Like. On the surface you can KINDA say that the final choice is sort of structurally the same as with the other companions. Meaning that there's one route which the character was following anyway and one route which you can try and convince them to switch to (become Justiciar/reject Shar, worship the Queen/betray the Queen, ascend/do not ascend, etc etc etc). Sometimes your character influences that switch naturally through their actions. So TECHNICALLY it's the same with Karlach - she stubbornly follows the death route, unless you convince her otherwise in the very end and your previous actions support that change (i.e. someone can go with her).
That's technically.
But narratively? While (on a good playthrough) I'm dragging every other friend AWAY from their source of trauma (whether they realize it or not) - sometimes through killing that source, sure, but we still LEAVE...
...with Karlach my 'good' option is to PUSH HER BACK into the place where she can hardly freaking breathe (at that point it doesn't even matter if Zariel can or can't get her hands on her again, Avernus itself is poison to her)??? With some vague hope for a future escape which isn't even promised and I have to headcanon that part myself?
Yes, this. It drives me nuts when people dismiss this as “ah, every main character had a bad ending”. Like… seriously? Wanna swap, then? It’s an extremely unfulfilling and non-resolved issue. Also, some origins have multiple moments of resolution. Wild stuff.
Originally Posted by tarraxahum
(…) But with a badass soundtrack for a cool barbarian exit.
(…)
And the severely-lacking-player-effort-questline is of course a giant insult to injury.
The music feels quite forced. Like, SEE? This is COOL therefore GOOD. Uh. It could’ve fit in another context where she had had an actual resolution to her story, but as it stands it was… off.
Every time I open the quest log I feel offended haha. Why am I laughing, it sucks D:
I just created another character and decided to go after Minthara. I don’t want to give Karlach empty hopes again.
