One Baldur's Gate 3 Quest is Not For Everyone

This article contains endgame spoilers for the Dark Urge Origin in Baldur's Gate 3.

An evil Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough is not for everyone, as it requires not only doing reprehensible deeds, but also locks out important vendors and quest givers. The Dark Urge takes this much further than the custom Tav, as they get a unique set of optional evil acts and rewards that accompany them. This includes several unique Epilogues, but one is considered the worst ending of Baldur's Gate 3.

While committing to the Dark Urge's evil ending by claiming the Absolute for Bhaal gives a grim ending, doing a 180 at the last possible moment results in Baldur's Gate 3's darkest ending because of how personal it is. There are a number of dark endings and other dark moments in Baldur's Gate 3, but Bhaal's punishment for the Dark Urge is brutal and, this time, no one is around to save them.

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By Kristy Ambrose

The Consequences of Betraying Bhaal are Shown in Baldur's Gate 3's Epilogue

Redemption at the last moment entails playing the Dark Urge as evil, with all the atrocities that come with it, such as killing Isobel and everyone in the Last Light Inn, earning the Slayer form, and embracing Bhaal in Act 3. Not only do these actions result in losing out on party members like Jaheira and Minsc, if a full evil playthrough is embraced, Wyll and Karlach also either die or leave the party forever, while Gale is likely killed at the beginning of the game.

This all comes together in the last quest for Act 3, Destroy the Elder Brain. The options for the final confrontation include remaining loyal to Bhaal, controlling the Elder Brain, and ending all life. The other option is to betray Bhaal by ordering the Absolute to destroy all the tadpoles and itself.

These options all lead to the sub-quest Destroy the Elder Brain, and the outcome is the "good" ending. However, a Dark Urge who has followed Bhaal until this point has a different ending. As the Dark Urge still carries Bhaal's influence, they're still under the God of Murder's control.

From here, the Dark Urge has three options: immediately kill themselves, which is the best outcome out of the three, submit to being locked in jail for the safety of others, and try to resist Bhaal. Unfortunately, both being locked away and hoping for the best lead to the same outcomes, with the Dark Urge escaping from prison in their madness.

Betraying Bhaal Includes Distressing Themes

Bhaal is predictably furious at the Dark Urge's last-minute betrayal and, instead of removing his blood and influence over the Dark Urge, uses it to punish them. In this ending, Bhaal's influence on the Dark Urge makes them feral in the six months between the destruction of the Elder Brain and Withers' party.

The player's character watches their old friends from the shadows while the Narrator explains what they've been through in the past six months, which includes sexual assault, killing random people, eating parts of their own body, and being trapped in their own body to mindlessly worship Bhaal. In this scene, the Dark Urge self-harms and potentially loses control of their bodily functions. Resisting Bhaal is pointless. The Epilogue ends with them walking into camp with the intention of killing their old party.

While dark themes and storytelling can have its place, and it makes sense with Bhaal's lore, this scene and the fate of the player character is incredibly disturbing and can be distressing for some players, even compared to Baldur's Gate 3's other evil endings. Players who are sensitive to very dark themes and content should consider if they want to see such a horrible ending for their character, especially after spending dozens of hours with them. While the other endings that involve controlling the Absolute are also dark, the intimacy and deeply personal nature of this ending makes it more disturbing than the others.

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%

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Released: August 3, 2023
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): Larian Studios
Publisher(s): Larian Studios
Engine: Divinity 4.0
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play: Full cross-platform play.