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.
