Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Story & Character Discussion Lae'zel Act 3 romance - SPOILER

Killing Karlach is only available if you choose to take the crown, the evil choice. Pretty brutal scene of you stabbing her to death. It doesn't appear motivated by mercy more to gain the stone to control the crown to rule the world.

OK, I see. For a second I thought I'd be like the Mind Flayer Orpheus death scene. But it's completely different, good.

Well, I mean, I was referring to beign an act of mercy because ending up as a Mind Flayer is like a bad end for me. :p

But that's not necessarily the case, specially because our Mind flayer transformation remember who he/she was before beign transformed.

I just finished the game, having abstained from using any Illithid powers the whole game, and romanced Lae'zel too so of course I wasn't about to let the Emperor "absorb" Orpheus... All I can say is that for the breadth of options we have throughout the entire game, I'm incredulous that it came down to either become an Illithid (and have Lae'zel be grateful, yet disgusted), or condemn the Githyanki to Vlaakith seemingly forever (Karlach was not in my party).

It makes 0 sense that the Emperor would turn against the very enemy it's been fighting against the whole game, especially since if the player turns into a mind flayer they can cooperate with Orpheus rather than needing to "absorb" him.

Honestly, I felt sick to my stomach seeing my wholesome, loving paladin destroyed like this, without even the dignity of being able to continue wearing her own armor... All game long, we're shown that every time we think there's a binary choice that it's a false dichotomy and that there's always another way, so it really feels like a slap in the face to have it end up like this.

Not sure I even see the point in trying another playthru at this point. 220+ hours, and instead of joy and a sense of accomplishment, it's sorrow and a sense of loss.

My Tav deserved better, WE deserve better.

Indeed so. Lae'zel's romance is so remarkable. So unlike what you might have expected around the start of the game. And together with our characters' story, it's all ruined by this disgusting ending setup. Thankfully, I am still not quite there with my githyanki Bard, so I can use one of the workarounds and then pretend it never happened. Why the heck do game writers think this is good storytelling? If you want my character to die, well, look at RDR2 for how to do it right. There it grows naturally from the story, and it is sad and poetic and meaningful. With this blow to the head out of the blue in the final moments of BG3's story, I just feel robbed.

"To end....like THIS?" - Jon Irenicus, Baldur's Gate 2.

100%

I spent today replaying the last 6-7 hours, this time with Karlach in my party, just to see what something approaching a happy ending looks like.

Props to Karlach's voice actor for selling it, and not making me feel like Faerûn's worst friend.

Still not totally satisfied by the options Bae'zel and I have at the end. Even though my character isn't a Gith, I feel like accompanying her to the Astral Sea should be an option.

@larathiel



Sooo... are you telling me if my Tav is not a Gith, I can't go with Bae'zel?

I was gonna let her go and (possibly) become a queen/kill Vlaakith on my previous playthrough but if I need to be a Gith AND sacrifice Karlach just to get the ending my Tav and Lae'zel deserve I might as well make Bae'zel stays in Fay-run*

* And also as a revenge because I thought I could get that ending if I sacrifice Karlach, despite my Tav's race. So I deleted my saved file just to get that ending. :clownface:

Totally agree with you. The Karlach option is the best of a whole bunch of bad options. IMO it is the best outcome for the majority of romances, hence why having Karlach in your party is a good idea combined with the new ending with hers where you basically return to Avernus to die anyway. I doubt you live happily ever after in Avernus.

Dang, I think, not 100% sure if you can leave with Lae'zel if not a Githyanki and you have romanced her. Don't worry about the game messed up, my first playthrough I turned into a Mindflayer and walked away with nothing. I am now onto my 6th Playthrough as a Dark Urge Oathbreaker Paladin. I know a way to not kill a party member and still progress that storyline because I did it on my 4th playthrough. This time I didnt massacre the grove to get Minthara because when I played through the 4th time the Minthara romance was bugged (another wasted playthrough).

I agree with you 100% !!!! Surprisingly, the Lae'zel romance ended up being very heartfelt and special. Behind that tough exterior you get to meet a very likable character in Lae'zel. I was actually really sad to finish that playthrough. I still miss her :P

Yep, I've been reading lots of complaints about Minthara's romance. It feels like the game isn't fully complete, specially if you see all the cut content & act 3.

This to me is why the people talking about how Evil does not have a playthrough, makes no sense. Good has nothing but bad choices and little in the way of a "good" reward. Even forgetting the romances for a minute, you are left with becoming something you have been fighting against the entire campaign, making someone else become this abomination or trusting an Illithid to be "good".

What I'd like to know: what happens if you...

(1) Romance Lae'zel as a githyanki
(2) Free Orpheus
(3) Let him become a mind flayer an kill him in the end?

Do you still get the option to fly off with Lae'zel, or does this mean if she follows what Orpheus requested of her, you'll break up?

The thing is, I wouldn't let the Emperor eat Orpheus' brain, but at the same time I'm not all that fond of Orpheus himself, with him probably being of the mindset of his mother who wanted to enslave all the planes. And as a githyanki I would possibly know that.

So...no one has an answer to my question in the previous post?

I would also like to know this...

I would think she flies alone but that's just a thought. Hopefully somehow with knowledge about that ending could shed some light.

Good question and a version I have not yet tested. I have done a playthrough with turning Orpheus into a Flayer and he asks to be killed in the end because he doesn't want to go home as a flayer. So, I mercy killed him. I may not have had Lae'zel in the party with that playthrough. When I get some time Ill go over my saved files and see if I can run that optional ending.

So sorry I haven't responded, been busy with my 6th playthrough, recording and uploading some videos.

God bless your saved files. lol

When I finished a character story, I delete their saved files, good thing you're not like me.

I kinda miss a permadeath mode like DOS2 had. I can't tell you how many saved files I lose due to that feature. :p