Baldur’s Gate 3 spoilers below.
If there’s one place where Baldur’s Gate 3 refuses to give players an easy way out, it’s its ending. The players are faced with everything all at once: the Netherbrain, companions, romances, sacrifices, and even what “winning” looks like.
A Reddit thread asking players to share their “best ending” for Baldur’s Gate 3 quickly turns into a revealing case study. There isn’t one. And with so many variables, it’s easy to disagree on the smaller details of perfection. There have to be hundreds of slightly different versions of “ideal,” each shaped by what the player values most during that specific playthrough. Whether that’s freedom, sacrifice, loyalty, or just keeping their favorite companions alive and happy.
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Is There Such a Thing As a “Perfect Ending” In Baldur’s Gate 3?
Before discussing any potential ending, it’s important to note that even the best endings in BG3 don’t fix everything. The responses on the above thread reflect that reality. Someone will always lose something, or experience a lingering might leave a bad taste.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Easy (120s)Medium (90s)Hard (60s)
Players might agree on what can be coined as a “better” outcomes. The paths there are rarely simple, and the results aren’t universally satisfying. That’s especially true in a game where different playstyles are rewarded. A more heroic run might prioritize sacrifice and moral clarity, while the choices in an evil run of Baldur’s Gate 3 let a player commit actual atrocities.
The Mind Flayer Choice is a Big Divider for Baldur’s Gate 3 Players
A decision that sparks a lot of debate is whether to become a mind flayer in Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s the game’s most unavoidable moral compromise, and players approach it in wildly different ways. In the game, the burden can be pushed onto Orpheus or onto themselves.
Some players treat the decision more like a sacrifice. Reddit user Rugrin describes becoming the mind flayer themselves and then exiling their character to Avernus alongside Wyll and Karlach: a version of the ending that feels more like penance than victory for some players. But there’s no consensus here, just different interpretations of what the correct sacrifice looks like.
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For Baldur’s Gate 3 Players, Companion Outcomes Matter Just as Much as the Final Battles
What’s striking about these discussions is how little focus there is on the Netherbrain itself. The real debate centers on Baldur’s Gate 3‘s origin companions: who gets closure, who gets freedom, and who gets left in a worse place.
Players are clearly building their endings around these outcomes. Reddit user Dude_tamale outlines a version where nearly every companion gets a hopeful resolution: “Wyll goes to Avernus with Karlach, Gale is not power hungry, Shadowheart’s parents still live, Astarion is a spawn (somebody give this guy a parasol), Convince Lae’zel to stay rather than blindly follow an authority figure.”
Even with these relatively positive endings, some players have alternatives they consider best. For example, Reddit user HardlyHilarious offers mostly the same outcomes for the companions, except for Lae’zel, Wyll, and Karlach.
“Good” Companion Endings in Baldur’s Gate 3 That Can Still Divide Players
Some characters might have endings that might be morally complex. For example, deciding between spawn or ascended Astarion has pretty black and white ethical dilemmas. The same goes for Shadowheart. However, Lae’zel, Karlach, and Wyll are a bit more nuanced.
- Lae’zel can lead the githyanki toward civil war, or she can carve her own path in Faerun away from BG3‘s gith conflict.
- Wyll can become the new Grand Duke Ravenguard of Baldur’s Gate, or the Blade of Avernus.
- Karlach can go back to Avernus, but only if the player or Wyll join her. Karlach’s endings in BG3 are a bit more controversial, especially since they include a choice in which she becomes an illithid by choice. Although seemingly negative, this choice is made with her consent and also prevents her from dying from her infernal engine’s malfunction.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Has No Perfect Ending, Only Trade-Offs
When it comes to RPGs with branching endings, BG3 takes gold because of how different two playthroughs can look from one another. But something that makes Baldur’s Gate 3′ stand out is that its endings feel decisive because they’re deeply personal. With no universally accepted best path and some moral choices being lateral moves rather than righteous, the collection of outcomes simply reflects the player’s priorities, relationships, and choices over 100+ hours.
Even a relatively small Reddit thread can produce wildly different answers to the same question. Everyone played a slightly different game, and everyone built a slightly different story. And when the credits rolled, everyone walked away with a different version of what “winning” looked like.
Baldur’s Gate 3
9/10
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
