5 Early-Game Choices For An Evil Party
Summary
- Players can make morally questionable decisions early on in Baldur’s Gate 3 to immerse themselves in an evil playthrough and witness the consequences of their actions.
- An evil playthrough can offer a fresh perspective on the world of Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Although there are consequences for evil actions, players can continue progressing through the campaign, even if they are terribly villainous.
There are several evil choices to make in Baldur’s Gate 3, especially when running an evil roleyplaying campaign. These actions drastically alter the world around the player’s character, allowing them to witness how events unfold differently than they would, should they be pinnacles of kindness and justice. Although some companions in Baldur’s Gate 3 may disapprove of these actions and perhaps even leave the group altogether, players are not punished and can continue progressing through the story, though with an evil inclination. Players can start their reign of chaos in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3, within the first few minutes and hours of gameplay, in fact.
This article contains multiple spoilers about events that occur during Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Players can make multiple morally questionable decisions at the very start of the game, and this will slowly help them immerse themselves into an evil playthrough. These can vary from helping wicked villains to simply killing innocents – both of which are often intertwined as action and consequence. The benefits of choosing to be evil in Baldur’s Gate 3 revolve around seeing the world of Faerûn from a different and rather unusual perspective, and witnessing how allies react to the player’s decisions. This can also alter the ending of Baldur’s Gate 3, which may be a selling point for a second playthrough.
5 Side With The Goblins & Attack The Emerald Grove
One of the main and most obvious evil choices to make in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to side with the goblins and its general, Minthara, to attack the Emerald Grove and its residents. The goblins want to take out those who do not follow the Absolute and choosing to enable this is morally objectionable. The Emerald Grove is full of refugees and nature-adoring people who want to survive peacefully and not be involved in conflicts and bloodshed. If players do not empathize with such a lifestyle and instead opt to destroy it, they are obviously making one of the best possible decisions for an evil playthrough.
If players choose this disastrous path of terror, they will gain the disapproval from several of the origin companions, though they may be able to eventually romance the fearsome Minthara. The character is a cruel and violently racist religious devotee who will stop at nothing to praise the Absolute, including slaughtering innocent refugees, so having her around as a friend and potential lover fits in perfectly with an evil roleplaying campaign. Despite the lack of emotional depth, Minthara is a great character to romance in such dire circumstances – arguably the best evil lover in all of Baldur’s Gate 3.
4 Kill The Owlbear Cub
While exploring the outskirts of the Blighted Village, players may stumble upon a small cavern in Baldur’s Gate 3, where they will meet an owlbear mother, who is courageously stepping up to defend its offspring. Players can step away and leave it be or kill it on the spot – this choice really does not matter, as the owlbear will be killed anyway, either by the player’s hands or by a goblin incursion. Nevertheless, choosing to kill it is an absolutely dreadful decision to make, as there is no good reason to take the life of an animal seeking peace and shelter.
What can be even worse than that is to kill the small and helpless owlbear cub in Baldur’s Gate 3 after showing it the insides of its mother. Being cruel and villainous is vital for an evil playthrough, so such an action does have its merit inside a game, but it is certainly one of the worst things a player can do in Act 1, even if it does not have too many narrative consequences. Alternatively, players can wait for the owlbear cub to be kidnapped by the goblins and then kill it after releasing it in what can be considered the ultimate act of spite.
3 Help Auntie Ethel
While the first encounter with Auntie Ethel in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be misleading, as she seems to be a gentle old woman, the NPC shows her true colors shortly after. While exploring the area of the nearby bog, they may encounter Mayrina’s brothers confronting her and may even choose to help her, not knowing what she really is. The fact is, a few more minutes in she shows that she is actually a hag that has kidnapped Mayrina (even if the girl sought her out of her own volition). Exploring her domain shows exactly how cruel she is, especially after discovering the other characters that were cursed by her.
Auntie Ethel is deceitful and cruel and takes pleasure in torturing and misleading those who seek her help. She twists the requests of characters and needs to her own delight, either killing them or sending them down a spiral of madness. If players choose to side with the witch even after knowing what she is and how she treats her subjects, then they are making a prime choice for an evil roleyplaying campaign in Baldur’s Gate 3. In fact, even after battling her, players get a chance to spare her life, but that is far from noble and can be considered a villainous act in and of itself.
2 Allow Nere To Live
Saving True Soul Nere in the Underdark’s Grymforge can usually be a means to an end. The righteous thing to do in Baldur’s Gate 3 is to take his life and rip his head off to present to Sovereign Spaw, who demands vengeance for the slaughter against his fellow Myconid circle. A great strategy to deal with him is to rescue him from the chamber in which he is stuck, thus saving a few gnomes – though Nere may kill one out of anger. Alternatively, players can choose to save Nere and then side with him. The moral problem with such a decision is that Nere is terrible.
He is a racial supremacist drow that actively participates in slavery circles, allowing this heinous act to continue occurring. Nere is also very cruel and will kill anyone that seems unpleasant to him. In addition to all of that, he is also a religious devotee who believes himself to be some sort of messiah, thus deserving of superior treatment. Assisting him can be helpful in a later portion of Baldur’s Gate 3, but it is not worth it if players are looking for a righteous character. If they are tending toward an evil playthrough, however, this may be a fantastic choice to help build their character.
1 Help Sovereign Glut Kill Spaw & Become The Myconid Ruler
Another evil deed to partake in while in the Underdark is helping Sovereign Glut in a coup against the current Myconid circle and overthrow Sovereign Spaw in Baldur’s Gate 3. Spaw is a reasonable and kind character that accepts the presence of the character and generously rewards them for their help in the Grymforge, in case they kill Nere and bring his head back. Glut lost his circle and was accepted by Spaw’s Myconid circle, even if he was still isolated. Nevertheless, the choice he makes to overcome this loneliness is to kill Spaw and become the leader himself. Helping Glut is morally objectionable, especially after getting to know Spaw.
Additionally, aiding the potential coup is also partaking in something of an imperialistic approach to the game, by interfering with politics that do not pertain to the character. It is hard to measure evil, as scrutiny of choices can lead to various interpretations, but helping Glut is also one of the ways a Paladin can break their Oath, so it is certainly an evil choice to make in a Baldur’s Gate 3 campaign focused on villainous roleplay.
