and is directly opposed to Vlaakith and her tyrannical rule. A Githyanki roleplayer should be a no-brainer, but for everyone else, doing Voss and Lae'zel's request may be a bit too demanding. Gith don't care about everyone else, only themselves, even if they come to influence the larger world around them in the process.
The Emperor, on the other hand, is just a generally good guy. He wants to stop Netherbrain and he wants to help you and your party. However, the Emperor understands that not all victories can be achieved without sacrifice. You might end up turning into a squid by the end of your game if you follow the Emperor's plan, but at least you'll be a morally upright squid. Note that there are multiple endings for BG3so if you play your cards right, you might end up with one that works best for everyone.
Baldur's Gate 3
